Hanami #2 花見＃2

After our first hanami 花見, we were expecting bad weather and rain.  However,  luckily, we had a second nice day of hanami and I made another attempt at a hanami bento 花見弁当. This time, I filled the smaller lidded box with scattered sushi or “chirashi-zushi” ちらし寿司 made of smoked salmon, marinated “ikura” salmon roe いくらの醤油漬け(#1).

Opening the lid of the smaller box revealed scattered sushi (#2 left upper). I also served Russian marinated salmon 鮭のロシアずけ topped with ikura (#2 upper right) and herring marinated in wine sauce (store-bought) topped with sour cream mixed with the brine from the herring jar and chopped dill (#2, lower left). The smaller box without a lid, I served salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻き, “kinpira gobo” 金平牛蒡 braised burdock root, mock tofu 擬制豆腐, braised spicy marinated tofu ピリカラ豆腐, braised crunchy cauliflower モンパルナスのカリフラワー and crispy marinated  enoki mushroom エノキのパリパリ焼き, skinned Campari tomato, and chicken liver simmered in red wine 鶏肝の赤ワイン煮.

I used frozen rice to make sushi rice. I just microwaved the rice until warm, added the sushi vinegar (from the bottle) mixed and microwaved a bit more to warm up. I mixed it again and let it sit for 5 minutes. It was not the best sushi rice but certainly good enough for the purpose. I marinated ikura with x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce overnight in the refrigerator. I first placed the sushi rice on the bottom of the small covered box then distributed ikura over half of the rice surface followed by smoked salmon (#3). I topped this with a julienne of cucumber and golden thread egg or “kinshi-ran” 金糸卵 and nori threads or “kizami-nori” 刻み海苔(#4). Since we were not expecting to have the second hanami this was a bonus and what I put together for the occasion was pretty satisfying.

Now, our main cherry tree (“somei-yoshino” 染井吉野 which has a bottle brush appearance of numerous blossoms covering the branches (foreground) and the more traditional one like depicted in “ukiyoe” painting of edo time 江戸時代の浮世絵  which is in the background are both in full bloom displaying their individual personalities in the shape and characteristics of their petals. 

Hanami 2025 花見2025

Because it got warm quickly, three of our cherry trees blossomed one after the other. The first one is dropping petals already, our main tree is in full bloom and our old tree has just started. So it was hanami 花見 time. I filled the new jubako box 重箱 with goodies for the occasion. I used the smaller box without a lid, the smaller box with a lid and two small porcelain bowls to fill each tier. One tier served one person.  I served quite a few sashimi items accompanied by soy sauce, wasabi and yuzu kosho 柚子胡椒 (#1).

The sashimi I served (#2) was bluefin tuna クロマグロ (was called “akami” 赤身 but it was more like “chutoro” 中トロ), kanpachi カンパチ” amberjack, and salmon. All came from Riviera Seafood Club. The tuna was good but kanpachi and salmon could have been better. The meat was abit too lean and could have used a bit more fat. 

In one of the bowls, I served the remaining tuna and Russian marinated salmon 鮭のロシア漬け in the shape of roses and topped it with “ikura” いくら salmon roe (#3).

I also served scallop sashimi ホタテの刺身 which was really good as always (#4).

In the covered small box (#5), I served an assortment of dishes I made as well as “uni suhto” which I did not make  ウニの酒盗 shown in a very small square bowl. Lower bottom is a salmon kelp roll 鮭の昆布巻 and mock tofu 擬制豆腐. Left upper are dashimaki egg omelet with dried nori powder or “aonori” 青海苔入りだし巻 topped with cruchy braised cauliflower.

Our second generation cherry tree blossomed nicely. The tree has grown quite a bit. It was planted after we lost the original tree in a nor’easter 7 years ago.

We started our hanami while it was still light but the fun extended into the evening and we turned on the flood lights as shown in the picture below. Even thought the sun was down It was still very warm and pleasant.

Jubako for “hanami” cherry blossom gazing 花見用市松模様の重箱

Recently, I got a new “Jubako” 重箱 which is a tiered square box with a lid for picnic like “hanami” 花見 cherry blossom gazing. I saw this at MTC Kitchen and thought this was perfect for our hanami. It has red or fuchsia and gold staggered square pattern called “Ichimatsu” pattern 一松模様.  “Ichimatsu” 一松 is the name of the “kabuki” actor 歌舞伎俳優 from Edo period 江戸時代 who wore a costume in this pattern.

A bit unusual feature of this box is that two small square boxes, one with a lid and one without, are included in each tier. The little box without the lid is shown in the picture below as #1. The one with the lid is shown in the pic with a red/gold diagonal pattern. 

Here is what the two layers of the box look like. The lidless boxes are shown with a #1 and they are touching the corner of the boxes with a red and gold colored lid. This configuration of open and closed boxes with regular uncovered spaces provides are great deal of options to artistically display the bento box food.

