Knitting funk.. & a recipe

I'm in a knitting funk lately. Only 1 WIP on the needles - the Madli lace shawl - which I've knit maybe an inch since my last post. And I have no urgent desire to cast on for anything new. Been busy with life lately and my knitting is taking a little backseat for now. I need a kick-ass project to get me off my butt!!

In return for no knitting and no pictures, I thought I'd post a 'Cheaty Udon Soup' recipe that I make for dinner pretty regularly. It's slightly tangy and salty and soupy and takes only 20min to cook - really good for those days when you're dead beat but don't want to eat outside food. I call it cheaty cos I don't use authentic chicken stock (& i hate the fake taste of stock cubes), but the preserved vegetable acts as a readily available soup base.

Iro's Cheaty Udon Soup Recipe (portion for 2)

Ingredients
2 tomatoes (slice in half)
2-3 clove garlic (slightly mashed to release the taste)
1 small packet of preserved vegetable or 'szechuan vege' (can be found in cold storage)
Vege of choice - I usually use Japanese cabbage
1 packet beef (the Japanese shabu shabu beef is especially yummy but any sliced beef will do)
1 packet of enoki mushrooms (rinsed well & with base trimmed off)
1 packet tofu (cubed)
Chilli padi, usually 3-5 depending on chilli tolerance (sliced)
2 packets udon

1. Rinse preserved vegetable well to get rid of surface oil
2. Put garlic & preserved vegetable in pot & add about 2-3 bowls water. Bring to the boil.
3. Add in tomatoes, enoki shrooms, and vege and boil for another 10min
4. Add in beef and cook quickly (so it's not overcooked). Remove beef from soup once brown.
5. Add in tofu, udon, chilli padi and let simmer for few more minutes.
6. Add pepper & a little salt to taste (the preserved vege & tomatoes are already salty).
7. Serve steaming hot :D

7 random things

I was tagged by Lois some time ago for this meme, took me forever to think of 7 random/semi-interesting things about me. And since I'm relatively new to the knitting blogosphere, have still not thought of who to tag. Oh well, here goes for now :

1. I drink coke with salt. The salt makes the coke colder, reduces the fizzy bubbles & removes that metallic after-taste. Also, it's said to be a really good remedy for sore throats. Try it

2. I have an obsession with red lipsticks. I'm forever looking for the 'perfect' red - not too blue as it clashes with my Chinese skin; not too orange, but just right with a tinge of brown. However I seldom wear red lipstick. I just like to open the tube to look at the creamy texture & color.

3. I change my hairstyle everytime I go to the hairdressers - even for a trim. It's this inability to say 'no' whenever the hairstylist suggests a 'new look'. Guess this is a safe way to express my individuality & take small risks?

4. I drink my morning coffee sitting on my bathroom floor. It's very clean. Enuff said.

5. I love onigirii. Not the fancy exotic sushi-type, but basic, comforting onigirii rice ball, with a little grilled salmon in the middle, fresh seaweed wrapped around it, with just a tinge of plum powder. The best onigirii i ever ate was at a roadside stand in Tokyo, where the rice ball was warm & slightly salty, and the seaweed crisp & fresh. Droool

6. I read really fast. I take maybe 2 hours to finish a paperback chick-flick type of book. When I was young, my idea of a perfect day would be to stock up 3-5 books, and spend the afternoon in bed reading & eating instant mash potatoes.

7. I am allergic to rust & dust. No, this isn't a ploy to get out of housework. I recall a time in school when we had to use sandpaper to remove rust from the chairs & tables. I had hives allover after that and had to get an injection and was sick for the next week or so. (And I was also excused from the table/chair cleaning exercise, hehe)