Because Im a good cook

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

1/4 head of cabbage, finely shredded (use mandoline or a good sharp knife)

4 1-inch thick center cut pork chops

1 cup all-purpose flour for dredging

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg beaten

1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

oil for frying

Tonkatsu sauce

Soak shredded cabbage in a bowl of cold ice water for an hour. This prevents the cabbage from wilting and dilutes some of the stronger sulfur odors. Trim any fat or silverskin from the pork. Tenderize the cutlets until they are about 3/4-inch thick. I don’t have a meat tenderizer, but Marc said you could use a chef’s knife by striking the pork in a drumming motion across the surface and repeat at 90° from the first direction to create a crosshatch pattern. Season both sides of each piece of pork with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour. Pat the flour on to ensure a good distribution. Place the beaten egg in a shallow bowl and the panko crumbs in another shallow bowl next to it. Heat about 3/4-inch of oil in a heavy pan over medium-high heat. For each cutlet of pork, dip it in the egg to coat completely, then dip it in the panko to coat completely (both sides). Press panko onto the cutlet to make sure you get good adhesion. When the oil is hot (it should sizzle when you toss a panko crumb in), carefully place the crusted pork cutlet into the oil. Let fry until the bottom is golden brown and then turn the cutlet over to fry the other side. Marc actually measures the internal temperature of the pork to 137°F in the thickest section to determine when it’s done. I just go by color of the cutlet. Remove the cutlet from the oil and set on a cooling rack or paper towels to rest for 5 minutes. Slice the tonkatsu or leave whole. Serve with drained cabbage, steamed rice, and some tonkatsu sauce. Serves 4.

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

JAPANESE GYOZA WITH SPICY DIPPING SAUCE

Gyoza:

2 cups cabbage, shredded or very finely chopped

1 large carrot, shredded

2 stalks celery, minced (yes, minced.)

2 leeks, white and green parts, minced

   *Update: after hearing from readers, I forgot to mention that Japanese leeks can be somewhat smaller than American grown. Plan for about 3/4 to 1 full cup, depending on your taste.

1 pound ground chicken

2 heaping teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon garlic powder (about 3 minced fresh cloves)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Mirin 

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon togarashi (Japanese chili spice. Substitute red pepper flakes if you can't find it)

1 teaspoon sesame oil

40-50 gyoza wrappers (or egg roll wrappers cut into 4" diameter circles)

small bowl of water

salt and oil, for cooking

Dipping Sauce:

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon togarashi

3/4 teaspoon mirin

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 green onion, green part minced

Assembly:

Place the cabbage in a large bowl and toss with a few large pinches of salt. Allow this to sit for about 15 minutes. While this sits prepare the dipping sauce and store in refrigerator until the gyoza are ready. Squeeze out any excess liquid with paper towels and return to the bowl. Add in the rest of the ingredients except the wrappers. With your clean fingers, mix very well. Wash your hands and prepare the wrappers. Work one by one to prevent wrappers from drying out. For a 4" diameter wrapper, place about 2 teaspoons of filling in the center. Dip your finger into the water and trace around the outer edge of the wrapper circle.  

Folding:

Thinking of the wrapper as a clock, bring 12 and 6 together and pinch lightly together. Hold that center pinch with your left fingers, and use your right hand to pleat the right side of the wrapper. Turn gyoza 180° and repeat the pleat on the current right side. Place on cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the filling and wrappers, until you run out of one. 

Cooking:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of canola or olive oil. Once it is shimmering, add a few gyoza to the skillet, setting them on their flat bottoms, with the pleated edges pointed up. Make sure to not add too many or they'll be overcrowded and will be soggy. Pan fry for about 3 minutes, until the bottoms are brown and bubbly. If you like crunch, turn them on one "side" and pan fry for another minute or so to crisp the side. Add about 1/4 cup water to the pan and quickly cover with a tight fitting lid. Turn the heat to low and steam for about 4 minutes. The gyoza are ready to eat when the dumpling is plumped up and shiny from the steaming. Just to be safe, cut one open to make sure the chicken is cooked through. Cook in batches if you're making a lot of the gyoza. 

Serve immediately with dipping sauce. 

The gyoza freeze wonderfully and will keep in your freezer until you eat them all (so, about a week!) The sauce will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks. To cook from frozen, follow same cooking directions as above, just steam for about a minute longer to ensure the chicken is cooked through.

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

Takoyaki

Now, of course, the reason it took me so long to make this recipe is because I had to source a Takoyaki pan, but with the magic of the internet it was easily done. There’s also an electric Takoyaki pan if you want to make your life easier. The rest of the ingredients can be found in Japanese supermarkets or ordered online.

Serves 6

Takoyaki batter:

1 cup cake flour

1 large egg

2 cups dashi, cold

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Mirin

Fillings:

1 cup diced cooked octopus (or shrimp..)

