mmm-yoso – Page 422

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

November 24, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

Happy Turkey-Day All. Since we already did our Chinese Roast Turkey. We decided not to do another Turkey for this Thanksgiving, though the thought did cross my mind. So instead we did "brunch" at Pearl.

And an excellent brunch it was. Of course we started with some Dim Sum:

The shrimp and chive dumplings were the same as the last visit, not fried enough and a bit greasy, and lacking enough chive, but the Taro Gok was also just as good as the last visit as well. Perfectly fried, salty masago on the top, and with a nice sweet scallop in each one.

The Haw Gow, though on the small side, were filled with plump shrimp, and very tasty. The shrimp siu mai, were better then expected, and again though on the small side, were very nice.

But the reason we decided to make the drive to Rancho Bernardo was this:

Currently, Pearl is running a special. Peking Duck for $18, quite a bargain! The duck was prepared well; each slice consisted of a skin and a bit of subcutaneous fat and meat. A dozen "buns", hoisin sauce, and slices of cucumber were provided. Overall pretty good, not oily, slightly rich, and the duck went well with the Pu-Erh tea we ordered.

Of course this was the typical "two dish" preparation and it came with the minced duck meat in lettuce cups:

The nice rich savory duck meat with diced water chestnuts, and other items, made this delici- yoso!!! What a bargain for Eighteen Bucks! The service at Pearl was again superb, our Host(ess), Jennifer made sure that our water was always filled, and even "comped" our tea, telling me Happy Thanksgiving. So I guess our last experience here was not just a one time thing. Our bill came to $34.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving meal, but it was missing one standard Dim Sum dish. One of the Missus’s favorite. So on the way home, we decided to make it for ourself! Can you guess what it is?

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Cotijas – Clairemont Drive

November 22, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** This location of Cotijas has closed.

Cotijas is one of three "Taco Shops" in our neighborhood. This is about the only view we've ever had of Cotijas:

You see we've never been in Cotijas, we've always just used the drive thru, aren't they wonderful?

And in the several years we've lived around here, we've only ordered two dishes. Either this:

Or this:

Yes, look closely, these are two different dishes. The first is an artery hardening American Mexican concoction called Carne Asada Chips, the second is an equally cardiac unfriendly creation called Carne Asada Fries(both $5.09). Whoever invented these are obviously on the Surgeon General's ten most wanted list.

But oh, man these a really pretty darn good! I could go on and make glib, obtuse comments of how all the major food groups are represented; but I'm sure you can see them for yourself. The chips are in my opinion better then the fries, which get soggy much too quickly. I like versions with larger cut fries. But why split hairs? If you do need an inventory of what's in this, I'll list a few; sour cream, two cheeses, guacamole (not bad), Salsa Fresca, carne asada(little too mild, but what the heck), refried beans(luckily, not too much), cilantro, green onions, and either fries or chips. Now I know I've missed a few, but what the heck. Oh, and don't forget the hot sauce…….

Calories, we don't care 'bout no stinkin' calories, right? But in all honesty you really don't want to eat too much. Why? If you can't figure it out for yourself, let me spell it out for you:

As we're exiting the drive-thru I always laugh at this sign:

Yeah, if I live that long…..

I've never had a Shrimp Burrito from here. Can't get past those chips. I'm still trying to figure which is the lesser of two evils; this or Loco Moco's. Would it help if I said, "I just tasted, but I never swallowed?" Hmmmm, didn't think so.

Cotijas Mexican Grill
3066 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Chopstix

November 21, 2005 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Chopstix is a very popular Noodle House residing on Convoy Street. I’ll readily admit that I enjoy Chopstix, and it is one of my favorite places:

I think much has to do with the homey, somewhat cozy, surroundings. I won’t call it atmosphere, because there really is no true atmosphere. But there’s something about the decor that is comforting to me. Service is always good, never very friendly, but never cold, and always very polite. Call it dependable if you will; but dependable is very comforting.

