The “Not-Really-Fam-Din” Dinner

August 30, 2020September 1, 2020 The Culinary Chronicles3 Comments

I know, I know…it’s been REALLY quiet around here this past year.

The truth is, even before the world had turned upside down, I was considering what to do with this site. I started TCC in 2008 as a way to share recipes between the Fam since we all lived so far apart. And at the time, “food blogging” had only been around for a few years so I had no idea what I was doing.

As time went on, I cooked TONS more, photographed more, wrote more, and surprisingly had a lot of opportunities arise from what I considered a hobby. It was awesome! But the food landscape has evolved so much. The “food blog” game changed. Sites became highly editorialized with their photos and storylines. All WAY above my skillset. Not only was I out of my league, I was beginning to lose inspiration.

And then in early 2012 we started having our monthly Family Dinners. What was born out of a means to ensure that our family stay connected became these delicious, and yes elaborate, themed meals. TCC moved from recipes being posted 2 or 3 times a week, to Fam Din recaps so that we could document some family history. The blog kind of had a new raison d’etre and readers seemed to really enjoy following our Fam Din shenanigans—to see the dishes (the successes and FLOPS!) and to find out what the fam was up to that month.

But even with the new push, I had been behind with the Fam Din recaps at the end of last year (I blame it on being a Taurus) and as I began writing again to catch up, COVID hit……and the world stopped. Sure, quarantine and working from home gave me extra time to write but it all seemed….well, less important.

The other underlying factor was that our monthly Family Dinners stopped…. we had to. Sheltering in place was in order and non-essential gatherings were all on halt—not just for us, but the world. An 8 year tradition that we never broke had stopped. It was really tough. To try and stay connected, we’ve had weekly Family Zooms every Sunday and our seestrahs in OC make regular grocery and supply drop-offs for our Dad.

By early August, it had been nearly 5 months since California had been impacted…..and I hadn’t seen my family, who live only 90ish miles away, in-person since February. Knowing that a “second wave” and stricter mandates may be necessary this Fall, I decided to finally make a trip to see the Fam as it would have been 6 months since our last visit. I got COVID tested (which was negative) and packed up the car. And let me tell you, that 1.5 hour drive seemed like FOREVER! But once I got there—it was fantastic!

We planned to have a casual dinner together. No theme, low maintenance….hence the “Not-Really-Fam-Din” dinner situation. Plus I somehow chose to come up during a heatwave with high humidity so the least amount of cooking was paramount.

That day while we were out getting groceries, we stopped by a few places to pick up essentials— caffeine and hand soaps. We only ordered three drinks — yet somehow ended up with six…….but we did intentionally end up with that many bottles of foaming hand soap. 40 to be exact. Hey! There was a sale!

While I was up there, I was happy to see that Lucas had not lost his touch with being a puppy-whisperer. And for those of you that have been paying attention– yes, my fur-niece Lucy, who is a goldendoodle, when from a dark brown to white. Still as adorable and puppy-hyper as ever.

And although it wasn’t a “Family Dinner” some things remain the same….like the kiddos catching up on homework.

Maya is working two computers and her phone at the same time. Those techie Gen Z kiddos…..

She even managed to get her big cousie, Nina, to help her on a poster for a presentation she was going to do later that week.

(Confession: I also joined in on the coloring…because I do love to color!)

And of course, there were a few adult beverages consumed.

Since it was 105984266978 degrees out, I wanted to have something like and refreshing. Aperol Spritzes it is! Plus it helped me pretend that we were summering somewhere in Italy while drinking these spritzes on a balcony in Venice.

And because I know my family, I picked up some goodies for a simple Cheese and Charcuterie Board for them to nosh on. Although this was not what I had planned for appetizers, Seester N and her fam always arrive R-A-V-E-N-O-U-S …. even though they know dinner won’t be ready for hours!

