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Coconut Milk Curry, Spinach, Kabocha Squash

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Coconut Milk Curry, Spinach, Kabocha Squash

If you missed us this fall for the Harvest Festival at Frogtown Farm, here is the recipe we provided to the attendees. This is a great recipe using end of the season produce such as kabocha squash and red peppers. Feel free to add eggplants, chicken, tofu or ingredients of your choice as this dish is versatile and easy to modify. Serve warm with brown or jasmine rice and side of quick pickle.  

Course Main Course
Cuisine asian
Keyword curry, kabocha squash, spinach
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Author Koshiki Yonemura

Ingredients

  • 14 oz coconut milk
  • 2 cups chicken stock unsalted
  • 1 tablespoon green curry paste
  • 1 1/4 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 bunch spinach, washed and cut 1/2 pound
  • 1 medium red sweet pepper julienned
  • 1/2 pound kabocha squash cored, peeled and cut
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro stem and leaves separate and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon fish sauce
  • 2 teaspoon corn starch
  • 2 tablespoon water

Instructions

  1. Heat 3.5 qt saute pan on low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, curry paste and chopped cilantro stems and saute until fragrant. Add solidified part of coconut milk and mix well. Add chicken stock then kabocha and gently simmer for about 10 minutes.  

  2. While Kabocha is cooking, saute red peppers with 1 teaspoon of cooking oil, season lightly with salt and pepper. Set it aside.  

  3. When kabocha is almost tender, add the liquid part of the coconut milk and bring to boil. Add spinach, sauteed red pepper, fish sauce, chopped cilantro leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt. Taste test and adjust to your taste.  

  4. In a small bowl, mix together cornstarch and water. Bring coconut curry to a gentle boil and slowly add cornstarch mixture. Stir the curry as it thickens abit. Turn the heat off. Serve hot.   

 

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Chicken Wings in Soy-Ginger Sauce

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Chicken Wings Soy Ginger Sauce Recipe

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Chicken Wings in Soy-Ginger Sauce

This is an original recipe from our restaurant, Tanpopo Noodle Shop and enjoyed by our customers for many years. Made-to-order and freshly served for a delicious, succulent chicken wings.  

Course Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword chicken wings, fried, ginger, japanese, soy sauce, vinegar
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 20 pieces
Author Koshiki Yonemura

Ingredients

  • 20 pics chicken wings and drumsticks about 2.5 pounds
  • 1/2 inch fresh ginger julienne
  • 1/2 cup corn starch or more
  • oil for frying

sauce

  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/8 cup sake
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  1. Make the sauce by heating the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sake, sugar and water. Set it aside. (This sauce will keep up to 2 weeks in refrigerator. ) 

  2. Heat the oil to 350 degrees.

  3. Pat dry the wings and drumsticks. Dust them with cornstarch then deep fry until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  (note: work in batches so not to over crowd the pot with oil.) 

  4. Heat the sauce in a frying pan and add wings and drumsticks. Coat wings and drumstick with the sauce.  

  5. Plate wings and drumsticks with sauce. Garnish with fresh ginger.  

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Salmon Cakes

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Salmon Cakes with Sweet Corn

I grew up a fisherman’s daughter and lived near the sea.   However, as I now live in Minnesota where the availability of fresh fish is limited, but I still try to make fish for dinner once a week.  This dish is a kid favorite and easy to prepare. I especially like to make this when corn is in season, and serve it with homemade tartar sauce, brown rice and a side dish of vegetables.  

Salmon Cakes

Gather up all your ingredients.

Salmon Cake Ingredients

Mix together and shape in to patties.

Make Salmon Cakes

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Salmon Cakes

Salmon cakes made with Atlantic Salmon, shucked corn, bread crumbs and seasonings.  Pan fried and serve with home made tartar sauce.

Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword corn, Fish, pan fry, salmon, tartar sauce
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author Koshiki Yonemura

Ingredients

  • 1 pound salmon Atlantic, skinned and deboned
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup corn fresh or frozen
  • 1/4 cup green onion chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup cream or milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil

tartar sauce

  • 1/2 cup Japanese Mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup red onion chopped
  • 1/4 cup parsley or chives chopped
  • salt
  • pepper
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Place salmon on a cutting board and cut it into small pieces. Next take meat cleaver and chop the fish into even smaller pieces.  