One of the dishes that order quite often is the Chasyu-Men($6.50):

The Chasyu-men has 4 slices of Chasyu; which in this case is the Japanese version which is usually a rolled and tied pork loin cooked in a soy sauce based sauce for several hours. Versus the Chinese style Barbecued Pork. The broth is chicken, pork, and soy sauce based. The noodles are thin egg noodles, and a half a boiled egg, bean sprouts, a slice of kamaboku, and green onions complete the dish. Just so you understand that dependable does not mean consistent, I’ve never had two bowls of ramen here that were exactly the same. I once had a broth that was so oily, I thought the Exxon Valdez had crashed into my bowl. Today the oil content was perfect, just many tiny beads of oil floated on the surface of the broth, and the flavor was balanced; controlling the saltiness of the broth can be problematic at times. I enjoy the ‘al dente noodles, and everything else in this bowl. Except the Charsyu (Char Siu); today it was very, very dry and flavorless. Definitely not good eats. Good thing I didn’t order the Deluxe Chasyu-Men($7.50), which has even more meat.

We usually get a side order of the Mix Tempura whenever we visit:

With 12 pieces of mixed tempura, I think this is quite a bargain. There are 4 pieces of shrimp, as well as carrot, Kabocha Squash, broccoli, and my favorite, onion rings, among other items. This type of tempura is not quite the very light and lacy, nor the thick and "eggy" type. It’s more of a crunchy lacquer, and will keep for quite a while. Very tasty.

The one item that I order the most often is the Curry Rice($5.95), but today I ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry Rice($7.25):

I enjoy the Curry at Chopstix, it’s beefy and slightly spicy, and has little chunks of beef and other disintegrating vegetables in it. And most of all, not overly sweet as Japanese Curries can tend to be. The Chicken Katsu in this case, are actually "chunks" of dark meat chicken breaded in panko and fried, not the usual flattened white meat. One item that made eating the Katsu somewhat ponderous, was that it wasn’t sliced, so you had to pick up the whole piece with your chopstick and take a bite out of it. The katsu really didn’t add anything to the dish. I’ll stick with just Curry Rice next time. This dish came with Miso Soup that was way too salty, and a salad with an Asian Sesame Dressing.

I usually stay with these three dishes at Chopstix and maybe Hiyashi Ramen during the summer. I’ve always been unhappy when I’ve ventured too far from my favorites here. The Mabo Tofu is overly sweet, and I think things get really bad with combinations like Curry Ramen or Mabo Ramen. So my suggestion, find what you like, and stick with it.

Chopstix Sushi & Noodle Cafe
4633 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Turkey Has Landed

November 20, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Cookbooks, Cooking, yoso-silly

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face! Today was our early Thanksgiving, and I had an 11am pick-up time for our turkey from Sam Woo. This November has been alot warmer then I remember, and I snapped this photo as I was out walking the "Boyz":

That’s Fiesta Island, Mission Bay, and the Mission Bay Bridge; such a good reminder of why we live here.

I left for Sam Woo at about 1045, while the Missus started on her Dan Bing – Mandarin Pancakes; we’d decided on making this for the turkey. It is classically served with Peking Duck, minced squab, roast duck, and such. We were also aware that turkey can be a little dry, especially since this turkey would be roasted "duck-style." The recipe we used as the based on the one in Pei Mei’s Chinese Cookbook Volume1:

We have always had good results from recipes in Pei Mei’s Books. We did have to make several changes, and we’ll note those. But as complicated as it may seem; these pancakes have only 4 ingredients!

Dan Bing

3Cups White Enriched High Gluten Flour (The English translation says Wheat Flour, but the Chinese version says High Gluten White, in cases like this we always go with the original.)
1Cup Boiling Water
1/3 Cup Cold Water
1Tb Sesame Oil

1 – Add 1 Cup of boiling water to the flour and mix well. Slowly add 1/3 Cup cold water to "dough", you may not need all of the water. Today the Missus only needed a few tablespoons. Knead dough until smooth. Cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes (the recipe says 15, but this was not nearly enough).

2 – Working on a lightly floured board, divide dough into 2 parts and roll each into rolls 15 inches long and 2 inches round. Cut and pinch dough into 1 inch pieces. Flatten each piece with your hand.

3 – Lightly oil the whole top surface of one of the flattened pieces with sesame oil.

4 – Lay a second the second piece of dough on top of the oiled surface of dough. Pat down and, then roll the dough out, until both layers are very thin, to about 5 inch "pancakes".