Tempura scraps (optional)

4 green onions, sliced

1/4 cup red pickled ginger (Beni shōga)

Finish:

Kewpie mayonnaise

Takoyaki sauce

Ao-nori

Bonito flakes

Red pickled ginger

Takoyaki batter:

Follow this link to make dashi.  You’ll need kombu and bonito flakes.

Start with ice cold dashi. It helps keeping the batter light.

Combine the egg, the dashi, the soy sauce and  mirin in a measuring cup.

Place the flour in a bowl and pour in the dashi mixture and mix lightly until incorporated. Do not over mix!

Cook the Takoyaki:

Place the takoyaki pan over a heat diffuser if possible, and set over medium heat.

Brush each hole with a neutral oil (I use grapeseed) to keep the takoyaki from sticking to the pan.

Pour the batter to the top of each hole. It’s okay to overfill them a little.

Immediately place a few pieces of octopus, tempura scraps (if using), sliced green onions and red pickled ginger in the batter, and keep cooking over medium heat.

Check that the batter is set at the bottom with a pick. When they come off easily but the center is still wet turn them to a 90′ angle so the liquid part slides to the bottom. Add a little more batter to fill any holes. And keep turning the takoyaki every few minutes, until you obtain perfect spheres.

Takoyaki are ready when the outside is golden brown and the inside still creamy.

Finishing:

Place the takoyaki on a serving platter while still hot and top with takoyaki sauce, kewpie mayonnaise, ao-nori, red pickled ginger and bonito flakes. Serve immediately.

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

Gyudon (Japanese Beef Bowl)

Serves 2 | Prep Time: 10 Minutes | Cook Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients:

Water, for boiling 1/2 lb thinly sliced beef for sukiyaki, cut into pieces 1/2 tablespoon oil 1/2 onion, sliced 1 teaspoon grated ginger 1 teaspoon chopped scallion Beni shoga

Sauce:

1 tablespoon Mizkan (Bonito Flavored) Soup Base 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1 1/2 tablespoons Mizkan Honteri Mirin 1 1/2 tablespoons sake 1 teaspoon sugar

Method:

Bring a pot of water to boil. Turn off the heat and add the beef into the water, and immediately scoop them out with a strainer and set aside. DO NOT overcook the beef. Discard the water.

Mix all the ingredients in the sauce in a small bowl. Stir to combine well.

Heat a skillet on medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the onions and grated ginger and saute until the onion becomes soft. Add the beef and the Sauce into the skillet, stir to combine well. Stir the beef and onion a few times and turn off the heat.

Fill the rice bowls with steamed rice and top the simmered beef on top of the rice. Garnish with some chopped scallion and beni shoga. Serve immediately.

Cook’s Notes:

By scalding the beef with hot boiling water, the beef is clean with no white foamy bits. You will notice that the water will turn brownish with residue in the water.

If you can’t find thinly sliced beef, buy the ribeye, freeze it and slice with very sharp knife. The key is to slice the beef really thin.

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

Chicken Teriyaki

Serves: 4 | Prep Time: 10 Minute | Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken thighs, deboned, with or without skin

Teriyaki Sauce:

1/3 cup Mitsukan Mirin Sweet Cooking Seasoning 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon sugar

Method:

1. Lightly season both sides of the chicken thighs with a little salt and pepper. 2. Add the Mitsukan Mirin, soy sauce, and sugar into a sauce pan. Bring it to boil. 3. Turn the heat to low and simmer for about 5-10 minutes or until the teriyaki sauce reduces to a thicker consistency. Make sure you don’t over simmer or the sauce might become too thick or caramelized. 4. In the meantime, heat up a skillet or pan on medium-high heat and add a little oil. 5. Pan-fry the chicken thighs until both sides are nicely browned and cooked through. The skin should be pan-fried to a shattering crispy texture.

6. Turn off the heat, transfer the chicken out. Let cool. Slice the chicken thighs into pieces and drizzle the teriyaki sauce over the chicken. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

Tonjiru

Tonjiru (Pork & Vegetable Miso Soup)

I always make a plenty of this dish because the flavour gets even better the next day!

Serves 6-8

1 large gobo, skin removed and cut lengthwise and then, into 1 inch pieces 6 inch daikon, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil 1 lb pork centre loin chop, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces 8 cups water 2 sheets abura age, cut into ½ inch strings 2 leeks, cut into ½ inch pieces 1/3 cup to ½ cup red miso and white miso (I like mixing half and half)

Soak the gobo in cold water, changing the water a couple of times until it becomes clear, about 20 minutes. Drain well.

In a large heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium high heat and sauté gobo. Then, add daikon, carrots and pork until they are nicely coated with oil, for about 15 minutes.

Add water and bring to a boil. Skim occasionally and simmer for 30 minutes.

Rinse the abura age by pouring boiling water to remove the excess oil. When cool, squeeze the moisture out and add to the soup.

Add the leek and cook further, about 10 minutes or so.

Turn the heat down to low heat, place the miso in a ladle and melt gradually into the soup. Never boil miso soup, as this will destroy the subtle umami flavour.

Gentlly simmer for about 10 minutes.

