Crunchy Yakisoba/かた焼きそば

With Seafood

Dishes like this make me homesick…quite resemble to Nagasaki’s sara (pronunce sa-ra)-udon (皿うどん), seafood plus thick sauce over crunchy noodles. Nagasaki Japan’s food scene was influenced by Dutch, Portuguese and Chinese because import business thrived there in the mid 1500s.

Nagasaki’s local cuisine, champon(ちゃんぽん)…don’t call it champion though sometime I feel like champon is champion…I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar!…(oops, some words trigger me to burst out singing and dancing)…anyway, other popular noodle dish sara-udon is not really udon. One source says that a noodle shop owner had trouble home delivering champon because of spilling of soup (mind you, this is pre-Tupperware era), and Nagasaki is famous for having hundreds of slopes everywhere… so that the jelly like, sauce was invented…this is more like urban legend to me but…. I see it all, I see it now…

This revised recipe is from Miki Fujiwara, a mega blogger whose blog ‘Fujiwara family’s everyday home cooking’ has a neighborhood of 120.000 people (mind boggling, right?) who access her blog every day.

Ingredients and Instructions for Crunchy Yakisoba - 4 servings (Print Recipe Here)

For sauce

• 4 cups of water
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger root  Note: I used fresh but you could use tubed grated ginger.
• 5 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 Tablespoon Chinese chicken soup base (granule)
• 4 Tablespoons potato starch (片栗粉)

Mix sauce ingredients except potato starch in a 4 cup glass measuring cup for easy pouring or in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine well. Put potato starch in a small bowl and add about 1/4 cup of just mixed sauce and dissolve starch with fork or chopstick. Put the whole thing back in the sauce mixture and stir well. Set aside.

• 8-10 cut dried shiitake, if the shiitake comes in whole then you need only 3 (cut in 4-6)
• 4-5 dried kikurage (black fungus/黒木耳) optional, tear in small pieces…skip it if you don’t like this stuff.
• 10 Tablespoons vegetable oil divided.
• 450g (roughly) fresh yakisoba noodle, divided in three bundles 
• 1 carrot peeled and cut in 2 inch lengths about 1/8 inch thick
• 1/4 of small cabbage roughly chopped
• 1/2 of onion thinly sliced
• Seafood of your choice or approximately 2 cups of frozen seafood mix, available at Korean market for reasonable price, defrosted if frozen.  I used shrimp, octopus, baby scallop
• 4 young corn from can, drain and rinsed, cut in half…I don’t care for it but I included it for the sake of my blog.
• 12 hard boiled quail eggs from can, drained and rinsed…next time I will hard boil them myself.
• White pepper, salt
• 1-2 teaspoons sesame oil 

1. Soak dried shitake and kikurage (if using) in a prepared sauce. Set aside.
2. Heat 3 Tablespoons  of oil in a large non-stick frying pan at medium heat. Loosen –up the first bundle of yakisoba noodles and spread onto the pan. When the bottom turns light brown, flip over and cook the other side until brown. Using tongs, lift and turn the noodle several times until the noodles get crunchy and golden brown. Place onto a plate with paper towel to absorb oil. Do the same for other two bundles. Set aside.
3. Quickly clean the same pan with a paper towel. Add the last Tablespoon of oil and heat at medium heat. Sauté the onion and carrot until soft. Add cabbage, continue to sauté until cabbage is limp, then add seafood.
4. Mix one more time (make sure that sauce is not separated) the prepared sauce before adding to the pan (step# 3). Cook until it thickens.
5. Add young corn and quail eggs, pepper and salt to taste. cook for 1-2 minutes stirring often. Pour sesame oil around the edge and stir to combine.
6. Place the yakisoba noodle on a large platter and pour the sauce over the noodles. Serve immediately to enjoy the crunchiness of the noodles.

I bought a large can of quail eggs, then put the leftovers in the dill pickle jar…this would be nice snack.

Guess what I found? My husband brought a yellow rose still alive in all the rain we had in our tiny rose garden. He made a olive bread, cleaned the gutters, carved the pumpkin and got ready for Trick-or-Treaters, it was busy day…thanks honey!

Last Saturday was very gloomy due to heavy rain. There was no good light to take the Today’s Tapas (#todaystapas) picture. This is just a ham and cheese sandwich but Halloween style. I made the face with pickled grapes and avocado.

I made this Mango and Avocado salad with Pomegranate and Dukkah from Angie’s Recipe. Guilt free and refreshing!

Can you believe it’s November already?  Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh…don’t you love this song by Katy Perry?

Shrimp Delight

Shrimp Salad

I can’t believe tomorrow is already April…Fool me…March left all of a sudden and I am playing catch up game but never can get ahold of the tail ends.
No fuss rule enforced (not really) for weekly meal and the shrimp salad is super quick to fix and refreshingly delightful. The modified recipe and the edible pot idea from Peter Callahan author of bite by bite. If you want to make potted shrimp salad, go to the edible pot instruction first.
Aren’t they Springy and darling? Perhaps great for Easter Sunday Dinner!

