Being a self-professed "foodie", I thought it'd be cool to open a section here to swap recipes and the story behind it if there is one. My hope is that if this is a hit here first, others may want to open a similar threads in "Anything Chinese", "Anything Taiwanese", etc.

So I'll start! :D

Since it's summer time, the first Japanese recipe I offer is:
Hiyashi Somen.

1 package of dry somen noodles (1 roll of noodles feeds about 1- 2 people, each package contains apprx 8 rolls)
2 stalks - green onion, sliced thin
1 bottle of Nijiya brand organic somen sauce (I prefer using this Japanese chain store brand but you can use what you like.)
Japanese chili powder (optional to taste)
Ice cubes
water to boil noodles

In a large dutch oven pot, fill 1/2 to 3/4 full of cold water. Heat to boil with lid on.

Once water is boiling, put in 2 - 3 rolls of somen noodle in pot. Stir noodles often to prevent water boiling over. Cook somen per package directions.

Drain somen in a collander and rinse with cold water till cool.

Once somen is drained, grab about 5 handfuls of the noodle and place in a large bowl filled with 1/4 water and ice.

Pour about 1/4 of somen sauce in small bowl. Add few pinches of thinly sliced green onion, Japanese chili powder (optional) and mix well. (NOTE: somen sauce is kinda salty so if you'd like, you may dilute it a bit with water but it'll naturally dilute as you dip and eat the somen noodles.)

Dip some somen noodles in sauce and eat till satisfied.

*Please note that in eating somen noodles, you don't let the somen soak in the dipping sauce. You only grab as much somen noodles from the large bowl as you can eat in a slurp or two.*

Story: Eating somen reminds me of my childhood summers. It's so hot that you don't want to eat anything but us kids always ate somen, onigiri filled with either umeboshi (dried, preserved plums) or salted, dried salmon, drank mugicha (roaster barley cold tea) and for dessert had honeydew melon or watermelon. Eating it also reminds me of the Somen Nagashi restaurants in Japan where sitting outdoors under cool shades of umbrellas or if you're lucky under the trees, next to a running stream of ice cold water you pick up the somen flowing past you and dipping it in the sauce. Such a nice way to cool the summer heat. To me, somen is one of my summertime childhood comfort foods.

Enjoy!
Kewpie-chan :lol:

Thanks kewpie-chan, great idea...

Here's my contribution

Miso soup variations


Ingredients:
Types of gu and preparation suggestions
Chinese cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles
Cabbage, cut into bite-size squares or triangles
Lettuce, cut into bite-size squares or triangles
Green onions, sliced
Onions, sliced
Leeks, sliced or chopped
Okra, chopped
Butternut squash*, thinly sliced
Snow pea pods
Green beans*
Daikon*, thinly sliced
Potatoes*, thinly sliced
Sweet potatoes*, thinly sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Bean sprouts
Tofu, cut into small cubes
Wakame seaweed
Natto beans, minced

* These hard vegetables must be cooked for ten minutes or so. Not recommended: green pepper, celery (vegetables with strong flavor)
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Servings: 4



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This soup is served every morning in Japan, with the flavors of seasonal vegetables. There are several different kinds of miso paste available in the United States. Shiro-miso paste is a mild one and is low in salt. On the other hand, aka-miso is very salty and has a different, stronger fragrance than shiro-miso. Miso soup base is made out of a fish stock called dashi. You can purchase dashi at any Oriental food shop. You can enjoy almost any vegetable with this soup, from lettuce to snow pea pods. Here's a list of vegetables you might want to try in the miso soup.

Tofu, green onion and mushroom miso
Here is a recipe that uses tofu, green onions, and mushrooms.

Ingredients:
about 30 half-inch cubes tofu
4 mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks green onions, chopped
4 cups water
2 teaspoons dashi (nomoto)
3-4 tablespoons miso (adjust to taste)
Directions
Boil 4 cups of water and dashi. Add tofu and mushrooms, simmer gently about 3 minutes. Add miso and dissolve completely. Immediately turn off the heat and add chopped green onions, then serve.


Note: You have to cook the hard vegetables longer. If you have a combination of soft and hard vegetables, add the soft vegetables later. The miso flavor will weaken if you overcook the miso.

