Chilled Capellini with Tomato& Basil

Other than pasta salad, have you had pasta served cold?  In Japan, "Chilled Capellini (angel hair pasta) with Tomato" is quite a popular dish many Italian-style restaurants serve during summer time. Apparently this is not an authentic, traditional Italian dish..  But nowadays, I heard some restaurants in Italy serve cold pasta dishes, inspired by Japanese cold noodle dishes...Kind of like California Rolls which is no way traditional / authentic Japanese, but recently gaining popularity in Japan.
Anyways, I love noodles, and I like them cold especially on the hot summer day. This recipe uses roasted tomatoes, which you prep the night before (super easy, you just have to turn on the oven!) and chilled overnight. Tossed with fresh basil, you know you have a winner. Simple, fabulous, refreshing, wonderfully tomato-icious ; P


Ingredients (enough for 4 people):
1 (796 ml/ 28fl oz) Canned Diced tomato
2-3 TBS Olive Oil
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (or as much as you like)
1 tsp  salt

1. Place the chopped basil and the salt in a large bowl.
2.Drain the juice from the can, and place the diced tomato in a bowl. Toss with the olive oil and minced garlic.
3.Spread the tomatoes out in a baking pan or cookie sheet in single layer, and roast at 400F for 25-30 minutes.
4. Scoop the tomatoes directly into the bowl with the basil. Toss to mix. Chill overnight or at least 2-3 hours until the tomatoes are completely chilled.

Pasta (Capellini, 80-100g per person)
1. Cook capellini (or angel hair pasta) al dente.
2. Drain the pasta into a colander, while running a cold water onto the pasta. Leave the water running for a while over the pasta. Once the pasta is cool enough to touch, take handfuls and gently swish and rub them in the running water, as if you are washing the noodles. The goal here is not just to get the noodle ice cold, but to get rid of the starchiness from the noodles.
4. Very important! Drain the excess water from the pasta really well. 
5. Add the drained pasta to the bowl with the tomato & basil. Toss to mix. Season with salt and pepper, and if you like, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Serve very cold.

Bukkake Udon Noodles

It finally feels like summer here! After what seems like months of endless rain and cloud, I was starting to wonder if we will be getting any summer..., but temperatures are rising & sunshine is here : )  I skyped with my Mom today - she said the temperature there (Nara, Japan) is 35 C and humidity is close to 70%..  Summer in Japan is very hot & humid..
To beat the summer heat, I decided to make Bukkake Udon for dinner. It is basically cold Udon noodles, splashed with soy sauce based dashi broth and a few toppings. Cold noodles is a very popular dish in Japan, especially during the hot and humid summer time.

Ingredients:

Udon Noodles (please use the frozen or dry one.. not the one packed in the vacuum sealed package... they are awful... )
Broth (enough for 4 people):
3 TBS Japanese Soy Sauce
2 TBS Mirin
1 tsp   Sugar
a pinch of Salt
200ml Water
1 tsp   Dashi powder * see note below

1. Mix Soy sauce, mirin, sugar and salt in a pot and bring to the boil.
2. Once it is boiled, turn off the heat and add water and dashi powder. Stir until the dashi powder is completely dissolved. Set aside to cool. (or if you can, make this in advance and keep it in the fridge. It's best served cold)
3. Cook the udon noodles according to the package instructions. Once the noodles are cooked,  quickly drain the noodles into a colander, while running a cold water onto the noodles. Leave the water running for a while over the noodles. Once the noodles are cool enough to touch, take handfuls and gently swish and rub them in the running water, as if you are washing the noodles. This is a critical step- the goal here is not just to get the noodle ice cold, but to get rid of the starchiness from the noodles.
4. Drain the excess water from the noodles and place the noodles in a bowl.
5. Pour the broth and top with desired toppings.

