Tom Cooks 20. Soondupu tofu stew and spinach namul

This is the best soondupu Tom has made so far. He even made the yangyeom seasoning mix for the soup. Incredibly, a small spinach side dish also appeared on the table.

Before cooking, Tom showed me how much spinach he was going to use. While it seemed like as much as half a bunch to him, it was only half a bunch to me, and clearly not enough. But I kept my mouth shut, as Tom wouldn't have listened to me anyway. He learns best from his own trial and error, not from other people's advice. My words are noise to him, especially after he has made up his mind.

Tom cooks 19. Tenshinhan (crab omlette over rice) & miso soup

Tom officially has a new addition to his crab repertoire.

This was the second time Tom made tenshinhan (crabmeat egg foo young with steamed rice). Mastering a couple of Asian dishes that involve multiple tasks as well as preparing a few dishes simultaneously on a number of occasions have given him the confidence to try more recipes. 

When Tom made tenshinhan the first time, it naturally took longer and some processes were confusing. The second time, his focus was to finish up crabmeat in the fridge, and he basically forgot about preliminary prep such as rehydrating dried shiitake mushrooms or using dried julienned daikon radish (substitute for takenoko bamboo shoots). But once these problems were solved (by me), his cooking seemed to go well --  at least I did not hear him screaming in the kitchen.

Tom Cooks 18. Mame gohan (steamed rice with peas) & daikon, ninjin, age no itameni (daikon radish, carrot and thin deep-fried tofu saute simmered in broth)

One day Tom got particularly ambitious and decided to make a Japanese dinner consisting of five dishes for my birthday. Working hard all by himself, he carefully planned the menu and made a shopping list, and was looking nervous as the day approached. Then he won an unexpected reprieve from his self-proposed task, as our savior friends took us out for dinner!
Lucky Tom.

Well, now he must regret that the time and thought he put into the menu have evaporated as if they never existed. So, to recognize his efforts, I suggested he prepare two dishes the next day. A reduction from five dishes to two seemed like a bargain to him, and almost instantly Tom said, "I can do that," flashing a cheeky smile.

Tom cooks 17. Katsuo-kobu dashi & Tai-chan kukkii (bonito kelp stock & cookies for Tai)

Savory and chewy, and obviously mouthwatering for Tai, our dog.

The first time Tom made katsuo-kobu dashi earlier this year, that was all he did. He kindly prepared an essential stock for me, and I ended up making something with it.

The second time Tom made the dashi, it was to get a key ingredient for Tai's cookies. Dashi simply was a by-product of his operation.

Tom cooks 16. Koebi no mabodofu (mapo spicy tofu with bay shrimp)

Practice makes perfect.
I wonder how many times I heard this phrase on Japan's NHK Radio English Conversation Program. Hundreds, perhaps. Mr. Katsuaki Togo, the instructor of the program, repeated it so many times to encourage listeners, and it still comes into my head from time to time.

This time, it came back when I watched Tom's performance in the kitchen.

Tom cooks 15. Poo ob woon sen (steamed crab with mung bean noodles)

One afternoon, Tom promised he would cook a harusame mung bean vermicelli dish with crab. Within a few days he modified his words to "I'll go get a crab, and you cook it," but of course this did not work for me. My answer was, "You cook it."

When I went down to the kitchen to check on him, I saw an ambiguous smile plastered on his face.

Tom cooks 14. Kyabetsu to age no misoshiru (miso soup with cabbage and thin deep-fried tofu)

A long time ago when my friend got sick, her husband made her miso soup. His effort to comfort her really did touch her heart, she said. But, she continued, "he made too much and we ended up eating the same thing for days. I couldn't say I didn't want to eat it anymore, because I knew he had worked hard to make it for me ... "
How sweet... or does it sound like the recipe for disaster?

Tom cooks 13. Chaahan (fried rice with assorted ingredients)

Fried rice is a creation to finish up leftover rice from previous meals. We freeze leftover steamed rice, and when enough has accumulated, it turns into fried rice. It is one of Tom’s menu choices to feed me when I am swamped with work.

He proves how nice he is by cooking my favorite food. He can also shut out my potential complaints on his food (Tom sees my comments as complaints). Fried rice à la Tom serves more than two purposes. A value meal?

Tom cooks 12. Nan (naan flatbread)

“What is that?”
I couldn’t help myself; the words just exploded from my mouth.

I had made too much naan dough the night before. Naan tastes best when just out of oven, so we decided to make the remaining portion when we finished up the leftover toor dal dish and palak paneer.
I fully trusted Tom, who has more experience baking bread, to flatten each ball and bake them.

Well, it did taste like naan.

