The one criticism I have about this video’s recipe is the fact that she brushes off the white parts that is naturally occurring on the kombu seaweed. It is full of flavor so unless there is dirt on the seaweed, don’t wipe the white stuff off. :) This can be a complete vegetarian dish if you leave off the meat.

If any of you have watched Lunch Queen series, you would probably remember this scene where the chefs thought about using demi-glaze instead of tomato sauce as topping for the soft omelette. I must say, I was craving to taste that dish, even hankered on trying it.

Has anyone tried Omurice with demi-glaze yet?

Tampopo style :)

Such a simple recipe and yet it makes me want to eat it.

Kaiseki (懐石, Kaiseki?) or kaiseki ryōri (懐石料理, kaiseki ryōri?) is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner analogous to Western haute cuisine. There are two types of Japanese meal styles, Kaiseki or Kaiseki Ryori where the latter is use mostly in banquets.

In the present day, kaiseki is a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. To this end, only fresh seasonal ingredients are used and are prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavor. Local ingredients are often included as well. Finished dishes are carefully presented on colorful plates that are chosen to enhance both the appearance and the seasonal theme of the meal. Dishes are beautifully arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers, as well as edible garnishes designed to resemble natural plants and animals.

Originally, kaiseki comprised a bowl of miso soup and three side dishes. It has since evolved to include an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish, and a steamed course, in addition to other dishes at the discretion of the chef.

* Sakizuke: an appetizer similar to the French amuse-gueule.
* Hassun: the second course, which sets the seasonal theme. Typically one kind of sushi and several smaller side dishes.
* Mukozuke: a sliced dish of seasonal sashimi.
* Takiawase: vegetables served with meat, fish or tofu; the ingredients are simmered separately.
* Futamono: a “lidded dish”; typically a soup.
* Yakimono: Broiled seasonal fish.
* Su-zakana: a small dish used to clean the palate, such as vegetables in vinegar.
* Hiyashi-bachi: served only in summer; chilled, lightly-cooked vegetables.
* Naka-choko: another palate-cleanser; may be a light, acidic soup.
* Shiizakana: a substantial dish, such as a hot pot.
* Gohan: a rice dish made with seasonal ingredients.
* Ko no mono: seasonal pickled vegetables.
* Tome-wan: a miso-based or vegetable soup served with rice.
* Mizumono: a seasonal dessert; may be fruit, confection, ice cream, or cake.

I am sure many of you have had a Japanese kaiseki before, maybe not as elaborately but the simple Japanese bento is a form of casual kaiseki. If you have had the pleasure of staying in a ryokan, you would also have had the pleasure of being served kaiseki style – the picture above is an example of a breakfast kaiseki in a ryokan.

This is a Japanese inspired dish by Nigella Lawson and to be honest, it is delicious as I have tried it myself,with a little twist. Sake Salmon on rice is a quick and easy meal that you can prepare as soon as you get home from work. It is a great comfort food as well because rice, when cooked properly, is absolutely delicious. For this recipe, I would use calrose or sushi rice. But if you want, you can use any long grain rice you have in your pantry. The star of the show is your protein and your rice is merely your vessel to carry these wonderful flavors into your mouth :)

Do not over cook your salmon. I know that sounds a little silly because you cannot really overcook salmon with its high fat content unless you threw it into the burner and left it there to carbonize. But what I mean by not overcooking the salmon is to still leave it a little raw inside. As such, the freshness of your salmon is imperative to a good Sake Salmon on rice and to your health. The last thing you want is to be running to the toilet after a meal.

So, off with the recipe:

Marinade for the salmon
Wasabi paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil or any cooking oil
1 teaspoon of chopped red chillies (optional)
1 tablespoon sake, or two ;)
2 salmon fillets

Sauce for salmon and rice:
1/4 cup sake
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon wasabi paste

Chopped green onions/spring onions to garnish

Cooked rice (enough for two or three)

This recipe serves two to three individuals depending on how hungry you are.

Method:
In a freezer bag, wasabi paste, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, oil, and sake and add the salmon fillets. Leave to marinate for about 15 minutes.

Heat a smooth griddle or nonstick skillet until hot, and cook the salmon fillets for 1 minute on one side then a minute on the other side – you want the salmon to still be raw inside but wrapped with a nice cooked outer layer . Remove the salmon and let them rest for 10 minutes on a wooden board and cover them with a sheet of tin foil for 10 minutes.

Bring the sake to a boil in a tiny little saucepan, like one you might melt butter in, to let the alcohol taste evaporate. Take the pan off the heat and add the other sauce ingredients.

Unwrap the salmon fillets, removing them to a wooden board for carving as you do so. Cut them with a very sharp knife into 1 inch slices.

Arrange the salmon slices on hot rice on 2 plates (or three). Spoon over the sauce, letting it gloss the fish and drip here and there over the rice. Scatter the chopped green onions/spring onions on top.

Simple grub that should take you as long as you need for your rice to cook. And I do mean every word of that :)

There’s always a way of eating sushi, such as making it look like a teddy bear:

Cutest thing i’ve seen and quite inspiring too. :)

I really like her, she simplifies Japanese food to the shreds for the home cooks. As usual, her tuna donburi looks delicious and simple enough to make.

The most common Japanese pickle we know off are Umeboshi which is a plum pickle often served with rice and gari, pickled ginger used as palate cleansers to accompany sushis and sashimis. Japanese pickles are different from the western pickles which uses vinegar as a preservative agent. Also, ingredients used in picking in the west seems a little more palatable than the ingredients used in Japanese pickles.

In Japan, pickling does not stop at fruits and vegetables, pickling goes way out to rice bran, soybean to even fish. The purpose of tsukemonos is to offer color, texture and aroma to meals in Japan. It is even a good appetizer to start the meal with. The most common ingredient used for pickling in Japan are soy sauce, miso, vinegar, rice bran (nuka), salt, brines and sake lees (sake kasu).

Read here for more info about Tsukemono

I found a really nice website that offers some good recipes to start you off with making your own Japanese pickles. There are three recipes (all vegetarian) of pickling used in the site and they are Salt pickling, rice bran pickling and miso pickling that you can use.

Here’s one of the recipes to check out:

KYABETSU TO NINJIN NO ASAZUKE (pickled cabbage and carrot)

1 small head of regular cabbage (3/4 pound),
the leaves cut into pieces about an inch square
1 medium sized carrot, cut into matchstick slices about an inch long
1 Japanese cucumber, unpeeled and cut into matchstick
slices about an inch long
4 tablespoons of salt

Method:
Place vegetable slices into the pickle press (or jar) and add one teaspoon of salt, mix well by stirring with your hands. Add the second teaspoon of salt and mix again. Add the final tablespoon of salt and mix well. Clamp on the top of the pickle press and screw down the lid until it pushes down tightly on the top layer of vegetables. Leave under pressure overnight or for at least 10 hours. Remove the pickles from the press and place them in a colander, wash them well to remove salt, pat them dry and serve.

I would like to introduce you to a really, really cute and informative site about making your own bento boxes called Just Bento. The pictures and ideas are really awe-inspiring. It makes ME want to make a bento and eat off it right now.

Just look at some of the bento boxes you can find there:

What’s awesome about this site is it even does a calorie count for you.