Kitsune Shirataki Deluxe Noodle Bowl

It's easing into autumn again, and that's the time of year when noodle bowls and other hot dishes with nourishing broth are brought more often to the table. One of my very favourite dishes is kitsune udon, but for a variety of reasons, sometimes people want an alternative to udon. It's also difficult at times to find a recipe that doesn't include fish ingredients, at least for the broth. What to do!

No worries. I've got this.

Shirataki is a type of noodle made from a plant called devil's tongue. They have recently become very popular as a 'diet noodle', since they have effectively 0 calories, 0 carbohydrates, and pretty much nothing bad, whilst at the same time helping the digestion and providing essential dietary fibre. I really like them, because they're so tasty and feel 'al dente' with very little preparation. You could easily switch to shirataki instead of something like the typical instant ramen and not notice a significant difference in taste, but you'll see a huge difference in the nutritional figures of your food. It's very handy in the seasons where we eat a lot more of this kind of food!

Kitsune Shirataki Deluxe Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

1/2-1 pack shirataki noodles (1 lb.)
2-3 pieces abura age
shichimi togarashi, to taste

for mixed vegetables:

5-6 whole leaves Korean cabbage or bok choy (or regular cabbage)
handful moyashi (bean sprouts)
1/2 spoon miso paste
1/2 spoon spicy red bean paste
dash soy sauce
dash sesame oil
pinch salt

for broth:

3 dried shiitake mushrooms
1-2 square inch kelp, cut into strips
bowl of water to reconsistute and cover
1-2 spoons soy sauce
1-2 spoons mirin
pinch salt
pinch sugar
1 spoon vegetable bouillon powder or shirataki liquid (optional)

Since this has a good few steps and may be complicated for you, I'm going to take it slowly and divide up the cooking. The great thing about noodle dishes is that you can generally prepare all the separate ingredient groups and just combine them at the end, as long as you keep everything warm. Don't panic!

Let's cook the broth!

1) First, take 3 dried shiitake mushrooms and a square of dried kelp. You can cut the kelp into strips when it's dry or when it's reconstituted, using kitchen scissors. Place them in a bowl and fill, covering them with water. You can place a saucer on top of the bowl, to keep them submerged.

2) After at least an hour or so, remove the saucer and then remove the shiitake and kelp. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, remove the stems from the shiitake and then cut the shiitake into slices with a diagonal angle. Set the kelp and the shiitake aside for now.

3) Pour the liquid into a saucepan and turn heat to high. Add soy sauce, mirin, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of sugar. You can also add a little spoon of bouillon powder or some of the shirataki liquid, to give it a slightly richer taste. Mix to blend evenly. When it starts to boil, turn the heat off and take it off heat. Cover and keep warm.

Let's cook the mixed vegetables!

1) Heat a frypan on medium-high heat. While it's heating, take your cabbage leaves and slice them into strips, separating the thicker stalks from the thinner leaves if possible.

2) Add a little sesame oil to the pan and move it around; if it moves freely, the pan is hot enough. Add the moyashi first and a little bit of salt, stirring them and coating. Then add the stalk pieces and do the same. Let these cook for at least a couple of minutes, so they will be tender.

3) Now add the leaves, stir, and turn the heat off.

4) Quickly add miso, spicy bean paste, and a little bit of soy sauce. Combine the ingredients, adding a little more soy sauce if you need to, in order to make a kind of sauce.

5) Stir to coat, then turn the heat back on once everything has been coated, and cook for another couple of minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Let's cook the noodles!

1) Snip the shirataki bag and drain. Make sure the snip is a small one, so you don't lose any noodles. Squeeze the bag gently to get all the liquid out. If you want to save some liquid for the broth, you can just drain the bag into a bowl and use what you want.

2) Place the shirataki in a bowl and use kitchen scissors to trim the noodles. They are very, very long so you will definitely not want to skip this step!

3) Fill a saucepan a little over halfway with water and bring to a boil. Add the noodles to the pan and boil for a couple of minutes, making sure to stir and separate the noodles lightly.

4) Drain the noodles and then put them back into the saucepan, without water. Return them to heat and stir, cooking off all the liquid.

5) Turn off the heat but leave the pot on the hot eye. Add a dash of soy sauce and keep stirring. The noodles will visibly absorb the soy sauce. Once there is no liquid left, remove from heat and place in a bowl.

Let's put it all together!

1) Place the cooked noodles in the bowl with the kelp and shiitake. Pour the hot broth over them.

2) Add the mixed vegetables, being careful not to pour any liquid into the broth.

3) Add the abura age and shichimi togarashi.


