Kinpira Gobo

kinpira, kinpira, kinpira.......

Kinpira gobo is a traditional Japanese side dish. This has intense flavor. We usually eat it with rice.

I love the crunchy and chewy texture of kinpira gobo.
Gobo has a lots of fiber so.... you have to be careful after eating this. hehe




Here is my kinpira gobo recipe.

gobo (about 2 feet long)
3 carrots (medium size)

2 tbs sesame oil
a pinch of red pepper
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs sake
1 tbs mirin
5 tbs soy sauce

Peel the gobo and carrots with a peeler. Shave the gobo then put them into the water. Soak them for about 5 minutes. Juline the carrots. Add sesame oil and a pinch of red pepper to a hot pan. Add the gobo and carrots and stir fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the ingredients in this order while continuing to stir fry: brown sugar, sake, mirin and soy sauce. Add sesame seeds and stir fry for another 3-4 minutes.

Spaghetti with Clams

I love this product!
Thank you Trader Joe's!!

You can find this product in the frozen food section.
The clams are frozen in a garlic butter sauce. I just mixed them with cooked spaghetti.

Super easy and yummy!!

Tofu something V

Sometimes I lose my appetite on a hot summer day.
What do I want to eat? What should I eat?

I love sour flavor.
Cold cucumber and tofu cools me down.

1 pack tofu (silk)
1 cucumber
2 scallions
2 tbs sakura ebi（a small variety of shrimp)
2 tbs roasted sesame seeds

mixture # 1
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs doubanjiang

Peal the cucumber skin like a stripe. Cut the cucumber lengthwise in half and take out the seeds with a spoon. Dice the cucumber. Mince the scallions. Combine with mixture 1 and then add diced cucumber, scallions, sakura ebi and roasted sesame seeds. Put tofu into a bowl and top with remaining ingredients.

Shrimp & Avocado

It was nice sunny Sunday brunch.

Mix some yogurt and mayonnaise together. Add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Then add diced avocado and boiled shrimp.
Garnish with cilantro.

Art ?

Tofu something IV

I bought a "atsuage" at the Japanese market.
"Atsuage" is deep fried tofu.

I pan fried it on both sides for about 5 minutes until the skin becomes crunchy. If you have a toaster oven you can use that. Then I finished it with a touch of sesame oil to bring out a nice flavor, topped it with minced green onions and ground ginger. Eat with soy sauce.

Cha-mame

Cha-mame is a type of edamame.
It's sweet and flavorful.
I like Cha-mame :)
You can find this easily at a Japanese market.

Mitsuwa market place
Marukai store
Nijiya market
3860 Convoy St., #109, San Diego, CA 92111
TEL- (858) 268-3821
Mon ~ Sun 9:00am- 10:00pm

Unagi Kabayaki

Do you know "unagi"? "unagi" means "freshwater eels" in Japanese.
"kabayaki" is the preparation style.

I made easy "Una-don ".

You can just pop the "unagi kabayaki pack" into the microwave oven for about 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the rice. Put the unagi kabayaki on top.

I bought a unagi kabayak from Taiwan. It was one pack for $5. That was pretty good! Next time I will buy the expensive one from Japan and compare them.

Ah~~ I miss "Unajyuu".

Spicy Tuna

Actually spicy tuna is not a traditional Japanese dish. Sushi rolls are popular in the U.S. When I first got here I didn't know that. I had never eaten a spicy tuna roll in Japan.

I got 1/4 lb of wild yellow fin tuna- "nakaochi" for $3.00 at the Japanese market place. "Nakaochi" is the name of the part of the tuna. It's the meat in between the rib bones. It's a tasty and inexpensive part of the tuna.

I ate my spicy tuna with crackers like an appetizer.
Ah-- ! we needed a beer!!

1/4 lb tuna- nakaochi
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs Sriracha Hot Cille sauce
2 scallions
2 shiso leaves

Mince the tuna, scallions and shiso. Mix all the ingredients.
That's all :)

IHOP Debut !!

This is my IHOP debut ! I miss American style big breakfast.
I ordered the apple cinnamon pancake combo for $8.99. Pancakes were yummy and fluffy :)
I liked it but the apple cinnamon sauce was too sweet. I couldn't finish it.

