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Beef, Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes, Sauces

Best Teriyaki Meat Sticks

July 31, 2020

Best Teriyaki Meat Sticks

Over the course of a month or so, I have been on a quest to find the best cut of meat for my teriyaki meat sticks.  I first tried ribeye which turned out to be just fine but not exactly what I was hoping for.  The next time I bought thinly sliced “teriyaki style” meat from my local market.  The thin slices of meat caught my attention but as it turned out, they use round steak which is generally quite tough.  I asked the butcher for his suggestion and tri-tip was his recommendation. Stan kindly offered to slice the meat for me so we made a plan.  I would pick up the meat the following day so he would have the chance to freeze the meat for a bit which makes it much easier to slice in to thin strips.

Best Teriyaki Meat Sticks with Oi Kimchi & Onigiri

Tri-Tip

Stan was absolutely correct.  The trip-tip was tender and flavorful.  I appreciated that he offered to slice the meat for me which saved me some time.  It’s fairly easy to slice the meat at home once you freeze it for about an hour to firm up.  All you need is a steady hand and a good knife.

Teriyaki Sauce

The teriyaki sauce smells divine.  The secret ingredient in the sauce is Sherry.  Look for a decent dry or medium Sherry (from Spain=the real deal) if possible.

Medium Sherry

Best Teriyaki Meat Sticks with Oi Kimchi, Mac Salad, Rice

Leftover meat sticks makes a tasty lunch the following day.  I wrap them in foil and heat in the toaster oven for a 5 minutes. Serve with kimchi and mac salad.

Best Teriyaki Meat Sticks

Best Teriyaki Meat Sticks

Best Teriyaki Meat Sticks
 
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Author:
Serves: 14 meat sticks
Ingredients
  • 1 pound tri-tip, sliced into strips that are ⅛-inch thick and 1-inch wide
  • 14 bamboo skewers
  • Teriyaki Sauce
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons sherry (Hartley & Gibson's Amontillado Medium Sherry recommended)
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon canola oil
  • 2 medium garlic cloves finely chopped
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
  • roasted sesame seeds to finish (optional)
  • Note: If you want extra sauce to drizzle over the cooked meat sticks increase recipe by half. Use ½ cup + 3 tablespoons of sauce to marinate meat strips. Reduce the remainder of the sauce in a small saucepan over very low heat (or sauce will burn) until slightly syrupy, about 5 minutes or so. Brush or drizzle the sauce over the cooked meat sticks before serving.
Preparation
  1. Soak 14 bamboo skewers in water while you prepare the sauce and meat sticks
  2. Combine sugar, soy sauce and sherry in a medium bowl, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in oil, garlic and green onions. Set aside.
  3. Slice tri-tip in to ⅛-inch thick and 1-inch wide strips. Place in medium-sized bowl and pour in teriyaki sauce. Toss meat in sauce, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour (no longer or meat will be too salty), turning meat in marinade occasionally. Thread beef strips weaving back and forth, onto soaked bamboo skewers.
  4. Heat gas or charcoal grill to medium-high to high heat. Clean and oil grill grates. Place meat sticks on grates and cook, turning several times to ensure they are nicely charred. Cooking time is about 3-4 minutes total on a hot grill.

 

Dinner, Fish, Japanese, Lactose Free, Pasta, Recipes

Japanese-Style Tuna Udon Noodle Salad

July 10, 2020

Japanese-Style Tuna Udon Noodle Salad

If you’re looking for a tasty summer dish that isn’t time consuming, this tuna udon salad should be at the top of your list.  Besides being absolutely delicious, it is a beautiful bowl filled with udon noodles, rich and flavorful tuna in olive oil, crisp cucumbers, radishes and watercress.  Feel free to come up with your own version using different vegetables such as shredded iceberg lettuce or red cabbage, julienned carrots, bean sprouts and so on.  Ever since I spotted this recipe on Carolyn’s Food Gal blog I knew it was something I would thoroughly enjoy.  I tweaked the recipe a bit by omitting the wakame which I have never been a big fan of, but use it if you fancy it.

