"Horry" wrote:

>> I call bullshit.
>
> My God this is a strange group...

Grin, sometimes! I gather there's a little cross cultural thing going on
just now, but not 'OZ vs USA' more like 'country vs city'. Camping out in
the woods seems common to the 'OP' but not to my kid. On the other hand,
she's used to tending the fireplace and just like me, she thinks it's fun to
occasionally cook over it.

>> Baking a decent cake requires skills that should have been acquired
>> after learning ones way around a kitchen, where hot liquids, sharp
>> knives, and open flames are a given.
>
> They're not a "given" when the kitchen is being used for baking cakes.

Grin, like when teaching a bunch of kids to make udon. Needs a knife but a
plastic butter knife will do! 6YO's to 12 YO's really find it fun to make
up that one.

Since your 12YO is comfortable with flour but may not have done much with a
rolling pin yet (or anything you have handy like a smooth sided jar or can
will work), this one is fun.

Set the mixing bowl in the sink so he doesnt pluff too much flour about and
you can show him how to use an egg separator (getting the white in there
will not hurt the recipe if it happens).

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Xxcarol's Homemade Udon
Categories: Xxcarol, Japan, Pasta
Yield: 8 Servings

4 c All purpose flour, or wheat
1 ts Salt
1 ea Egg yolk

So simple! It has one more ingredient, cold water. These are the
home noodles of Japan and much of the orient.

Sift the flour and salt together into a large bowl then add the yolk
and enough water to make a stiff paste. Kneed this completely then
let sit for about 30 mins or so. Sprinkle a board and rolling pin
with more flour then roll it out thin as possible. Roll up the
flattened noodle and cut to long thin strips (about 8 to an inch). To
cook, just boil in salted water or in Japanese fish broth (called
Dashi).

To kick this up a tad, you can add some powdered wasabi to the flour,
about a teaspoon. This won't make them 'hot' or bitter, but add just
a tang.

From the Japan kitchen of: xxcarol, Sasebo Japan, 25May2003

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