On Tuesday we had a very simple supper. Pictured above and below is Curry Udon. It uses curry roux, just like regular curry stew, only you add udon noodles and a few vegetables. It really becomes more of a soup. For a protein in this meal, I made tamago-yaki (sweet rolled omelet). Tamago-yaki is made using a square frying pan. You mix eggs with sugar, soy sauce and dashi. Then you pour a thin layer into the pan. When it is nearly cooked, you carefully roll it into a log. Then you add another thin layer to the pan and repeat. It produces a really pretty pattern when the log is sliced in half. See photos below:
It is hard to see the layers in this photo, but they are there...
Keeping with the economical theme, yesterday I made my own taco seasoning for ground meat. Now it is easy enough to purchase a packet from the store, but for their size, the packets are expensive. Anyone who has a decent spice rack sitting around collecting dust can surely make their own taco spice. I whipped mine up using chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, pepper, beef boullion and cornstarch. To be clear, the cornstarch was not mixed in with the spices. It was added later, along with a little cold water to prevent clumping. This blend of spices was exactly like the the store bought packet, only much better! I highly recommend trying this economical method.
I fried up my ground meat and then added half a can of diced tomatoes (the other half being carefully saved for Thursday's supper of spaghetti). After letting the mixture simmer for awhile, I started adding the taco seasoning until it tasted satisfactory. I then added about five drops of tabasco sauce for some kick. I served this on top of lettuce and topped with cheese. Even my husband enjoyed it and he doesn't usually go in for herbs and spices. So bust out the old spice rack and give it a try!