  2. In a medium bowl, place minced fish, corn, bread crumbs, beat egg, salt, pepper, garlic powder, green onions and milk and mix well with hands. Let the mixture rest for about 30 minutes in fridge.  

  3. Divide the fish mixture to 8. Place vegetable oil on your palms and shape the fish mixture into hamburger shapes and set them aside.  

  4. Heat a frying pan large enough to hold all salmon cakes, add about 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and pan fry the fish. About 2 minutes each. Cover the pan and cook through the fish.   

  5. Plate the salmon cakes with homemade tartar sauce and wedge of lemon. Garnish with parsley, if you wish.  

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Sunomono

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Sunomono Salad Recipe

Sunomono is a popular summer side dish in Japan and easy to make.  I suggest making this when your garden is plenty with cucumber to bring out the best flavor.  Japanese cucumber is the best to use for this recipe but hydro cucumber will do a trick as well.  Sunomono will make a great side dish to grilled fish or meat and will hold up to 3 days in your refrigerator.  Enjoy.

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Sunomono

Quick Pickle-Japanese Cucumber

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Keyword pickle, Salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Author Koshiki

Ingredients

  • 3 Japanese cucumber or 2 English cucumber
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dashi chilled
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoon light soy sauce usukuchi shoyu
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon natural sesame seeds toasted
  • 1 teaspoon shichimi pepper Japanese spices

Instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, heat rice wine vinegar, sugar and ½ teaspoon of salt. When sugar is dissolved, turn the heat off and set it aside to cool.

  2. Cut cucumbers lengthwise and remove seeds. Slice them crosswise very thin then put them in a medium bowl. Springle cucumber with ½ teaspoon of salt and set it aside for about 5-10 minutes.

  3. When vinegar mixture is cold, mix it with dash and light soy sauce.

  4. Squeeze salted cucumber to remove any excess water then add it to the vinegar mixture. Sprinkle cucumber with sesame and shichimi and put it in refrigerator to chill and pickle at least 30 minutes to an hour before serving.

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Bitter Melon, Beef and Eggs with Oyster Sauce

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Beef and Bitter Melon with Oyster Sauce Recipe

Have you ever wondered why people eat astringent, medicine-like bitter tasting melon? And yes, I never enjoyed this  as a small child growing up in Japan, but as an adult it’s become an acquired taste and something I now crave. Native to southeast Asian and Africa, this plant is widely eaten in Japan, especially in Okinawa and Kyushu, where I spent my early childhood.

Despite its taste, bitter melon is packed with nutrients like iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B and helps lower your blood sugar.  I enjoy bitter melon when it’s in season at farmers’ markets during the hot summer months. It will give you a healthy energy booster. Try sauteing bitter melon with meat, tofu or egg to make an entree to serve with rice.  

 

Bitter Melon with Beef Ingredients

Beef and Bitter Melon with Oyster Sauc
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Beef and Bitter Melon with Oyster Sauce

Farmer's market bitter melon sauteed with beef and oyster sauce

Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • `1 bitter melon
  • 300 grams thinly sliced beef
  • 3 eggs lightly beaten eggs medium sized
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped ginger
  • 1 sliced red pepper
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated garlic
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sake
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons cooking oil canola or soy bean oil works well
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

Instructions

  1. Cut bitter melon lengthwise and remove seeds and fibrous core then slice them crosswise into quarter inch thickness. 

  2. In a pot of boiling water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and blanch the bitter melon about 30 seconds. Drain the bitter melon and set it aside.  

  3. Place beef in a bowl and sprinkle with salt, pepper and sake. Set it aside.

  4. Mix together oyster sauce, garlic and soy sauce in a small bowl. Set it aside

  5. Heat large frying pan and add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Scramble eggs and take it out. Set it aside.  

  6. Return the frying pan to heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add ginger and red pepper. When fragrant, add beef and saute until cooked through. Add bitter melon and scrambled eggs to beef then #4 (oyster sauce, garlic and soy sauce). Pour chicken stock and drizzle the dish with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot. 

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Chicken Kara-age with Kabocha Rice

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Chicken Karaage Recipe

Fried chicken known as Kara-age is a very popular dish in Japan.  While it maybe deep-fried, it’s not greasy. The word Kara comes from the word empty, meaning there is no batter, and this recipe is simply an appetizing combination of garlic, ginger, soy, sake, sesame oil and cornstarch.  

