This bread uses a generous quantity of sesame oil in the dough, has walnuts folded in, and is topped with toasted sesame seeds. Unfortunately, I was a bit out of it when making it, so I forgot to add the walnuts before doing the preshaping like I was supposed to. Given that the dough was already divided, I decided to just add half the quantity of walnuts to half of the dough and leave the other one with just the sesame seeds. And, I have to admit, the one without the walnuts rose better and came out with a nicer shape. I think, if I were doing it again, I'd like to try a pure sesame loaf: sesame oil, sesame seeds folded into the dough, and sesame seeds on top.

Sesame-Nut Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1/4 c. honey
• 250g sourdough discard (optional)
• 450g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour, divided
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. dry milk powder
• 4 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 large eggs
• 150g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1 c. chopped walnuts (or 1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds)
• 1 small egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine water, sesame oil, canola oil, and honey and heat to ~50°C (120°F).
2. Add the sourdough discard (if using) and 300g of the whole wheat flour and stir vigorously for ~100 strokes.
3. Add the remaining whole wheat flour, salt, milk powder and stir for another 100 strokes.
4. Cover and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
5. Add the yeast and mix in the 2 large eggs.
6. Work in the white flour, a little at a time.
7. Turn out onto a well-floured surface and knead for at least 20 minutes, working in small amounts of extra flour as needed to stop dough from being excessively sticky.
8. Round the dough and place in a covered bowl to rise (60-90 minutes).
9. Knock the dough back and work in the walnuts (or sesame seeds).
10. Divide the dough into two equal portions and round each one.
11. Cover and rest for ~10 minutes.
12. Grease two 20x10cm (8x4") loaf pans.
13. Shape each dough portion into a loaf and place into pans.
14. Cover and allow to rise for 45-60 minutes.
15. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
16. Beat the small egg with the milk and brush the tops of the loaves with the mixture.
17. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
18. Bake at 190°C (375°F) until done (~30 minutes).
19. Run a knife or a spatula around edges of pans and carefully turn loaves out.
20. Return to hot (but turned off) oven for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.

Mayak Eggs (Korean Marinated Soy Sauce Eggs)

I was originally thinking of doing a rolled omelette to go with our Korean dinner. But, having taken a closer look at the recipes, I decided that these marinated eggs would actually work better. Both because I could prepare them ahead of time and because the marinade is useful in a variety of other recipes.

Mayak Eggs

From https://aaronandclaire.com/korean-marinated-eggs-mayak-eggs/

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. soy sauce
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 1/2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Cheongyang chili pepper (or serrano, jalapeno, etc.), thinly sliced (optional)
• 1 mild red chili, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6-8 large eggs, hard- or soft-boiled

Directions

1. combine the soy sauce, water, sugar, vinegar, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and black pepper. Mix well.
2. Add the onion, chilies (if using), green onion, and garlic and stir to combine.
3. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Reduce heat to low and gently add the eggs. Stir gently to center the yolks. Cook for 7 minutes for soft-boiled eggs.
4. Transfer the eggs to an ice bath to cool completely. Once cooled, peel the eggs.
5. Add the peeled eggs to the marinade and gently stir to coat. Ensure they are fully submerged. If needed, stir halfway through marinating. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
6. To serve, place a marinated egg on top of hot steamed rice, drizzle with extra marinade, and add a touch of sesame oil. Enjoy!

I've been alternating between making Bernard Clayton bread recipes and working my way through the selection of sourdough recipes on the King Arthur Flour website. This unusual focaccia was the next up in my queue. And I am very glad indeed! TF has very normal feelings about this bread. I like it. I like it a lot. But I don't think my enjoyment of it can hold a candle to TF's near unseemly fascination with it. I'm quite tickled that she's enjoying it so much!

I may play around with the proportions somewhat in the future. For this time, I stuck to the recipe and went fairly heavy on the oil. Next time I might try doubling the dough and bumping the corn up a little bit. Just as an experiment. It's really excellent as-is. I just like to tinker!

