Chef Watanabe-san at Sushi Paradise makes the finest sushi on Maui. Sushi Paradise is a tiny restaurant with just a few tables in the dining room and few seats at the sushi bar. He is a one-man operation. On the night we dined there, a couple who didn’t have a reservation strolled in and luckily found two seats at the sushi bar. The server let them know they would be waiting at least a half hour before their sushi order arrived. They placed their order left to do some shopping at the stores in the complex and promptly returned in time for their sushi order to be placed in front of them! Now that’s what I call making good use of your time.
Edamame is always a tasty way to start the evening. Place your sushi order and nibble on these salty pods with your cold beer or sake.
California Roll.
Toro. Sublime!
Shrimp tempura roll.
Seared salmon lightly wrapped with a pat of rice and topped with finely grated toppings served with ponzu sauce.
Spicy scallop roll.
Maguro and Hamachi.
This veggie roll is the best I ever tasted. Crunchy ingredients perfectly wrapped in creamy avocado slices.
Watanabe-san at Sushi Paradise makes some of the best sushi we have ever eaten and he does not compromise by serving mediocre ingredients to his customers. Everything we ordered was fresh and delicious and of the best quality imaginable. Simple touches such as ground sesame seeds on the takuan pickles makes this place special. If you love sushi, as we do, you will find no finer than at Sushi Paradise!
This is a simple variation on sushi rice or Chirashi Sushi which means scattered sushi. Hot rice is mixed with a vinegar sauce (sushi meshi) and colorful toppings are added. It’s an excellent side dish that goes especially well with grilled teriyaki chicken, beef, fish or tofu. If you want to make it in advance, I suggest making it the same day you plan to serve it since rice tends to dry out and harden the longer you refrigerate it.
Let me introduce you to the Benriner. It is made in Japan and comes with assorted blades and a small plastic guide. I’ve had my Benriner for about 20 years. It is not fancy and as you can see this model has no container attachment for storing vegetables and I like that because it fits in your drawer without taking up too much space. You can find this at Amazon.com
Pickled Red Ginger.
Takuan (pickled radish).
Takuan and red ginger.
This little Japanese rectangular egg pan makes it simple to slice the egg into thin slivers once cooked.
Sushi Meshi
2 cups short grain white rice (uncooked and rinsed well)
1/3 cup rice vinegar (not seasoned)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Vegetables
12 green beans – sliced thin
1/2 medium carrot, julienned and cut into 1/3 inch lengths
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon sake or dry sherry
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon red ginger – finely chopped
1/3 cup takuan, finely diced
1 egg scrambled and fried (do not brown) sliced in thin strips (optional)
White and black roasted sesame seeds
Preparation
Cook 2 cups of short grain white rice. When the rice is done have the vinegar sauce ready and do not open the rice cooker until you are ready to add the sauce. The rice must be hot.
For the vinegar sauce combine rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pot and heat on medium heat until sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Pour sauce into a small measuring cup and set aside.
While the rice is cooking prepare the vegetables. Rinse out the pot you used to make the vinegar sauce and combine soy sauce, sugar, sake or sherry and water. Bring to a simmer on medium heat then add the green beans and carrots. Turn heat up to high and cook for about a minute then remove from the heat and set aside. You want to blanch the beans and carrots and not overcook them. Once cool enough to handle, drain and squeeze out the excess moisture. Set aside.
You can use as much or little of the red ginger and takuan that suits you. The ginger has a little kick to it though once you add it to the rice you will barely notice it. Takuan is pickled radish and has some sweetness to it. Drain both the ginger and takuan on paper towels before you chop them. Start with a smaller amount if you are unsure. You can always add more.
When the rice is done use a rice paddle and lightly toss the rice so that it is not clumped together. Quickly put the rice into a large baking dish (Pyrex works well) and slowly add the vinegar sauce drizzling it evenly over the rice tossing gently to mix while fanning madly with a paper fan. Trying to do this all at once by yourself might seem tricky but there is a good reason to this fanning procedure. It helps the hot rice soak up the vinegar sauce without the rice becoming mushy. I don’t have a paper fan so I use a small hairdryer and turn it to low/cool and voilà, it works like a charm. Bribing a family member to help you is even better.
Add the green beans, carrots, ginger and takuan to the rice and toss gently. Now’s the time to transfer the rice to your serving bowl. Top with the sliced egg if using, and sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.
Pickles are addictive. Crunchy, tangy goodness in every bite. Namasu is a simple Japanese pickle that’s ready in an hour. Not only is it quick to make, there are just 6 ingredients. It can double as a refreshing tangy-sweet salad.
The first 3 ingredients – Cucumber, Ginger & Carrot.
It’s easy to make attractive carrot florets with a knife and steady hand.
Grated ginger adds a refreshing flavor to the vegetables.
Beautiful pickles, Japanese style.
Cucumber & Carrot Namasu (Japanese pickles)
Ingredients
1 large English or 2 Japanese cucumbers
1 medium carrot
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preparation
Cut the cucumber in half diagonally and peel thin strips of skin off of each half. Cut each piece of cucumber in half, lengthwise. Remove seeds. Slice the cucumber into 1/4 inch pieces and set aside.
Peel the carrot and cut into thirds. With a small, thin knife cut narrow lengthwise grooves in the carrot to make a floret shape (about 5 cuts if the carrot is thick, 4 if the carrot is very thin). Using a mandoline or sharp thin knife slice the carrot into florets.
Peel ginger and finely grate, set aside 2 teaspoons.
Mix 1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt until sugar and salt has dissolved. Add 2 teaspoons grated ginger.