I hope our favorite breakfast place Perry's Cafe will open again soon.

Fish tonight ! "Aji no Himono"

"Aji" is "horse mackerel" in Japanese. Soaking in brine and drying in the sun is known as the "Himono" preparation method. This is very old method and part of Japanese traditional food culture. It is savory and has lots of flavor.

I bought "aji no himono" at Mitsuwa market place, 2 for $4. I don't have a grille so I used a fry pan this time. Spray oil on the pan. Cook both sides for about 5 minutes, open side first. I ate with daikon oroshi (shredded daikon) with soy sauce. That was pretty good :)

My daikon appetizer

"Daikon" is a Japanese radish. It's big and white. It is a very common vegetable in Japan. We use it for many dishes.

My daikon appetizer goes well with beer or sake.
Super easy and delicious!

Combine thinly sliced daikon, roasted sesame seeds and "Fujicco".
Fujicco is a product name. It's seasoned kelp (sea weeds). You can find it easily in Japanese markets.

Capsi of the day

It was such a beautiful day today! Capsi was sleeping on our bed in the morning. Oh my such a spoiled puppy....I said "Go out side! Enjoy the sun!" then she went out side slept in the sun :)

Tofu Somethng III

This dish is called "Shira ae" in Japanese. It means "dressed with white". It's like a tofu dressing. Very nutritious!!

My recipe is not the traditional way to prepare it because I don't have the right Japanese cooking utensils. I'm sure the taste is still pretty good!


1 pack of tofu (silk)
1/2 bunch of spinach
2 small carrots
**You can use any kind of vegetables :)



Mixture #1
1 tbs sake
1 tbs mirin
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs salt
2 tbs ground sesame seeds
1 tbs creamed sesame seeds

Wrap the tofu with paper towels and put into the microwave oven for about 15 seconds. This is an easy to remove extra water from the tofu. Cut the spinach into 1 1/2 inch segments and boil about 1 minute. Using a strainer, remove spinach from the pot and shock it in cold water. Squeeze the spinach to remove excess water. Thinly cut carrots and boil about 2 to 3 minutes.
Combine the mixture #1 ingredients. Mash the tofu and add the #1 mixture, stir to combine and then add spinach and carrots. Toss together.

Curry Mayo Sauce

1/4 cup of nonfat plain yogurt
3 tbs mayonnaise
(I recommend Japanese mayonnaise)
1/2 tbs curry powder
pinch of black pepper

This Curry Mayo Sauce goes really well with any kind of vegetable. I mixed it with roasted zucchini and baked shrimps this time. That was great.

Love Parchment Paper

When I was in Japan I didn't use an oven very often. In fact my oven was very small. It was a multi-feature oven with microwave, toaster and convection. I only used toaster and microwave :-p

I'm getting the hang of big American ovens. I like cooking with parchment paper. I can make nice individual dishes and It's fun to open the paper!




My Tuna Stakes (2 servings)
2 fillets of Tuna
Mushrooms
green onion
grape tomatoes

Mayo Mustard Sauce
2 tbs whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs honey
1 tbs mayonnaise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the Mayo Mustard Sauce ingredients in a mixing bowl. Put mushrooms on the parchment paper. Pat the tuna dry with a paper towel and then put it on the mushrooms. Put the mayo mustard sauce on the tuna. Top with chopped green onion and cut tomatoes. Fold the parchment paper. Put them into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

My Baked Salmon Chirashizushi

I got Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar from Trader Joe's. This is a great product! It gives a nice flesh citrus flavor. It's good in a vinaigrette for salad or sprinkle it on fruit. So I thought this vinegar might be good with sushi! I used it to make my sushi vinegar.

Here is the my easy family style sushi "Baked Salmon Chirashizushi".


"Sushi vinegar"
1/4 cup of Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar
2 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs mirin
1 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tbs salt

2 1/2 cups rice (raw)
about half pound salmon fillet
1 cup arugula
2 tbs roasted sesame seeds


Cook the rice. You need to use Japanese sticky rice :)

Salty Salmon flakes
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Salt both side of the salmon with 2 tbs and bake 20 minutes.