To avoid a hangry backlash, I grabbed some spicy calabrese and a wedge of Saint André Triple Brie Cheese while we were at Trader Joe’s. We also found some spinach artichoke dip in the fridge and toasted up the sourdough bread that I had baked earlier….along with some fresh figs from T’s tree in the backyard.

I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed this grumpy face.

Since it was soooo hot out, I wanted an easy appetizer that was light and required little-to-no cooking. It really is a no brainer what this family likes—sashimi and sushi! So we swung by Tokyo Central to see what they had fresh that day – and they had A LOT. I grabbed several packages of fresh fishes, nori, picked ginger, yuzu kosho …. and a few other snackies to enjoy another day.

After making the rice, I immediately handed the reigns to our resident sushi chef, Nini. She seriously has skills… not just knife skills but she also makes this crack sauce that should be bottled. That afternoon she got some back up from her big seestrah, Nina, on forming the nigiri rice.

And this is what they came up with……

Sashimi plate of fresh salmon, akami, chūtoro and wakame.

A sushi plate of salmon nigiri, akami nigiri, masago gunkan and spicy salmon & avocado rolls.

Amazing right?

And how adorable is she?

Yes, Nini is starting her 3rd year in college but she’s been in charge of our sushi/sashimi for years now. Just goes to show what can happen with a munchin with a good palate and has been exposed to the kitchen at a young age.

Then, there was the main course. When Seestrah N texted that she would make us Bún Chả Hànội, I squealed with glee…..ask Bella. She can confirm.

Bún Chả Hànội is a Northern Vietnamese dish that consists of grilled pork skewers and pork patties with vermicelli noodles and fresh herbs/veggies. The flavors are both extremely savory and slightly sweet with pungent (in a VERY good way) notes from the nước chấm (dipping sauce) and bright herbaceousness from the herbs, greens and pickled veggies.

It’s so damn good.

Bún Chả Hànội was thrust into the mainstream foodie spotlight when Anthony Bourdain (may he rest in paradise) brought President Obama (may he long live) to enjoy the wonderful dish on his Parts Unknown show.

Seester N had marinated the pork overnight with ingredients like fish sauce, sugar, pepper, oyster sauce, garlic and shallots. For the thinly sliced pork, we skewered them on bamboo sticks that she had soaked overnight in water. For the ground pork (with the same marinade), we formed them into little patties. And for the record, she sure did scold us when she thought we didn’t make them the correct size or shape!

Once done, we handed it over to my BIL to grill. Also, can we give a big C-O-N-G-R-A-T-S to C for being newly retired! I’m incredibly envious! (We all are!)

You may think the pork looks a bit fatty but OH MAN. When it chars up—it’s SOOO good.

I’ve got to assume the neighbors were very jealous smelling all the deliciousness that was being grilled.

This grill basket is a must so that the patties don’t fall through the grates. You can pick them up for a few bucks at your local Asian grocery store.

Yeah…we moved onto some Pine Ridge wine by then. And then some Rosé… and then some Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon.

HELLO!?!?!?! It’s been SIX MONTHS since we had seen each other!

It had finally cooled down a bit so we braved dining al fresco.

Take a gander of this beautiful spread of Bún Chả Hànội!

Bún Chả Hànội does looks similar to Bún Thịt Nướng. I would say that some of the differences is that traditionally the nước chấm is much lighter and less pungent in the former dish. It’s a bit watered down so that when served, the pork patties and grilled pork are swimming in a bowl of it. You also dunk the vermicelli noodles into the nước chấm versus having everything already assembled in the bowl like with Bún Thịt Nướng.

Think of it kind of like Tsukemen ramen where the noodles are served separately and you dunk it in the sauce/broth.

It may appear to be heavy with all of the pork but the dish is surprisingly light and is the perfect meal for a hot day. All of the fresh herbs and greens definitely contribute to that.

It’s really one of my favorites.

Although our time was short, it was so good to spend some QT with the family and see the munchkins together again (both furry and furless!).

