Tempura Tricks

Trust us: tempura-ing is easier than it looks. All you need is one egg white, ice water, and some wheat flour (you can find it in any Asian market), and a shit ton of oil. Pick up a bunch of stuff to dip in the batter and you're all set. Here are some tips to doing it yourself:
1)Do it outdoors if possible.
Anyone who's ever lived in a typical NYC-sized studio or one bedroom knows that frying ANYTHING inside will have long-lasting consequences. Unless you want the contents of your closet to smell like french fries for two weeks, don't do it.
2)Don't use too much water.
A little goes a long way, so if there are tiny bubbles in your batter you need to add more powder. And don't mix too much; the consistency needn't be perfectly even.
3)Use a deep fryer if possible.
If not no biggie; a hot plate with a deep pan filled with oil (canola,vegetable, or sesame are acceptable options) will work fine.

4)Be adventurous.
The truth is, you can tempura just about anything: shrimp, chicken, mushrooms, even onions. Our favorites include ika (squid), kobucha (Japanese pumpkin) and nasubi(eggplant). Don't be afraid to try different veggies, or even white fish!

5)Save your leftovers.
Otherwise mottainai! They will be fine the next day if you heat them up a little bit in a toaster oven or on the the stovetop. Throw them over a big bowl of rice and pour on some tempura sauce and you've got yourself some tendon (tempura donburi).

Salmon Fried Rice ( 鮭 チャーハン)

Special shout out to Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse in Bay Ridge, where during my four year tenure as a hostess I learned the art of making fried rice!
A Japanese man once told me that Buddha exists even in the smallest grain of rice. Perhaps this is why, rather than throwing away uneaten rice, many Japanese people will store it in the freezer. While it doesn't necessarily taste bad after it's defrosted, turning it into fried rice will guarantee it's edibility. Plus, you can throw in pretty much any type of meat; I used salmon in mine not just to make it gourmet but because it had been in my freezer for several weeks (mottainai!). If you do it right you'll never want to depend on the neighborhood Chinese place again. Here's what you'll need:
4 cloves garlic
3 cups white rice (cooked)
1/2 salmon fillet (in this particular instance I cooked a whole one and used half for the rice, half for a salad the next day)
Dash of salt
Black pepper to taste
1/4 cup scallions 
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup soy sauce        

Start with the salmon. Pour about 1/8 cup olive oil into a pan and cook over a low-medium flame. Be sure to turn over so that both sides are coated evenly.

                                               Cover to 
                                                ensure even                                                     cooking. 

Once through with the salmon, remove from the pan and add rice to the SAME PAN. This will help make the rice more flavorful as the residuals from the salmon are now in the oil the rice will absorb. Add the rest of the olive oil and mix in over medium-high flame for  about 30 seconds.

Add soy sauce. Tasting will be immensely helpful in determining how much to add; too much and the rice will taste too salty, too little and it will be a bit bland. We reccomend 1/8 cup.

After mixing in the soy sauce add the garlic. Try not to keep it near the bottom of the pan for too long as garlic tends to brown very quickly under these circumstances.

Add black pepper...

Salmon...

scallions...

And you get this! Serves 2 as an entree, 4 as an appetizer.

Mapo Tofu: Hamburger Helper, Chinese style

It's quick. It's easy. It makes otherwise flavorless foods taste amazing. No, it's not hamburger helper; it's mapo tofu mix! If you're a fan of Szechuan style Chinese food (there are about a million such restaurants throughout NYC; chances are, you've ordered take out from one of them), you recognize the name. Mapo tofu is a popular staple of that particular type of cuisine, and while the flavor is incredibly deep it is quite simple to make with the proper ingredients. Here is what you'll need:
1 package of firm tofu
1 package mapo tofu mix (found in your local Asian market; if you're in NYC, search "Sunrise Mart" in your Google Map to find the location closest to you)
1 cup scallions, chopped
1/2 lb ground pork
2tbsp chili oil(also found at Sunrise; you can get a small cup for 50 cents  from your neighborhood Chinese takeout place as well )
2tbsp sake
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp miso paste (found at local Asian market or Sunrise)


First, chop the tofu into 1"x 1" squares. Toss into a pot of boiling water and let boil about 10 minutes.

