I get to see Tonkastu made

My husband is very territorial in his kitchen. I usually call it Hell’s Kitchen.

This past weekend, he wanted to make tonkastu. Tonkastu is port cutlet that is breaded with panko and fried. Similar to country fried steak without the gravy.

My husband wanted to prep the tonkastu, freeze them for later. He’s such a squirrel. I wanted tonkastu the same day!

My husband took out the pork loin and pounded on them with his meat tenderizer mallet. A few quick whacks and he places them on a plate.

I was just going to observe BUT he asks me…yes…ME…if I would assist him in the kitchen.

I was so happy, elated. I’ll get to be part of the tonkastu making process. He instructs me to sprinkle “some” salt & pepper onto both sides. I made sure that it was his version of “some” and not my version of  “some”. In the past, I would have made it look like blackened pork.

1. Pound the pork cutlet. 2. Lightly flour both sides. 3. Dip in beaten egg 4. Bread both sides.

Next, he lightly flours the pork, gently dips it in egg, and coats it with panko. I’m instructed to wrap it in saran wrap, not like a mummy but just so that both sides are covered by one layer or two.

Tonkastu ready for wrap and freeze.

The tonkatsu turned out wonderful. I didn’t ruin his kitchen and we had fantastic tonkatsu a few days later.

Tonkastu dinner with curry on the side.

Korean Husband Food Dishes February 2014

Instant cold noodles upgraded.

Were we celebrating something? Bacon shrimp skewers among other things…

Miso soup with polish sausage. It felt like a mix of American, Korean, and Hmong with the rice.

Tofu with fresh kimchee, sticky rice, and stuffed leaf.

Veggie Tea / Zuab Tsuag Mixup

Veggie tea (as I call it), Zuag Tsuag is a dish of plain boiled vegetable. Zuab tsuag literally means bland vegetable in Hmong. It can be served hot or cold. It’s a very simple side dish that also serves as a beverage for a meal. For me, it’s like the diet coke to my greasy burger.

My husband was making BBQ chicken one night, and not wanting to bother him in the kitchen, I requested that he make me some zuab tsuag out of cabbage. He’s seen me make it for myself before, but he always pass on helping himself to some.

My husband is usually cooking Japanese or Korean fusion foods for our dinner table, so I miss Hmong food a lot. (He can’t handle cilantro and most Southeast Asian herbs are too strong for his taste or smell.)

My husband was happy to be able to give me a little of the Hmong heart and soul when he placed that hot bowl of zuab tsuag in front of me. After a few bites of his scrumptious chicken dish, I dipped my spoon into the piping hot zuab tsuag to down the chicken. As I navigated the zuab tsuag into my mouth, my tongue was greeted by this most heinous taste of salt!

He asked me what was wrong because I had made a face. I told him that it has salt when it shouldn’t. His face was one of astonishment.

“So you guys eat it plain, with nothing?” he asked.

“Yes!” I confirmed to him.

He gave me this Chef Ramsey look as if what I just said is a chef’s food cooking taboo. I can see the wheels in his head spinning,”WTF!!!”

Note: After reading my post, he said that salt is put in to preserve the color of veggies when boiling them. I told him that I wasn’t planning on looking at the veggies, I was planning on eating them.

Korean Husband Makes February Food Dishes

Making Yubochobob

All rice and veggie. Guess it was a vegetarian meal that day.

Tofu with spicy soy sauce and green onions.

Tuna with veggies and spicy sauce

Spicy cold noodle: makguksoo

Makguksoo spicy cold noodle

Koreanized seasoned beef steak with veggies

Steak and BBQ chicken with spicy dipping sauces.

Korean bulgogi and shrimp skewers

Korean Husband hates Cilantro!

Cilantro, how I miss you 😦

My husband hates it!!! He can’t handle cilantro. Laab with cilantro, herbs, and spices with it’s exotic aroma is overwhelming to him. There are only two dishes that he will eat with cilantro as an ingredient – eggrolls and kua txob (Hmong pepper sauce).

Cilantro tastes like toothpaste to him. Imagine eating a dish that has pieces of toothpaste gel. I respect and understand his feelings on why he doesn’t like cilantro.  While I was in Korea, I did see a cilantro flavored toothpaste.

But why, why does he have to hate cilantro. Why are the fates so cruel to me?  They’ve given me a cilantro hating husband.  It’s my favorite herb. It makes everything taste refreshing.

What my husband doesn’t like, he doesn’t cook. I’ve gone months without cilantro. When I do finally get to eat kua txob, I binge on it.

Yesterday, when I got home, he presented me with a small house plant.  It was cilantro. So sweet!!!  He’s trying not to be sweet.  His reasoning is that the cilantro will be his experiment, to see if herbs can survive indoors during the winter without a lot of sun.  If the cilantro plant can survive, then he’ll go buy more herbs such as basil and rosemary to keep the cilantro company. In the meantime, he says I should enjoy the cilantro.  I don’t care just as long as I get to eat fresh cilantro.

My very own cilantro plant for the house.

Korean Husband Food Dishes 2012

Our first official date, my husband had invited me over to his place for dinner. He told me he was going to cook for me.

I thought he was trying to impress me by saying that. It was cute of him to try. I didn’t have any expectations when I went over.

Long story short, he totally impressed me with his cooking skills and set the bar for all the dishes that came later.

My husband’s specialty is Korean and Japanese food although he can make other dishes too.

I’ll start posting pictures of his cooking.

Here are some food pictures from the past.

braised beef with soy sauce, minced garlic, green onions, chili powder

Typical American breakfast plus salad with sesame ginger dressing.

Side pork slices, spam, bok choy, green onions in a husband’s house special soy sauce.

Sushi rolls with a side of smoked salmon salad.

Prepping salmon for dinner.

Salmon skin coated and prepped to by fried.