During hot summer months when our garden is ripe with tomato and cucumbers, I like to serve kara-age along kabocha rice and a simple salad of tomato and cucumber tossed with ponzu sauce and freshly, chopped shiso leaves.  You will be surprised how well they all go together.

Gather up all of your ingredients.

Chicken Karaage Ingredients

Cut chicken into small pieces for frying and marinate for about 10-15 minutes.

Marinate Chicken

Get all your ingredients for the rice ready.

Kabocha Rice Ingredients

Add the squash to the rice just before cooking.

Cook Kabocha Sqaush

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and please leave a comment if you have any questions!

Chicken Karaage
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Chicken Karaage

Japanese style fried chicken.

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 600 grams chicken thigh with skin on, cut into 16 pieces
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sake
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh, grated ginger
  • 2 gloves grated garlic
  • 1/3 cup corn starch
  • Oil For Frying as needed

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, soy, sake, sesame oil, ginger and garlic. Set it aside for 10-15 minutes to marinate.

  2. In a medium pot,  add oil to about 1 inch deep and set it on medium heat. 

  3. Add cornstarch to chicken and mix well. 

  4. When the oil is approximately 375 degree, deep fry chicken until golden brown. 

  5. Best if served hot.

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Kabocha Rice

Steam rice with kabocha squash

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup white rice
  • 1 1/4 cup water
  • `1 cup Kabocha, peeled, cored and cut into bite sizes
  • 2 tablespoon sake
  • 1 tablespoon mirin
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • toasted black sesame seeds for garnish

Instructions

  1. Wash rice and drain well. Add one 1 ¼ cup of water to rice and set it aside for 15-30 minutes.

  2. In a rice cooker, add rice with water, sake, mirin and salt. Set kabocha on top of rice and cook according to your rice cooker.   

  3. When rice is cooked, fluff the rice and serve with sprinkle of black sesame seeds.  

Recipe Notes

Note: You may substitute Kabocha with sweet potato or chestnuts to make a delicious autumn rice.  

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Japanese Potato Salad

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Japanese Potato Salad Recipe


Japanese Potato Salad 

This is everyone’s favorite salad at Tanpopo Noodle Shop as we often served it for staff meals. And believe it or not, it’s also a very popular side dish in Japan. Often, you’ll find a side of potato salad in your bento box or at deli in grocery store. In this version, the potatoes are lightly mashed and tossed with Japanese mayonnaise, cucumber, hard boiled eggs and onions.  

Peel your potatoes and cut them into smaller pieces so they cook faster.

Cutting Potatoes

 

Start with the potatoes in cold water, bring  to a boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes. The potatoes should be soft but not overcooked.

Boil Potatoes

Lightly mash the potatoes.

Thinly slice cucumbers and onions. Combined all ingredients and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Slice Cucumebers

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Japanese Potato Salad

This is everyone’s favorite salad at Tanpopo Noodle Shop as we often served for staff meals. This is a Japanese style potato salad where potatoes are mashed and tossed with Japanese mayonnaise, cucumber, hard boiled eggs and onions. Enjoy.  

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

  • 900 grams Yukon Gold potatoes
  • 1/4 cup Japanese Mayonaise
  • 1/8 cup Rice Vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • pinch Black Pepper
  • 4 eggs Hard Boiled
  • 1/3 cucumber Thinly Sliced English or Japanese Cucumber
  • 1/4 onion Thinly Sliced Onion

Instructions

  1. Fill a medium size pot with cold water and add potatoes. Bring the water to a boil and reduce the heat to low and gently cook the potatoes until soft, about 15-20 minutes.  

  2. While the potatoes are cooking, boil 4 eggs to make hard boiled eggs. Cool and slice.  

  3. Remove the seeds off the cucumber and slice them thin. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set it aside. Slice the onion very thin and also sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set it aside for about 5 minutes. When cucumbers and onions are soft, squeeze out excess water and keep them in a fridge. 

  4. When the potatoes are soft and tender, remove the pot from the heat and drain all water. While the potatoes are hot mash them fine then add mayonnaise, vinegar and salt, mix well. Let it cool in the fridge.  

  5. When the potatoes are cold, add sliced cucumber, onion and hard boiled egg and mix well. Adjust seasoning with salt pepper and more mayonnaise. Serve cold. 