Tiwanese Bakery Sourdough Focaccia

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 75g ripe (fed) sourdough starter @ 100% hydration
• 175g water
• 250g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. garlic or scallion oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame or chili oil
• 4 links Taiwanese sausage, sliced
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 50-60g fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1-2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• Kewpie mayonnaise

Directions

1. Make sure your starter is well-fed and active.
2. Combine the starter and water and mix well.
3. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
4. Cover and let rest for 30-60 minutes.
5. Add the salt and knead for a few minutes to incorporate it.
6. Cover and rest for at least an hour.
7. Do a bowl fold, then spread the garlic/scallion oil over the surface. Cover and allow to rest for 4-8 hours.
8. Knock the dough back then cover and chill overnight. (If you are in a hurry, you may skip this step, but the flavour will be better with a slow, overnight fermentation.)
9. Oil a 23x33 (9x13") baking dish with a little of the sesame/chili oil.
10. Add the dough to the prepared pan and gently stretch it to fill as much of the pan as possible.
11. Cover and rest at room temperature for 2-3 hours, gently stretching every 30 minutes or so.
12. Dimple the surface of the dough and drizzle with the remaining oil.
13. Sprinkle with sliced sausage, green onion, corn, and sesame seeds.
14. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
15. Bake focaccia on lower rack for 15-20 minutes.
16. If surface is not dark enough after 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 200°C (400°F) and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
17. Turn off oven and let stand in hot oven for 5 minutes.
18. Remove from oven, drizzle with mayo, cut into squares, and serve.

This recipe was good in that we all enjoyed it. It was also clearly insane!

It called for (among other things) 375g of soba noodes, 500g of steak, and an entire napa cabbage and claims to serve four! I didn't even have a whole cabbage left, so I just used the ~2/3 of one that I did have. And even that would barely fit in the wok. And that was before we added the noodles!

We all had fairly large portions last night and the wok was still basically full after dinner. This recipe clearly makes enough to serve a family of 12! So, yeah, I like this recipe, but I think the proportions (and overall yield) are a bit off. I've scaled down the cabbage and noodles here, but left the rest of the ingredients the same. Hopefully this will produce a more reasonable quantity with a better balance between the meat, vegetables, and noodles. I've also reduced the broth called for. Since I found the sauce a bit soupier than I would have liked, even after adding the cornstarch slurry and trying to cook it down.

Stir-Fried Soba Noodles with Beef and Cabbage

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 500g steak (pref. sirloin)
• 1/4 c. sesame oil
• 1/4 c. dark soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 200g soba noodles (or whole wheat spaghetti)
• 1 Tbsp. peanut or corn oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded
• 1 c. beef broth, divided
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 225g sugar snap peas or snowpeas (mangetout), trimmed and halved diagonally
• 1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted
• Laoganma (老干妈) and/or Sriracha, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Thinly slice the beef across the grain and then cut into matchsticks (julienne).
2. Combine the sesame oil, soy sauce, and ginger paste.
3. Add the beef and toss to combine. Marinate for 1-3 hours.
4. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
5. Heat the wok over medium-high heat.
6. Add the oil and swirl to coat.
7. Add the garlic and green onion and stir-fry for a minute or so.
8. Add the beef and marinade and stir-fry until cooked (5-8 minutes).
9. Add the cabbage and 3/4 c. of the broth.
10. Cover and cook until cabbage wilts (3-4 minutes).
11. Whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 1/4 c. of broth and pour it over the cabbage.
12. Add the peas and noodles, toss to combine, and cook until everything is heated through and sauce thickens slightly (2-3 minutes longer).
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
14. Serve topped with Laoganma and/or Sriracha (if desired).

Lasoon Sengdane Batate chi Bhajee (Garlic-Peanut Potato Curry)

We had some potatoes that needed to be used up and I needed another dish to go with the eggplant curry for dinner last night, so this potato curry was a natural choice. (I had originally been hoping to also make a dal go to with it to add a little more protein to the meal, but I ran out of energy and just stuck with the two veggie curries in the end.)

TF usually isn't that big a fan of potato curries. But surprisingly, in this case she actually preferred this to the eggplant one! Honestly, they were both excellent. Although grinding up the peanuts and garlic and whatnot for the initial step of the recipe did take a bit of elbow grease. Next time I might try using the "food chop" setting on the blender rather than doing it in the molcajete. Hopefully that will streamline the process a bit.

