Move over, Colonel Sanders, there’s a new fried chicken in town! Actually, it’s not new at all but it may be new to you. Chicken Karaage (or simply Karaage) is Japanese fried chicken. When I lived in Japan, every Saturday night after work I went to my favorite little izakaya (a Japanese pub that serves small bites) and ordered karaage – along with an assortment of yakitori, homemade tofu, and whatever fresh sashimi was on the menu.

Typically made with thigh meat, karaage are tender, juicy nuggets with a light and crispy exterior. The perfect pairing with this dish? A tall glass of ice cold beer. Give it a dash of Shichimi Togarashi spice (a blend of seven Japanese spices) and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and this chicken dish will surely become a family favorite.

Click below for the easy recipe:

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I stare at food all day. At least recipes and photos of food. Some days I get the “cooking bug” and want to rush home to whip up the various dishes that inspired me, others times I just get a bit overwhelmed by it all. When that happens it’s either a quick stop at the market to pick up a roasted chicken or heading home and yanking something out of the freezer.

Last night was an “I’m-too-tired-to-cook-and-we-don’t-have-anything-in-the-fridge” kind of night. So Barnaby took charge. He opened the freezer, pulled out a bag of edamame (soy beans) and some sashimi-grade albacore tuna, and looked at me and said, “Oh, there’s always something in the freezer.” My contribution was putting rice and water into the rice cooker, pushing the “Cook” button and pouring us glasses of wine. That’s about all the energy I could muster up.

True to Barnaby’s form, he produced yet another fantastic meal in no time flat. He boiled the edamame, then pureed them with a bit of white miso and mirin.

He gave the tuna a quick sear on both sides, then sliced it thin and laid it on top of the rice. For added color and flavor he sprinkled it with a bit of furikake.

Healthy, delicious and quick! All I had to do was drink my glass of wine and wait!

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Don’t you get bored with plain old white rice? It can be a bit tiresome, can’t it? The other day Tracy told us about her kim chee rice dish, and I thought I’d also share one with you.

I like to call it rice confetti, but in Japanese this popular condiment is called furikake (pronounced foo-ree-kah-kay with a little roll on the r). Furikake is a brightly colored, flavorful mixture that you sprinkle on rice. It typically consists of tiny bits of dried fish (although there are veggie versions), seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, and a wee amount of sugar. Some of our favorites are salmon (sake), black sesame and salt (gomashio), pickled plum (umeboshi), and wasabi (Japanese horseradish). Check Amazon.com or your local Asian market for more delicious flavors.

Kinda like throwing a party for your rice, huh?

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Photo: Gaku

During the cold months when I lived in Japan I loved a nice hot bowl of nikujaga. In jest, I used to call this dish “Mick Jagger.” To me, when my students said “nikujaga” or “Mick Jagger” they both sounded almost the same, so it gave us many belly grabbing laughs.

Japanese Rolling Stones fan student: “I love Micku Jagga!”
English food loving teacher: “Me too, it’s so delicious!”
Japanese Rolling Stones fan student: “What!?”

Nikujaga literally means “meat (niku) potatoes (jaga),” and to most Japanese (as well as this Gaijin) it’s comfort food. It’s a simple dish of thinly sliced beef stewed in sweetened soy sauce with potatoes, shirataki noodles (also known as konnyaku noodles; a low carb, non-wheat noodle), carrots and onions.

In the late 19th century, while studying naval science in England, Japanese naval legend Tōgō Heihachirō was inspired by the hearty, nutritious beef stews of the British Royal Navy. Upon his return to Japan he commissioned the chefs of the Imperial Japanese Navy to create a version to serve their seamen.

And, thus, was born Mick Jagger…I mean, nikujaga <wink>.

Nikujaga

1/2 lb thinly sliced beef loin cut into 1 1/2 inch length pieces
4 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 onion, cut into wedges
1/4 lb carrot, cut into bite size chunks
1/2 package shirataki noodles
2 1/2 cups dashi soup (*see below)
2 Tbsp mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
2 Tbsp sugar
4 Tbsp soy sauce

Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a deep pot and quickly saute beef. Add onion, carrot, potato, and shirataki in the pan and saute together. Pour dashi soup stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and skim off foam. Simmer until potatoes are softened. Add sugar and mirin; cover. Simmer for about 5 minutes and add soy sauce. Simmer until the liquid is almost gone.

