Heidi bought some eggplant and pork belly the other day (I love you Heidi) and I’ve been looking forward to cooking up some Buta no Kakuni and Nasu Dengaku. We penned it in for dinner tomorrow and the wait has been excruciating.
Just look at what I’m waiting for (image from Just Hungry):
I searched for recipes online (I love you Internet) and for the last fews days I’ve had a few browser tabs open – taunting me with their succulent imagery while I wait for our Wednesday dinner date with friends.
We put together a menu for the evening, based on our favourite foods and constrained by what we’ve been able to find here in Albany:
- Buta no Kakuni: Braised pork belly
- Nasu Dengaku: Fried Eggplant with Miso (on bean sprouts)
- Short-grain rice
- Miso soup
- Butter corn
- Green salad with ginger dressing
- Cucumber and Daikon Sunomono
- Sake (cold)
I’m not sure if it’s de rigeur, but chances are that I’m going to plaster this stuff (or at least one bite) with hot English mustard. It just feels like the right thing to do.