Egg Nog

Can't buy this in the Netherlands so tried making it from scratch. Be careful not to overheat the milk with eggs in it. Put rum in half and left the kids one plain. I still prefer the plain. Apparently there are recipes that use the egg white as well to not have so much leftover ingredients. Might be worth trying next time.
12/24/23 Helped MM make this but with strange nutmeg and strange alcohol. Not as good.

• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 c heavy whipping cream
• 2 c milk
• 1/2 t nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 t vanilla
• optional: 1/4 c alcohol

1. Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl until light and creamy.
2. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cream, milk, nutmeg and salt. Stir regularly until it reaches a bare simmer.
3. Add a spoonful of the hot milk to the yolks, whisking vigorously. Repeat, to temper the eggs.
4. Once most of the milk has been added, pour the egg mixture back into the pan.
5. Whisk constantly for a few minutes until the mixture is just slightly thickened (or it reaches 160 F). It will thicken more as it cools.
6. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and optional alcohol.
7. Pour through a sieve into storage container(s).
8. Refrigerate until chilled. Stir before serving. Thin with milk if too thick or sweet.
9. Store up to 1 week.

Meat Sauce

I made this the first time and ran out of canned tomato so dumped in a jar of pasta sauce. Second time I used the proper tomatoes. Kids really like the sauce. I would like to make extra to freeze but haven't done it yet. Source.

• 1.5 T olive oil
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 1 onion, finely chopped (yellow, brown or white)
• 500 g ground beef (or half pork)
• 1/2 c dry red wine (125 ml)
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 28 oz can crushed tomato or tomato passata (800 g)
• 2 T tomato paste
• 2 t sugar
• 2 t Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 t thyme or oregano
• variations: 1 carrot+celery sauteed with onion; bacon; 1 T soy; chili
• salt + pepper
• serve with: pasta, parmesan, finely chopped parsley, mozzarella

1. Heat oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, ~3 min or until light golden and softened.
2. Turn up to high heat and cook meat, until browned.
3. Add red wine. Simmer and cook for 1 min, scraping bottom of the pot until smell of alcohol is gone.
4. Add remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer and then turn down to medium so it bubbles gently.
1. Fast: Cook for 20-30 min without a lid, stirring occasionally. Add water if sauce gets too thick.
2. Slow: Add 3/4 c water, cover with lid and simmer on very low for 2-2.5 hours, stirring every 30 min or so. Uncover and simmer for 20 min to thicken sauce.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Optional: reserve 1 c pasta cooking liquid, combine undercooked pasta with sauce and 1/2 c of the reserved cooking water. Toss gently for 2 min on medium heat until the spaghettit turns red and the sauce thickens.

Meatball Soups

Chicken Meatball White Soup

XBD did not like it but the rest of us were fine with it.

Beef Meatball Tomato Soup

11/27/23 forgot the flour step. Prefer a non-tomato based soup but this was fine for a change.

• 
  small pasta
• 1 can diced tomatoes
  
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 T flour
• 4-6 c chicken/beef broth
• kale, chopped
• beef meatballs (homemade or store bought)
• parmesan

1. Bake the meatballs at 200C/400F (or save them to boil in soup at later step).
2. Saute onion, celery and carrot in olive oil in large stockpot/dutch oven. ~3 min until onions are translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Whisk in 1 T flour until lightly browned ~1min.
4. Gradually stir in chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer covered about 10 min. Optional: keep on low until 15 min before time to eat.
5. Stir in pasta and undercook.
6. Stir in kale, ~1-2 min.
7. Serve immediately, topped with grated parmesan

White Bean and Kale Meatball Soup *****

• Meatballs
  
  
  
• 500 g pork-beef mix ground meat
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c bread crumbs
• 2 T grated cheese
• 2 t Italian herbs: oregano, basil, thyme/rosemary
• salt and pepper
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1.4 liters/48 oz/6 c chicken/vegetarian stock
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 2 c kale
• salt and herbs
• Serve with: grated parmesan, bread

1. Roll meatball mixture into 1" balls. Using dutch oven, cook in 2 batches in olive oil, until browned. Shake pot to keep round shape. Remove to plate.
2. Cook shallot, carrots and celery for 10 min, stirring often, until vegetables start to soften.
3. Add the broth, herbs, beans and meatballs. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 15 min.
4. Add kale and cook for 10 min. 

