Sanma with ground peanuts coating（サンマのにつけピーナッツあえ）

When we were living in Kobe, Japan there was a store in Motomachi that sells Iwashi no gomaae (Sardines with ground sesame).  It was so delicious.  There is absolutely no way we can get it here in Cheney, WA.  I wanted to recreate it here at home.  But all I could get is frozen sanma.  It is several times bigger, but taste really good when stew.  So, I thought perhaps I can do the same as iwashi.  The second problem, toasty flavorful kin goma (golden sesame) is hard to come by here (actually none at all).  I have not seen it in any of the asian grocers here.  Thus, the next substitution would be using peanuts which are also several times bigger than sesame.  Hahaha...I guess big is good (as the saying goes in America!)  We call this sanma no nitsuke pinattsuae.

I used the same process as stewing iwashi basically, which is to simmer it in a little vinegar together with sliced ginger until it is reduced to more than half.  Then add soy sauce, sake and sugar in equal portion (enough to cover the fish) and continue shimmering until the liquid is about 1/4 of the original.  Shut the heat and add lots of ground peanuts.  Basically, the peanuts will absorb the rest of the liquid and become pasty so that it will coat the fish.  Done!

It actually turned out good.  I still need a few adjustment such as making it sweeter (my preference).  So, next time I'll add a little more sugar.  Also, frozen fish can be be quite fishy, so, it is important to preprocess the fish with vinegar and ginger.  Do not skip this step!

And this dish can keep for a few weeks, so, it will be a good emergency food.  I'll probably try to make this for shogatsu next year.  Hahaha!!!

Molasses Cookies

I read a article a couple days ago about a miracle mineral that is good for our body---that is magnesium. It is a mineral that is absolutely vital for our body, which contribute to "nearly 300 biochemical reactions...within our body," (quoted from Organicauthority.org).  So with this in mind, I wanted to use ingredients that is rich in magnesium for baking.  And one thing came to mind---blackstrap molasses.  It is available widely in grocery stores, though I personally prefer the one without sulfur in it.  The recipe I used is from Martha Stewart's Molasses Cookies.  As usual, I made a few minor changes in the recipe to suit my family's taste.

Firstly, I often find recipes from the US are often too sweet.  In this case, I reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup of sugar.  And I skip some of the spices, mostly for personal taste.  I prefer less spiciness in cookies.  Then I set to work.  This is a fairly simple recipe.  I didn't even work up a sweat.  Once the dough is formed, it needs to be refrigerated for at least half an hour.

I form it into a ball and press it down with a glass with flat bottom to about 1/4 in thick and about 1 1/2 in apart.  And into a pre-heated over of 375 F for about 13 minutes (I prefer cookies a little crispy).  I guess this is probably why the color of the cookies is a little darker than Martha Stewart's.  Nevertheless, I like it.  It is definitely a good cookie to have with a cup of milk.  Not to mention, it is loaded with complex flavor and essential minerals such as magnesium.

Reimen

I must be craving for noodles---not.  Noodle dishes are usually simple and fast.  So, what this boils down to is "I am lazy!"  Anyway, this is the Japanese version of ren mien (the chinese cold noodle dish).  As usual, I substituted many of the ingredients but kept the essential ones.

Basically, this dish is full of prep work.  Julienne after julienne of fried egg, cucumber, ham and shitake.  And of course the sauce that goes with it.  When I am a little energetic, I'll make banbanji sauce (a spicy sesame base sauce), but this time, I was plain lazy.  So, I use ponzu (sweetened citrus and soy sauce) with a dash of sesame oil.

Actually, the most difficult prep of this meal is the egg.  Just make a bunch of thinly fried egg and stack together.  Nonstick frying pan is the best for this job.  Once everything is done, just julienne them into appropriate size.  Then arrange the julienned ingredients by alternating with each other, then top with beni shouga (basically pickled ginger in beni).  Pour appropriate amount of ponzu and reimen is ready to be eaten.  Nothing beats this cool sweet and sour dish in a hot day, though today is somewhat chilly in Cheney.

Carbonara

I bought some local bacon that seemed quite genuine.  At least according to the written information, the bacon is made from Washington pigs fed with natural feeds (meaning no chemical overload) and cured and preserved without any nitrate.  When I saw that, I thought this might turn out to be a good find.  Furthermore, I also have some delicious fresh eggs from a friend.  So, the next thing that came to mind is "Carbonara!"  (By the way, I usually use bacon instead of pancetta because it is widely available.)

