Gluten-free Croutons 焼き油揚げ

I love croutons. But on somedays I can feel myself overdosing on carbohydrates. That's when I like to *grill a slice of abura-age (deep-fried tofu) until crispy, julienne, and add to a salad. These are easier than making croutons from scratch. And most of us could use the soy. I especially like these tofu croutons when dressing the salad with a Japanese wafu dressing.

When shopping for abura-age be sure to buy the thin deep-fried tofu. There is also a thick verision, called atsu-age, which will not give you these crispy pieces.

*alternatively, pop in the toaster oven

Japanese Sweet Potato Salad 薩摩いもサラダ

We had some Satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potatoes) in our house and made it into Japanese-style potato salad. Will definitely make this dish again. Here is the recipe for Japanese-style potato salad. Just substitute the sweet potatoes for regular potatoes.

I always make a big batch of potato salad, thinking it will last for a few days. However, for some reason, once it's in the fridge, we pick at it all day long and it seems to only last a day. There is something addictive about the mashed potatoes, crunchy cucumbers, ham, carrots, and Japanese mayonnaise that makes this dish addictive.

I usually serve it as a side dish to a meal. It's great with sandwiches. And, on the rare occasion that there is leftovers, I'll put it over toast for breakfast the next day.

Harumi Kurihara Inspired Carrot Salad 栗原はるみ人参サラダ

NHK recently had a nice program on cookbook author Harumi Kurihara. She talked a dish that was one of her family favorites, this very simple carrot salad. Crunchy julienned carrots with slivers of onions, canned tuna, and a simple vinaigrette. It's quick to assemble and was a hit at our dinner table. I am sure that we will be making this again in the future, especially as the ingredients are always on hand. I didn't include the garlic and liked it that way. She also suggests microwaving the carrots and onions and garlic for a minute but I was looking for a dish more like a cole slaw so skipped that step. This recipe is translated from a recipe I found online.

1 carrot julienned
1/4 onion, thinly sliced
1 can of tuna
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)

1 Tbsp. salad oil
1 Tbsp. grain mustard
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
soy sauce, salt, pepper to taste

Make the dressing of salad oil, mustard, vinegar and season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine the carrots, onions, and tuna. Dress with salad dressing, toss, and serve.

Vegetable Chips 野菜チップス

Who can resist fried chips? I certainly can not. Instead of munching away on mass produced potato chips I try, when I can find the time, to fry up some vegetables. These renkon (lotus root) chips have an almost nutty quality to them.

And these arrowroot chips were almost like potato chips, they just felt healthier.

Peel your vegetable and cut into thin slices, ideally with a mandoline if you have one. Set the vegetables slices on newspaper or paper towels to air-dry for about 30 minutes. This will make frying them much easier. Deep-fry in olive oil and sprinkle with salt as soon as you remove from the oil.

Kuri Okowa - Chestnut Mochi Rice 栗おこわ

My favorite bento stall at depachika is Okowa Yonehachi, which is conveniently located at most department stores. Customers choose from a selection of usually five different sticky rice flavored with a variety of fillings such as chestnuts (kuri) or sansai (mountain vegetables). The bento is then rounded out with some side dishes.

I have tried making mochi rice in the rice cooker and the results are never as delicious as at Okowa Yonehachi. This recipe uses a steamer instead and the results are exactly what I was craving. Be sure to purchase mochigome or sticky rice, not sushi rice or Japanese rice. The chestnuts can be purchased in jars filled with a sweet syrup. Save the syrup to use with ice cream or to top fresh fruits.

Kuri Okowa
3 cups mochi gome (mochi rice)
12 chestnuts
1/4 cup dashi
3 Tbsp. sake
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. usukuchi (light colored) soy sauce

1. Carefully rinse the mochi gome until it runs clear then soak in water for 2 hours.
2. In a steamer, place a cheesecloth on the steamer and place the rice on top. Shape the rice into a doughnut shape so that steam can come through the middle.
3. Wrap the cheesecloth over the rice and steam for 20 minutes.
4. Put the rice in a bowl, add the dashi, sake, salt, and usukuchi shoyu mixture and stir to combine.
5. Return to the steamer using the cheesecloth and steam again for 20 minutes.
6. Incorporate the chestnuts and serve.