In a small bowl stir together sushi vinegar ingredients. Put the bowl into the microwave oven for 15 seconds and then stir until sugar is melted.

Put the cooked rice into a large mixing bowl and add the sushi vinegar. Mix together until combined. Toss in the salty salmon flakes, sesame seeds and arugula.

I usually use "shiso" instead of arugula. I needed something green. I think It's OK to use green beans, basil or whatever. Actually arugula gives nice mustardy flavor. Wow It's a nice touch with sour sushi vinegar!! Oishii :)

Tofu Something II

Mapo doufu is a very popular Chinese dish in Japan.

Actually we pronounce it "Mabo doufu" in Japanese.
I like Mabo doufu :)


Here is my Mabo doufu recipe.
(about 4 servings)

1 lb ground beef
4 scallions
4 medium size dried shiitake mushrooms
1 pack Tofu (firm)
1 tbs ginger
1 tbs Mirin
2 tbs soy sauce
1tbs sake
3 tbs Doubanjiang (I like spicy !)
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbs katakuriko with half cup of water
1tbs sesame oil

Stir fry the ground beef. Drain the extra fat. Put the beef back into the pan and then add chopped scallions and dried shiirtake mashrooms and minced ginger. Cook about 2~3 minutes. Add Doubanjiang, soy sauce, Mirin, sake and chicken broth. Cook another minute or two. Add the half cup of katakuriko water. Cook until it has thickened. Add diced tofu and cook about 5~7 minutes. Finish it with a drizzle of sesame oil.

Tea Prunes

Make strong black tea (this time I used earl gray). When the tea cools down, marinade the prunes in the tea about half a day.

I found this recipe on one of my favorite cooking blogs. The author said you can keep this about one week in the refrigerator.

I ate tea prunes with plain yogurt topped with brown sugar.

Wow this is sooooooooooooo "Oishii" :)

AVATAR

We finely saw "AVATAR".

Actually we were going to see "Alice in Wonderland" but you know.. of course there were loooooong lines! OK maybe next week or next month :-P

It was much better than I thought. I was happy to see it in the theater. It had beautiful graphics and colors. I wanted to see the 3D vision.

The story reminds me of "Hayao Miyazaki" movie. The story and some parts of the visual was like a ”Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind” , ”Princess Mononoke" and ”Castle in the Sky". I thought James Cameron copied Miyazaki movies!? So I came back home and I Googled it. I found many people who share my opinion. I also found an article that says James Cameron loves Miyazaki animation and he got lots of influence from them. OK that's make sense.

Even if it was a copy, James Cameron still made our night and I'm proud of Miyazaki animation.
If you haven't seen a Miyazaki movie, you should.

Grape Cocktail

Thompson seedless grapes and mint marinated with honey and white balsamic vinegar.
Japanese usually don't eat grape skins. This also surprised me. I'm getting used to eating grape skins. These are my favorite :)

Capsi of the day

My husband cut her nails today. He is Capsi's special nailist. She was a good girl while he was cutting her nails but she doesn't like them filed. So now her feet do not make clicking sounds on our wood floors.

Let's eat Spinach

I was surprised when I saw people to eat raw spinach in the U.S. I thought you had to cook spinach.

This is my favorite way to eat spinach.
So simple :D

1 bunch of spinach
Nori
Katsuobushi
Soy sauce

Rinse 1 bunch of spinach. Add a pinch of salt to a pot of boiling water. Put the spinach into the pot and cook for 1 minute and 30 sec. Using a strainer, remove spinach from the pot and shock it in cold water. When the spinach is completely cool, roll the spinach into a log so that the stems and the leaves are on opposite sides.
Cut the roots off. Cut the log into 2 inch pieces. Squeeze each segment to remove excess water. Put each segment on the dish and top with nori and katsuobushi.
Drizzle with soy sauce.

Thai cuisine

I went to Amarin Thai Restaurant. for lunch.
The lunch menu was a good deal! I ordered "Pad Pik Khing" (shrimp / medium spicy). It had good sweet flavor with a kick.

Inexpensive, good taste, nice service :)
I like it! I will come back again.