Noodle! But from a while back: chuka soba kit from the famous western Tokyo ramen shop Harukiya. They’ve been a mixed bag for me (sad and bland at their famous location; absolutely delicious and also incredibly kind at their semi-secret original location) so I was curious to try the supermarket version of their flagship dish. Or, rather, their flagship noodles and soup with Co-op brand toppings.
Impressions? Wonderful noodle texture, fragrant broth, high quality ingredients and expert technique. If you love chuka soba, this is an impeccable version. HOWEVER! The broth did have an undertaste that I just really don’t like. It was also very fatty, which I don’t mind—it’s just this very ripe, almost fruity richness :/ Not for me, but that’s fine! Two servings means try it again with the broth of your choice!
Noodle! Nagashi somen—a classic summer activity. The cold somen noodles get let loose in flowing water (usually through a bamboo flume), and you get to snatch them up for dipping in a cold sauce, with extra condiments like wasabi, perilla leaf, green onion, and ginger.
Besides being tasty, it makes the hot weather feel more bearable, and I also like the competitive skill aspect I wish there were more foods I could fish/hunt for, without having to get into all the hassle of actual fishing or hunting.
Noodle! Soba, hot soup, with mountain vegetables. Plus a side of gohei mochi—grilled rice cake on a skewer in a nutty sweet and savory sauce. Maybe my new favorite mochi!
I consider myself a real hater but sometimes you really do go too far with haterism. once I had to break mutuals with someone bc they hated the entire art form of poetry and the final straw was when they started hateposting about soup. The food
Rest stop noodle! Chilled raho, which means hoto noodles prepared ramen style. In this case, dandan sauce with Shinshu miso. Great texture, great flavor, just a hint of spicy :)
Noodle!!!! Udon, cold, because summer hot. With pork shabu, eggplant, and grated daikon with yuzu peel. Plus a baby dish of green onions, ginger, spicy, and tempura crumbs to change up the flavor halfway through.
This cheery, sheet pan chicken twist is inspired by patatas bravas. Here, mayonnaise and smoked paprika coat boneless chicken thighs, which
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
½ cup mayonnaise (preferably a sweeter one, like Kewpie)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 ½ pounds baby potatoes, cut lengthwise into ⅛-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime, halved
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves and tender stems
PreparationHeat the oven to 400 degrees.In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon paprika. Scoop out ¼ cup and place into a small bowl. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Add to the large mixing bowl, stir to coat and set aside.Add the sliced potatoes to a large sheet pan, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and the remaining 1 teaspoon paprika. Toss to coat and spread in an even layer, setting thicker potato slices near the edges where it is hotter. Place the chicken on top of the potatoes in an even layer.Roast until the chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.While the chicken is cooking, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and squeeze the juice from one lime half into the small bowl with the reserved paprika mayonnaise; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and more lime juice and set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.Garnish the cooked chicken and potatoes with the parsley and serve with the paprika mayonnaise for dipping.
This spicy, tangy and bold dish is a vegan take on chile paneer, the popular Indo-Chinese stir-fry (the fusion cuisine arose from Chinese im
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
½ cup cornstarch
Sea salt and black pepper
16 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons neutral oil such as vegetable or avocado, divided
1 red or yellow onion, halved and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 (1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ to 1 jalapeño, trimmed and thinly sliced (remove seeds for less heat)
1 bell pepper (any color), core removed and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 head (10-ounces) broccoli, trimmed and cut into small, bite-sized florets
2 scallions, thinly sliced
White rice, to serve
For the sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sriracha (or other chile sauce such as sambal oelek)
1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Preparation
Scatter ½ cup cornstarch onto a large plate or tray, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and a big pinch of black pepper and stir to combine. Add the tofu cubes and toss until coated on all sides.
Heat a large (12-inch) well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet on medium-high until hot. Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of oil (enough to cover the base of the pan) and heat until the oil is hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tofu and pan fry on each side until crispy, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Once all sides are golden, transfer the tofu to a plate.
Make the sauce: In a medium bowl, add the soy sauce, ketchup, rice vinegar, sriracha and sugar and stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and ⅓ cup of water and whisk until the cornstarch is completely mixed in and the sauce is lump free.
