Nanbanzuke / deep-fried fish in sweetened spicy vinegar

One of my mom's standard dishes to serve a bunch of people -- friends, relatives and neighbors regularly showed up for food, drinks and a chat at my parents' house when I was growing up. This is relatively simple, inexpensive and also satisfying because of being deep-fried.

Piiman to age no itameni / green pepper and thin deep-fried tofu in soy sauce broth

The sweet flavor of juicy green pepper gets a boost from salty usuage.

Shiozake / salted salmon

Shiozake  (shiojake) in a few different levels of saltiness is readily available at stores in Japan. We make our own when we get fresh salmon and freeze it in smaller pieces. It is quite a versatile ingredient in many different dishes. You can control the salt content when you make your own.

Pita pan / pita bread

So easy to make and tastes much better than pre-packed pita.

Whole recipe:
1,270 calories; 39.6 g protein; 19.2 g fat; 231.4 g carbohydrate; 213.6 g net carbs; 282 mg sodium (with shiokoji salted rice malt; 849 mg with kosher salt); 0 mg cholesterol; 17.8 g fiber

1 pita (1/4 of recipe):
315 calories; 9.9 g protein; 4.8 g fat; 57.9 g carbohydrate; 53.4 g net carbs; 71 mg sodium (with shiokoji salted rice malt; 212 mg with kosher salt); 0 mg cholesterol; 4.5 g fiber

1 pita (1/5 of recipe):
254 calories; 7.9g protein; 3.8 g fat; 46.3 g carbohydrate; 42.7 g net carbs; 56 mg sodium (with shiokoji salted rice malt; 170 mg with kosher salt); 0mg cholesterol; 3.6 g fiber

Kyabetsu no ume-gomaae / cabbage in plum sesame dressing

The sourness of umeboshi compliments the sweet flavor of cabbage.

Karifurawaa to saishin no hana no misoshiru / miso soup with cauliflower and choy sum blossoms

Cheerful flowers with tender cauliflower.

Breakfast, November 21, 2011

Before we pick up our turkey and start preparing dishes for Thanksgiving dinner, we need to create more space in the fridge and freezer. Space-taking lettuce and mizuna, leftover cooked dried daikon radish, and fish marinated in miso will be gone with this breakfast.

Tahini sauce

The proper companion for falafel.

Faraferu / falafel

My first falafel at a Lebanese cafe in Colombo, Sri Lanka, over 15 years ago was the discovery of a whole new taste. This is mild-mannered falafel with enough fresh parsley and cilantro to perk it up.

Sake no misoni / salmon simmered in miso sauce

Slightly sweet miso sauce makes this salmon dish a perfect companion for steamed rice.

Kayaku gohan / steamed rice with assorted ingredients

Kayaku -- gunpowder? Nope. Kaykau here means additional goodies. It was a way to increase the amount of the main food, rice, when rice was expensive for ordinary people a long time ago. It is rather a special rice dish today.

Kyabetsu to age no misoshiru / miso soup with cabbage and thin deep-fried tofu

Cabbage makes the miso soup sweet.

Unohana / soybean pulp with vegetables

A common dish made of leftovers from making tofu.

Keeru to tofu no misoshiru / miso soup with kale and tofu

A filling miso soup for a cold day.

Paraku paniiru / palak paneer / spinach and cheese curry

This light palak paneer is reminiscent of my favorite dish in Agra. The original recipe was lost between relocations in following years, and this is a recreation attempt of the recipe I got from the chef.

1/4 recipe (curry only, naan not included): 
188 calories; 9.4 g protein; 14.3 g fat; 6.4 g carbohydrate; 3.7 g net carbs; 52 mg sodium; 34 mg cholesterol; 2.7 g fiber

Nan / naan flatbread

Naan for home oven. Increase sugar somewhat if sweeter taste is preferred.

Kiriboshi-daikon to age no nimono / dried daikon radish cooked with thin deep-fried tofu

A simple dish with the calming sunny flavor of dried daikon radish.

Ebi no kareeraisu / curry rice with prawns

Curry sauce infused with prawns, with basmati rice cooked with cloves.

Tara no shichimiyaki / cod saute with light teriyaki sauce and shichimi pepper

Light and mild nabe-teriyaki spiced up with shichimi pepper.

Kuri gohan / steamed rice with chestnuts

A fall rice dish with starchy, sweet chestnuts.

1/3 of above recipe:
225 calories; 3. 7g protein; 0.6 g fat; 48.1 g carbohydrate; 46.8 g net carbs; 191 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1.3 g fiber

1/2 of recipe:
338 calories; 5.6g protein; 0.9 g fat; 72.2 g carbohydrate; 70.3 g net carbs; 286 mg sodium; 0 mg cholesterol; 1.9 g fiber 

Dinner, November 4, 2011

Chestnut season -- the season for kuri gohan chestnut rice has arrived.

Hakusai no amazuzuke / la bai cai / napa cabbage in sweet and spicy vinegar

Hua jiao Sichuan pepper adds a refreshing, mildly pungent note.

Keeru no kurumiae / kale in walnut dressing

Walnut neutralizes the bitterness of kale.

Tom cooks 1: Kabocha no nimono (kabocha pumpkin in broth)

Tom asked, “What are those 'tbsp' and 'tsp' things?”

My brain froze for a moment as I tried to grasp what's behind his question.
My goodness, this person isn't even sure what they mean...

Gomadofu / sesame tofu

Mellow and creamy. A traditional zen temple dish made easy.

Kikuka kabu / chrysanthemum-cut Japanese turnip

Delicious and decorative. Fresh kabu turnip marinated in sweetened vinegar.

Kabu turnip

Brassica rapa var rapifera


Has a very fine texture and tastes bittersweet raw, and sweet and very soft when cooked. It is said that kabu was introduced to Japan sometime BC 3c-10c, and today more than 80 species (both Asian-origin and European-origin) of kabu are grown in Japan. It is still new where we live in the Pacific Northwest. It is a cool season vegetable, and grows well in containers for us.

Daikon no misoni / daikon radish in miso-flavored broth

Mild miso flavor is soothing on chilly days.