My Japanese Summer Foods-Part 1: Mentsuyu, Somen Noodles, and Hiyayakko!

There's no getting around it...summer can get unbearably hot! What a better way to cool off than to help yourself to nearly effortless, refreshingly cold Japanese dishes? Well, that's how I have stayed cool so far! This is the first part of my Japanese summer dish posts because I do plan on making more so stay tuned!!!

This post is about mentsuyu, somen noodles, and hiyayakko~! :D

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Ideally, the first thing to make would be mentsuyu which is a multipurpose sauce that is typically used for dipping during the hot summer months in Japan. Now...let's get cooking, shall we?

Here's what you will need:

Serving: 1 Cup

-1/2 cup soy sauce

-1/2 sake

-1/4 cup mirin

-handful of bonito flakes (katsuoboshi)

Add everything into a pot!

Bring it to a boil.

After it begins to boil, remove the pot from the heat, put on a lid, and allow it to completely cool off. 

After the sauce has cooled down, strain the bonito flakes out of it.

Use a spoon to press down on the bonito flakes to make sure that all of the sauce has been strained into the bottom container.

And...there you have it! You can leave it in the refrigerator and it lasts for a few weeks! I only made this amount because I used all of the sake that I had left to make this. If you have enough of each of the ingredients, I highly recommend making a good amount of this so you have it at the ready! Just remember that mentsuyu is always two parts soy sauce and sake and one part mirin!

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Now onto our first dish of the summer: Somen Noodles!

Somen noodles are thin Japanese noodles made from wheat flour and are usually served cold. They are so delicious and refreshing! 

Here is what you need:

-1/4 cup mentsuyu

-1/2 cup water

-Somen noodles

-Ginger (peeled and grated)

-Green onions (chopped)

-Optional: Nori 

I didn't take any pictures during the cooking process! It's pretty simple so I will just sum it up:

First, cook the noodles according to the package directions and make sure that when you strain them, take special care to get all of the starch out! Treat the noodles like laundry that you just washed in the river! lol xD 

Be sure to place the noodles in a bowl of ice water to keep them cold! If you want, chop up some nori and place it on top of the noodles! Yum! 

Mix the mentsuyu and water together and stir it well with chopsticks. Grate peeled fresh ginger and chop a green onion. Add the green onions and ginger to the sauce, dip the noodles, and enjoy!

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Last, but certainly not least is...hiyayakko!

Hiyayakko (冷奴) or cold tofu, is a chilled tofu dish that can be served with a variety of toppings!

According to Wikipedia, "Hiya means cold, and yakko refers to the servants of samurai during the Edo period in Japan."

Here is what you need for my version:

-1 small block or half a block of silken or soft tofu

-Peeled and grated ginger

-Bonito flakes

-Green Onion

-Karashi

-Soy sauce

All you have to do is carefully take the tofu out of it's package and pat it down gently with a paper towel. Be careful because soft tofu is very delicate! Place it on a plate.

Add any ingredients that you like! This gives you a chance to be creative with the dish! I used what I had in my kitchen at the time: green onions, grated ginger, and karashi (a Japanese mustard, usually spicy), and bonito flakes! I would like to try it with grated daikon next time! 

All you have to do next is pour a little soy sauce over the tofu and it's toppings and that's it! I had this a few days ago and I think it's absolutely delicious! Please give it a try! ^-^

I Made Tori Zosui (Chicken Porridge) For The First Time!

I noticed that I have been doing a lot of impromptu cooking lately. I had friends coming over for dinner last week and they were bringing pasta over for dinner for me to make. Lately, I have been staying away from a lot of foods that I used to love like spaghetti and some meats so I wanted to make something different for myself. Therefore, I didn't really want to have spaghetti and sauce for dinner so I got a little creative! 

I decided to make chicken porridge or tori zosui in Japanese. It's a delicious, hearty, and healthy dish that I decided to make! 

When I decide to make this again (hopefully soon), I can post the recipe! ^-^

All it consists of is chicken stock, dashi, mirin, steamed rice, chicken, freshly grated ginger, and some salt and pepper for seasoning!

My Version of RunnyRunny999's Zosui Recipe!

I have to mention that one of my favorite channels on YouTube is RunnyRunny999. He makes such amazing Japanese food and I love to try his recipes! Please check out his channel here!

Zosui is a Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and water. They are delicious and guarantee that none of your leftovers go to waste. This recipe is absolutely perfect for the fall or winter or for any other occasion. I decided to add chicken to it because I had some leftover and it was a great addition to this recipe!

