Sunday, February 28, 2010

Japanese Cooking 101!



I had the privilege of going to my neighbors friends house who is Japanese for lunch and learning how to cook Japanese food. We ate a cucumber pickle salad, ginger pork, a radish miso soup, rice, green tea and ice cream filled mochi!

Here are the recipes:

Cucumber and Sesame salad:

Ingredients:
  • 5 small cucumbers cut in small pieces
  • a little sesame oil
  • sea salt and sesame seeds
Method:

  1. smash up the cucumbers with a rolling pin and mix in the sesame seeds, sesame oil and salt.



this is a Japanese Basil seasoning you sprinkle on the top of rice, I am going to look for them next time I am in the Asian store.
Radish Miso Soup

Ingredients:
  • 1/2 a Japanese radish cut into Julienne
  • one pack of Dashi seasoning with 3 cups of water
  • one tablespoon of red miso paste
Method:

  1. boil the water with a packet of dashi to make a stock with the radish in it
  2. then stir in the miso paste, simmer for about 10 minutes
Ginger Pork

Ingredients:
  • 2 lb of Pork, its best to be partly frozen as it needs to be cut paper thin
  • one large onion
  • 2 tablespoon sake
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon of mirin
  • a little all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup fresh grated ginger
Method:
  1. blend the sauce together with ginger
  2. heat wok, no oil was needed!
  3. slowly add the pork dipped in flour, turning all the time
  4. add the sauce and stir fry for 10 minutes until cooked
the sauce
cooking the pork



dessert ice cream filled mochi and Japanese tea
this is a little toy sushi table that she framed, She's a true foodie!

During lunch we talked about food customs, never stick you chopsticks in the rice use the rest. It is OK to lift the soup bowl to your lips and drink from it.

It was a lovely day, they are coming to my house next, oh what should I cook!



and the lovely Lisa of The Kitchen Queen of La La

Gave me this award thanks so much, always enjoy her blog and great sense of humor


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48 comments:

  1. What a delicious lunch and a great learning opportunity! Thank you and your friend for sharing these recipes, especially the ginger pork . . . mmmmm!

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  2. Mmmm...I love Japanese food. So lucky you got some first hand lessons. I'm going to try that cucumber sesame salad.

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  3. Lucky you. I tried to make some soba noodles today and they were the worst dish that I ever made. Hopefully, I will have other success tomorrow. -Tien

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  4. How nice to have a lesson. The recipes sound amazing.

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  5. Dishes looks wonderful,loved the dessert esp...

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  6. Yay for Japanese food! :) So healthy. So delicious!

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  7. japanese food is sooo healthy and good! lovely ...

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  8. What a fantastic opportunity! Delicious.

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  9. How fun! I'm going to have to make the cucumber salad. I wish we lived closer!

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  10. Lucky for you to have a wonderful neighbor. Nothing beats learning first hand. Love everything in the menu.

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  11. Yum! That ginger pork looks sublime! :)

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  12. Wow I like the idea of the miso soup!

    I bet you had so much fun, and what did Jasmine help make?

    Cannot wait to see what you guys make for the, and that toy sushi table is so cute too...

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  13. So nice to learn something new from your neighbour. I love Japanese food, very healthy and simple. I had made carrot cucumber salad with wakame (seaweed) before. Take a look, you might be interested.

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  14. Japanese cooking! You have hit close to my heart! It is so much more than sushi!! Once again, you are an awesome inspiration!
    Thanks Rebecca!

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  15. Tangled Noodle: oh I am going to make it today will thank them
    Jenn: oh that salad was yummy
    Tien: it will be great next time love ya
    Bridgett: oh it was magic
    Sushma: smiles
    Sook: well said
    Zurin: smiles
    Natashya: i know I pounce on them!
    Christine come visit!
    Malou so true
    Catherine: smiles
    Chef E: oh Jasmine was with Daddy
    Anncoo: will check it out for sure
    Doc: my pleasure

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  16. Nice recipe...lov Japanese terriyaki....

