Japanese Fried Tofu

Tags

Asian, food, fried, Japanese, main, marinade, tofu, vegetarian

I need to incorporate more vegetable based proteins into my diet but I am hesitant because I love the flavor and texture of meat so much. Tofu has such a stigma. Bland, boring, crunchy, hippie food. This tofu changes that perception.

Marinaded and Fried Tofu (from Food52)

• 1 pound extra firm tofu
• 1/4 cup shiro miso paste (white miso)
• 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon wasabi paste
• 1 1/2 tablespoon ginger paste
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Gently press the tofu to drain off the extra juice. Slice into 1 inch thick slices (I did cubes and they were way too small). In a ziplock bag, combine all the marinade ingredients. Add tofu and marinade for 24 to 48 hours. In a skillet, heat vegetable oil. Fry each slice until both sides are golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Use on sandwiches, plain, or add to miso soup. Serves 3.

Sweet and Sticky Baked Drumsticks

Tags

Asian, baked, chicken, drumsticks, food, meat, sticky, sweet

When I first saw a  photo of this chicken by The Novice Chef, I was amazed by how appealing it looked. I am not normally a drumstick fan. They are gristly and too hard to eat. Though her photos are way better than mine, I was pleased with the results. I can imagine that most small children and adults with discerning tastes will appreciate this recipe.

Sweet and Sticky Baked Drumsticks (thanks to the Novice Chef!!)

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 6 chicken drumsticks, about 1.25 pounds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• a few pinches chopped fresh parsley

In a medium bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and cracked black pepper. Pour into a large ziplock bag and add chicken drumsticks. Shake to coat chicken and refrigerate for 8 hours, or overnight, giving the bag a shake whenever you think about it.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a Cooling Rack on top.

Remove the chicken from the bag, reserving the marinade, and place the drumsticks on the rack. Bake the drumsticks, on the middle oven rack, for 25 minutes.

While the chicken is baking, place the leftover marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Cook over low heat, stirring as needed, for about 15 minutes or until thickened.

Remove drumsticks from oven (after first 25 minutes of cooking) and heavily coat with the thickened marinade, using a silicone pastry brush. Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes. Coat the drumsticks again and return to oven to cook for 5 more minutes, or until an internal temperate of 160°F is reached.

Coat the drumsticks one last time, with any remaining sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley. Serve immediately.

Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-Fry

Tags

Asian, beef, peas, shiitake, stir-fry

I got lucky this week. Snow peas and shiitake mushrooms on serious manager discount at the grocery! Think at least $5 savings!

Beef, Shiitake, and Snow Pea Stir-fry (a variation from Bon Appetit, Oct 2010)

• 1 lb stir fry steak
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 12 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 8 ounces snow peas
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced, divided
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
• 5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and mushrooms; stir-fry until mushrooms are tender, about 3 minutes. Add beef to skillet; stir-fry until beef browns but is still pink in center, about 1 minute. Add snow peas, orange pepper, half of green onions, and half of cilantro; stir-fry 1 minute. Stir in hoisin, chili-garlic sauce, and five-spice powder; sauté until peas are crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining green onions and cilantro.

Mushroom Potstickers

Tags

appetizer, Asian, food, mushroom, potstickers, side dish

Gotta love potstickers! These have a wonderful, savory filling that will please everyone, especially the vegetarians you know.

One Year Ago: Cinnamon Apple Cake

Mushroom Potstickers

• 3/4 lb. baby bella mushrooms, chopped into small chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 inch ginger root, peeled and finely minced
• 1 tbsp sesame seed oil
• 3 scallions, white and green separated, minced
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp five spice powder
• 24 potsticker wrappers

In a skillet, saute mushrooms, garlic, and ginger in the sesame oil for 3 minutes. Add scallions, soy sauce, and five spice. Continue sauteing until the mushrooms are tender. Drain off a bit of the mushroom juices and whisk in the cornstarch. Add mixture back into the mushrooms. When the juices are thickened, remove from heat. Spoon 1.5 tsps of the mixture into a wrapper and seal the edges. Cook in another clean skillet with 1/4 cup of water and 2 tbsp of sesame seed oil. Serve with soy sauce or other dipping sauce.

 

Thai Mango and Chicken Wrap

Tags

Asian, chicken, food, lunch, salad, Thai

This is a quick, tasty, and unique way to jazz up chicken. I really enjoyed it’s peppy flavors and the ease with which I could throw it together. A great lunch or light summer supper.

Thai Mango and Chicken Wrap (from Indie Fixx)

• 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded chicken
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 medium jalapeno, minced, (seeds and membrane removed)
• 2 scallions, minced
• ¼ cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts or roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
• 1/8 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 6-8 large lettuce leaves
• 2 whole wheat tortillas

Combine the first 9 ingredients. Place lettuce down the center of the tortilla and top with half of the chicken salad. Enjoy!!!

Miso-Ginger Marinated and Grilled Salmon

Tags

Asian, food, ginger, grill, miso, salmon, summer

When I was in Japan, I had some of the most amazing salmon. It was so fresh and had a unique flavor I was unfamiliar with. Now that I have become more experienced with flavors, I learned that flavor was miso. Love that flavor! We really enjoyed this salmon. I intend to make this recipe in the future!

Miso-Ginger Marinated and Grilled Salmon (thanks to Bobby Flay)

• 1/4 cup white miso
• 1/4 cup mirin
• 2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons minced green onions
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 4 salmon fillets, 8 ounces each
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine the above ingredients and marinate the salmon for at least 30 minutes.

Grill as desired.

Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas

Tags

Asian, fine dining, Japanese, Lexington, sake, tapas, Yamaguchi's

For my birthday dinner, the hubby and I met some friends, David and Kathryn, at Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas. A little restaurant in an out of the way area (they don’t even have a sign outside), Yamaguchi’s is as much about the food as it is about the experience. The best way to explain their food is to say this – they serve the food you would eat at a traditional Japanese home. There are some raw things but most everything is cooked.

