Pacific saury "Kabayaki" rice bowl さんまの蒲焼き丼

"Kabayaki" 蒲焼き is a very common Japanese way of grilling fish filets. "Eel Kabayaki" 鰻の蒲焼き is the best known example but many other kinds of fish can be prepared in the same way. The sauce is essentially a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake but many eel-specialized restaurants may have their secret, and sacred recipes inherited from many generations before. Like an American barbecue sauce, towards the end of grilling, the Kabayaki sauce is applied repeatedly to make a crust of savory thickened sauce on the surface of the fish.

It is now pacific saury or "sanma" season in Japan. At Tako Grill, we just had our share of sanma sashimi and grilled sanma. I previously posted several ways of preparing sanma. I also happened to find a vacuum packed sanma kabayaki I bought few weeks ago in the refrigerator. One evening, I made this into a very simple "kabayaki" doburi or rice bowl. I just warmed up the sanma kabaayaki in the package by submerging it in boiling water for few minutes and put the warmed fish over the rice. I could have made more sauce but I did not. I also happened to have made "daikon namasu" which I garnished with salmon roe or "ikura".

If you make your own from fresh sanma, this could have been better. This pre-made kabayaki was a bit on a sweet and dry side but it was, nevertheless, a nice finish of the evening.

Miso marinated tofu 豆腐の味噌漬け

This is a rather popular item in Izakaya but somehow I neglected to make it. One weekend morning, my wife suggested we have smoked salmon and avocado scattered sushi for breakfast!. We often have English muffin bread smeared with creme fraiche and topped with smoked salmon and poached egg for breakfast but we were out of pasteurized eggs. As long as my wife was OK with this idea, I was too. I even served miso soup with tofu, wakame sea weed and scallion. This left us with 80% of the tofu leftover. I decided this was good time to make miso marinaded tofu.

This is not really a recipe and there are so many variations including a smoked one but essentially, you remove the extra moisture from tofu, either moment (firm) 木綿豆腐 or kinu-goshi (soft) tofu 絹ごし豆腐, marinade in miso for 1 or more days. The miso mixture can be variable such as straight miso, mixture of red and white miso, and prepared miso with sugar, mirin, sake, soy sauce etc. These differences as well as the duration of marination make variations in both texture and taste to the end result. Best is to try some variations and decide which combination is best for you.

Tofu preparation: I used "firm" tofu just because this was what available (leftover). I just wrapped the tofu with paper towels and placed it on a perforated metal tray with matched bottom tray. I placed a similar shallow metal tray on the top of the tofu and weighed it down (I just used two large American-size yogurt containers (full) since they were in the refrigerator and had the right weight). I changed the paper towel after a few hours and let it sit in the refrigerator for over half a day.

Miso marinade: I do not like the end product to be too salty. I happened to have miso which was designated as rice miso or "kome-miso" 米味噌, chuukara 中辛. This means this miso is between white and red miso in terms of saltiness, not as salty as "red" but not as sweet as white or Saikyo miso (about 4 tbs), sugar (1 tsp) and mirin (I am not sure how much but about 1-2 tbs to make a pastey but not runny consistency). The kind of miso is totally up to you and you may have to experiment a bit to find your sweet spot.

I smeared the miso mixture on all sides and placed in a sealed container (Picture above). You could wrap this in plastic wrap but I did not.

I left it for 1 full day and had it as a starter for sake the next evening. I scraped off the miso marinade using the back of a knife and sliced it (The picture on the top). I smeared the miso back on the remaining tofu using the knife and put it back in a container. I served it with matsuame-zuke 松前漬 and octopus "bukkake" 蛸のぶっかけ (both bought frozen). This was a first for my wife and she really liked it. She said that if I didn't mention it was tofu she might have thought it was cheese. The consistency is like semi-soft cheese with some nutty and slightly salty miso flavor. 

The next day, I served it with baby arugula salad dressed with fruity olive oil and Champagne vinegar  (Picture below). We had this with red wine, Louise M Martini, Napa Cab 2007, which is a decent everyday red that we like. Although this was into the second day, my miso marinade was rather mild so the flavor was not too strong or too salty. (I would not go further than 2-3 days with the marination but you could try longer). I could not say this was a particularly great pairing but it was OK, at least, the tofu was very nice and generally goes well with the red wine.

Tofu is congealed soy protein and cheese is made from coagulated mild protein. So there is similarity. Obviously they are not the same, though. My wife said, if I served this to our unsuspected guests sliced like a cheese, most will think this is a type of semi-soft cheese. I may try this sometimes to see what kid of responses we get.

Baked Monk fish with smoked paprika (poor man's lobster) ベイクドパプリカアンコウ（擬製ロブスター）

Does this look like a nice lobster tail with caper butter lemon sauce? If it does, I was very successful in fooling you.

