When You're Feeling Worn Out, Simmered Dishes Are the Best: A Comforting Happiness That Soothes Body and Soul - 2 Simmered Dish Recipes

There are times when you just have an irresistible craving for simmered dishes,
aren't there?

Like when you're really exhausted,
or when you're feeling down,
or when you're struck by a sense of emptiness,
wondering what you're even doing with your life.

I get an irresistible craving for
softly simmered daikon radish.

I wonder why that is.
Maybe I'm just craving something
that heals the soul.

But,
it's easy to think that making simmered dishes
when you're feeling worn out is just impossible.

Well, that might be true.
However,
isn't there a way to make simmered dishes even when you're busy?

I myself
went through a period where I was exhausted
from juggling work and raising children.

During those times, I found ways to adapt,
tried things over and over again,
and developed simmered dishes I could make.

In fact,
there are countless times I've felt comforted by eating simmered dishes,
and felt like I could keep going.

I feel like many people are feeling worn out right now,
and I really want those people to try making these simmered dishes,

so please let me tell you about the dishes I've been making.

I truly believe that when you are busy and tired,
you should try making
simmered dishes that heal the soul.

The simmered dishes I make as a kind of comfort food
can be broadly divided into two types.

The 'oden' style, simmered in plenty of broth, and
the 'nishime' style, where there is almost no broth left.

Both are truly easy to make,
so I will introduce them.

1. Oden-style simmered dish

You might have the image that these dishes
need to be simmered slowly over low heat,
but since flavors soak in as they cool,
there is no need to simmer them for a long time.

So, what do I do instead?
I use residual heat to cook them,
which is residual heat cooking.

Put the broth and ingredients into a thick pot (like an earthenware pot),
bring it to a boil, then turn off the heat and just leave it alone.

You might wonder if that really cooks the food,
but it actually does.
And since you just turn off the heat and leave it,
you don't need to stand over it,
so you can go out or go to work.

It takes time for it to finish cooking,
but since you can just leave it alone,
it takes no effort.

I plan to explain residual heat cooking in more detail
elsewhere, so for now,
please take a look at the video introducing residual heat cooking.

2. Nishime-style simmered dish

Oden-style simmered dishes
don't require much effort,
but they do take some time.

However,
when you want to make it now
and eat it right away!!

In those cases, I recommend a nishime-style simmered dish.

It is a dish finished all at once
with a small amount of broth
and a concentrated seasoning liquid.

Even though it's called simmering,
you just put it on the heat.
It doesn't take much effort.
And it's quick too!!

There are a few points
to finishing it in a short time.

1. Slice thinly
2. A frying pan is recommended
3. Use a tight-fitting lid!

By slicing thinly,
the surface area increases, making it easier for flavors to penetrate,
and it becomes tender in a short time.

By the way,
slicing thinly is different from cutting into small pieces,
and 'thinly' refers to the thickness.

Even if the pieces are large, if they are sliced thinly,
they will cook quickly (even if they are small, if they are thick, they won't become tender easily),
and when you eat them, you can enjoy the texture of a tenderly simmered dish.

You might have the image that simmered dishes are cooked in a pot,
but I recommend a frying pan.

The reason is
that a frying pan has a wider bottom surface area compared to a pot,
so you can spread the ingredients out without them overlapping,
and because it isn't deep, heat is distributed efficiently,
and they are also evenly immersed in the small amount of broth.

Therefore, it cooks evenly and perfectly.

Also, a tight-fitting lid is important.
When the lid is tightly closed,
you can successfully steam-simmer with a small amount of broth (concentrated broth).

If possible, I recommend a lid with some weight,
such as one made of glass.
If you use a light lid that just sits on top,
steam might leak, preventing successful steam-simmering,
and there is a possibility that the broth will evaporate.

A tight-fitting lid that doesn't leak steam,
if you don't have one at home,
I recommend having one of these.

*********************************

That's all, I've written quite a lot.

In a nutshell,
please make a simmered dish when you're feeling tired.
It's easy to do.

That is what I wanted to say.

The importance of stopping for a moment
and taking a deep breath.

Simmered dishes
can remind you of things like that.

When you relax your shoulders
and feel relieved,
you might suddenly feel a sense of kindness.

You'll start to feel like you can do a little bit more.

Please, by all means, try making them.

*************************************

Simmered daikon radish and thick fried tofu

Simmered daikon radish and thin fried tofu

**************************************

■ You can make simmered dishes by turning off the heat and leaving them alone. A recommendation for residual heat cooking.