Chestnut and Mushroom Sticky Rice

Mom taught me how to make this in the early 2000s, I made it immediately after on my own, and then promptly forgot the details. Tried making it again but forgot to buy water chestnuts. Need to figure out how to make this the mom way. First time used part of it as stuffing for turkey and remainder as dressing.

• 3 rice cups sticky rice (glutinous rice)
• water, chicken broth
• 1/2 c peeled, cooked chestnuts
• 8 dried shiitake
• water chestnuts: chopped
• 1 large shallot (6 small shallots), finely sliced
• 3 t sesame oil
• 4 T soy sauce
• 3 T shaoxing wine
• 1 T oyster sauce
• 1 t dark soy sauce
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t white pepper

1. Rinse rice until clear. Soak overnight or at least 4 hours. Drain.
2. Rehydrate shiitake with boiling water. Squeeze and slice. Save mushroom water.
3. Heat 1 T oil in pan, saute shiitake and shallots until they turn translucent.
4. Add in the sauces. Fold in chestnuts. Drizzle with sesame oil and transfer to bowl.
5. [after this need to see what mom does. the recipe I used didn't have the rice fully cook]
6. Cook rice (with sauce on top or plain?). 
7. Douse with broth/mushroom water for additional flavor. Continue cooking (stove/oven) until rice is cooked through.

Chicken, Chickpeas and Rice with Spinach

Made this and felt the rice ratio was way too low. Was unclear when chicken should have been cut. Easy one pot meal.

• 2 c rice (increased from 2/3 c)
  
• 1 lb chicken breast, boneless, skinless
• 3 c spinach, chopped
• 1 c canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 2 cl garlic
• salt and pepper
• 2 T olive oil

1. Cook the chicken in pan on both sides until golden brown. Set aside
2. Sauté onions and garlic for 30 seconds with 1 T olive oil.
3. On med-high heat, stir in spinach, chickpeas, carrot and rice. Add salt and water to cover.
4. Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium. Cook until the rice is ready, stirring and adding water if needed.
5. Once rice is done, add 1 more T olive oil and salt to taste. 
6. Slice the chicken, stir it in and cook for 3-4 more minutes. Season as needed.

Fresh Rolls

Thai or Vietnamese style fresh rolls are a fun group activity for dinner. The special plastic plates for building them make it extra quick.

• Rice paper wrappers
• Protein: shrimp, chicken, tofu, pork
• cucumber sticks
• carrot, shredded
• soft lettuce, leaves
• vermicelli noodles, cooked and optionally tossed with sesame oil (refrigerate until needed).
• mint, coriander, thai basil
• mango, ripe and sliced
• avocado slices
• sauce (see below)
• optional: scallions, bell pepper slices, bean sprouts, purple cabbage

1. Shrimp: Thaw frozen shrimp. Place in boiling water for 2 min. Drain and run in cold water or dip in ice bath to stop cooking. Peel and cut in half (if large). Refrigerate until needed.
2. Chicken: Saute/boil, flavored or not. Tofu: cook
3. Lay out items on table and each person rolls their own. 
1. Dip wrapper in pie plate full of water. No need to drip off excess water. Place on blue plate. It will continue to soften while you place your ingredients. The holes in the plate prevent it from sticking.
2. Add sauce, noodles, protein and favorite fillings and herbs.
3. Roll tightly at one end. Half way, fold in each end and continue rolling. Dip in extra sauce if you didn't put enough inside.