Lasoon Sengdane Batate chi Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 2 Tbsp. raw peanuts (without skins)
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 3 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 2 Tbsp. peanut oil¹
• 450g potatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 c. water
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 12 fresh or frozen curry leaves

Directions

1. Combine the sesame seeds, peanuts, garlic, and chilies in a blender, food processor, or molcajete and pulse to form a finely chopped, slightly gritty blend. (If using a molcajete, you may want to add a small portion of the salt to help aid in breaking down and grinding the garlic and chilies.)
2. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
3. Add the minced blend to the oil and cook, stirring, until the mixture turns brown and begins to get somewhat crumbly (5-8 minutes).
4. Add the turmeric and cook for another 5-10 seconds.
5. Add the potatoes, tomatoes, water, and salt and stir to combine.
6. Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender (30-40 minutes).
8. Stir in the cilantro and curry leaves and serve.

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¹ I didn't have any peanut oil, so I decided to go for sesame oil instead. If you don't have either of those, then I think that canola oil or ghee would also be fine. (Although obviously don't use ghee if you need to keep things vegan.) ^Back

I will say right off that this bread didn't go quite to plan. I made the dough, let it ferment for a few hours, then decided that it wasn't ready for shaping yet and put it down in the cold room for the night. Which would have been fine... had I remembered it in the morning. But I completely forgot about it down there and didn't think of it again until nearly dinnertime the next day. By which point it had climbed nearly to the top of the bowl and was a bit overfermented and somewhat less structured than one might hope. Possibly I could have built the structure up a bit more with some additional coil folds. But, by that point, I just wanted to get it into the oven and be done with it. So I just rounded it, shaped it, gave it a (relatively) quick final rise, baked it off, and called it a day!

So, part of the problem was my own lack of organization. That said, I also question the baking instructions for this one. The recipe calls for baking the loaves at 250°C (475°F) for 25 minutes and then giving them another 20 minutes at 230°C (450°F). That seemed like way too long at way too high a temperature to me. I'm used to giving sourdoughs 10-15 minutes at 230-250°C (450-475&dge;F), followed by another 20-30 minutes in the 160-200°C (325-400°F) range. Their recommended times and temperatures seemed a bit nuts to me.

I actually did start my loaves out at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes. But, after that first 15 minutes, the loaves were already getting pretty dark. My instinct at that point would normally be to drop the temperature down to 180°C (350°F), but, since this recipe still called for another 10 minutes at 250°C (475°F), I decided to split the difference and drop it down to 220°C (425°F) for the next 10 minutes. By the time it had reached the end of its first 25 minutes of baking the crust was very dark indeed and on the verge of being burnt. But the interior of the bread was still clearly not remotely cooked. So, at that point, to prevent the crust from turning to charcoal, I dropped the temperature all the way down to 160°C (325°F) and baked it for the remaining 20 minutes.

In retrospect, I think my standard 15 minutes at 230°C (450°F) followed by 20 minutes at 180°C (350°F) with a possible 5-10 minutes of "curing" in the hot oven would have been just fine. Oh well... At least now I know.

Sesame Sourdough

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 50g ripe (fed) sourdough starter @ 100% hydration
• 550g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 380g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 23g (3 1/2 tsp.) coarse sea salt
• 200g sesame seeds, divided
• 745g water
• 1 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Make sure your starter is good and active.
2. Combine the starter, white flour, whole wheat flour, salt, 95g of the sesame seeds, water, and honey and mix well.
3. The dough should be fairly wet and loose. Use a bowl scraper and/or your hand to work it against the side of the bowl and do several bowl folds.
4. Cover and allow to ferment at room temperature for 6-12 hours, doing at least four bowl folds during this time.
5. Once dough is puffy and well-risen, knock it back and turn out onto a well-floured surface.
6. Divide into two equal portions and round each one.
7. Cover and allow to rest for 10-20 minutes.
8. Lightly flour two bannetons (preferably with rice flour).
9. Spread ~1/2 of the remaining sesame seed on the work surface.
10. Flip one of the dough balls smooth-side down onto the sesame seeds and press it flat.
11. Shape your loaf by doing a letter fold followed by rolling it up, jelly-roll-style.
12. Place the loaf, seam-side-up, into one of the bannetons.
13. Repeat shaping process with remaining sesame seeds and dough.
14. Cover and proof at room temperature for 1-4 hours.
15. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
16. Boil some water and grease a baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal while the oven preheats.
17. Turn the loaves out onto the prepared baking sheet and slash as desired.
18. Pour some boiling water into a large pan and place it on the bottom oven rack.
19. Put the loaves in the oven on the rack above the water pan and bake at 230°C (450°F) for 15 minutes.
20. Remove water pan, reduce oven temperature to 180°C (350°F) and continue baking for another 20-25 minutes.
21. Turn off oven and let loaves stand in hot oven for 5-10 minutes.
22. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Lunch time rolled around today and TF and I were both feeling ravenous. Unfortunately, we didn't really have any leftovers in the fridge. And no bread or other quick and easy lunch options. We were considering having some sort of ramen. But I decided to take a quick look through the egg book before resorting to instant noodles. Luckily I ran across this recipe and remembered that we still had some asparagus in the fridge that needed to be used up.