Some things never change—they’re still hams.

p.s. Nini did make us a delicious dessert — a Mango Royale. But we somehow managed to forget to take a picture of it! DOH! PRIME example of how this was NOT your standard family dinner.

p.s.s. I will be posting the recaps of the other Fam Dins to catch up in the next couple of weeks. Pinky swear!

p.s.s.s. Pops is 79 and is definitely in the high-risk group–so he stayed home that night. Rest assured, we visited him (masked and safe) the next day to bring him leftovers.

p.s.s.s.s. This is him realizing that we also brought him lunch from the Cheesecake Factory.

Him: “Is that Cheesecake Factory??? MY FAVORITE!”

ALL the delicious things we cook and bake for him and the Cheesecake Factory is still his favorite.

This guy….

LOL.

And that’s it. Until next time Friends, stay safe— and please WEAR A MASK!

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“Not-Really-Fam-Din” Dinner Menu

Cocktails: Aperol Spritz, Various Wines
Appetizers: Cheese and Charcuterie Board, Sashimi, Sushi
Entree: Bún Chả Hànội {Northern Vietnamese Grilled Pork and Pork Patties with Vermicelli Noodles}
Dessert: Mango Royale

Sunday Family Dinner

Sunday Family Dinner goes back to Japan!

May 16, 2014November 19, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles4 Comments

Well gang…. last year’s Japanese Sunday Family Dinner was so oishii – we had to go back again.

This time, per our brother-in-law’s request since we were also celebrating his birthday!

As always, we had to start with a few cocktails. I kept it pretty simple (but refreshingly delish) by infusing sake with fresh fruit. I filled a few mason jars with sweet canteloupe and pineapples, topped them off with sake, and them let them hang out in the fridge for a week.

When it was time to get the party started, I threw the contents of each jar in the blender, pureed it and then strained the liquids. It was fabulous!

As for the food, we had to do a little different spin on last year’s dinner. In honor of the robatayaki-yakiniku Japanese grilling style, we snagged a few of my cousin’s grills (that our uncle finagled) and got down to business!

We grilled fresh oysters, clams, prawns, calamari, trumpet mushrooms and yakitori (grilled chicken skewers). The seafood were either dipped in a chili ponzu sauce or a ginger-fish sauce that the B.I.L. (bro-in-law) is a whiz at making.

And of course we had to have some beautiful, fresh sashimi.

Tuna, salmon, hamachi and …………..GEODUCK!

Have you ever seen fresh geoduck? CRAZY!!! They’re a gi-normous shellfish with a trunk-like thing sticking out of it.

We made big sis take care of the prep work for it…. obligatory big sister duties, of course. 🙂

It’s best to first blanch the geoduck for a minute to help skin it – a tip learned by a random stranger when we were buying the geoduck at the market. After a quick clean, she sliced it really thin and we inhaled it with soy and wasabi.

Verdict? Awesome. I liken the flavor and texture to escargot –but not as chewy.

Definitely a Foodventure.

To brush over the yakitori and mushrooms, I made a quick teriyaki sauce. Easy-peasy!

My other seester also made Japanese Hamburger Steak served over rice. Totally comforting and hearty.

And there’s always room for dessert in my family!

This time around, our big sis outdid herself with this layered Matcha Green Tea Cake filled with Green Tea Mousse and smothered with a rich ganache.

It was AH-MAY-ZING! Super-duper Green Tea Flavor!

She did a mash-up of a few different recipes. The cake comes from here and the green tea mousse is from here. As for the ganache, it was a quick version I made with heavy cream and dark chocolate. Can’t get any easier than that! But one piece of advice, double the amounts of matcha powder or else you won’t get that full flavor.

Pre-historic looking mollusks, outdoor grilling (including us accidentally melting the plastic table –eek!) and sparklers for the munchkins.

Needless to say it was a tummy-pleasing and FUN Sunday Family Dinner!

