Patricia Cooks: Goma (Sesame) Dressing

It's a rare occasion when I see people munching on salad a lot. In my opinion, people who have dined at Yabu are addicted to the Goma dressing. Yes, that creamy sesame dressing you top on your unlimited cabbage. Hence, people who don't even like to eat vegetables (Hi Eunice!) are actually eating a lot of cabbage because of the highly-addicting Goma dressing.

Seeing that my co-workers are actually marinating their cabbage in the dressing, I think it is safe to say that it is a good one. On a typical lunch out made up of four or five people, we can consume the whole bottle and even ask for more. I'd personally pass up on rice and trade it for cabbage. (I hope it doesn't cause any uric acid-related problems though.)

It fascinates me how a simple vegetable complements a full Japanese meal well. I have tried different Katsu sets from Yabu as well as their Katsudon and their cabbage and goma dressing combo has never failed me yet. The best thing about it is that it's refillable! And thankfully, cabbage is quite cheap in the local markets which is why I have taken a few of my kitchen ingredients and made my own Goma dressing!

The Goma dressing is actually easy to make and it has less than ten ingredients. This usually lasts about a week or two in the fridge, but I doubt you'd make it stay in there that long. :) This recipe is quite tangy, you can adjust it to be more creamy (increase mayonnaise).

Goma dressing goes with any veggie, but I prefer to eat it with cabbage, Yabu style, with Katsudon.

Goma Dressing (Toasted Sesame Dressing)

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp + 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
2 Tbsp Japanese Mayonaise 
2 Tbsp Rice vinegar (if you can't find rice vinegar, cane vinegar works well too)
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce (I used low-sodium, like Kikkoman)
1 Tsp sugar (adjust if you like it sweet)
1/2 tsp mirin (or rice wine or you can just take it away from the recipe)
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Procedure:
1. Toast the sesame seeds. Watch here to learn when to tell it's done.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, grind the toasted sesame until smooth.
3. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl or a clean ketchup bottle. The dressing will last in the refrigerator for a week. Enjoy!

Isn't that easy? But you know what's easier? Buy ready made Kewpie roasted sesame dressing at the supermarket. Haha!

Social Media Talk: Facebook One Column Page Timeline

If you’re a social media marketer (or community manager or whatever you call yourself) like me, you probably have this love-hate relationship with Facebook. With all these changes that happen abruptly with little announcement (or sometimes none at all), there are times you’d feel you and your at Facebook’s mercy. Read what the Daily Dot has to say about this (as shared by Mashable). One of the recent changes Page admins are dealing with right now is the new Page Timeline.

The new Facebook page layout is right-aligned and simple without looking cluttered.

Back in March, Facebook asked admins to sign up for the new layout which, based on my experience and among the fourteen pages I am managing, only one got it. Last week, Facebook made another announcement about turning all pages to the new layout by the 12^th of June. Of course, admins have the option of changing their page as soon as the news came out. This includes a tour of the new layout for admins and also the option to delay the change. From Facebook, “Admins that want to update their Pages before switching to the new design can wait up to two weeks before making the switch. However, every Page will automatically switch to the updated design two weeks after the tour has been viewed.”

On the bright side, Facebook should be our ally in marketing, not the enemy and there are some things we should note with this new change coming in. What I particularly love about this is that tabs are positioned in the right places, the top navigation menu and the left column, to give everyone (both admins and fans) easy access to things they want to see on the Page.

To know more about the redesign and changes, visit the Facebook FAQ here.

OD on the Tube: NBC’s The Night Shift

Growing up watching American TV series and OD-ing on Hollywood rom-coms doesn’t seem weird in my generation of Filipinos. I can still recall in the 90’s when I would watch Power Rangers and X-men and argue with my cousins who’s the better superhero at the time. I then moved on to watching Friends, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, even taking a peek at McGuyver and Baywatch but was too young to understand the plot. Why I skipped Dawson’s Creek, I do not know. In my teens Charmed and 7^th Heaven were must-watch shows then progressed to Sex and the City, The OC, Desperate Housewives, and Grey’s Anatomy. Aside from reading and constantly writing down my thoughts, I think I owe my vocabulary and fluency in English to watching these shows.

Image from NBC.com

Last month, thanks to cable TV, I got a glimpse of NBC’s new drama series, The Night Shift on BeTV. Okay, first thought, could be as good as Grey’s Anatomy. Second, that Eion Macken is smoking hot! Third, I need a break from CSI, Closer, Major Crimes and all those crime-related drama. So I waited patiently for June 1 (Philippine premiere on Sony BeTV Asia).

Image from BeTV's Facebook Page

Here’s my take on the first episode. To be honest, I watched it again last night because I was not able to switch channels on time and missed the first 10 minutes. To be clear, I do not want to compare it to Grey’s Anatomy but it’s the only reference I have of medical-related drama. In TNS, the plot focuses on the Trauma team wherein most of the doctors are from the Army. Cases and surgeries are mostly performed in the emergency room with financial issues adding more pressure.

The plot is good enough for me. The cast gives justice to their characters so far (and from what I’ve read about the next episode). The script is well written that it seems like just a normal conversation in a real hospital. I’m kind of wondering right now if TC Callahan (Macken) and Jordan Alexander (Jill Flint) would be romantically involved in the future (they're ex-lovers) or if he’s going to go out with Landry De La Cruz (Daniella Alonso). I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series now.

Catch The Night Shift on BeTV every Sundays, 9:50pm. To get updates of the show, like the “The Night Shift” page on Facebook. For more NBC shows, log on to www.nbc.com.