I usually do not get fresh fish at our regular grocery store since the fish does not look great most of the time. We go to (more expensive) gourmet markets to buy fish and some specialty meats. But today, they had monk fish which looked good and I got one. As you know, Japanese will make use of all parts of this deep water bottom feeder. Its liver is cherished and is called "ankimo" but here in U.S., the only part we see in the market is the tail meat. I pondered a while about how to cook this and decided to bake it with paprika. I do not remember where I got this recipe/idea. I used to cook Monk fish tails this way quite often  but I have not done this for some time. I have posted Monk fish cooked other ways but the end result of this method is that it looks like a nice fat lobster tail, although the texture and taste are not quite similar.

I had a 3/4 lb filet for 2 (small) servings. I first removed the thin membrane from the meat without wasting too much meat underneath. I then made a slit in the center lengthwise (left in the image above). I coated the filet with olive oil and season it with salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika powder (either Spanish or domestic, I used domestic). You need to use quite a good amount of paprika to get good end results. I then sautéd the bottom side in a mixture of olive oil and butter (2 tsp each) on a hot frying pan (medium high heat) for a few minutes. If you place the fish in the pan when the oil/butter is melted and hot, it will not stick. I also decided to cook/bake, green beans with it (right on the image above). I then placed the pan in a 350F oven for 10-12 minutes or until the inner temperature of the thickest part of the fish read 145-150F using a digital quick read thermometer. This is the only fish I know of, which needs to "rest'. I removed the fillets to a plate and loosely covered them with aluminum foil to let them rest at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile I made lemon caper butter sauce. After the fish was out of the pan, I pushed the green beans on the side and added shallot (one, finely chopped) and sauteed for 1 minute or so and deglazed it with white vermouth (1 tbs). When the liquid reduced to almost dry, I added several  more small pats of butter (total of 2-3 tsps). When the butter melted, I added  lemon juice (2 tsp), capers (1 tsp) and chopped parsley. 

I sliced the cooked Monk fish into medallions and  poured the lemon caper butter sauce over them. The fish was not overcooked and very tender. Paprika is mostly for color but does add a nice slightly smoky flavor. The texture and taste are not quite like a real lobster tail but it is a very nice dish if a bit butter heavy. I could have had this with nice dry sparkling wine but instead we had cold sake.

Pork tenderloin roulade with sun-dried tomato and olive 豚ヒレ肉のルーラード

I made this one evening and served it as the main course for dinner. The next day I served the leftovers as a drinking snack. I think this recipe is based on one in Cooks Illustrated.

Pork: I used my usual vacuum packed pork tenderloins. I trimmed and removed fat and sliver skin. I then cut it along the length of the tenderloin leaving 1/2 inch on the other side and opened it up like a book. Using a meat pounder, I flattened the tenderloin into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. 

Stuffing: You can use any kind of stuffing but the amount you can use is rather small so you should make it highly flavorful. For these two tenderloins, I used sun-dried tomato (packed in olive oil, 6-7 chopped), black (Karamata) olive (8-9 pitted and chopped), lemon zest (one lemon using micro-grater), garlic (2 cloves), fresh thyme (3-4 sprigs, stem removed), anchovy fillets (4 packed in oil). I put everything in a mini-food processor and pureed it until it became a stiff paste. I added a bit of olive oil and black pepper (It was plenty salty from the anchovy and olive).

Assembly: Since the stuffing was rather strong, I did not season the inside of the meat. I spread a single layer of baby spinach leaves (if you have them, fresh basil leaves would work) and then spread the stuffing. In the same manner as when I make sushi roll, I made a tight roll trussed it with butcher twine in two inch intervals (see image below). I smeared the surface with olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

I could have grilled this on a Weber grill but I did not (not enough time). I just browned the surface in a frying pan with olive oil (1 tbs), turning 90 degree every few minutes. I then finished in in a pre-heated 400F oven for 8-10 minutes or until the center of the rolls registered 150F. I let it rest for 5-10 minutes. When I served this for dinner, I may have made red wine sauce (I think).

A few days later, I just sliced it and drizzled on a small amount of olive oil. I probably overdid the anchovy but otherwise the stuffing was very flavorful and no sauce was really needed . I served this on a layer of cucumber slices which added a nice fresh contrast in flavor and texture. 

"Chikuwa" stuffed with cucumber and cheese 竹輪のチーズとキュウリの射込み

When I made fried chikuwa sticks, I had two chikuwa leftover since one package contained 4 chikuwa. The next day, I decided to make this quick dish which is again a classic lowly Izakaya or homey dish which does not really involve "cooking". Since chikuwa has a convenient hollow center, it is perfect to stuff the space with something, which is called "ikomi" 射込み in Japanese culinary parlance. Actually some fish cakes are made with the center already filled such as "goboten" ごぼう天 (the center contains a burdock root).

Here, I made sticks of Raclette cheese and cucumber and filled the center holes of each chikuwa. Chikuwa is elastic so you do not have to carve the cheese and cucumber precisely. I just make sure the entire length of chikuwa is stuffed. I cut it in half first. I then cut the half obliquely into two pieces. You may have to shave the flat bottom to make it stand up like you see in the picture above for a better presentation.

I added the last of wasabi-zuke わさび漬け with soy sauce. You could serve this with wasabi paste and soy sauce as well. This is nothing special but serves well as a small snack which goes well with whatever you happened to be drinking.

