I'm making menchi katsu. I have some wagyu ground beef. Not sure what menchi means. But basically it's like using a hamburger prepared in tonkatsu style (hamburger patty coated with flour, then egg wash, then panko) and deep fried.

Usual accompaniments are same as tonkatsu - finely sliced cabbage and sauce. But tonight, given the chill, I may make put it over rice with some (japanese style) curry sauce.

Hope your menchi turned out to your liking and think that would be great with curry sauce over rice

(don't tell my wife; she was surprised when i put leftover meat sauce she made from scratch on rice nuked from the freezer, rather than boiling pasta, when i was rushing for lunch, today)

Just asked my wife about the meaning of menchi and she couldn't say... she thinks it might come from "minchi," which is sort of like minced and the word we use for ground meat, such as hamburger or ground pork.

Had my first menchi, this past visit, when we were at Asakusa shrine with relatives. It was a bit greasy and disappointing. My wife said the best ones are from butcher shops, just like the best croquettes are from there, but small butcher shops are disappearing there just as they have here

quick pic. nothing fancy and not as good as the stuff Frank's wife makes. But it was tasty and satisfying. yo wa manzoku ja. (what an emperor or shogun might say when he's satisfied).

That looks fantastic!!!

Great plating, by the way

That menchi looks perfect

Are those tsukemono (pickles) on the side?

(it's kinda fun to be able to ask you questions )


Think you've been watching too many historical dramas, LOL!

Kinda. I love pickles / side dishes. There are so many varieties across Japanese and Korean cuisines. I make it once in awhile but usually just buy.

In between both, I use short cuts. This may sound weird and gross but the tsukemono here is daikon radish I put into the liquid left over from a jar of Clauson pickles; I just added some sugar to the liquid, put daikon wedges in and let it soak a couple of days. I know, I’m lazy and it sounds bad. But actually it’s edible.

When I say yo wa in a sushiya (sushi restaurant) with a straight face, the chef will usually look at me strangely for a sec then bust out laughing.

Not weird, genius perhaps, but not weird.

We love kimchee and there's a jar of nappa in the fridge, but we're anxious to get more of the daikon kimchee we got at the Korean market before. It's just a heck of a trek, but thank you kindly for the incentive. It was delicious!

I appreciate your innovation with making your own quick daikon tsukemono, sir

Oh, now you've got me thinking about butakimuchi (pork and kimchee). Love how the flavor of the kimchee transforms with cooking and how it flavors the pork. Think we posted about maybe 20 pages back?

Shrimp and grits.

Nothing fancy... Cajun Andouille sausage and mac n cheese.

The later was made with small elbow pasta (al dente before baking), sharp cheddar, parmesan reggiano, milk, sour cream*, and panko crumbs.

(* I prefer this to either a roux or eggs mixed into the milk)

Jim and Bob, youse guys both knocked it out of the park!!!

WOW!

I made a fail for dinner. Friend posted this video on FB and I thought it looked good. You roast feta and tomato together, smash with fork, stir in spaghetti, top with basil. Ended up too salty and too strong of a feta taste, I wonder how it would work with 1/2 feta, 1/2 mozzarella? Probably too stringy?

Definitely looks better than it tasted, not sure if I'm going to eat or throw away the leftovers.

Wife is on the Daniel Fast for Lent so I am trying to hang with her as much as possible so we made cashew chili Sunday Night.


It was reeally good, but if it was me, after three weeks w/o meat of any kind I'd probably smash my truck through the front door of our local BBQ joint in a meat deprivation-induced fit of insanity.

quote:

Originally posted by MRBTX:
Crockpot chili

That looks fantastic!

Bet it didn't last long

homemade pizza.

Tonight was okonomiyaki. It's a Japanese stuffed savory pancake-pizza kind of thing you can't stop eating

Quail, shot this past weekend, shown below on its way into the oven for roasting.



A liberal coating of melted butter, then some salt and lemon pepper, with a little celery just for kicks.

Sorry, I didn't stop for a pic after the roasting -- I was hungry.

quote:

Originally posted by ersatzknarf:
Tonight was okonomiyaki. It's a Japanese stuffed savory pancake-pizza kind of thing you can't stop eating

Looks good. More Kanto (Tokyo) style than Kansai (Osaka) or Hiroshima style? Although Kansai is probably the 'standard' I prefer Kanto style.

If you have access to NHK, they posted an episode of The Professionals featuring an okonomiyaki chef (in Hiroshima). I feel that The Professionals has lost it's way as a show for awhile now (basically, it sucks now in my opinion; it used to be good and a promising follow-on to something like Project X), so I no longer watch it. So just fyi on the oko episode.

Thanks, it was very good. We haven't had it in a while.

Yes, Tokyo style, as that's where my wife is from.

Agree about the Professionals program. We used to watch it and think i recall that episode.

Tonight, my wife changed it up a little and cut the cabbage pieces a bit larger, as well as the Japanese leek.

Said it before, but really think it's something lots of folks here would enjoy. Remember the first time i had it, decades ago, whilst still getting used to the cuisine there and thought it was great and very easy to understand.

Believe it or not I've never had them before.
https://www.thekitchn.com/smas...rger-recipe-23022633

Made the caramelized onions this afternoon https://jessicainthekitchen.co...y-and-life-changing/ and tonight a pair of smashburgers for dinner. Several new-to-me tricks. Spread a very thin coating of mayo on the underside of each half of Pepperidge Farms onion buns and toasted them in a clean cast iron pan. Nice.

Grilled some sliced large white mushrooms. Added those to the onions under a slice of melted white American cheese. Made one sandwich with a slice of tomato and lettuce leaf. The other without the "salad."
*No pictures as they were consumed quickly while hot.*

Quite a difference from the thick juicy burgers I normally make. These smashburgers had nice flavorful crunchy bits but remained juicy inside despite the thinness which rather surprised me. Regardless they were damned good!

Pasta e faglioli with homemade Italian bread to sop it up.



I've never made this before and it was dang good. Kind of an Italian chili.

Mrs. Warhorse made this dinner tonight, as she does most meals. Shrimp cocktail, roasted asparagus, pan seared sockeye salmon, and TATOR TOT'S!