Serve while hot.

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

Beef Sukiyaki Hot Pot

YIELD: 3-4

COOK TIME: 15 MIN.

If you don't have or can't find some of the ingredients below, don't let that stop you from making this.  Substitute what you can and like to eat.

ingredients:

1 T Beef Fat Trimmings

1 lb Beef Strip Loin or Rib Eye, sliced 1/8" thick *see note 1 below

8-10 Shallots or 1/2 med. Sweet Onion

1/2 lb Napa Cabbage, sliced *see note 2 below

4 Green Onions or 1 Negi (Japanese Leek or Welsh Onion), sliced on angle in 2" pieces

4 oz (@ 8 pieces) Shiitake Mushrooms, stems removed

7 oz (200g) Enoki Mushrooms, trimmed & separated

6 oz (about 1/2 package) Broiled Tofu, cut into 1/2" sticks

7 oz Ito Konnyaku noodles, rinsed, strained & quartered (these can be hard to find, and have a texture many American palates aren't used to.  Don't feel bad if you leave it out.  There are Japanese households which don't include it either)

2 c Junmai Sake (or other amiable sake - no cooking sake please)

1/3 c Sugar

1/2 c Japanese Soy Sauce, better soy sauces really shine in this broth

1 c Arugula leaves, rinsed & in 3" lengths - original recipe calls for 2 c Shungiku (a type of chrysanthemum leaf) but we have a ton of arugula growing & love it in this recipe

shime- cooked short grain rice to eat with leftover broth

optional- 1 egg for each person, beaten

directions:

1. In a 4 1/2 - 5 qt pot (preferably an enamaled cast iron, but use what you've got) warm pan over medium heat and add fat trimmings.  Render fat for a minute or so, then add beef slices. Try to lay in the slices in a singular layer. Brown each side. 2. Gather the meat to one side of the pan.  Arrange shallots or onion, cabbage, green onions, mushrooms, tofu, and noodles into neat clusters in the pan. Add sake, sugar and soy sauce then simmer for 10 minutes. 3. Add arugula leaves on top of everything, then cook for 1 minute more. Serve in the pot you cooked it in. One optional way to enjoy this nabe, is to crack and beat an egg in a bowl for each person.  As they eat, they can dip each cooked ingredient into the egg, then consume. Eat through all the goodies in the pan, then add the remaining broth into bowls with rice to finish off all of the delicious broth.

*Note 1: You can always ask your butcher to slice the meat thinly for you, but for those DIY types, put the meat in the freezer for 2-3 hours to firm it up, then slice it using smooth, long strokes slicing across the end grain.  In Japan the beef is usually super well marbled.  Not just the Kobe beef either, nearly everything we saw had incredible marbling.  If you can, try to find something similar in your area. *Note 2: To slice the cabbage so they absorb the broth well, lay a stack of leaves flat on a cutting board. Starting at the base end, instead of slicing straight down, slice at a sharp angle, right to left (if you are right handed.)  Repeat every two inches.

[recipesforjosh]

[recipesforjosh]

Spicy Asian Marinated Flank Steak

1 to 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger 1/2 cup dry white wine, dry vermouth or sake 2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used light soy sauce because I salted the steak after marinating) 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce 5 to 15 drops Sriracha Sauce 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil Freshly ground black pepper to taste One 1 1/2 to 2 lb flank steak kosher salt and black pepper neutral oil..such as vegetable

DIRECTIONS: 1. Stir together all the ingredients for the marinade.  If you’d like, score the top of the steak so the marinade seeps in..about 1 inch cuts apart.  I didn’t do that, but, as Martha would say “It’s a good thing”.  Place the flank steak in a ziplock bag or bowl, and pour the marinade over it.  Seal or cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours, no less than 2 hours.

2.  Remove steak from marinade and blot completely dry.  Do not rinse it!  Place on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let come to room temperature, about 1 hour.  If you’d like..boil down (reduce) the marinade to make a sauce.

3.  Heat a grill pan or your outdoor grill until very hot.  Oil (a neutral oil like vegetable) the grill pan when you can barely hold your hand over it for a few seconds.  You want to see a little smoke.  Season the steak generously with kosher salt and fresh, ground black pepper and slap it on the grill or grill pan.  Let cook anywhere from 3-4 minutes per side (rare) to 6 or 7 minutes per side (well done). I cooked mine a little over 4 minutes per side for medium rare.  Once it’s on the grill, do not move it until it’s time to turn it, so it forms a nice crust. If you want crisscross grill marks, move it once half way in between the cooking time for each side.

4.  Remove the steak to a carving or cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes.  If you cut into it before that, you’ll lose a lot of the juices, so patience is key here.  The steak will absorb it’s juices (basically suck them back in) during those 10 minutes – making it, well, extremely juicy.

5.  Using a SHARP knife, slice the steak against the grain on the bias (diagonal).  Top with chopped scallions and some of the reduced marinade (if you decided to boil it down for a sauce) and enjoy!

[recipesforjosh]