This Month’s Family Dinner Menu

Cocktails: Pineapple and Cantaloupe infused Sake
Appetizers: Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi and Geoduck Sashimis
Entrees: Hibachi Grilled Seafood & Vegetables, Demi-Glace Japanese Hamburger with Rice
Dessert: Matcha Green Tea Cake with Green Tea Mousse and Chocolate Ganache

Appetizers/Small Plates · Pork · Seafood · Sunday Family Dinner

Pork & Shrimp Gyoza and Our Kid Chefs

May 17, 2013January 27, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles8 Comments

One of the neatest things about our family dinners is seeing how accomplished my neices have become in the kitchen. We got them involved quite young with baking, creating their own pizzas, and so forth—and I think that it’s really helped them become more at ease with cooking.

Fast forward to today where Nina (14 years old) and Nini (13 years old) have developed their own specialities in the kitchen. Nina can whip up a wonderful dressing and a to die for chocolate cake. Nini is a whiz at shucking oysters, cupcake decorating, and quite recently has become a dumpling-making pro.

With the endless things that had to be done at our last family dinner, I needed some help finishing the Gyozas. I showed Nini only once how to fold a Gyoza and the next thing I knew it, she had completed an entire tray of dumplings for me–and they were perfect!

Gyozas are the Japanese version of delish panfried dumplings. They can be filled with a variety of proteins and are wrapped with thin dumpling skins made from flour, salt, and boiling water. Here’s how I make them:

Start off by creating the filling. I like to do a Vietnamese-Japanese fusion and mix ground pork, roughly chopped shrimp, shiitake mushrooms, fish sauce, soy and a variety of other aromatics and spices. The shrimp adds a slight sweetness and great texture. Once the filling has been thoroughly mixed, it’s time to assemble the gyozas.

Place one gyoza wrapper on a flat surface. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edge of the wrapper. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center. Be careful to not over stuff your dumplings or else the filling will burst from the seams.

Pick up the gyoza and fold it in half.

Um…I really should have gotten a manicure before I took these pics.

Start pleating the top layer of the gyoza wrapper. After each pleat, fold, and firmly press the edges together, ensuring that that the gyoza is well sealed.

Place the gyoza on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with either flour or cornstarch to prevent them from sticking. Cover the sheet with a dish towel while you finish making the rest of the gyozas.

After the gyozas have been pan fried, serve them up with a soy-vinegar sauce or my preferred sauce– ponzu.

These gyozas have a wonderful flavor and all of your loved ones will gobble them up. And if given the chance, get the kids involved and exposed to the cooking process. They’ll have a lot of fun and take pride that they are eating what they helped to make.

I wouldn’t be surprised if, like our aunties, we can retire from cooking duty soon so that the kiddos can take over. Now if we could only get them as excited to do the dishes.

One step at a time. 🙂

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Pork and Shrimp Gyozas
Makes approximately 40 dumplings

Ingredients:

¼ pound shrimp, shelled and devined
½ pound ground pork
1 heaping cup finely chopped cabbage
1 heaping cup finely chopped shiitake mushrooms
½ cup finely diced scallions
¼ cup diced shallots
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ tablespoon finely grated ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1½ tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil, additional (for frying)
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 package gyoza wrappers (50 count)
vegetable oil (for frying)
water (for frying)
ponzu sauce, or your choice of dipping sauces
chives

Chop the shrimp into small pieces and add them to a large bowl. Add in the pork, cabbage, mushrooms, scallions, shallots, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, sake, sesame oil, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Using your cleans hands, mix the filling until thoroughly combined.

To make the gyozas, lay one gyoza wrapper on a flat surface. Dip your finger in water and moisten the edge of the wrapper. Place about 1 heaping teaspoon of the filling in the center. Pick up the gyoza and fold it in half. Pleat – fold – and press the edges together, ensuring that you seal the gyoza tightly. Place the gyoza on a baking sheet sprinkled with cornstarch or lined with parchment paper to avoid them sticking to the pan. Repeat until all of the filling has been used.