But Dhiar, you say, I don't have any prepared abura age! Well, abura age is pretty easy to whip up, even if all you have is just sushi age (which you can get most places). Abura age is sweetened, fried tofu skins, and it is what gives anything 'kitsune' its name, because it is believed that kitsune, or foxes, love abura age above all.

Here's how to whip up some abura age from simple sushi age, or fried tofu skins.

Quick Abura Age

Ingredients

Sushi age or other thin, fried tofu (you could probably also use a baked tofu cake, but it must be thin)
2 spoons soy sauce
2 spoons mirin
1/2-1 spoon sugar
pinch salt
water

1) Fill a saucepan about halfway with water, and turn on heat. Add sushi age (or unseasoned abura age) that you have pressed and cut into square pieces. Add them to the water and make sure to submerge them. When it comes to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Depending on what kind of tofu you are using, it may take longer. But it should look more tender and almost meaty in appearance and texture.

2) Drain and cool. Squeeze or press the excess moisture from the tofu.

3) Fill a saucepan about halfway with water again, and turn on heat. Add soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and salt, and stir to combine. When it reaches a boil, turn down the heat to simmer after adding the tofu to the mixture. Make sure it stays submerged.

4) You can cover it for a slightly fuller flavour. Simmer for 10-20 minutes.

5) Take off heat and drain, but do not press; leave some of the sweet simmering broth in them so they will be especially savoury.


And there you have it!

I know this seems like a pretty elaborate recipe, but actually once you get it down, I think you'll have no trouble just whipping it up anytime. The shirataki in the 1-pound bags is enough for at least 2-3 meals, and you can even do steps 1-3 and refrigerate the noodles you don't want to eat that moment and prepare them later. They should keep for several days, even prepared.

If you prefer, you can just forego the mixed vegetables. You can even save the shiitake and kelp for later, if you prefer not to eat them in the noodles. That's the great part about Japanese noodle recipes: they're very individualistic. Everyone has a way they prefer to eat noodles, and just about every shop will have at least a slightly different recipe, a slightly different approach to things. So experiment, see what you like the most, and then...enjoy your meal!

Doesn't that look delicious?

It certainly tasted delicious!

Enjoy, as always!

};) Dhiar ♥

Washoku is Cool!

What's washoku, you ask? It's Japanese cooking, built upon traditional methods and aesthetics. While this is not, strictly speaking, a dish I've had in Japan, it's inspired by elements of washoku.

In the summer, there are many dishes that are made to cool off. While there is a philosophy that eating hot foods in summer is actually good -- it makes one sweat and cools through this method -- there is also a delight in eating cold or cooling foods.

This dish is eaten more or less at room temperature, but it can easily be cooled in the refrigerator if you prefer a colder dish. If you haven't tried these foods cool or cold, the time is right! They're super-refreshing and totally delicious.

Norinori Tofu Noodles

Ingredients

1 block firm or extra firm tofu, pressed
1 bunch wheat noodles
splash sesame oil
1/2 spoon miso
1-2 spoons water
1 spoon soy sauce
1-2 spring onions

to taste:

norikomi furikake
garlic powder
ginger powder
shichimi togarashi

1) Take the pressed block of tofu and cut it into cubes. Set aside.

2) Cook the noodles until just al dente. Rinse thoroughly in colander with cold water.

3) Add dash of sesame oil and stir thoroughly to coat the noodles. Then add tofu cubes and stir to coat again.

4) Sprinkle garlic powder and ginger on the mixture, then carefully stir again.

5) Top with norikomi furikake and shichimi togarashi, and slice the spring onion on top.

6) Place the miso and water in a small jar, seal it, and shake until well-blended. Add the soy sauce and shake again, to blend, then place in a sauce dish.

7) Serve cool and dip the noodles and tofu in the sauce. Refreshing!


Tips and Such

- If you don't have norikomi furikake, just shred some nori (a type of seaweed) with black and white sesame seed, a little salt, and a little sugar. That's basically all it is! Or you could even just use the nori and sesame seed.

- If you don't have shichimi togarashi, any hot pepper will do. Even cayenne powder will give it a nice boost!

- For cooler food, refrigerate the serving dish and then take it out and serve up the food just before eating. It'll stay cooler! You can also mix up the noodles, tofu, oil, garlic, and ginger and refrigerate all of it, then add the last toppings just before serving.

- If you want to avoid cooking altogether, you could always get some tofu noodles or something like that and throw it all together without having to heat up anything!

This is a dish you're sure to like on a hot summer's day! The appeal of a dish like this is in its avoidance of any sort of cooking, whilst simultaneously bringing lovely accents to simple, satisfying flavours. It's cool, it's filling and fulfilling...what more could you want when it's hot outside?

I hope you'll enjoy this. It should put you in good spirits, hence the name: norinori!