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  17. great job - I read once a long time ago that the miso needs to be stirred in at the last and not over heated so that it looks like clouds in the bowl - I love Japanese food!

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  18. Lucky you to have such a wonderful meal. Those cucumbers sounds delicious, but so does everything else:D

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  19. A wonderful lunch with excellent Japanese specialties!

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  20. I m starting to love japenese food...your preparation looks scrumptious

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  21. That's so fun to have a Japanese cooking lesson. All the dishes look delicious.

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  22. That would have been so much fun, Rebecca! And I love all your detailed photos!

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  23. I love Japanese food and culture. I had a Japanese Chef who worked for me and got to eat my fill daiy. It was outstanding!

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  24. Its so great to see this!! real Japanese cooking that is not only about sushi! So much love and creativity goes into this! I want a neighbour like that lol!!

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  25. Rebecca,
    It sounds like it was such a lovely day. I love the little stand for the chop sticks, it is so dainty and proper.

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  26. Yum! I would love every single bite!!

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  27. How nice to have a private cooking lesson. Lunch looks delicious.
    Mimi

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  28. You are so lucky! What a great opportunity you have there. I love Japanese food and learned a lot when I lived in Hawaii, but this is a nice personal touch! Thanks for sharing, the recipes look wonderful!

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  29. You always get to do all the fun cultural cuisines. This looks so neat. I love the mochi ice cream.

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  30. Vrinda: oh thats lovely
    doggybloggy: yep she stirred it in right at the end with a strainer
    nostalgia: thanks
    Kim: oh the cucumbers are awesome
    5 star foodie was a treat for sure
    trendsetters try the recipes lol
    Mary: it was awesome
    Barbara; oh my pleasure
    Ed: oh must have been cool to work with a Japanese chef
    Ruth oh your right
    Joie: oh its cute I need one!
    figtree: smiles
    simply life; I know she was a pro
    Mimi: smiles
    Lyndsey: oh so many Japanese in hawaii
    Melinda: oh it was so good

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  31. I absolutely love Japanese food, you are lucky to have someone to show you a few tricks!

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  32. Great lesson from you neighbor. I love Japanese food too. What a great way too to build friendships.

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  33. What a gorgeous post - from the simple but oh so scrumptious cucumbers through the pork dish. Brava!

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  34. Sarah: oh it was so much fun
    Divina; oh she is a great friend very lucky
    Claudia thanks so much

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  35. you are so lucky, what a lovely opportunity. i am on a Japanese kick these days, thumbing through all the Japanese cookbooks in my bookstore. i really love japanese radish, such healthy stuff. x shayma

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  36. Oh how wonderful to be invited for a nice meal like that! I'm currently on my Japanese week lol

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  37. Shayma: thanks for stopping by hope to get more recipes for ya!
    3 hungry tummies: on my way over to your blog!

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  38. Yea, I remember you told me about this on Twitter! Sorry for this late of a response! Have been busy lately!

    All the food looks scrumptious! Japanese food is so yummy and fascinating! They tend to be healthier, I think.

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  39. Thanks for this great post on Japanese food.

    I heard, and believe, that you should not simmer or boil miso, as it kills the beneficial bacteria that it contains. Therefore, I put all the ingredients in my soup and cook them, then when it's really hot, I stir in the miso. Even though it's not made in Japan, I absolutely love US made South River Miso.

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  40. The miso soup looks delicious. Will definitely try it.

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  41. Pei Lin and my neighbor is from Okinawa as well!
    the veggie queen oh will look for that brand thanks'
    Emily: smiles

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  42. Sounds like an amazing feast! Looks awesome.

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  43. Oooh, Rebecca this looks good! I love the cucumber and sesame salad and I know my daughter would just flip over the soup- she LOVES Miso soup!
    Have a wonderful week!
    Hugs & Blessings~

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  44. I feel I never have the right ingredients to cook Japanese, but I enjoy the cuisine at restaurants!

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  45. I would love to see avocados in the mix... they help prevent heart disease and are cancer-fighters

    read more info @ my blog

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