Place the skillet back over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the onion, ginger, garlic, and jalapeño and toss constantly until the onions have begun to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and broccoli, season with 1 teaspoon of salt and stir fry just until the vegetables are crisp tender (or to your liking), 4 to 6 minutes. Give the sauce a quick stir and then add it to the vegetables and toss for just 20 to 30 seconds, until it has thickened up. Add the tofu and toss until it is coated in the sauce and remove from heat immediately.
Strapatsada is the ultimate Greek easy meal. Ripe tomatoes, crumbled feta, and eggs scrambled together in olive oil. My traditional kayanas
Amazing summer dinner! I was worried it would just turn into scrambled eggs, but it is way more than the sum of its parts. Absolute staple. I only wish I could get nicer crusty bread!
Recipe behind the cut, but first my notes:
I grated the tomato (been obsessed with pan con tomate recently) and was liberal with the olive oil, which is probably why it looks so wet, but it was lovely.
Also followed the instructions to barely stir (which is apparently not traditional). I liked having firm scrambled eggs in some spots, creamy coddled eggs in others.
It said to let the beaten eggs rest a few minutes, but I left them quite a while… Like, “make and have a drink while watching the sunset and then make and have a big salad” quite a while.
I quartered the recipe: 2 small eggs, 1 small tomato, eyeballed the rest. Extra feta and chili to serve.
Also, technically speaking, my feta is actually beyaz peynir……… and I don’t know if that matters! If you have a source on feta in Tokyo and are willing to fund my comparative cheese research, my askbox is open!
Strapatsada my way — a few things I do differently
Traditionally, strapatsada is made by grating the tomatoes and discarding the skin. Honestly? I can’t be bothered. I don’t mind the subtle texture the skin adds — and the better the tomato, the thinner and sweeter that skin will be anyway. If you prefer the traditional method, go for it. But don’t let it stop you from making this on a Tuesday evening.
The other thing I do differently: I barely stir. Purists will tell you to cook the tomatoes down properly and mix everything together well. I tried it that way for years and always found the eggs came out heavier. My version keeps the tomatoes aromatic and barely cooked, the eggs soft and just set, and the whole thing feels lighter, more like a lazy summer lunch than a brunch-menu scramble. The contrast in textures is half the point.
Why you will love strapatsada
15 minutes, one pan. Perfect as a meze, a quick lunch, or a light dinner. This is the dish Greeks make when they want something delicious with zero effort.
The feta makes it. It melts into the tomato sauce just enough to get creamy pockets of salty, tangy goodness in every bite.
It’s summer in a pan. Use peak-season tomatoes and this dish needs nothing else — olive oil, eggs, feta, and you’re done.
Great with crusty bread. Scoop it up with thick-cut sourdough or a hunk of village bread (χωριάτικο) and call it a perfect morning.
My Cretan yiayia’s version. This is how it’s made in Greek homes. Simple, honest, and absolutely nothing like “tomato scrambled eggs” from a brunch menu.
Here is what you need
Ripe tomatoes. Get the best you can find. They are the key ingredient for this recipe. If out of season, go for a package of Campari tomatoes.
Eggs. Ideally, get free-range organic eggs.
Garlic. Two or three cloves of garlic will do.
Oregano. Dried oregano goes into the egg mixture. Fresh oregano leaves (optional) can be a garnish and add freshness.
Chili flakes and feta for serving. Both are optional. I love a little kick from the flakes, and the feta adds a salty component to the sweet, umami tomatoes.
Extra virgin olive oil. This is the only fat we use for these eggs. Butter or another vegetable oil is a big no. A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over the finished dish adds a luxurious note.
How to make strapatsada-eggs kayana
STEP 1. Place a skillet over medium heat.Add the olive oil, chopped garlic, and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes. Season with sea salt. Sprinkle all over one tablespoon of oregano. Stir tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes, occasionally stirring. Don’t break the tomatoes too much.
STEP 2. Add the beaten eggs to the skillet and mix gently. Cook eggs to your desired texture.
While cooking, stir a couple of times but don’t overdo it.