The original recipe called for basmati rice, but we swapped it out for long-grain brown rice. It takes a little longer to cook, but it's a bit healthier and more filling than white rice. We also swapped out the fresh ginger for ginger paste¹ and halved the oil called for. This worked quite well and made a tasty and relatively easy lunch option!

Brown Rice, Asparagus, and Egg Salad

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 c. water²
• peanut (or other neutral) oil
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea slat, ground
• 340g asparagus, trimmed
• 1-2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 c. sliced green onions
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Dressing

• 1/2 c. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Directions

1. Cook the rice by your preferred method.
2. Meanwhile, heat a few mm of oil in a 6" frying pan over medium-high heat.
3. Beat the eggs with the ginger, garlic and salt.
4. Once the oil is hot, pour in the egg mixture and cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
5. Lift the edges of the egg and let the uncooked mixture flow underneath. Cook for 1 more minute.
6. Flip and cook for 1 minute longer.
7. Transfer to a strainer or paper towel to drain.
8. Cut or tear the omelette into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
9. Place a steamer basket over a few cm of boiling water and steam the asparagus for 3-4 minutes.
10. Rinse the asparagus under cold water, transfer to serving bowl, toss with sesame oil, and set aside.
11. Combine the vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, and sea salt for the dressing and mix well.
12. Whisking constantly, add the oil in a thin, steady stream.
13. Continue whisking and drizzle in the sesame oil. Set aside.
14. Once the rice is done, add it to the bowl with the asparagus along with the green onions and toss to combine.
15. Pour over the dressing, add the omelette pieces, and stir to mix.
16. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

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¹ I doubled the quantity of ginger paste since I find it doesn't tend to have quite as much presence as fresh ginger. If you are using grated fresh ginger, then halve the quantities called for here. ^Back
2 The amount of water needed to cook the rice will vary depending on the method used to cook it. The proportions shown here are appropriate for pressure cooking in an InstantPot. ^Back

These were meant to be made with black sesame seeds -- which I could've sworn we had -- but I couldn't find them anywhere in the pantry, so I ended up rolling with toasted white sesame seeds instead. They were still nice that way, but it definitely didn't have the same visual effect as black sesame would have.

Steamed Sugar Snap Peas with Sesame

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. black sesame seeds
• salt (optional)

Directions

1. Set up a steamer and steam the peas for 3 minutes.
2. Transfer peas to serving dish.
3. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
4. Add a little salt (if desired).
5. Serve hot or room temperature.

I've made similar roasted broccoli dishes before, but I hadn't tried this one specifically. And since I needed a vegetable side to go with dinner, I figured this was a good time to try it out.

The recipe implied that you were meant to leave the broccoli in large pieces. I roasted it in large pieces, but then cut it up before serving to make it easier to eat. Next time, I think I'd just cut it up from the get-go though as trying to cut it afterward was a bit fiddly.

Roasted Broccoli with Soy Sauce & Rice Vinegar

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 Tbsp. peanut or corn oil
• 2 tsp. garlic paste
• 450g broccoli (stems and florets), cut into bite-sized pieces
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F).
2. Combine the oils and garlic paste and toss with the broccoli.
3. Spread the broccoli out on a rimmed baking sheet and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Roast the broccoli at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
5. Transfer to a bowl and toss with the soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame seeds.

