Japanese style Hamburger

This is a popular Japanese style soft and juicy Hamburger in Japan. Please try with grated white radish and sweet soy sauce on top.

serves 5

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground pork

2/3 white onion, chopped

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

3 Tbs. worcester sauce or Tonkatsu sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 black pepper

2 Tbs. vegetable oil for frying

Hamburg sauce

2 Tbs. soy sauce

3 Tbs. Mirin

1 Tbs. Sake or water (if you don't have Sake)

2 Tbs. butter

5 Tbs. grated white radish (Japanese Daikon)

3 Tbs. chopped scallion

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, milk, worcester sauce, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients: beef, pork, onion and panko and mix well with hands. 

Form the mixture into 10 patties, each 3/4 inch thick. Slightly hollow out the middle of each patty to avoid it becoming too round when cooked.

In large fry pan over medium high heat, add vegetable oil and cook about 5 hamburger patties at once. Cook until the underside of the meat is golden, turn and cook the other side covered, low heat about 6 minutes. 

Making sauce

In a small sauce pan, add the soy sauce, Mirin, Sake and butter. When butter melts, remove from the heat.

Pour 1 tablespoon sauce on each hamburger and top with 1 tablespoon grated white radish. Sprinkle with chopped scallions.

winter miso soup

This nutritious and flavorful Miso soup keeps you away from the cold during the winter.

serves 4


Ingredients:
2 oz. Shiitake mushroom, cut into 6 pieces each
3 oz. Daikon (white radish), peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
5 oz. Kabocha squash, peeled and seeded, cut into 1/2" chunks
2 oz. carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks
2 scallions, minced
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. Mirin
1/3 cup Miso paste ( I recommend Mugi miso )
4 cups water
1 Tbs. Hondashi (bonito stock)


Directions:
Heat the vegetable oil In a medium saucepan over mediam heat. Add the vegetables and cook, stir 3 minutes.  Add the water, Mirin and Hondashi and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes until the vegetable are tender.
Ladle 1/2 cup of broth into a small bowl and mix in the miso paste. Pour the miso paste mix into the rest of the broth and stir well then turn off the heat.
Make sure not to boil the soup once you've added the Miso paste mix.  Miso has a delicate flavor and you don't want to boil it away.
Ladle the soup into individual bowls and sprinkle scallions on top. Serve immediately.

sushi appetizer for Christmas

This easy and quick appetizer is perfect for entertaining at your Chritmas party!
Serve with toothpicks and you don't need to dip in soy sauce since all the ingredients are seasoned.

Serves 2 - 4


Ingredients:
2 oz. smoked salmon, cut in 1.5"x 1.5"
2 oz. Tamagoyaki (Japanese style sweet egg, see below) cut in1.5"x 1.5"
2 oz. Nozawana (picked vegetable, available at Japanese store)1.5"x 1.5"
1 1/2 cup Sushi rice ( cooked short grain rice + Sushi vinegar)
brocoli, carrot and cilantro for garnish


Directions:
Tamagoyaki
2 eggs, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon Mirin(If you don't have, no need to add Mirin) and  1 pinch of salt, mix together. In a nonstick fry pan over medium low heat, warm 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the egg and cook until the surface gets soft about 1 minutes. Fold the egg in half, turn off the heat and let it sit on the pan until it cools down.


In the plastic wrap, place 1 piece of tamagoyaki and 1 tablespoon Sushi rice on top of the Tamagoyaki.  Twist the plastic wrap around the Tamagoyaki and rice, eliminating all excess space and air. Carefully create an oval shape unwrap and place on the side.

Repeat above for each of the Tamagoyaki, salmon and Nozawana ingredients. You should create approximately 16 - 20 pieces.

Alternately place individual Sushi pieces in a circular shape on a serving plate (approximately 8 pieces should from the base). Continue in the same manner by placing additional pieces on top in layers so that you create a conical shape.

Garnish with broccoli, carrot and cilantro.

Mizutaki ( chicken hot pot )

Hot pot is a popular dinner choice during winter in Japan. It's perfect on a cold day to warm up your body and satisfy your appetite. Please use chicken with bone-in since it gives more flavor to the soup.

serves 4

Ingredients:

2lb. chicken with bone, rinse and pat dry with paper towel

1 pack silk tofu, cut in 12 pieces

3 oz. Shitake mushroom, brushed clean, stems removed 

2 stalks, Leek (negi) onion, cut in 1.5 inch pieces

3 oz. mini peeled carrots

3 oz. spinach

1 bunch broccolini

1 bunch scallion, thinly sliced

1 sheet dried kelp (Konbu)

1/2 cup Sake

1 cube chicken stock

1 Tbs. Soy sauce

1/2 tsp. sugar

Ponzu for flavoring 

Directions
In a large pot, fill 2/3 with water and add the kelp. Let it sit 30 minutes.

Add the Sake and chicken in the pot and bring to boil with medium heat. Take out and discard the Kelp and reduce the heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes with the lid. Skim the surface a few times to keep the soup clear.