Ortiz Tuna in Olive Oil

Be sure to use a good canned tuna in olive oil for this dish.  Tuna in olive oil is silky, tender and so flavorful. I recently read an article in Cook’s Illustrated that rated canned tuna in olive oil.  Ortiz took top honors as did Tonnino (6.7 ounce jar).  But these brands may be difficult to find.  However, they also recommended a few brands that are more widely available; Starkist Selects solid yellowfin tuna in extra virgin olive and Wild Planet albacore in extra virgin olive oil.

Hakubaku Organic Udon Noodles

Japanese Cucumber, Red Radish, Watercress

I sliced the vegetables very thin so they melded nicely with the silky noodles and buttery tuna.  Placing the sliced radishes in an ice water bath for a few minutes helps to crisp them up.

Cold Mountain Mellow White Miso Paste

There are so many miso options these days, I always have a few tubs of them on hand.  I am quite fond of Cold Mountain’s mellow white miso. It lends the perfect flavor to many dishes, including the dressing for this recipe.

Japanese-Style Tuna Udon Noodle Salad Dressing

The dressing for this tuna noodle salad is very simple to make.  Whisk the ingredients in a bowl and you’re all set.  The dressing would also be excellent for any crunchy salad such as iceberg lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, red and green cabbage.

Japanese-Style Tuna Udon Noodle Salad

Japanese-Style Tuna Udon Noodle Salad
 
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Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • Salad:
  • 6 ounces dried udon noodles (Hakubaku is a good choice)
  • 1 small Japanese cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 medium red radish, thinly sliced and soaked in an ice water bath for 10 minutes
  • handful of watercress, chopped (optional)
  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  • nori, cut into thin strips
  • 1 can tuna in olive oil, drained slightly (I used Ortiz)
  • 1 teaspoon furikake or roasted sesame seeds
  • Dressing:
  • 2 tablespoons roasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons mellow miso paste
Preparation
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the udon noodles and cook according to package instructions. Pour the noodles into a colander and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain very well. Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.
  3. Transfer the drained noodles to large bowl (it's best if the noodles are free of any water to ensure the dressing doesn't get diluted). Add some of the dressing to the noodles, tossing to coat them thoroughly. Divide the noodles among 2 bowls (shallow rather than deep). Arrange the cucumbers, radishes, watercress, green onions and nori around the perimeter of each bowl. Place the tuna in the center of the bowls, sprinkle with furikake or sesame seeds. Serve extra dressing on the side.

 

Breakfast, Dinner, Eggs, Japanese, Korean, Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes

Instant Ramen Fried Rice

May 31, 2020

Ramen Fried Rice with Sunny Side Up Egg

I came across this recipe on the always interesting Serious Eats blog.  It seems that instant ramen fried rice is the latest food craze in Japan.  Everyone there has instant ramen in their cupboards, and so do many of us.  This dish is inexpensive, perfect for single servings, and most of all so tasty.

Bacon Spam & Kimchi Ramen

I added some Bacon Spam to my ramen fried rice for an extra umami boost but you may omit it to make things simpler and quicker. For just one serving, use your favorite flavor of Cup Noodles instant ramen.  I used Kimchi ramen since it was what I had available and it was perfect for the two of us.

Kimchi Ramen

Unlike many other ramen recipes that suggest you throw out the flavor packet and make your own soup, you’ll want to keep it this time.  This is suppose to be a no fuss meal after all.

Ramen Noodles

Crush the noodles into small pieces before adding the soup base and boiling water.

Crushed Ramen Noodles

Crushed Ramen Noodles with Soup Base

Pour just enough boiling water over the noodles and soup base to rehydrate the noodles.  You don’t want to use too much water which would lead to soggy fried rice. Give the noodles and soup base a quick stir, cover and let sit for a few minutes.

Ramen Noodles & Soup Base Rehydrating

Bacon Spam

With Spam (the unofficial state food of Hawaii), there are two options: either you like it (add it) or you loathe it (leave it out).

Ramen Fried Rice with Bacon Spam

Almost any type of rice will work in this recipe. I used 2 cups of cooked short grain brown rice.

Ramen Fried Rice with Bacon Spam

Since eggs are one of my favorite foods, I couldn’t resist frying up a couple of sunny side up eggs to eat with our ramen fried rice.  A good drizzle of sriracha sauce is the ideal accompaniment for this satisfying meal. Oishii!

