2002-03-12 - 3:53 p.m.
Faced with supermarkets that are a breed or two away from Safeway, my cooking repertoire has been greatly altered. Though most of these recipes aren’t traditionally Japanese (except for the tofu and edamame), they make use of the ingredients I have at my disposal. These are things I make on a regular basis. I never measure anything, so just fiddle about till it tastes good.
* Avocado Roll for Lazy People *
My friend Zeb showed me this one. I always want avocado rolls, but rolling sushi is a labor-intensive process and I’m usually too lazy. If you like avocado sushi, you’ve GOT to try this!
- 1 ripe avocado, mashed
- a cup or so of cooked rice (sushi rice, not Uncle Ben’s or basmati)
- wasabi, as much as you can handle
- soy sauce, as much as you want
- few spoonfuls of sesame seeds
- 1 or more sheets of nori (seaweed), crumbled.
Mix it all in a bowl until it becomes green and mushy. Then just eat it!
* Also, a great dressing for sliced avocado is a mixture of sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine vinegar.
* Daikon and Carrot Noodle Soup *
Good for winter.
1. Boil some water in a soup pot -- the amount of water should be the amount of soup you want.
2. Add roughly chopped carrots, daikon radish (looks like a huge white carrot), onion, garlic, and ginger root. Turn the heat down a bit and let this simmer until the carrots and daikon are soft.
4. Turn down the heat to low.
5. In a small bowl, mix a couple of big spoonfuls of miso paste with a little bit of warm water until it is smooth and liquidy.
6. Stir the miso into the soup. Add soy sauce and cooking sake (Japanese wine). Work with the proportions until you like how it tastes.
7. Add somen noodles (thin white noodles) and let them cook in the soup for about 4 minutes. (You can use a thicker noodle like udon if you cook it beforehand).
8. Pour in a deep soup bowl and eat with chopsticks!
* Light Shitake Mushroom Soup *
Just made this one up today.
1. Heat some water in a soup pot to boiling and then turn the heat down to medium-low.
2. Add one package of chopped shitake mushrooms, a chunk of ginger root, and a clove of garlic cut in half. Cook for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to low.
3. Add a big handful of chopped green onion (green part only).
4. In a small bowl, mix one spoonful of miso paste with warm water until liquidy.
5. Stir the miso into the soup. Add soy sauce to taste.
6. Add some cubed tofu, cook for a couple of minutes.
7. Remove the garlic and ginger root and serve. You can eat this one with a spoon.
* Fried Rice *
Great way to use up leftover veggies and rice. The sesame oil is the key to the flavor.
1. In a skillet or wok, heat up some sesame oil over low-medium heat.
2. Add some finely-chopped veggies: carrots, peppers, mushrooms, onions, eggplant... Also add some chopped garlic.
3. Splash with some soy sauce and let the veggies cook for a bit.
4. Add cooked rice. Mix well at first, but then let the rice sit on the bottom of the pan for a while so it browns. Then give it another stir, let it brown again, stir again, etc.
5. Add sesame seeds, salt, more soy sauce or sesame oil for flavor.
6. Throw in cooked egg or cubes of fried tofu if you like. That’s it!
* Simple Tofu *
Put a block of firm silken tofu in a shallow bowl. On top put a drop of wasabi paste, a drop of ginger root paste, and a sprinkling of finely chopped green onions. Pour soy sauce on top and eat!
* Edamame (Soy beans) *
Boil some edamame in salted water for a few minutes until they turn bright green. Then strain them in a collander and put them in a bowl. Let them cool for a few minutes. To eat, pop the beans out of the pods. It’s a great snack for watching TV because it’s healthy and keeps your hands busy. In Japan edamame are served as a snack with beer.
Itadakimasu!
