Jagaimo Manju: Stuffed Potato Buns

14Dec08

This dumpling, sort of like a Japanese pierogi, is made with potato dough enclosing a filling of crab or shrimp. You can make it with pumpkin dough, and use fish, beef, pork or chicken too.

Filed under: Fish and Seafood, Japanese Food, Steaming   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: dumplings, Japanese Recipes, crab, manju, Mushimono

Salmon Steamed with Sweet Rice

10Sep08

This dish is usually served in the spring with tai (sea bream), and tinted sweet rice: the pinks are associated with cherry blossoms. Autumn is beginning here so I’ve used wild salmon and flavored the rice with shiso from my garden. This recipe uses a different kind of Japanese rice: mochigome (glutinous rice), sometimes called “sweet rice.” This rice is used in dishes that require more stickiness. It requires soaking (at least 3 hours, to overnight) because it absorbs less water when it’s steamed.

Filed under: Fish and Seafood, Japanese Food, Rice, Steaming   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: Japanese Recipes, Mushimono, salmon

Daisy Tofu Dumplings

06Sep08

This is a fun Japanese recipe for tofu dumplings. Ms. Shimbo says that her students named them Tofu Daisies because they resemble the flower! They are very pretty, not at all fussy to make, and very tasty.

Filed under: Japanese Food, Noodles, Steaming, Tofu, chicken   |  8 Comments
Tags: appetizers, dumplings, Japanese Recipes, Menrui, Mushimono

Steamed Chicken and Golden Sauce

11May08

This Japanese chicken dish is both exotic and familiar. It’s both home-cooked-satisfying and party-pretty. And it makes a very nice planned for second meal. It’s not leftovers when it’s this good!

Filed under: Japanese Food, Salads, Dressings, and Sauces, Steaming, chicken   |  2 Comments
Tags: Japanese Recipes, Mushimono

Japanese Chicken, Shiitake, and Long-Onion

15Apr08

Japanese cooking is not always difficult. Once you set up your steamer, this satisfying dish is a easy to make as a casserole. Original recipe called for chicken thighs with skin and bones. When I first made this last October (before the blog), I found that the bones made this dish difficult to eat. The skin was not very appealling. This time I skinned and boned the chicken. For more flavor, you can cook the bones with the food and remove them before serving. Occasionally I’ve made gribbenes with the skin to sprinkle on top.

Filed under: Japanese Food, Poultry, Steaming, chicken   |  1 Comment
Tags: Japanese Recipes, Mushimono