Sauce choices

• hoisin sauce (optional: mixed with finely chopped peanuts)
• peanut sauce
• 1/3 c creamy peanutbutter
• 2 T rice vinegar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 2 T maple syrup
• 1 T sesame oil
• 2 cl garlic, minced
• 2-3 T water, as needed for right sauce consistency
• Vietnamese sauce
• 1/4 c water
• 2 T fresh lime juice
• 2 T white sugar
• 4 t fish sauce
• 1 cl garlic, minced (optional)
• 1/2 t garlic chili sauce

Almond Sponge Roll

The lemon sponge roll was too sweet so I decided to use a custard filling instead. The old sponge recipe also had leftover whites, so I found a recipe that was the same number of whites+yolks. Unfortunately I ran out of vanilla, so I substituted almond extract. A bit too much. It was still edible for me but DBD thought it was too strong. XBD gobbled it up. DBD has requested it with vanilla custard next time.

• 
  4 eggs (split into yolks and whites)
  
• 1/2c + 1/4 c sugar (reduce next time)
• 3/4 c cake flour
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 t cream of tartar
• powdered sugar
• favorite filling: lemon curd, vanilla custard, etc

1. In a small bowl, combine flour, powder and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk egg yolks for 1 minute on medium high.
3. Gradually add 1/2 c sugar until mixture is pale, about 2-3 min.
4. On low speed, add the flour mixture.
5. In a mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on low medium until frothy.
6. Add 1/4 c sugar a bit at a time until the whites are medium stiff (not dry).
7. Fold ~1 cup of the whites into the batter. Fold in the rest.
8. Spread evenly in parchment lined and buttered edged 10x15 (or smaller) cookie sheet. 
9. Bake 375F for 10-15 min. (Lower heat with convection)
10. Let rest a few minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Place clean tea towel on top and flip onto towel. While cake is still warm, roll up the sponge sheet (with the towel inside the roll). Let rest 30 min or more to cool on counter.
11. Unroll and spread favorite filling and re-roll without any air bubbles but not too tight (no squishing the cake). Slice and serve. 

Mantou

DBD has been asking for mantou (Chinese steamed buns) all year so finally got around to making them on a 30+ degree day, choosing this over cookies so I wouldn't have to turn the oven on. I tried 2 recipes - one a quick one using baking powder, and one with only yeast and a rolling method. I liked the rolling method better, and the kids each liked a different flavor better. DBD liked the one with less sugar. The amounts in brackets were from the first recipe. The second dough came out a bit too sticky so I would adjust next time.

• 
  350 g flour [250 g]
  
• 1 c milk (or soy milk or water) [130 ml lukewarm water]
• 1 t yeast [same]
• 2.5 T sugar [1 T]
• [3/4 t baking soda]

1. Add milk, yeast and sugar in bowl of mixer. Stir.
2. Add the flour. Set to speed 1 to knead for 6 min. (Adjust flour or milk as necessary)
3. Transfer dough out of bowl and cover for 5 min.
4. On lightly floured surface, roll the dough to 10"x14" rectangle.
5. Roll the short way, making a tight log. Roll out a bit more to smooth it out to 12".
6. Cut into 8 equal pieces using a serrated knife. Transfer each to parchment piece. (Optional: roll each piece into ball)
7. Place in steamer and let rise for 1 hour, until dough is expanded.
8. Steam for 10-12 min.

Thai Chicken Meatball Noodle Soup

Tried a new recipe for MM's bday, hoping the meatballs would be appreciated by BDs (possibly eaten with rice). Adults liked it for its fresh and different flavor profile. XBD claimed it was ok to make once a year. Inspired by a Grumpy Chef.

