Daring Cooks: Stepping Out Of My Comfort Zone

Part of the reason I started this blog two months ago was to push myself out of my comfort zone by preparing dishes I wouldn't normally even consider.  That's the main reason I joined Daring Cooks, and this month was the first challenge I was eligible to participate in.  Mission accomplished - the assignment was one that I've never attempted before...

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com.


I couldn't believe how easy it was to prepare everything!  First was the buckwheat soba noodles and spicy dipping sauce (which is served on the side).  I topped the noodles with some sliced scallions.  There were other things that were suggested to add on top (ham, sliced scrambled egg, cucumber to name a few) but this was just fine.  The sauce was delicious (and actually not that spicy!) and gave the noodles all the taste they needed.


For more details, check out the recipes, courtesy of Globetrotter Diaries and about. com.  

And then, the tempura.  Again, I was very happy to see how easy it was to make tempura batter and will definitely be making it again soon!  I was also surprised to see how thin the batter was - I thought maybe I did something wrong - but it all worked out just fine.  


I used all vegetables - yams, mushrooms, onions, asparagus and green beans.  Next time I'll include shrimp, lobster, scallops, and other proteins.Delicious, light, and fun to make.

The recipes for the tempura can be found on Pink Bites and itsy bitsy foodies.  Lisa also influenced the tempura a bit with things she learned from her Japanese grandmother.


I had SO MUCH FUN with this challenge, and can't wait for the next one!  :)