"Chikuwa" fish cake "isobe" fry 竹輪の磯辺揚げ

I was pleasantly surprised to discover I have not already blogged this item. This is another classic Izakaya fare. You will never see this in fancy or (not even fancy) restaurants. You have to make it at home or have it at an Izakaya. To make this you need a type of fish cake called "Chikuwa" 竹輪. Chikuwa literally means "bamboo ring" since traditionally it was made by putting fish meat paste or surimi すりみ around a small stick of bamboo and steaming it first then grilling it (if grilled it is called "yaki-chikuwa"). The bamboo stick left a hole in the center of the cylinder of fish cake. I am sure it is now mass produced using an extruder. Chikuwa is an essential item in oden. I can buy frozen chikuwa at the Japanese grocery store.

To make this dish, I cut chikuwa (2 for 2 small serving) into 4 pieces lengthwise and cut its length in half producing 8 small sticks from one chikuwa.

Batter; I used cake flour (3 tbs) and rice four (1 tbs, optional) and dried aonori  青海苔 (1 tsp, optional) and cold water to make a rather loose batter.

After coating each piece of the chikuwa sticks, I fried them in 170C or (340F) vegetable oil for 1-2 minutes or until a crispy crust formed (it doesn't have to cook long because chikuwa is already cooked). Serve hot with a lemon wedge and salt (optional).

This is a quick but perfect small dish for your sake. Nice crunchy crust has oceanic taste of aonori with soft but slightly chewy fish cake inside.

Rice cake "isobe" roll お餅の磯辺巻き

"Mochi" 餅 is steamed glutenous rice pounded into paste which is shaped into discs with one convexed side ("maru-mochi" 丸餅) or rolled out ("noshi-mochi" 伸し餅) and cut into small rectangles ("kiri-mochi" 切り餅). Instead of using a traditional wooden mallet or "kine" 杵 and mortar or "usu" 臼, nowadays, mochi can be made at home using a smal mochi making machine and, apparently, mochi can be made using a Kitchen-Aid mixer with a dough hook. The easiest way, however, is to buy packaged commercially produced mochi at a Japanese grocery store which is the route we usually take.

Especially If mochi is made at home, you could enjoy it while it is still warm and soft, however, more commonly, it is allowed to harden. Hardened mochi cakes can last at least a few weeks or longer and easily can be transformed back into a soft and edible state by boiling or grilling. After all, it does have its origins as a preserved food or emergency ration. Although it is eaten year around and many types of Japanese crackers are also made from mochi, it is a traditional New Year food (so that house wives do not have to cook rice for at least the first 3 days of New Year). I have posted mochi in New Year soup called "Zouni" 雑煮 and in a deep fried tofu pouch for "oden" おでん called "mochi kinchaku" 餅巾着 or "mochi-kin" for short.

One of the simplest and quickest ways to prepare mochi, however, is this dish called "Isobemaki". "Isobe" means "seashore" and "maki" means "wrap" or "roll", since it is wrapped in dried nori sea weed. We had this "isobemaki" 磯辺巻き one evening (one each) as an ending dish or "shime" dish. The taste brought me back to my childhood. Most of the Japanese families used to eat mochi more in quantity, in frequency, and for a longer period in New Year. When I was a kid, we used to eat mochi for breakfast and lunch at least in the first 3 days of New Year. We used to eat "isobemaki" mochi as lunch.

We bought a package of "kiri-mochi" for the past New Year. This is individually sealed in a plastic wrap and lasts for long time in the refrigerator. So one night, I decided to make this dish. It is not even a recipe but here it is.

Toasting mochi: Traditionally, mochi is grilled on a charcoal braiser but, in modern days, a toaster oven is the best choice. It tends to become very sticky so I used a small removable metal grate which prevents the mochi from sticking to the grate of the toaster oven. The small grate can be easily cleaned by soaking in water first.  I toasted the mochi like a piece of bread but I kept an eye on it closely. When it started puffing up I stopped cooking and took it out.

Sauce: This is sometimes called "sato(u)jouyu" 砂糖醤油 and can be very easily made. It is a mixture of sugar and soy sauce. The ratio is up to your taste but I use 1:1 rato. I microwave it briefly (a few seconds) so that sugar melts completely.

After I coated all sides of the cooked mochi, I wrapped it with a rectagular portion of dried nori sheet. If you hold the nori sheet on the mochi for a few seonds with chopsticks, it will stick to mochi like you see above. As you eat, you could dip it in the sauce if you like.

My wife told me that this is the very first Japanese food she ever ate. While at college she shared a dormitory house with a girl who grew up in Japan. Her family sent her a "CARE" package for New Year which included "mochi" and nori to wrap it in. My wife tasted it and immediately liked it. In her enthusiasm to share her new discovery she raced to take a piece to another friend who scowled at it critically and said, "wait, take the paper off first," referring to the nori. Every time I serve this dish my wife nostalgically laughs about that comment. In any case, this is not a bad ending for the evening of an Izakaya feast, although I do not know any Izakaya which would serve a mochi dish like this.