 

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Okonomiyaki

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Bacon Okonomiyki

“As You Like” Savory Pancake

Summer is time for abundance and we have a delicious recipe using cabbage.  These simple, savory pancakes were born after the war in Japan when there was a shortage of rice.  Decades later they are as popular as ever. There are even restaurants in Japan specializing in okonomiyaki and many Japanese restaurants in America have the dish on their menus.

Okonomiyaki means “as you like” and as the name suggest, add the ingredients of your choice to create your own original pancake.  Here in the US where we live, very thin slices of pork belly that are traditionally used can be hard to find, but bacon makes a delicious substitute.

 

Cooking Okonomiyaki

Bacon Okonomiyki
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Okonomoyaki

Originating from Osaka, Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake made from shredded cabbage, flour and a variety of ingredients. 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 head Shredded Cabbage
  • 8 strips Bacon, about 5 inches in length
  • 1 cup Tempura flour or Okonomiyaki flour
  • 1 cup water or dashi stock
  • 4 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • Pinch Sakura Ebi ( as desired )
  • Japanese Mayonaise
  • As Needed Bonito Flakes
  • As Needed Shichimi Pepper
  • Okonomiyaki or Tonkatsu Sauce

Instructions

  1. Mix tempura flour and dashi or water to make a batter in a consistency of pancake batter.  

  2. Add shredded cabbage and dried shrimp (if using) to the batter and mix well. If the batter seems too wet, add more flour. If too thick, add more water.

  3. Heat frying pan on medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil then lay two pieces of bacon. When bacon starts to sizzle, add one quarter of cabbage mixture on top of bacon and cook on low heat until bottom surface is slightly brown. Flip the pancake using spatula and cook the other side about 5 minutes on low heat. When cabbage is soft and tender and cooked through, set the pancake on a warm plate.  

  4. Cook three more pancakes.  

  5. Serve individual okonomiyaki on a plate. Top it with Tonkatsu sauce, mayonnaise and sprinkle of bonito flakes. Serve warm.  

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Shio Koji Marinated Salmon

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shio koji salmon

Here’s a quick recipe for salmon marinated in shio koji. If you are unfamiliar with koji, it’s a type of mold that is used to make sake and miso. In sake production, koji is added to cooked rice and is responsible for the conversion of the starches present in rice into fermentable sugars.

Shio Koji

Shio Koji

When combined with salt it also makes a great marinade that enhances flavor and tenderizes. The texture is similar to fish marinated with miso, but the flavor is lighter. So if you don’t want to over power piece of fish or meat with a miso marinade, try using shio koji.

If you are able to find shio koji, this recipe quick and easy.

Recipe for Shio Koji Broiled Salmon

Ingredients:

Fresh salmon steak
Shio Koji Marinade

Directions:

Preparing Koji Marinated Salmon

Preparing Koji Marinated Salmon

 

  1. In a small bowl combine 1 part shio koji to 10 parts salmon. In my case, the salmon steak weighed about 600 grams, so I added about 60 grams of the shio koji marinade.
  2. Allow to marinate for 3-4 hours in the refrigerator.
  3. Broil and serve.

 

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Chicken Katsu

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Chicken Katsu

Chicken Katsu

One of those family favorites and a classic of Japanese home-style cooking. The Bull Dog brand tonkatsu sauce is a must have with this dish. Serve with grated cabbage, rice and miso soup.

 

Recipe for Chicken Katsu

Ingredients:

1. Chicken breast, de-boned and skinned
2. Soy bean oil
3. Flour
4. Eggs
5 Salt and Pepper
6. Panko bread crumbs
7. Tonkatsu sauce
8. Lemon slice

Directions:

Chicken Katsu prepping station
1. Fillet the chicken breast so they have an even thickness. If the chicken is thicker than 1/4 inch you will prolong the cooking time and the breading may become too brown. We are looking for a nice golden brown when done cooking. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare your station. You will need a bowl or flour, lightly beat eggs and some panko.

3. If the chicken is overly moist, the breading will not stick well. Pat dry with  a paper towel if needed.

Breading Chicken Katsu

Breading Chicken Katsu

4. Dust the each chicken breast with flour, lightly dip in the egg, and apply the panko breading.

5. Deep fry in 350 degree soy bean oil until done. Cooking time is about 4 minutes, but slice them before serving and check to see that they are properly cooked.

6. That’s it.

 

 

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