Ramen Fried Rice with Sunny Side Up Egg

Ramen Fried Rice
 
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Adapted from Serious Eats blog
Author:
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 package (about 4.25 ounces) kimchi ramen
  • 2 cups cooked short grain brown rice
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 pieces Bacon Spam, diced small and fried until crisp (optional)
  • 2 sunny side up eggs (optional)
  • cilantro for sprinkling over fried rice (optional)
  • Sriracha (optional)
Preparation
  1. Crush ramen noodles and place in a bowl with soup base. Pour boiling water over noodles (just enough to barely cover the noodles) and give them a quick stir. Cover and rehydrate noodles while you continue with the recipe.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in a large (I use 11") non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add beaten eggs and scramble just until barely set. Add rice to the pan and heat through, breaking up any large lumps, about 1-2 minutes. Add cooked Spam cubes if using.
  3. Add noodles along with any liquid (you shouldn't have too much liquid left after rehydrating the ramen) to the rice and stir constantly until excess moisture has cooked off. Taste and season with salt if needed. Press the rice mixture in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of the pan to allow crispy bits to form. Serve ramen fried rice with sunny side up eggs, cilantro, soy sauce and sriracha.

 

Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes, Rice Dishes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Brown Rice with Edamame

October 19, 2019

Brown Rice with Edamame

If I had to compile a list of my favorite foods, rice (and eggs) would be at the top.  This humble grain is simple to prepare, can be an accompaniment to a number of dishes including tempura or seared ahi, or it can be turned in to something show stopping like this dish.  Here is a healthy and flavorful rice dish that is a snap to make.  The edamame mix beautifully with the cooked brown rice and sesame seeds.

Frozen Edamame

Brown Rice

Brown rice can take a while to cook so plan ahead.  You can make this in the morning, cover and refrigerate then heat slightly before serving.  This dish is best served at room temperature.

Brown Rice with Edamame

This rice goes well with orange chicken, grilled teriyaki salmon, and all types of tofu dishes.  I can be thoroughly content eating this rice with a side of kimchi or Japanese pickles.

Brown Rice with Edamame

Brown Rice with Edamame
 
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Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe
Author:
Serves: 2 - 4
Ingredients
  • 1 cup medium grain brown rice, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • kosher salt
  • 2 scallions thinly sliced on the diagonal
  • black roasted sesame seeds
Preparation
  1. Cook rice in a rice cooker or on the stovetop according to package directions.
  2. Cook frozen edamame in a small pot of boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Drain well.
  3. In a small bowl, dissolve sugar in lime juice and rice vinegar. Add sesame oil and stir to combine. Set aside.
  4. Transfer rice to a medium bowl. Fluff rice with a fork. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of kosher salt and stir into the rice . Add edamame, dressing and sesame seeds. Stir well to combine the flavors, adding more salt to taste. Sprinkle scallions over the rice before serving.

 

Bread, Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Pork, Recipes, Sandwiches

Katsu Sando

August 18, 2019

Katsu Sando

Tonkatsu is without a doubt one of my favorite dishes.  When we visited Japan in 2018 we went to the original Ginza Bairin inTokyo for tonkatsu.  They don’t take reservations, which means the line of patrons starts forming at least 30 minutes prior to opening.  We were pretty deep in the line, but luckily for us, we got the last two seats for the first seating.  The tonkatsu did not disappoint.  When we have a craving for katsu we make our own with pork or sometimes chicken.  Both are equally delicious served with rice, macaroni salad, shredded cabbage and namasu.  Katsu sando’s (the Japanese term for tonkatsu sandwiches) are another terrific way to serve the crunchy pork cutlets.  These sandwiches are compact, beautiful and tasty.

Pork Cutlets From Top to Bottom: Out of the Package, Trimmed, Pounded

Boneless pork loin chops are quite reasonably priced.  I bought a 4-pack that cost me under $6.00.  Once I got home from the market, I trimmed off the small amount of fat and pounded the pork to an even thickness of about 1/3-inch which also tenderizes the meat.

Panko

Crispy Shredded Cabbage

Shredded cabbage is a must with this sando,  The crispy cabbage enveloped in the soft bread and fried pork with savory tonkatsu sauce is absolutely the best sando you can imagine.

Tonkatsu Sauce

There are so many brands of tonkatsu sauce available.  My favorite is Kagome.  If you can find it, give it a try.  Good katsu sauce = tasty sando.

