I was away all weekend, so this here was dinner from last Thursday. The night after all the lovely sashimi we had Phase II of the post-Mitsuwa feast. I had bought a small tray of domestic Wagyu-style beef, sliced super-thin for shabu-shabu, and that was the jumping-off point for the meal.
We had dashi left in the fridge, flavored with the black radishes I had pressure-cooked in it, and to that I added all the bones from chicken and waffle night, a full complement of pho spices, and some random vegetable scraps. After cooking for a while, I strained it and brought it back to a good simmer, adding burdock that had cooked separately in a mixture of soy sauce and water until tender and slices of fresh lotus root. Meanwhile, I boiled some big fat fresh udon- my favorite kind- after blanching shredded kale in the water. All of this extraordinary goodness was then duly assembled, adding the meat raw so that it gently cooked in the broth (and some kimchi that’s not in the picture) into a Pan-Asian Orgy Bowl™ of surpassing awesomeness.
That last clause is probably going to generate more Google traffic than this blog has ever seen.
On the side, I caramelized maitake and king oyster mushrooms- both organic- with turkey bacon, garlic, thyme, and a generous splash of tosa soy sauce for maximum umamitude. I had been craving this for a long while, and it did not disappoint. I already want more of it.
Absolute Food Porn.
I’d wreck a plate of raw wagyu with a little shoyu and sesame oil, but I wouldn’t kick that udon out of bed either.
I noticed you’ve given your broths a pho-style undertone a number of times now and really admire your creativity in transplanting those flavors into other cuisines. The lamb pho in particular made me bristle with envy; because my parents are originally from Northern Vietnam, even adding lemongrass to the broth much less a non-beef bone would make me feel I’ve blasphemed my way out of the clan. (The citrus, as I suspect you already know, usually comes from a dash of lime over a finished bowl, and all that herby jazz on top was a Southern invention.)
If you’re ever interested in putting a Northern spin on your pho or pho-variants, you can try charring your onion and ginger before simmering them in the broth to create some smokiness, and limiting the spices to clove, anise and black peppercorn (and not too much of any). The goal is to create a pale, clear broth, as focused on the beef as possible. It may not be kaleidoscopically complex, but it’s one of the purest expressions of a good marrow bone.
you know what? my post that says something about “rachel ray’s butt” gets so many friggin hits so i need to start using the word ORGY in each and every post. now there is a way to drive traffic, you’re right. that beef looks like something i could immediately sink my teeth into. forget cooking it.
i think heather quoted mickey rourke on her commment… none of you may have an f-ing clue what im’ talking about.
I am Mickey Rourke.
MLB: Absolutely.
Blanche: I thought about carpaccio, but it was soup weather.
Arthur: I promise not to tell your parents if you make unorthodox pho. Thanks for the tips; I’m always interested in learning things the right way (even though I usually go on to do it differently every time.) I will absolutely try the charring thing next time I get some beef bones. Thanks for leaving such a nice comment.
Amy: I’m going to title all my posts “Rachael Ray drunken make-out with Paris Hilton” from now on.
Blanche: Ew. Comeback or no, ew.
That picture of the beef floors me. I can never quite get over how fucking amazing waygu is. I can’t afford kobe, which is good because I’d REALLY have a hard time letting go of that experience.
Orgy indeed! I would have had a hard time not eating that raw.
Also, Do try cheese Peter. It was simple. I just posted a few pictures on me blog, and would be happy to walk you through it step by step.
I had wagyu in NYC, a delight to eat and to look at…LOOK at the marbling.
I’m here for the Pan-asian orgy!? Where the heck is it?
Wagyu and the rest. One word.. Perfect!
Kristie: It’s pretty great, though I have to say I think I paid around $16 for a half pound- a little rich for every day, but as the featured protein in a special dinner for three, not too steep. Paper-thin slices made it seem like a lot more.
Ken: Next time we’ll eat it raw for sure. Cheese will happen when our friend begins to milk her cow again (she’s expecting.) (The cow is.)
Peter: I know; it was kind of hypnotic.
Zen: Down the hall on your left.