};) Dhiar <3

Cooked As You Like! Okonomiyaki

Although it seems odd to me to call it an exotic dish, okonomiyaki is a dish that is beyond even pronunciation for some! But it's actually a very easy dish to make, and it's not only tasty, but has plenty of healthy ingredients, especially the Chinese cabbage that gives it substance.

The name means, basically, 'cooked as you like'. It's a dish that often defies description to those who have never before had it, because essentially it is a cabbage pancake, with an added omelette dimension due to the fact that you can add whatever else you like to it. It really is to be made with things you like, and so it's easy to include any number of other ingredients as you cook your okonomiyaki. Be adventurous!

Cooked As You Like! Okonomiyaki

Ingredients

1 C tempura mix (or flour, sifted or whisked well, with 1 egg)
1 C cold water
1 egg
Chinese cabbage leaves (usually about 5-10 will do)
1 spoon instant mushroom stock (optional)

to taste:

sauce (see below)
mayonnaise (use a brand like Kewpie)
norikomi furikake, or shredded nori (optional)

1) Combine the tempura mix and water with a wire whisk until smooth. Chop the cabbage leaves very thin and then cut in halves or thirds. Add them to the batter and blend until incorporated.

2) Heat a small oiled frypan to medium-high heat. Once it is hot enough, pour the batter mixture into it and let it heat.

3) After a couple of minutes, break an egg and pour it atop the okonomiyaki. Keep letting it cook.

4) After it has mostly cooked through, flip it. If you have trouble with flipping, see the Tips and Such section for help. On the side that now faces up, brush the sauce across the surface. Add mayonnaise and arrange to your liking. You can paint a design with a fine-tipped nozzle, or you can simply use a knife to make a marbled effect with the sauce. Add norikomi furikake or shredded nori, spread across the top.

5) After a few more minutes of cooking, slide from the pan onto a plate. Note that you will want to let it cook for long enough to cook the egg on the bottom, the yolk of which should break when it is flipped. Serve hot!

Okonomiyaki Sauce

Most ready-made okonomiyaki sauce unfortunately has fish elements added, or uses worcestershire sauce (which tends to have fish in it also) as a part of the ingredients. If you can find vegetarian worcestershire, simply use it in place of the last two ingredients.

2 spoons soy sauce
1 spoon sugar
1 spoon cornstarch (optional)
1 spoon garlic powder, or to taste
dash lemon juice or citrus zest

1) Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring until blended and slightly thickened.

2) Remove from heat and set aside.


Tips and Such

- If you're not comfortable with attempting to flip a potentially very messy food, here's an easy way to flip it. It works with omelettes and similar foods too, so it'll just be our secret if you use it!

Start heating a larger frypan a few minutes before you need to flip the food. When you need to flip it, take the larger frypan off heat and place it as tightly as possible over the small frypan. Lift both pans and then simply turn them quickly, so that the larger frypan is on the bottom. Remove the small frypan now on the top, and voila! You've just flipped your food.

- You can use vegetarian 'oyster' mushroom sauce if you don't want to fuss making your own okonomiyaki sauce. It's thick and spreads easily, and it sets off the mayonnaise perfectly. You can get this in most Asian groceries.

- For okonomiyaki, I recommend using a Japanese mayonnaise, or making your own. Kewpie is the brand most typically used for okonomiyaki, because of its light flavour and slight sweetness. It as well is found in most Asian groceries, and has a pleasant enough flavour to be used as a simple dip for vegetables or crackers, and used as a garnish where other mayonnaise tends to be too much. Kewpie is not oily or too sour, nor is it pungent. This makes it an ideal topping.

- If you want to add other things to the okonomiyaki, generally they're best added to the batter and mixed in. You can add all kinds of things, so don't be afraid to experiment and see what you like best in yours!

Above all, enjoy yourself! Okonomiyaki is a delicious and extremely simple food to make. It's especially good if you have to cook something quickly that is satisfying and nutritious. After you've made it once, you'll be able to whip it up in no time!

};) Dhiar <3

Simple and Delicious Udon

Even in the heat of summer, udon is a welcome and often refreshing treat. The Japanese belief is that if it is hot, eat something that is also hot...it will stimulate sweating and cool you off! So udon is eaten throughout the year.

This is a simple recipe that can be customised to your liking. Give it a try! You'll find its taste and quality is comparable to a noodle shop's.

Simple Udon

Ingredients

futomaru udon (any udon will do, this is just a favourite)
satoimo noodles (I use Malony or マロニー)
kelp (also called konbu)
sesame oil
water
3 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tbsp mirin
3 cloves of garlic, or to taste
ginger, to taste
thin-sliced lotus root (optional)

1) Use kitchen scissors to cut a piece of kelp that is about 2"x2" at least, or larger to your preference. Cut it into medium-sized strips and place it in a bowl.