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 c plain bread crumbs
• 2 t soy sauce (low sodium preferred)
• 1.5 t finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 cl garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes (did not have)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T red curry paste (or more to taste)
• 3/4 c sliced red onion
• 3 c chicken stock
• 1 c full fat coconut milk (14 oz)
• 1.5 c sliced bok choy
• 1/4 c chopped cilantro
• 3 T fish sauce
• 2 t honey
• salt + pepper
• 1 pkg dried rice noodles (8 oz)
• 4 wedges fresh lime (forgot)

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Lined rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, soy, ginger, green onions, garlic and red pepper flakes. Shape into 1 inch balls (about 2 t) and place on lined baking sheet.
3. Bake until no longer pink in center, about 12 min. Remove from oven and set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat and add curry paste. Cook until fragrant 1-2 min. 
5. Add red onion, ~2 min.
6. Add chicken stock, coconut milk, bok choy, cilantro, fish sauce, and honey. Stir until combined. Bring to boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium and add meatballs (can set some aside for picky eaters). Simmer until heated through, ~6-8 min.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Place rice noodles in large bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside until softened, ~15 min. Drain well. 
10. Divide noodles among bowls. Ladle soup and meatballs on top. Serve with fresh lime.

Pastitsio

I took a trip to Athens and discovered Greek moussaka, which was different from Serbian moussaka earlier in the summer. But I was more impressed with a pasta bake called pastitsio, which is similar, but with pasta instead of potatoes, and no eggplant. It is hard to find the ingredients here so I substituted lots of items and the kids enjoyed it enough. They still aren't a fan of the cheese but they really enjoyed the rest of it. Later I found the correct pasta shape in my local grocery store. I couldn't monitor it while baking so it came out over cooked on the top but still tasting great. I also couldn't fit everything in the dish I used, so left out half the sauce. Since the kids aren't a fan, I've cut the sauce amount below in half.

• 
  400 g Greek bucatini (sustitute Italian bucatini, ziti, penne, macaroni)
  
• 120g feta, crumbled
• 2 egg whites

Meat Sauce

• 2 T olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red onions, finely chopped (or substitute yellow or brown onions)
• 1 kg ground beef
• 3/4 c red wine
• 800 g (28 oz) canned crushed tomato
• 2 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled
• 2 T tomato paste
• 1 t sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 t cinnamon powder
• 1 cinnamon stick (or extra 1/2 t powder)
• 1/4 t ground cloves
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 t pepper

Greek Bechamel (halved)

• 50 g (3.5 T) butter
• 3/8 c flour
• 2 c milk
• 1/16 t nutmeg
• 1/4 t salt
• 50 g Kefalotyri Greek cheese (or substitute Romano or Parmesan), finely shredded
• 1 egg yolk

Topping: 75 g Kefalotyri Greek cheese (or sub Parmesan, Romano), finely grated

1. Meat Sauce
1. Heat oil in large pot over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2-3 min, until onion is softened.
2. Add beef and cook, breaking it up until it turns brown.
3. Add wine and cook until it is mostly evaporated, ~3 min.
4. Add remaining meat sauce ingredients. Stir, bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low so it simmers gently. Cook for 45min-1hr until liquid is almost gone, stirring occasionally. It should be a thick mixture with little liquid.
5. Remove from stove and cool for at least 30 min (to room temperature ok).
2. Greek Bechamel
1. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. 
2. Add flour and stir 1 min.
3. While stirring, pour in half the milk. It should turn into wet paste. While stirring, pour in remaining milk. The lump should easily dissolve until it's lump free. Whisk vigorously.
4. Cook for 5 min, stirring so the base doesn't stick. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon and you can draw a path across it with your finger.
5. Remove from stove. Stir in nutmeg, cheese and salt.
6. Let cool for 5 min.
7. Whisk in egg yolk quickly. Cover and set aside. If sauce gets to thick to pour, just reheat on low until pourable.
3. Pasta
1. Cook the package according to instructions, MINUS 1 min.
2. Drain, return to pot. Let cool 3 min.
3. Stir in egg whites. (Do this just before assembly so they don't dry out. This helps the pasta set better to get neat slices)
4. Gently stir in feta.
4. Assemble and bake
1. Preheat overn to 180C/350F.
2. Place pasta in 9x13 tall baking dish. Arrange bucatini so they are going in the same direction.
3. Top with meat sauce and smooth surface.
4. Pour bechamel over.
5. Sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake 30 min or until crust turns golden.
7. Cool for 10 min before serving.