Source: Noriko's Kitchen

This is an awesome idea. My family loves yakisoba.

Does anyone have a recipe for that???? :heart:

Mochiron! :D
I know 2 kinds: Osaka-style and what my mom makes. Which would you like to know?

#32xfzx
you guys make me hungry.... tuzki018

Found this yakisoba recipe...
http://www.algonet.se/~otsu/yakisoba.html

Easy Yaki-Soba recipe

1 pkg of yaki soba noodles (I like to get the fresh noodles in a pack, not dried)
some Worcestershire sauce OR Tonkatsu sauce
asst vegetables of your choice (I like to use julienned carrots, onion, shiitake mushrooms, zucchini)
thinly sliced lean pork in bite sized pieces

1) Saute pork in a large frying pan or wok. Set aside on plate.
2) Saute carrots in for about 10 minutes over med high heat, add a little water so won't burn to pan. Add onions and saute until edged become transparent.
3) Add shiitake mushroom and zucchini and stir fry about 5 - 10 minutes. Set aside in plate with cooked pork.
4) Boil water (about 75cc or 1/4 cup) per one serving of fresh yaki soba noodles. When water boils, add noodles and boil for about 3 minutes.
5) Add vegetables and pork into pan with noodles. Stir until liquid is halfway gone. Add worcestershire OR tonkatsu sauce to taste. Mix well.
6) Stir until liquid has just about evaporated.
7) Serve hot and enjoy!

:yum

AWESOME!!!

Thanks so much Miki and Kewpie-chan.

The family will be happy now.

:bounce:

For those with a sweet tooth (like me!) LOL :lol:

Seasonal Wagashi Recipes: Summer

Mizu Yokan (a sweet conrection made of azuki bean paste adn agar)


4 g kanten powder (agar) or 1 envelope
3 cups water
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup koshi-an (strained azuki bean paste)

Direction:

1) Moisten the custard cups with water and set aside.
2) In pot, dissolve the kanten powder with the specified amount of water. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon over medium heat until it boils. Lower the heat and continue to simmer for another 2 minutes.
3) Add the sugar and bring to a boil. Stir in the bean paste a little at a time, and let it dissolve. Simmer for about 2 more minutes then turn off heat.
4) Immerse the outside of the pot in cold water. Stir occasionally using a wooden spoon so that the bean paste won't sink to the bottom. Once the steam is gone, take the pot out of the water.
5) Quickly pour the yokan liquid into the prepared custard cups before it starts to coagulate. Cool in a refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
6) Remove from the cups by inverting onto serving plates. Eat with a spoon.

makes 6 custard cups

Story: This is a typical summer sweet. In some parts of Japan, people prefer eating mizu yokan during the winter season. Chill in a refrigerator before serving! I remember my first taste of mizu yokan. I was about 10 years old and fell in love with it. I think I ate 3 of them (mine, my brother's...he didn't like it and part of my mom's) at once one time. LOL! It was a rare treat in my youth and since it is small, cherished every single bite. These days, it is mass produced and can usually be found in well-stocked Japanese stores pre-packaged. But try making it yourself, it's not that difficult. The only hard part is waiting for it to cool and set in the refrigerator :P

kewpie-chan

mmm homemade natto. :heart: I like mine plain :drool but you can add stuff to it. here's a recipe from bento.com

http://www.bento.com/tr-natt.html

Ooo, good one Gaia! Here is a good one for all you busy office workers like me who sometimes are too tired to cook a big meal after work. Please note you'll need an electric rice cooker for this recipe.

TAKENOKO & MUSHROOM TAKIKOMI RICE (serves 3 - 4)

10.5 oz. takenoko (bamboo shoots)
1 abura age (thin, deep fried tofu)
1/2 medium carrot
5 medium sized shiitake mushrooms
1/2 medium daikon radish

For broth:
1 cup dashi soup stock
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoon low-salt soy sauce
3 gou (18oz) rice
About 2 cups dashi soup stock

For the seasoning:
2 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon mirin
2 tablespoon light-colored soy sauce

Directions:

