San Francisco's Japan Town's Nijiya has a special 20%-off-all-meat-day on the 29th of every month a.k.a. Meat day. "2-9" can also be read "ni-ku" which means "meat" in Japanese. 

On this day last month, I went a little crazy purchasing thin sliced pork and beef. Enough to last us a month. Today's dish uses thin sliced pork and any of your favourite vegetables. I used Japanese daikon, zucchini and onions since it's been in season at SF's farmers markets. 

This dish is a "ita-me-ni" (炒め煮) which means to stir fry and boil in liquid. In this case, we boil the ingredients in Japanese soy sauce, ginger, sugar, mirin and sake; a typical teriyaki type sauce. A typical Japanese dish which goes perfectly with rice and miso soup. With every bite, I was reminded of home. 

A similar dish I've posted earlier is the "Shoga-yaki"; pork ginger stir fry. Also a must try if you have thin sliced pork in your fridge. 


Ingredients:

• 0.5 lb thin sliced pork (200g)
• 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 - 2 tsp grated ginger

Steps:

1. On a heated pan with oil, toss in the meat (MEDIUM-HIGH heat)
2. Once the meat is mostly cooked, add the vegetables and stir fry them until cooked through.
3. Mix the ginger, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar together and add into the pan. Put a lid on the pan and the heat down to LOW or MEDIUM. 
4. Boil until the sauce is absorbed by the ingredients. This helps the ingredients to suck up all the goodness. Once the liquid has disappeared, enjoy! 

P.S. Heart of the City Farmers Market


I just wanted to add a note about the wonderful experiences I've been having at one of San Francisco's Farmer's Markets. I go to Heart of the City Farmers Market in Civic Center every Sunday to get fresh vegetables and fruits. Today, I got 2 eggplants, 4 apricots, a bag of cucumbers, a bag of large green peppers, kabocha, strawberries, black berries and mini tomatoes for just......$10! 

Not only can you get fresh vegetables and fruits from farmers markets. You can also speak with the people who are responsible for the products and get advice from them; how to pick the best kinds and such. Highly recommended! 

Little food stands and trucks can be hidden gems as well. 

I've got multiple comments about Tamagoyakis, Japanese sweet omelettes. 

According to some research, Japanese people only started to eat egg during the Edo period (16th to 18th century). Even then, I'm sure it was a luxury item. Now tamagoyakis are often made as a form of comfort food. Moms and Dads pack it in children's lunches a.k.a. obento. Every time I eat a tamagoyaki I always reminisce my mom's homemade lunches back in elementary school. 

Just like an onigiri (rice ball), it's a dish which reminds you of your family. Somehow tastes different depending on the family though the ingredients being used are probably the same. 

Ingredients being used are eggs and sugar with a dash of oil on the pan. Use a small pan for perfect results.

It may seem difficult at first but practice makes perfect. The more you try, the more easier it gets. I promise! 

As I mentioned earlier, I sometimes make these at night, cut them, freeze them in saran wrap and take it for lunch in its frozen state in the morning. By lunch time, they are defrosted and taste delicious! 

They go perfectly with rice; especially onigiri. I hope you check out the recipe I posted for this dish and try it out yourself! 

With all the amazing vegetables in season and my visits to the farmers markets here in San Francisco, I've been needing to find a way to consume the vegetables but in an easy manner; especially for those weekday dinners at home after work. I've discovered the simplest Japanese vegetable stir fry recipe!

Ingredients (for 2 people):

• Any vegetable(s) you like  (e.g. 1 zucchini, 1 onion, broccoli)
  
• Any other additional ingredients (e.g. mushrooms)
• 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp Hondashi (Japanese soup stock)
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp sugar
• Oil

Steps: 
Simply stir fry the veggies your pan until they are cooked through, then add the Hondashi, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar. Heat until water is evaporated. 


It's delicious and makes your dish taste like a true Japanese dish despite its simplicity and ease! Please give it a try! 

It goes well as a side dish with grilled chicken, grilled fish and even my favourite natto! 

One of my favourite destination in San Francisco so far are the Farmers Markets! There are so many around the city all throughout the week and the quality of vegetables and fruits you get there are outstanding. My favourite so far is the "Heart of the City Farmers Market" in Civic Center. If you follow my Instagram, you should already know that I got 2 large daikons, 4 apricots/peaches, bitter melon and zucchinis, all for $3. I also got a bag full of delicious onions and zucchinis for $1 each last week. You get fruits and veggies in season directly from the farmers, how amazing is that?! 

One vegetable I've been seeing a lot at these Farmers Market recently are eggplants! 