5 – Cook pancake(s) in an unoiled pan using medium heat, until you see bubbles rise. (This will take anywhere from 10 – 30 seconds) Turn and cook until second side is slightly brown.

6 – Remove and separate the two pancakes. (Believe me, it does work!!!)

You can stack these pancakes and cover with a dry towel. Pei Mei also notes that you can make this in advance, stack, covered, and refrigerated. You then heat them in a steamer.

Oh, what about the turkey you may ask?

I arrived at Sam Woo, turned in my receipt, and the bird was brought out on a hook, just like the duck and chicken. It was then wrapped in foil, placed in a bag, and I was on my way. The entire car smelled of roast duck. And indeed the skin tasted like that of roast duck, though the texture was a little tougher.

The white meat was dry as anticipated, the dark meat had much more flavor. The white meat, with a piece of skin, green onion brushes, hoisin sauce, in a pancake:

Altogether delici-yoso!!! BTW, I received a quart of the duck "jus, sauce", or whatever it’s called; but it’s pretty heinous stuff. You’d be better off with hoisin. Altogether not bad, for a $20 Turkey. I also made some Gailan with Oyster Sauce, in addition to the other side dishes I had made earlier. We somehow managed to finish off half of the ~~duck~~ turkey, and the Boyz got a healthy share.

Tonight, I’ll have a night of blissful Tryptophan sleep!

Getting Ready for the “Bird”.

November 19, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking

In preparation for the Sam Woo Turkey, we had to think up some side dishes. So after giving some thought as to what to serve with Chinese Roast Turkey, we decided on a few sides. And since some of those dishes could be prepared ahead of time, I thought I’d make a few of them this evening. After all, since we won’t be have to wait for "bird", we really don’t want to be waiting for our side dishes.

To start, the Missus thought Scallop and Corn Soup, would be a sweet, rich, and "oceany" beginning:

This soup is a mix between classic Chinese Dried Scallop Soup and Crab and Corn Soup. And pretty easy to make; though it does take up a bit of time.

4oz or 1 Cup Dried Scallops
6-8 Cups Water
4 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cans Creamed Corn
6 Eggs Whites Lightly Beaten
1/4 Cup Corn Starch dissolved in 1/4 Cup water
White Pepper to Taste
Salt To Taste
1-2 oz Whiskey or XiaoTsing(optional)
Chopped Green Onion for Garnish

1 – Rinse the Dried Scallops rubbing gently with fingers to remove grit and any substances that sometime coat the scallops.

2 – Place scallops in a saucepan and add 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil and skim off surface foam. Reduce heat and simmer scallops for 1 1/2-2 hours until scallops are plump and tender. If water level is reduced too far; add more water.

3 – Once scallops are done transfer the scallops to a bowl. Shred scallops with a fork, or by hand. Discard any "hard" parts(like the muscle). I usually do it by hand.

4 – Add chicken stock to to saucepan and and bring to a boil. Add whiskey, if desired. Add shredded scallop back to pan. I usually do this by hand and make sure that the scallop is well shredded. Taste and add salt and pepper.

5 – While soup is boiling add dissolved Corn Starch to soup and mix. Lower heat and cook until soup thickens.

6 – Reduce heat to low and stir in one direction, Mix in egg pouring in the opposite direction.

Garnish Soup with Green Onion

I had thought that the "stuffing" would be somewhat problematic, until I saw a link on Reid’s site ‘Ono Kine Grindz to a recipe from the Honolulu Star Bulletin, for Mochi (Glutinous) Rice Stuffing.

You can follow this link for the recipe. Once I found that it had bacon, mushroom, and Lup Cheong, I knew I had to make it. Just a few comments on the recipe. I doubled the soy sauce and the sugar; I added 1/3 cup of the "Mushroom Water" to help flavor the rice. Use a "rice paddle" to mix the sweet rice; it’s alot easier then a spoon.

Braised Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms:

I first had something similar in an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) in of all places Atlanta. Can’t remember the restaurant, but I recall the taste. This is really not a braise in the classic sense; but more of a dry braise. I could tell that the version I ate, had been cooked in a ton of oil, but I’ve cut down the amount of oil. These mushrooms are a "snap" to make!