Suggested toppings:
Green onion, chopped
Grated fresh ginger
Roasted sesame seeds
Grated daikon (type of radish that is white and long. In my local grocery store, it is called Lo Bok)
Tempura (any kind, but prawns are my favorite)

*about Dashi

Dashi is a Japanese soup stock that is used in a variety of Japanese dishes.  Dashi is made by boiling dry bonito fish flakes  and kombu (type of kelp). Just like the chicken stock powder / cubes, dashi powder is available to make dashi much easier / quicker. - I used the dashi powder in this recipe. Dashi powder is available in many Asian grocery stores, or if you cannot find it, I've just discovered that it is available at the Amazon.com

Pan Fried Noodles with Stir Fried Vegetables



wonderful aroma to this dish.

Quick, easy, vegetable-packed, and super tasty...! It's a great way to clean out the fridge and use up any lingering vegetables.  Some call this "Hong Kong Style" Fried Noodles. Noodles are pan-fried until crispy, and topped with varieties of vegetables in oyster gravy sauce.

You can use less oil to make it even healthier. Just a drip of sesame oil will bring
Ingredients:


Chinese dry noodles or Hong Kong Style Noodles
Vegetables of your choice (suggestoin: Bok Choy, Yu Choy, Carrot, Red Bell Pepper, Cabbage, Bean Sprouts, Bamboo shoots, Black Fungus, Mushroom, Onion,, Baby Corn etc. ) - anything you like!
Sliced pork and / or Tiger Prawns 
*Can be done without meat. 


1. Mix together the oyster sauce, soy sauce and 1 cup of water in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 TBS of water and 1 TBS cornstarch.


2. Add sesame oil (about 1TBS) to a heated frying pan.  Add the noodles.  Using chopsticks, stir constantly so that noodles are browned evenly.  If the noodles are too dry and too hard to separate, add 1TBS water or so to break apart the noodles. You can cover the pan after adding water, just to kind of steam cook the  noodles (so they come apart and be easy to fry).  Press the noodles against the pan, and if you need to, add some more oil to brown the noodles.  I like mine a bit crispy, so I like to fry the noodle until a bit dark brown. The crispy part goes really well with the sauce ; )


3. Once the noodles are fried (brown and crispy), remove from the pan and set aside.


4. In a wok or frying pan, heat sesame oil (about 2tsp or less) and add ginger. Stir fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Add pork and prawns (if using) and all the vegetables and stir fry until they are cooked. 


5. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil. When the sauce thickens (it doesn't take very long!), turn off the heat. Pour it over the fried noodles.  

Avocado Wasabi Dip

If you are looking for a new twist to the ordinary Mexican style guacamole, try this one.  Imagine that slight wasabi tang with the creamy avocado... mmmm! The ultimate combination ; )

Serve with baked pita bread (like hummus) or french baguette, and top with sliced black olives.  I didn't have black olives this time, but please try it if you have one.. It is WAY better that way!


Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
1 tsp   wasabi paste
1 1/2  tsp  Japanese soy sauce
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Mix everything together until smooth.

Omurice

Roughly speaking, Japanese cuisine can be divided into two major categories, Washoku and Yoshoku.

Washoku literary means Japanese dishes.  They are the "traditional" Japanese dishes, using the "traditional" Japanese ingredients such as soy sauce, mirin, miso, dashi etc.

Yoshoku refers to a Western-influenced Japanese cooking , which originated in the Meiji Restoration(1860's), a period of rapid modernization when the country opened its doors to Europe and America after two centuries of economic and cultural isolationism . Quite often, yoshoku involves ingredients like tomato ketchup, Worcester sauce, butter, milk, etc. 