I wanted to make some smoothie bowls for breakfast, but the recipe called for granola. I considered buying some ready-made granola, but home-made granola is always so tasty and it's not that hard to make, so I opted to go that route instead. There were even a bunch of granola recipes in the same book as I was using for the smoothie bowl recipe. Convenient!

Since the smoothie bowls called for both (chia) granola and toasted almonds, I opted to make this almond granola and just use a bit more of it rather than preparing toasted almonds separately. The recipe also calls for flax seeds (which is what I used this time around), but those could easily be swapped out for chia seeds if you wanted "chia granola" as the smoothie bowl recipe calls for. That said, I think I'd be inclinde to swap out the flax for sesame seeds next time. Sesame and apricots make a great combo!

Almond Granola with Apricots

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 c. old-fashioned rolled oats
• 3/4 c. slivered almonds
• 2 Tbsp. flax or sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/3 c. honey
• 1/4 c. coconut oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. dried apricots, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F) and very lightly grease a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Combine the oats, almonds, flax/sesame seeds, cinnamon, and salt and mix well.
3. In a small pot, warm the brown sugar, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla and heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (3-4 minutes).
4. Pour the sugar mixture over the oats and stir to combine.
5. Dump the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
6. Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
8. Break granola into small pieces and mix in apricots.

We still have a few steaks left in the freezer, so I've been keeping my eye out for good recipes to use them up. This recipe is really meant to be made wiht filets mignons, but we didn't get that cut with this beef, so I decided to try it with a rib steak instead. Sadly, this was a bit too tough for this particular preparation. But it was tasty otherwise.

Miso Butter Steaks with Mushrooms and Broccoli

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2021

Ingredients

• 2-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter¹, divided
• 4 tsp. red miso paste²
• 4 (170-225g) filets mignons, trimmed
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 450g mushrooms³, sliced
• 450g broccoli florets
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Mash all but 1/2 Tbsp. of butter with miso paste in a 3:1 ratio (ie. 1 Tbsp. of butter to 1 tsp. miso) and set aside.
3. Sprinkle steaks with salt and pepper.
4. Melt the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of butter over medium-high heat.
5. Add the steaks and cook until well-browned (~3 minutes per side).
6. Transfer steaks to rimmed baking sheet and roast at 180°C (350°F) until meat registers 50°C (~120°F) for medium-rare (10-15 minutes). (Cook longer and to a higher internal temperature if you would like your steak more well-done.)
7. Tent with foil and let stand for 5-10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, add mushrooms to now-empty pan, cover, and cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown (~5 minutes).
9. Add broccoli, garlic, and 1 Tbsp. of miso butter (or simply 1 tsp. of miso if your mushrooms were oil-packed).
10. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until broccoli is tender (~6 minutes).
11. Add 2 more Tbsp. miso butter (or 2 tsp. miso paste for oil-packed mushrooms) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
12. Top the steaks with the remaining miso butter.
13. Serve the steaks with the mushroom mixture.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 6 Tbsp. of butter: 1 Tbsp. to cook the steak, 3 Tbsp. to cook the mushrooms and broccoli, and 2 Tbsp. to dress the steak. I used only 2 Tbsp. of butter in my rendition: 1 Tbsp. to cook the steak and 1 Tbsp. to dress the steak. Personally, I think that I probably could have cut the cooking butter back to 1/2 Tbsp. That said, had I been using fresh mushrooms rather than jarred ones (which were packed in a mixture of oil and vinegar), then I would have used at least 2 Tbsp. for cooking the mushrooms and broccoli. So, do with that what you will... ^Back
2 I didn't have any red miso, so I just used some of the white that I already had in the fridge. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms here. However, I had a jar of mixed "wild" mushrooms in the pantry, so I opted to use them instead. I think shiitake would have been great, but this mix also worked well here. ^Back

This tofu was AMAZING! I mean, with 15 cloves of garlic, how could it not be?! And, of course, the gochujang and sesame oil and frying didn't hurt either. That said, I think it also would have been very good baked.

I over-cooked my egg, but it was still tasty!