Coat a large pan with the chili oil. Add chopped garlic and scallions; sautee over a medium flame. After   a minute and a half add the pork, then marinate with soy sauce, sake, and sugar (respectively). Mix and add miso. Continue to mix. Once tofu is finished boiling, drain and add to the pan. Empty the contents of the box into the pan, stir over the flame for another minute or two, and serve.

Three simple secrets to enjoying shabu-shabu

To someone unfamiliar with the dish, the name "shabu shabu" might suggest some sort of concoction involving exotic spices; in reality, it's merely vegetables and sliced meat boiled in a light broth; according to Japanese people, "shabu shabu" is the sound the meat makes when splashing through the broth. Making shabu shabu at home is ridiculously simple- all you need for the broth is about a teaspoon of hon dashi (bonito) stock and a splash of mirin- but there are several restaurants throughout NYC that specialize in the dish. The best part of making it at home, however, is that you get to choose the ingredients; basically, anything goes! There are only three rules to enjoying shabu shabu, which I've shared below.

1)The meat must be thinly sliced. This ensures that it will cook quickly and evenly, so that it will retain its flavor and good texture.

Shabu-Tatsu's rib eye dinner course ($27/person, includes assorted vegetables, noodles, salad, dipping sauces, rice, and ice cream.) 216 E 10th, Street New York, NY10003 

2) There must be some form of "shime" . Don't panic- all that means is rice or noodles to dip in the broth after the veggies and meat are finished, to soak up the flavor. Refrain if you must, carbaphobes, but be warned: you'll be missing out on the valuable nutrients that the chosen shime soaks up from the leftover broth.

Kishimen & Maloney Noodles

3)Loved ones to share it with. Like many Japanese meals, shabu shabu is meant to be eaten with friends and family whose company you enjoy. The diy aspect makes it not just another dinner, but a communal experience!   

Handmade noodles and gyoza at Lam Zhou

Although loathe to admit it, those delicious dumplings that many Japanese restaurants claim as their own and dub "gyoza" actually originated in China. Lam Zhou, located at 144 East Broadway in Manhattan, shows anyone claiming to make good dumplings who's boss- and at a fraction of the price

#18:Fried Dumpling

 At just $3 for 12 pieces, these thin skinned, pork and veggie filled fried dumplings are a bargain. If you like them spicy, be sure to add hot sauce to the black vinegar sauce.    

#19:Fish Ball Soup

. 

                                      If you're all carbed out after the dumplings, you may want to stick 

with something simple like the fishball soup, which consists of just fishball

and broth (7 balls for $2, 11 for $3.) Be warned, however, that by taking extra care of your body you'd be missing out on the best part:

:

Yes, this guy makes them by hand. And yes, it does get loud. But is your diet really worth sacrificing something make with this much passion and vigor? Especially at $5 per bowl? Besides, you know these noodles are way fresher than the croutons you would have added to that $10 salad or the saltines you would have nibbled on with your turkey chili.

#1: Beef Noodle Soup

Natto Sando

As I mentioned earlier in this blog, there are many ways to enjoy natto. If you haven't found a way to do so yet, natto sandos, which consist of natto sandwiched between age tofu and doused in soy sauce (bonito flakes optional), are definitely worth a try. Think about it: when was the last time you ate something fried and salty that you didn't love? Best of all, they're super easy to make. Here's how it's done:
-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have an oven a toaster oven will do the trick just fine.

-Slice two pieces of age tofu down the middle to make four "pockets". You can find age tofu in any Asian market or better grocer.