Freshness of the ingredients is the key to their success. Every Thursday fresh fish is flown in from Japan. I am pretty sure no other place in Lexington can guarantee such fresh seafood.  And there is no sushi on the menu. Perhaps it is too cliche for a place that clearly prides itself on quality, tradition, and atmosphere.

If you go to Yamaguchi’s, there are a few things you should know. They frown on cell phone conversations. Children, unless they are older and well behaved, are not really their customer type (aka don’t bring them). They encourage you to sit and enjoy each tapas, the soothing music, and your companions. Wait staff is the cook’s wife and she is very gracious/unobstrusive. If you are expecting to have a loud, boisterous family reunion and an American style meal, this is not the place for you!

Please forgive the not so amazing quality of the photos below. Iphones only can do so much.

They have cold sake by the taste, glass or bottle. I had only tried warm sake in the past and greatly disliked it. Cold sake is amazingly smooth and a bit sweet. They also have interesting names. The sake below is a “taste” and called Wandering Poet.

They also serve fresh sashimis as well as unique things. The picture below was taken by David a few months ago. They are Firefly Squid with a Vinegar Mustard Miso Paste. They are only offered one week a year. How awesome is that? And they look super tasty.

The Wafu Caprese salad is lovely. This caprese varies from the traditional in it’s use of shiso, a Japanese basil, and a Japanese style dressing.

Tontoro Misoyaki is a pork jowl meat, thinly sliced, broiled, then served with a homemade garlic miso. I think it was my favorite of all the dishes we tried.

Gyuniku Aburiyaki is thinly sliced ribeye steak, topped with fresh wasabi and soy sauce. Surprisingly, the fresh wasabi is not nearly as spicy as one might expect from paste or powder. The beef tones down any overwhelming hotness.

I tried a bite of the Jikasei Atsuage Tofu. I normally shy away from tofu because of it’s odd texture. But since this is adventure eating, why not try everything? I was very pleasantly surprised. The tofu is deep fried and served with ginger, scallions and soy sauce.

The squid tempura was very nice as well. The crust was nice and light with a minimal greasiness. It was served with soy sauce, green tea salt, and some amazing little peppers whose name I have forgotten.

The dessert was an almond flavored pudding with strawberries. Very nice, light finish to a delightful meal.

I strongly suggest you go to Yamaguchi’s Sake and Tapas. We tried several other things not pictured above that were just as yummy as those mentioned. I intend to go back in the future!!

Ginger Chicken

Tags

Asian, chicken, Dinner, food, ginger, main, Supper

I’m always on the lookout for a tasty recipe for chicken. This one is pretty good. The ginger and garlic flavor is very nice. Serve over rice.

Ginger Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish

Cut the chicken up into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl, whisk the soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger, and garlic together. Add in the chicken and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.

In a skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add a single layer of chicken to the pan. You will probably have to fry the chicken in two batches. The single layer allows for good browning. When all the chicken is cooked, garish with the scallions and the sesame seeds.

If you wanted to make a glaze for the chicken, you could make the marinade again, substituting the fresh garlic and ginger for powdered. Then add to the empty skillet and reduce over high heat until syrupy. Toss the chicken in the glaze. 

Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile

Tags

Asian, asparagus, chile, Dinner, food, stir-fry, Supper

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit, though my version below is somewhat different. I usually adjust to what I have in the pantry or our preferences. I really like that the pork is tender, lean- not grisly like beef or dry like turkey can be. It is not the typical go-to ground meat. and is probably under used in most kitchens. I intend on using it more in the future.

Spicy Pork with Asparagus and Chile

• 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 1 tbsp rice wine or chicken broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 12 ounces ground pork
• 3 tsp Asian sesame oil, divided
• 12 ounces thin to medium asparagus spears, trimmed, cut on extreme diagonal into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces
• 1/2 can baby corn
• 1 can sliced mushrooms
• 1 tbsp garlic chili sauce
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal

Whisk 1 tablespoon soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch in medium bowl. Add pork; toss to blend. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in heavy large wok or deep skillet over high heat. Add asparagus, chile sauce, and ginger. Toss until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer asparagus mixture to plate. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil to wok. Add pork mixture and stir-fry until browned, using spoon to break up pork into small pieces, 2 to 3 minutes. Return asparagus mixture to wok. Add baby corn and mushrooms. Add remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, oyster sauce, and honey; stir-fry until pork is cooked through, adding water by tablespoonfuls if dry, about 2 minutes. Add green onions; toss to incorporate. Garnish with cilantro leaves if desired.

Soba with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce

Tags

Asian, Japanese, main dish, salad, side, soba, vegetarian

Thanks to Simply Reem for this gorgeous meal (the below recipe is a variation of the original). Since I first tried soba in Japan, I have been on the lookout for recipes that make use of this fantastic noodle. I love the uniqueness of it’s taste and texture. Soba seems sits lighter on your stomach but fills you up longer than spaghetti and the like. I suggest you try this simple recipe when you need something satisfying but quick to prepare.

Soba Noodles with Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce

• Soba noodles – 1 9oz packet.
• Salt and Pepper as per taste
• Sesame seeds as garnish

For Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cup finely chopped scallions
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp sesame seed oil
• 2 tsp chili oil
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp honey

Mix all the ingredients for sweet ginger scallion sauce in the bowl, check for the seasoning. Keep it aside for 10 -15 minutes for the flavors to develop. Boil the soba noodles as per the instruction on the package. Add the sauce, sesame seeds and toss the noodles well, check for the seasoning one last time. You can serve this warm as a main dish or cold as a salad.