Today's recipe is for Omurice, one of the most popular Yoshoku dish.  It is basically a ketchupy fried rice wrapped in a thin sheet of fried egg. Omurice is a very popular dish among kids, and it is also a popular lunch menu. It's quick and easy, and can be nutritious if you add a variety of finely chopped vegetables in the fried rice. (my suggestions: broccoli, carrots, green peppers, spinach etc)

Ingredients (for one):
200ml  Cooked Rice (short grain rice)
25g Chicken thigh or breast (cut into small cubes)
1/4  Onion (minced)
3 mushrooms (sliced)

For the thin sheet of fried egg:
1 large egg + 1TBS milk whisked together

1. Heat oil or butter in a skillet and saute chicken. Add the vegetables and saute together until softened.

2. Add 1-2 tsp oil. Add the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes, using chopsticks or a wooden spoon to break it apart. Stir in 1TBS ketchup and toss rapidly - you don't want to make it soggy, you just want to season the rice with ketchup, evenly.  Season with salt and pepper.

3. Now we will make the fried egg. In another skillet, heat oil and pour the egg mixture into the skillet.  Quickly spread the egg and make a round omelet (kind of like a crape). Place the ketchpy fried rice in the centre of the omelet and fold top and bottom sides of the omelet over the rice.

4. Cover the skillet with a plate and carefully turn them over to place the "omurice"on to the plate.
Squirt with a little ketchup on top - Drawing a smiley face or spelling a name with ketchup is fun, too!
Serve immediately.

Herb Crusted Salmon with Lemon Mustard Sauce

Pan-frying is such an easy & quick way to cook fish, so I often cook fish this way.
This recipe is sooooo simple and easy, takes about only 10 minutes, and very tasty. I love the combination of dill & lemon : ) I sometimes drizzle a tiny bit of Japanese soy sauce at the end, which goes really well, too.

Ingredients:
Salmon fillet
Generous amount of fresh dill (chopped ) - more the better!
Dry oregano (the amount you like, but much less than the dill)
Garlic (1-2 cloves, minced)

Lemon Mustard Sauce:
Combine the following
Suggested ratio - Lemon Juice (3): Dijon Mustard (1) : Olive Oil (0.5)

1. Season both sides of the salmon fillet with salt and pepper.
2. Coat salmon fillet on both sides with olive oil.
3. In a bowl, combine dill, oregano and garlic. Coat salmon fillet with the herb mixture. Press firmly so that the herb mixture sticks to the fillet well.
4. Heat olive oil or butter in a non-stick pan and fry the salmon fillet for about 5 min (medium-high). Turn over and cook 5-6 minutes until the salmon feels firm to the touch. Drizzle the lemony mustard sauce.

Ginger Spice French Toast

I wanted to try something new for my ordinary (really basic) French toast recipe, so I decided to use one of my favorite spice, "Ginger". While I was adding ginger to the egg mixture, I thought, why not add all of my favorite spices that will go with Ginger?  So here it is, cardamon, cinnamon, nutmeg.. All my favorite spices are incorporated in this french toast. Considering this is my first attempt, it turned out decent, but can be better! I like the idea of using all these spices though, so I will experiment some more.. !  If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them please : )

Trial size recipe (using one slice of bread)

Ingredients:
5TBS Milk
1 Egg
1/4 tsp Ginger powder
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
a pinch of cardamon
a pinch of salt
2 tsp Honey
1 tsp Pure vanilla extract

1. In a bowl, whisk egg until foamy. Whisk in the rest of the ingredients.

2. Heat butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Dip the bread in the egg mixture, turning to coat thoroughly.

3. Place coated bread slice in heated skillet. Cook, turning, until both sides are nicely browned. Sprinkle powdered sugar. Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

Shrimp Tacos with Zesty Cilantro Tartar Sauce

I love Fish Tacos, and I LOVE cilantro. In fact, there is a restaurant in Tokyo that serves nothing but cilantro-incorporated dishes..that will be my next destination when I go back to Japan : )

I've been looking for a good Fish Taco recipe, and I think this is it! The Sugar Spice Rub for the fish is wonderful. I don't know what is making this rub different (in a good way) from the others, it may be the blend of the cocoa powder, sugar, and a bit of cinnamon. It perfectly goes with the fish / shrimps.The original recipe is from a popular Mexican restaurant in San Diego, which I acquired from my friend who attended a Mexican cooking class the other day.  As the original recipe will make restaurant-size amount, so I scaled it down to a family size.  I used shrimps instead of fish, as that's what I had on hand. It turned out delicious.

