Daikon (Japanese Radish)
Daikon, or Japanese Radish. We eat a lot, especially in the winter season. It can be cooked in various ways. Today, I cooked it in konbu (sea vegetable) dashi soup. After I cut daikon, soak it in water with dried konbu for about 30 min. Then put the daikon with konbu water in a pan. Boil, add soy sauce, mirin and cooking sake, approximately 2 to 3 table spoon each. Simmer until daikon absorb seasonings and gets tender. To have daikon absorb all seasoning well, you can let it sleep for one...
Read MoreKayaku Gohan (Mixed Rice)
Kayaku Gohan, or Mixed rice. Gohan means rice, could be a meal depends on the context. Various chopped vegetables and seasoning are added in with the white rice and cook together in a rice cooker. I added carrots, higiki (sea vegetable, see the picture) fresh ginger, konyaku (konyaku potat0 pruducts, see the picture), renkon (lotus root), abura-age (fried tofu, see the picture), dashi shoyu (seasoned soy sauce), mirin and cooking sake. After it has cooked all together, mix the rice well. It...
Read MoreTonjiru a la Hiromi
Tonjiru, or pork soup. Cook hakusai (chinese cabbage), pork and tofu in katsuo (dry bonito) or konbu dashi soup with salt and cooking sake. When the ingredients are cooked, stop the flame and add *water dissolved katakuriko (potato starch) to give the soup a higher viscosity and stir well. Turn the flame back on and continue to stir until the soup gets thick. Finally, add grated fresh ginger. Warm thick soup with ginger is easy on the tummy and warms your body. You can add harusame noodle or...
Read MoreMacha Oreo
I introduce macha Oreo. Macha is finely milled green tea, and this Oreo is produced in Japan. There are tons of macha flavored candies, snacks or chocolates in Japan. This is one of them, the macha cream tastes great! I wish American grocery carry...
Read MoreKabocha (Pumpkin)
Kabocha, or pumpkin. It has lots of carotene, fiber, Vitamin B1,2 and Vitamin C. Vitamin C is important to keep beautiful skin and healthy immune system. Kabocha is very hard to cut, so put it in the microwave oven for a couple of minutes. It will be easier to cut. Scrape the seeds out with a spoon. I cooked the cut and peeled (if you like, you don’t have to though. Actually skin has more carotene ) kabocha with dashi soup, mirin, soy sauce and sake. Of course you can use dashi shoyu...
Read MoreCraberry & Apple cake
I made Cranberry and Apple cake. It is not necessarily Japanese food, but it is really tasty. At a party, I ate this cake and immediately fell in love with it. I asked for the recipe and finally made it. Fresh cranberry and Granny smith apple go together very well (I used frozen cranberry, after I looked for fresh cranberry at several stores, I could only find frozen one. They are not in season now). Sourness of the cranberry and sweetness of the cake mixture make perfect...
Read MoreRenkon (Lotus root)
This is renkon, or lotus root. The texture is crisp and you will see fine fibers when you bite. It is good for many kinds of dishes. Today, I made su-renkon. (kind of). Su is vinegar. Vinegar refers to rice vinegar for us, usually. After you slice renkon, leave them in water with vinegar. (not so much, maybe 1 or 2 big table spoons for about 15 minutes, then drain them. Boil them with vinegar, konbu dahsi and mirin for about…less than 10 minutes. Renkon is rich of Vitamin C. Vitamin C...
Read MoreYaki nasu… almost (Grilled Egg plant)
Yaki nasu (yaki nasubi, same thing), or grilled egg plant. Yaki is grilled and nasu is egg plant. After you sliced nasu, leave them in the water with little vinegar in it for about 15 minutes. Drain them well and grill lightly on a skillet. Place them on a dish. Mix dashi soup, mirin and vinegar about 1 table spoon each. Then pour the mixture on top of the grilled nasu. Sprinkle grated fresh ginger on top then serve. Sweet and sour sauce is really yummy. Ginger and egg plant go together very...
Read MoreYudofu
Yudofu (Yu-Tofu) Yudofu is a warm tofu dish which is cooked in conbu dashi (sea vegetable soup stock). Served with Katsuo bushi (bonito flake) and ponzu (seasoned soy sauce). It is easy to cook and great for a cold winter night. Simmer for about 5 minute, don’t boil tofu. Otherwise you ruin...
Read MoreYakisoba (Fried noodle)
Yakisoba : Yaki is fried and soba is noodle. You can buy noodles which come with powdered seasoning. Fry cut pork on a oiled skillet. When the pork was cooked, add vegetables you like, such as cabbage, onion, green pepper and carrot. When those ingredients are cooked, add noodles and toss on the skillet. Then add powdered seasoning. If the noodles don’t come with powdered seasoning, you can add oyster sauce, pepper and salt. Instead of pork, you can add squid or shrimp as you...