Chinese Cabbage

My mom made this dish constantly when I was growing up and I hated it. But I always had to have a few bites. It seemed like we had it every other day. The crunchy pieces and the leafy pieces were equally bad to me. As I got older, it was a tolerated dish, with the crunchy pieces being easier to eat. Fast forward many decades and I haven't had this dish in ages. I found xia-mi (tiny dried shrimp) in the local asian store and tried to give this a go, using an internet recipe. (Couldn't get the recipe from my mom because she no longer believes in using xia-mi.) Thoroughly enjoyed it. Ginger was quite strong and I would try without the scallions next time.

• 1 chinese cabbage
• 2 T dried shrimp (xia-mi)
• 2 T oil
• 4 scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces (I don't think my mom's recipe used this)
• 1" ginger, peeled and grated (nor this)
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T cold water
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1 t salt
• 1/2 t white pepper

1. Place xia-mi in small bowl and cover with boiling water to rehydrate for 15-30 min.
2. Split the cabbage in half lengthwise. Rinse it and shake it dry. Cut out the core and discard. 
3. Cut the cabbage into 1 inch pieces and separate into 2 bowls - one for leafy bits, one for thick white pieces.
4. Drain the shrimp.
5. In large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add scallions, ginger, and xiami. Toss until fragrant, about 1 min.
6. Add the thick cabbage pieces and lower heat to medium high. Cook for 3-4 min until edges start to look slightly translucent but center is still opaque white.
7. Reduce heat to medium low and add leafy pieces. Cook until wilted, about 2 min.
8. Make cornstarch slurry: combine soy, water, cornstarch in small bowl. Pour over cabbage and cook until sauce has thickened.
9. Season with salt and pepper.

Dal Saag - Spinach Dahl

Quick and delicious. 1/2 c of dahl doesn't look like much but it expands quite a bit. Based on original recipe but left out onions and missing spices.

• 1/2 c moong dal (the quickest cooking one that doesn't require soaking, and easiest to digest, but other dahls can be substituted if soaked)
• 1 c water
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped (90g, 3/4 c) [omitted]
• 1-4 cloves garlic
• 1 roma tomato, chopped
• 1 c baby spinach (8 oz/227 g)
• 1/4 t turmeric (did not use)
• salt
• 2 t ghee, melted
• 1/4 t cumin seeds
• 1/2 t mustard seeds (did not have)
• pinch of asofoetida
• 1-4 dried chillis

1. Rinse the dahl until water is no longer cloudy. Fill bowl halfway with water and swish with fingers.
2. Heat oil in pan. If using onion, saute 2 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and optional dried chilis, plus 1 t salt. Tomatoes should soften and release juices. About 1-2 min.
3. Add the washed dal, water (and turmeric). Layer the spinach on top. Cover with lid. Cook for 30 min. Dal should be cooked through and mushy to the touch. Use a wooden spoon to stir until the dish becomes creamy. Add 1 t salt (or to taste). 
4. In separate pan, melt ghee. Add mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the cumin, asofoetida, and 1-2 dried chilis. After a few seconds, cumin seeds should dance. Pour this spice tadka over the dal. 
5. Serve with rice. 

Coconut Sticky Rice with Mango

I've found one shop with quality mangoes that are ridiculously expensive. But I splurge once in a while because they're my favorite fruit. To stretch them, I make this dish. Otherwise I prefer to eat them plain and fresh.
Summer 2023: Doubled the pouring sauce to finish the leftover coconut milk. Fed 8 generously.