Pro tips
Use the ripest tomatoes you can find — and in winter, go Campari. This dish lives and dies by the tomato. Peak summer tomatoes need nothing. Off-season ones will taste flat no matter what you do. If you’re in the US and it’s not tomato season, reach for Campari tomatoes — they’re smaller and sweeter than standard supermarket tomatoes, and their flavor is the closest thing I’ve found to a proper Mediterranean tomato outside of summer. You’ll need two to three Campari tomatoes to replace one regular-sized tomato in this recipe.
Don’t overcook the eggs. Pull them off the heat while they still look just slightly underdone — they’ll finish in the pan. Overcooked strapatsada is a sad thing.
Be generous with the olive oil. This is not the moment for restraint. A good glug at the start is what makes the tomatoes sweet and the whole dish silky.
Extra feta on top. Always. It’s a non-negotiable for Greeks.
New udon restaurant! It’s like being inside a masu—a wooden box traditionally used for drinking sake. I loved the vibe and the food was great too: handmade noodles, sesame sauce, sour plum, and steamed chicken. It seemed like a weird combo at first but now I want it again.
Also, added some tempura crumbs (天かす tenkasu) and hey, look at the size of some of these! Jumbo. At first they add a crunch that makes it extra satisfying, then they soak up the extra sauce for bonus sesame goodness.
After picking up the pencil after years of not drawing, I wanted to get better at backgrounds, so I looked around for reference photos for background studies. Shoku-and-awe has such great photos, and so I used this udon restaurant as a reference!
I alas could not read the menu on the left very well so I used ones from a different izakaya… Should have looked up an udon place, alas! For next time :)
This drink is very nice, though! The tea flavor is very unobtrusive—I might not’ve guessed this was a flavored beer if I hadn’t gone in knowing—but it still creates a really lovely, round, mellow taste. Almost sweet but not quite. Would buy again.
Loosely inspired by the Korean banchan gaji bokkeum (stir-fried eggplant), this recipe keeps the eggplant in large pieces and sears it over
Loosely inspired by the Korean banchan gaji bokkeum (stir-fried eggplant), this recipe keeps the eggplant in large pieces and sears it over high heat, yielding beautifully cooked flesh and still-violet skin. Though gaji bokkeum is traditionally soy sauce-based, my mother uses gochujang, the fermented Korean chile paste, for added sweetness and heat. The result is divine: As the sticky red sauce clings to the fried eggplant spears, it caramelizes in the heat of the pan and provides a glossy finish. The real star of this dish, though, is the scallion oil. The tangle of thinly sliced scallions crisps in olive oil, lending its oniony flavor to the oil, which is then used to cook the eggplant. This dish is salty, spicy and sweet — everything you want in a banchan — and tastes great with a bowl of fresh white rice.
Ingredients
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 pound Asian eggplant (about 3 large; preferably Korean, or Chinese or Japanese), halved lengthwise and cut into 4- to 5-inch segments
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons gochujang
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 packed teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ cup olive oil
4 scallions, trimmed, cut into 3-inch segments, then very thinly sliced lengthwise, white and green parts separated
Preparation
Place the eggplant in a colander set inside a large bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
To a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat to medium and fry the scallions, stirring often, until crispy and evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried scallions onto a paper towel.
Reserve a small handful of raw scallion greens for garnish, then fry the remaining scallion greens in the oil until crispy and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer fried scallion greens onto a paper towel.
Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour the hot scallion oil into a glass container or measuring cup.
After the 30 minutes of salting, dry the eggplant segments with a paper towel. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved scallion oil.
When the oil starts to shimmer and you see a wisp of smoke, add half the eggplant, cut sides down, and fry until browned and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook another minute on the other side. Transfer to a plate, add 2 more tablespoons of scallion oil back to the pan, and repeat to fry the second batch of eggplants. (If you are lucky enough to have any scallion oil left, use it to fry eggs or to dress a salad.)
Step 8Finally, sauce the eggplants: Add the first batch of eggplants back to the pan alongside the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the reserved gochujang sauce over the eggplants. Toss until evenly coated and the gochujang starts to caramelize, about 1 minute.
Plate the eggplants on a large platter and garnish with the fried scallions and the reserved raw scallion greens. Serve immediately. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This dish tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, or at room temperature.)