Nori no Tsukudani - Soy Simmered Nori Topping for Rice

Growing up this condiment for rice was one of my favorite treats. A popular brand, Momoya, has a version called "Gohan Desu Yo" (literally, it's time for dinner). It's simply nori simmered in a sweet soy broth that is a thick paste, perfect for dolloping over a bowl of white rice.

Making this at home could not be any easier. And, if you are like me, chances are you have a pack of yaki nori in your cupboard that has started to lose its crispness. This is the recipe that everyone should have on hand after a night of sushi rolls.

5 sheets yakinori
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons sake
1 Tablespoon sugar

Tear the yakinori into small pieces. In a pot combine the soy sauce, sake, and sugar. Add the nori and allow to rest for a few minutes so the nori can soak in the sauce. Bring to a simmer. Continue to stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Be careful to keep the heat low so that it does not burn. Allow to cool in the pan and then store in a clean glass jar. This will keep for up to two weeks.

Canned Tuna Hamayaki from Bon Appetit

Canned tuna is something we always have in the house, for that last minute meal or dish. I found this recipe on Bon Appetit's website. It comes from a Japanese chef in Maine, chef Masa Miyake of restaurant Pai Men Miyake in Portland. In the introduction to the recipe he says is a dish Japanese fishermen make. It's quite simple with potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger, sake, chicken stock, canned tuna, mayonnaise and shichimi togarashi.

It's a quick and easy dish to pull together at the last minute, and chances are you have all the ingredients at home already. It is a nice change-up from the usual suspects of tuna salad or salad Nicoise. Here is the link to Bon Appetit's tuna hamayaki.

Nanagusa Gayu 七草がゆ

January 7th each year is the day to eat Nanagusa Gayu. An okayu (rice porridge) dish with seven different herbs. Nanagusa means seven grasses. Supermarkets sell packs of the herbs so it is quite easy to make at home.

The seven herbs consist of:

1. Seri (water dropwort)
2. Nazuna
3. Gogyou
4. Hakobera
5. Hotokenoza
6. Suzuna (turnip)
7. Suzushiro (radish)

Of the seven listed above, I only use seri in my daily cooking. The other herbs are not that common, although radish and turnips are often used in cooking. Rich in vitamins, eating nanagusa gayu, has a rich history in Japan and is supposed to contribute to one's health.

Today on the daily NHK cooking program, chef Kazunari Yanagihara, demonstrated how to cook this simple recipe.

250 grams of cooked rice
4 1/2 cups of water
4-6 pieces of mochi
1/2 tsp. salt

In a pot add the water and cooked rice. Cook over medium heat. Cut the mochi into halves and add to the pot. While the mochi and rice are cooking cut up the herbs into small pieces. Save the turnip and radish for another dish.

When the mochi is soft add the salt (add more to taste). Add the herbs and stir briefly. Remove from heat and serve. As the herbs are quite delicate and cut into small pieces it does not need to cook too long.

Yamaimo Omelet 山芋オムレッツ

One of my new year's resolutions is to eat more vegetables. The Japanese have a wide variety of vegetables to choose from so getting a variety throughout the year is very easy. The inspiration for this recipe comes from my friend's book, Masu Masu Sai Sai Gohan, by Yumiko Kanou (currently in Japanese only). Chef and owner of Nakaiseki Sen in Shimomeguro. This is one of my favorite restaurants not only for vegetarians but for those who love vegetables. If you go, tell Kanou Sensei that Yukari sent you.

Yamaimo, also called nagaimo, is a versatile root vegetable in season at the moment. It can be eaten raw, simply grated and placed over a hot bowl of rice, or julienned and used as part of a salad. It is also lovely when pickled with some yuzu.

In this simple preparation, peel and then grate the yamaimo. It is very slippery to work with so be careful. And, be sure to rinse your hands thoroughly when you are done as some people get an itchy reaction.

