Osechi Tataki Gobo おせちのたたきごぼう

The earthy flavor of gobo (burdock root) rounds out the osechi ryori which is filled with many sweets. The gobo is whacked (tataku or tataki) and cooked until tender and then dressed with a sesame dressing. Here you see my mortar and pestle for grinding the sesame seeds.

Daikon and Carrot Pickles おせちの紅白なます

The colors of red and white are fortuitous and the colors are represented here in the julienned daikon and carrot pickled in a sweet vinegar, kohaku namasu. This is for the New Year's osechi ryori. 

Gomame - Sweet Soy Simmered Dried Sardines

For New Year's Day I worked on making "osechi ryori" for my husband's family. This dish, gomame, are dried sardines that are cooked in a sweet soy sauce. The sardines are dry roasted in a pan then set aside. The sauce is made of soy sauce, sugar and mirin in the pan and then the sardines are added back. The results are crispy sardines with sweet covering to them.

Buri Zuke Donburi ぶり漬け丼

Shinji-san makes a great "zuke donburi" for breakfast when we have leftover sashimi. This one is made from buri (yellowtail) marinated in soy sauce and mirin overnight. We topped it with tamagoyaki (egg omelet) from Shoryo in Tsukiji.

Teriyaki Buri 照り焼きぶり

Buri (yellowtail) is a fatty fish and when grilled with the teriyaki sauce it comes out tender and falling apart.

In a plastic bag I put one part soy sauce to one part good quality mirin. Add the buri steak and marinate 24 to 48 hours, then grill.

Salmon and Ikura Rice

This dish could not be any easier and you are rewarded with bits of salmon in the rice accented with bursts of ikura (salmon roe) with every bite.

Grill the salmon, place on top of rice before steaming.

When the rice is cooked, remove the bones and skin from the salmon.

Incorporate salmon into the rice and then top with ikura when serving.

Slippery Nameko Mushroom Miso Soup

One of my favorite miso soups is nameko, tofu and wakame. Nameko mushrooms are famous for their slippery, slimy texture and earthy taste.

Buri Teriyaki - quick & easy recipe

This recipe is a breeze. Take two fresh buri (yellowtail) steaks. In a tupperware, combine 1 part soy sauce to 1 part mirin. Add buri and let marinate overnight. Grill and voila!

Fish Nuggets and Fish Cakes Oden

Oily, meaty fish marinated in ginger and soy sauce, tossed in katakuriko and deep-fried for a cool version of nuggets. The bottom photo are a simple oden of fish cakes, konnyaku, hanpen, chikuwa, konbu and deep-fried tofu.

Meaty Takikomigohan

A nice variation to white rice is takikomigohan. Before steaming the rice, toss into the pot some protein and/or veggies and flavoring. This one was a hit made from thin sliced beef, gobo (burdock root), soy sauce, mirin, dashi and garnished with toasted sesame seeds.

Served for breakfast with miso soup with atsu-age (thick deep-fried tofu), shimeji mushrooms and leeks with mugi miso.

Octopus Salad

This simple dish of octopus, wakame and cucumbers marinated in a miso and vinegar dressing.

Simmered Buri and Daikon

This simple dish of buri (yellowtail) and daikon is simmered until tender. A great winter dish for when buri is in season.

Homemade Japanese Pickles

These homemade pickles make for great snacks. Clockwise from the top:

1. Nagaimo with yuzu

2. Kabu (turnip) with carrots

3. Kabu (turnip) with yukari (dried shiso)

A basic pickle marinade:

150 cc rice wine vinegar

4 Tbsp. sugar

1 Tbsp. salt

konbu

yuzu skin

Shirasu Anochovies over Rice

This quick and simple meal is shirasu (tiny anchovies that are quickly blanched in salt water) over a bowl of rice.

Japanese-style Pasta

Chirimen (tiny dried anchovies) with takana (pickled greens) with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. A great pasta using Japanese ingredients.

Healthful Side Dishes

Three quick and easy side dishes that make their way into Shinji-san's bento. On top is kiriboshi daikon, or dried daikon simmered with carrots and abura-age (thin, deep-fried tofu).

In the middle is kinpira gobo. Quick stir-fried gobo and carrots in a sweet soy sauce.

On the bottom is hijiki, carrots and abura-age simmered until tender. Hijiki is rich in iron, calcium and fiber.

Ooey Gooey Sticky Savory Pancake

Yamaimo is a long, funny looking potato. I love to grate it and cook it in a nonstick pan in some EVOO. Just season it with salt while its edges are developing a nice crisp. The middles stays soft and gooey and has a sticky texture to it. When we eat it we drizzle it with some soy sauce and scoop it up with nori (preferably Korean nori).

It is also fantastic grated up until it becomes soupy and pour it over hot rice and topped with some soy sauce.

Ankake Recipe

On t.v. today there was an easy recipe for ankake.

1 cup dashi

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. mirin

1 Tbsp. katakuriko and water

If you want to spice it up a bit, you can add grated ginger juice.

Miso Dengaku - Addictive Miso Dressing

I try to keep some miso dengaku on hand at home in the fridge. Today we had it over simmered daikon. It makes for a great dip for crudite, or spread over grilled tofu.

You can also mix in different flavors like a tart vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, or sauteed nira chives.

Mix in a small saute pan until thick:

2 Tablespoons miso (explore with different types to see what you like)

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons mirin

Taste and adjust with salt if needed.

from here, you can play around and add toasted sesame seeds, some vinegar, etc. It keeps in the fridge for a few weeks, but usually disappears before that.

Daigaku Imo - Sweet Potato Sweets (they're a snap to make!)

This very easy recipe was on the morning t.v. program, "Hanamaru Cafe", to which I am addicted. These have become Shinji-san's favorite "oyatsu" or snack. And while it is sweet, it is still a healthful snack as the sweet potatoes are rich in nutrients and it is topped with sesame seeds.

It takes less than 10 minutes to make.

250-300 grams sweet potato (washed, dried and cut into bite size pieces)

4 Tablespoons sugar (wasanbon if you have it, if not, regular sugar or try brown sugar)

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon vinegar (this helps the sugar from hardening when it cools down)

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 Tablespoons salad oil

a bit of water

toasted black sesame seeds

Put the sweet potatoes, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, salt, salad oil and water in a fry pan and put over medium high heat. Place a lid over it and after two minutes stir the mixture. After another two minutes stir again, and start to watch (and smell) that the sugar does not burn. After six minutes, check to see if the sweet potatoes are cooked, and then move to a plate to serve. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and allow for the sugar to cool a bit before serving.

You too may become addicted to these "daigaku imo" sweet potatoes.