Chilled Chinese Noodle Salad

For Washoku Warriors Challenge #11 we had two options and I decided to try the Hiyaski Chuka. First, I want to say I love chuka soba and use it for our stir fry all the time (the dried variety). The original recipe call for ramen, which I am sure is equally yummy, but I was eager to have another opportunity to use chuka (besides, my life is made easier because my son LOVES chuka soba).

noodle salad with toppings

I opted to make the Clear-Style Dressing because it was a bit quicker to make and it is terribly hot in New Mexico right now.

Besides garnishing with all chilled: cucmbers, ham, soy simmered shiitakes (p.188), thin omelet (p.290), grape tomato, toasted sesame seed, and green onion, I added a briefly sauteed carrot because I thought the addition of this color and flavor would suit this dish.

THE VERDICT: Delicious beyond belief. My husband had 2 servings! I also learned about “aku nuki” removing bitterness from cucumber. Five star meal!

delicious!

making tortillas

We’ve been waiting for the first official festival at El Rancho de las Golondrinas. This  weekend is their Children’s/Spring Festival (despite 100 degree weather looming) we packed up the car and headed north. Tomorrow and Monday I will post a few more pictures, but I had to post these pictures of Wyatt.

There were children’s activities about, but the only one Wyatt was interested in was the tortilla making.

rolling tortilla all by himself!

Wyatt is a tortilla maker at heart, helping me whenever we are at home. We rolled out the flour tortilla, and then placed it on fire (I didn’t get a good picture – actually Dave took these pictures!) and cooked it to perfection.

Then we slathered it in butter, and sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar and Wyatt inhaled it in about 1 minute.

wyatt still won't hold anything if it is too warm to touch, but that didn't stop him from eating it!

More pictures to come, it is absolutely in my top list of places to go.

unpen-jiru

For the ninth Washoku Warrior challenge, there were three choices. I decided to make the Unpen-Jiru (Temple Garden Chowder – Spring Version) and the Horenso No Ohitashi (Spinach Steeped In Broth).

horeno no ohitashi

Again, I was very excited to make these 2 new recipes (for me). For the Horeno No Ohitashi (Spinach Steeped In Broth) I used a variety of organic spinach that had large, thick leaves. The challenging and exciting part was rolling the spinach in a sudaré (bamboo mat), then cutting the log, and garnishing with sesame seed, and some with katsuo-bushi (bonito flake).

horeno no ohitashi with katsuo-bushi

horeno no ohitashi with sesame seeds

End result: Delicious!

I had no idea about how the Unpen-Jiru (Temple Garden Chowder) would turn out. In the cookbook, there are seasonal options and I chose the Spring time option using burdock root, asparagus, daikon, snow peas, and carrot.

Our local store was out of daikon, but had organic watermelon daikon (which I was told was a tad bit sweeter). I opted to use it, and was pleasantly surprised when I cut into it, the  outer rim had a green tinge, and the inner portion was white with red streaks – beautiful.

I am in love with the flavors of the chowder – this dish is incredibly healthy and tasty. My husband said, “Wow, this is really good!”

I rounded out my meal with rice and Tsudkuda Ni Kombu (Kelp/Kombu and Mushroom relish) to go on top!

yummy lunch!

tempura soba (soba noodles with tempura in soup)

Challenge #8 had us working with vegetarian style tempura pancakes (shojin kaki agé), then we had the option of making Five Flavored Salt, Tendon (rice topped with tempura), and/or Tempura Soba (soba noodles with tempura in soup). For the challenge I opted to focus on the making the tempura pancakes for Tendon (blogged about here).

I made so many tempura pancakes (in order to experiment with Ms. Andoh instructions on freezing them) and my family (especially my husband) were so happy with the tempura, I went on to try the Tempura Soba.

To be different (laughing – because this gets me in trouble sometimes – but thankfully not with this) I decided to use the organic green tea soba noodles I had. The broth was very subtle and light, and again the tempura was perfect reheated (I don’t know what I did differently the first time, but they reheated perfectly this time).

tempura soba

My sweet hubby said thank you so many times I lost count! Anyway, I served this dinner with edamame and rice with toasted nori.