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Kewpie mayonnaise can be found at most markets these days and on-line.  Of course regular mayonnaise will do just fine, especially since it is not the star of the sandwich. But I like to go Japanese all the way when making this.  Most use Japanese milk bread for the sandwiches.  Since John makes all of our bread, he made this white loaf just for katsu sando and it turned out to be a keeper.

The Beginning of the Best Sando

Katsu Sando

Gazing at this photo of the Katsu Sando makes me want to eat one right now!

Katsu Sando

Katsu Sando
 
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Author:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless pork chop cutlets (about 5 ounces each) trimmed of fat and pounded to ⅓-inch thick
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream (optional)
  • 1½ cups panko
  • salt and pepper
  • canola oil for frying pork
  • 8 slices white bread
  • butter (we use Miyoko's vegan butter)
  • tonkatsu sauce (Kagome brand is our favorite)
  • Kewpie mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
Preparation
  1. Pork should be pounded to ⅓-inch thick or up to ½-inch if you prefer thicker pieces. Salt and pepper both sides of pork cutlets.
  2. Place flour and panko on separate large plates. Mix eggs with 1 tablespoon sour cream if using, in a wide shallow bowl.
  3. Dredge each piece of pork in flour, shaking off excess. Dip pieces in egg mixture. Allow remaining egg to drip back into the bowl. Place pork in panko and spread panko over the top. Press firmly so the panko adheres to the pork. It's best to use a dry, clean hand so the panko doesn't clump and fall off.
  4. Heat a large skillet preferably with high sides over medium to medium-high heat with enough oil to reach ¼-inch up the sides of the pan. Once the oil is hot, fry pork in two batches, until nicely browned and the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Transfer fried pork to a rack or plate. Continue frying the other two pieces of pork.
  5. To make the sandwich, butter 4 slices of bread. Spread tonkatsu sauce over the butter. Set aside.
  6. Spread mayonnaise on the other four slices of bread. Add shredded cabbage on the mayonnaise, followed by tonkatsu sauce. Place a fried pork cutlet on top and drizzle more tonkatsu sauce over the pork. Place buttered bread slices on top of the pork. Using a sharp knife, cut off the crusts and any extra pork to make a uniform sandwich. Cut each sandwich in half. Serve with chips and extra tonkatsu sauce.

 

Dinner, Japanese, Lactose Free, Recipes, Vegetarian, Veggies

Sesame Broccoli Salad

July 11, 2019

Sesame Broccoli Salad

This is a refreshing and healthy salad that is perfect to serve during the warm summer months.  The broccoli is quickly steamed until crisp and tender then drizzled with a tasty dressing.  You can serve it chilled or at room temperature.

Broccoli

Broccoli Florets

Cut the broccoli into bite-sized (not too small) florets.  Steam the broccoli just until crisp and tender.

Steamed Broccoli Florets

Chill the broccoli while you make the dressing.  If I’m in a rush, I place the steamed broccoli on a plate and put it in the freezer for a few minutes.

Broccoli Salad Dressing

The dressing is a snap to prepare.  Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and honey together in a small bowl.  Throw in a spoonful of roasted sesame seeds and you will end up with a well- balanced, flavorful sauce for the broccoli.

Sesame Broccoli Salad with Rice, Nori & Tuna Salad, Mango & Kimchi

My favorite accompaniments with this broccoli salad are steamed Japanese rice, crispy nori with tuna salad, kimchi and fruit.  It is the perfect summer lunch.

Sesame Broccoli Salad

Sesame Broccoli Salad
 
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Adapted from epicurious.com
Author:
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce (Kikkoman recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil (Kadoya recommended)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • freshly ground black pepper (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds, divided
  • 1 pound (about 8 cups) broccoli florets
Preparation
  1. Steam the broccoli florets until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Cool on a plate in the refrigerator for about 5 minutes or so.
  2. Whisk soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, honey and a few grinds of fresh black pepper in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of roasted sesame seeds. Set aside.
  3. In a large shallow bowl, toss broccoli with dressing (you may not need all of the dressing). Toss to coat all of the florets. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or cover and refrigerate if you prefer to serve it cold, or at a later time during the day. When ready to serve, toss once again then transfer the broccoli to a large low-sided serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the broccoli and sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds over the top.

 

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