dougery

I've never thought of ponzu... it would be a much cleaner taste than the ones I use. Do you like ponzu with nabe?

Chrysanthemum leaves? Hmmm... it seems this is a popular item to add. To be honest with you I have never (to my knowledge) had nabe with chrysanthemum leaves added. Do you know of other alternatives for a dipping sauce? The two I use right now are either ground sesame seeds with broth or a soy, garlic, ginger, green onion, crushed chili pepper mixture, with a little broth.

My friend and I have been doing a little research on ramen and was wondering if anyone knows of a good ramen broth recipe or if there is a link to a thread in this forum? There were some great Ramen shops up in Vancouver BC but I'm afraid none of them would share their recipe (as if they would : ) I know some of you great cooks out there have some good ones. Thanks!

One of my favorite quickie foods is fresh peanutbutter and strawberry jam on buttered toast with a tall glass of WHOLE milk (strange... almost all of my comfort foods include milk)

Really? You prefer the fries over the burgers? I have to admit, the fries are great with some tartar sauce when they are fresh out of the frier, but the Deluxe? come on.

hmmm... ethnic comfort foods? Since I my mother is Japanese my favorite "ethnic" comfort food would be Katsu-donburi, but my favorite "americana" semi ethnic food would be baked spaghetti. does this make sense?

Chris, it is one of the greatest meals, and the more people you have to enjoy this the better! There is a little initial investment to be made in a ceramic hot pot (you could actually use a shallow stock pot) and a portable burner you can put in the middle of your dinner table. I just bought my second burner for when we have larger dinner parties (8 - 10 people). Add some hot sake and cold beer & your set for a guaranteed night of good food and great fun!

I was wondering what everyone's comfort foods are. Not downer foods for when your sick or feeling bad (I've got congee for that), but true blue comfort foods that flood you with warm memeories and a full tummy. Foods that say "home" to you. Mine would have to be baked spaghetti with garlic bread and a glass of ice cold milk. It seems like whenever I make this I flashback 20 years... all of the windows fogged up from all of the humidity from the pasta being boiled, the room temperature seems to much warmer from the baking pasta and bread. Friends and family always seemed to come hand in hand with this dish as well.

Top it off with a dollop lard! Why not!

Here is a link to another forum discussion. This site is the best site for any type of knife related questions. This subject starts off on knife blocks but mutates over to magnetic storage strips. http://www.knifeforums.com/ubbthreads/show...rev=#Post413521

Very interesting... I'm wondering how the aroma would balance out with amount of sesame (1-2 cups of ground sesame seeds have quite an aroma!) used in Chanko Nabe? I will definitely give this a try next time I have a hot pot. What other types of stock have you used for yours?

Wouldn't you agree that the texture of these burgers are quite unique? I find the combination of textures and flavors to be quite exquisite (I agree, the cheese burger is quite simply the simple, yet satisfying, favorite).

Chanko Nabe has to be the greatest version of hot pot (this hot pot is usually associated with Sumo wrestlers http://www.banzuke.com/chanko-nabe. I like to prepare the broth with chicken stock, a little shiro miso, and soy. For the dipping sauce, I have a mortar 1/4 filled with toasted sesame seeds for each diner (having each person make their own ground sesame seeds. It's actually a great social activity) then just add a little broth from the pot and your ready to go. Ingredients I find myself using over and over again in the pot are Napa, sliced side pork, tofu, chicken wings, shitake mushrooms, prawns, and to finish the dinner off mochi and udon. Does anyone out there have some other versions of hot pot they would like to share?