Add chicken cube, soy sauce, sugar, Shitake mushroom, leek, carrots, broccolini and tofu. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add spinach and remove from the heat. Serve immediately in small bowls adding a few tablespoons of broth  and 2 tablespoons of Ponzu sauce to each bowl. Add scallions and black pepper to taste.
Add cooked rice and eggs to the leftover broth and simmer 5 minutes. It's a great way to enjoy the flavors of the soup!     

green tea icecream with Azuki & Shiratama dango

In Japan, we eat Mochi as a dessert especially this time of year when the moon is at its biggest. Treat your friends with this traditional Japanese dessert after a cozy autumn feast.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2.5 oz. Shiratamako (rice flour)      

2/3 cup water

7 oz. (1 small can) prepared red beans (Yude Azuki)

7 oz. green tea icecream

Directions:

Make the Shiratama Dango: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Mix the Shiratamako and water well with hands in a medium bowl until it doesn’t stick to your hands. Make a small ball then press slightly to make quarter-sized Dango. Place them into the boiling water one by one.
1 minute after the Dango started floating to the surface of the water, using a slotted spoon transfer all of them to icewater to cool down.
In a clear glass, serve green tea icecream then Azuki. Top with a few Shiratama Dango.

garlic fried rice with salmon and mushrooms

Salmon and mushrooms are in season this time of year. This is a great recipe to enjoy autumn flavors. Use left-over cooked rice or defrosted rice from your freezer. I normally keep left-over rice in the freezer wrapped individually. Left-over rice is drier than just -cooked rice and when fried won't become soggy and sticky.

serves 4


Ingredients:
1 lb. skinless salmon, cut into 2 pieces
3 oz. fresh oyster mushrooms, rinsed, cut into bite sizes
3 oz. fresh Shiitake mushrooms, brushed clean, stems removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
4 cups cooked short-grain rice, chilled
2 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. butter
1 pinch of salt & 1 tablespoon Sake or white wine for boiling salmon


Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat, add a pinch of salt and the sake. Add salmon and cook about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not over-cook. Transfer the salmon to a plate, loosen the meat and remove the bones. This process prevents the salmon from becoming too dry when stir-fried later.


Heat the olive oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry until the garlic is golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to paper towel to drain. Keep the remaining oil in the wok.


Return the wok to medimun-high heat and add the oyster and Shiitake mushrooms and cook, stirring about 2 minutes. Add salmon and cook another minute. Break up any clumps of rice, add to the wok, toss and stir using a wooden spoon about 1 minute. Add soy sauce, butter and 1 pinch of salt and toss to mix thoroughly.
Transfer to a serving dish, top with chives and black pepper.

spaghetti with garlic squid

Sprinkling Nori on top gives an extra pleasant aroma. 

You can substitute squid with octopus if you like. Don’t forget the key ingredient, Shiso!

Serves 2


Ingredients:

½ lb. cleaned squid

2 garlic cloves, minced

½ white onion, sliced

½ dried spaghetti

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 pinch of red pepper flakes

2 shiso leaves, thinly sliced

1 Nori sheet / Japanese dried seaweed


Directions:

Cut the squid crosswise into rings ¼ inch wide and set aside. In a sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and the butter. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute to release the garlic’s fragrance. Add the onion and cook, stirring about 2 minutes. Add the squid and cook stirring another 1 minute.

Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil in a medium pot of boiling salted water, add the spaghetti and cook until al dente or according to the package instructions. Drain the spaghetti, transfer to the sauté pan and toss gently.  

Divide the spaghetti into two dishes. Tear the Nori into small shreds and top with the Shiso. Serve immediately.

Kabocha squash croquet

Pumpkin is a common ingredient in the Japanese diet; it encourages vitality and healthy skin and helps the body rid itself of impurities. Kabocha squash croquet is great as a main dinner dish. I use left-overs in my daughter's lunch box the next day.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. Kabocha squash or sugar pumpkin, seeded, cut in 2 inch cubes

1 white onion, finely chopped

1 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. soy sauce

1 tsp. sugar

1 pinch of sea salt

For frying

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour, in shallow plate

2 cups Panko / Japanese bread crumbs, in shallow plate

    vegetable oil

For dipping (mix together)

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup mayonnaise

Directions:

Spread the pumpkin on a microwave safe plate. Wet a kitchen paper towel with water and cover the pumpkin. Microwave 3 - 5 minutes until tender. Cooking time might be different depending on the pumpkin, so good a bit longer if any hard parts remain. While it's warm, scoop the pumpkin flesh into a bowl and discard the skin. Add soy sauce, sugar and a pinch of sea salt. Mash the pumpkin with a potato masher.

Heat the butter in a saute pan over medium heat, add onion and saute about 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it cool about 3 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with pumpkin and mix. Shat the pumpkin into patties the size of small hamburgers with your hands.

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot about 350. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl.

Dredge the pumpkin patties in the flour, dip in the beaten eggs, then dredge in Panko, shaking off any excess. Fry the pumpkin patties in the hot oil until lightly golden, 2 - 4 minutes. Do not fry more than 3 patties at one time to avoid the patties becoming soggy due to a sudden drop in oil temperature. 

