Japanese yuzu & shochu cocktail

A refreshingly sweet and tangy cocktail. This is my twist on the White Lily cocktail that I had at Morimoto restaurant in Manhattan.  It's a perfect cocktail with Japanese cuisine. 

Ingredients:
2 servings
Ice cubes to chill
1/3 cup barley shochu spirits 
1/3 cup Calpico / please see the photo below
1 1/2 Tbs. freshly squeezed yuzu juice (1-2 yuzu)
1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. sugar
2 yuzu peel strips


Directions:
Making citrus juice: In a small bowl, combine the yuzu & lemon juice, sugar and 1/2 cup water and stir well until the sugar has dissolved.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the citrus juice, shochu and calpico. Shake for 5-10 seconds and strain the mixture into glasses.
Garnish each glass with yuzu strip.

CALPICO: available at Japanese market

sweet potato sushi roll

It's Autumn, sweet potato season! Yummy sweet potato roll has a crunchy surprise inside.

Instead of making sweet potato tempura, I just steam the sweet potato and add some tempura flakes. You can purchase tempura flakes at any Japanese market.  They can be kept in your refrigerator for future use.

Makes 2 rolls


Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups prepared sushi rice 
1/2 lb. sweet potato, peeled and sliced (1/3 inch each)
4 Tbs. Mirin
2 Tbs. sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. roasted sesame seeds
1 full sheet of nori, cut in half along the line
1 Tbs. tempura flake 


Prepare the sweet potato and sweet soy sauce:
In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water, the Mirin and sugar and bring to boil.
Add the sweet potato and cook until it's softened. 
Remove the sweet potato from the saucepan and set aside. Add soy sauce to the saucepan with remaining liquid and simmer until it becomes syrupy.
How to roll:
Cover a bamboo mat with plastic wrap.
Place a sheet of nori rough-side up on the bamboo mat. Moisten your hands with water and scoop a 2/3 cup of sushi rice on nori. Spread the rice evenly and sprinkle the sesame seeds. Carefully flip over the nori so it's rice-side down on the bamboo mat.
Arrange a few slices of the sweet potato evenly equally in a middle of the nori.
Place the tempra flake right below of the sweet potato. Firmly roll up from the end nearest to you. Cut the roll into 6 pieces. 

apple cider teriyaki chicken

Enjoy the Autumn flavor of Teriyaki chicken. 

Serves 2 - 3
Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken thigh
1/2 cup apple cider
1 small apple, sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. soy sauce


Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and coat lightly and evenly with flour. 
In a medium frying pan over medium heat, warm the butter. Add the garlic and chicken to the pan and brown one side. Flip the chicken and add the apple, apple cider and soy sauce.
Reduce the heat to low, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Poke a few holes in the foil with a folk to release the steam. Simmer about 10 - 15 minutes.
Take off the aluminum foil and increase the heat to medium high. Scoop the liquid with a spoon and poor over the chicken.
Repeat this a couple times until the liquid is completely reduced and thickened.
Serve immediately.

fried eggplant with tuna fish / Nagaimo with pickled plum paste

Enjoy two easy summery side dishes. You will love this sweet and tender flavorful eggplant and fresh crisp Nagaimo with pickled plum paste. Pickled plum is one of Japan's ancient medicinal foods. I like to serve these dishes with cold Soba or Somen noodles in mid-Summer to Autumn. 

Serves 4


-Fried Eggplant with Tuna


Ingredients:
3 or 4 Asian eggplant, cut into 1-inch
1 can (4 to 5 oz.) tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
2 Tbs. Mentsuyu / Japanese seasoning soy sauce
1/2 cup water
vegetable oil for frying
3 Shiso leaves, chopped 


Directions:
In a small bowl, stir together the Mentsuyu and water. Set aside.


In a wok or deep fry pan, heat enough vegetable oil for frying over mediam high heat. When the oil is hot, add the eggplant and cook turning often until the eggplant has softened about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to the bowl of Mentsuyu. Add the tuna and gently mix the eggplant and tuna.


Transfer the eggplant and tuna to a serving bowl and garnish with the Shiso.


