So I tried a new recipe to use up my remaining half-block of konnyaku. I’m not sure if I like the flavor of this, but I sure do like the texture better (well, the best out of my tried recipes so far). The recipe is for konnyaku no miso ni (こんにゃくの味噌に) and I adapted it from Obachan’s post. For some reason, her konnyaku endeed up prettier than mine, but I think thats because of the miso we used. Speaking of miso, I’m trying to get used to miso (and sesame) in large amounts. This dish had a little too much umami for me, but with rice I gradually got used to it. Even when I eat miso (soup), the miso taste isn’t as strong! Maybe I put too much in…

Bottom: Grapes, pickled jicama, konnyaku no miso ni
Top: rice, pretzels, melon mochi, coffee candy

こんにゃくの味噌に

• 1/2 block konnyaku
• 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp miso
• 1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp sugar (to taste)
• 1/2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 20 mL dashi stock
• 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

Drain water off of konnyaku and blanch for about 5 minutes. Take konnyaku out, rinse with cold water. Tear konnyaku into small chunks. In a pan, add and heat the vegetable oil. Add konnyaku and fry for a few minutes. Add miso and heat until the miso is browned. Add the red wine vineger (can sub with sake), sugar, mirin, soy sauce and dashi stock (can dissolve dashi granules in water). Simmer until the liquid has thickened, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to high and coat konnyaku with miso glaze, shaking the pan. Transfer to plate and sprinkle with roasted white sesame seeds.

Looking back on the ingredients now, I realize why the sauce was so watery! I accidentally didn’t halve some of the liquid ingredients! Don’t worry, the amounts listed above are the correct ones.

The jicama was delightfully crunchy, but too sour for my tastes. I’ll try to add some sugar in, but I’ll also try to reuse the ume-su (plum vinegar), since it was so hard to find and so expensive! Pickled carrots maybe?

Grapes were all miso-y because I underestimated the sauce on the konnyaku.

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Today is “zakka” day! Zakka (雑貨) basically means “many different things”, though it most commonly refers to little kitsch items that decorate the home. It’s also been described as “the art of seeing the savvy in the ordinary and mundane”, which this bento definitely is! I think I’ve put more things in this bento than I ever have before!

A simple square box filled with: usui tamagoyaki (thin egg), daikon, rice, temari sushi, grapes, edamame hummus, and a jabanero tortilla.

This was my first sucessful tamagoyaki! I used Lunch-in-a-Box’s tutorial to find the major flaws that my process had been getting caught up previously. I cooked it in a tamagoyaki pan I got in Japan for 100 yen (~$1) and wrapped it in a bamboo mat to hold the shape while it cooled. I didn’t really add any flavor like I should have, but I separated the pieces with nori and added rooster sauce to one of them.

The sushi temari (手鞠) was a slight disaster. The sushi was fine until I needed to cut it. Since I put the rice on the outside, I squished the sushi when cutting it and then formed the sushi into little balls. I topped them with roe (tobiko) and crushed Trader Joe’s Cheese Nacho Chips. The inside are grilled tomatillos, tamagoyaki, nori, and some rooster sauce. This sushi was originally planned for Dan and his brother to eat on their day off (Fleet Foxes concert), but went uneaten because it didn’t turn out.

Daikon didn’t taste good because it’s expired, but I made ochazuke (お茶漬け)! I brought some rice into work and put it into my coffee cup, sprinkled the seasoning, and poured hot water over it. Such comfort food~

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Whenever I make dishes using konnyaku, I end up making too large of a portion. I think this is because all dishes call for something to “balance out” the konnyaku since it has no flavor of its own and an un-appetizing texture to most. So, even if I use the littlest amount of konnyaku, I have to add at least equal parts of other ingredients, which adds up quickly.

This dish is quite interesting and goes well with pickled daikon and rice (in my opinion). The original idea I had in mind for this was with bean sprouts and chives, but I ran out of both of those things, so I used scallions, green pepper, garlic, jicama, and carrot. It was nice, but I didn’t love it. I wouldn’t make this recipe again, but I look forward to experimenting with konnyaku!

Speaking of experimenting, I’ve been trying a bunch of teas lately. I tried “Paradise” today and I wasn’t a fan. I need strong, non-floral flavors in my tea. I’m a fan of oolongs and chais mostly, though I have found some green teas that I enjoy. I recently tried “Cookie” and hated it. The acidity got to me–not something to drink on an empty stomach. The package did say that it’s “great for milk tea”, so I guess that’s what it was meant for. So far I’m in love with my grandmother’s genmaicha (玄米茶) and chanakara melon oolong tea (even though it was the tea that spilled all over my purse and killed my phone, causing me to get an iPhone six months too early).

I still haven’t tried my coconut oolong, stash wedding tea (green tea with honeydew melon and some yerba mate), and all the other chanakara varities that I have. Every morning I try to drink something, whether it be my samurai/white chai blend from Teavana or my “The Original” chai latte mix from Trader Joe’s. It’s great to have something to keep me awake and hydrated on my sometimes two hour commute (each way!). I’m trying to get away from coffee, but sometimes there are emergencies and I need an IV drip of that sweet beany goodness. I even learned how to make coffee in my office’s coffee machine (is this good or bad?).

What are your favourite teas?

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