Heat a large frying pan to medium heat with vegetable oil. Place a layer of the gyozas in the pan. Fry the gyozas for 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are golden. Add about 3-4 tablespoons of water and immediately place the lid on the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the gyozas to steam until almost all of the water has evaporated.

Remove the lid, turn the heat back up to medium and lightly drizzle sesame oil around the inner edge of the pan. Continue cooking until remaining water has evaporated. Plate and garnish with chives or scallions. Serve immediately with ponzu sauce.

Desserts/Pastries · Sunday Family Dinner

Matcha (Green Tea) Icebox Cheesecake

May 1, 2013 The Culinary Chronicles6 Comments

Have you ever made an icebox cheesecake? They’re actually quite easy and don’t require a finicky water bath. In lieu of eggs, the filling utilizes gelatin to help it set. The end results? Something quite light and fluffy that won’t leave you feeling too heavy at the end of the meal.

This particular icebox cheesecake is flavored with matcha– a finely ground green tea powder. It’s quite floral and has a slightly bitter taste which is why it pairs so well with the chocolate crust. Depending on the quality of the matcha that you use, you may want to add more than the recipe lists to oompf up the flavor.

My fam-bam are fans of green tea so we served big slices of this cheesecake with heaping scoops of green tea ice cream at our last Family Dinner. But if you prefer, you can serve it with dollops of fresh whipped cream or by itself.

Totally Oishii.

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Matcha (Green Tea) Icebox Cheesecake
Serve 8-10

Ingredients:

2½ cups chocolate cookie/wafer crumbs (I used Oreos)
1 cup + 1 heaping tablespoon sugar, divided
4 tablespoons melted butter
1¼ cups chilled heavy cream
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon matcha (green tea) powder, more for dusting
2¼ teaspoons gelatin powder
¼ cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Cover a 10-inch springform pan with a light layer of cooking spray. Combine the cookie/wafer crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar and butter until moistened and resembles the texture of wet sand. Press crumbs into an even layer on the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Using a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the chilled heavy cream on high until it just holds stiff peaks. Set the whipped cream aside.

Using a clean bowl, whip the cream cheese using the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the remaining sugar, stopping every so now and then to scrape down the sides.

Heat the milk until it is hot but not boiling. Whisk in the matcha until full incorporated. Turn the mixer with the cream cheese on low and slowly stream in the cooled milk mixture. Mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin in the water.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture. Fold until just combined. Add the gelatin and gently fold in. *If the gelatin has hardened, microwave for 10 seconds until it becomes liquid again before adding into the cheesecake mixture.

Pour the cheesecake filling over the cooled crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.

Before serving, gently release the springform pan ring. Dust the top with additional matcha powder and serve.

Adapted from Dessert First

Drinks · Sunday Family Dinner

Japanese themed Family Dinner and Lychee Saketinis! Kampai!

April 17, 2013November 19, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles15 Comments

I know I should be more humble about this but we really knocked it out of the park for this month’s Family Dinner where we took a gastronomic trip to Japan.

Dinner was at eldest seester’s house and we literally cooked and ate for 3+ hours straight! Right when we finished one dish, we would only take intermittent pauses to nosh while we worked on the next dish. Quite fun, actually!

My seester has been talking about a fishmonger near her house for ages but we’ve never had a chance to give it try. So with a Japanese themed menu, what better opportunity? We were able to snag a bunch of beautiful product from Dry Dock Fish Co. and lemme tell you—totally rad.

So instead of just describing our menu, how about I show you what we inhaled.

Using the oysters we got from Dry Dock Fish Co., I put together these indulgent beauties. I drizzled each oyster with an Asian inspired mignonette, topped some with uni and tobiko, and fresh chives.

Swoon…..

This gorgeous sashimi platter consists of salmon, hamachi, ahi and ahi poke. We picked up the ahi poke pre-made from Dry Dock Fish Co. but added additional scallions, soy sauce and sesame oil for a bit more depth. And of course, we had some beautiful spot prawns.