Here is what you will need:

-1/2 sliced onion

-1 or 2 julienned carrots

-1/2 pack enoki mushrooms

-1/2 pack shimeji mushrooms

-Leftover rice (1 1/2 cups or more)

-About 2 cups bouillon stock

-About 3 1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk

-Olive oil for frying

-Salt and pepper

-Leftover chicken (or cut chicken breast into small pieces and stir-fry)

First, turn the stove on medium hugh and then add some olive oil to a (preferably) non-stick pan and throw in the onions and stir-fry them until they become tender. 

Next, you add in the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry until they are all cooked through. In this case, I also added in some leftover chicken that I had in the fridge. 

I didn't take a picture of it (these photos are about a year old), but next you add in the bouillon stock and mix it well. Then you add in the leftover rice and simmer it for about a minute. 

Now you add in the heavy cream or milk and mix it well until it has thickened enough. You can add some salt and pepper to taste. It's DONE!!! :D

This is so delicious! Especially on a cold winter day or when you're sick! 

One thing that I like to do with the leftovers is put it into a oven safe bowl, sprinkle on some sharp cheddar cheese, and broil it in the oven until the cheese melts. This tastes fantastic! Especially if you're a cheese lover like me! :)

I hope you enjoyed the recipe! Please give it a try!

You can check out runnyrunny999's original recipe here!

Thank you for reading!!! ^-^

It's Gyoza Time!!!

I was going through some old pictures on my phone of food that I have made in the past and came across this one: Gyoza.

Gyoza (or pot sticker) is a dish that originated in China and has made itself known in many parts of the world. It is a pan-fried dumpling that is typically filled with ground beef or pork and vegetables such as cabbage and green onions. They are simple to make and are delicious!!!

The recipe that I used is from a YouTube cooking channel that I frequent called "Asian Cooking Made Easy." Please check out Lila's channel and watch her videos! She is such an amazing cook and is such an inspiration to me. Click here to visit her channel! ^-^

Here is what you will need for my rendition of the recipe:

-1/2 of a napa cabbage (chopped and steamed in the microwave)

-3 green onions (chopped)

-3 garlic cloves (roughly minced)

-1/4 piece of fresh ginger (grated)

-3/4 lb. of ground pork

-1 tsp. sugar

-1 Tbsp. sake

-2 tsp. soy sauce

-1 Tbsp. cornstarch

-Pack of gyoza wrappers

-1/2 Tbsp. peanut oil

-1 Tbsp. sesame oil

*Make sure that you wash your hands well before the first step! 

First, place the pork in a bowl and add in the sugar, sake, soy sauce, cornstarch, green onions, garlic, and ginger. Use your hands to mix everything all together! I always love this part!!! :D

After mixing everything together, add in the cabbage and mix some more! Yay!!!

On a personal note, gyoza is one of my favorite dishes to make because my boyfriend helps me fold them! It can be time consuming, but we got back and forth like an assembly and we always end up finishing in no time! ^-^

These photos were taken about a year ago and I didn't take better ones showing how to fold the gyoza so I looked one up on Google! :P

Make sure that you wet half of the gyoza skin in order to make it stick and just keep folding! Make sure to place them folded side up on the plate. It may take a few tries before you get used to it, but you'll get it in no time!!!

After you fill and wrap all of the gyoza...it's now time to fry them!!! 

Now heat up a large non-stick pan that has a tight fitting lid on medium high heat. Add the peanut oil to the pan and spread it around using a paper towel. Depending on the size of the pan, fill the pan up with just enough dumplings so it's full, but not overcrowded. You never want to overcrowd your pan. 

After the dumplings have been added, our in 1/2 cup of hot water and put the lid on and let them cook for 7 to 8 minutes or until the water evaporates. If this is your first time making these, it can be easy to burn them so you may want to keep checking on them regularly.

I know, it's a different batch! :P

After the water evaporates, you can drizzle a little sesame oil over the gyoza if you wish and let them cook for another minute or until the bottoms are brown. The first few times I made gyoza, they stuck to the bottom a little and there was a coating of black "burned" stuff on the bottom. If that happens to you, don't worry! They are still salvageable! Just use a spatula to remove them and place them on a plate, or can just put a plate on top of them and carefully flip the pan over so the gyoza transfer onto the plate (this way is more fun!) And...they're DONE! :)

You can also make the perfect gyoza dipping sauce by mixing soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, a little sugar, and a little hot chili oil! 

I love serving bubble tea alongside side gyoza!!! It's amazingly delicious!!! It's also fun to place the plate neatly in the center of the table and let everyone serve themselves! ^-^

Since these photos are so old, I might make another post on how I make this that is more detailed!

See you soon! 