Fish / Sugar Spice Rub

1TBS Sugar
Small Pinch  Dry Mustard
Small Pinch Ground Cinnamon
Small Pinch Paprika (I didn't use any)
1/4 tsp Cocoa Powder
1TBS  Chili Powder
1/2 TBS Ground Cumin
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
2 heaping tsp Kosher Salt

About 12 shrimps

1. Mix all dry ingredients together and store in an airtight container. This makes more than enough for the 12 shrimps.

2. Liberally sprinkle rub on the shrimps.

3.Heat 1tsp of olive oil in a frying pan, and place shrimps and cook one side until they are nicely browned and a crust has formed. Flip the shrimps and cook until they are just cooked through, and firm to the touch. Remove shrimps to a plate and keep warm.

Zesty Tartar Sauce and Shredded Cabbage (this is my own version, made lighter using less mayo & adding no fat yogurt)

5 TBS Mayonnaise
1 TBS and 2 tsp  No fat yogurt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 tsp Yellow mustard
1 tsp or more  Lime juice
1TBS Sweet green relish
small pinch  Salt
(optional: minced pickled jalepeno - depending on how spicy you like it)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and allow flavours to combine.

Shredded Cabbage
1/4 head of thinly shredded green cabbage
1/4 tsp salt

Sprinkle salt over the shredded cabbage and allow to sit for half an hour at least. Squeeze moisture from the cabbage by pressing on. Once most of the liquid has been pressed out, transfer to a serving plate.

Good quality corn tortillas & your favorite salsa (I made my own, using purple onion, tomato, mango, garlic, a lot of fresh cilantro, and lime juice)

Enjoy!

The REAL Teriyaki Chicken

Isn't Teriyaki one of the most well-known Japanese food, next to Sushi?! Almost at any shopping mall food court, if there is a Japanese-style food stall, they have Teriyaki something in the menu. But PLEASE, please, please, do not think they are the REAL (authentic) Teriyaki!! I've seen so many people who say they love Japanese food, but it turned out that they love those food court Teriyaki whatever. Please everybody, the  food court Japanese food is soooo not real! I guess that can be said to any type of cuisine at the food court... but anyways, I just don't want people to mis-understand the Japanese food.

So, here is my recipe. Authentic, delicious, and SUPER easy. I make a big batch of it and freeze the left over for the later use.

Ingredients:
600g  Chicken thighs
For the Teriyaki Sauce: Combine 1TBS Japanese Soy Sauce, 2TBS Mirin* (please see below), 1TBS Sugar

*About "Mirin" :
Mirin is a sweet, golden yellow wine containing 40-50% sugar and approx 14% alcohol. Traditional, Mirin is made with glutinous rice, rice malt and distilled liquor.  Today, even in Japan, there are only a few places that brew Mirin in the traditional way. Today, most mirin is made from other sweetners, and they are usually labeled as "Mirin-fu" (=Mirin-like) or "Aji Mirin" (= Mirin flavored). However, it IS possible to find more of a traditional Mirin (Called "Hon-Mirin" meaning real mirin) in North America. I strongly recommend using the real kind!! They taste so much different from the lower quality ones. One I use is by Eden Foods. This is the closest one I can find so far, and I'm content with it.


1. Remove the fat from the chicken thighs.

2. Heat 1TBS vegetable oil on a frying pan on medium heat and fry the skin side of the chicken for about 4 minutes. Once the skin become crispy and brown, tun it over and fry the other side for about 3 minutes.

3. With paper towel, soak up and discard the excess fat / oil 'from the chicken. This step is important
because the teriyaki sauce will stick to the chicken better & it's healthier : )

4. Remove from the heat and pour the sauce over evenly. Bring back to the medium heat and simmer, flipping the chicken occasionally, until the sauce becomes thick.  Stop the heat and serve.  Garnish with chopped green onion and / or red pickled ginger. Enjoy!

