"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:

• 3-4 pieces of fish (preferably with white meat. I used Trader Joe's tilapia)
  
  

Sauce (start with this, add more or less depending on how sweet/savoury you like your sauce)

• 3 - 4 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 - 2 tbsp of sugar (depending on how sweet you like your fish)
• 1/4 cup Japanese sake 

Steps:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and heat in a pan until it starts boiling. 
2. Once the sauce starts boiling, put the fish into the pan and turn the heat to LOW. Get some aluminum foil and cover the fish/broth directly. We call this technique "otoshi-buta" which means "fallen lid". We want the lid to be placed deeply inside the pot, directly on the food. This will help the sauce get soaked up easier. (Photograph below)
   
3. Cook the fish in the pan for 7 - 10 minutes on LOW. 
4. After 7-10 minutes, take off the lid and use a spoon to pour the sauce onto the surface of the fish which was not soaked in the sauce. Be careful not to cook the fish any longer as the sauce may get too thick and strong. 
5. Serve with rice and other side dishes. I often use the left over sauce to cook vegetables such as broccoli and zucchini!

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.

What can I make with leftover ingredients in the fridge? A bunch of veggies, lean chicken, a lot of natto packets....I finally decided to stir fry them all together. My mother was surprised about the idea but being a natto lover, I couldn't resist. This dish is great with rice! If you're not a natto lover, you may want to skip this recipe :P 

What's the big deal about natto (fermented soy beans) anyway? 
- Isoflavones contribute to hormone balance (especially for women) and protection against specific cancers.
- Protein contributes to bone strength and protection again menopause
- Saponin contributes as a disinfectant, beautiful skin, high blood pressure and smoothing the blood.
- Zinc contributes to balancing the digestive system.
- Calcium contribute to bone strength
- Magnesium contributes to beautiful skin and disinfecting the body
- Fiber contributes to beautiful skin, diabetes, fat and lowering cholesterol

Ingredients:

• Meat (I used 200g, 1/2 lb of lean chicken)
• Vegetables (I used chives and green pepper)
• 2 packets of natto (or more if you like!)
• 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• A dash of sesame oil

Recipe:

1. Stir fry the meat (I used chicken) in a pan.
2. Toss in the natto (mixed with soy sauce prior) and vegetables, heat some more.
3. Season with salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of soy sauce.
4. Before serving, add a dash of sesame oil around the edge of the pan and mix for a few seconds.
5. Enjoy!

Improvements considered:

• Adding kimchi would be tasty! 
• Sprinkling sesame seeds.
• Toss in a scrambled egg.

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:

• 1.5 cup of all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• A little less than half a cup of warm water (I highly recommend you adjust the amount of water you put in throughout the process while you kneed the dough)
• Salt 

Steps:

1. In a bowl, mix the flour, olive oil and salt together. 
2. Start to add in the warm water (little by little!) while you mix the dough. We want the dough to become like pizza dough! Maybe as soft as your ear lobe.
3. Settle the dough in saran wrap or in a kitchen towel for a while.
4. Separate the dough into sections. Roll them into balls and flatten them so they are thin like tortillas. 
5. Place them onto a MEDIUM heated pan and cook both sides for approximately 1 minute each.
6. After you're done cooking them, place them onto a plate and cover it with saran wrap or a towel to prevent it from drying out.

- - - D I P S / S P R E A D S - - -

Simple Yoghurt Guacamole 

• Mix 1/2 avocado, 1/4 to 1/3 cup of strained/greek yoghurt, salt, pepper, garlic (optional), onions (optional). This guacamole becomes super creamy! My absolute favourite. 

Garlic Basil Mayo

• Mix 2 tbsp mayo, 1/2 tbsp basil, salt, pepper and a little bit of minced garlic and mix! Goes great with meat, veggie sticks and bread.

Tomato and Basil Marinade

• Mix tomatoes, basil, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and minced garlic together. 

Hummus

• Blend 1 can of chick peas and 1 minced garlic clove until smooth. Then add 1 - 1.5 tbsp tahini (ground sesame seed paste), 2-4 tbsp lemon juice, salt, pepper and a few tbsp of the left over water from the chick pea can (~2 tbsp) and blend until creamy. You could also add olive oil into the mixture. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and other spices (if you like).

I was supposed to fly out of Japan on Monday, however I've had to extend my stay due to some missing immigration documents as a F1 student. While I sort everything out here in Japan, I'll probably have to slow down on the blog posts, instagram and tweets. Just give me a few more days and I promise I'll post many many more Japanese recipes for you try! 

Meanwhile, please enjoy some shots of Yokohama and Tokyo I've been taking on my iPhone4. 



Shibuya, "Hikarie": The new building connected to the new portion of Shibuya station. It's a mall with shopping, restaurants and delicatessens. 

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!

Love avocado? I do.

I've been meaning to use up the avocado I got at Whole Foods ASAP. What better way than to use it in a sweet dessert while your city is on lock down?

This pound cake uses no butter, no sugar. Instead I used avocado, cinnamon and honey! The pound cake turned out to be super moist, perfectly chewy and the taste emphasized more on the avocado. If you aren't an avocado lover, I suggest you add a little more honey or cinnamon to mask the taste of avocado!

Like always, my desserts are not as sweet compared to those desserts often sold in the US, so if you are a sweet tooth, make sure to add more honey. Perfect for breakfast or a snack with some lovely tea or coffee!

What You Need:
(For 5 inch x 2.5 inch container)

• 1/2 ripe avocado
• 4 tbsp honey (Remember, I don't make my sweets overly sweet so if you are a sweet tooth, add more!)
• 2 eggs
  
• 100g (1/3 cup and 1+ tbsp) all purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Steps: (Due to the simplicity, I'm going to go with text based steps rather than posting a photo for each step!)

1. Preheat the oven to 320F (160C)
   
2. Cut up the avocado into cubes (so that they are easily mashed up later) and put it in the microwave for 30 seconds
3. Mash up the avocado (I used a spoon/fork) until smooth, mix.
   
4. Add the honey little by little to the avocado, mix.
   
5. Add the eggs, mix.
   
6. Add the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, mix.
   
7. Pop into the oven for 35+ minutes. Stick a wooden stick into the cake; if there is no residue on it, it should be done!
   

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.