Japan

Menu:

Edamame
Avacado & Cucumber Maki
Onigiri
Ochazuke
Yakitori
Gyoza
Tofu Udon Stir-Fry

The Japan menu was inspired by food cravings. Basically I thought of all my Japanese take-out staples, combined them with my "I should learn to make this someday" list and we had ourselves a meal. The only downfall to preparing food I have mad cravings for is that in all the urgency to promptly stuff my face, I did not take the time to get the best pictures. But it was a ton of fun so crappy pictures is a fair sacrifice.

We had to start with edamame. I love edamame. In fact, I am an edamame monster. I would say you should see me near bowl of edamame, but the truth is, you really shouldn't. It isn't pretty.

Avocado & Cucumber Maki rolls were surprisingly easier than I expected. I think getting the rice right is a big part of it. Thank you, Cuisinart rice steamer. The same rice was used for the Onigiri, which are basically a rice ball. Forming these was a lot trickier and stickier but once they were done I was pretty pleased with myself.

Ochazuke is a dish I discovered at a little restaurant called Manpuku. It's one of those hidden secrets that is so good you want to tell everyone, but also so good you kind of want to keep it to yourself. The Ochazuke starts with Onigiri which is pan fried with soy sauce. The Onigiri is normally prepared with fish in the centre but the awesome folks at Manpuku make them up for me with tofu instead. Add a few garnishes, pour green tea over it, and you've got delicious soup.

The Yakitori was a tribute to my friend Luke who has extensive knowledge of all things Japanese. Actually Luke is my go-to guy for his knowledge of pretty much everything (but he isn't vegan so clearly there is still some stuff for him to learn). Luke always orders Yakitori which are marinated chicken kebabs. I basted faux chicken skewers in a sake, soy, mirin and sugar sauce, then threw them on the grill. They were just as good as Luke's. I don't have a recipe for these because I pretty much winged it. In fact all the recipes up to this point are essentially guidelines with a lot of winging it.

Gyoza are another one of my weaknesses. Irresistible crispy little dumplings of deliciousness. Note that a small batch of filling goes along way. But don't worry about making too many, they freeze brilliantly.



The final item was going to be a Tofu Udon Stir-Fry. By now we were all way too full so I came up with the idea to have an udon showdown. I divided up the ingredients (udon noodles, bok choy, shiitake mushrooms, fried tofu cubes) and sent them home with two of my friends. They each sent me pictures of their creations. I have to call it a tie - both look fantastic!

We finished the meal with an assortment of snacks and candy that we picked up at a local Japanese grocer. They all come in ridiculously adorable packaging but the hit of the evening was definitely the Super Lemon. Oh! Powerful candy.


Avocado & Cucumber Maki
4 cups steamed sushi rice
1 Cucumber
1 Avocado
1 package dried nori sheets

1. Slice cucumber and avocado into thin strips.
2. Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap.
3. Place a rectangular sheet of nori on the mat (half sheet).
4. Spread an even layer of rice on top of the nori. Wet your hands to keep the rice from sticking.
5. Place the avocado and cucumber strips horizontally across the centre of the rice.
6. Fold the mat forward and apply pressure to shape the maki.
7. Fold the mat forward once again and apply more pressure.
8. Wet the tip of your knife and cut the roll into six even pieces.

Onigiri
4 cups steamed sushi rice
2 sheets dried nori
8 fried tofu cubes
Teriyaki sauce
Salt

1. Lightly brush tofu cubes with teriyaki sauce.
2. Cut the nori into eight 1-inch wide strips.
3. Put about 1/2 cup of rice in your palm. Wet your hands to keep the rice from sticking.
4. Make a dent in the centre and add the tofu cube.
5. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on your hand and form into a ball.
6. Flatten to a disc using your palms.
7. Wrap with a nori strip. Serve chilled.


Ochazuke

4 onigiri (remove nori strip)
Soy sauce
Vegetable oil
4 cups hot green tea

Toppings:
Rice crackers or okaki
Shredded nori strips
Scallions, chopped

1. Heat oil in frying pan.
2. Brush onigiri with soy sauce.
3. Pan fry onigiri to get a crisp sear on both sides.
4. Place one onigiri in each bowl.
5. Add toppings.
6. Pour 1 cup of green tea over each.
7. Season to taste with salt or soy sauce.

Gyoza

40 gyoza wrappers (wonton will work too)
1 cup dry TVP, small granules
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 cup mushrooms, minced
1 carrot, grated finely
3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
3 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Oil for frying

Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1. Place the TVP in a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Stir and let sit until softened.
2. Heat sesame oil on medium and saute the mushrooms, onion, carrot and ginger until soft.
3. Add the TVP, soy sauce and vinegar.
4. Raise the heat to medium-high and stir frequently until most of the liquid is gone. Let filling cool before assembling gyoza.
5. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
6. Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of a wrapper.
7. Use you finger to wet the edges of the wrapper with water.
8. Fold in half into a crescent shape.
9. Press and pinch the edges together until sealed. Repeat until you run out of wrappers or filling.
10. Place gyoza in boiling water for about 2 minutes, until wrapper is cooked (you can also steam them).
11. Pan-fry until browned on each side in a heavy bottomed pan.
12. Keep warm in 200 degree oven until ready to serve.
13. Mix dipping sauce ingredients and serve.