Gochujang Garlic Tofu

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 tsp. dasida
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 350g extra-firm tofu, frozen and thawed
• 1/2 c. potato starch
• 2-4 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 2-4 green onions, chopped, greens and whites kept separate
• 10-15 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 fresh chilies, sliced (optional)
• cooked rice, to serve
• soft-boiled or fried eggs, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the goochugaru, dasida, sugar, pepper, gochujang, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, corn syrup, and mirin in a large measuring cup.
2. Stir in the water and cornstarch and set aside.
3. Drain the tofu and press out as much liquid as possible.
4. Cut the tofu into cubes and dry it a little more.
5. At this point you can either proceed with the recipe as written, or make a batch of extra delicious tofu and use that as the tofu component of this recipe. The tofu won't be quite as crispy, but you'll use a lot less oil.
6. Coat the tofu in potato starch (if not using the "extra delicious tofu recipe").
7. Heat 2-3 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat and add the tofu.
8. Cook, turning occasionally, until tofu is crispy on all sides (7-8 minutes).
9. Meanwhile, steam the broccoli for 3-4 minutes, then shock it in cold water.
10. Toss the broccoli with the garlic paste, dark soy sauce, 1/2 Tbsp. of the sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds and set it aside.
11. Once the tofu is cooked remove it from the pan and set it aside.
12. Add a bit more oil to the pan (1/2-1 Tbsp.) and fry the garlic, ginger, and the white parts of the green onions for a minute or two.
13. Pour in the gochujang sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes.
14. Add the fried tofu and stir until it's well-coated in the sauce.
15. Stir in the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. of sesame oil.
16. Place some hot rice in a bowl and top it with tofu and broccoli.
17. Garnish with the green parts of the green onions, toasted sesame seeds, sliced chilies, and a halved soft-boiled (or fried) egg and serve.

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Variants

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 tsp. vegetable bouillon powder
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. gochujang
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 350g extra-firm tofu, frozen and thawed
• 1/2 c. potato starch
• 2-4 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• 2-4 green onions, chopped, greens and whites kept separate
• 10-15 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 fresh chilies, sliced (optional)
• cooked rice, to serve
• soft-boiled or fried eggs, to serve

This was pretty tasty and also pretty easy to make. Not an all-time favourite, but I'd make it again next time we have cabbage to destroy. It requires a bunch of ingredients, but apart from the cabbage they're all things we have on hand reliably, and half of them are just combined to make the sauce so it's not as complicated as it looks.

Tuna Cabbage Rice Bowl

Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp gochujang
• 2 tbsp gochugaru
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 tsp sugar
• 800g green cabbage, cored and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 4 green onions, sliced, whites and greens divided
• 1 tbsp oil
• 300g tinned tuna, drained
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• black pepper
• 2 C cooked rice
• 4-6 soft-boiled eggs
• toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Whisk together the gochujang, gochugaru, soy sauce, mirin, oyster sauce, garlic, and sugar to form the sauce; set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the green onion whites and cook until fragrant, ~1 minute.
4. Add the cabbage and onion and stir-fry until the cabbage softens, 3-5 minutes.
5. Add the tinned tuna and continue stir-frying for another 3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat. Add the sesame oil and black pepper to taste.
7. Serve over rice, garnished with the eggs, sesame seeds, and green onion greens.

Hare Tamatar Til chi Bhajee (Green Tomato Curry)

We keep getting offered green tomatoes in our produce basket. And I keep swapping them out for other things because I have no idea what to do with green tomatoes. Well... fry them, I suppose. But my understanding is that they're meant to be sliced, breaded, and fried, and that sounds very labour-intensive (not to mention not terribly compatible with my current calorie-restricted diet). So, what does one do with green tomatoes besides frying them? Make curries, apparently!

Once I noticed this curry recipe in the book, I eagerly ordered a few green tomatoes for it. The results were excellent; a bit nutty, mildly spicy, and very satisfying.

Hare Tamatar Til chil Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil
• 1/4 c. raw peanuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 450g unripe green tomatoes, cut into large chunks
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground kashmiri chilies or cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. water
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add peanuts, sesame seeds, and cumin seeds and cook, stirring constantly until nuts have browned (1-2 minutes).
3. Add the tomatoes, salt, ground chilies, and turmeric and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Add water and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until some of the water has evaporated and sauce thickens slightly (6-8 minutes).
6. Add cilantro and sugar, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato is tender but not mushy (8-10 minutes).

Gyin Thoke (Ginger Salad)

This was part of the spread for TF's birthday dinner. I wasn't really expecting to like it since I don't really care for pickled ginger. But I wasn't making it for me, I was making it for her and she quite enjoys pickled ginger.