Veg-packed Savory Pancakes

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, this savory pancake is a great way to use up the left over vegetables & kids love it ; )   Serve it with a dipping sauce.

Ingredients

For the  batter:
5TBS  Flour

2TBS  Corn starch

100ml Water

1 egg

1 cup  Julienned vegetables. (I used Chinese chives, carrots, onions)

Dipping sauce: combine 1TBS Japanese soy sauce, 1TBS Rice Vinegar, 1TBS sesame seeds, a small drip of sesame oil

1. Combine all the ingredients for the batter in a bowl and mix well. The ratio of the veggies to batter should be quite high; the batter should just hold together the veggies. 

2. Heat up a frying pan and coat with1tsp sesame oil. Spread out the batter as thinly as you can (less than 1cm thickness) and cook over medium-high heat until crispy and golden brown. Flip over and cook on the other side. Cut into squares & serve with dipping sauce.

Pan Fried Sea Scallops with Soy Butter Sauce

So simple, so delicious. Soy sauce and butter create an ultimate combination!

Ingredients:

6 pcs     Large sea scallops

5 stems Brocoli rabe (cut in a half length)

½           Sweet red pepper

5            Mushrooms

2 TBS   Butter

2 tsp     Japanese soy sauce

½ tsp    Minced garlic

1. Score criss-cross marks on the top and bottom of each scallop. Slice mushrooms (about 7mm), and red pepper (1cm)
2. Set a non-stick frying pan on the stove over medium-high heat. Add the butter and garlic. Once the butter starts to melt, add the scallops.
3. When the scallops develop a brown crust on the bottom (2-3 minutes), flip them over and cook the other side (1-2 minutes). Add broccoli rabe and sweet red pepper.
4. Season with sea salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the soy sauce and blend the flavour. Serve!

Light & Creamy Tofu Hummus

I like anything involving beans, and hummus is one of my favorite. This tofu version is certainly not very traditional, but it turned out much more creamier and lighter in taste, than the garbanzo version. It is also faster to make, and higher in protein!  And somehow, it even feels healthier!  Banzai Tofu!! : )

1 package (approx 450g) Soft Tofu
100 ml Tahini
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 TBS lemon juice
1 TBS olive oil
3 TBS no fat plain yogurt
1-2 tsp Salt

1. Cut open the package of tofu over your sink. There is usually a fair amount of liquid in the package, depending on the brand you buy. Drain all the liquid and take out the tofu. Wrap the tofu with paper towel, and place it on a microwave-safe dish / bowl. Microwave for 2-3 minutes.

2. Combine tofu and all the rest of the ingredients in a  blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.  Adjust to taste.

3. Drizzle olive oil and garnish with paprika and cilantro.

Shichimi Soy Dressed Cucumber

The post on the CHOW about the Japanese spice "Shichimi" inspired me to make this dish today. I've never thought of Shichimi as an "all-purpose" seasoning though..   Shichimi is not something we use so often in everyday cooking. As a matter of fact, only time I really use Shichimi is to sprinkle a little bit on Udon noodle soup to add some kick to it. But anyways, this write-up made me want to explore other ways to use this interesting spice.  So, here is my recipe for today, using the "shichimi" spice.

Ingredients:
4 pickling cucumber (or 1 English cucumber, or 2 Japanese cucumber)
Soy Dressing:
1 TBS Japanese soy sauce
1/2 TBS Sesame oil
1 TBS Juice from the grated ginger
1 TBS Roasted sesame seeds
1 pinch (or to taste) Shichimi

About Shichimi:
Also known as "Shichimi Togarashi". "Shichi" means Seven and "mi" means Favours, and "Togarashi" means capcicum. As the name says, it is a spice consisting seven different flavours. It generally contains, poppy seeds, sansho (a spice with a flavor like Sichuan peppercorn), dried tangerine peel, seaweed flakes, ginger, sesame seeds, and can also include mustard seeds, hemp seeds, shiso leaves etc.  Actual ingredients may vary depending on the brand.