• 
  2 ripe mangoes
  
• 2 rice cups of sticky rice (aka glutinous rice)
• 1 c/8oz/250 ml thick coconut milk
• 1/3 c sugar (reduced from 1/2 c)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 T sesame seeds (white or black)
• Sauce: 1/4 c thin coconut milk, 1 T sugar, pinch of salt

1. Do ahead: Soak the rice for 3 hours or overnight.
2. Cook the rice in a rice cooker, using ratio from package.
3. Mix the thick coconut milk, sugar and salt. 
4. When the rice is done, transfer it to a bowl and while it is hot add the coconut mixture. Combine thoroughly. Leave it to rest for 30-50 min so the rice can absorb the liquid.
5. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
6. Peel the mangoes and slice thinly. Scoop rice into bowl/plate, top with mango and drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Aussie Meat Pie

I found the recipe and MM cooked the meat both times. I just assembled them the first time. Second time he did it for the international festival. He used way more black pepper the second time and it gave it a really nice kick. We still want to try a mushroom version, but this was a good start. First time we used rib steak, second time chuck steak with less broth. First time made 6 muffins, 2 texas muffins and 6-5" pies. Second batch made 24 muffin size pies. Recipe adjusted below (original in parens).
6/6/23 Made this on my own with soup meat, using just under 1 kg all in 1 day. Made exactly 6-5" pies. I thought they were fine but MM said not as good.

• 
  3 T olive oil
  
• 1.5 kg chuck steak, cut into 1 cm cubes
• 1 onion, diced - brown, yellow, white or shallots (2)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 T tomato paste
• 3 c beef broth (4 c)
• 1 c red wine (dry and dark, not light like pinot noir)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1.5 t salt
• 2 t black pepper*
• 3 T cornstarch*
• 4 T water
• 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten (or whole egg for lighter finish)
• puff pastry
• quiche pastry/shortcrust pastry (1 jumbo circle has 4 5" pies worth)

Day Ahead: Beef filling

1. Heat 1 T olive oil in large pot over high heat. Add layers of beef to sear outside until lightly browned. Remove to bowl and repeat.
2. Lower heat to medium high and add the remaining olive oil. Cook onion and garlic until translucent (~5 min).
3. Return beef to pot and all other filling ingredients EXCEPT cornstarch and water. Mix to combine. 
4. Simmer then lower heat to low/med-low so bubbling super gently. Leave to cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Beef should be very tender.
5. Mix cornstarch with water to make slurry. Pour into pot and mix. Cook for 5 min until sauce thickens.
6. Remove from heat to cool. Season with additional salt and pepper.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
2. Grease muffin tins, silicone cups or 5" pie plates.
3. Cut quiche pastry ~1" bigger than tin/cup. Press into pan leaving overhang/thick edge. Fill to brim with filling.
4. Cut puff pastry to size. Place lid on top of filling and gently press to join the doughs.
5. Slice 3-5 times from center, widening the slits to ensure they stay open.
6. Brush with egg wash.
7. Bake for 20-25 min until dark/deep golden brown.
8. Allow to rest for a few min before turning out to wire rack.
9. Serve warm with tomato sauce (aka Australian for ketchup).

Chicken Peanut Noodles

I wanted to try a chicken satay noodle recipe and bought pre-chopped veggies at the store to make it all go faster. I bought a bag of beautiful red cabbage, but this turned out to be a disaster while cooking. It immediately started turning the chicken blue...and then dull black, making the dish visually unappealing. However, outside of the looks, it was fine. But next time I would use white cabbage for sure. I used 150 g noodles and 300 g chicken but did not increase the sauce ratio (should have though). It's also easy to dump in extra vegetables and substitute tofu to make this pescatarian (because of the fish sauce).