1 lb Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
2 Tb Vegetable Oil
2 Tb XiaoTsing
2 Tb Soy Sauce
1 Tb Sugar
1-2 Tb Oyster Sauce
3 Tb Green Onions Sliced
1/2 Cup Water

1 – Rinse or wipe saw dust and other particles off mushrooms.

2 – Heat Wok over high heat, until hot. Add oil and stir fry mushrooms until fully coated with oil. Lower heat to medium. When the pan is "dry" add XiaoTsing and keep stirring.

3 – When XiaoTsing evaporates add 1/4 Cup Water, stir, and cover. If water immediately evaporates add another 1/4 cup.

4 – When the mushroom are slightly tender add soy sauce and sugar. When mushroom look fully cooked, add Oyster Sauce and stir to fully coat. When mushrooms are fully coated(20-30 seconds), turn off heat, stir in Green Onions and serve.

By using the water and other fluids to "dry-braise" , less oil is necessary.

So looks like we’re almost ready for the Turkey. Hold on though, there are a few more dishes! But you’ll just have to wait for those. Stay tuned…….

Guess Who’s Making Dinner? And other Friday Silliness….

November 18, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

First Clue – It has something to do with this Bad "Girl":

Second Clue – It’s got something to do with a "Killer Whale", for those who’ve read my earlier posts.

Yep, Sam Woo the "Killer Whale" will be in charge of preparing Ms. Turkey here. We got it for like five bucks after buying some groceries, and being good and practical folk; couldn’t resist a good bargain. So after sticking it in the Frig, the next dilemma was, what are we gonna do with it? I mean Thanksgiving is right around the corner, no? So the logical answer would be to go ahead and make it for Thanksgiving; which we usually celebrate on the weekend before Thanksgiving, because the Missus usually works on Turkey-day. This year, I really didn’t feel in the mood for doing all the brineing, prep, roasting, and most of all the constant "is it ready, yet?" And the "this is taking too damn long", "the smell is driving me nuts", and most of all "next year we’re eating out" comments. It just so happens that we happened upon a sign similar to the one over this Gal’s shoulder:

Wow, seems like Sam Woo is getting into the Turkey Roasting business. $15, to roast your turkey, not bad, $5 turkey plus $15 to prepare; we’re getting our turkey done for 20 bucks! Of course there were the questions from the Missus and Myself. Mine were questions like; how long will this take (3days), do you need the turkey defrosted(no-frozen is fine), you get the drift. The Missus in her typical Chinese fashion asked; "How do I know it’s my turkey that I get back?" All my suggestion of micro-chipping the bird got, was a "dirty look". This line of questioning ceased when I reminded the Missus in a stage whisper that the turkey only cost 5 bucks. So that’s what happened; Sam Woo is now making our turkey, which I’m picking up on Sunday. Now what am I going to do with a poultry microchip?

The next question; what are we going to serve as side dishes? Even though I have a few in mind; I’ll happily accept any suggestions.

Some silly links:

Jones-ing for some really original soda flavors? Maybe broccoli, or how about salmon pate soda? Jones Soda Company has all of that, and even Turkey and Gravy flavors. The reason I know about Jones Soda, is that they make custom soda labels. You send them a pic and they’ll create a 12 pack case for about $50, including shipping. I had this silly idea about ordering a 12 pack of Lemon Drop, with the picture of Sammy and Frankie on the label, titled; "From Sammy and Frankie – literally" and giving them out as gifts.

Also, don’t throw out that 30 year old oatmeal that you have sitting on the shelf somewhere. It might still be good!

To finish things off for this Friday; we recently had a pretty good late night (930pm) meal at China Max. Here’s a quick rundown of what we ate; all dishes ran between $6.75-$7.75:

Fried Rock Cod with Sweet Corn Sauce:

This was delici-yoso!!! But we ate it, a bit differently from the suggested method. Instead of pouring everything over the perfectly fried fish. We placed the fish in our bowl and poured a spoon or two of what was basically Chinese Corn Soup over it!

Steamed Bean Curd with Chicken and Shrimp:

Another very good dish. Creamy bean curd, with a gravy that contained reconstitued dry scallop.

Clams with Black Bean Sauce:

Overall, the weakest dish of the night. Though still pretty good.

