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It was so hot last weekend that it barely felt like October. I also didn’t feel like cooking (again – heat and overtime will do that to you), so this was perfect to put together: easy and cool. I made cold sesame noodles, miso marinated chicken for D, and heated up some cream cheese wontons and veggie eggrolls I had stuck in the freezer. It really hit the spot!
Miso Chicken (ala Maki from Just Hungry & Just Bento)
for every 1 medium chicken thigh…
- 1 tbsp white miso
- 1 tbsp sake
- 1/2 tsp brown sugar
Let marinate 10 minutes to over night in a plastic bag. I grilled them in a pan on the stove, flipping once. Being a veggie, I don’t eat them, but they keep D the carnivore happy.
Its too darn hot, and as Mr. Cole Porter says, I’d like to sup with my baby tonight. (yes, that’s missing many of the lyrics, but you get the point.) There’s nothing more oppressing than cooking over a hot stove when its 100F outside. So I didn’t. I saw this recipe for cold sesame noodles on Chez Pim and was saving it for a day just like this. What can I say? Delicious! Cold, creamy and nutty with minimal prep time and maximum taste. I didn’t have the cucumber the recipe called for, so i used broccoli. I am definitely making this again.
Originally uploaded by mosli
The best part about 105F day and a broken air conditioner is the excuse to not cook. And believe me, when it gets that hot the lazyness and pleathora of take-away food options increases. “hey honey, its too hot to turn on the stove, lets just pick up some Chinese.” Yes, I’m slightly ashamed to adimit, we did. (Its in my lunch today.) The one thing I don’t mind turning on the stove for is soba. A few minutes of boiling water is well worth the cool and delicious noodles with their sweet and salty sauce.
My lunch of leftover soba was just as yummy as it was for dinner. In the top tier is dipping sauce with buckwheat soba noodles and cooled, steamed broccoli. In the bottom tier is seasoned tofu (which is also quite good dipped in the soba sauce) and honey dew mellon.
Originally uploaded by mosli
Isn’t my new furoshiki cute? The bananas go so great with my bento, and who doesn’t like bunnies dressed up like monkeys! I love using these to keep my whole lunch together in one bundle, prevent spillage, and they’re environmentally friendly alternative to paper lunch bags!
Lately I’ve been enjoying cooking tofu in a variety of ways. Here in the lower teir of my bento is simmered terriyaki tofu, steamed broccoli, edamame, and tomato salad. This tofu is full of flavour, salty and savory, and has a nice firm texture. Its almost like a little protein cutlet and I usually have it over hot, fresh rice with steamed or stir-fry vegetables. The trick, like always, is draining the tofu really well. Excess moisture is not a friend.
Simmered Terriyaki Tofu
- 1 block drained tofu, cut into 1/4 or thicker slices.
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 inch ginger, grated or finely minced
- 1/4 cup terriyaki sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp rice vinnegar
In a greased pan cook tofu slices on medium-high heat until light golden brown on both sides. In a bowl mix remaining ingredients. Poor mixture over tofu slices and simmer until liquid has been nearly absorbed by tofu, turning occasionally to prevent burning. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.
Its very warm here this week, so i figured I’d give D something cool for lunch. D’s lunch of soba leftovers is just pretty, if a little unballanced in colour. I just didn’t think that I should mix pineapple and pickles (eeew). On the right is cold soba noodles with boiled shrimp. The round blue container is dipping sauce. In the middle is tomago and pineapple. On the left are carrot and daikon pickles with chili carrots.
Originally uploaded by mosli
I went to the asian market for daikon (because they are so much better there than my local store), and left with soba. I love noodles, but I have this unexplainable fear about using them at home in anything other than italian. So i figured I’d compensate my apprehension by making them a part of a large, special dinner. Why is it so special? Becasue it took all day to put together and that’s not going to happen often!
Across the front of the table from left to right are wasabi broccoli, daikon and carrot pickles, cream cheese wontons and wonton wrapped sprimp, and spicy chilli carrots. Behind that on the table are tofu miso soup, soba noodles, dipping sauce, fresh grated ginger, and (even though you can’t really see it) chopped green onion. All in all, the noodles were a success! The dipping sauce was a bit of an adventure. I don’t know Japanese, and as the bottle of Bulldog sauce I bought had no English on it (other than the brand) D and I improvised. We took some of the Bulldog sauce and added mirin and rice vinegar to thin it out a little. Yes, I know that’s not real soba dipping sauce, but it still tasted good!
Cold Soba (how I did it, not necessarily how its done!)
- soba noodles (buckwheat)
- 1/4 cup Bulldog Yakisoba sauce
- 2 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- chopped green onions and fresh grated ginger, for serving
Bring salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add desired about of soba noodles and return to boil. Cook for 5 more minutes. Remove from stovetop, drain, rinse, and return to pot, running coldwater over noodles until cool. Place in small bundles for serving.
In a separate bowl mix sauce, mirin, and vinegar well. Serve with noodles as a dip.
Originally uploaded by mosli
I first had mochi in London. There’s a small bakery in Chinatown that has the most beautiful cakes and pastries. My mouth was watering, so I had to get something. Probably because I had no idea what they were, I picked up a tray of mochi in three varrieties: red bean, green tea, and coconut. I’ve been in love with mochi ever since.
There are so many different kinds of mochi and ways to make them. I made red bean mochi simply because I saw the past at the local asian grocery and got very excited. The technique I used for this was a fast microwave technique. I seem to have trouble with circles and spheres. They always turn out lopsided. Even my cookies are odd shaped. So I gave up on the mochi, and assembled them ravioli style (which is why they look so odd).
Mochi – Ravioli Style
- 1 cup mochiko
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- food colouring (if you like)
- filling (red bean paste, berries, etc)
- starch (potato, corn, etc.)
Roll your filling into small balls for the center of the mochi, and set aside. Mix mochiko, sugar, water, and food colour in a bowl until well combined. Micowave on high 2-4 minutes, depending on the strength of your microwave (it only took 2 minutes for me). Stir – do not over cook. Give a cutting board and your hands a good dusting of starch. Starch is necessary to keep the dough from sticking to your hands and everthing else. Pull a small bit of dough from the mass and press it into a circle disk. Put filling in the middle and press into a moon shape, then press the two points together.
