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.

Grilled Salmon Breakfast

A hearty Japanese breakfast of grilled, salted salmon filet, scallop Tsukudani, apples, cucumbers in a Korean-style dressing, chawan mushi (savory egg custard), Korean nori, salad with tofu, wakame and a creamy sesame dressing, miso soup and rice. Starting our day like this we get a well-balanced, nutritional and low-fat meal. And, delicious to boot!

Seasonal Fish - Kamasu Barracuda

From Tsukiji Market, this "kamasu" (barracuda) does not look as scary as it sounds. Shinji-san slit it open on its back and then took out the guts. He sprinkled it with salt to draw out the water and bring out the umami. We grilled it in the fish grill and enjoyed this meaty and flakey barracuda.

The Japanese Fish Grill

Most Japanese homes have a fish grill under their burners on their stove (in lieu of a large oven). Our home does not have that so we went out and purchased this electric fish grill. We have had great results and will think about getting one of these when we go back to NYC. There are burners on both the top and bottom so the fish is cooked on both sides. It is easy to grill it to a nice color. We put a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan to help with cleaning as fatty fish will give off a lot of oil as it grills.

Grilled Tsubodai

This fatty and meaty tsubodai was harvested around Hawaii. It is "himono" or salted and then air-dried. These fish simply need to be heated in the fish grill. We also had tsubodai on the BBQ and because the skin is very thick, it is a great fish to put over the strong heat of sumi charcoal.

Yokan

Yokan is a traditional Japanese sweet.
It is a sweet jellied red beans paste.
Usually it is made of red beans, agar-agar, and sugar.
Usually it is sold in block form, so we slice it and serve.
I like have it with green tea,

Bento 101

Iwashi misoni, hijiki nimono, koyadofu tatsuta-age, renkon namasu, daikon and carrot kinpira.

Green pepper stuffed with ground pork, hijiki and mame nimono, scallops Tsukudani, shiitake amani, Satsuma-age.

While putting together my bentos, I try to incorporate a variety of colors and cooking styles. Shinji-san doesn't like fried things so most of the contents tend to be simmered, braised or grilled. I also look for a balance of protein, vegetables and sea vegetables. One of the trays is for rice and even that gets switched around during the week for variety. Zakkokumai (grain-filled rice), mazegohan (gohan mixed with seafood and vegetables) and takikomigohan (rice cooked with vegetables and if you like, seafood or chicken).

The bento is wrapped up in a bandana with chopsticks that he carries with him to work everyday. The bento box and chopsticks are washed and ready to use for the next day.

Part of the fun of making bento is planning what to put in each day's bento by looking at what is in the fridge.