Nama-chirashi 生ちらし

My wife is very particular about vinegared rice or "sushi-meshi" 寿司飯  --it has to have enough vinegar. Not that she is a connoisseur of sushi rice but sushi rice sold in the US at Japanese restaurants or the grocery store is not always good even for a non-connoisseur.  My wife sometimes observes that some sushi must be prepared with the assumption that the American clientele won't notice the vinegar is missing.  Even the sushi rice we make at home is often better than most (which should give you some indication of how bad some sushi rice can be). Since our favorite "izakaya" has been temporarily closed for sometime, one Friday, my wife declared that it was time to administer some vinegared rice so we stopped at Kanpai sushi and took out the assorted sashimi and I made nama-chirashi 生ちらし, which is sashimi on vinegared rice. I also quickly made dashi-maki Japanese omelet with garlic chives or "nira".



I covered the sushi rice with finely cut nori stripes and placed the assorted sashimi,  cucumber slices, vinegared ginger root or "gari" ガリ and mixed sea weed salad on top. The sashimi items included, tuna, hamachi, rock fish, octopus, salmon and imitation crab.



Since we cooked the rice after we came home, we did not do anything special (like adding a sheet of kelp and sake). My wife just prepared rice using our "fuzzy logic" rice cooker (with slightly less water for sushi). I could have made sushi vinegar myself (by adding sugar and salt to rice vinegar), but I used a bottle of Mizukan Sushi vinegar ミツカン寿司酢. To allow the maximum absorption, I heated the sushi vinegar in the microwave (just warm). I used my small cedar sushi-oke 寿司桶 we brought from Kiso 木曽, Japan, some years ago (wood absorbs excess moisture from sushi rice).  I added the cooked rice to the sushi-oke,  poured the sushi vinegar on the rice (about 10% by weight but I usually add as much as the rice can absorb without getting wet). I let it stand for 5 minutes covered with a moist tea towel.  I then mixed the rice with a bamboo rice paddle ("hera" へら) using a cutting motion while my wife fanned it with a Japanese paper fan we keep in the cupboard just for this purpose. The fanning cools the rice more quickly and helps evaporate the excess moisture. I then gathered the rice to one side to make a mound and cover it with the moist tea towel again to let it sit for several more minutes allowing the vinegar to absorb further. I put the sushi rice in a bowl, put on enough nori strips to cover the surface of the rice and then put on the toppings. For this dish, I placed real wasabi on the top. Just before serving I sprinkled sushi shouyu (special soy sauce for sashimi from the bottle).

The original combination sashimi looked like this.



This is after taking off the lid.



We got two orders but I decided that dividing one order was enough for both of us for nama-chirashi. The next day, I served the remaining order into two small appetizer sashimis as seen below.

The nama-chirashi was very satisfactory. Although I thought we made too much sushi rice, I served it all and it all disappeared to the last grain. The sushi rice was seasoned enough and the sashimi was good.  The combination of sushi rice, nori, and sashimi is a mainstay that cannot go wrong.

Asparagus wrapped in country ham スパラガスのハム巻き

We  rarely buy processed meats such as ham. For some reason, we bought this country ham which appears to be salt cured but not smoked. I was thinking that this could be used in lieu of thinly sliced pork belly (or sanmai niku 三枚肉) which is one of the most favored cuts of pork in Japan. Since I had blanched green asparagus, I made asparagus rolls wrapped in the country ham.



Since the asparagus was rather thin (so-called pencil asparagus), I bundled three to make one roll. I used a mixture of flour and water to seal the end of the rolls.



I started cooking in a non-stick frying pan with a little bit of olive oil on medium heat. I turned the rolls over after one to two minutes to brown all the surfaces and make them crispy.



I cut the rolls into three pieces and served (the first picture). My first attempt was a failure. This country ham was so salty that it bordered on inedible although the ham became nicely brown and crispy at the edges, I think no matter how I served this country ham, it would be too salty for us. I noticed that the instructions suggested removing some of the salt by soaking it in slightly warm water for 10 minutes. I tried it and it sort of worked but it was not worth the effort. So unless you are partial to salty country ham, this is not the dish for you. I’m glad we tried it but I think we will stick to using pork belly or bacon.

"Tatsuta" fried cod たらの竜田揚げ

One of the dishes from Yuzu restaurant omakase menu served as the inspiration for this preparation of cod. In general, however, this is a rather standard Japanese style fried fish dish. Since the cod itself has good texture but not much flavor, I decided to boost the flavor by marinating it “a la”  "Tatsuta-age" 竜田揚げ using cod instead of the usual chicken.