1) Preparation: rinse the rice 30 minutes to 1 hour before cooking; drain in a strainer. Thinly slice the takenoko into desired bite size. Finely chop the carrot. Peel the daikon radish and slice into strips. Cut off and throw away stems (if any) on shiitake mushroom. Cut shiitake in half and then thinly slice into strips. Pour boiling water over the abura-age to remove excess oil, drain, and cut into think strips.
2) Cook the daikon radish in large amount of boiling, lightly salted water for a few minutes. Drain it in a strainer and set aside.
3) In a saucepan, cook the takenoko, carrot, shiitake mushroom and abura age in dashi soup stock. Once it boils, add mirin and low salt soy sauce. When it boils again, lower the heat an cover, simmering for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
4) In a rice cooker, put the rice and the broth from step 3 above. Pour dashi soup stock up to the 3-gou level and add the daikon.
5) Stir in the sake, mirin and light-colored soy sauce. Add the simmered ingredients from step 3, and cook on the "regular" setting of rice cooker. Once the rice is done, stir to fluff. Serve in bowls, garnished with kinusaya peas (snow peas) if desired.

*For a "heartier" meal, you may add cooked, shredded chicken to the rice cooker in step 4 and follow rest of directions.

Story: This is another of my favorite child comfort foods. My aunt makes THE best takikomi rice and every special event potluck the relatives would have, I would always look forward to this dish. This is very tasty next to eating nimono, a country style Japanese one-pot hot dish. I've made mine vegetarian so that it's a lighter meal that won't make you feel heavy. My aunt always added chicken if not Asari clams to hers. I like to make instead shio tori-yaki (grilled chicken with sea salt on skewers) which pairs very well with this rice dish. This rice dish tastes good cold too :D Enjoy!

Kewpie-chan

SOBORO GOHAN (Serves about 5)

4C - cooked Japanese rice
3/4 pound - lean ground beef (or turkey)
2 tablespoon - soy sauce
sugar
1C - water
3 cloves garlic, minced
ground black pepper (to taste)

For garnish:
3 - large eggs
green beans (about 2 handfuls)

Directions (for garnish):

1) Beat 3 eggs and 1 teaspoon of water in bowl. In a hot fry pan, pour half of eggs and cook on medium high heat. DON'T SCRAMBLE THE EGGS!
2) Cook for about 1 - 2 minutes until firm enough to flip and cook other side. Cook other side another two minutes.
3) When it's cooked, transfer to plate and cool.
4) Repeat steps 1 - 3 with remaining half of eggs.
5) Once cooled, cut into julienned thin strips. Set aside.
6) Cook green beans in pot of boiling water until bright green. (About 5 minutes.) Drain, rinse and set aside to cool.
7) Once cooled, cut green beans into julienned thin strips. Set aside.

Directions for Soboro Gohan:

1) On high heat in a large fry pan, cook ground beef (or turkey). Mash to small bits so no chunks. When it browns, turn heat down to medium low.
2) Put 1 teaspoon of sugar and minced garlic to season. Add 1 cup water to pan and put lid to cover. Cook on high and bring to a boil.
3) After it boils, turn down heat to low and cook for 20 minutes with lid on. Check occasionally and mix well.
4) After 20 minutes, put in 2 - 2 1/2 tablespoon sugar, 3 tablespoon soy sauce,and pinch or two of ground black pepper (to taste). Mix well and simmer on low for 20 minutes with lid on. Stir occasionally.
5) After 20 minutes, taste. (Note, soboro gohan should be on the sweet side.) Add more seasoning depending on your taste preference.
6) In a large bowl, serve over rice and garnish with green beans and eggs.

Story:
This is a favorite childhood dish my mother used to make often for us kids. We were picky eaters as children (I preferred rice dishes, while my brother preferred meat dishes) and this was a compromise dish that we all liked. My mom likes to make this on the sweeter tasting side while I tweaked it a bit (or as I like to tease her "upgraded" it) by adding a pinch or two of red pepper flakes to give it a slight zing. My sister makes it with ground turkey and it is a lighter tasting (but still yummy!) dish. Enjoy! munch

Kewpie-chan

mmmm. oh wow; these recipes sound so good. i wish i had all of the ingredients right now! i'd be cooking up a storm! :P

and then a few hours ago my dad was telling me about all the good food he had when was in okinawa.....darn. i need to make a trip to the grocery store!

I'M HUNGRYYY!!!!!!