Miranda's Mini Octo Dogs!

Octo dogs or octopus hotdogs are one of the easiest things to make! They are simple and fun to have as a snack or to bring to a party! They are also prefect for bento boxes! I have seen these everywhere and decided to make my own version of them!

Here is what you are going to need:

• A package of mini hotdogs
• Black sesame seeds
• Toothpicks 
• A small sharp knife
• Chopsticks (Or something else to get the octo dogs out of the water)

First, carefully hold onto the mini hotdogs with one hand and cut the other end four times in order to create the "tentacles." Do this with all of them. Also, fill a pan 3/4 with water and bring it to a boil in the meantime.

Each one should look the one pictured above ^

Next, using chopsticks, carefully place about ten octo dogs at a time and allow them to cook for about a minute or until they expand as shown in the second picture above.

When they are completely cooked, use the chopsticks to pick them out of the boiling water and onto a nearby plate. Do this until all of the mini hotdogs are cooked.

Then, hold each octo dog up and carefully use a toothpick or the pointed end of a knife to make eye sockets for the octo dogs! After, gently place black sesame seeds into the holes and now they will have eyes! 

They should all look like the one pictured above! ^-^

And they are done!!! Serve them with your favorite condiments! Personally I like to dip them in ketchup or mustard.

Have fun making this delicious snack! ^-^

Tamagoyaki Time!

Wow! It's been quite a while since I posted anything on this blog...I didn't realize how dedicated that I had to be! Well, that is going to change! 

Anyway, I wanted to make a post dedicated to tamagoyaki (tamago-egg, yaki-grill) which is a Japanese omelet made by rolling cooked egg in layers. It's fun to make and delicious!!! 

 The first tamagoyaki recipe that I used was in an amazing cookbook titled the Just Bento Cookbook by Makiko Itoh and I still use it to this day! This book is a must have for anyone willing to try making bentos or that just want to make simple lunches that are fun and easy to make! You can purchase this book on Amazon here. 

Okay, this is what you will need to make tamagoyaki:

•4 large eggs
•1 Tbs. sugar 
•1 tsp. mirin
•1/4 tsp. salt
•1/2 tsp. light soy sauce
•Oil for cooking
•Non-stick frying pan (one with a flat bottom)
•Pair of cooking chopsticks
•Wad of kitchen paper
•Sushi rolling mat

First, you need to crack all of the eggs into a bowl and remove the germinal discs (not pictured). Then add in the sugar, mirin, salt, and soy sauce to the egg and stir with chopsticks. Make sure that when you are stirring, you keep the chopsticks on the bottom of the bowl to prevent the mixture from becoming frothy! 

Next, turn the heat on medium low and either spray or add the oil to the pan and lightly rub it with the kitchen towel to reduce it. 

To check to see if the pan is hot enough, dip the chopsticks into the egg mixture and gently slide them across the bottom of the pan. If it is hot enough, the egg mixture will cook instantly!

Then, add in just a little bit of the egg mixture into the pan and allow it to cook. Keep a close eye on it and make sure to pop any bubbles with your chopsticks and continuously check the edges to make sure that the mixture isn't sticking to the pan. After it is cooked enough, gently, very gently use the chopsticks to roll the egg mixture from one side of the pan to the other.

Now, add in a little bit more of the egg mixture and gently lift up the already rolled egg to make sure that the newly added egg mixture goes directly beneath it. Allow it to cook and once again check for bubbles or sticking.

Once again roll the egg mixture to the other side of the pan. I almost forgot to mention that after rolling it a few times, you might have to add a little more oil depending on the pan. If more oil is needed, be sure to use the wadded up kitchen towel to absorb some of it before adding more of the mixture. Repeat these steps until all of the egg mixture is gone! We are almost done! ^-^

After all of the egg mixture has been cooked and rolled, it should look similar to the picture above (If it doesn't, don't worry! The next stop will fix it).

Now carefully roll the tamagoyaki onto a kitchen towel and dab it in order to get rid of excess oil and then wrap it up in the sushi mat and let it sit for a few minutes.

Optional: while you are waiting you can grate some daikon radish for yummy topping that really gives you that umami taste! (umami-pleasant, savory taste) (Not pictured)

Then, you take a sharp knife and cut it into half inch pieces and place them onto a plate and...

It's done!!! ^-^

Kyle approves!!! I have almost completely converted him into eating Japanese food. A year ago, he refused to try anything new, but now he begs me to make him miso soup and tamagoyaki almost on a daily basis!

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I also wanted to mention that you could add vegetables such as spinach or broccoli, but you should lessen the amount of sugar! Be creative!!! ^-^