How about another meal post. Not that I'm claiming that these recipes will be successful. This is just what we've been eating this week.
These were the vegetables that came in the farmers' co-op box. Lettuce, gobou (burdock root) asparagus ,maitake mushrooms, komatsuna (greens) and spinach.
And the recipe that was included this week was for asparagus and maitake mushrooms.
- peel the tough end of the asparagus, cut into thirds and boil for one minute
- drain and then add enough water to cover the asparagus. When boiling again add the mushrooms
- make a sauce of 1 tablespoon Chinese dashi (chicken broth or consomme powder can be used), 2 tablespoons soy sauce and a pinch of salt
- when simmered add a thin cornstarch (in Japan we use katakuriko) mixture and stir until thickened. (I also added a dash of sesame seed oil as my chicken broth powder didn't taste too Chinese...)
This was a passable dish. It could have used some chicken or pork slices or something but since I was making a separate chicken dish I followed the recipe as is.
My chicken dish is one our family has always liked. I marinate chicken tenders (I think they are called in English. No bones. In Japanese they are called sasami) in soy sauce and sake for 20 minutes or longer. Next I coat them in katakuriko (or flour but I'm trying not to use flour anymore...) and dip in egg and then into sesame seeds. Usually I will use a mixture of black and white sesame seeds but I didn't have any black on this day. And then I cook the tenders on low heat in coconut oil. The coconut oil is another recent adaption. Of course regular salad oil is fine too but since I read the It Starts With Food book (and lost 15 pounds) I've switched to coconut oil and olive oil.
I served my two dishes with simmered tofu... That's just tofu simmered with some seaweed, along with dipping sauce (bottled) and fresh ginger, more sesame seeds and chopped onions. And yes, Tetsu and I ate the whole thing! I really thought I would have some left over chicken for the next day's lunch but we ate it all!
I consider this to be a fabulous meal. Your food blog entries are as clear and enjoyable as everything you write. Thank you for sharing this.
ReplyDeleteSounds great. I might try that here. No rice??
ReplyDeleteI too wondered where was the rice ???
DeleteIt all looks delicious. I often cook fillets of fish the way you cooked the chicken.
ReplyDeletealways interesting to see what you are eating/where you have gone and what your sewing..........I don't always comment but I do enjoy your view of life in a country foreign to me.........
ReplyDeleteLovely. I'm still trying to get up courage to try my tofu maker. I'll do it, I will, because I love tofu. And if my first batch isn't so hot, I'll just keep practicing. Love the recipes. I'm going to try them. My friend, Monica, who is German-American and lives in Japan (she was born and raised here and visits from time to time) with her Japanese husband, gave me a hot pot. Yes! A beautiful clay pot with a gas-burner hot plate. I ordered the gas canisters and have them all ready. So it may not be winter, but I'm thinking of baby bok choy and home-made tofu and asparagus and mushrooms and chicken tenders......
ReplyDelete