I've already introduced the ginger eggplant stir fry on this blog, but today I'll introduce something more simple and easy. A simple Japanese stir fry, somewhat like a teriyaki sauce! 

May I warn you that my boyfriend and I just could not stop eating this. It was so tasty, went perfectly with Japanese rice; just unstoppable.

Ingredients

• 1 eggplant
• (Optional) Any other vegetables of your choice
• 1 tbsp oil of your choice (I use coconut oil or olive oil)
• 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• (Optional) A hint of sesame oil

Steps

1. Cut the eggplant into slices and soak them in water for a couple of minutes.
2. Heat up a pan with oil.
3. Once the pan is heated, toss in the eggplants (and additional veggies if any).
4. Once the vegetables get soft and heated, add the sugar.
5. Once the sugar is disolved, add the soy sauce. Heat for a couple more minutes until the soy sauce settles into the veggies. Add the hint of sesame oil at the end for a savory smell prior to serving.

So I've begun my life as a fulltime employee in San Francisco. Absolutely loving it so far. Starting my second week, I decided to pack obentos to work! There are cute cafes around office but they are all crowded and the last thing I want to do is wait in line! I've never really packed true Japanese obentos myself. I've always watched my mom though. I decided to start simple. A bed of rice with furikake, tamagoyaki and some stir fried veggies. Absolutely perfect. 

How to make a simple but delicious and safe to eat obento? Read below! 

Rice

• I cooked the rice on timer mode so I can pack fresh rice in the morning. Let the rice out to cool before packing it up.
  
  

Tamagoyaki (Japanese sweet omelette)

• Click here for the link to the recipe. Once you have cooked it, wrap it up in saran wrap and store it in the freezer! In the morning, take it out of the freezer and pack it into your obento. By the time it's lunch time, it will be defrosted and delicious. I promise.
• After learning the successful result of my frozen tamagoyaki defrosted by lunch time, I've decided to make batches of them before hand on the weekends so I don't have to do it every night prior. (Yes, my boyfriend and I absolutely LOVE tamagoyakis and can't get enough of them)
  
  

Stir fry veggies

• I simply stir fried veggies (like zucchini, onion, garlic, mushroom, salt and pepper) and store it in the fridge until next morning.

Time taken: 5 - 10 minutes
Approximately 300 kcal per serving

About This Dish:
I head over to my freezer when I find myself hungry and in need of a substantial and healthy Japanese meal at home. Why? Because I usually have a stash of udon hidden in my freezer! Yaki-Udon (Fried Udon) is one of Japan's most popular noodles, udon, stir fried with a bunch of vegetables and optionally meat. This recipe adds a delicious taste to the dish by adding a little bit of sesame oil and Japanese soy sauce! Be creative in your additions and you might end up with an amazing dish for lunch! My mom actually used to make this for me for breakfast. Good old days :) 


While you're at it, why not check out my other udon recipe as well? 

What You Need:
(Makes 2 servings)

• 1 package of udon noodles (I use frozen ones)
• (Optional) Vegetables of your choice (I use onion, cabbage, red pepper, mushrooms, carrots...)
• (Optional) Meat of your choice (I often use thin sliced pork)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 - 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Cook the udon noodles as instructed on package (I usually throw in the vegetables in the last few minute or so to boil together with the noodles)
2. Heat a pan on MEDIUM heat and throw in the noodles, vegetables and meat (if you have it). Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. 
3. At the end, season with sesame oil and serve! 

Shoga-Yaki, a dish with grilled pork (thin sliced) mixed with a savoury sauce made of soy sauce, Japanese sake and mirin. It's a very easy dish to make and despite its simplicity, it tastes absolutely delicious! My boyfriend loved this dish tonight and mentioned that it's better than any Japanese dish served at a typical Japanese restaurant in Boston. Yay! 

I posted a recipe for this dish earlier so click here to access it. Most of all, ENJOY! 

Have you tried making this amazing beef bowl using this recipe I posted a while ago?

Since I had the chance to go to a large Korean supermarket (H Mart in Burlington, MA), thanks to Zipcar, I stocked up on thin sliced beef and pork usually used for Shabu Shabu or Japanese style stir fry dishes! Since the meat is usually packed in large portions, I usually wrap the meat up in smaller portions using saran wrap and freeze them for future usage. 

Using the fresh thin sliced beef, the first thing I made was gyu-don! Beef bowl! Perfectly sweet, perfectly savoury. Rice turns heavenly and irresistible when topped with this beef dish! 

I changed around the ingredients this time. I didn't use mirin! 

