I’ve just returned from spending three incredible weeks cooking for some of the most influential people in the world on a ranch nestled in the mountains of western Colorado. The vistas were grand. the sunsets dazzling. and the night sky mesmerizing. Breathtaking views aside, the remoteness of the location made sourcing ingredients a challenge. With the nearest rural supermarket 2 hours away, most ingredients were Fedexed in from New York....
Aside from being delicious and colorful, edamame is packed full of nutrients, so this is one snack you can munch on without feeling an ounce of guilt. Their popularity in the United States has risen in recent years, and you can find them frozen in most grocery stores. Edamame Nutrition Edamame is high in fiber and protein and contains loads of vitamins and minerals. Here are five reasons why edamame is so good for you:...
Perhaps the most famous of the bunch is a version of Tocino that evolved in the Philippines. A culinary mashup of Chinese Char Siu and Western bacon, this remnant of the Spanish colonial era has evolved into a uniquely Filipino food that masterfully balances sweet and savory tastes. Filipino Bacon makes for the perfect Filipino breakfast accompaniment to sunny side up eggs and rice, but it’s also addictively good during happy hour as a pulutan alongside a frosty bottle of beer....
Why This Recipe Works? Many people assume that Japanese sushi is all about raw fish, but it’s the vinegared sushi rice that most modern styles of sushi have in common. This is why it’s important to use sticky Japanese rice with the proper cooking process. When mixing the rice with the sushi vinegar, the key is to get the seasoning to coat every grain of rice without smashing the individual grains and then cooling it rapidly so the rice doesn’t turn mushy....
The other problem is that they’ll turn to mush the moment you try to add milk to the bowl. These two flaws have relegated Pancake Cereal to a one-time novelty for most people, but I wanted to see if I could turn this craze into an actual breakfast cereal that could be eaten with milk, and that doesn’t require a ridiculous amount of effort to make Why this recipe works Cooking the pancakes until they’re crisp allows you to serve this with milk like regular cereal....
Luckily, sesame is loaded with minerals, vitamins, protein and fiber, making it a great way to start off your day. For those of you trying to limit your sugar intake, this works equally well with dark chocolate. Best of all, it’s damn near effortless to make. I’m talkin’ melt a few milk chocolate buttons and stir in a few other ingredients simple. One thing that I’m sure some of you are going to ask is how long you can store this....
For me, cravings often manifest themselves as an emotional reaction to something I see, rather than from a recollection of something I’ve actually eaten. I was out grocery shopping the other day and as I walked through the mall connecting the grocery store to the train station, I noticed a big glossy poster outside a chain restaurant promoting a new dish. It showed a crown of giant plump shrimp, atop a mound of spaghetti tossed in a verdant green pesto....
Although there are many different styles of these steamed dumplings today, my Shumai recipe uses hand-chopped shrimp, pork, and cuttlefish to make these succulent shrimp and pork dumplings. The resulting Japanese-style Shumai is chock full of contrasting textures and tastes with a reservoir of juices that burst out of each dumpling with every bite. Why This Recipe Works? A mixture of various proteins, including shrimp, cuttlefish, and pork, provides a contrast in textures and tastes, along with a ton of umami to the filling....
Why This Recipe Works? Thicker cuts of pork with plenty of marbling make for a more substantial soup that straddles the border between soup and stew. Browning the pork lends the soup more flavor due to the Maillard reaction. Contrary to common wisdom, which recommends adding miso to soups last, for Tonjiru, I prefer adding it at the beginning, which ensures the vegetables and pork end up well seasoned. Using a wide variety of winter vegetables makes for a more interesting texture and taste....
The Importance of Precision A recipe is like a formula for scientists or sheet music for musicians; it shows you how to recreate a dish as the person who made the recipe intended. The success or failure of the recreation hinges primarily on how precisely you can replicate the steps the recipe creator took to make their dish. The more precise the recipe, the less guesswork you have to do and the better the chances for success....
If you’ve been following this blog for long, you probably remember that I’ve posted about chicken teriyaki before. It was a grilled preparation that involved brining, grilling and basting the chicken, and while delicious, it’s a fair amount of work. While teriyaki may have originally been a grilled dish, these days in Japan, the chicken is pan-fried more often than not due to busy schedules and a lack of charcoal grills....
I’m not usually much of a sweets person. Don’t get me wrong, I’m addicted to sugar like most of the developed world, but I just don’t make them myself. Part of the reason for this is that when I crave something sweet, I only want a few bites, not a whole cake or a dozen cookies. Sweets also usually have a bad effort to reward ratio, especially if you take into consideration the plethora of tasty treats available here in Japan....
Why This Recipe Works? Mochi rice is traditionally steamed in a basket, but for Ohagi, it is much easier to make it in a pot, similar to how regular rice is cooked. This results in softer rice which works perfectly for making this dish. I recommend following my recipe for making anko which gives you control over the sweetness and viscosity of the red bean paste. Using saltwater to keep the rice and anko from sticking to your hands adds a light kiss of contrasting salt to the outside of your Ohagi....
This fire roasted corn salsa came together effortlessly as a side dish for my Carne Asada one night, and it quickly became a favorite condiment over the next few days. The sweetness of the corn is intensified by fire-roasting it, which also brings out some earthy popcorn-like flavors. Crispy and mild, this non-traditional salsa goes with everything from chips to tacos. It also makes a great side salad to accompany a meat or fish dish....
Why This Recipe Works? Curly quick-cook ramen noodles have been flash-fried. Since they’ve already been cooked, they rehydrate pretty quickly, and the process also imparts some oil into the noodles, which makes for a creamy sauce. Turning the heat off once the noodles are separated allows them to rehydrate without losing a lot of liquid due to evaporation. By boiling the noodles in a minimum amount of water, you end up with some thick starchy liquid by the time the noodles are done boiling....
For those that have never had it, uni is the orange reproductive organs of the spiny sea urchin. I know, it doesn’t sound appealing at all, but it’s sweet, rich, and creamy, melting on your tongue into a briny pool of heaven. It’s so rich, in fact, that I usually have a hard time eating more than a few pieces – far fewer than the dozen and a half or so pieces that come in one flat....
Like most things in life, the rules of cooking aren’t set in stone, and there are always exceptions. I’ve never been a big fan of certainties, and so for this Soboro Don (そぼろ丼) I’m going to tell you do break the rules and do something unthinkable for a classically trained chef. In most cases, common wisdom dictates that we brown ground meat first. This high heat method of cooking, caramelizes the juices coming out of the meat, increasing the depth of flavor thanks to the Maillard reaction....
No… I’m not going to bust out singing that Japanese pop song from the 60’s that got renamed for the US market by some culturally insensitive record executive. Instead you get my rendition of this ubiquitous dish that’s become synonymous with Japanese food. Not that I have anything against record execs, or even renaming songs, but really… did ya have to name it after a hotpot dish? I wonder how that guy would have felt if I took a song like “Unchained Melody” and renamed it “Beef Stew” in Japan because it’s easier to say and more catchy....
Despite what some recipes may have you believe, Caponata is not a stew. It’s more like a salad or relish, with an agrodolce(lit. sour-sweet) taste, and a variety of textures and flavors that keeps your mouth waiting in eager anticipation for the next bite. To help retain each ingredient’s individuality, I like to cook each one separately. The pine nuts get roasted in oil to bring out their rich earthy flavor....