-Nagaimo with Pickled plum paste


Ingredients:
1/2 lb. Nagaimo, peeled and slice thinly lengthwise
2 pickled plum, seeded and chopped into paste
4 Shiso leaves, chopped


Directions:
Divide sliced Nagaimo into 4 serving plate, plum paste on top then garnish with Shiso.

UMEBOSHI / pickled plum

Fight fatigue fast

Food poisoning

Hangover

Fatigue

Appetite stimulant

SHISO / beefsteak plant

Sleep easy

Insomnia

Allergies

Immune system

Food poisoning

Diarrhoea

salmon & avocado donburi

Japanese casual and comfortable meal : donburi. Quick and perfect for weekend's lunch or main dish for dinner with miso soup.

serves 2
1/2 lb. sashimi grade salmon, skin removed, cut in small pieces
1/2 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and diced
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. chopped scallion
3 shiso leaf, finely chopped
1/2 nori sheet, break into small pieces
1 1/2 cups cooked short grain rice


In a medium bowl, combine the salmon, avocado, lemon juice, soy sauce, scallion and 
shiso leaf. Gently stir together, being careful not to break up the avocado.
Serve it on top of each bowl of rice. Finish with nori sheet. Drizzle some soy sauce if you like.

Tamagoyaki / Japanese sweet rolled omelet

It's often served in Japanese breakfast and lunch box. In my classes, we use this omelet in decorative sushi rolls. You can get a square Tamagoyaki pan at Asian market. Alternatively, you can use a small non stick frying pan.

serves 4


Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon Mirin
vegetable oil for cooking

Directions:
Combine the eggs, sugar, soy sauce and Mirin in a bowl and mix well with fork or chopsticks.
Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and pour 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. Using paper towel spread the oil evenly. When the frying pan gets hot, turn down the heat to low.

Pour a scoop about 1/3 of the egg mixture in the pan and spread over the surface evenly. Cook it about 30 seconds or half done and roll the egg toward in the bottom side of the pan.

Spread the oil by using paper towel in the empty part of the pan and pour another 1/3 of the egg mixture. Spread evenly including under the rolled egg.

Cook it until half done and roll the egg again, this time towards the top side of the pan.
Repeat this for the rest of 1/3 egg mixture. Transfer to a cutting board and slice into 1 inch thick pieces.

Gyudon / beef bowl

Quick, fuss-free and yummy Gyudon.

serves 4


Ingredients:
1 lb. thinly sliced beef (available at Asian market)
1 onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. Mirin
1 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. vegetable oil


Directions:
In a bowl, combine the soy sacue, Mirin and suger and stir well.
Heat a fry pan over medium heat, pour in the vegetable oil. Add the onion and stir-fry for about 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook until the meat color will turn to almost brown about 1 minute. 
Pour the combined mixer into the fry pan and cook a few minutes.
Place warm cooked rice in individual bowls. Cover up the rice with cooked beef and onion. Garnish with Mitsuba or Kaiware.

tuna tataki with lemon zest rice

Simple and sumptuous main dish for lunch or dinner.

Serves 4


Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless skinless tuna fillet
4 cups cooked short grain rice
2 Tbs. lemon zest
4 Tbs. chopped scallion
1 sheet Nori sheet, break into small pieces with hands
a pinch of sea salt, black pepper 


For tuna marinade
2 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. Japanese Sake
1 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed


Directions:
Whisk all the tuna marinade ingredients and transfer the marinade with the tuna in a ziploc. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Take it out from the refrigerator at leaset 5 minutes before you cook the tuna.
Take out the tuna from the ziploc and pat it with paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper each side of the tuna. Briefly sear both sides of the tuna in a little sesame oil.

In a nonstick saute' pan over medium-high heat, arrange the tuna in the pan and sear, turning once, about a minute per side. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 1/8-inch strips.

Mix cooked warm rice with lemon zest with a rice paddle or flat wooden spoon. Place the rice in a bowl and arrange the tuna slices on top, sprinkle with the chopped scallion and Nori. serve with soy sauce.

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.