Combine cucumbers, carrots and vinegar mixture in medium size bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cucumbers and carrots will become delightfully crispy when chilled. The pickles will keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. These pickles go well with tofu or grilled teriyaki chicken.
A recipe named after “Granny” might not sound all that exciting but if you love homemade teriyaki sauce this is really delicious. My mom gave me her recipe card for this sauce a long time ago and she made a note on it “the best.” She was right. It’s the best teriyaki sauce I have ever had.
The secret ingredient that makes this sauce so tasty is sherry. So go ahead and buy a bottle of sherry. Not the cooking sherry they sell in the condiment aisle, decent sherry like Hartley & Gibson’s Amontillado sherry which you can find at a full service grocery store or liquor store. Stash the bottle in your cupboard until your next craving for really good teriyaki sauce, it will last indefinitely.
You can use this marinade for chicken, tofu, fish and beef. I use part of the sauce to marinate whatever I’m cooking and simmer the rest of the sauce until it becomes thick and syrupy. I drizzle this on grilled chicken, tofu or fish and finish with a few sliced green onions before serving. Really good.
Granny’s Teriyaki Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)
4 tablespoons sherry (Hartley & Gibson’s or similar quality)
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large garlic cloves chopped
green onions, sliced (use a good amount since they tend to shrink quite a bit once mixed into the sauce)
Preparation
Combine sugar with soy sauce and sherry until the sugar has dissolved. Add oil, garlic and chopped green onions.
Use to marinate boneless chicken breasts chicken thighs, or your favorite cut of steak for about 3 hours. For tofu and fish such as salmon or ahi marinate for just one hour or so. Turn pieces occasionally.
Note: Prior to marinating your chicken, fish, beef or tofu reserve part of the sauce and simmer until syrupy, about 10 minutes on medium low heat. Watch so the sauce does not boil and burn. You can do this in advance, the sauce will thicken as it cools. Drizzle over grilled chicken, fish, beef or tofu. Sprinkle on green onions and roasted sesame seeds before serving. For a larger quantity of meat double the recipe.
With the tsunami warning taking place the other night, many of us stayed up way past our bedtime listening to updates from the Pacific Tsunami Center. Luckily there was no damage caused by the tsunami here in Hawaii. The following day was like any other Sunday, people picnicking at the beach, shopping, doing errands and going about their merry way. Since I was one of those people who didn’t get much sleep the night before, I wasn’t too keen on making anything fancy for dinner.
Mochiko Chicken Marinade
I found this recipe in our local newspaper years ago. This version of mochiko chicken is delicious. It makes a great picnic lunch along with some onigiri and Kabocha No Toroni. All of these dishes can be eaten without heating up.
Mochiko Chicken
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 eggs, beaten
5 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons mochiko flour
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup chopped green onions
few dashes of salt
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into pieces about two inches in length
canola oil for frying
Preparation
Combine the sugar and soy sauce until the sugar has dissolved. Add the rest of the ingredients except the chicken. Mix marinade well and pour into a large bowl or Ziplock bag. Add the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of two hours.
Pour enough oil into a large fry pan to a depth of 1/4 inch and heat over medium high heat. Fry the chicken in batches for about 3 – 4 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through. The cooking time will depend on how thick your pieces of chicken are. I prefer to pound the chicken breasts so they cook evenly and quickly. This also tenderizes the chicken. Alternately you can use chicken tenders or if you prefer, chicken thighs.
Remove the chicken and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve right away or pack it up and take it to the beach.
Kabocha No Toroni (Japanese squash simmered in rice wine and soy sauce) is a simple side dish that is healthy and delicious. Some cooks prefer to create a marbled effect (above) by paring off patches of the skin. Although this is not necessary, it makes for a beautiful design. This is easily done with a vegetable peeler. The skin of the squash seems very hard, however, as the squash simmers the skin softens and becomes tender and edible.
Kabocha No Toroni
Serves four as a side dish
Adapted from Japanese Vegetarian Cooking by Patricia Richfield
Ingredients
About 1 pound Kabocha (Japanese squash)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon super fine sugar
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/4 cup soy sauce
Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. You can double the recipe if you want to use the entire squash. The squash I purchased weighed about 2 1/2 pounds so I saved the other half for later use. Peel off patches of skin to create a marbled effect if desired. Cut into 2 inch cubes.
In a 3 – 4 quart sauce pan add water, sugar, mirin and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Add squash and return to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer until just tender (al dente) for approximately 10 minutes (cooking time depends upon the size of the cubed squash). Check doneness with a thin knife, don’t over cook!
Remove the squash to a serving bowl, reduce the sauce a bit then drizzle it on the kabocha just before serving and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.
Chef Watanabe-san at Sushi Paradise makes the finest sushi on Maui. Sushi Paradise is a tiny restaurant with just a few tables in the dining room and few seats at the sushi bar. He is a one-man operation. On the night we dined there, a couple who didn’t have a reservation strolled in and luckily found two seats at the sushi bar. The server let them know they would be waiting at least a half hour before their sushi order arrived. They placed their order left to do some shopping at the stores in the complex and promptly returned in time for their sushi order to be placed in front of them! Now that’s what I call making good use of your time.
Edamame is always a tasty way to start the evening. Place your sushi order and nibble on these salty pods with your cold beer or sake.
California Roll.
Toro. Sublime!
Shrimp tempura roll.
Seared salmon lightly wrapped with a pat of rice and topped with finely grated toppings served with ponzu sauce.
Spicy scallop roll.
Maguro and Hamachi.
This veggie roll is the best I ever tasted. Crunchy ingredients perfectly wrapped in creamy avocado slices.