2) Heat as much water as you want broth for your udon. Once it boils, take it off heat and pour it over the kelp. Cover the bowl and let it sit for at least five minutes.

3) Heat a small amount of sesame oil (about 1 tsp) in a saucepan. Peel the garlic cloves and slice them into smaller pieces, and add the garlic and ginger to the sesame oil. Saute until it is aromatic, probably about 30 seconds or so.

4) Add the kelp and broth to the saucepan, then add soy sauce and mirin. If you are using lotus root, add it now. Turn to medium heat, to cook.

5) Prepare the futomaru udon by boiling a pot of water and adding the noodles to the boiling water. Keep it cooking steadily for around 10 minutes.

6) About 3-5 minutes before the futomaru udon is ready, add the satoimo noodles to the cooking broth. This will make them ready by the time your udon is.

7) Remove the futomaru udon from water and place them in your bowl. Then pour the contents of the broth over it. You can serve with shichimi togarashi or any topping.

Tips and Such

- If you don't have mirin, simply add some sake and a pinch of sugar to the broth. The sweetness of mirin doesn't really feature in the finished dish, but it does add a contrast that brings out the robust tones of the soy sauce better than if it were just alone.

This is a simple and delicious dish! Everybody loves a good udon. It only takes a few minutes to make, and it is so comforting and yummy. You will feel better after tasting this traditional style udon!


};) Dhiar <3

Natto, Miracle Food

There are a lot of great foods out there, it's true. But one of the very best is natto.

Never heard of it? That's because it's well-known mainly in Japan, and even then it often gets a bad reputation because people don't give it a fair chance.

Natto is fermented soybeans, and it is well known for being stringy and having an odd texture to it. It has incredible health benefits, especially for vegetarians, but really natto is for everyone. If eaten only a few times a week, one can enjoy its amazing benefits. There has been an immense amount of research into this miraculous food, and everything has shown how fantastic it is.

One site online with more information about natto can be found here. You can make natto easily enough at home, but it's even easier to buy commercial natto. I would recommend going for Shirakiku brand with 'ﾀﾚなし' which is to say, 'no tare'. Tare is a word meaning the sauce that is usually included with natto. Oftentimes the tare includes fish, which is something that isn't too good for those of us avoiding it. Usually it's limited to being a part of the sauce, which is contained in a separate packet and not pre-added to the natto (because the natto ferments in the package), but it's best to avoid it altogether. You can use your own preferred soy sauce, and then you'll be used to that aspect of the flavour already!

Shirakiku, as well as some other brands of natto, include a packet of mustard as well. Japanese mustard is different from Western mustard, and it has a different taste to it. I also find that Japanese mustard, mixed with natto, completely neutralises the flavour. It has pretty much no taste with the mustard mixed in, so the flavours must cancel each other out. It's very strange. But if you find yourself overwhelmed by the taste of natto, try adding the little mustard packet to it.

One thing that is important to note is that natto is best when it is cooler than room temperature. Natto is best not warmed, which is what some people don't understand. Even many Japanese people will traditionally heat natto. But it is best cool, from the refrigerator. Many people are turned off by the strong scent of natto when it is heated, but it need not be heated to be enjoyed. Greater nutritional benefits are said to be derived from cool natto.

Another thing to remember when you are first trying natto is this: do not stir it. At all. Eat it directly as it is. It may be stringy, but the strands are easily whipped around your chopsticks. Stirring natto makes it more gooey, which can be appealing to some. But it is an acquired taste and texture when stirred, whereas it is much easier to adjust to when not.

Opinions vary on how many times to stir natto. Some say that 30-50 times will produce an ideal natto texture. Others have insisted that 424 times will produce the best natto. If you want to try, you'll be sure to get some exercise out of it!

One way to serve natto that is very popular in Japan is to break a raw egg atop it and stir it all together. This reduces the gooey texture of natto and also complements the flavour. Typically soy sauce is also added to this. It is an even more nutritious dish when served this way, but remember not to heat the natto and not to let the egg get to room temperature. If you must try this, make sure your eggs are refrigerated and make sure your natto is chilled below room temperature. It is very important to take every care when consuming uncooked foods.

Natto has been called a 'vegetable cheese', which is essentially what it is. It has a rich taste that is especially enjoyable once one becomes accustomed to it, and it is a nutritious and exciting dish for breakfast or any time of the day. It is so healthy and so fun to eat...I hope you'll give it a try!

Just remember my tips and give it a chance. You don't have to eat all of it at one time. Eat it chilled, unstirred, and slowly ease into any other way of eating it. Add mustard if the taste is too much, at first. Don't forget to add soy sauce too, because that will round the flavour nicely.

Enjoy your healthy food!

};) Dhiar <3