Post updated with recipe and attached file. It helps to use baking rings to keep shape while they're browning in the skillet. I use these (you only need 4): English Muffin Rings, Set of 4 otherwise they get bigger not as tall.

 

Salmon teriyaki, garlic-butter broccoli, and a sweet-hot noodle dish:




Teriyaki sauce turns out to be stupidly easy to make. 1/2 cup sake, 1/4 cup mirin, and 1/4 cup soy sauce. That's literally the whole recipe. Much more crisp and tasty than the sludgy stuff in the bottle.

I learned that most mirin you find in stores is actually aji-mirin. Basically an imitation with lots of sweeteners and such. True mirin contains just rice and water. The imitation stuff tastes fine, but I'm on a bit of a purist kick today.

Pan-cook the salmon for about 3 minutes on medium-high skin side down with the expensive stir-fry oil, then turn and another 2 minutes, then set aside to a plate. Reduce heat to medium-low, pour in some of the sauce mix (it'll be watery) and reduce it a bit, then put the fish back in and finish for another minute or two, spooning the sauce over the fish.



Broccoli:

Prepare a sauce of:

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 tbs brown sugar
• 3 tbs soy sauce
• 2 tbs rice vinegar
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• Shot of black pepper

Simmer for a bit on low, while the broccoli cooks. (Steam for about 7 minutes in a pot with 1/2" water, then drain.) Mix in a bowl, along with a handful of minced cashew.



Noodles:

I decided to try spaghetti squash here, a first. Turns out that I rather like it. But man, this is a tough gourd. If I ever lose a thumb in the kitchen, this is how it's gonna happen.

Prepare this ahead of time.



Pre-heat the oven to 425°. Halve the squash and scoop out the seeds. Bake 40-45 minutes, cut-side down.

Let cool, then shred the innards with a fork. It should come out looking something like cooked rice noodles.

The sauce:

• 3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tbs minced fresh ginger
• 1 tbs hot chili oil (I wound up adding another tbs after tasting.)

Heat slightly to get everything to mix well. Whisk it all together and set aside.

Plate the "noodles" with some chopped green onion, pour on some of the sauce, and garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

 

Thanks for that info, Bahurd! I've got another loaf of country bread going now... same as before.

Here's a shot of it right after shaping.


The "easy" button is to pick up a loaf from your favorite bakery... as there is definitely a bit of time and effort that goes into this stuff. No doubt about it.

 

Is the best way to tell just looking at the ingredient list on the label? We have got a huge Asian market here I'd like to go look for the real stuff.

Pro Tip: To make the cutting in half of the squash less fear inducing (I know even with a good, sharp knife it's a pain), make a few slits in the in skin and throw it in the microwave for 5-7 minutes to soften it a bit. Cut in half, then finish in the oven. This also works for butternut squash.

 

From what I have read, yes.

Basically, you don't want sugar (or glucose syrup, or whatever) to be the first ingredient.



It's ok if sugar & salt are the last ingredients. (Most mirins have a little extra sweetening after the fermentation.)

I mean, they all work fine. I'm just being a bit of a purist.

 

Flavor so intense, it's illegal in Missouri and Nebraska.

 

^^^ Japchae?

 

Kind of a variation on that idea, yeah.

I took the leftover spaghetti squash from the previous post, and turned into into a dish which was basically themed on the concept of "**** it all"

I honesty don't recall everything that went into it. Roxette covers and whiskey were involved.

What I do remember is sake, chili-garlic paste, mirin, hatred, honey, ginger, hot chili oil, rice vinegar, shichimi togarashi, anger, chopped green pepper, and minced cashew.


Seriously, if you can get past marker-eyebrows-girl, there is some real guitar / drum / mixing talent here:

 

I made my #lunchclub coworkers enchiladas today.

 

What is this, cheese for ants?

 

scott, rolling enchiladas is for suckers. just make it like a mexican lasagna. so much easier.

 

??

filling is like 50% cheese -- that was just some leftover.

 

I'm joking. I like cheese a lot. So i probably use too much of it.

 

FTFY

 

Dat dough doe



dem rollz


money shot

 

It tasted OK but wasn't nearly spicy enough. Next time more jalapenos and dried chiles.

 

^Sambal is great to have around for such instances.

 

 

Well, it looks like the image uploader is removing the body of the messages?!?!?
Either way, thanks for the idea on the sambal! I added a few drops of srirracha last night and it tasted a lot better.

Also, test bake of my second batch of baguettes were pretty successful, even if they were conventional yeast (Sorry Joe P.).
The rest of them will be baked Sunday morning, which should help with the blistering and a more even browning.

Pushing the limits of what I can achieve with a home oven, for sure.
Big pan of boiling water under the baking stones and I plugged up the oven vent tube to help get as much moisture into the air as I could...
They're not quite bahn mi levels of crisp, but should make some damned tasty sandwiches!

 

That bread man... I'm silently nodding in approval (not that you needed it).

Aaaaaanyway, getting back to quick things (relatively speaking) - okonomiyaki is what's for lunch. I like to use left-overs or whatever I can find in the fridge. Which is why I often don't go by any sort of recipe and just use something as an inspiration as in case here.

I forgot to take a picture while everything was laid out neatly on the prep board, but whatever.

• Batter
• Lots of cabbage
• spices
• cilantro (i was out of green onion, which is the better way to do this)
• cut up hot-dog (was out of other more appropriate meats)
• onion
• jalapeno

Mix things up well and put on a very hot skillet or other flat cooking surface. I use cast iron lodge for this. Oh, added an egg there. It looks good, tastes good and helps holding things together on the inside




Cook until the bottom browns nicely, brake the egg yolk on top and then flip it. While the other side cooks - I quickly made couple easy-over eggs and added some cheese on top of the cooked side. Shape it into a circle or square. Why shape? Because it is fun and it looks better that way.



Putting eggs on top of cheese makes it melt and melt it good.



Because I was doing it for a quick lunch while working, I didn't get the squeeze bag to do it right and make it look very good, but just sprinkled some extra spices, smeared some mayo, added remaining pieces of the fried hot-dog, poured my super-quick home made okonomiyaki sauce (soy sauce + ketchup).




And then I dig into it......