The past two weeks around here have felt like utter chaos. Gerrit was on travel for work, then we went to Nashville, then Evelyn and I went to Florida with my mom to visit some family. Pair that with some big life change conversations (like the possibility of moving to a different part of town) and the changing of the seasons (which means a lot more going on in general), and life seems to be going at about 10 times the normal speed right now with about 10 times the intensity.
And that makes me so very grateful for this meal, which, already in the past few weeks that I’ve been making it, has become a kitchen classic. We cannot get enough of this. And when I’m making a meal plan for the week and have a blank day staring at me, filling it in with this has so far always been the perfect solution.
Asian food is really completely out of my wheelhouse both as far as cooking and eating goes. So I really appreciate the relative simplicity and approach-ability of this recipe. And for someone who is a bit unsure about new flavors, I can tell you that nothing about this dish is too strong, and rather everything is so perfectly balanced. It has a bit of sweetness, some saltiness, a bit of umami, and if you add siracha (which Gerrit does but I do not) it can have some heat, too.
As Gerrit said, “I’m now embarrassed that I ever used the flavor packets for ramen noodles.”
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