First Timer: The Diary of an Untrained Cook: Night Four: Attempting To Master Asian Cuisine

All I can say about tonights meal is that I made my very own MISO BUTTER!
I didn't really know what that was before today, but its a delicious mixture of whipped butter and miso paste. Its super creamy and flavorful, and it also goes great with grilled corn!
I also had a dinner with my friends and my younger brother. It was great to sit and enjoy a nice meal together.

For Dinner I Made 5 Dishes (yes, tonight was a big undertaking):

1) Grilled Corn with Miso Butter
This was my favorite dish of the night. The miso butter melted all over the corn giving it a great peanut-like flavor. It was really fun to hear the corn pop when it was cooking in the oil. I got a few burns on my arm, but it was well worth it.

2) Soba Noodles with Vegetable Sauté
I made this dish up on the spot. I found some organic Soba Noodles at Gelson's and I added some fruits and vegetables that I found in my fridge. I chopped up some red onion, red pepper, pineapple, and mint for the sauté. I cooked them with some peanut oil and soy sauce, it added a nice salty flavor to the pasta.

3) Beef "Korean BBQ" Skewers
I was inspired to make these skewers because they reminded me of my favorite dish at the restaurant Tofu Ya. The beef bologi at Tofu Ya is always perfectly cooked and flavored with soy sauce and garlic. I marinated the skewers in a mixture of soy, honey, garlic, and peanut oil. The skewers were slightly difficult to cook, but the sauce absorbed into the meat perfectly and left it very tender. I was really impressed with the way the miso butter and beef went together.

4 and 5) Seaweed Salad and "Sticky" Rice
I took a bit of a short cut when preparing my two side dishes. I found some "easy cook" white rice packages at the market and used them on the side of the corn and beef. I also love the Gelson's seaweed salad, so I added a small helping on the side of every plate. The seaweed added a nice green color to the plate and tasted delicious.

After dinner I asked each guest what their favorite dish was, this is what they said:

Michelle- "My favorite dish was the beef. It tasted really yummy and it had nice subtle Asian flare.
Henry- "My favorite dish was the sticky rice. It had the perfect consistency that was unmatched by any rice I've ever had."
Alana- "My favorite dish were the noodles. The noodles had an interesting and delicious flavor."
Jesse- "I liked all the food, but the noodles were moist and had an airy consistency."

The best part of the night was not the food, but the incredible company of my family. This has already been such a great way to learn about the people I love and spend more time with them. I am grateful for the memories that we create at every meal.