Friday Night Japanese Bistro

On Friday night, J and I had our very own Japanese bistro meal, complete with edamame, miso soup, and onigiri (triangle shaped rice roasted on the stove with a soy sauce-mirin sauce) and some rice and nori rolls (we had extra rice and the nori on hand so we just improvised)  

In the future, we'd like to make some simple rolls and stuff them with avocado, cucumber and maybe a little fish for a cheap and easy meal, along with miso soup since we have a lot of the ingredients needed to make the soup left over (Dashi stock, miso paste and tofu).  It was a pretty rice heavy meal so it would have been nice to have some fish or steamed vegetables (other than the edamame) to balance it out!

Here are some photos of the meal and the miso soup recipe:

Edamame, or boiled soy beans in their pods--they are salty and crunchy and make for a great snack!

Clockwise: miso soup, onigiri, and rolls

 

Pictured above, clockwise: sushi rice, Dashi stock granules (for miso soup), nori (seaweed), Indo Mie noodle bowls (for lunches or snack) and gingko beans (for another forthcoming recipe).

Homemade Miso Soup, taken from here:

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

3 teaspoons of Dashi stock granules

4 ounces of tofu, chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

3 tablespoons of miso paste--we used red but green or white also works well

2 green onions, chopped

1/2 sheet of Nori, cut into strips

Kitchen Supplies:

Small stockpot

Cutting board

Knife

Glass bowl

Combine water and Dashi stock in stockpot.  Bring to a boil then reduce to low, adding tofu and Nori strips.  Reduce heat and simmer for three to four minutes.  Spoon miso paste into a glass bowl.  Ladle two cups of soup into glass bowl and combine well.  Return mixture to the stockpot and stir, taking care not to allow the mixture to boil once the miso paste has been added.  Stir in green onions and serve.

Serves: 4

We have tried to make homemade miso soup in the past using only water, miso paste, tofu and green onions and it never was quite right.  We have since discovered that the Dashi stock is crucial to making restaurant quality miso soup at home.  Now that I know the secret, I will be making this often as it only takes minutes to make and is absolutely delicious!

Have you made something at home lately that you usually only eat at a restaurant?  What was it and how did it turn out?

P.S. Want to see another homemade sushi we've had this year, this time with my parents out in California?  Click here for pictures!

Sushi

In looking back at my photos over Christmas, I realized I never shared with you the photos from our sushi night, as I promised in this post.  The food was too delicious and the photos are too fun not to share them, so here they are!

My dad has traveled to Japan almost every year for the last several years for business.   As I have already mentioned, he is a great cook and always brings home new recipes to try, replicated from memory based on meals he had while traveling.  We've had Hungarian goulash, Italian treats and Russian fare, but my favorite travel meals have always been when he makes Japanese food.  Below is a picture of some of the food he made this time: sesame and mirin marinated Steak as well as skewered Japanese hot dogs served with a spicy Wasabi mustard sauce for dipping.  Dinner took longer to assemble than originally planned, so the steak marinated for a long time--all the better when it came time to eat!

Before I continue, it must be noted that my family are sushi fanatics.  We love it all: raw, cooked, deep-fried--you name it, we will eat it!  This was the original idea behind sushi night because with six people in our house (seven counting J, who I converted into a sushi-lover), going out for sushi can get really expensive.  Thanks to all the great fresh fish markets and Asian grocery stores in southern California, we can eat all the sushi we want at a fraction of the price we would pay if we went out to eat.

The last time we had a sushi night, we made so much food we had to call in reinforcements in the form of some good friends.  This time we planned ahead and invited several people to join us: my brother Dan's friend from high school, my sister Madi's two best friends from grade school and my best friend Anne and her roommate who were visiting from Santa Barbara.  And boy did we need the help!  Here are a few pictures of the dishes.

Note: this is a photo heavy post but will not include any actual recipes.  We didn't really use any to come up with these dishes but if you are looking for some good ones, this is a good starting point.

Some variations of California rolls--some of the safest rolls for sushi beginners to try because they have no raw fish in them, only cooked (imitation) crab, cucumber, and avocado.

Tuna nigri with a spicy Asian guacamole on top.  Nigri refers to the way the sushi is prepared and served.  If a piece of raw sushi grade fish is served without rice, it is referred to as sashimi.  If it is served on a small bed of rice (like pictured above and below) it is called nigri.

Halibut nigri with a spicy rice wine vinegar sauce.

Tempura-ed vegetables (cauliflower, onions, carrots, green beans) made by Madi

The spread

My parents' cat CJ checking out the spread--he loves the smell of fresh fish.  I think he and Woods would be friends!

 

The spread, part two.  It wouldn't all fit on one table.  Pictured here are a few eel-inspired rolls and the tempura which Madi was preparing above.  Eel (another completely cooked fish) is extremely delicious and has quickly become one of my favorite sushi dishes.  In Japan, you cannot get eel at most restaurants--you must go to an eel restaurant to eat the delicious fish.  It is usually served simply over a bowl of steaming rice.

Gathering round to eat the first course, miso soup--another great dish for sushi beginners to try!  A mostly clear soup served hot with pieces of tofu, green onions and seaweed in the broth.

Have any of you tried sushi?  If so (and you liked it!) what is your favorite roll?

It's The Little Things

Like a Visa gift card from your wedding a few months back that you find in your pocket one day and decide to eat sushi with it, only to find out the sushi restaurant has a great happy hour that allows you and your hubby to basically double the amount of food for your money.

Like finding the perfect presents for your mom and mother-in-law for Christmas a few months ahead of Christmas.

Like a stranger at Macy's that helps you pick out a great wrap for a wedding this weekend to match the new shoes you bought on sale who made you happy and left you smiling when he really didn't have to.

Like the smell of lavender soap to elevate a dreaded chore like laundry.

Like a warm cup of tea with milk and sugar.