I added fried green beans (simply fried or "su-age" 素揚げ) and served with wedges of lemon.



Marinade:
Soy sauce 2 tbs
Sake 1 tsb
Mirin 1 tsp
Ginger root 1/2 tsp grated
Garlic 1-2 cloves grated

I placed the marinade and fish in a Ziploc bag, massaged it and then removed as much air as I could before sealing the bag. Since I did not have much time, I marinated this for 30 minutes at room temperature (it could marinate overnight in the refrigerator). I removed the fish from the marinade and blotted it dry on paper towels then dredged with potato starch. I deep fried it in peanut oil at 350F for few minutes (below).



I checked to make sure it was done.



Probably this is better than English-style fried fish in "fish and chips". Even though I used grated garlic, the garlic taste was not too strong. The fish was succulent and as usual anything "deep fried" tastes good.

Cold white and green asparagus 冷製ホワイトとグリーンアスパラ

Although the seasonality of asparagus is semi-lost because of year around import from other countries (especially Chile), local i.e. U.S.  asparagus appears in spring and we saw fresh white and green asparagus in a local grocery store. So for us, fresh asparaguses is still something special in the spring.



This time, the white asparagus was better than usual and I did not have to cook it too long. I served both green and white cold and made slightly different sauce from what I posted before for the white asparagus.



White asparagus:
I prepared first removing the woody bottoms by just bending the stalk until it snapped. Using a vegetable peeler, I peeled the skin except for the tips. White asparagus is brittle and  it may break as you are peeling. I placed it on the cutting board and peeled as I rolled which kept the breakage to a minimum.  I set aside all the peels and bottom ends.

In a frying pan, large enough to put the asparagus in one layer, I added water (no salt, enough to cover the asparagus) and also added all the peels and scraps of white asparagus into the pan with a lid on. I gently cooked for 10-15 minutes. I checked after 15 minutes. This batch was done by 20 minutes. I removed the asparagus but left the peels and scraps in the pan and kept simmering for another 40-50 minutes with the lid off. After I removed the peels and scraps, I kept reducing until only 2-3 tbs of liquid remained (it concentrated all the white asparagus flavors).

Sauce:
When the reduced liquid cooled, I added 1 tbs of mayonnaise, lemon juice (2 tsp or half lemon), and whisked. It is a bit watery at this point. I then drizzled good fruity olive oil while whisking until the desired consistency was reached (about 2 tbs). I seasoned with salt and white pepper.

Green asparagus:
I prepared the same way as the white asparagus. Removed the woody bottoms and peeled. I steamed them for a few minutes and cooled them rapidly.

I cut both white and green asparagus (cold) into 1 inch batons. I dressed the white with the above sauce and garnished it with chopped chives. For the green, I dressed with my usual honey mustard vinaigrette.

We like the white asparagus sauce. It concentrates essence flavor of white asparagus.

For spring, beside plum and cherry blossoms, we get profusion of blossoming giant amaryllis. My wife carefully tends quite few bulbs of giant amaryllis (she sets them outside when lowest temperature is above 40F, watering during hot summer and bring them in before winter, let them go dormant and then starts watering for the spring blossoms). All her efforts provide these fantastic flowers.

Lamb chop salad with spinach and walnutsラムチョップとほうれん草のサラダ

After our hanami weekend, the cherry blossoms started falling making hana-fubuki 花吹雪 or flower petal blizzard which was a sad but spectacular end of the cherry blossoms. When we arrived home after work, it was still bright and we quickly went out to our deck to enjoy the last of the cherry blossoms and marvel at the hana-fubuki. To maximize our outside time, we had a quick dinner salad put together from leftovers. The past weekend we had grilled lamb chops and two chops were leftover, I quickly removed the meat and sliced it thinly to make this lamb chop salad.



To make it interesting, in addition to the baby spinach and tomato, I added green beans (previously steamed) cut into small pieces, tomato and roasted walnuts. I dressed the salad using my usual honey mustard dressing (Dijon mustard, honey, chopped shallots, rice vinegar and good fruity olive oil seasoned with salt and pepper).



The cherry blossoms covered the fountain and the patio.



We have to wait until next year for hanami to occur again but we squeezed out the most enjoyment we could from our hanami this year.

