Marriage of Opposites

I’m not sure how to classify the flavors of this dish. Delicious, first of all! But beyond that, it’s a marriage of opposites: of both subtle and pop, sweet and spicy (as the name of the dish makes obvious), smooth and sharp. I know I sound like some kind of fru-fru wine taster when I say those things, but honestly, I’m trying to accurately describe it.

Plain and simple: FABULOUS. I totally love this dish.

Awkward….

Admittedly, I wasn’t exactly sure how to eat it. That whole lettuce wrap thing…I’ve tried it a couple of times in a restaurant, and wasn’t too unsuccessful at it. But tonight I was a complete blundering, bungling butterfingers. I gave up trying to hold it wrap-style, and just grabbed a fork, cut through the lettuce leaf and scooped it all up into my mouth. Success, Donna-style.

Sambal Sizzle!

A new ingredient for me was the little bottle of Sambal Oelek. The directions said to “use as much of the Sambal Oelek as you’d like”, which was the tipoff to me that it probably should be used sparingly. (I’m learning to understand the subtle hints they give). 🙂 A tiny taste of the liquid was enough to know for sure that it was very hot, and I should only use a little. Note: Blue Apron describes Sambal Oelek as a common Indonesian chile pepper-based condiment. Good to know.

This is also the first time I’ve used fresh ginger in a meal kit. I love ginger, so I was happy to have that ingredient in the mix. I wasn’t sure how to peel it, so I just used my knife to slice the outside of it off. I suppose that’s probably the right technique, but I could be wrong. In any case, I think the ginger gave a nice balance to the mushrooms and peppers.

Moral of the story: I could eat this meal again and again.