What I Used:
(Makes 2 servings)

• 250ml water (~1 cup)
• 200g (7oz) thin sliced beef (I used top blade boneless beef)
• 1/2 large onion
• Some eringi mushrooms
• 1 and 1/2 tsp Dashi stock
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp Japanese sake
• 2 and 2/3 tbsp (or simply 3 tbsp) Japanese soy sauce
• 1 or 2 tsp grated ginger

Steps:
I used the same procedures as this recipe, but I'll post it in text here anyway :)

1. Chop onions and other ingredients you wish to add. Heat up the water and put the onions and other ingredients into the pan with the dashi stock. Heat until soft.
2. Add the sugar, sake, soy sauce and meat. Stir well. Put a lid onto the pan and cook on LOW-MEDIUM heat for 10 minutes.
3. Add the grated ginger.
4. Heat on low for an additional 5-15 minutes so the taste sinks in (with lid). 
5. Serve on rice!

As you all probably know, Boston has been going through a chaotic couple of hours with the suspect of the Boston Marathon Bombing incident on the run. With a "shelter in place" order, it was a great chance to use up some left over ingredients in the fridge!

"Negi Yaki" is basically a savoury pancake made with just green onions ("Negi"). You usually fold the pancake up and enjoy it like a crepe. I hid some cheese in mine. Since you fry it, the outside becomes very crunchy and since we use starch in the mix, the pancake itself becomes pleasantly chewy. The smell of the sesame oil is perfectly appetizing as well. I mixed some soy sauce, sesame seeds and chopped up garlic as a dipping sauce.

What You Need:
(Makes 1 pancake)

• A bunch of chopped up green onions/spring onions
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
  
• 1 tbsp starch (I used corn starch)
• 4 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp Hondashi soup stock

Steps:

1. Simply mix the ingredients in a bowl.
   
2. Heat a skillet on HIGH with oil (I put it about a tsp of olive oil), pour in the mix like a pancake. Fry till crispy.
   
3. Place any toppings of your preference (I put in some cheese), turn the heat down to LOW heat, fold the pancake in half like an omelette.
   
4. Fry on MEDIUM to HIGH heat until crispy on both sides. Make the dipping sauce and enjoy!

Izakayas are basically casual restaurants who concentrate on serving drinks and small Japanese tapas dishes such as edamame, fried chicken, salads, etc. Back when I lived in Japan, I went to an izakaya on a regular basis to enjoy the "All you can drink" menu as well as regular menus. There are fancy izakayas to regular type of izakayas. Izakayas made for specific target customers too; some izakayas focusing on seafood lovers, some on older business men. It's really fun to scavenge around for your favourite izakaya since there are so many; especially around popular stations. 

Back to this recipe of cabbage mixed with salt and sesame oil called "shio-kyabetsu" in Japanese. It's a very simple dish and very popular amongst izakaya lovers and yakiniku (Korean bbq) lovers. It's always served as an appetizer. It's just a perfect salad to accomodate other meaty dishes or alcoholic beverages. Please give it a try, it only takes a minute to make!

 What You Need:

• Several leaves of cabbage (chopped, I used around 5 leaves)
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• Salt and pepper (as much as you want)

Simply mix all the ingredients together. Yup, that's it.

For those of you who haven't tried this popular recipe on my blog, YOU MUST! 

Chicken or pork katsu (essentially Japanese style fried chicken or pork) is a very popular dish in Japan and in the US. This recipe provides a healthy alternative; it uses absolutely no oil. It's as crunchy, delightful and satisfying as the deep fried version, I promise. I also must mention that it is much less of a hassle to make since you don't have to clean up the oily mess on your counters.  Instead, you pop it in the oven to bake! 

Last night, I topped one of the katsus with some mexican cheese. It simply melted in my mouth! 

Why did I decide to make katsu last night? Not only because it's delicious; but also because it signifies good luck! Many students applying for schools/jobs eat katsu dishes to wish for a good result; to win ("katsu" (勝つ) in Japanese) ! 

Number of steps:  5 steps
Time taken: 15 - 20 minutes
Approximately 240 kcal per serving

About This Dish:
If you have followed my blog you probably know by now that I love chicken! With so much shredded cheese leftover in my fridge, I had to think of a quick and simple dish to make for dinner. This dish may sound childish and too simple, but let me tell you...It is definitely worth trying! The cheese is placed in the center of the chicken then is wrapped up. After cooking, the cheese then melts in your mouth. Additionally, the pan makes some of the melted cheese crunchy and irresistible. 

Enjoy with just salt and pepper! The taste of the chicken and cheese is perfection. 

You could also try frying or making this chicken a fake katsu using this popular recipe! 

