curry, lap mei fan

veggie tofu beef curry, mild

component A
2 tbls garlic minced
red chili flakes
1 tbls rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
.5 lb ground beef 7% lean
1 tsp sesame oil

component B
3-4 celery stalks
1/2 large onion
quarter cabbage .5-1 in chopped
green onions, chopped

component C
1 block S&B instant curry mix

1 block tofu, anytype (i used soft so it got all mushed up)

it that looks just a little bit strange with tofu and all, you caught me. i was going to make mabo tofu until i foudn that my sauce packet expired... anyway, cooked component A on med high heat until _just_ browned, but not too done. stir it around and break it into small clumps. smells good huh? that'd be a dish in itself to go with rice but.. onwards! move component A into another bowl at that point, and add component B into the same pot, in the order listed, one minute apart. if it starts to burn, turn down heat to med, add some water. stir. cover so it doesn't dry out. simmahd for maybe.. 5-8 mins(?) until it was tender. while that was going, took component C and placed in a ricebowl full of water, microwaved to get it soft. when the veggies were done, dumped in the tofu, the beef, and the curry sauce. mix mix. turn off heat when it boils again. enough to last 3-4 meals, esp tasty with rice... even.. lap mei fan. ittadakemasu!


lap mei fan = assorted dried meats rice

2 chinese dried sausages, liver, or savory, or sweet, whatever.
1 dried salted duck leg
2 cups rice, 3 cups water

washed rice, placed in rice cooker. added extra water. about a 1.5H2O / 1 rice ratio instead of 1.25. the dried stuff takes up a lot of water. place a wire steamer on top, or just toss stuff in the rice. doesn't matter, more flavorful that way anyways. rinse sausages, duck, cut fat and skin from the duck leg, toss in rice cooker... cover and push the button.. duh.

so anyone wondering how the rice cooker magically knows when your rice or food is ready? ok, since i'm the only one interested: there's a thermal sensor inside the bottom of the cooker, the thing on the spring. when water is still in the pot, the after it heats up inititally, the temperature remains constant, when it undergoes a phase change from liquid to gas (@100 C and 4.184 kJ/kg). when all the water has either turned to steam or absorbed into your food, the temperature inside rises again rapidly and when the sensor registers the change, it turns off the cooker. simple application of thermochemistry.. yay.

the flavor packet is optional, shitake mushroom broth

shitake mushroom broth - this is by far the tastiest shitake mushroom thing i've made so far...

10 shrooms whole, washed, stems cut off.
~ .5 inch cube of fresh ginger sliced up real thin
~1.5 inches green/spring onion sliced up
2 tbls soy sauce
1-2 tsp rice wine
~ .5 tsp rice vinegar
pinch of sugar

dump the ginger, soy sauce, wine, vinegar into a pot with 2-3 cups water. boil. add in the mushrooms and *gently* boil for 4-5 mins. put on top after you turn off the heat. that's it. it comes out a bit light, with the mushroom flavor in it... instant ramen plain kind of sucks ( instant ramen is really oily and forms a kind of scum if you let it sit w/ the same scummy water you boiled it in...) so i boiled it seperately and drained it before pouring the broth and shrooms over it. i don't know why, but i've had 3 ppl in the last week ask me if it was ok to make ramen without the flavor packet??? NO, THE RAMEN WILL BE RUINED AND POISON YOU. =P is it just me that thinks that's slightly bizarre? it always made sense to me to make the noodles first and then add the flavor later to taste in the bowl instead of guesstimating.. oh man, i'm really avoiding work, talking about making noodles.. =P

steak, brussels sprouts, onigiri

dinner was steak, brussel sprouts, rice:
preheated toaster oven to 425 on broil setting. broil means placing the meat on the first or second rack closest to the heat, which is coming from the top on broil setting. sprinkled on savory, cayyeanne pepper, garlic salt on both sides. broiled for 10 mins on one side, flipped tot he other side and did anohter 10 mins for medium rare on a 1 inch thick steak. when it's done, take it out, and let it rest for 5 mins so the tasty tasty juices don't all run out when you cut into it. at the same time, boiled up some water and follow instructions on frozen brussel sprout package. made rice, and covered that with some jarred indian garlic relish. actually, make the rice first. it takes the longest. if no likee garlic salt and junk, marinate in ponzu(a light citrus soy) sauce for half hour before broil instead.
*put it on the highest rack and broil for 6 mins each side for rare

brussel sprouts are tasty. aside from the slightly mushy texture, they taste like a cross between broccoli and cabbage. they're actually related to the broccoli and the mustard family...

lunch a few days ago - spicy squid onigiri (japanese style rice balls)
1.5 cups cooked calrose rice mixed with some instant vinegar sushi seasoning. distribute evenly in two lumps on 2 separate sheets of dried nori seaweed. julliene up half a pickling cucumber and spread that between the two. got some spicy semi-dried prepared squid from your local DB Marketworld or other korean market and put some on. wrap it up like a package and seal the seaweed with a little bit of rice vinegar or water. portable lunch perfect for those days i have 4 hours straight of class. actually, ANY stuffing + rice works well... ham.. carrots.. pickled vegetables..