Self-Induced Local Food Coma
MMMMMM... Meat Jun.... Lumpia... Curry Beef... MMM!!!
So, being in Japan, one thing that I really miss is good, home-style, local food. I miss my plate lunches, Korean take out, Chinese take out, Filipino take out, Hawaiian take out, Taco Bell, Burger King and of course, mom's Portuguese Bean Soup. Some stuff, there is no way that I can make or get. (me: Eto, limu kohu arimasen ka? clerk: limu kohu wa nan desu ka? me: hawaii no konbu desu. clerk: soo desu ka? *noise of wind being sucked through the two front teeth* sumimasen. arimasen. wakame mo ii desu ka?) Along those lines, there is nowhere I can go to get a kalua pig, laulau, poi, lomi-lomi salmon, rice and poke plate lunch. I can't make Portuguese Bean Soup because smoked ham hawks are impossible to come by.
Whenever I have stress, or am homesick, I crave my comfort foods. The foods that I grew up with. I also crave my comfort music. (highlights from Rent, N Sync, Phantom, and Brother Iz) I think this is something that is quite common. We all want things that make us comfortable when we are uncomfortable. Looking back, I really think that something’s wrong. I think it's a combination of stress at work and being a little homesick. Why did I say looking back? For one thing, I've been cooking ALOT of Hawaii comfort food lately. I've made Curry Stew three weeks ago, Beef Stew the week after, and Chicken Chook (Rice Porridge with Chicken, Ginger and Celery). and today, I spent almost $100 buying groceries and making comfort food. What did I buy?
Butter
Kraft Cheddar Cheese slices
Bread
Ham
(to make Grilled Ham and Cheese sandwiches)
Eggs
Panko Flakes (Soft bread crumbs)
Ketchup
Thinly sliced beef
Garlic
Sweet Rice Vinegar (Mirin)
(to make Meat Jun, a Hawaiian Korean food which is thin slices of marinated beef fried with a light egg batter)
Hamburger
Frozen Peas and Carrots
Anchovy Sauce (patis)
Vinegar
Bean Sprouts
Spring Roll Wrappers
(for Lumpia, Filipino style spring rolls)
I finished shopping around 3:00 today, and went home to marinate the beef for the meat jun. It was the first time I had ever made meat jun, and it was just a craving I have been having for a few months. I finally decided to try to make it. As the meat marinated in the fridge, I worked on the lumpia. I browned some onions and garlic and the hamburger. Seasoned with pepper and patis. added the frozen veggies and bean sprouts. then I put that on the side to cool off so I could roll it later. Then, I made a grilled ham and cheese sandwich which would tide me over till dinner.
I started making some sauces. I made a dipping sauce for the meat jun. Then I made a sweet sour chili sauce and vinegar/patis/garlic sauce for the lumpia. And then I heated up some oil. Beat some eggs, poured some flour into a plate, and some panko into another plate. The thinly sliced marinated beef was really TOO thin, but, oh well. I dipped it into the flour, then into the eggs, and then into the panko, and finally into the hot oil. It sizzled and crackled, and the smell of garlic filled my studio. After doing this many many times, my meat jun was ready.
To be honest, it looked totally unappetizing. What did I do wrong? Was the oil not hot enough? (it wasn't) Was I supposed to dilute the egg with water? (I probably should have). Should I have double dipped in the egg? (No, tried this with one of the later bunches. it came out even worse!) It didn't look like much, but I sat down with some white rice, kim chee and my meat jun, and ate. And ate... and ate (I still have lots of leftovers!) It tasted so good! The sauce was PERFECT! I think I marinated the beef for too long, but even though it didn't look right, it tasted like Hawaii.
After that, I rolled my lumpia. It's in the freezer now because I'm too full to eat anymore today. I'll fry some tomorrow for dinner.
I really enjoy cooking. One thing I hate about my apartment is my "kitchen". There is just one burner and a sink. My fridge is one of the fridges that I had in college. I really wish I had a full sized range with oven and a full sized fridge!