My final thoughts on this dish is that is would be perfect for the summer. The broth is very light as were the soba noodles. Oh! And these pancakes were made with the following root veggies: parsnip, burdock root, turnip, carrot, sweet potato (the original recipe does not call for turnip). YUMMY!

If you want to read about Challenge #8 and the other participants dishes, click here! And a big shout out to Rachael for the invite to join, I am so happy!!!

shojin kaki age (tempura pancake) & tendon (rice topped with tempura) - the first time around

I was very excited to join the Washoku Warriors at La Fuji Mama’s blog. I have loved Japanese food, and when I saw what everyone was cooking, I couldn’t help but think of my friend Youko and all the amazing meals I had at her home. I think she would be very proud!

The challenge was a two part challenge, make Shojin Kaki Agé (Tempura Pancakes, Temple Vegetarian Style) and then to use the pancakes to make one of 3 dishes. I decided to focus on making Tendon (Rice Topped With Tempura).

I was very apprehensive about the tempura, I’d never really mastered tempura, or hot oil. On the other hand I was thrilled to use a recipe that called for burdock root. I LOVE burdock root. In my crazy young days, I was go dig it up to make medicinal tinctures. It is an extremely healthy root, and is part of our natural medicinal cabinet. It has a very distinct flavor.

I made the tempura on two separate occasions. Here are my notes!

First Time Making Tempura:

I used sweet potato (peeled), burdock root (scrubbed free of dirt), parsnip (scrubbed free of dirt), carrot (scrubbed free of dirt) and julienned them into 1 inch-ish strips. I loved that the I did not peel the parsnip, carrot or burdock. I mixed the batter and while the oil was heating I found that my deep fry thermometer was not working properly. The verdict: I ran out of tempura batter, and had to use more than the recipe stated, and I had a hard time keeping the vegetables together to resemble a pancake, but the best part was THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.

Second Time Making Tempura:

I had guests coming so I prepared a triple batch of vegetables. I did not concentrate on deciding to get exact quantities, just eye-balling it. I put the tempura batter in a bowl – inside another bowl of ice. As I ran out of batter, I mixed more following the ratios given in the book. I also julienned the vegetables into three inch strips and a bit thinner than the first time. I used my eye balls as a guide to when the oil was ready. I think the reason the pancakes didn’t stay together the first time was for 2 reasons, not enough cornstarch, and my oil was too hot. They came out perfect! I refrigerator-ed the pancakes and reheated them at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. FYI – when reheating, they will not be as crispy as the first time they are made, but this did not affect any part of the dish. They were equally delicious either way.

Making Tendon:

I used my rice cooker for the rice, and cut toasted nori sheet into thin strips. I drizzled the sauce onto the rice opting not to dip the pancakes into the sauce, then topped the rice with pancake and green onions/scallions. I served this meal with a Miso Soup with Enoki.

The Verdict:

Over all it was awesome, my guests raved, and everyone didn’t talk while eating, including me! I can officially say that I am over my fear of making tempura. I will make these again and again, and hope to make the other 2 recipes that were an option in the challenge.

PS – I am a bit bummed about the quality of the green onions in the picture. In order for me to get ingredients I have to drive all over and I decided to use a scallion/green onion that was fatter and not as dark green that I like!

chirashi sushi

Since moving to New Mexico my cooking has altered to accommodate a few more people, and a few different ideas on what we want to eat. In some ways, it has been awesome (I’ve perfected my beef stew – which honestly I don’t like that much, but will eat) and other ways it had been a real bummer, because my in-laws look at my Asian cooking like….. well I can’t utter the words here.

Sadly, but happily, I’ve been drooling over La Fuji Mama’s blog and yesterday I threw my hands up, and said, “I don’t care anymore, I am making a Japanese meal tonight.”

Here is the scary and almost funny part, my in-laws would rather have Panda Express. They swear it’s the best thing they’ve ever tasted.  I’m thinking it’s  just americanized chinese food with soy sauce, why bother eating it? We got them Panda Express last night.

ingredients

As the fun began for me I could not stop thinking about Youko & Kazuma, who gave me my first lessons in Japanese food & cooking. They also introduced me to Mitsuwa (we had one close to us in Chicago too). Can I tell you how much I miss Mitsuwa.