Drools….

The spot prawns were so incredibly fresh. How fresh? So fresh that they were still swimming when we brought them home. And for those a bit wary of eating prawns sashimi style–don’t be! These spot prawns were incredibly sweet and had a wonderful crunch to them.

Sorry, I just had to stop myself from licking the screen.

As for the heads—waste not, want not! My sis quickly flashed fried and then lightly salted them.

Crunchy and filled with unctuous goodness…….

There were also pork and shrimp filled gyozas (that I commissioned my niece, Nini to fold) and of course, some yummy maki rolls. The rolls above were my seester’s brainchild–filled with lump crab and avocado, then topped with seared steak, black sesame seeds, and chives (that she commissioned our niece, Nina to roll).

Yea, we put the kids to work that night….

And it would be hard for me to have a Japanese meal without some satisfying spicy tuna rolls.

Nina rolled these for me too 🙂

We also wolfed down these Honey Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps adapted from a recipe from the rad Nami of Just One Cookbook. Sis par cooked the pork on the stove and then finished them off in the oven which gave them a crunchy texture that was lip-smackingly awesome from the glaze.

And the salmon collar–which we nearly forgot about! Luckily Big Sis remembered them half way through dinner and crisped them under the broiler. Crispy goodness though it stayed quite moist. Not the greatest photo but it was darn oishii!

Finally, we finished the savory portion of our meal with my Uni Pasta —because apparently, we didn’t have enough to eat.

At this point, we were feeling a little guilty (okay, just a tad) and rallied for a walk before dessert. Well, the gals + Lucasaurus went for a walk while the big boys opted out—the guys had gone for a mountain bike ride pre-dinner so we gave them a pass.

Dessert was an Icebox Green Tea Cheesecake I made with a chocolate crust. Since it was considered a “no bake” cheesecake, it was actually quite light and fluffy and was the perfect dessert to end our meal. The matcha added a slight bitterness to the filling but not at all overpowering.

Divine!

Of course it wouldn’t be a Family Dinner if we didn’t mix up a few thirst quenching cocktails. To go with our theme, I shook up these delish Lychee Saketinis that were aromatic and floral. And although they went down smooth, don’t let these little buggahs fool ya. They pack a punch!

I’ll be sharing several of the recipes we enjoyed in the next few posts but for now, I’ll let you in on how to make these wonderful Lychee Saketinis.

Until next time, Friends — Kampai!

This Month’s Family Dinner Menu

Cocktails: Lychee Saketinis
Appetizers: Sashimis (Ahi, Salmon, Hamachi, Spot Prawn), Poke, Oysters topped with Uni & Tobiko, Spicy Tuna Rolls, Pork & Shrimp Gyoza, Crispy Ebi Head, Beef-Crab-Avocado Roll
Entrees: Grilled Salmon Collar, Uni Pasta, Honey Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps, Rice
Dessert: Icebox Green Tea Cheesecake

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Lychee Saketinis
Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 20-ounce can of lychee (in light syrup)
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
ice
juice of ½ lime
1½ ounces vodka
5 ounces sake

Pour the can of lychee and its syrup into a blender. Add the ginger and puree until smooth. Strain the lychee puree through a fine sieve, using a rubber spatula to push down on the pulp to release the liquid. Discard the pulp and set the lychee liquid aside.

Fill a large shaker with ice. Add the lime juice, vodka, sake and 5 ounces of the lychee liquid. Shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds and strain the contents between 2 glasses. Garnish with additional lychees and lime wedges. Cheers!

Side Dish · Vegetables/Vegetarian

Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquette)

November 3, 2011March 30, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles9 Comments

Okay….my first confession with this is that I had no intention of writing a post about this. These Korokke were a result of me rummaging around the fridge one day, extremely hungry and wanting to find something quick to make. And then I stumbled upon a tupperware of leftover mashed potatoes—-something I RARELY have leftovers of. I am, after all, a Potato Monster .