What You Need:
(Makes 3 servings)

• 1lb Boneless Skinless Chicken Thigh
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup cheese (I used Trader Joes' Lite Shredded 3 Cheese Blend)
• ~1 tbsp oil (I used Trader Joes' Organic Virgin Coconut Oil)

Number of steps:  5 steps
Time taken: 15 - 20 minutes
Approximately 280 kcal per serving

About This Dish:
As mentioned in my past recipes, Japanese hamburger steaks (called "Hambaagu" in Japaneses) are a very popular dish in Japan for all ages. Casual family restaurants serve great Hambaagus! Not to mention all the moms and dads around Japan who are great at it too. There are restaurants like Hungry Tiger who solely serve Hambaagus (and steaks). I've posted a recipe using ground turkey, tofu, ground chicken and a quick recipe for delicious demi glace sauce which is superb with these "Hambaagu"s. I've been posting healthy options for Hambaagu in the past, but today I'll be posting a recipe for a legitimate beef hambaagu (most restaurants serve these). My boyfriend and I melted after eating a bite, so I hope you enjoy it too! 

One important tip I have is to make sure the onion and whatever you mix into the ground meat to be cold when mixing. Even your hands; stick them into ice water. We don't want the juicy fat of the meat to run away, we aim to trap it into meat until we serve these goodies.

What You Need:
(Makes 2 servings)

• 250g or 7-8oz of ground beef (I used lean beef)
• 1/2 onion
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup panko 
• Salt and pepper
• Sprinkle of numeg
• 1 tbsp oil

Sauce

• I mixed 2 tbsp of ketchup with 1 tbsp of katsu. I have a demi glace sauce recipe but I wanted something quick and easy today.

My favourite fish to cook is probably salmon. I especially love to cook it in foil! It's mess free and best of all, I can throw in all the veggies I want. I've posted a recipe for this in the past using miso-mayo as a sauce on top. 

Today, I layered chopped raw onions, raw arugula, raw broccoli then the raw salmon (salt & peppered) and put a tablespoon of Japanese soy sauce and a tiny bit of butter on top. Popped it in a 470F oven for 15 minutes. EASY and DELICIOUS. Fresh squeeze of lemon prior to eating too :)

Number of steps:  6 steps
Approximately 100 kcal per serving

About This Dish:
Okonomiyaki is a savoury Japanese pancake containing various ingredients varying by region. Osaka has different types, Hiroshima has different types and Tokyo has different types! Some areas like to put in meat, some areas like seafood. Some put a layer of noodles underneath and top it with a cracked egg. Some mix rice into the mix! Basically, you can throw in whatever you like into these pancakes. In Japan, "Okonomiyaki Parties" are very popular. People basically set up a hot plate at home and make okonomiyakis! There are many restaurants serving gourmet to casual okonomiyakis as well. The best thing about this dish is that you can throw in the craziest ingredients of your preference whether it be natto, cheese or pickles! 

The main ingredients for an okonomiyaki is cabbage, flour and the toppings (sauce, mayo). The toppings are usually the same where ever you go. You can buy the sauces on Amazon.com or at any asian supermarket; I saw it at Shaws recently too.  

This recipe is the simplest of them all. Minimal ingredients. I even had to use whole wheat flour since I had run out of the regular kind. It still worked!

What You Need:
(Makes 4 servings/pancakes)

• A lot of shredded cabbage, as much as you like (I probably used 3, 4 cups)
• 1 egg
• 120g all purpose flour (I used all purpose whole wheat flour!)
• 1 tbsp potato starch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Japanese shoyu (soy sauce)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp Hondashi soup stock (Link: Amazon)
• Salt
• 160 - 200 cc water (depending on your preference of consistency)
• (Optional) Any other ingredients you may wish to add such as meat (usually thin sliced pork), vegetables, seafood, green onion, cheese, mochi....etc! I decided to add frozen shrimp! 

Topping (Consistent among regions)

• Katsu sauce, worcestorshire sauce, okonomiyaki sauce  (Links: Amazon)
• Japanese kewpie mayo! (or regular mayo of course)
• Dried shaved bonito flakes (a.k.a. Katsuobushi) 
• Aonori flakes (seaweed)

Steps:
Since the recipe is so simple, I'm going to go with just text! 

1. Mix the flour, baking powder and potato starch together in a bowl.
2. Add the egg, soy sauce, sugar, dashi and salt. Mix further.
3. Add the water, not all at once.
4. Once the mixture becomes smooth, add the cabbage and other ingredients you decide to use.
5. Heat a pan with oil on MEDIUM heat and cook the pancakes until crispy and brown. After making one side crispy, I highly recommend you cover the pan to let the pancakes steam for a couple of minutes.
6. Top the pancakes with sauce, mayo, etc and enjoy!