Hanami 2nd day, simmered red snapper 花見二日目、小鯛の煮付け

Our every day grocery store has a small fish section but I occasionally find something good and interesting. The fish monger and his assistant there now recognize me (although we are not yet on a first name basis). One Staurday, they had small red snappers or "ko-dai" 小鯛 which were scaled and cleaned but head and fins intact exactly as I like it. The size was much smaller than usual for red snapper and perfect for serving a whole fish per person. I splurged for two. I thought of either making shio-yaki 塩焼き(or salted and grilled) or nitsuke 煮付け(simmered in broth) and decide to go with the latter. As a side, I also cooked some tofu and scallion.

I served this for hanami 花見 on the second day.



Preparation of the red snapper:
To remove the fishiness, if any, I first washed and removed the gills. Our fish monger did a good job of scaling and gutting the fish. I first boiled water in a frying pan large enough for the two red snappers to fit snugly. I placed both fish in the boiling water quickly turning them over (total of 10 seconds) and then plunged them into ice water, further washing any blood etc from the fish (#1).

Cooking broth (for cooking two red snappers below):
Water 200ml
Sake 100ml
Mirin 3 tbs
Soy sauce 3 tbs
Sugar 1 tbs
Ginger root: 6 thin slices.

Tofu and scallion (amount arbitrary).

The above seasoning is best for eating fish for sake but for eating it with rice, you may want to season it a bit more strongly (more soy sauce and sugar depending on your taste).

I scored the skin (in a cross cut) to prevent the skin from breaking during cooking and to allow better penetration of the flavor (#2).

1. I placed all the ingredients of the cooking broth in a frying pan.
2. As soon as the sugar melted, I put in the fish (#2).  Covered it loosely with aluminum foil (or "otoshibuta" 落としぶた) and let it come to a boil and immediately turned down the flame to simmer (#3). I continued  cooking them for 30 minutes, occasionally spooning the broth over the fish (but not turning the fish over to avoid any breakage) (#4). (I stopped at this step several hours before serving. I kept it covered. I reheated and proceed cooking tofu and scallion just before serving).
3. I removed the fish to serving plates and kept them warm.
4. I turned up the flame and reduced the cooking broth a bit further and added cubes of tofu and scallion (white parts first and then green parts) and cooked them for several minutes. I turned the tofu few times).



I served the fish with tofu and scallion and poured the reduced cooking broth over the fish.  On a second look, I should have taken the pictures without the sauce. In any case, we both enjoyed the fish. Since they were small red snappers, there were lots of bones and required some jedi chop stick action which my wife is better at than I am when it comes to eating fish. She donated the fish eye balls of her fish to me. (Such offerings are the cementing foundation of a good relationship!)  Just for the record, I do not eat the eye balls themselves just the gelatinous stuff behind the eyes.


Although the fish were rather small it had lots of meat and we were getting filled up. We turned on the flood lights and went into night time cherry blossom gazing or "yozakura kenbutsu" 夜桜見物.

Hanami 2nd day Rapini and omelet 花見二日目、菜の花とだし巻き

This was one of the dishes we had for hanami on the 2nd day. The deep green and bright yellow colors are perfect for spring and cherry blossom gazing. If we were in Japan, nanohna 菜の花  or rapeseed plant would have been used but as I posted before, substitutes we have here are either broccoli rabe (or rapini) or broccolini. This time I prepared rapini in the style of nanohana . I  first removed the thick bottoms of the stalks and blanched the remaining tops in salted boiling water for a few minutes and quickly cooled them down in ice water to maintain the bright green color. I squeezed out the excess water and placed them in a paper towel line sealable container for future use. To add bright yellow color in contrast, I made my usual sweet Japanese omelet or dashi maki だし巻き.



After cutting the blanched rapini into 2 inch long portions, I dressed it with "karashi-zouyu" 辛子醤油 which is a mixture of soy sauce, Japanese hot mustard and sugar.



As you can see from the shadow the sun was getting low but we have just started our hanami feast.



This particular rapini was not as bitter as usual. By soaking it in ice water, I may have reduced the bitterness. I sort of enjoy the slight bitterness but the lack of bitterness was just fine with my wife. The combination of the rapini’s still crispy texture and slightly assertive Japanese mustard flavor were a nice contrasted to the soft gentle sweetness of the dashi-maki omelet. This was a good combination in terms of colors, taste, and texture.