Non-Stick Rice Noodles

More noodle work. Most recipes want you to oil the tray you are using to make the noodles or oil the noodles after they are cut into strips. You know what that gets you? Oily noodles.

Floating the noodle tray on a water bath has been producing very even noodles. Todays test was to chill the noodle sheet all the way down. So, the test procedure is: ladle out a measured amount of noodle batter into a 1/4 size sheet tray, steam for 2 minutes, cool at room temp, plastic wrap and chill all the way down. The noodle sheet, still in the tray, was the fridge for 24 hours. I scored the sheet into strips and they peeled cleanly right out of the sheet pan. They weren’t even sticky to the touch. No oil needed. Testing proves that testing works.

Standard Mise en Place. This dish is so tasty, it doesn’t even need a protein. Plus, most of the protein marinades burn in the wok and you have to clean it mid-recipe.

I made a shallot/garlic oil mixture. In the standard Pad See Ew recipe, I have tried adding the garlic in the beginning of the wok process, the middle and the end. Sometimes the garlic cooks properly, sometimes it burns, sometimes it’s raw. Using the shallot/garlic oil, hedged my bet and infused more flavor into the dish.

Karaage with Sweet Spicy Pepper Sauce

Brined and fried chicken thighs with a Japanese dipping sauce. The new Austin normal for fried chicken.

The fibrous base: garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes

I could stare into it’s eyes forever. Soy, Apple Cider Vin, Sesame Oil, honey

My chicken recipe has been getting more and more complicated: brine for 24, dry, bread, dry for 24, fry, freeze, fry… Ya, know. But, for the hell of it, I just did another version: brine 24, bread, fry. Dam! Just as good or better than the more complicated way. Although, I do like multi-day procedures.