Ono 101: INGREDIENT UNDERCOVER

by Chris Mikesell


If necessity is the mother of invention, then the dorm market has got to be its bastard father – the one you’re never particularly eager to mention in polite company but keep coming back to for guilt-filled pre-prepared food runs.

But ingredient shopping? No. No-no. You don’t think “ingredients” when walking down the aisles of mocha crunch, soda, and ice cream. Sure, there is a meager ingredient selection but more often than not the jars of sauce and stuff students see on store shelves on campus are far from the cost and quantity of what one would expect from a real supermarket.

But one day – as sort of a throwback to childhood – you come across something like today’s mystery undercover ingredient that you just have to get for the nostalgic effect. No, I won’t mention it by name, but I’m pretty sure if you’re a fan of both PB and J in the same sandwich you’re aware that sometimes they do, in fact, come in the same jar.

One loaf of bread later, however, and you still have less than half a jar left. You could always get more bread, sure, but you’ve been down that path before. But to boldly go where no peanut butter mix has gone before takes some creative thinking.

chris mikesell / KA LAMAKUA

Secret Agent Dressing

Ingredients

2 tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. water 

1 1/2 tsp. sambal oelek

1 tsp sugar

5-8 fresh mint leaves

2 tbsp of our secret agent ingredient (or 1 tsbp. of peanut butter + 1 tbsp. grape jelly)

Add all ingredients to a small food processor and blend until smooth. Toss over a torn up head of red leaf lettuce and some long rice noodles, and garnish with chopped peanuts and additional mint leaves, if desired. 

Consider the components: Peanut butter – smooth, creamy, rich, and a bit salty; meeting up with jelly – a sweet and slightly acidic addition that pairs so well with its thick partner because together they provide balance.

One of the cuisines that comes to mind when thinking about balance is Vietnamese cuisine, which centers around keeping a balance of salty, sweet, sour, bitter and spicy elements. You taste this balance in sauces like the peanut sauce served with summer rolls, though traditionally you see our legume-based secret agent paired with ingredients like hoisin sauce to provide the sweetness and acid.

But in a pinch, grape jelly will do just fine. They'll never know.