1. Beat the cucumbers lightly with a meat tenderizer hammer and cut them in bite size lengths.
Beating the cucumber creates more surface areas to absorb the dressing, but be gentle, you don't want to end up with the mashed cucumbers..

2. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients for the soy dressing.

3. Toss the cucumber with the soy dressing.

Blanched Spinach with Sweet Sesame Dressing

Also known as "Goma-ae", this is a very popular side dish that you might have seen in a Japanese restaurant. "Goma" means sesame seeds, and "ae" means to dress. The sesame dressing goes well with many other vegetables. Spinach is the most common, but green beans or broccoli goes really well, too. Toasted sesame seeds add nutty flavour & full of nutrients to this simple dish. 

Ingredients:
200g Fresh spinach
Sesame dressing
* 2TBS Toasted sesame seed (grinded)
* 2tsp    Japanese soy sauce
* 2tsp    Sugar

1) In a bowl, combine all the ingredeints for the Sesame dressing
2) Fill a large pot with hot water, bring it to a boil and add the washed spinach.
3) Blanch the spinach for about 30 sec. (When blanching, put the stem part first and leafy part later so they cook evenly) Remove the spinach from the pot and plunge it into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking.
4) Drain and squeeze out all of the excess water. Cut spinach in 4cm length and toss with the dressing. Serve.

If you want to make this ahead of time, chill the cut spinach (step 4) in the fridge, and toss with the dressing just before serving.

Ginger Pork

Also known as "Shogayaki" in Japanese, Ginger Pork is probably one of the most popular Japanese comfort foods. Unlike many Japanese dishes, this one is meaty, and has a bold taste. That maybe why this dish is especially popular among men and kids alike. Even my ginger-hater Dad loves this. Normally, we use thinly sliced pork loin, but I used the tenderloin instead, just because it has less fat & it's not easy to find the thinly sliced meat in a regular grocerly store here..!   But if you happend to find the thinly sliced pork loin, by all means, go for it.  A bit of fat adds more flavour, I must admit.. ; p

Ingredients (3-4 servings):

300-400g Pork tenderloin (sliced 1cm thikness)
Ginger sauce  / marinade:
2TBS  Sugar
2TBS  Japanese sake
2TBS  Japanese soy sauce
2TBS  Grated ginger
2TBS  Mirin


1. Heat oil in a frying pan to medium high to high heat. Once the pan is hot, put the pork and stir-fry.
2. While stir frying the pork, add Sugar, Sake, Soy Sauce and Grated Ginger and blend them with the pork. Keep stir frying and add Mirin at the end.
3. Turn off the heat and serve. Pour the remaining sauce over the Pork.

Soy Mustard Chicken

Ridiculously easy and delicious.  All you have to do is combine the ingredients for the sauce, pour over the chiken and microwave! The perfect blend of soy sauce and whole grain mustard brings addicting flavour, which also goes so well with rice.  You'll be surprised how such a simple, microwave recipe can turn out so good!

Ingredients (3-4 servings):

500g  Chicken thighs

1TBS Butter

1/2 TBS Corn starch & 1/2 TBS Water (combined)

Salt and pepper 

Sauce 

*1TBS Whole Grain Mustard (the kind in a jar, not the "mustard seed")

*1/4 cup White Wine

*2TBS Japanese Soy Sauce (such as Kikkoman or Yamasa)


1. Using a fork, make tiny holes on the chicken on both sides, and lightly season the chicken with salt and pepper.


2. Place the chicken in a  microwave-safe dish in one layer, and pour the sauce over.

3. Crumble the butter on top of the chicken. Loosely cover the dish with plastic wrap and microwave for 4-5 minutes. (The time will depend on the amount / thickness of the chicken, but Do NOT overcook!)

4. Once the chicken is fully cooked, take out the chicken and immediately add the corn starch mixture into the sauce. Stir until the sauce becomes thicker.

5. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve with rice!