Recipe: Japanese Carrot Ginger Dressing (Revisited)

I had another carrot ginger dressing recipe posted that was very simple to make if you didn't have Japanese ingredients.
This one is another version that has more ingredients and a more complex flavor.
This recipe makes 2 cups.

Ingredients

• 3 medium-size carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced across the grain
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• ¼ cup neutral flavored oil like canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil (I like Kadoya brand)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 4 teaspoons white miso paste
• 2 teaspoons mirin

Directions

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend/process until a creamy puree. You may add a bit of water and mix until it is to your preferred consistency.
Keeps in the refrigerator for about a week.

Dark sesame oil is made with toasted sesame seeds and has great depth of flavor.
The miso you find at Asian markets is often sold red or white with white being the one commonly used in miso soup.
Miring is a sweet cooking wine that gives teriyaki dishes it's shiny luster.

Video: How To Make Sushi Rolls

    Making your own sushi at home can be fun and cheaper than going to a Japanese sushi bar.
You'll need to buy sushi rice which is a small grain rice that is sticky when cooked. Other ingredients needed are dried nori sheets and seasoned rice vinegar. You can find these in the Asian Foods section of a large supermarket chain or in Chinatown. Pick up an inexpensive sushi mat too.
Fillings can be endless!

Video courtesy of AllRecipes.com

Recipe: Chicken Teriyaki (revisited)

Chicken legs are on sale at my local supermarket for 99¢ a pound. I bought thighs and watched Youtube videos to learn how to debone them myself and save money. Boneless and skinless chicken costs more per pound because the butcher did it for you but if you learn the technique and do it yourself, you can save much more money.

I decided to make chicken teriyaki with the thighs as dark meat is more flavorful than white and traditionally, legs are used.

I have another recipe for chicken teriyaki posted earlier on this blog but this recipe requires the chicken marinate in a brine first so that the meat has more flavor and is tender. The teriyaki sauce is cooked separately and brushed on afterwards.

Ingredients

 For the brine marinade:

•     1/2 cup water
•     2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons sugar
•     2 tablespoons mirin (sweet sake cooking wine)

•   6 boneless chicken thighs with skin on

  For the teriyaki sauce:

•     2 tablespoons sugar (or honey)
•     2 tablespoons soy sauce
•     2 tablespoons mirin
•    1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
•    1/2 tablespoon minced ginger

Directions

1. Mix all the brine marinade ingredients together in a measuring cup.
2. Put the boneless chicken thighs into a zip lock bag and pour the marinade all over.
3. Squeeze out the air from the bag and zip close.
4. Allow chicken to marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour. (I marinated the chicken overnight and it was more tasty.)
5. Make the teriyaki sauce by heating the soy, mirin, and sugar (or honey) until the sugar dissolves.
6. Stir in the ginger and garlic. Set aside.
7. When you are ready to cook the chicken, heat your grill until hot and then grill the chicken skin side down for 10-12 minutes then flip over and cook until done (about another 10 minutes).
8. If you are pan frying, heat a few tablespoons oil in a large non-stick pan and lay the thighs skin side down. Cook as above.
9. Remove cooked thighs and allow to rest on a cutting board.
10. Brush on the teriyaki sauce, slice, and serve.

Recipe: Teriyaki Chicken

Here is a recipe that makes wonderful use of soy sauce, sugar, mirin, and sake (or cooking wine) that you should have on the Asian side of your pantry.

Dark meat chicken is usually used to make this as the meat is more tender than white meat. Besides, chicken thighs and legs usually cost less than breast meat so this is a dish that everyone can afford to make.

Mirin is a sweet sake seasoning used quite often in Japanese cuisine.

Teriyaki is usually broiled or grilled and the sauce is constantly brushed on the meat as it cooks but with this recipe you do it on the stove, thickening the sauce as the chicken cooks. Definitely a one pan dish!

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken thighs (you can debone them now or later)
• 2 tablespoons sake (you can substitute Chinese Shao Hsing wine or Dry Sherry)
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons mirin (this gives that shiny luster of teriyaki)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (grate using the small, not fine teeth of a box grater)

Directions

1. Place the chicken thighs in a plastic zip lock bag.
2. Mix the teriyaki ingredients well in a bowl and then add to the chicken.
3. Seal the plastic bag and allow the chicken to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.. The longer it marinates, the more flavor it absorbs.
4. In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
5. Take the chicken pieces out of the bag and reserve the marinade.
6. Cook the chicken pieces skin side down over medium heat until browned then turn the chicken pieces over and brown the other side over low heat.
7. Add the teriyaki marinade to the chicken in the pan and cover.
8. Steam cook the chicken until done.
9. Remove the lid and continue to simmer the sauce until thick.
10. Turn off heat and remove chicken.
11. Remove the bone and slice the chicken into strips.
12. Pour thickened teriyaki sauce over the chicken.

Recipe: Kabocha no nimono (Simmered Japanese pumpkin)

Kabocha is a wonderful sweet Japanese pumpkin with a fluffy texture that is prepared by cutting in half and then seeds scooped out, cut in half again, then chopped into 1" pieces. The sharp edges are trimmed with a peeler and then the pieces simmered in a sweet & salty broth for 20 minutes.

Kabocha freezes nicely so if happen to buy a large one, you can cut, prep, and freeze half for another use.

Kabocha is ususally served in many bento boxes and since it is rich in fiber and beta-carotene, healthy for you too!

Dashi is a cooking stock made of kombu seaweed and bonito flakes and can be bought as an instant powder in Asian markets. It is used in many soups and simmering liquids.

Mirin is a sweet cooking sake which can be omitted in this recipe if you don't have it. Just increase the sugar by 2 tablespoons.

Ingredients

• 1 pound kabocha squash
• 1 cup water (or dashi for more depth of flavor)
• 2 tablespoons mirin (sweet cooking sake)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Directions

1. Rinse the kabocha squash under running water and dry the skin.
2. With a sharp Chef's knife, cut off the stem.
3. Carefully cut the kabocha in half and with a spoon, scoop out and discard the seeds.
4. Cut the halved kabocha in half again to get 4 quarters.
5. Cut the quarters into 1 inch pieces.
6. With a peeler, trim the sharp edges of the skin.
7. Layer the kabocha pieces skin side down in a large skillet pan
8. In a large measuring cup, mix the water (or dashi), mirin, sugar, and soy sauce together and pour over the squash.
9. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
10. Serve warm or room temperature.

Recipe: Sweet Simmered Kabocha

I stopped in at Whole Foods to see what they had on sale and saw that Winter Squash was selling for $1.29/lb (although it rang up as 79¢/lb). I bought a nice sized Kabocha Squash (Japanese Pumpkin) since I've had it before in Japanese restaurants and it's so tasty but never cooked it myself. The cooked texture is creamy and starchy almost like a sweet potato, not stringy like a common orange pumpkin. Nice thing about Kabocha is that you can also eat the skin after it's cooked so no need for peeling it..

Here is a recipe courtesy of About.com's Japanese Food Guide, Setsuko Yoshizuka.

Kabocha is commonly simmered in Japan. Kabocha amani (simmered sweet kabocha) is the most popular kabocha dish. It's often served in a Japanese-style meal as a side dish.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kabocha (1 lb.), seeds removed
• 1 cup water
• 4 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Preparation:

Cut kabocha into about 1 and 1/2 inch cubes. Peel kabocha skin around the edges. Put water, sugar, soy sauce, and kabocha in a medium pot. Heat on high heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low. Put a drop-lid or a sheet of aluminium foil on kabocha and cover with lid. Simmer kabocha for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid is almost gone.
*Makes 4 servings