August 30th, 2006 (recipes)

I wanted to share some of my recipes with you guys. I know its interesting to see what we eat. So lets try!

Teriyaki Chicken on Rice (2 people)
Ingredients:

• Boneless Chicken Breasts (however much you think you need)


• 4 tbsp Soy Sauce


• 4 tbsp Mirin (sweet rice wine)


• 2 tbsp sugar


• 2 tbsp Sake (regular rice wine...I omitted this because we don't have any)


• Rice

Directions:

• Make a cup of rice (1 cup uncooked makes enough for two people).


• Slice the chicken into bite sized pieces.


• Mix all the other ingredients together.


• Marinate the chicken pieces in the teriyaki sauce (yes, now you know how to make teriyaki) for 30 minutes or so.


• Put some oil into a skillet and begin to pan fry the chicken.


• Now, you can add some left over sauce to the skillet on the chicken, but that actually makes a huge mess. I think the sugar started to caramelize or something, so I wouldn't add it...just know that you can!


• Make sure the chicken is done. Put the pieces onto white rice in a bowl.


• Proceed to eat with chopsticks and make yummy noises whilst eating.

We ate this late night with some vegetables. The vegetables were in a different bowl, of course. This was tasty. I actually used less soy sauce because Chris doesn't like it so much. If you need to make more teriyaki, just remember its a 2:2:1:1 ratio for soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and sake. Simple!

Grilled Salmon
Ingredients:

• Salmon (I use a salmon fillet, usually around 200 grams, which is enough for 2 people. Only $2.50 though)


• Lemon Juice


• Garlic Powder


• Salt


• Pepper

Directions:

• Take a small sauce bowl. Fill it up with lemon juice. Not all the way, not even half way! Just put lemon juice in it.


• Add garlice powder, salt, and pepper to the lemon juice. I just do it. I have no idea how much I use, just until it looks right. Stir it together with the end of a chopstick. This is the seasoning!
  


• Now, I guess you could use a brush type dohickey, but spread the "spiced lemon juice" on the salmon with a paper towel. Just dab it on top and around the edges.


• Place the salmon on the George Foreman grill for about 5 minutes (well, until it turns light pink all the way through).


• Fin!

Thats how I cook salmon. This is one of our most eaten meals. Its very tasty. I usually serve it with a starch (potatoes, rice, mac and cheese, or stove top) and a vegetable. Last time I made it, my husband took a bite and went "This fish is delicious!" Its the first time he's complimented my cooking without me prompting him. Yay! So Chris thinks my fish is delicious. That should show you how good it is! Try my recipe, its crazy good. Just make sure its more lemon juice that spices. Too much spice makes it too spicy and cuts the lemon flavor. The garlic and lemon juice are the most important ingredient, but salt and pepper is a good standby. Sometimes I put a bit of basil and oregeno, but only when Im feel daring.

Grilled Chicken Salad
Ingredients:

• Chicken breast. Japan has a good cut of chicken called Sasami. Its thin strips of breast with NO FAT. Thats what I use, Im sure regular breast would be fine.


• Lemon Juice (its a good base)


• Salt


• Pepper


• Garlic Powder


• Basil


• Oregeno

Directions:

• Ok, to prepare the chicken...just do exactly what you did for the salmon, just add more basil and oregeno and lass garlic powder.
  


• Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces after its been cooked.


• Place the chicken over a regular salad.


• Apply dressing.

Ok, so this was an easy one. Its a good lunch if Im home and have time. Its also good for a dinner when its really hot out side.

Grilled Pork Chops
Ingredients:

• Pork Chops


• Spices

Directions:

• Apply spices, grill chops!

Ok, so I haven't figured out a good way to spice porkchops. They are usually too salty. I can't figure out what would be good with it. Stupid porkchops. Usually served the same as the salmon, with a starch and a vegetable. Sometimes we had bread to the mix or fruit.

Gyudon (Beef Bowl)
Ingredients:

• About 400 grams of beef, sliced thinnly. Its a common cut in Japan, but I think you may need to ask for it specially in America or go to an Asian market to get the right cut.


• 1 1/3 Dashi soup stock (I have to prepare this. We may try premade dashi and not fish dashi....hmmm)
  


• 5 tbsp Soy Sauce


• 3 tbsp Mirin (sweet rice wine)


• 2 tbsp Sugar


• 1 tsp Sake (rice wine, usually omitted when we cook)


• 1 Onion (sliced, also omitted, but the recipe calls for it)


• 1 cup White Rice (uncooked)

Directions:

• Mix dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, onion slices and soy sauce in a pan.


• Simmer the mixture and let it get hot.


• Add the beef.


• Let the beef cook all the way through.


• Place on top of rice in a bowl.

That's it! The mixture is very similar to the Teriyaki sauce. They are made with the 2 most important Japanese ingredients. Soy Sauce and Mirin. Everything is made with Mirin. Chris says my Gyudon is better than the restaurant gyudon. Yay! We leave out onions because Susie HATES onions. Boo. Its the first Japanese meal I have made before.

Yakisoba
Ingredients:

• Cabbage (probably half a head is good for two people)


• Chopped onion (not little chops, but big pieces of onion)


• Chopped carrot


• Sprouts if you got em


• Other vegetable that might do good (broccoli, daikon, etc).


• Little pieces of pork (maybe chicken if you fancy it, sometimes people do seafood)


• Soba Noodles


• Yaki sauce (this we get in packs with the noodles, both will probably be found in an asian foods market)


• 1/2 cup water

Directions:

• Put some oil in the bottom of a pan.


• Add cabbage and let it cook down.


• Once the cabbage starts cooking down, add onions and carrots and other veggies.


• Once those look like they are getting tender, add the pork.


• Make sure the pork is cooked all the way through. No triconosis please!


• Add the soba noodles and water.
  


• Stir around and get the noodles separated and warm.


• Add the yakisoba packets (2 is needed for two people, as is two noodle packs).


• Stir it until everything is covered nicely with the sauce. Not too long, or the noodles get super mushy.


• Serve in two bowls.

This is a classic favorite for Japanese people. I am not so keen on it, but Chris likes it. So I make it. Im such a good little wife. I don't hate it. So its ok to eat it. It's really easy to make. Just cook everything in one pan. We usually have left overs though.

Those are all the recipe worthy meals. We also eat hamburgers, chicken burgers, hamburger helper, spaghetti (which is dumbly simple in Japan), breakfast foods, sandwhiches (I make a mean tuan melt!), and fried rice. However, those items are self explanatory or need special mixes. So hooray for my cooking!

I do have things I want to try. Okonomiyaki (grilled things you like, which is really a pancake sort of meal with everything you like tossed in!), oyakodon (parent child bowl, its chicken and egg rice bowl), and different pork recipes. I want to learn japanese meals, so I can make them when I get back to america! I don't want to miss my food! Someday I will try tempura. It doesn't look so tough...maybe.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy my recipes. Tonight is Salmon night, so I know its going to be good! ^_^ Oh! And I updated two days ago, so don't forget to read my exciting tales of the eye doctor and swimming with japanese children!