Age (fried) tofu

-Open two packages of natto and mix contents (if unsure you can totally refer to http://seamny.blogspot.com/2013/09/nattoslimy-yet-satisfying.html). Scoop half of one package into each age tofu pocket.
-Put the "sandos" on a pan and insert into the oven/toaster oven. Let bake for 5-10 minutes.
-Add soy sauce and bonito flakes as desired. Toothpicks optional!

Natto sandos with soy sauce and bonito

Spicy Kimchee Nabe

Full disclosure: I love to cry when I eat. Not tears of sadness, but the kind of tears that result from consuming something so spicy that, in addition to firing up the intestines and causing beads of sweat to manifest on the skin, it overcomes the sinuses to force droplets of delicious joy to escape the eyes. Such a reaction is my definition of a complete dining experience. Which is why my obsession with Japanese food is somewhat curious, since most Japanese dishes are lacking in spiciness. Except those that are Korean inspired, such as Spicy Kimchee Nabe.

For a white girl with plenty of experience eating Asian food but not much experience making it myself, attempting nabe with such deep flavor was quite intimidating. The good news for me is that this dish is entirely dairy-free; no heavy creams that make my skin crawl simply because they are suspected of being the main ingredient in cellulite. Also, the directions are fairly simple: boil up some water, throw in some veggies, and add some seasoning. Here's what I used to make my very first Spicy Kimchee Nabe:
-about 4 cups water
-1 cup bean sprouts
-1 cup nappa, chopped
-4 shitake mushroom caps, quartered
-1/4 package tofu
-3 pieces kimchee, chopped
-4 tbsp "Togarashi" red pepper  (as pictured below)

Pay no attention to the 12/31/13 expiration date; if you keep your pepper in the freezer it will last. We used it last night and we're still alive and kicking.

-1 tbsp mirin
-1 tbsp miso

Boil the water in a pot, ideally a clay "nabe" pot. Add the nappa first, since it's the most firm of the veggies and will take the longest to cook. The beansprouts and the shitake can follow shortly after. Hold off on the tofu until the veggies start to soften, since tofu gets weird holes in it when it's boiled too much. Once that happens, add the pepper, then wait 30 seconds and add the kimchee. Right before everything is ready, add the miso and mirin. Stir for 2-3 minutes and then serve. It's as simple as that! Oh, and be sure to keep whatever soup is leftover, as it will make an excellent base for shin ramen the next day. 

Ringing in 2014 with Osechi and Ozoni

Osechi, courtesy of Tokubei 86

As with all Japanese celebrations, the right food is essential to starting off the new year. There are two main components of the New Year's Day feast; the first being osechi, which looks like a bento box but is designed to be eaten over the course of a day or two. The idea behind osechi is to give the woman of the house a break from cooking; in Japanese culture, much like in traditional Italian culture, the woman is responsible for all meal preparation.
To a non-Japanese consumer, osechi may seem like a random assortment of deliciousness. Each component, however, has a specific meaning.
-Konbumaki (seaweed wrap), often contains fish. Konbu is a much thicker type of seaweed that the nori used for sushi. This is another food whose meaning has to do mainly with word association; the word yorokobu means joy, so konbumaki is said to bring happiness.
-The holes in lenkon (lotus) are meant to help one obtain a clear vision of the future.
-One sato imo plant, a type of root very similar to a potato, breeds many others; hence it is eaten in hopes that one's family will be blessed with children.
-Ebi, aka shrimp, are a wish for longevity because they have a curvy shape like an old man's spine. Plus, their whiskers look kind of like a beard.
-The yellow color of nishiki tamago, or egg, represents gold. Eating it invites wealth.
-Kamaboko (broiled fish cake), which are red and white in color, are usually arranged in such a way as to resemble a rising sun, which conjures feelings of hope for the dawn of the new year.
-The word "mame" in Japanese means "health"; hence the sweet black bean known as kuromame is eaten to ensure good health. The golden color of the mashed kuri (chestnut) signifies gold, or wealth.
-The reason behind kazunoko (herring roe), lies in the name itself as well as the fact that they're eggs. "Kazu" means number, and "ko" means children; hence kazunoko is a wish for fertility.
-The word tazukuri translates to "rice paddy maker", since these tiny sardines which are marinated in soy sauce have long been used to fertilize rice fields. They are meant to ensure a good harvest, aka a year of eating well.
 -Kouhaku namasu consists of cut daikon (radish) and ninjin (carrot); as with kamoboko, the white and red color combination is said to symbolize hope a good future.