I am planning to have this box filled with goodies for hanami which will be the next post.

Nappa Cabbage Cream Stew 白菜のクリームシチュー

This is my effort to use up whatever we had on hand. The first item was nappa cabbage or “hakusai 白菜” I got from Weee. It was fairly big and it was time for me to start using it. We also had one link each of chicken and pork sausages which we got from a local gourmet grocery store fresh (uncooked). I boiled them few days ago. Several carrots started sprouting and needed to be used. After some thought, I decided to make “cream stew”. I did not follow any specific recipe. This was our lunch one day and it was quite good, very comforting dish. The chicken sausage flavors were apple and sage but in the stew, a subtle, pleasant spiciness which we hadn’t noticed before came out and was very pronounced. 

This is not really a recipe but notes to myself.

Ingredients: (makes about 6 servings)
6 leaves of nappa cabbage, the white stems and leaves separated. The stems halved lengthwise and then cut in an angle (“sogi-giri” or “shave-cut” 削ぎ切, see #1 in the composite on the right most side), the separated leaves (#2)  cut into about 1 inch wide
1 each chicken and pork sausages (previously boiled) cut into medallions (#3)
4 caps of fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut into small bite size
1 tbs olive oil
2-3 cups of chicken broth

For béchamel sauce** (#4)
One shallot, finely chopped (#1 on the left)
2 tbs finely chopped shiitake stems and shallot, sautéed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper* (optional)
4 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
about 100 ml or so milk

*When I receive fresh shiitake mushrooms (from Weee), I separate the caps and stems. The caps are packed in a ziploc bag with paper towels which makes the fresh shiitake last longer. For the remaining stems, I cut off the very ends, then shred and finely chop them. I saute this in olive oil with chopped shallots. This concoction is handy to have for making other dishes such as mushroom risotto. 

**The usual béchamel uses same amount of butter and flour but by adding finely chopped onion/shallot  in butter before adding the flour, you can reduce the butter in half. The flour clings to the surface of the onion/shallot which prevents the flour from clumping up. No need to add the milk gradually. Just dump all at once.

Directions:
For béchamel sauce
Melt the butter in the non-stick frying pan on medium-low flame, sauté the shallot until soft, add the shiitake stems and shallot mixture and sauté for one more minute. 
Add the flour and cook until no dry flour is visible, add the milk (at once) and start mixing (first with a whisk and then with a silicon spatula) until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside (#4)
In a pan on medium flame, add the olive oil.  When hot, add the sausages and lightly brown both sides, add the cabbage stems, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and sauté for few minutes (#5)
Add the chicken broth so that the vegetables and sausages are just covered and cook 20-30 minutes.
Add the béchamel sauce and mix. Simmer fro 5-10 minutes and add the nappa cabbage leaves (#6)
Season with salt and pepper if needed.

I made the stew several hours before serving. The green color was nicely vibrant right after I finished cooking the stew but the green color faded (the top serving picture) before I could serve it. This was a rich savory stew with a complex range of flavors. The creamy texture was luxurious. The combination of the precooked shitake mushrooms and shallots was an outstanding addition to the soup. The sausage was a nice meaty addition as well. This was a very comforting soup.     

Babka Cookie Muffin バブカ クッキー マフィン

Last Christmas, we received chocolate babka as a gift. We enjoyed most of it but a small amount (a few good sized irregular pieces but mostly thick crumbs) remained in a Ziploc bag in the refrigerator. Everything was still good. Its consistency and flavor made my wife remember some cookie butter crumb muffins she made some time ago and decided to use these babka left-overs to make a babka variation of cookie crumb muffin. My task was to pulverize or batter the left-over babka into crumbs. The resulting “battered babka crumb” was very chocolatey and much more moist than we expected but was just the amount needed to make the muffins.  The resulting muffins were very good with nice chocolaty flavor. They were not too sweet even with a crumb topping. Perfect for breakfast.

Ingredients:
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

FOR THE MUFFINS:
1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/2 cup (140g) “battered babka crumbs”
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup butter milk

Directions:
TO MAKE THE CRUMB TOPPING:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl.
Add the butter, and mix with your fingers until the mixture forms crumbs. Set aside (#3).

TO MAKE THE MUFFINS:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line or grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, sugar, and babka crumbs until thoroughly combined.
Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well. Add the milk and mix well (#1).
Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until fully blended (#2).
Scoop the batter into the muffin tins. (I used the second largest ice cream scoop).
Distribute the crumb topping over the muffin batter (#3). 
Bake 20 to 25 minute, or until the muffins are lightly browned and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (#4). Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

These muffins were quite good. They had a mild chocolately/bobka flavor. They were not too sweet and had a moist dense texture. The crumbs were literally “the icing on the top” with a slight browned butter sugar sweetness. We may have to go out and buy another babka for the next batch.

