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!