I quickly decided upon fixing up some Korokke to eat along side some eggs……a Japanese “hashbrown” if you will. Super quick to make (especially if using mashed potatoes) and delish when lightly flavored with some curry powder. I often order it as a side dish when I’m having ramen for that added bit of texture and crunch.

Then I thought…..there must be tons of potato monsters out there, right? It was decided—I HAD to share my Korokke with you.

My second confession is that I got a little OCD when forming the potato patties. Usually I just free form them in my hands but I suddenly got it into my head that I was going to use my cookie cutters to get more uniformed shapes. Yeah…I have issues.

If you’re a normal person—just go with forming oval patties out of the potato mixture. But if you’re a crazy food blogger like me, gently press the mixture into an even layer on a lightly floured surface. Then, use a cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to make your shapes. Trust me….either way results in a crispy and delish potato croquette. 🙂

Potato Monster signing off!

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Korokke (Japanese Potato Croquette)
Makes approximately 4 croquettes

Ingredients:

2 Cups Mashed Potatoes (or boil and mash 2 large potatoes)
1/2 Teaspoon Curry Powder
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper
Oil for frying

Heat oil in a skillet to 350 degrees F.

Thoroughly combine the potatoes and curry powder. Season with salt and pepper. Plate the beaten egg, flour, and panko in 3 separate, shallow dishes.

Using the potato mixture, form patties. This can be done by free forming them in your hands or by the cookie cutter method described above. Carefully coat each patty in the flour and gently shake off excess. Dip patty into the egg and then cover in the panko bread crumbs. Use the tips of your fingers to gently press the crumbs into the patty.

When the oil reaches temperature, fry the patties on each side until golden brown—about 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately with tonkatsu sauce or sauce of your choice.

Pastas/Noodles

Zaru Soba and Memories of Japan

October 28, 2011 The Culinary Chronicles7 Comments

In 2006, I spent a whirlwind 5 days experiencing Japan.

Not knowing when the next opportunity would arise for me to visit the country, I was determined to see, feel, experience, and of course EAT as much as I could.

Over the course of 5 days, I visited the cities of Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Hiroshima, Kyoto, and Kishigawa. That’s over 1,200+ miles back and forth—-thanks to my Japan Rail Pass.

I attended a major league baseball game, walked around the Hiroshima Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Dome, traversed the busy subways & shops of Tokyo, prayed in shrines, sang at a karaoke bar, stayed at a hostel/ryokan, got lost—A LOT, biked around the streets of Kyoto, attended a Donjiri Festival, meandered around the different hamlets, and above all –engaged with the people of Japan. Needless to say, I barely nicked the surface.

But by far, my most precious memory of Japan was when I met Yushiko in Kyoto. That day, my friend Kate and I rented rickety old bikes to explore the old imperial city. As we were wandered around a part of the city infamous for old temples, we spotted a tiny, older woman sweeping the steps of a temple. She looked up as we went by and smiled. After exchanging a few greetings, she stopped and pointed to me and said “Japanese?” I said no, and responded “Vietnamese”. She laughed and began trying a few words in English. It turned out that the “temple” was not a temple at all but was her home. We later discovered that Yushiko was 94 years old (though she looked at least 15 years younger than that!) and that the home belonged to her late husband’s family line.

Yushiko invited us to come in and to view her garden. I was floored and so excited by her generosity. At one point, she motioned us to go through this old wooden door through a stone wall. We didn’t know what to expect but as I pushed the door which looked like it hadn’t been used in years, tears swelled up in my eyes. It was amazing– just as how I would have imagined the “Secret Garden” would look like. It was so peaceful and serene. Kate and I stayed in there for a few minutes just marveling at the beauty around us and feeling so lucky that this kind soul had invited us into her home. We stayed and chatted with Yushiko for nearly 30 minutes and although she said she was “too old” for us to take photos with her– I just know that I will never forget her face and the precious time we spent with her.

