"Ni-tu-ke" (煮付け) is a way of cooking in Japan which involves boiling the ingredient in soy sauce and sugar. Fish is very expensive in the US compared to Japan but I've found that Trader Joe's sells cheap tilapia (around $6 for 3 generous pieces). It may not be the best fish but it's a wonderful alternative for those on a budget.
Grilling or baking the fish in butter may sound easy but sometimes could end up being burnt and tough. This recipe involves boiling the fish in a simple savoury sauce. It's easy, takes only 10 minutes and you'll end up with a tasty traditional Japanese dish. Better than going to a Japanese restaurant! Serve with white rice, miso soup and veggies, like always. Here, I'll also be introducing a new technique called "otoshi-buta" (落とし蓋) which means to put a lid directly onto the food or deep into the pan. Ingredients:
Sauce (start with this, add more or less depending on how sweet/savoury you like your sauce)
Steps:
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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:
Steps:
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):
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! 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
Tamagoyaki (Japanese sweet omelette)
Stir fry veggies
Tortillas are very expensive here in Japan. I went to a local supermarket (known to provide low prices) and found 10 tortillas for around $6. Ouch. This didn't stop me from sharing the concept of wraps, dips and spreads to my family in Japan. I decided to make my own tortillas instead! I make my own pizza with my boyfriend sometimes so this tortilla making ended up being very similar to that.
- - - T O R T I L L A - - - My first homemade tortillas ended up being chewy, soft and on the thicker side. Instead of wrapping things inside, we ended up dipping or placing the spreads and dips on top. After thorough research online about making tortillas, here's what I used:
Steps:
- - - D I P S / S P R E A D S - - - Simple Yoghurt Guacamole
Garlic Basil Mayo
Tomato and Basil Marinade
Hummus
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)
Steps:
Throwback Recipe: Japanese Ginger Pork, "Shoga-Yaki" . Amazing sauce, goes wonderfully with rice.4/29/2013 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)
Steps: I used the same procedures as this recipe, but I'll post it in text here anyway :)
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)
Steps:
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:
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)
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)
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 :) |
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