My cravings have been fulfilled for now! I'm gonna go to bed now!
So, being in Japan, one thing that I really miss is good, home-style, local food. I miss my plate lunches, Korean take out, Chinese take out, Filipino take out, Hawaiian take out, Taco Bell, Burger King and of course, mom's Portuguese Bean Soup. Some stuff, there is no way that I can make or get. (me: Eto, limu kohu arimasen ka? clerk: limu kohu wa nan desu ka? me: hawaii no konbu desu. clerk: soo desu ka? *noise of wind being sucked through the two front teeth* sumimasen. arimasen. wakame mo ii desu ka?) Along those lines, there is nowhere I can go to get a kalua pig, laulau, poi, lomi-lomi salmon, rice and poke plate lunch. I can't make Portuguese Bean Soup because smoked ham hawks are impossible to come by.
Whenever I have stress, or am homesick, I crave my comfort foods. The foods that I grew up with. I also crave my comfort music. (highlights from Rent, N Sync, Phantom, and Brother Iz) I think this is something that is quite common. We all want things that make us comfortable when we are uncomfortable. Looking back, I really think that something’s wrong. I think it's a combination of stress at work and being a little homesick. Why did I say looking back? For one thing, I've been cooking ALOT of Hawaii comfort food lately. I've made Curry Stew three weeks ago, Beef Stew the week after, and Chicken Chook (Rice Porridge with Chicken, Ginger and Celery). and today, I spent almost $100 buying groceries and making comfort food. What did I buy?
Butter
Kraft Cheddar Cheese slices
Bread
Ham
(to make Grilled Ham and Cheese sandwiches)
Eggs
Panko Flakes (Soft bread crumbs)
Ketchup
Thinly sliced beef
Garlic
Sweet Rice Vinegar (Mirin)
(to make Meat Jun, a Hawaiian Korean food which is thin slices of marinated beef fried with a light egg batter)
Hamburger
Frozen Peas and Carrots
Anchovy Sauce (patis)
Vinegar
Bean Sprouts
Spring Roll Wrappers
(for Lumpia, Filipino style spring rolls)
I finished shopping around 3:00 today, and went home to marinate the beef for the meat jun. It was the first time I had ever made meat jun, and it was just a craving I have been having for a few months. I finally decided to try to make it. As the meat marinated in the fridge, I worked on the lumpia. I browned some onions and garlic and the hamburger. Seasoned with pepper and patis. added the frozen veggies and bean sprouts. then I put that on the side to cool off so I could roll it later. Then, I made a grilled ham and cheese sandwich which would tide me over till dinner.
I started making some sauces. I made a dipping sauce for the meat jun. Then I made a sweet sour chili sauce and vinegar/patis/garlic sauce for the lumpia. And then I heated up some oil. Beat some eggs, poured some flour into a plate, and some panko into another plate. The thinly sliced marinated beef was really TOO thin, but, oh well. I dipped it into the flour, then into the eggs, and then into the panko, and finally into the hot oil. It sizzled and crackled, and the smell of garlic filled my studio. After doing this many many times, my meat jun was ready.
To be honest, it looked totally unappetizing. What did I do wrong? Was the oil not hot enough? (it wasn't) Was I supposed to dilute the egg with water? (I probably should have). Should I have double dipped in the egg? (No, tried this with one of the later bunches. it came out even worse!) It didn't look like much, but I sat down with some white rice, kim chee and my meat jun, and ate. And ate... and ate (I still have lots of leftovers!) It tasted so good! The sauce was PERFECT! I think I marinated the beef for too long, but even though it didn't look right, it tasted like Hawaii.
After that, I rolled my lumpia. It's in the freezer now because I'm too full to eat anymore today. I'll fry some tomorrow for dinner.
I really enjoy cooking. One thing I hate about my apartment is my "kitchen". There is just one burner and a sink. My fridge is one of the fridges that I had in college. I really wish I had a full sized range with oven and a full sized fridge!
My cravings have been fulfilled for now! I'm gonna go to bed now!