A quick snapshot of Yushiko’s garden and home. Trust me, the photo does not do justice at all.

Of course it just wouldn’t be me if I didn’t mention any of the food we encountered during my time in Japan. And OH…THE…FOOD.

Noodles, Sashimis, Bento Boxes, Donburis, Sweets, Sakes, and snacks of all kinds. Oh man….my mouth is watering just thinking about it all.

Since we’ve been having such warm weather lately and because my travel bug has been itching like crazy, I decided to make one of the dishes I ate a ton of when I was in Japan–Soba. Soba are noodles made of buckwheat flour and can be served either hot or chilled–-Zora Soba is my personal preference.

At the heart of Zaru Soba is the tsuyu–or dipping sauce. The tsuyu is a pungent mixture of dashi, shoyu, and mirin but its strong flavors matches so well with the mild soba noodles. You can definitely make your own dashi broth but I kind of “cheat” and use instant packets. Go ahead…judge me all you like 🙂

Zaru Soba is typically served with tons of nori, scallions, and wasabi. I also like to have a side of tempura with it for a offset of temperature and crunch. Oishii!!!

But one thing is for certain….Whether hot or chilled, loud slurping while eating your Soba is mandatory. True Story.

<Sigh>….I miss Japan. And until I can find my way back to the beautiful country, I will have to console myself with Nihon goodies such as ramen and this soba.

And for the immense generosity and experiences I had in Japan–-Arigatou gozaimasu!

Snapshot of me on a bridge in Kyoto after a full day of biking around the town.

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Zaru Soba
Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1 Package Dried Soba Noodles (approximately 9 ounces)

Tsuyu (Dipping Sauce):
1 Tablespoon Dried Dashi Soup Stock (or Dashi packets)
¼ Cup Low Sodium Shoyu (Soy Sauce)
¼ Cup Mirin
2 Cups Water

Accoutrements:
½ Cup Scallions, chopped
Seasoned Nori, sliced
Wasabi
Tempura Shrimp and Vegetables (optional)

Prepare the tsuyu. In a small saucepan bring the water to a slow boil. Add dashi soup stock and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add shoyu and mirin and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook soba noodles for 3-4 minutes or accordingly to package instructions. Drain the soba and rinse well with cool water. Shake of the excess water and plate the noodles. Top with nori and serve with scallions, wasabi, and tsuyu.

Pork

Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)

May 2, 2011January 27, 2015 The Culinary Chronicles49 Comments

Tonkatsu is such a delicious meal to pull together when I need a quick Japanese fix.

Since the pork used is so thin, it fries up in a flash! Even if you need to make your own sauce, you can have the whole dish done in 20 minutes. Which, let’s be honest, is “Buddha-sent” for weeknight meals.

A lot of Japanese markets carry a perfectly yummy bottled Tonkatsu sauce. But if you don’t have some on hand, it’s just as easy and delish to make. Though, I have been just as happy to dip the crispy cutlets into BBQ sauce.

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Tonkatsu (Japanese Pork Cutlet)
Serves 2

Ingredients:

Tonkatsu:
4 Pieces Pork Loin, ½ inch thin
1 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
½ Cup Flour
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Milk
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
Salt and Pepper

Tonkatsu Sauce:
2 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce
2 Tablespoons Ketchup
½ Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
½ Tablespoon Sugar
½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper

Prepare the sauce by mixing whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl. Set aside while preparing the pork.

Place breadcrumbs in a shallow dish and place the flour in another. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Working in batches, dredge a few pieces of the pork in the flour, then the egg mixture, and finally the breadcrumbs to coat, shaking off the excess between each step. Repeat with the remaining pork.

In a large skillet, heat the oil to medium high heat. Slide in 2 pieces of pork and fry until golden brown, approximately 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and drain the cutlets on paper towels. Repeat with remaining pork.

Serve Tonkatsu with rice, sauce, and a squeeze of lemon.