Monday, November 21, 2005

Grilled Tilapia in Teriyaki Sauce

Prep time: 1/3 minutes (literally)
Cooking time: 5 minutes

I haven't posted in a long time because the spare time I have to cook is few and far in between, now that final exams are less than a month away!

Although I love my T-bone steak, every so often I make it a point to eat fish because not only is it filled with omega 3-goodness (and my mom nags me to) but it cooks so fast!

It is also so rewarding to make your own teriyaki sauce (the bottled stuff is gross) and it is so easy. All you'll need to get is a good bottle of soy sauce (e.g. Kikkoman) and also a bottle of mirin, which is a Japanese rice wine. Trust me, they are very wise investments!

You'll need:
  • 1 grilled tilapia filet from your local poissonerie
  • 2 tsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp mirin
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • a grill pan!
First heat up the grill pan to medium-high. Pop your tilapia on the grill for about two minutes on each side. Meanwhile, in a small pan, heat up the soy sauce together with the mirin. Then add the sugar and the sauce is ready when it dissolves! Pour it over the fish and voilà, you have dinner.

For side dishes, I usually make 1/2 cup of Uncle Ben's Natural Select Chicken and Herb rice. It is sooo good (Mike introduced me to it), it cooks in ten minutes and is surprisingly super tasty with teriyaki sauce. Recently I have also added a veggie side of delicious ginger-sesame asparagus (the recipe is below).

If you ever try making this recipe, you'll totally believe me when I say there is nothing better than homemade teriyaki sauce (and fish cooks soooo fast!)

This recipe is totally Mike approved.

Yummy Side Dish: Ginger-Sesame Asparagus

Prep time: 1 minute
Cooking time: 5 minutes

This recipe is shamelessly taken from Chatelaine, but it is so good and easy to make that I just had to share it. I've also recently been a fan of reading Chatelaine and especially its recipe section, which indicates to me that possibly (1) I am getting way too old and (2) I'm crazy.

Anyways, this recipe is a great accompaniment to any dish, be it chicken, beef or fish.

Ingredients:
  • 1 bunch asaparagus, about 1 lb (500 g)
  • 2 tbsp hoisin or teriyaki sauce (1/2 soya sauce, 1/2 mirin and a dash of sugar)
  • 1 mL grated fresh ginger
  • 1 mL hot chili-garlic sauce (yummy!)
  • 5 mL sesame seeds (optional)
Partially fill a large frying pan with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, snap tough ends from the asparagus (this seems so wasteful, but it's so much fun!) and discard. In a small bowl, stir teriyaki or hoisin sauce with ginger and chili-garlic sauce. Add asparagus to the boiling water. After three minutes, immediately drain off water and return the pan to the burner. Add the sauce mixture and stir often until the asparagus is tender-crisp and evenly coated with sauce, about 1-2 minutes. Turn onto a plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Soooo yummy!

This recipe is yet to be Mike-approved.