And then simply saute in a pan in some oil, flip over and continue to saute until both sides are crispy. When I serve it I like to sprinkle a bit of soy sauce over the omelet and serve it with some nori (Korean in this photo but any nori will do). If you like the crispy texture, then make a thin omelet. And, no need to worry if it doesn't cook all the way through as yamaimo can be eaten raw.

I serve this as a side dish to a meal or sometimes will have it as an afternoon snack. I find it a healthier alternative to mochi which it reminds me of.

Sanma Sashimi 秋刀魚刺身

Sanma is perhaps most often eat salted and grilled whole. The bitter innards are considered a delicacy, especially when paired with a dry sake or glass of shochu. In our house though the preferred preparation with a truly fresh sanma is sashimi.

The kanji for sanma is autumn sword fish (秋刀魚). In season in the fall and resembling a shiny sword this fish is in season in the fall and winter.

Make two filets, and be sure to peel away the thin skin.

We love sanma with sesame oil and Maldon salt. When having it this way Shinji usually cuts the salmon into thin strips as in the photo and we'll either toss the sanma in the sesame oil and salt or just dip it in. If Shinji is making a sashimi platter then he'll cut the sanma into thicker slices and we'll have it with soy sauce and wasabi.

If you get the chance to try sanma as sashimi please try it. It is a very fishy fish.

Futomaki 太巻き

Who doesn't love futomaki? Sushi rolls stuffed with savory, and sometimes sweet fillings. I have long struggled to properly roll any makizushi (rolled sushi) unless they are temakizushi (the hand rolls). I have decided that I can no longer fear the futomaki and decided that practice makes perfect and the best way to learn is to just jump in and do my best.

Here is the first stab. Not great, but much better than I expected. And, definitely worth the time to put these together.

First, get your fillings in order, including cooking the rice. This is the time consuming part. Once you have everything in order, rolling is the easy part.

In back there is sweet tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), cucumbers, sauteed Spam (from Minnesota!), braised spinach, and hoshi shiitake (dried shiitake) simmered in a sweet soy sauce.

I would have liked to included kampyo (dried gourd), sakura denbu (a sweet, pink colored flaked fish), and carrots simmered in the same sweet soy sauce as the hoshi shiitake, or Korean kimchi.

As for bamboo rollers, for me I found the larger one (30 cm x 30 cm) much easier to work with than the standard one. If it gets dirty, rinse in water and be sure to hang up to dry.

Add the rice to the nori, to the edge on the side closest to you and leaving about an inch on the far side. Then add the toppings and take a deep breath. It's time to roll.

Bring the edge of the roll closest to you to the far end and squeeze somewhat tight, but don't strangle the roll.

When slicing, use a wet towel to clean the knife after each slice. Also, don't cut it too thick or it will be hard to eat.

Lessons learned from my first attempt? Place the nori to the edge of the bamboo rolling meat closest to you. And squeeze a little bit harder (my rolls were too loose).

Carpe diem. Don't avoid the roll. It was good fun and I will continue to practice.

Kinpira Recipe

Shinji and I won a cooking contest at Elizabeth Andoh's Kansha cooking website. Following is the recipe we submitted.

In our house we keep a Tupperware in the fridge for vegetable scraps. During the week as dishes are assembled cuttings from different vegetables are collected here. Most often it contains carrot or daikon peels, broccoli or shiitake stems, or the tops and bottoms of bell peppers. These usually find their way to the garbage can in most homes, but if the vegetables are thoroughly washed before peeling then they can be used for cooking. Not only is it thrifty, it is using food to its fullest. 

After a good amount of vegetable scraps have been collected, but not letting too much time to pass so the vegetables spoil, it’s time to create a dish. These can be put onto a salad, into a soup, usually with some chicken stock, or made into fried rice. Another popular dish in our home is kinpira. Dinner is usually rice, a protein, and two vegetable dishes. This dish will keep for several days and is good in bento, as a topping to a green salad, or on bread for a quick sandwich.