Ingredients and Instruction for two servings (Print Recipe here)

• 10-12 shrimp cooked, peeled, deveined and tail removed  Note: I
• used frozen shrimp, cooked in salted (1 teaspoon ) boiling water for 30 seconds or until shrimp turned to bright orange, drain and cool.
• Mango fresh chopped in chunks
• 3 inch length cucumber thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh chives
  
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
  
• 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt

Put shrimp, mango and cucumber in medium bowl. Toss with olive oil and white balsamic vinegar, chives, lemon zest and salt. Chill for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Making edible pot -  enough to make 6 - 2 inch terra cotta pots
Necessary equipment : terracotta pots (I used 2 inch diameter pot and 1 inch pot), dried beans about 1 cup, parchment paper, rolling pin

• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons sweet paprika
• 6 tablespoons(2/3 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1-1/2 Tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
• Non stick pan spray

1. Using a food processor, pulse the flour and paprika together. Add the butter and shortening and pulse until the mixture resemble sand.
2. With the motor running, add 3 Tablespoons water until the the dough comes together. The dough may be crumbly and dry.
   
3. Flatten the dough on a large piece of plastic wrap, make a disk and wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4. Take dough out of refrigerator, leave on counter for about 10 minutes (to make it easier to roll out dough). Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly coat terra-cotta flower pots with nonstick pan spray.
5. Unwrap the dough and place it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll until it is 1/8 inch thick, remove top layer of parchment and slice the dough according to your terracotta pots. Use the scraps to make balls.
   
6. Place 1 strip in each pot so it runs around sides of the pot. use your fingers to press the dough flat around the edges. Drop a ball of dough inside the pot and press down to make the bottom. Line pot with small piece of parchment paper (the picture showed I forgot to line and the beans stuck to the sides of the pot) and fill with dried beans and place the pots on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the dough is set, about 25 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and let them cool completely. Take out beans and tap gently on the bottom to release the pastry pot.Cut up salad and fill in pot. Insert edible flower. I used lavender.

This is shrimp salad in 1 inch pot – you need itsy bitsy fingers…just kidding!
I loved this Today’s TAPAS instagram post (#todaystapas) – Agedashi tofu.
My husband and I were on hands and knees to do the weeding on our lawn last Saturday…remembering the quote by Margaret Atwood…
In the Spring, at the end of the day,
you should smell like dirt.

Wishing you a Happy April! (The picture above is our gumi tree)

Cozy up

Seafood and Mushroom Doria

I can’t fathom that there are some rice cookers that cost more than $1,000 in Japan. One from Mitsubishi corporation sells for $1,400. Has the Japanese passion for perfect cooked rice driven people insane? I dunno, but I certainly am intrigued and would have loved to have volunteered for a taste test.

I bought a new rice cooker recently. Because I saw too many flaws in my old one and I simply fell out of love. I mumbled a few words when I put this one behind me (I mean, put it in a donation box)…”I appreciate your hard work for all these years but …it’s not you…it’s me…I hope you understand”. Anyway, I was seduced by the 20% off price tag, a strong persuasion to form a new relationship.. it did not cost a thousand yet it is a perfect match. See the pic? Isn’t he dreamy? He’s an induction heating type.

Doria is a popular dish in Japan but the chance of encountering this on a menu is rare in US restaurants. Japanese style curry restaurant in Portland Kale offers a nice curry flavored doria. Gratin-ey with rice and seafood. Cozy and warm – a welcome dish on a cold Autumn night.

Ingredients and instruction for 4 to 6 servings

• White rice 2 rice cooker cups
• Cumin seeds (not the ground kind) 2 teaspoons
• Butter 2 Tablespoons
• Salt 1/8 teaspoon
• Shrimps 4-6 shelled and cleaned. Slice in half length wise.
• Scallops 4-6 sliced in half thickness
• Squid, body only about 3x5 cut in 1x2 rectangle.
• Mushroom – any mushroom – I used maitake and white beach mushroom. Need 1 or 2 small packages cut off stem ends divide in 4 or 6 bundle.
• White wine 75cc
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 1 cup or more grated.
• Chopped parsley for garnish

For the white sauce

• Butter 4 Tablespoons
• Low viscosity flour (薄力粉) approximately 1/2 cup loosely packed.
• Milk 350cc or more
• Salt and white pepper to taste

1. Make cumin seed rice – wash rice and put in the rice cooker. Add water as directed. Add cumin seeds, butter and salt and cook. After it’s cooked stir with rice paddle to insure cumin seeds are evenly distributed. Put the cooked rice (3 - 4 cups) in an oven safe dish.
   .
2. Spread shrimp, scallops, squid and mushroom on the bottom of pan. Sprinkle with wine then put lid on to steam cook for 2-3 minutes at medium heat. Do not over cook. Put steamed seafood, mushroom and liquid left in the pan on the top of rice.
   
3. Make quick white sauce – Melt butter on the skillet or pan at medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add flour and stir until incorporated at low heat. Turn heat to high and add milk all at once and stir until creamy at high heat. Note: this white sauce should be quite loose, add more milk if the sauce is getting too thick. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over the steamed seafood and mushroom
   
4. Heat oven to 400F. Generously top with cheese and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cheese is golden.
5. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.

