Last week certainly flew by.
Turns out it will be a short week for me as I have decided to go visit my nephew for his birthday (he’s “all grown up” so it’s friends-only birthdays, but he did a via-brother inquiry about about my travel plans, so then I bought a ticket).
Diwali is also this week, but it doesn’t feel very festive here with the usual friends I celebrate with away or otherwise occupied, so it will be nice to see family, even though it will be the end of the holiday.
Aspirational ideas, let’s see what I get to:
— Shiu mai burgers but using the more correct-sounding seasoning from the other shu mai recipe (I ate some this week, so the lack of black mushrooms and other flavors in the burger recipe stick out).
— Sushi bowl, maybe the crispy rice or baked kind – I saw a version where the rice layer is crisped in the oven before adding the other layers. With avocado and snow pea salad
— Korean beef and tofu patties / wanja jeon that I ate earlier in the week – this NYT recipe is a bit fussier than the one I’ve made previously from Maangchi. With kimchi, bok choy, and rice.
— Japanese salmon & mushroom rice / Takikomi Gohan (ingredients here, cooked like this except with mushrooms & mushroom broth for the rice).
— Craving steak – maybe Bo Luc Lac or Japanese soy garlic steak.
My own cooking might get de-prioritized to make a few Diwali & other treats for the birthday boy:
— More of the almond fudge and gram flour fudge, which he loves even more than his brother. Made the Nutella balls already, but the almond fudge needs to be fresh so I have to wait.
— Masala puris, the crunchy kind.
— Lemon muffins (I usually bake them there with him, but it’s a short visit, so if I can make them before leaving it will simplify my life).
Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!