So here’s the deal in Albuquerque: if you want Korean and Chinese food supplies, no problem (and I love Korean food), but if you want Japanese cooking supplies, you are going to be hurting. Since I last lived here, Talin (the international food market here) has decided that Japanese food supplies must have Hello Kitty on them, and the isle was filled it treats, sugar, soy sauce, and saké. I was soooooo sad, so much that I went to customer service and said what the heck?

I decided to make La Fuji Mama’s #7 Challenge for Washoku Warriors: Miso Ramen, and her link to Rachel’s Chirashi Sushi, and lastly, my homemade tofu.

miso ramen

The Miso Ramen (adapted from the book Washoku) has the following ingredients: chicken stock, dashi (kombu & katsuo-bushi), iriko (dried sardines) ramen noodles, bean sprouts, green onions, shiitake, mugi miso (barley), sesame oil, etc.

The first time I ever actively started using Mugi Miso was after meeting Youko. We stock Sweet White, Red, Yellow, Mugi, and Brown Rice Miso in our house, and she showed me how she combines them for different flavors.

my homemade tofu

I’ve been making my tofu for a couple years now. The ingredients are super simple: dried soybeans to make soymilk, spring water, and nigari.

chirashi sushi

And lastly, the Chirashi Sushi: Sushi Rice, seasoned shiitaké, lotus root, and carrot, snap peas blanched, carrot stars, toasted nori, and egg ribbons.

the best compliment of them all, my son loving the food, but then, that's all i ate when i was pregnant so i think he's predisposed!

BLT Salad

I had promised my friend Barbara that I would post something healthy, easy, ingredient finding friendly, and possibly kid friendly. My first thought was the BLT Salad. While living in Florida, we made this recipe frequently, and I think my mom clipped from a newspaper. I think it was written as a healthly carbohydrate recipe, omitting bread. Either way it is delicious. And I never quite make it the same.

The recipe called for small or new potatoes. I have also substituted smallish yukon gold, or the purple variety of potato.

I like to use plum tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes because they have less liquid. Equally good is homegrown heirloom varieties. It is fun to add red, yellow, orange, and green (zebra) type tomatoes.

I grow fresh basil in my backyard, and we also grow lettuce, so those 2 ingredients are always on hand. I use way more basil than the recipe calls for, possibly 1/8 cup or more. You can combine any type greens, but I think that baby spinach would detract from the BLT taste were going for.

And then there is bacon. My dad only eats turkey bacon at home, and I often substitute pancetta for the regular ole bacon. If you do use pancetta, I would not add any additional salt to the recipe.

BLT Salad

BLT SALAD

Serves 4

1 1/4 lbs small or new potatoes, cut into chunks
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
salt & pepper to taste
3 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped into large chunks
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
4 to 8 center cut bacon slices
12 cups romaine or salad greens, torn
1/2 cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat potato chunks in 1 tbsp olive oil in a zip-lock bag (or however you want to do it. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake on a foil-lined baking pan (coated with cooking spray – easy clean up) for 30 minutes until potatoes are golden.

2. Place tomato chunks in bowl. Make dressing with remaining olive oil, vinegar, basil, and season with salt and pepper. Pour about 1/4 of dressing over tomato.

3. Cook bacon until just crispy.

4. Divide roasted potato. Toss greens with tomato and remaining dressing. Sprinkle with bacon bits and shredded cheese.

5. Then Smile!

arroz rojo

I love a good bowl of rice, and especially a mexican inspired spicy rice dish with cilantro mixed in. I fooled around with the ingredients and came up with a version we like, althou I rarely make the same dish exactly the same way each time.

But I must confess, I have a secret ingredient that I can not part with.

yum yum ro-tel

I first discovered Ro-Tel the first time I lived in New Mexico. And I remember when I moved to Florida I packed several cans to take there. In Chicago I had no problem finding it.  And when we lived in New York, I’d never seen Ro-Tel and couldn’t find it the second time we moved to NY.

Ro-Tel is one of the few canned ingredients I keep stocked. I LOVE it. I think it is starting to gain popularity outside of the southwest, so you may be able to find a can here or there (Ro-Tel is out of Texas and has been around for a long time – I think the Homesick Texan Blog did a bit of history about Ro-Tel).

If you can not land your hands on a can of Ro-Tel, you can substitute with a good brand of diced tomato.

I also use chimayó chile (powdered) which gives this dish a down right kick, but you can omit chile powder – do not used the chili powder available in spice selection – it is not the same thing. If you can’t find Ro-Tel or New Mexican type chile powder, use a can of diced tomatoes and 1/2 to 1 jalapeño diced super fine.

arroz rojo

ARROZ ROJO (Red Rice)

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup long grain rice
1 can Ro-Tel
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon red chile (powder)
1 ¼ cup chicken stock
Optional: cilantro leaves

1. Heat veggie oil over medium-high heat and sauté garlic for 1 minute (do not brown or burn). Then add all ingredients except cilantro. Bring to a boil, then cover, and reduce heat to simmer.

2. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone. Quickly stir, cover and let sit for 5 minutes with not heat.

3. Before serving, add cilantro the way you want it (chopped and stirred in, or sprinkled on top).

AND BECAUSE I AM KINDA CRAZY I ADD FRESH GREEN CHILE TO BOOT!

Yummy! Enjoy

arroz rojo

hollandaise sauce

Okay, I watched the movie Julie & Julia, and I was so inspired that I just had to try to make Hollandaise Sauce.

hollandaise sauce

Actually my husband is the magical person on the stove top. I was always the baker. So making sauces kind of frightened me. For encouragement, my sweet hubby went out and bought me a new whisk! The side story is that our old whisk had become a toy for Wyatt, and it was bent into every direction – shows you how much I use a whisk.

So I set out to make Hollandaise Sauce, and I was so sure that I was going to fail that I made it in the morning, without  thinking it would actually be edible. I had to quick cook up something to put it on, so I made and egg, topped it with sauce, and sliced green onion.

My advice to everyone is to go for it! It ended up being not that difficult, and honestly the only part I had to be careful of was the heat. My pan spent more time off the burner than on, and the sauce came out perfect.

So here is Julia Child’s Hollandaise sauce ingredients with my instructions on making it! I used a book from the library called: Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom, Essential Techniques And Recipes From A Lifetime Of Cooking, by Julia Child.

Hollandaise Sauce – Master Recipe – About 1 1/2 cups

3 egg yolks
big pinch of salt
1 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tbs cold, unsalted butter
8 oz (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and hot
more salt & freshly ground white pepper to taste

My advice is to prep everything first which takes practically no time. Place 3 egg yolks in a sauce pan. Have salt and pepper ready to go. Squeeze and measure out lemon juice. Place 2 pats (1 tbsp each) of butter on a dish and keep in refrigerator until read to start. Lastly, melt the 2 sticks of butter until hot, then proceed to set all ingredients next to your stove and start making the sauce as follows.

Beat yolks with whisk in sauce for a minute or two, until slightly thickened.

Then whisk in pinch of salt, lemon juice, and one tbsp of cold butter.

Set pan over low heat, whisking constantly, removing pan occasionally so yolks don’t cook too fast.

When they (the yolks) start clinging to whisk, the butter is melted,  and you can see bottom of pan between strokes, remove from heat.

And 2nd tbsp of cold butter and repeat as directed as above.

Then start adding melted butter, a little bit at a time, whisking constantly, removing from heat if needed, and continue until about 1/2 cup of the sauce has thickened. Then you can add the remaining melted butter a bit more quickly and whisk, until the sauce resembles heavy cream.

Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

This sauce needs to be used immediately, within a 1/2 hour. It does not store well, so don’t even think about saving it!!!

I did read on the internet, that you can place the sauce in a bowl over another bowl with warm water until ready to use. This is what I did in order to quickly take the photographs and cook my egg!

Hollandaise Sauce is great over green beans or asparagus, and is a component of Eggs Benedict.

i quick cooked up an egg and topped it with the sauce & green onions!

a dream come true......