In the end everyone liked this salad! Well, except for the Kidlet who couldn't eat it due to the shrimp powder. I didn't worry about including the shrimp since I was so sure the ginger would put her off anyway. I think next time I'll try it without the shrimp so the Kidlet can eat it too. It's really delicious! And, having tried it, I think she probably would like it after all.

Gyin Thoke

Slightly adapted from Burma: Rivers of Flavor by Naomi Duguid

Ingredients

• 1 c. pickled ginger¹
• 1/2 c. pumpkin seeds, toasted
• 1/2 c. chopped roasted peanuts²
• 1/2 c. roasted or fried split soybeans or split peas³
• 1/2 c. sesame seeds, toasted
• 1/4 c. dried shrimp powder (optional⁴)
• 1-2 Roma tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
• 1 c. shredded Napa cabbage
• 1/4 c. fried garlic⁵
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 2 Tbsp. garlic oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directons

1. Rinse the ginger in cold water, then drain and slice into thin strands.
2. Combine ginger, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, fried soybeans, sesame seeds, dried shrimp powder, tomatoes, Napa cabbage, fried garlic, and lime juice in a bowl and mix to combine.
3. Add garlic oil and salt and mix again.
4. Adjust seasoning as desired and serve.

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¹ Japanese gari works well for this purpose. ^Back
2 You can toast raw peanuts in a dry pan and then chop them or chop commercial dry-roasted unsalted peanuts. ^Back
3 You can substitute an extra 1/2 c. of peanuts for the soybeans if you can't find or make fried split soybeans. ^Back
4 Obviously you would need to omit the shrimp to keep this vegetarian. If you're going for vegan as well, you may need to make your own pickled ginger from scratch as not all sugar is vegan and you generally can't tell just by looking at the ingredients. ^Back
5 Duguid actually suggests slicing the garlic fairly thick when making fried garlic for Burmese recipes. Either way will work; you may just need to adjust your cooking times accordingly. ^Back

I was not expecting to see peanuts in a garam masala. Nor coconut. The mix smells delicious, but it definitely defies my expectations for an Indian spice blend.

Maharashtrian Garam Masala

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. raw peanuts (without skin)
• 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 8-10 dried red Thai, arbol, or cayenned chilies
• 3 blades mace
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg shavings or 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 c. unsweetened shredded dried coconut

Directions

1. Preheat a pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the peanuts, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, chilies, mace, and nutmeg if using shavings. If using ground nutmeg, omit it for now.
3. Toast until and peanuts and sesame seeds look nicely browned (3-4 minutes).
4. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a plate to cool.
5. Return the pan to the heat and add the coconut.
6. Cook until the coconut is brown but not burnt (15-30 seconds).
7. Transfer the coconut to the plate with everything else.
8. Once cool, grind (in batches) in a spice grinder.
9. If using ground nutmgeg, stir it in now.
10. Normally I don't advise storing spices in the fridge, but with all the high-fat ingredients in this one, I feel it's best kept in the fridge and used relativley quickly. (Iyer says it may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two months, but I'm not sure I'd be willing to keep it for that long.)

Masala Bhaat (Maharashtrian-Style Fried Rice)

I wanted a rice dish to serve with my bean korma/chili and figured I'd finally give this fried rice recipe a go. The flavour is quite different from Chinese-style fried rices that I've tried. TM quite liked the peanuts in the mix. The Kidlet decidedly did not. I was pretty ambivalent overall, but it did make a nice accompaniment to the korma, so that was all I really needed from it.

Masala Bhaat

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 potato, cubed and immersed in cold water
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/3 c. raw peanuts
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 3 c. cooked rice, cooled
• 1 c. frozen green peas
• 1 tsp. sambhar masala
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Drain the potato cubes and set aside.
2. Preheat a wok over medium-high heat.
3. Once the wok is good and hot, drizze the oil down the sides and swirl it in the bottom.
4. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
5. Add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 5-10 seconds.
6. Add the onion, peanuts, sesame seeds, and potatoes and stir-fry for until the potatoes start to crisp up (5-10 minutes).
7. Break up the rice and add it to the wok.
8. Stir-fry for a minute or two, then add the peas, masala, and curry leaves.
9. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes.
10. Add the tomato and cook, stirring frequently, until warmed (2-4 minutes).
11. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

I accidentally bought two cabbages. Now we have A LOT of cabbage to eat. We had this cabbage salad with dinner tonight. It was a big hit. Even the Kidlet liked it.

Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1/4 of one small cabbage, shredded
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. toasted sesame paste¹
• 5 Tbsp. Japanese mayo
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. light (regular) soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
• sriracha (optional)

Directions

1. Shred the cabbage and place it in some cold water. Set aside while you make the dressing.
2. Combine sugar, sesame paste, mayo, vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil and mix very well.
3. Drain the cabbage.
4. Place a portion of cabbage in a bowl and top with a spoonful of dressing and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.
5. If desired, top with a little sriracha as well.

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¹ I had "mixed sesame paste", which is a mix of toasted sesame seeds and roasted peanuts. If you don't have any sesame paste, you can toast and grind some sesame seeds yourself. Alternatively, a good quality natural peanut butter (with no added sugar or salt) will also work. ^Back

For this one we actually had packages of "bibim ramen" on hand, so I skipped the sauce described here and just used the sauce in the packet. I've included the full sauce recipe here, but if making it with bibim ramen packages from the cupboard, skip all the sauce assembly.

Bibim Ramen

Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1 package ramen
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp gochujang
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• ⅓ of the ramen packet
• 1 hard-boiled egg, bisected
• ¼ apple or pear, julienned
• 2-3 slices cucumber, julienned
• a bit of cabbage, julienned
• sesame seeds

Directions

1. Cook ramen in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then quench in cold water.
2. Whisk together sugar, gochujang, vinegar, sesame oil, and ramen powder to form sauce; toss with noodles.
3. Top with egg, apple, cucumber, cabbage, and sesame seeds.

King Oyster Smagyupsal Bowls

I got some king oyster mushrooms on a whim because they were on sale last week. A few of them got used up in the hotpot we had for dinner a couple nights ago, but the rest have been sitting in the fridge waiting for me to come up with something to do with them. Luckily the Woks of Life had me covered. I decided to give their Korean barbecue bowls a try. This worked out doubly well since I had to run out to the grocery store to pick up some much-needed road salt today and came across some discount "Korean-style" meatballs. Since the Kidlet is currently off mushrooms (again), I figured the meatballs would make a good replacement.

I was pretty tired today, so this felt like a lot of work. But it's not actually that onerous. Especially if you already have some ssamjang on hand and opt to garnish it with plain sliced scallions rather than making the scallion salad (pajeori).

King Oyster Samgyupsal Bowls

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. oil + extra for cooking
• 2 tsp. liquid smoke
• 3/4 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 large king oyster mushrooms, sliced lengthwise
• 1 small onion, sliced into discs
• 4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
• 1 bell pepper¹, sliced into rings
• 1-2 c. cooked rice²
• 2-4 leaves green or red leaf lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 Tbsp. ssamjang
• 2 Tbsp. kimchi³
• 1 recipe pajeori

Ingredients

1. Combine the oil, liquid smoke, sesame oil, sugar, and salt and beat with a whisk to mix thoroughly.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan (I like to use cast iron for this) and add the mushroom slices. Brush them with the oil mixture.
3. Once the mushrooms have started to brown on the bottom, flip them over and brush the other side with the oil mixture.
4. While the second side is cooking, add the onion, garlic, and pepper slices to the pan.
5. Once everything is well-browned on both sides, remove it from the pan.
6. Divide the rice between two bowls.
7. Top each with half the mushrooms, onion, garlic, peppers, lettuce, ssamjang, kimchi, and pajeori.
8. Mix and enjoy!

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¹ The original recipe called for 2 long hot peppers, but I opted for 1 bell pepper since I figured that would be a bit more appealing to the Kidlet. ^Back
2 The folks over at Woks of Life recommend ~1 c. of rice per person. I like to go a little lighter on the rice and heavier on the toppings. I think I only did ~1/2 c. of rice per person. Tailor it according to your tastes. ^Back
3 If you would like to keep this recipe vegetarian, make sure to get vegan kimchi (or omit it). If you're aiming for a vegan meal, check to make sure your sugar is vegan too. (Some sugars use bone char in their production.) ^Back