#1 10" Wearever aluminum nonstick fry pan w/removable silicon grip. Can't live without it, and it's my wifes favorite as well. Bought a bunch of restaurant quality Wearever pans at Ross, it was quite the deal, but my wife wasn't too enthused. #2 1-Qt All-Clad stainless sauce pan. I use this all of the time for sauces and a variety of other things. Since I'm usually just cooking for two, this really works out well. When I bought this I really didn't think I would be using it as much as I do! #3 12" lodge cast iron skillet. Use for everything. #4 Fagor 6Qt pressure cooker. (I actually use the pot more for cooking pasta, and boiling things than pressure cooking) #5 2Qt All-Clad stainless sauce pan. #6 Old cast iron lodge dutch oven (around 4qts?). #7 10" Stainless, All-clad fry pan. These are the tools I use most of all. A couple other I use often are the 7" stainless, all-clad fry pan, and the 10" stainless all-clad oriental fry pan (I really like this one when I'm doing stirfry noodle dishes). I have a ton of stock pots, but I think I use the Fagor pressure cooker pot out of convience of storage location more than anything else and I use a 4qt belgique more for sentimental reasons.

Ahh yes... the people watching aspect of hanging out at Dick's is a very important part of the experience. I agree, the fries are rather limp, but on occasion you'll come accross a batch that is actually crispy.

Definitely, I have several recipe's for gourmet burgers and they all blow away Dick's burgers (Japanese style deep fried burgers with a special wasabi sauce are a specialty), but Dick's burgers are one of my few junk food vices that I get an occasional serious hankering for (come on, you know you have a fast food favorite: Spud's fish and chips, Red-Mill burgers, Zeek's Pizza, etc). "Grease is the word" (at least for this thread)

I need a break from Italian, Japanese, and French cuisine, I need a good hamburger! Ok folks, don't hate me for this post but I've got to know how Dick's drive-in does their hamburgers (Daily's are pretty good too). I used to live in Seattle, but since I moved out of city I can't fulfill my hamburger cravings so I've been trying to recreate Dick's burgers. I have the frenchfries down solid (even better than Dick's) but the burgers remain elusive. It's the bun texture in combination with the other textures that is is difficult to pin down. Come on you Seattle foodies, one of you must have worked Dick's while going to the UW!

Definitely Congee. Just plain with some salt and a couple of umeboshi on the side. The perfect "feel bad" meal for me.

Head straight up the street about 1mile to 45th st. On 45th and interlake there is a little Japanese eatery called Musashi's. It may not offer top of the line sushi, but the price can not be beat! They are known for their teriyaki, California rolls, and their harusame salad. Call em at 206-633-0212 for directions or take-out.

I bought this little paring knife at a garage sale. Black plastic handle with a stamped blade but I love it. I don't know why but I rarely use my Wusthof paring, instead I use my 10 cent special for all of my paring and garnishing. Don't tell my wife though, the Wusthof was a gift : )

I haven't been to Hokkaido myself but it sounds much more interesting than Osaka. I enjoy the farmland and the smaller towns much more than the cities and I have been dying to visit the villages up north (didn't nato originate up north?). But I have to admit, Osaka is the home to the best okonomiyaki in the world (japanese pancakes) But... if you ever plan on heading south... Shikoku island is the place! The best udon in the world is in Shikoku and also Bonito underbelly... I'm getting hungry.

Ditto, dirty restrooms are first on my list. I know this is kind of out of the establishments hands but CELL PHONES! Any server that has the guts to shut down customers with ringing cell phones will earn a 25%-plus tip from me!

Butterscotch Sauce with pecans! 6T butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup evaporated milk 1/3 cup pecans Melt butter and sugar in pan bring to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Cool for 5. Heat evaporated milk then add to mixture. Stir and cook over low heat for two minutes. Add toasted pecans and serve! (over vanilla ice cream is a good start) mmmmmmmmmmm! enjoy!

My favorite knife now is the Global Oriental Chef's. Due to the thin blade, this knife is VERY sharp. The balance is awesome and cut's like a dream. I got it in Vancouver BC for about 30 dollars less than in the US to boot! My other fav is my good'ole Mundial 8" Chef's. Has soft steel and a chipped wooden handle but with regular steeling does just fine. The battle scars on it tells the stories of the various kitchens it's visited around the City but heck... we all have our little "security blankets"! (I think if anyone else saw this knife they would chuckle and send it to the scrap heap!)