Yesterday was one of those days where I was starving. I almost ate out, but I stopped myself, since this weekend was a non-stop nosh-fest. (More to come on the topic of “Taboon” and ” ‘inoteca.”)
In the end, I went home without even getting a drink. I was feeling tired and lazy and, really, a little down. Here are some of the top comfort foods:
- Grilled Cheese Sandwich – Ryan makes awesome grilled sandwiches with soft white bread, Munster cheese, and Japanese mayonnaise. It is seriously, hot stuff.
- Simple Pasta tossed with mozzarella, tomatoes (first tossed in a little salt and honey), and herb infused olive oil. My key ingredient is marinaded mozzarella balls and using the left over herb infused olive oil for EVERYTHING under the moon.
- Simple whole wheat toast, which is what I did yesterday, is great. I like to keep some Chevre cheese, tapanade, and marinaded sun dried tomatoes around. Toast, pile those suckers up, and munch.
- Soft ready to eat tofu, which I also had yesterday. I love the mori-nu soft, which is softer than other kinds, like house brand. You open the package, cut some green onion/scallions, pile with bonito flakes, and top it off with soy sauce. My mother likes putting grated ginger on top. You can also put some vinegar… or really anything under the moon. I should try loading it with something like salsa. I think that could be good… hrm…
- Being Japanese, you also go straight to soba, udon, hiyashi chuka or somen. Just pick up some tsuyu. Sometimes, I like doing a little trick that Soph taught me. Cambodians have this little dip that’s similar to the stuff they dress the papaya salads. I mince garlic really small, squeeze a whole lime, add a small amount of fish sauce, and add some sugar to taste. I mix that with the tsuyu. I put some baby greens and udon right on top. I make a little tamago yaki omelet and cut it up on top of that, when I’m feeling a little fancy. You can even cut up some ham, chorizo, or left over chicken. Really, anything goes. Top off the whole thing with that mixture and it is fantastic!
- Ochazuke is the ultimate Japanese comfort food. I try to make some extra Japanese white rice and freeze it. I microwave it for 2-3 minutes and boil a little water. You can also add a custom chicken broth and green tea mixture with salmon or pieces of pickled ume. However, I like getting the little instant packages and dump some hot water on top. Voila!
What are some of your quick home eats?