China Max Lunch and Supper Menu

Have a great weekend!

Golden City Part 2 of 3 – Late Night Supper

November 17, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Golden City has closed

*** As of July, 2006 Golden City is under new Ownership – posts on the “New” Golden City, can be found here, here, and here.

After my first visit to the “new” Golden City for lunch; I thought I’d give them a few weeks to get their act together. So after one evening of a few movies at San Diego Asian Film Festival this past October, the Missus and I paid a visit to Golden City to partake of the “Supper Menu” served between 9pm through Midnight. We arrived at Golden City at just past 9pm:

When we entered, just a few tables were filled along with one rather large, raucous party where the Older Chinese Men were pounding a few beers. One of the great things about the “old” Golden City; were the reasonably priced late night specials, and though the prices have gone up a bit at this new location they are still reasonable. Most dishes range from $5.25 – $6.95 from 9pm til closing.

So we started ordering; first with the Roast Duck ($5.95 – 1 piece):

The “old” Golden City made pretty good roasted meats, and I understand that the Chef used to work at Emerald making the roast meats. So I was looking forward to this. The skin was nice and slightly crisp, and the meat was nice and tender. But the flavor was a bit off; it did taste like roast duck, mind you; but the flavor was strangely muted, as if it was a mere shadow of its former self.

Rock Cod with Black Bean Sauce ($6.15):

One of the Missus’s favorites, the fish fillets were cooked to a moist and tender state, and the onions were cooked through perfectly. However, the Bell Peppers were undercooked and very raw tasting. The sauce suffered from a lack of Black Bean taking away any personality from the dish.

Goat with Dry Bean Curd ($5.95):

Per the Missus’s instructions, I’m not allowed to eat this. Between bites, she did say it was just as good as she remembers.

Lastly out came “My” dish; Kwai Fei Chicken ($5.95):

One of my favorite dishes back home in Hawaii is what is called Cold Ginger Chicken; basically cold, Poached Chicken served with a ginger-scallion oil. I’ve never really found a version of this dish that I’ve enjoyed on the Mainland. What I did find was Kwai Fei Chicken. Basically, chicken is rubbed with seasoning, and steamed. This dish is also served at room temperature or cold with the heavenly ginger scallion oil. Golden City used to be a regular stop for this at their old location. Tonight, the chicken was over cooked making it tough and dry. And not even the scallion oil could cure it. So in the end; I ate most of the oil on rice (it is really delici-yoso), and took the chicken home for Frankie and Sammy.

In the end it seemed as if Golden City was literally a “shadow of it’s former self”, as all the flavors seemed strangely muted. Though as we left groups of people started streaming in; searching for reasonable Chinese Food at 10pm.

In the last installment we have a “regular” dinner; and I’ll have the same dish for lunch that I had on opening day.

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearney Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

A Quick Post About Hijiki

November 16, 2005 mmm-yoso Blog

A quick note about Hijiki. A regular reader, sent me some links regarding levels of Inorganic Arsenic in Hijiki which I used in one of my Nimono Dishes. So I just wanted to pass them on to you all:

http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2004/jul/hijiki

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/foodfacts/arsenice.shtml

http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/consumers/food-safety-topics/chemicals-in-food/hijiki-arsenic/

And a few more:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?nn20040731f1.htm

http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v18je17.htm

This interesting post lists the Brands tested by the Food Standards Agency in the UK; it also reveals that the FSA did not take into consideration the rinsing and cooking:

http://www.simoncox.com/mt3/2005/11/itsu_bean_and_hijiki_lunch_roll.php

As with all info of this type I think the same New Zealand FSA article linked above had the following:

"Does this put my health at risk?

Exposure to low levels of organic or inorganic arsenic is not a health concern. Organic arsenic is commonly found in seaweed and other marine foods but has not been linked to any human illnesses.

Inorganic arsenic, formed from the combination of arsenic with oxygen, chlorine or sulphur, is more toxic and is known to add to the risk of people getting cancer if it is regularly consumed.

However it is not usually found at high levels in food. Hijiki does contain high levels of inorganic arsenic."

