The urge to eat shrimp in chili sauce that overcame my laziness

“I want to eat shrimp in chili sauce!!”

Everything was going smoothly up until the point I thawed the frozen peeled shrimp.

“Oh no, I’m out of shrimp chili sauce mix...”

I always use CookDo’s Gan Shao Xia Ren when I make shrimp in chili sauce, but of course, it’s missing just when I need it.

“You have some komatsuna, why don’t you just stir-fry it with that?”

My mother suggested that, but I just couldn’t get shrimp in chili sauce out of my head.

My mouth was already set on shrimp in chili sauce.

Even so, normally I would have just thought, “It’s too much trouble, I’ll just stir-fry it.”

For some reason, I found myself looking up how to make shrimp chili sauce online.

“...Is it going to rain tomorrow or something?”

Knowing how energy-efficient I usually am, my mother actually looked out the window at the sky.

That is going too far, Mother.

Here is a recipe I found without being discouraged by such rudeness.

I used regular long green onions instead of onions.

I didn't realize shrimp in chili sauce could be made with just ketchup, chicken stock powder, and doubanjiang...

I had no idea.

I love the perfected flavor and convenience of CookDo sauce, but I couldn't help but think that this way, the sauce costs less.

By the way, even though I thought shrimp in chili sauce was a classic Chinese dish, it actually originated in Japan, and authentic Chinese cuisine does not use ketchup.

It is a dish that the famous Chen Kenmin arranged to suit Japanese tastes by adding ketchup to the authentic 'Gan Shao Xia Ren'.

In the authentic version, shrimp oil made from boiling down shrimp shells and doubanjiang are the main ingredients, so the spiciness and shrimp flavor are said to be on a completely different level.

While there are more Japanese people who love spicy food now, it seems that when Chen Kenmin first opened his restaurant, authentic Ebi-chili (shrimp in chili sauce) was still considered too spicy for the Japanese palate.

It is heartwarming to think about his desire to have Japanese people enjoy his food.

"I want to do this for them"
"I want to do this"
"I want to become this"

Before you know it, such desires become a great driving force, bringing various realizations and results.

They can even make things you usually find too troublesome to do feel effortless.

While I find that side of myself surprising, it is a joy to be able to enjoy the process when I think that shrimp in chili sauce is waiting for me at the end of my hard work.

I think there is a phrase that the person cooking almost always says when preparing a meal for someone else.

"What do you want to eat today?"

Even though the initiative to prepare a meal lies with the cook, those are the words that come out of their mouth.

Don't think of it as just a natural response.
Don't think of it as a hassle.

……As someone with a limited repertoire, I often ask "What should we have?" in hopes of finding salvation (lol).

I want to make the person I'm eating with happy.
I want my children to eat until they're full.

I want you to remember that those feelings are included in the meal, at least to some extent.

A friend of mine who is a good cook says that when her family eats everything and says, "That was delicious" or "I want to eat this again," it lifts her spirits and makes her want to work hard to cook again.

"Anything is fine."

That's why an answer like that is, after all, a bit disappointing😅

Even when you don't know what you want to eat, it would be nice if you could respond with as much consideration as the person who asked you.

For someone like me who isn't good at cooking, keeping up the motivation to prepare meals every day is truly difficult.

Especially in summer.

That feeling of being steamed in the kitchen.
It's so tough that I feel like I'm going to become a steamed dish myself.

So, once in a while, I think it's okay for the cook to make what they want to eat, rather than what the family wants.

Because the satisfaction of saying, 'Ah, that was delicious,' gives me the strength to do my best again tomorrow.

This time, I was properly satisfied with shrimp in chili sauce.

I just hope that from tomorrow on, I can continue to eat meals that help me overcome the hassle while cutting corners in just the right way.

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