nori – Well Dined

Tag: nori

07
Mar
2016

Spam and Rice Bowl

categories: Recipes

I had always thought that spam was super gross and never had any interest. But as I became more aware of the different cuisines of the world, I noticed that there were a few that really (REALLY) love spam. So when I saw spam musubi on the menu at my favorite local cafe, Megabytes, I decided to try it. You guys – spam is delicious! It’s like ham plus bacon plus sausage all in one. I’m kind of obsessed now, like bought-a-case-at-Costco obsessed. No, processed meat is not good for you; but as a special treat in the place of bacon or sausage, it’s not going to kill you (probably). Especially if you buy the low sodium kind, which I prefer.

Anyway, pressing musubi seems like a lot of work, and I am more of a freeform girl; so I decided to make a rice bowl for my first spam experiment. I cooked short grain rice and topped it with furikake seasoning, then seared spam, fried eggs, seaweed, scallions, and toasted sesame seeds. It. Was. Awesome. I wasn’t sure that Jasper would be into it, but he loved it, too, and wants me to make it all the time!

Spam and Rice Bowl
serves 2-4

1 1/2 cups dry short grain rice (I use Botan)
2 cups water
1/4 cup furikake seasoning (check your labels, not all furikake is gluten free)
1 can low sodium spam, sliced into 8 slices
4 eggs
salt and pepper
toasted nori
scallion greens, sliced
toasted sesame seeds

Combine the rice and water and cook according to directions, usually simmer covered for 20 minutes, then let stand for 10 (I use a rice cooker). Fluff with a fork and add the furikake seasoning, you can start with less and more to taste, if you wish. Set aside.

Meanwhile, sear the sliced spam on each side in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. You won’t need any extra fat, and you may have to work in batches. Set aside.

Pour out most of the fat from the pan, then return to medium heat and fry the eggs you your liking. I prefer sunny side up. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.

To assemble divide the rice among the desired number of bowls, top with the spam, then the eggs. Sprinkle nori, scallions, and sesame over the top. Enjoy!

One Year Ago – Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Herbs
Two Years Ago – S’mores Treats
Three Years Ago – Turkey and Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Four Years Ago – Beef, Sweet Potato, Spinach, and Cheddar Turnovers
Five Years Ago – Couscous Dinners

25
Feb
2016

Try The World – Japan; Zaru Soba

categories: Recipes, Reviews

It’s time for another Try The World review (see my first here)! In my Japan box, I had: Otafuku Foods okonomiyaki kit; Aoi Tea blueberry match tea; House Foods ginger paste; Takaokaya seaweed snack; Akagi soba noodles; Kasugai gummy candies; and Morinaga milk caramels. I thought that those butter coconut cookies came in the box, but I actually must have picked them up at the Asian grocery store. So, ignore those (but really don’t, cuz they are super awesome and yummy).

The caramels are are firm and not super sweet, I like them a lot. I haven’t tried the tea, gummies, or okonomiyaki kit yet; but I used the rest to make Zaru Soba.

Zaru Soba is a cold soba dish usually made in the summer (whatever, don’t judge me). The noodles are cooked, then rinsed, chilled, and drained. Normally, you would serve them on a woven bamboo mat that lets the extra water drain out; but I don’t have those! So I dried them on paper towels.

The noodles are topped with seaweed and sesame seeds just before serving, and dipped in a sauce made of dashi, soy, mirin, sake, sugar, and ginger paste. Wasabi and scallions are served on the side and mixed into the sauce to taste. (more…)

20
Jan
2014

Miso Tahini Soup

categories: Recipes

After a bit of a hiatus, Melissa (Smells Like Brownies) and I are getting back to our weekly vegetarian lunches. Last week we tried this amazing soup recipe packed with veggies. It is warm and comforting, with lots of flavor and texture – plus it’s really easy to make. It’s also both vegan and vegetarian friendly. And gosh, isn’t it pretty?

The soup starts out with sliced squash (we used acorn) and tiny cubes of turnip simmered in water until tender. At first I thought that one small squash and one turnip wouldn’t be enough, but they turned out to be plenty! So don’t go overboard and think that you need to get more/bigger. The cooking water then becomes the base for the broth and miso, tahini, and lemon zest are added to round it out.

You can garnish the soup however you like, but we stuck with the original recipe and used avocado, chives, toasted nori, and toasted sesame seeds.

The soup can be served over a grain, and we choose to try out buckwheat. We are both avoiding white rice for health reasons and thought this grain-like seed would be fun to try. Unfortunately it cooks to a porridge like consistency instead of individual grains. So I would recommend barley or brown rice instead. (more…)