Chicken and Chestnuts

14Nov09

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Chestnuts are an autumn favorite in Japan. And chestnuts are now a favorite of mine; this is the third time I’ve made this special recipe and is the best. Frozen, peeled chestnuts are a reasonable compromise for convenience. Using skinless, boneless chicken thighs, though more expensive, are a convenience well worth the cost. To replace the extra flavor added by cooking meat on the bone, I used a cup of strong homemade chicken stock rather than the dashi. If you are concerned that this compromises the Japanese flavor, you could add a piece of kombu as the food cooks, or add shiitake. By caramelizing the sugar before adding the chicken, I could be sure that the sugar really did darken and deepen the flavor. This is now a recipe I can make more than once a year. I think we will enjoy!

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Filed under: Japanese Food, Nimono, Simmering, chicken   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: chestnuts

A Stir-Fry: dry curry!

11Nov09

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I kept catching a whiff of curry all morning, and I was afraid that my clothes were perfumed with the scent. I was a bit apprehensive about how strong the smell would be after heating the curry. My co-workers don’t have adventurous tastes, and mild as Japanese curry is, it does smell exotic. L. announced she brought in pumpkin cake for dessert and I realized that I didn’t smell like leftovers; it was the dessert! And no one complained about the stinky lunch. The Japanese spice mix has undertones of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice!
(or maybe they were too polite to complain?)

Filed under: Grilling and Pan-Frying, Rice, Stir-Frying   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Japanese curry

Currying Flavor: Karei Raisu

09Nov09

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Curry on rice is almost a national dish of Japan—many eat it at least once a week. And why not: it’s delicious, easy to make with the widely available instant curry roux, can be made with a variety of ingredients, keeps well (even improves) as leftovers, and is inexpensive. It’s a meal I am fond of.

From The New York Times, 23 October, 2008
“Indian curry came to Japan from England,” explained Hiroko Shimbo, the Japanese chef and cookbook author. “Roux of course came from France.” It was only natural that someone would put them in the same dish, she added, then paused for a moment and laughed. “It’s perfect for Americans,” she said. “It’s a very American impulse to mix.”
a recipe from Hiroko Shimbo

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Filed under: Asian Influenced Food, Japanese Food, One Pot Cooking, Rice, Western Influenced food   |  2 Comments
Tags: Japanese curry

Hot Pot with Nerimono: Oden

02Nov09

Autumnal weather means hot food is once again inviting. My daughter and I went shopping for ingredients to make a Japanese hot pot on the evening before she returned to California. The hot-pot dish is called “oden” in which an assortment of fish-cakes and dumplings are cooked in dashi, kombu stock, or chicken stock, with other ingredients including daikon, konyaku, and potatoes. It was great fun to see the variety of fish and seafood cakes or dumplings; we couldn’t resist buying too many because they looked so interesting.

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Filed under: Fish and Seafood, Japanese Food, Nabemono, One Pot Cooking   |  7 Comments
Tags: oden

Black Sesame Seared Tuna

27Oct09

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My daughter is visiting again, and she loves tuna, so of course I had to make this unique seared tuna for her. There are hundreds of recipes for seared tuna, ample evidence how popular Japanese food is in the U.S. But this recipe is special because it uses crushed black sesame seeds. The fish is marinated and coated with black sesame seeds, then flour, and finally quickly deep-fried. The black and pink make a striking appearance, and the deep fried crisp coating makes a lovely contrast with the succulent tuna.

Filed under: Agemono, Deep-Frying, Fish and Seafood, Japanese Food, Salads, Dressings, and Sauces   |  2 Comments
Tags: maguro, tuna