#1 object blue
On her favourite broccoli pasta recipe, affordable dim sum in London and lamb stew
Welcome to Salt Fat Acid House, a newsletter about electronic music and food. What does your favourite DJ like to cook? Are they a chilli crisp fanatic or do they put cornflakes on their rider? For the very first instalment, we speak to object blue about her culinary tastes.
Whether it’s the Cassie-sampling mixtape conceived in the peak of lockdown, her slamming techno sounds, or ‘body music’ collaboration with TSVI, object blue has continually pushed the boundaries of sound. While being one of the artists fronting London’s experimental music scene, the Tokyo-born, Beijing-raised DJ and producer is also someone who’ll use her Instagram to post photos of marbled dough dumplings, or a newly-bought pannetone, as much as her music.
When we spoke, she was gearing up to play “a live set with some serious sound system at Houghton” (potentially witnessed by Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales?) She’s recently started a new show on NTS called ‘make-believe’: “a recording that mimics wandering in and out of metaphysical rooms and views,” as she describes it. You can listen to the first in the series, which pairs the leftfield sounds of Simo Cell with unreleased material.
She’s also “slowly writing my first album,” she reveals. “Sometimes I think it’s 90 per cent done, sometimes I think I’m only 20 per cent in.” Below, object blue names her favourite recipe and rider additions (on a semi-related note, I spoke to her for a piece about inclusion riders in 2021), and explains what makes a meal life-changing to her.
Do you have a favourite recipe?
Pasta E Broccoli from Rachel Roddy’s blog. It’s a bowl of comfort and indulgence but also with a substantial amount of broccoli, which we all know is very good for us! It's perfect when I’m feeling tired or restless.
Which ingredients do you love using when cooking?
I don't know if it’s possible to answer this question! Sake or shaoxing wine, maybe – it really elevates whatever dish I’m making. I love cardamom a lot as well.
Have you had any life-changing meals?
When I was 12, my family went on holiday to Italy. We went through Milan, Rome, Brescia, Florence. Every single meal there blew my mind: it was my first time in Europe after growing up in Asia, and to taste the authentic cooking was incredible. I don’t even remember details of the dishes we ordered, it was about the magic of cooking local recipes with local produce.
In the same vein, I remembered that I’d never tasted meat cooked in this particular way, during my first time visiting Turkey. Something about the way they grill it – which is apparently illegal in the UK? – made it so distinctive.
For me, many meals can be super delicious, but what makes one life-changing is when I taste something I haven’t tried before. When my wife and I met, we were young and couldn't spend a lot of time together – she was working a 9-to-5 and I was a mess of a music student. One day she took a day off and made me a lamb stew from a recipe she’d found somewhere. I remember the dark pink glimmer of pomegranate seeds. We sat at my dining table and she watched me with a smile as I inhaled the plate, half-naked. I think that meal deserves a mention.
Is there anything edible on your rider?
Fresh fruit!
Where are your favourite places to eat out in London?
Thanks to the cost of living crisis, it’s getting harder to be excited about eating in London... but I’ve gone to Joy King Lau for a decade now for dim sum, Miyama serves an authentic sushi without Michelin prices [Ed: it’s unfortunately now shut], and I look for reasons to go south of the river so I can stop by Ethiopian restaurant Enat Guada.
You’re getting a takeaway, what are you ordering?
Loubieh B`zeit with rice from The Orange Room, Mile End. They always throw in lots of pickles and salads for free, too!∎
Before you go, here are some newsletter-endorsed releases that have been on rotation in SFAH HQ: