need i say more? photo taken by aletta eagle
Okay, can you tell that I am a bit over enthusiastic about joining Washoku Warriors? It was just the kick in the behind that I needed!
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!!!
miss molly's foxy ears - photo taken by aletta eagle
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!
miss molly aka petite-molly
Miss Molly is visiting with her parents. She had to endure a very long car ride from Colorado thru a blizzard, but she she made it and is very happy!
miss molly
miss molly
miss molly
miss molly
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!
old town albuquerque
old town - outdoor art
my favorite - i must weave or knit a shawl like this
I have friends in New York that are having their first baby. I was so excited I finally had a chance to pull out my favorite handspun yarn that I have been saving for quite awhile.
complete outfit
The yarn is handspun singles I did on my Louet Wheel. I handpainted the wool prior to spinning with some of my favorite colors. It’s a bit wild, but perfect for a child. And the parents are waiting until the birth to find out the sex of the baby, so the colors are perfect for a boy or a girl.
kimono, booties, & longies
I really hope they like it!
newborn sized kimono
The Scoop:
Pattern: Seamless Infant Kimono by Carina Spencer
Yarn: My Handspun Hand-Dyed Blue Faced Leicester Singles Spun on my Louet Wheel, Cascade 220 Solids
Needles: US Size 8 Circular & DP Needles
Special Techniques: I-Cord, Seed St., Stockinette St.
As usual I had a blast making this kimono, especially when I use my handspun!
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!
