Last night's Mabodofu was fairly successful. A few challenges but it certainly was edible and disappeared quickly. The recipe is here. Marcy made comments about why I would saute green onions in oil when I had all that grease coming from the ground beef (logical but I used oil anyway.) She didn't have chili pepper paste, sake (or cooking wine) bouillon cubes or cornstarch, all things that I think of as staples in a Japanese kitchen (I'd bought the miso, garlic and ginger and those are staples too) but Marcy does keep a good supply of soy sauce.Instead of chili paste I tried using chili powder from Marcy's decorative set of spices but that gradually made it all taste like Mexican food. I think bouillon is bouillon, so I used some powdered stuff that she had but it may be that because the label was in Spanish that bouillon is different too. Gradually my mabodofu was turning into a Mexican dish but I opened the spice bottle filled with red pepper flakes and that turned things around! Definitely use red pepper flakes if you are going to make this recipe in the States. Don't use chili powder! I just skipped the sake but I did have to send Takumi to the supermarket to get me cornstarch. Oh well, he's got to work for his food.
The dinner also included Oriental Salad that didn't make a hit, (fake crab meat, sesame seed oil, garlic and salt. Squish together) pizza (for the kids) and chocolate chip cookies. The cookies were the most popular (a given!) I love the way that you can just buy a container of cookie dough at the store and plop it on cookie sheets and have instant home baked cookies! So good! I ate way too many!
5 comments:
My mother did that too - suatee the onions separately and then brown the meat, but I have been adding the onions and the garlic with the meat, and it is just fine that way. I use the low fat beef, so I don't have to drain it, so I don't lose any flavor.
Thanks for pointing to the recipe. I thought it sounded familiar and so did a search on your blog, but I was searching for it the wrong way. Looks good!
Isn't it always interesting to taste where things are going as you "play" with a recipe...
Tanya, I have just thoroughly enjoyed this entire segment on shopping and cooking in America! It is not only highly entertaining, but really made me think! I think you did a great job, considering the adventure of it all! You inspire me in so many ways!
That was a cooking lesson for you! I find it difficult to find substitutes for some items, & yet Australia & New Zealand are so similar! LOL. Glad your meal was a success in the end!
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