And the New Zealand FSA sent out this additional press release that states:

"the New Zealand Food Safety Authority says that it is very unlikely that anyone consumes enough each day to be at any risk."

http://archives.foodsafetynetwork.ca/fsnet/2004/10-2004/fsnet_oct_21.htm#story1

I really don’t eat alot of this; so this won’t stop me from eating the little bit of Hijiki in my Onigiri, or with my bentos. In addition, many people I’ve known have been eating Hijiki their entire lives, and have not suffered any negative effects. But I thought that some sort of full disclosure is necessary. Call it "food for thought".

Thanks for the links Anna!

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill

November 15, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

I pass this little shop almost everyday, but have never given it much thought:

But I’ve always seen Police Cars and Post Office Vehicles in the parking lot. And you know what they say about Cops and Postal Carriers, well maybe not Postal Carriers……not that I have anything against the Post Office mind you, I love getting my mail, and living, and stuff. Well, before I make anymore comments that get me in trouble, let’s proceed.

Doing this Food Blogging thingy has given me alot more courage, I finally gave El Portal a try. The first thing I did was read a little pamphlet that told me El Portal was one of those "Fresh Mexican Grills" that seem to be in every strip mall nowadays. You know, grilled lean meat, grilled chicken breast, no preservatives, no cholesterol, no lard, and many times, no flavor.

I ordered a Carne Asada Torta($4.15):

Expecting to be underwhelmed, I was rather surprised. I mean this isn’t really Mexican food, but it was pretty tasty. A well toasted bollilo, a good amount of very well marinated and grilled carne asada(though I’m pretty sure it was heated up in a microwave), and the sandwich wasn’t over-dressed. So many times I’ve had a torta that’s just smeared in beans or mayo that it’s a soggy mess. On the minus side, the guacamole was fairly flavorless, and what’s with the one slice of tomato right smack in the middle of the roll?

I did enjoy the Caesar Pepita Salad($4.05):

Though a bit short on the Cotija Cheese and Pepitas(pumpkin seeds), the salad was well dressed and tasty. The dressing was not quite the usual Caesar dressing, being alot looser and tangy. But overall a pretty fair salad. BTW, I didn’t take a photo of the chips that came with these dishes; but just let me say, they were really bad; dry and stale tasting.

About a week later I was doing some shopping at Long’s Drugs in Mission Valley, and to my surprise El Portal had opened a second location:

In need for some sustenance, I walked in. No Police; this time it was the Highway Patrol, and one Postal Worker, with a UPS Guy thrown in.

I decided to try the Pollo Asado Torta(grilled marinated chicken $4.15):

Can you say B-L-A-N-D! This tasted like a sour cream and cardboard sandwich. Really not worth my time. But I was comforted by the tomato; I now knew that the single lonely slice of tomato is the standard.

I did manage to get a Carne Asada Taco($2.45):

Though a bit more expensive then what I’m used to paying for a taco; this was absolutely stuffed with, well "stuff". The Carne Asada was just as before, pretty good; but so was the tasteless pasty "guac", and the pico de gallo was the usual run of the mill type. Not a disappointment, but not really great, and pretty consistent as a whole; just what the masses love in a "fast-casual" type restaurant. If looked at in that way, El Portal is pretty good.

Some notes; El Portal is a prime example that "healthy" doesn’t equate to "low fat". For example all Tortas have guacamole and sour cream. El Portal opens at 7am and has a large variety of omelettes and breakfast burritos.

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill
4101 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

5618 Mission Ctr Rd
San Diego, CA 92108

A Nimono Kind of Night

November 14, 2005 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

"You know that I know how to make that stuff, don’t you?"

"Well why don’t you make me some then?"

A typical conversation over the prepared food case at Nijiya. I usually would just go ahead and buy the stuff, but for some strange reason today I was overcome with bravado; and of course the Missus called me on it. I haven’t really made any of this stuff in years. Well I decided to dig out some recipes, and some books and actually cook some of this. So instead of eating out this past Sunday, I had a "nimono(simmered food)-fest"! All these recipes are modifications of those found in various cookbooks I have.

Kiriboshi Daikon when rehydrated has a somewhat nutty taste, and a nice crunchy texture.

