Duvel

Same set-up indeed ... I would also not expect too many issues, however with a 7 year old in a hotpot frenzy or a global EHS responsible after his second 4-go of sake it is better to err on the safe side 😉

I have both. The one used for the Sukiyaki is an electric model, but the one I frequently use for the hotpot is an electric induction burner with different pans (including the yin/yang shaped one I prefer). To prevent at least major mishaps on the table, I have fixed an electric cord running from the wall outlet to the leg of our table (with a lot of cable binders and some slack for the cable between the binders), and connect any tabletop appliance to that cable. In case of a trip it won‘t affect the burner/electric pan.

Yes, that works too. The meat slicing machine at the butchers could make thinner slices, but he was probably concerned with the integrity (making whole slices) and also very likely never had a request like that. When I buy sliced pork belly for hotpot I tell them that I want to wrap a terrine with it in lieu of cured bacon and they easily get it thin enough. I decided that for next time I‘ll get a fattier cut and do the slicing myself (and probably from semi-frozen, and my slicing machine is actually for bread ☺️) ...

I can’t remember the last time we had Sukiyaki. Maybe 3 or 4 years ago - in any case, it came up in a conversation by chance yesterday and I decided to put it on the menu tonight ... It took a lot of persuasion to have the butcher cut the beef with the machine. Still it wasn‘t thin enough - and I should have gone for the more marbled (and cheaper) beef neck. The meat was ever so briefly fried in beef tallow in the pan, sprinkled with a soy/sake/mirin/sugar base and dipped in beaten egg ... The pan was filled up with dashi, more base added and all the remaining meat and other ingredients added ... Veggies & tofu ... Once most of the ingredients were finished, the enriched stock was used to cook some Udon, which were enjoyed sprinkled with Shichimi Togarashi and the remaining egg.

They certainly look great - would you mind sharing your (quick) method ?

A lazy Friday night dinner: Okonomiyaki ... (and the appropriate dissection technique, as demonstrated by the little one). Plain Udon ... And Gyoza (commercial).

Cleaning the fridge: Turkey with broccoli ... Stuffed aubergine ... ”Soup” (aka “everything taste good when submerged in chicken stock”)

Speaking of which - there is at least bear’s paw tofu (熊掌豆腐), combining the thrill of the name with the sustainability of a soy bean-derived heritage ...

I do chicken soup in mine. Chicken parts, aromatics, water. 2 cycles of the “brown rice” setting ...

Not yet - thanks for the suggestion !

Brought the little one home after his week at the grandparents ... so of course back to our weekly routine of Pizza & Movie night on Sunday ! The all-time favourite mushrooms & salami variety (two were prepared and consumed) ... Gyros (recycling Thursdays pork neck roast) with zaziki ... ... enjoyed together with Lupin the 3rd, an early Studio Ghibli classic.

This is Fleischsalat (literally “meat salad”). Recipe see below ... Absolutely. I think every butcher in Germany has his own slight tweak on the recipe, but it is very simple and I made it here, in HK, in Japan, in Spain. It will turn out always a bit different, but delicious anyway. And for my German version I use Japanese mayo, so ... Fleischsalat (all in weight%): 50% emulsified sausage (here, a product called “Lyoner” is used, which is derived from Italian Mortadella. The latter is fine, and Bologna (Polony) is perfectly acceptable. You want something soft, processed, with a high flavor factor). 25% pickled cucumbers (not the sweet pickle variety. Cornichons are great. The pickles bring acidity and flavor, so you can tune your salad with this). 25% mayo (full fat, no Miracle Whip. Use the one you like best - I use Kewpie). Get the sausage in thin slices, stack them and cut into fine threads. Cut the pickles into the same shape. Squeeze your pickle threads by hand to remove excess moisture (reserve the liquid). Add sausage and sqeezed pickles to the mayo and give it an good stir. Let it mingle for some hours in the fridge. Enjoy ! Options to fine tune (pick 0 to all, experiment!): finely cut herbs (parsley, dill, ...). A tiny bit of mustard (sweet or sharp). A bit of reserved pickling liquid (or vinegar of your choice) to add acidity. A dash of fish sauce (yes. Umami). A finely smashed hard boiled egg yolk (for a tiny bit stiffer consistency). There is no added salt in the recipe, but feel free to augment here as well ...

At my parents place - German Abendbrot. Rye bread with oats & sunflower seeds, rye rolls with mixed seeds. A couple of cold cuts and cheeses. For me the most important one being these: aged Schwartenwurst, aged Kopfwurst, fresh Schwartenwurst and Fleischsalat. Rye, a generous helping of butter and traditional sausage. Plus beer. That’s home 🤗

I drove up to my parents home to pick up my little one, who stayed there for one week vacation (home schooling be praised). It is a leisurely 300 km drive and you might be aware that there is no general speed limit on German highways, so the travel time is practically up to you. I arrived 30 min early. Which gave me the opportunity to visit my favorite Döner shop in the nearby city ... unfortunately, due to Corona you can’t eat neither there nor on the street (masks have to be worn at all times in the city center). So I sat in my car, stopping at the side of the road, hazard warning lights on and ate that lovely spicy Döner like an animal. Still, soooooo good !

Thanks, then the spasms make sense to me !

Nicely put 😉 But this intrigues me a little bit - I’d assume the deep frying would properly cook the flesh. I am not aware that denatured proteins still allow intramuscular ion flow (to cause the contractions) nor that they allow for the actual contraction to take place. As I am not familiar with these movements: Is it a reversible thing, e.g. opening and closing of the mouth or is it a movement into a final fixed position (which could be the result of a last heat-induced contraction of the jaw muscles, cause by carry-over from the frying process) ?

Long day at work ... and not a successful one. Felt to lazy to cook and dropped in at Aldi on the way home to find something quick to make. They had „Greek weeks“ - so ... Meze plate: Spanakopita, dolmades, braised chickpeas, olives, pita bread, cucumber, fried aubergine, Gyros and battered squid rings. Plus a lot of zaziki. And some Ouzo. Remember: rough day 😉

Yes ... the is essential the muscles strands on one side of the spine.

Butcher had pork neck on offer ... got a nice 2 kg piece to play with. Cut it open to make a roulade, filled with a mash of salt, garlic, anchovies and rosemary. Rolled up, rubbed with fish sauce and roasted to a core temperature of 62 oC ... Served with roasted potatoes (same pan) and a sauce made from roasted onions (still same pan, pan juices and two tablespoons of Boursin). Yummy !

I can echo the praise for the Fallot mustards. My favorite is the gingerbread variety - mellow, but with a superb flavor and a great base for sauces accompanying game and fowl ...

Not sure what Ruffles are, but these crisps are quite good (and my wife’s choice). Plus an excellent excuse for a third highball 🤗

For the beginning of lent a “triology of fish sandwiches”: Heringssalat, Fischfrikadelle & Matjes ... (served with a small highball to slowly wean the liver off that stuff ...) (followed by a second one. Fish needs to swim ...)

Sorry, it wasn’t meant like that. Just “rabbit with chocolate” sounded so familiar 😉

That specific recipe or the combination ... as in:

This is what happens if Valentine’s day collides with family traditions ... Pizza in an auspicious shape ... And a regular shaped one (in which I slipped some tongue - corned beef tongue, that is ...) ... And “When Marnie was there ...”