Hiyashi-shabu no Goma Dare

22Aug09

Again I’m repeating a favorite summer recipe from the past. This meal can be prepared ahead of time. Prepare it in the morning while it is cool, and cooking is not unpleasant; or cook the beef, cut the fruit and vegetables, then chill the sauce for a dinner to host without stress. The colors of the fruits and vegetables arranged on a serving platter are stunning.

Filed under: Beef, Japanese Food, Nabemono, One Pot Cooking, Salads, Dressings, and Sauces, Vegetables   |  2 Comments
Tags: Sesame Sauce

Sesame Noodle Sauce

25Apr09

I’m making an effort to cook for just myself, rather than noshing or skipping meals. Here is a simplified version the seseame sauce for noodles I’ve made in the past: I made a smaller recipe so I won’t be eating it for days and days, and I didn’t grind my own sesame seeds, added some spiciness because I was feeling hot (it was 85°F !!! —last week I had to scrape ice off the windsheild), and garnished the noodles with asparagus so this dish would be a complete meal and not a snack.

Filed under: Japanese Food, Menrui, Somen   |  4 Comments
Tags: Japanese Cooking, Sesame Sauce

Somen, what to do when it’s hot

22Jul08

When the weather is so humid that you need gills to breathe, no one wants to cook. It’s a riddle. It’s hard to be cool as a cucumber when you’re one hot tomato, especially when you enter Hades’ kitchen intent on finding something to eat. Don’t be crabby; maintain your sangfroid! Throw some spaghetti on the wall, and “open sesame“—there’s your menu! And, “Nori a bad word said.”

Filed under: Japanese Food, Noodles, Somen   |  8 Comments
Tags: Menrui, salad, Sesame Sauce

Cold Shabu Shabu with Creamy Sesame Dressing

25Jun08

This is a beautiful summer meal. Shabu Shabu is a Japanese dish in which very thin slices of meat are cooked in simmering water at the dinner table by the diners. In winter it’s comforting to sit near a pot of boiling water, warming the hand holding your chopsticks to swish and cook your food. Not so fun when it’s hot and humid. This recipe is served chilled with peppers, papaya, beef and sesame sauce.

Filed under: Beef, Japanese Food, Salads, Dressings, and Sauces, Simmering, Vegetables   |  8 Comments
Tags: Japanese Recipes, nimono, Sesame Sauce, shabu-shabu

Spicy Sesame Sauce on Chukasoba

17Jun08

This is another Japanese sesame sauce for noodles—spiced up with toban jiang and served on ramen noodles it’s perfect for a hot summer day. The toppings can include whatever vegetables that are in season: tomatoes, cucumbers, bean sprouts, summer squash, chard, and so on. You can use chicken, tofu, ham, meatballs, hard boiled eggs… The recipe here includes a nice way to poach chicken breasts that won’t overheat your kitchen, nor will it strain your powers of concentration.

Filed under: Asian Influenced Food, Japanese Food, Noodles, Poultry, Ramen, Salads, Dressings, and Sauces, chicken   |  1 Comment
Tags: Japanese Recipes, Sesame Sauce