Sauce

• 1/4 c crunchy peanut butter
• 1.5 T fish sauce
• 1.5 T dark soy
• 2 t sugar
• 2 t cornstarch
• 1 garlic clove, minced (reduced from 2)
• 2 t grated ginger
• 1/2 t curry powder (optional...reduced from 1.5 t)
• 1/4 c water

Other

• 180 g thinly sliced chicken breast
• 1 t baking soda
• 100 g dried rice noodles
• 2 T oil
• 1 garlic, minced
• ~1 c shredded carrot
• ~1.5 c shredded white cabbage
• ~1 c beansprouts
• chopped peanuts
• cilantro

1. Tenderize the chicken: Place chicken and baking soda in a bowl and mix by hand. Set aside for 20 min. Rinse well in a colander and shake off excess water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Place sauce ingredients, except water, in bowl. If peanut butter is natural, add salt, sugar and oil. Microwave if necessary to soften the peanut butter. Stir in water.
3. Prepare noodles by soaking in boiled water for package time. Drain, set aside.
4. Heat oil in large skillet on high heat and saute garlic for 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook until outside is white. Add carrots and cabbage and cook until they start to wilt.
5. Add noodles, sprouts and sauce. Stir for 1.5-2 min until sauce thickens and noodles are coated.
6. Serve immediately garnished with peanuts and coriander.

Gimbap

This was delicious but we did not have enough rice or nori to make as much as we wanted to eat for 4 of us (1 adult, 3 kids). So next time, double the rice and get lots of nori (we had 5 sheets). Everyone loved it. Based on maangchi recipe.
3/24 Have made this several times without soy sauce in the beef to make it gluten free. Most recently at XBD's request. Leftovers brought for DBD's lunch/snack. Best to leave uncut in fridge and cut in the morning to prevent drying out. Tried new 10 sheet korean seaweed pack from AO.

• 
  sushi rice (2 c uncooked rice per 5 sheets)
  
• 1/2-1 lb beef (skirt steak, tenderloin, or ground)
• carrot matchsticks
• pickled radish, cut into strips
• spinach, blanched, rinsed in cold water and squeezed
• 3 eggs
• optional: cucumber sticks, pepper sticks, imitation crab sticks, avocado strips
• garlic, minced
• soy sauce
• brown sugar
• salt
• sesame oil

1. Rice: Cook short grained rice in rice cooker. Place hot rice in large shallow bowl. Mix with 1/2 t salt and 2 t sesame oil per 2 c uncooked rice. Let cool until it's not steaming. 
2. Spinach: Combined blanched spinach with 1 cl garlic, 1/2 t salt and 2 t sesame oil. Mix well. Chop. Place on large plate with pickled radish slices.
3. Carrot: Combine the carrot matchsticks with 1/4 t salt. Mix well and let sweat for 5-10 min. Squeeze out the water. Heat pan and add a few drops of oil. Saute carrots for about 1 min. Place next to spinach.
4. Beef-1: In a bowl, combine 1 garlic cl, 1/4 t black pepper, 1 T + t 1 brown sugar, 2 t soy, 2 t sesame oil. Mix in trimmed, sliced steaks or ground beef. Mix well by hand. Set aside to marinate while preparing eggs.
5. Eggs: Crack 3 eggs into bowl. Remove stringy white bits. Beat with 1/4 t salt. Drizzle a few drops of oil on heated pan. Wipe off excess oil. Turn the heat to low and pour egg mixture into pan. When the bottom is cooked, flip. Remove from heat and let it cook in pan for another 5 min (This is to prevent browning). Cut into 1/2" strips. Place next to spinach.
6. Beef-2: Heat pan over med-high and cook beef, stirring.
7. Assembly: Place nori on bamboo mat with shiny side down. Evenly spread rice leaving 2" gap at top. Dot top with rice for sealing. Place favorite filling inside, making sure to reach left and right edges. Use both hands to roll tightly, pressing mat as you go. Slice each roll with sharp clean knife.
8. Use leftover toppings to make poke bowl.