Read MoreKinpira Gobo
Gobo, or burdock root. Wash them well, scrape off the skin with the sharp edge of the knife, shred thin slices about 2 inches long, then leave in water with a little rice vinegar added. After you drain them well, fry them in the oil heated skillet. Add mirin, soy sauce, cooking sake, chill pepper and sesame seeds. Gobo contains lots of fiber. Root vegetable warms your body. Warming body is important for your...
Read MoreMisoshiru (Miso soup)
Misoshiru, or miso soup. Miso is fermented soy bean paste. In the boiled konb or katsuo dashi (sea vgetable or bonito soup stock), add what you like such as green onion, spinach, potato etc. I used cubes of tofu and wakame (see vegetable) which is one the most popular miso soup ingredients. Careful not to boil miso for more than 2 seconds, as soon as it hits the boiling point, it is done. Ready to eat. Soy is good for female...
Read MoreKamaboko
Kamaboko is a type of cured surimi, a Japanese processed seafood product, in which various white fish are pureed, combined with additives such as MSG, formed into distinctive loaves, and then steamed until fully cooked and firm. The steamed loaves are then sliced and served unheated (or chilled) with various dipping sauces or sliced and included in various hot soups, one-dish meals, or noodle dishes. Kamaboko is typically sold in semicylindrical loaves. (Wikipedia...
Read MoreTamagoyaki (Japanese style omelet)
This is Tamagoyaki, or Japanese style omelet. Beat eggs, (as much as you want, I use 3-4 eggs) add a little bit soy sauce and sugar. Pour a small amount of egg mixture on a heated skillet and cook like a crepe. Then roll the thin crepe-like egg and pour another small amount egg mixture, repeating the process and adding to the previously rolled egg. Continue the process until all egg mixture is used. Eventually, the egg become thin layered Tamagoyaki. Careful not to burn. Enjoy the unique...
Read MoreMalony (Similar to Harusame)
This is Malony, very similar to harusame noodle. Both look like translucency noodle, but harusame is made by starch of sweet potato and beans meanwhile Malony is made by mix of potato and corn starch. Harusame is made in China about 700 years ago and Malony is invented by a Japanese company in 60′s. Malony is hard to melt when you cook, so it is good for Nabe, soup and salad. Low GI * foods which makes it harder to become fat, I believe. I like Malony because it is More chewy than...
Read MoreShungiki
This is Shungiku. It contains potassium, Vitamin C and carotene. Good for the skin, prevents cancer. You can use it for Nabe (Japanese one pot dish includes Sukiyaki) or salad.
Read MoreSukiyaki… almost
Heat up the pan, cook the meet (beef usually, but in this picture, I used pork) Add Tofu, and vegetables; Shungiku (Garland chrysanthemum), Shiitake mushroom, Hakusai (Chinese cabbage), Negi onion, Malony noodle (made from starch of rice or potato) Cooked with Konbu (sea vegetable) soup stock, soy sauce, cooking sake and sugar. Serve with raw egg as you wish. Good on cold winter night, good with sake or beer. Very...
Read MoreMochi (Rice cake)
Mochi (Rice cake) Mochi is made from sweet rice. Steamed sweet rice pounded and made into shape. Usually, we eat on special occasions such as New Years’ day. There are various ways to serve, such as adding in soup, eat with Anko (sweet bean paste), Kinako (roasted soy bean powder) etc. One of my favorite ways is grilling them and adding soy sauce with a little sugar added and Nori (dry sea weed)...
Read MoreOkonomi yaki
Okonomi yaki One of the most popular snacks in Japan. Cook the pork strip first. Cook the mixture of tons of finely chopped cabbage, flour, eggs, chopped red ginger and water on the grill like a pancake. Place the cooked pork strips on top of it then flip it when the one side is done. Spread the sweet hot Okonomi yaki sauce and mayonnais when it is done. Sprinkle the toppings, Katsuo-bushi (dry bonito flake), Aonori (dry sea weed powder) and Tenkasu (fried tiny wheat balls). Eat while it is...
Read MoreTakenoko (Bamboo shoot)
Takenoko and Wakame (Bamboo shoot and Sea Vegeable) Takenoko contains rich minerals, protein, vitamin B1,B2 and fiber. It is available pre-boild at Japanese grocery stores. I cooked with Wakame (sea vegetable) which also contains minerals, fiber, iron and carotene in Dashi (Shitake- mushroom soup stock), soy sauce, mirin and cooking...
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