Transfer to paper-towel lined plate with a slotted spoon. Serve with dipping sauce.

beef and summer vegetables ( 肉じゃが / Nikujaga )

Nikujaga is a very popular Japanese dish all year around. Normally it’s made with thinly sliced beef, onion and potato. This is a summer version Nikujaga.

serves 8


Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. ground beef

4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 6 pieces

3  white onions, cut into 6 half moon shape

12 okra, remove the head and chop into 2 inch pieces

2 tomatoes, remove the skin and cut into 6 pieces

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/2 cup Japanese sake

2 cups water

4 Tbs. sugar

4 Tbs. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbs. corn starch, mix with 2 Tbs. water

Directions:

Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the vegetable oil and the ground beef and cook until the meat becomes brown. Add potato and onion and cook about 3 minutes. Add the sake, water, sugar and salt and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 7 minutes.
Add the soy sauce, tomatoes and okra and continue simmering until remaining vegetables are cooked about 7 minutes.
Stir in the mixed corn starch water gently then remove the pot from the stove. Serve with rice.

almond flavor milk pudding ( 杏仁豆腐 / Annindofu )

Annindofu is not Japanese sweet though it goes well with any Japanese dishes. Everybody enjoys this light refreshing Asian desert.

serves 4 - 6

Ingredients:

1 cup water

2 1/2 cups whole milk, warm up to room temperature 

2 tsp. Kona Kanten ( available at Japanese stores )

2 Tbs. sugar

1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. almond essence

for syrup

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1 mango, cut in cubes ( you can use your favorite fruits such as strawberries, blueberries or kiwi )

Directions:

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil In a deep medium pot over medium heat, add the Kona Kanten slowly and stir until it melts. Add the sugar and condensed milk and stir again.
Add the milk slowly 1/2 cup every 1 minute and stir well each time. 

1. Remove from the heat and stir in almond essence. Transfer the mixture into a glass container and let it sit until cool. Cover the container and keep refrigerated for over 3 hours or until it hardens like soft jello.  At this point it is annindofu.

Make the syrup: combine the sugar and water in a microwave safe container and microwave 1 minute and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemon juice. Keep refrigerated until it becomes cool.
Pour the syrup over the annindofu. Garnish with your favorite fruit on top.
*You can make the day before you serve.

chicken salad with soy sesame dressing / brown rice / egg soup

serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast strips

1 inch piece ginger, sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed

2 Tbs. Japanese sake or Chinese wine

1 egg, beaten

3 scallions, cut in 3 pieces each, then thinly sliced lengthwise

5 cups shredded lettuce

1 cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced

1 box small tomatoes, cut in halves

5 leaves Japanese Shiso, chopped or 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Soy sesame dressing, whisk well
4 Tbs. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1 1/2 Tbs. vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tbs. crushed ginger
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Directions:
5 cups water in a medium pot, bring to a boil. Add the ginger, garlic, sake and chicken and boil for 1 minute then turn off the heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes until chicken is cooked then remove chicken from the stock. In this way, the chicken doesn’t get too hard. After it has cooled down, shred into bite sizes with hands.

Meanwhile make the egg soup: discard the ginger skin and bring the chicken stock to boil, pour in the egg and season with salt & pepper.

Divide the brown rice among 4 plates: top with the chicken, scallions, lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. Garnish with Shiso. Serve the egg soup and sprinkle the dressing over each salad just before eating.

Japanese Shiso leaves

1. -beefsteak plant -

Shiso contain a lot of vitamins and minerals and are a good boost to the immune system; they are particularly good in helping to treat skin conditions and allergies, and have a healthy and soothing effect on the skin. These leaves have strong antibacterial properties making them effective against food poisoning, colds and flu.

sweet and sour salmon ( 鮭の南蛮漬け / syake no nanbanzuke )

Perfect fish dish on a hot day in the summer. Spicy pickled dressing will increase your appetite.

You can keep refrigerated up to 4 to 5 days.

serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. skinless, boneless salmon, cut into 8 to 10 pieces

1 carrot, cut into thin, 2-inch sticks

1 white onion, sliced

1/3 cup all purpose flour

vegetable oil for frying

nanbanzu dressing

1 1/2 cup bonito fish soup stock ( 2 teaspoons powered stock with 1 1/2 cup water )

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup Japanese Mirin ( sweet rice wine )

1/2 Tbs. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 dried red chili pepper

Directions: 

Combine the nanbanzu dressing in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir and remove from heat once it boils.
Heat about 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed pot about 350F. Season the salmon with the salt on both sides. Coat each piece of salmon with the flour and fry in the hot oil until lightly golden, approximately 3 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
In a shallow glass container with a lid, transfer the fried salmon. Cover the salmon with the carrots and onions. Heat up nanbanzu dressing again and remove from the heat before it boils. Pour the hot dressing over the salmon, carrots and onions in the container. Keep the lid on until it cools down at least 1 hour. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.