I haven't been very successful making carbonara, mostly because I almost always ended up cooking the eggs more than I should.  The recipe for carbonara is actually very simple: pasta, bacons, garlic, eggs, whipping cream (or heavy cream), and parmasen.  The most critical point of making carbonara is timing.  The timing must all be right for the dish to be perfect.  While the pasta is cooking, the bacon should be sizzling in the frying pan, garlic should already be minced and eggs should be beaten with some whipping cream.  Once bacon is crisped, removed to a plate lined with paper towel.  If there is too much bacon fat on the frying pan, remove it and leave about 1 tablespoon on the pan.  Throw in the minced garlic.  When the fragrance of garlic tease your nose, add the pasta (which should be cooked adente at this point), shredded parmesan and the bacons.  Of course, salt and pepper too.  When they are all mixed, remove the pan from the heat and add the egg mixture.  Stir quickly so that the egg doesn't cook and forms a cream coating the spaghetti.  Carbonara is done!

But let me tell you.  It is easier said that done.  Often, the frying pan is so hot that my egg mixture turns into pieces of fried eggs.  Of all the attempts that I had, I only had two successes.  Guess, I still need experience.  But a good carbonara is so delicious and satisfying.

Steamy hot tempura udon

There is nothing like a hot bowl of udon.  Today is a great day for tempura udon.  Luckily I have some frozen sanuki udon in stock, as well as frozen shrimp.  This is how things are when one lives in the boonies---hardly any fresh noodles or shrimps!

I got the pot boiling with water to make my dashi.  Heat up the frying pan with oil ready for frying tempura.  I made prawn tempura, kakiage and corn tempura (almost had to use frozen corn but found some fresh ones in the store).  Heat up another pot of water to thaw the noodles, sliced up some green onions, and I was ready to serve tempura udon.

Took me an hour to prepare all, but 5 minutes to wipe clean the bowl.  Another day of satisfying meal!

Eclair

When I was a child, I saw among my late grandfather's (he was a baker) collection of recipes was a picture of eclair.  At that moment, I thought they looked beautifully scrumptious.  Of course, at that time, my grandfather's bakery shop was no longer as active as it was in its heyday.  He was already half-retired.  So, the only cakes that were usually available in his shop were cup cakes and some decorative cakes for special occasion.  I never did get a chance to taste any eclair made by my grandfather.  But according to my father, grandfather often bake pate a choux when he was catered for weddings.  He'll make all sort of fillings including those heavy butter cream.

But with my grandfather's eclair in thoughts, I decided to make my own eclair.  I had in the past attempted them, but the longish shape of eclair fell flat for some reasons.  But after a few tries, I managed to keep them in its supposedly oblong shape.  The recipe for choux is fairly standard, I simply use one that is available online.  But I like American Test Kitchen's recipe the best.

As for the fillings, I made two types: plain vanilla custard and chocolate custard.  Normally I would split the eclair and layered the plain vanilla custard and chocolate custard.  But I somehow made the chocolate custard a little less firm.  So, I pumped the cream into the eclair.  I also made some ganache to use as the topping.

I slit a small opening at an obscure point of the eclair and squeezed the custard into the eclair until the cream began to ooze out of the opening.  Turning it upside down, I dip the eclair into the still warm chocolate ganache and walla...it is done!  Now....wait just one moment, at least that is what I always needed to remind my kids.  I stick the eclair into the fridge to harden the ganache slightly before serving.

Eclair is truly a labor of love.  But the end result is well worth it.  It really made me wish that I had spent more time with my grandfather.  Maybe I would have tasted more variety of cakes and sweets that way.  I might even pick up some tips from my grandfather.

Teishoku

I am DOOMED!  I really am.  Sucked into the vortex of otaku's world, I can no longer pry myself off from the 2D world.  Subdued in a world full of imaginative graphics, a world that can be so real yet so surreal.  It seeped not only into my dreams, but my very being, shaking every core of my living cells.  I trembled at the sight of this flat world, a world that existed from mere fantasy that seems to have crossed over into my daily life.

What I meant by that is simply, the world of manga actually influences my daily activity, and that includes cooking.  One of food manga I recently read, Shinya Shokudou is a good example.  This manga is about a night "diner", serving from night till dawn.  In one particular chapter, the shop features its tonkatsu teishoku a.k.a. tonkatsu set meal.  It looked so tempting that I decided to make my own teishoku for lunch.  Hahaha...now, that is what I meant by how manga influences my daily life.

But it is not as if I have other set meals...I only have tonkatsu, thus this is tonkatsu teshoku (the only option).  Hahaha!!!  Well, perhaps in the future if I become a little more diligent, I'll prepare a few different dishes so that I'll be able to offer set meal options for my family.  As for the above teishoku, I have stew mushroom in the small bowl, with main entree of tonkatsu with a dollop of oroshi daikon, cold slaw in lemon sauce and grill asparagus with ham, and not forgetting a bowl of takenoko (bamboo shoots) miso.  Another satisfying meal to get myself going.

But really, I should control my otaku self a little better.  Otherwise, I am probably turning 2D myself!