 

If you have the resource plus desire to own a high priced rice cooker, wait until a new model comes out. Then the price of the old model suddenly drops like 25 to 30 percent. It’s practically same but a better deal. Isn’t that nice? And my favorite maker is Elephant Mark (象印) but Tiger rice cooker getting lots of votes lately…what is it about animals and rice cookers though?

We spent nearly 3 hours raking the magic carpet, I mean fallen leaves, last Saturday. This is the After photo.

It was like this two weeks ago. Shinning ,Shimmering, Splendid…. A whole new world…A new fantastic point of view, no one to tell us no or where to go…

…Stay here, now is  time to rake, my husband interrupted my singing.

I watched a friend’s two boys one afternoon. I really don’t care for Sponge Bob but I’m grateful for the show as it gave me a 20 minute breather. Are you sure you don’t want to watch an another episode?…They are so cute!

Thank you for dropping by. May your day filled with laughter and fantastic deals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Slick

Shrimp Stuffed Zucchini

I was thinking a while of what to do with the gift of zucchini my friend dropped off. My brother-in-law shared with me a fabulous zucchini recipe his wife made, VERBALLY, I tried to hang on his every word yet I lost him somewhere around when he said ‘cheese’. That is the exact reason that I need a visual like photos or written words.

After they left, I asked my husband to recite the recipe and he goes ‘What recipe?’…I guess I’m not making that tonight.

The July issue of ‘Today’s cooking’ (今日の料理） magazine featured Stuffed Goya (bitter melon) recipe. Whadda ya know? Wait,wait don’t tell me (OK, I was influenced a little by NPR here). This could be a great substitute. This low calorie, tasty appetizer is still delectable after cooled so perfect for bento.

Note; I totally spaced out  half way through cooking, forgot to take process pictures, totally bad… but I hope you have a great imagination.

Ingredients and Instructions - reworked from original recipe

Equipment: non-stick skillet with lid.

• 1 Zucchini 7-10 inches.
• Large shrimp 15-to 20 depending on zucchini size. Remove shell and clean.
• Potato starch or corn starch  about 4 to 5 teaspoons divided
• Pine nuts (optional) about 1/4 cup
• Ginger root  minced about 2 Tablespoons divided in half
• Sake 4 teaspoons divided.
• Sugar 2 teaspoons divided in half (omit if desire)
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon
• Pepper
• Garlic minced about 1 Tablespoon
• Tobanjan (spicy miso paste, available in well stocked super market )1/2 to 1 teaspoon depending on your spicy preference.
• Chicken broth or Chinese soup dashi stock (中華だし) 3/4 cup
• Soy sauce 3 Teaspoons
• Vegetable oil

1. Slice zucchini in half length wise. Remove seeds and make a well with a spoon. Sprinkle with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt on the flesh. Set aside.
2. Put shrimp in a portable food processer then using the pulse button run the machine until it is chopped very small but not paste. Add pine nuts and make short run two times more.
3. Add 1 Tablespoon of sake, 1 Tablespoon of minced ginger, 1 teaspoon of potato starch, 1 teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper and spin the baby again for once or twice. Set aside.
4. Wipe inside zucchini with paper towel then cut zucchini about inch wide. Dust with some of starch. Put some shrimp mixture to mold into a half moon shape. Dust lightly again with starch all over.
   
5. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in the skillet. Brown both sides and transfer to a plate.
   
6. Add 1 teaspoon of oil in the same skillet. Put garlic, rest of ginger and tobanjan and sauté till aromatic. Put stuffed zucchini back into the skillet.
7. Add rest of sake, broth and soy sauce into the pan. Put lid on to steam for 4 minutes or so. Turn once during the steam process.
8. In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon of starch dissolved in 1/8 cup of water to make thickening agent.
9. Pour the starch mixture into the pan. Stir gently until slickly coated, approximately 1 minute.     

I was engrossed on making new recipes last week. My handsome dishwasher spent hours cleaning up the mess.

Waste not sprit - I made homemade furikake (rice topping) from shrimp shell I dried in sun – I then grind up in the blender, sauté with mirin, sesame oil and soy sauce, add sesame seeds to finish. Voila! A bit too crunchy but good for your bones!

Beet dishes are for my beet lover husband. Both from Charles of Five Euro Food. Beets and Mozzarella Carpaccio and Beet bread. He is a fun yet practical food blogger I am leaning from. And his little guy is awfully cute!

Gateau au chocolat was for a young friend who is on the mend.

Shiso juice is great solution! And refreshing!

A friend came for a short visit from Tokyo, Japan.They brought us some souvenirs, among which were this red chill pepper thread (糸唐辛子). It’s not spicy but adds some stitches of sophistication.Tokyo University graduate husband is an engineer at ANA (All Nippon Airways). They can fly anywhere the company flies inexpensively. So envious!

I bought a iPhone5! Now I will be an iphonographer! That’s slick!This is my very first iphoto! Hummmm, I need more practice.

What is that?!! My neighbor friend brought a dragonish ginger creature for me to see. Too bad this doesn’t look like Elvis. No, it's not eBay worthy I’m afraid.