There but not there yet?

If this is not your first visit here, I hope you noticed my new look. I have been toying with the idea to give the blog a new look for awhile. On one hand, I yearn to have a new look, on the other I was worried I would create a mess out of the whole thing and end up doing fixing and cleaning up instead of getting a new one. All it takes is just a missing 'quote' somewhere and the whole thing will be screwed up. So I toyed and I toyed...until I decided to dirty my hands and took 1 week to get this whole thing in place :)

What do you think of the new look? I hope some of you would agree that it is a nice if not fresh change. I wanted a more dynamic look and something that will be easier on the eyes (I hope) . It needs some fine-tuning still, I am 'there but not quite there yet', there are some loose buttons out there, so bear with me if you hit one.

Aptly, just like my new look, this meal that we had for lunch yesterday, would fall into the "there, but not quite there yet" category too. Why so? The main dish was the Korean inspired JapChae (stir fried noodles with vegetables). This dish would probably be categorized as a side dish in a true Korean style but of late I am trying to put more greens on the table so this one got upgraded as the main. Another Korean side dish, the Myulchibokkeum (stir fried anchovies in korean paste) would probably be there to accompany. Instead, I made something close enough, the simple Malay style Sambal Ikan Bilis (stir fried anchovies in chili and shrimp paste) with homemade chili paste. Mind you, this simple looking dish with its crunchy anchovies and burning sensation is a class of its own too.

Truly, there are so much resemblance between Asian food, the JapChae is pretty similar to the Chinese Chapchai (mixed vegetables) too. So all in all this meal was neither Korean nor Malay. Perhaps "Fusion" would be sophisticated word that I can borrow for this mixed up meal, maybe?

Besides, I have to confess that this might not be a true Korean JapChae too because I didnt follow any authentic Korean JapChae recipe. I think this is a simple stir fry dish similar to the Chinese Chapchai. You can use any vegetables that is preferred and slices of shitake mushroom. Stir fry them with some sesame oil, a clove or two of garlics. Season with some soy sauce and some anchovies powder for the extra flavour. When it's almost done, add in some glass noodles that have been cooked by boiling it in water and drained. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and it's all ready.

A simple but satisfying meal it with these 2 dishes and a bowl of white rice for me and my family :)

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