Tom cooks 11. Sakana to yasai, kinoko no hoiruyaki, miso-fumi (grilled fish, vegetables and mushrooms in foil, miso flavor)

Tom doesn't really measure ingredients. That’s fine, as long as his eyeballing method is close to what it should be.
But a big chunk of red miso in a small prep bowl was obviously too much when only 2 tsp was needed.
“You said 2 tbsp!” Tom said.

Nope. Look at the recipe again, it says 2 tsp. I think I should ask him to prepare a red miso soup one day … then he would have a better sense of balance between the amount and the taste.
I was glad that I came down to the kitchen to check on him.

Tom Cooks 10: Kaki furai (panko deep-fried oysters)

Our fridge is usually filled with fresh ingredients, and those that stay good longer sometimes get neglected.

A jar of oysters had been sitting in the fridge for some time. Tom strategically put it at the very front of a shelf right at eye height, and he repeatedly mentioned that he wanted to eat kaki furai.
I listened, but there was always something else that caught my attention rather than the still-good oysters. Then I got busy with work – for days I was glued to my computer editing a 50,000-word translation.

And so, desperate, Tom made kaki furai himself.
Finally, he actually tried my instructions on how to make a non-greasy deep-fried dish, and carefully adjusted the oil temperature and what-not.

Tom cooks 9: Sakana to yasai no sotee gaarikku remon soosu (fish and vegetable saute with garlic lemon sauce)

All of a sudden, I got sick. My nose was stuffed up and a fever was cooking my head. I apparently looked and sounded truly ill, and Tom agreed to cook fish for dinner.

His first response was, “I will cook if you prepare everything.”

Huh? If I were to bring out all the ingredients and cut them up, I might as well cook them. Nope, it shouldn't be this way. Not long ago, Tom clearly said he would make a Japanese meal for me with at least three dishes. So he must still be motivated deep down, and it is just one dish, after all.

Tom cooks 8: Jabara kyuri no pirikarazuke (Japanese cucumber with tobanjan dressing)

This year, I planted three kyuri cucumber plants instead of the usual two, because no other summer vegetable seedlings were ready at that time. The result is too many cucumbers to eat. We’ve taken way too many to our friends, and we are at the point where we might annoy them if we take more. We need to give our friends a break …

Tom likes spicy jabara kyuri. He never hesitated to eat it whenever I made it. After seeing the overflowing cucumber harvest, he decided to make it himself. This willingness to take action is awesome! Just like my fat cat, who recently voluntarily stopped eating her boss cat’s leftover food (not eating is another form of action, right?).  Anyhow, I see a positive attitude going around in this house.

Tom cooks 7: Ika no nitsuke (calamari in reduced soy sauce broth)

The other day, I was telling my friend how good Tom's chige (jjigae Korean stew) was becoming.
Tom joined our conversation, saying “I need more repertoire.”

What?
What was that?
What does he mean by “more repertoire”?
There are over 200 Japanese recipes here, and I even wrote at least a couple of dozen recipes for non-Japanese Asian dishes. Some even make special mention that they are “Tom-ready.”

Tom Cooks 6: Mayonnaise

"Is this it?" Tom said.

That was another moment when Tom had some sort of culture shock, not about what I do but about what he has been doing since his childhood. The creamy spread of mayonnaise, indispensable in many wonderful sandwiches and a number of yummy dips or potato salad...

Tom thought mayo was something so complicated to make at home that people had to buy it in jars at stores.

Tom cooks 5: Mabodofu (mapo spicy tofu)

He said, "You can make it."
Of course I can. But if I do, he won't learn a thing.
A friend once told me about how frustrating it is to teach her teenage kid how to prepare food, as she knows she can do it much faster and more efficiently without a lot of waste. Patience, I thought to myself.

So Tom finally made up his mind to cook mabodofu without my help -- at the beginning, anyway -- then changed his mind and wanted me to tell him what to do next.

Tom cooks 4: First misoshiru

A surprise was waiting for me this morning (March 4). Tom made miso soup. Did he finally figure out it's so easy to make after many, many years of eating it?

Tom cooks 3: Tofu no chige (jjigae stew with tofu) – Round 2

Tom doesn't mind cooking things he likes to eat, so he decided to try jjigae Korean stew once again.

Since he cooked it not long ago, he stayed calm (at least at the beginning) as he reviewed the recipe and gradually collected ingredients from the fridge and put cazuelas (clay pots) on the stove.

Tom cooks 2: Tofu no chige (jjigae stew with tofu)

I found Tom in the kitchen, staring at a recipe printout, looking overwhelmed.

He was trying to digest all the unfamiliar information. The recipe says it's "easy." That means there is no extensive fine chopping or thin slicing involved, and the process should be quite straightforward. Yet he was facing a multitude of ingredients he had never touched – eringi mushrooms, miso, gochujang, nira and niboshi – as well as the need to multitask: sauteing basic ingredients, heating up sake and water in the microwave, cutting up vegetables and tofu, softening miso and gochujan paste, etc.

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...