Makes 4 servings.

*Dashi is a stock that is the base of many Japanese dishes. There are many variations, but a common variety is made from dried kelp and bonito (fish) flakes. Many people nowadays use instant dashi. You can purchase it in Asian (and some non-Aisan) markets as well as on Amazon.com.

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I’ve said it before, salmon runs through our blood here in the Pacific Northwest. If there’s one food that sums up our culture I’m certain it would be salmon. In our home we always have fillets in the freezer, and eat it regularly (who needs Omega 3 supplements?!). Smoked, grilled, poached, burgers, sashimi, sushi, in bouillabaisse. Everything short of salmon sorbet, and I wouldn’t even put that past us.

We went with an Asian flavor in our latest preparation and glazed our fillets with miso. Then, we served it on top of forbidden rice (a tiny grain rice, but more on that later) and garnished it with seaweed salad and tsukemono (Japanese pickles).

For the simple glaze we used equal parts miso to mirin and coated the fillets on all sides. Then we popped it under the broiler for a few minutes on each side.

Delicious and easy!

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Oh, wasabi…let me count the ways I love you.

In the spring when my sinuses are blocked from allergies you quickly clear them like no nasal spray can. And for that I am deeply and forever grateful.

You give us a big laugh when we switch the green tea ice cream for a big glump of you when our friend isn’t looking.

You grow along the beds of pure and gentle mountain brooks in Japan. The thought of which is so beautiful it makes me want to write haiku about you.

I quickly forgive you of the pain caused when I ingest too much. And stifle my screams when it feels as if my nose will melt off my face. Instead I hold my nose and exclaim, “Ooo, it hurts so good!”

But, my dear readers, I must break an ugly secret to you. Most of the wasabi we eat is faux wasabi. Yes, faux! <Gasp!> It’s a combination of plain old horseradish, mustard, corn starch, food coloring and an ever so tiny amount of the real stuff. But I don’t blame sushi restaurants for whipping up a cheaper version as the real deal costs about $60 or more a pound.

How can you tell if you’re eating the real stuff? Well, if you’re plucking your sushi off of a conveyor belt or a boat, I think it’s safe to say it’s faux. Some, albeit few, of the better high-end restaurants will invest in the good stuff, as your bill will reflect. But, like a fine wine, the taste is cleaner and smoother and packs a much more powerful punch. The texture is also grainier, much like fresh grated horseradish, not smooth.

So the next time you’re at an expensive sushi restaurant sit at the counter (the best seat in the house) and ask the chef, “Hon-wasabi desu ka?” (Is the wasabi real?)

Itadakimasu! (Let’s eat!)

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It’s going to be a quick one today, folks, because I am furiously packing up the house for our move to Seattle! Before I could drag myself out of bed this morning to commence the dreaded job of packing, I grabbed my laptop for a little morning food news.

I came across an article about Spam sushi (called Spam Musubi) on Serious Eats. Spam sushi!? Remember my blog about me being a sushi snob? Well, here’s one of those moments where I turn up my nose. I guess I should try (almost) everything once, but this would be a stretch…

Although I love the author’s article and her picture is beautiful.

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I shamelessly admit that I’m a sushi snob. It’s unavoidable. I lived in Japan for three years and ate some of the best and highest quality fish. The bar was set high. I have found many exceptional sushi establishments in the US, but unfortunately, I have also encountered a great number of sub-standard ones. Raw fish is just not something you want to mess with if you’re not going to do it right.

An interesting article, Japan to certify cuisine but no ’sushi police, explains how a group of experts in Japan, with support of the Ministry of Agriculture, has launched a campaign to certify authentic Japanese cuisine overseas. According to the article, “Promoters unveiled a logo that will identify “real” Japanese restaurants overseas — a pair of chopsticks holding a cherry petal set in front of a red rising-sun flag.” Personally, I think it would be nice if all cultural food had some sort of authentic stamp of approval, but I would greatly appreciate seeing this logo in Japanese restaurant windows. I’m still reeling from the too thick semi- frozen piece of tuna I had a few months ago.

For more about this subject, as well as some great articles on sushi in general, check out Sushi Otaku.

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