Kiriboshi-Daikon Ni
(Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon)

2 oz Kiriboshi Daikon
(Dried White Radish Strips)
3 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
3 Chikuwa (Broiled Fishcake)
1 Tb Toasted Sesame Seeds
1-2Tb Vegetable Oil
1/4 Tsp Dashi No-Moto (optional)
1/2 Cup water used for soaking Kiriboshi Daikon
1 Cup Water
2 Tb Sake
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce(not Kikkoman)
3-4 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Mirin

1 – Rinse the Kiriboshi-Daikon in cold water. Squeeze out excess water, and place in a bowl. Add water to just cover radish strips. Soak for 30-40 minutes

2 – Slice Shiitake Mushroom and Chikuwa into thin (1/8") slices.

3 – When Kiriboshi-Daikon is reconstituted squeeze out water, and cut into bite size strips if necessary.Set aside 1/2 cup of strained soaking liquid.

4 – Heat oil in a pot, add in order; the Chikuwa, Shiitake Mushroom, and the Kiriboshi Daikon, stir fry briefly using medium heat.

5 – Add Soaking Liquid and Water, and bring to a boil. Once a boil is reached add sake, mirin, and sugar, and simmer for 5 minutes.

6 – Add soy sauce and simmer until the liquid is almost completely absorbed.

7 – Sprinkle Sesame Seeds before serving.

Hijiki is the black colored dried seaweed that is often seen stuffed into Onigiri (Rice Balls), and is often used as garnish or as a side dish at "Asian-Fusion" restaurants. It is high in vegetable protein, calcium, and iron.

Hijiki Nimono
(Simmered Hijiki Seaweed)

1 oz Dried Hijiki Seaweed
1/3 Carrot sliced into thin "sticks"
1 Sheet Aburage (Thin Fried Tofu Sheets)
1-2 Tb Vegetable Oil
3/4 Cup Water
2 Tb Sake
2-3 Tb Mirin
3-4 Tb Sugar
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
Salt to taste

1 – Place Hijiki in a bowl, and rinse several times in cold water. Soak in cold water for 20-30 minutes until soft.

2 – Pour boiling water over Aburage to remove excess oil, and cut into thin slices.

3 – Drain Hijiki.

4 – Heat oil in a pot using medium heat. Add in the following order Carrot, Aburage, and Hijiki, and fry for 1-2 minutes.

5 – Add water and bring to a boil. Add sake, mirin, and sugar. Lower to a low simmer. When the liquid is almost absorbed add soy sauce and salt, stirring until almost absorbed.

Some notes; many times you’ll find this dish with Soybeans (Edamame), or cooked black beans, or topped with sesame seeds. You can also add Shimichi Togarashi (Japanese Chili Pepper Powder – actually "seven spice"…) for some zing. This dish tastes better the next day after flavors have had time to meld.

Niku tofu is a real homestyle dish. This version features Shirataki, often called "yam noodles", the noodle form of Konnyaku.

Niku Tofu
(Simmered Beef and Tofu)

1/2 Lb thinly sliced beef – sliced into bite sized slices
1 Block soft tofu
1 medium onion sliced
1-2 packages Shirataki (Yam noodles)
1 bunch green onions green part only sliced
1 Cup water
4 Tb Sugar
3 Tb Sake
3 Tb Mirin
1/4 Cup Soy sauce
Salt
1-2 Tb vegetable oil

1 – Rinse Shirataki under cold water. Then pour boiling water over shirataki to remove bitterness and smell (Shirataki has a very strong and unpleasant odor), rinse under cold water, and drain.

2 – Heat vegetable oil in a sauce pan or wok over medium heat. Fry the beef until slightly browned. Add the Shirataki and onion and fry.

3 – When ingredients are heated through add Water and bring to a boil. Add Sake, Mirin, Sugar, and Soy Sauce. Reduce to a simmer.

4 – Add tofu and mix in, being careful not to mash tofu. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

5 – Top with green onions before serving.

I had a blast juggling three "active" pots. I haven’t had so much fun since I worked as a cook in a drive-in as a teenager! In fact I decided to make me a bento, so I made my "Mama’s Eggs", basically a "rustic" Dashi-Maki Tamago (Rolled Egg Omelette):

I scramble three eggs, add green onion, furikake, and 1 Tb Kikkoman Soy sauce.

Made a pretty good bento with all of this:

Tomorrow it’s back to restaurants……