Chickpea fries ひよこ豆フライ

My wife saw this recipe for chickpea fries in the Washington Post. She then realized she had bought chickpea flour some time ago, to make an Indian dish but she never made the dish. The flour had been sitting in the freezer for some time. So, she thought this would be a good way to use the chickpea flour. She figured, the most arduous  part of making this dish was that it had to be deep fried.  But, turns out that was not a problem for her since I am the one who does the deep frying in our kitchen. In any case, this was our collaborative effort. As with any fried starch, this was very good. The outside was light but crispy and the center was creamy. These are very similar in texture to the fries we make with nagaimo (but have not posted). We did not make a dipping sauce. We did not even need salt. 

Ingredients(We halved the recipe which made about 20 fries)
1 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for greasing the parchment
2 cups water
1 cups (120 grams) chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Cut two pieces of parchment paper to fit a 9-by-13-inch sheet pan or casserole dish. Use a little olive oil to lightly grease one side of each piece of parchment. Place one parchment piece on the bottom of the baking sheet (oil side up) and reserve the other.

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the olive oil and water. Just before it starts to boil, slowly sprinkle in the chickpea flour while whisking to remove many (if not all) of the clumps and form a smooth batter. Whisk in the salt and pepper and reduce the heat to low. Switch to a wooden spoon and cook, stirring constantly, until the batter stiffens and starts to pull away from the sides and/or bottom of the pan, 10 minutes.

Scoop the batter onto the greased parchment in the pan and spread it out evenly as quickly as you can (it will start to firm up as it cools). Place the second piece of paper, greased side down, on the batter and gently press to smooth it out evenly. Transfer the pan to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, until it has cooled and set. (we kept it in the fridge for three days before frying).

When the batter has set, remove the top paper and use a butter knife to cut the chickpea block into 20 sticks.

In our Tempura pot, heat the cirsco oil until it reaches 350F (or 180C) on an instant-read thermometer. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding, gently add the chickpea sticks to the oil and cook, turning with tongs when needed, until golden on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Using the tongs, transfer to the rack to drain.

These were very good—crunchy on the outside silky smooth on the inside with a very subtle grainy taste. Initially they were extremely greasy but over time the excess grease got absorbed and added to the outside crispiness. We subsequently read that instead of frying they should be sautéed in a frying pan with a small amount of oil which would significantly reduce the greasiness. These crisped up very nicely in the toaster oven. 

Shrimp Chicken Gyouza エビと鶏肉の餃子

I made Ricotta and parmesan cheese meat balls from a half pound of the ground chicken we bought from the grocery store recently. From the other half, I made shrimp/chicken gyoza エビと鶏肉の餃子. I used a mixture of chicken, shrimp and cabbage as the basis for the gyoza. Somehow the shrimp took center stage taste-wise. The taste of chicken became muted and sort of disappeared leaving a nice shrimp taste and texture from the large chunks of shrimp I added. The good amount of the cabbage I added to use up the last of a head of cabbage I had in the fridge stepped back from center stage too but added a nice lighter texture. (If I wasn’t told I would never have known the chicken and cabbage were involved.)  Since I seasoned the filling rather well, the dipping sauce became optional. This is a different and great gyoza. It heated and crisped up nicely in the “toaster oven”. I made a small salad with cucumber and blanched wood ear mushroom dressed in mustard/pon-zu dressing 胡瓜と木耳のからしポン酢あえ.

Ingredients (made about 40 gyoza)
6 large shrimp, frozen,  (I used 6 large frozen shrimp, thawed, shell removed and cut into small chunks with some made more into almost paste.)
1/4 head of cabbage, core removed, finely chopped, blanched in salted water for a few minutes, moisture squeezed
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground garlic
1 tsp potato starch
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
40 Gyoza wrappers (I used Myojo 明星 brand, frozen, thawed)

For cooking
1 tbs neutral oil plus a splash of dark sesame oil
4-5 tbs water

Directions:
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients (except for the wrappers) and mix well.
Separate the wrappers and moisten the half perimeter with water, add 1tsp of the filling in the center and close the wrapper (I make a half moon shape), crimp the edges in 4-5 places
Cover it with a plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook

Cooking
Add the oil in the non-stick frying pan on medium flame and when the oil is hot, slide in the gyoza and cook for 2 minutes or until bottom side is browned.
Flip each gyoza and brown other side (optional but we like cripsy skin on all sides)
Turn down the flame and add 4-5 tbs of water and place the lid and let it steam for 2-3 minutes
When no more steam is escaping, remove the lid and crisp up the bottom (you could add more sesame oil if you like)
Repeat for another batch

Compared to my usual pork/cabbage filling, this is lighter and with a nice delicate shrimp flavor and texture (“puri-puri” プリプリ). The myojo brand of gyoza wrappers I used was perfect because they are smaller and thinner than the square wonton skins I usually use. This delicate wrapper really let the lovely delicate shrimp flavor shine through. They crisped up very nicely in the toaster oven.