Vegetable Scraps Kinpira

Serves four (as a side dish)

½ cup daikon peels, julienned

½ cup carrot peels, julienned

½ cup broccoli stems, julienned

½ cup tops and bottoms of bell peppers, julienned

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

1 Tablespoon sake

2 Tablespoons mirin

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

¼ teaspoon shichimi togarashi (or toasted sesame seeds)

Carefully wash the vegetables before peeling and adding to the Tupperware. Julienne vegetables into uniform cuts.

Add the vegetable oil to a fry pan. Over high heat sauté the vegetables until they start to sweat. Add the sake, mirin, and soy sauce and continue to sauté over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are tender. Taste the vegetables to see if you want to add any seasonings. Sometimes I like to toss a little bit of sesame oil at this point.

Move to a serving dish. Garnish with shichimi togarashi. (optional)

Okonomiyaki お好み焼き

I have an aunt in Osaka and almost every time that I visit her we make okonomiyaki. It's a local favorite. There is something very satisfying about this savory pancake. Piping hot, filled with cabbage, crusty bits on the edge but moist on the inside. I also find the toppings of mayonnaise, tonkatsu sauce, aonori, and katsuobushi irresistible. 

It is very easy to make at home. Recently I have been making this dish about once every two weeks. Not as the main dish in our dinner but as a side dish. If I am by myself I have it as a simple one plate lunch.

The ingredients are usually items already in the house so it is something I can pull together at the last minute.

The name itself, okonomiyaki, means "as you like it" and "grilled". You can put whatever you want into these savory pancakes. Most often I put in bacon and some cheese. Other favorites include canned tuna, sausages, or kimchi.

If you don't have bottled tonkatsu sauce at home a homemade version is quickly made with ketchup and Worcestershire sauce (see below).

This is also a fun dish to make for a casual dinner party if you have a hot plate that you can put in the middle of the table and people can cook around it. Ice-cold beer seems to be the best partner for this dish.

Okonomiyaki

(makes two)

110 grams flour

2 eggs

3 grams dashi powder (I usually put in powdered chicken stock)

1/2 tsp salt

60 cc water

1/4 cup ground yamaimo (optional, will make the okonomiyaki tender)

1/2 kg cabbage, cut into thick squares (about 1/2 inch)

dried shrimp (the tiny ones) - optional

vegetable oil

toppings: (as you like)

bacon

cheese

squid

scallops

canned tuna

nira (garlic chives)

green onions, finely chopped

whatever you like!

sauce:

mayonnaise

tonkatsu sauce (I usually do about 3 parts ketchup 1 part Worcestershire sauce)

garnish:

aonori

katsuobushi

Scramble the eggs in a big bowl and add the water, dashi (or chicken stock) and salt. Slowly incorporate the flour.

Add the julienned cabbage and dried shrimp (optional). 

POINT: Cut the cabbage into about 1/2 inch squares. Be careful not to cut it too thin or chop too finely or you will lose the texture you need to have a firmly shaped pancake.

Heat a saute pan and add vegetable oil.

Pour a large amount of batter into the pan. (I usually make one pancake per 10 or 12 inch saute pan.) Cook over medium heat until the bottom starts to brown. Add the toppings you like to the top of the pancake before you flip it over like bacon, cheese, etc. Flip the pancake and cook until it browns. 

Move to your serving platter. Top with tonkatsu sauce, mayonnaise, aonori, and katsuobushi.

As we usually eat these with chopsticks I will cut the okonomiyaki into slices like pizza. 

Also, we often do a Korean version (pajeon) with lots of nira (garlic chives) and kimchi. For a topping sauce for this I'll use tobanjan (spicy miso) or kochujan (chili paste).

Shijimi Gohan しじみご飯

Shijimi are tiny corbicula clams that are perhaps most commonly found in miso soup. This prepackaged shijimi that is seasoned with soy sauce, ginger, and soy sauce added to the rice pot with some sake and soy sauce makes for a flavorful bowl of shijimi gohan.

The package also suggests having the shijimi as they are as a snack with beer, as a topping to pasta, in fried rice, or simmered with daikon. But I can't resist cooking this with rice.

This was purchased in a seafood market but if you are shopping at a regular supermarket then look at the seafood section.