-Finally, Yakizakana, or grilled fish, is eaten with the intention of achieving professional success.
In addition to osechi, a soup called ozoni is also eaten. There are several variations depending on region- the one we had was in clear broth- but ozoni must always contain mochi. Made from rice, mochi's sticky texture is meant to signify a long, strong life!

Ozoni

"Cutting away" 2013 with Soba

Tempura Soba, courtesy of NYC's Tokubei 86

Considering that they're both gluten-free and incredibly nutritious, it would seem as though soba noodles would be a perfect food to start the year with rather than end it. But for Japanese people, such things as heath benefits are trivial compared with tradition dating back hundreds of years. Eating soba on New Year's Eve has long been a must in many regions of Japan; the practical explanation for this is that during the Edo period, when this practice began, Japanese people discovered that the buckwheat plant yielded the most delicious soba-making flour in December after it was exposed to a bit of frost.
There is also an element of symbolism rooted in the annual feast; the action of "cutting away" the soba broth before slurping up the noodle itsef is said to represent the leaving behind of troubles that have been endured over the past 12 months. Further, the long length of the noodles is said to represent long life, which is why soba is eaten both to give thanks that one has survived to the current day and to ensure a long, healthy future. Today, it is possible for Japanese and American people alike to enjoy soba on the last day of the year. If you're in the mood to diy, there are plenty of Japanese markets throughout NYC (such as Sunrise or M2M) that sell it packaged and ready to boil; otherwise, restaurants such as Cocoron offer easy to understand menus. There are many ways to eat it-hot or cold, alone or with toppings- but this year, my boyfriend and I decided to live dangerously and order the hot tempura soba. In our defense, the delicious deep-fried coating on top of our noodles contains veggies.

Christmas @ Kyo Ya (aka a Festivus Feast)

Flash forward to Christmas Day. We'd been back in New York for exactly three weeks, and we had a serious hankering for some good washoku that we didn't have to cook by ourselves. To celebrate the holiday and satisfy our craving, we headed to what is probably the most elegantly authentic Japanese restaurant in all of New York City (I'll leave it to you to look up where it is...I don't give up my secrets that easily!)

We start off with some seafood...

Nanbanzuke (Small fish similar to sardines that are marinated in vinegar)
served with onions 

These succulent oysters garnished with ginger and peppers were as
amazing as they look!

Uni (sea urchin) sashimi. With its impossibly creamy texture, it's no wonder
this delicacy has been referred to as the sexiest food in the world! 

Ebi fry (shrimp) with gobo (burdock)- super crispy!

Move on to some white meat...

Jidori (Organic chicken). See how it's pink in the middle? It does indeed mean that
it hasn't been fully cooked. But since jidori is both free range and organic, the risk
of samonella that scares people into charring their chicken is extremely low.  

Kurobuta (black pork). It comes from the underside, or belly, of the pig, and when
cooked correctly as shown here it literally melts in your mouth.

...And finally, some shime (which is what Japanese people call a rice or noodle dish served at the end of a meal)!

Unagi over rice

Inaniwa Udon, which consists of noodles flatter and a bit finer than your average udon. 

Their display of omotenashi, complete with a gift of chocolate cake that they let us take to go,  made us feel right at home! It was the kind of incredibly attentive service we'd become accustomed to in Japan, right here in NYC.