Day 25 and 26 Veggies saved maki in Montreal

Weight: xxx lbs, as no scale is available.

Completely underestimated how cold the weather could be in Montreal... Having walked 6km to the Jean-talon market in -12degrees left Maki nicely disoriented in the sketchy neighborhood. Her appetite to check out the local fresh market - so strong - overruled her safety and health concern.

"If I get knocked down here, no one is here to slap my face and shout, 'Maki, don't sleep. If you fall asleep, you will die!"

"No rescue dog. No red cross. No bottle of vodka."

Vegetable soup at the market healed her 'physically and mentally' 'inside and out.'. Soft, kind, and comforting. A hint of anchovy flavor truly knocked her out.

Repas pot, legumes (Can$4.95)
Le tartarin
7070 Henri-julien, Montreal

Day 24 Rice balls Montreal style bento

Weight: 172.0 lbs (-0.8 lbs)

Prep. works for the field trip to Montreal. The rice balls "Montreal" style (how?). Which do you prefer on the train? Rice balls or sandwiches?

The rice balls "Montreal" style (how?)
Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice
2.5 cups veggie stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake or dry white wine
1 chopped carrot
3 green onion, chopped
1 shitake mushroom, sliced
1/2 green hot pepper, sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
Red paprika powder, a tiny bit

Rinse brown rice gently. Put all ingredients in the pot. Once it boils, lower the heat and simmer until rice soaks all the juice. Aroma of this rice = a therapy.

Day 23 Confession Monday Bento

Day 21 Weight: 171.5 lbs (-1.3 lbs)
Day 22 Weight: 171.0 lbs (-1.8 lbs)
Day 23 Weight: ?

  

Not Coming Soon! Fisher Woman's Lounge in Hell's Kitchen.

Hell's Kitchen, NY, U.S.A. (Hell's Kitchen Press) - Due to catastrophic failure to make seafood broth over night, Project Maki NYC delays the opening of Fisher Woman's Lounge in Hell's Kitchen.  "Fish and shrimp are completely different 'animal' from veggies.  They are not as generous as veggies.  Not as superstitious as meats.  Very stubborn, indeed."  Maki made wrinkles between her eyebrows, and commented in agony.  "Cilantro, green onions, red ginger - all our allies - did their best to stabilize the situation.  But, the smell of 'fish bone'!  OMG."  The kitchen was quickly turned into a gas chamber, and it was unavoidable to unconditionally surrender.  Fortunately, no major damage to the facility or casualties reported.  

Coming soon! Butcher Shop in Hell's Kitchen

"Butcher Shop in Hell's Kitchen." Coming soon!  Here is a preview...

A boiled egg simmered in soy sauce and sake.  Please don't look so sad.

Ramen + Rice: Soy flavored ramen and simmered pork rice

Simmered pork over onion fried rice and ginger

Simmered pork ramen noodle

Simmered pork
Ingredients:
A thick slice of pork, cheap one
1 cup of sake
2 cups of soy sauce
1 cup of your creative juice
1 green apple, chopped
1 piece of ginger
1 clove of garlic
1/2 onion
1 carrot
Thread

Roll-up a slice of pork like a roll cake and tightly tie it up with thread.  In the pot, pour, sake, soy sauce, your creative juice.  Place a pork and rest of the vegetables in the pot.  Cook in low heat for 2 hours.  Remove meat from the pot.  Slice it up.


Remove all the veggies from the pot.  There you go, now you have a soup base for soy flavored ramen noodle.

Day 20 Green Celery Curry Thai-style Bento

Day 20

Weight: 171.5 lbs (-1.3 lbs)

Happy Curry Friday!

Green Curry loaded with celery.  The curry paste freshly made from cilantro roots, shallots, coriander seeds, etc.  Aroma of all ingredients was competing against each other in the pot, but cilantro ended up taking the lead.

  

Lettuce sauteed with cilantro sauce (chopped cilantro, lemon juice, and fish sauce.

Green pepper sauteed in a leftover "pork chop" juice.

Pressed barely cooked in coconut milk, ground sesame, and "spicy sweet sake sauce" which came out pretty interesting and attractive-looking for winter.  So, here is a recipe for "spicy sweet sake sauce." 

Ingredients:

1 cup sake or dry white wine

1/2 Green hot pepper, sliced

2 tbsp Brown sugar

1/4 lemon

1/2 tbsp paprika powder

Just mix them all and leave them alone in the fridge for 2-3 days.  They will draw the conclusion on their own, not you.

Day 19 How to handle a claimant bento

Day 19 How to handle a claimant bento

Weight: 171.0 lbs (-1.8 lbs)

Another complaint from the subject matter that yesterday's soy beans were tough to chew, (...but flavors were awesome.)  OK, soybeans should better be cooked in a pot for a while to soften their texture.

The soy beans with green apple were simmered with veggie soup stock.  Lettuce ($1 per head special) stir fried with sesame oil and black pepper.  A side of glazed ginger.

A slice of multi-grain bread from a leftover sandwich re-baked in the oven to bring out its "crunchiness."  Added a bit of onion oil and balsamic vinaigrette.  Coconut milk and sesame sauce will be heated and poured to this box prior to serving.  This should bring out its "softness." 

Thai Jasmine rice cooked with beans and seaweed, topped with miso marinated walnuts and red ginger.

"Infused sake" did a great job on bringing out flavors of soy beans and green apple.  So easy.  Something you won't get from a shelf of grocery store.

Ingredients:
1 cup sake or dry white wine.
A small piece of ginger root, sliced.
1 piece of chili pepper.
Thyme.

Pour all ingredients in a jar and let it rest for a few days in the fridge.