Flour days

Sifted flour

Playing with dough has always had a calming effect on me. There was my mother's dough, which she used to make apple pies. What impressed me about her dough was the enormous amount of butter she used.  She never measured. She didn't even go by a recipe. Yet, when it came to how much water to add to the dough, she was very careful. I believe she even used a measuring cup. She instinctively knew what can make or break a pie crust.  

Sifting the flour

LESS IS MORE

Trying to figure out the optimum amount of water to add to the flour, Kasuiritsu, is one of the critical tasks in soba making.  In January, Tokyo was drier than the rest of the year, ranging from 25% to 35% humidity. So the amount of water we used to make soba ranged between 41% to 45%. Most of the time, we stayed around 41-42%. We relied on the scale and the measuring spoon. A small error  can ruin your soba and your day. There was no formula for figuring out the optimal amount of water for making soba.  Experience helps. Sensei said he did not believe in adding more water than necessary because it affected the flavor and texture of the dough. Less is more, he kept saying. All I wanted at this point, was to turn out something that looked like dough, and not a crumbly mass of flour.

LET THE FLOUR TAKE A JOURNEY

After the greetings and lecture, Sensei made one batch of soba to demonstrate h is technique. I stood next to him and watched his hand movements.  With soba, the initial mixing of flour with water is done mostly with your finger tips.  Like a piano player who is playing with his finger tips standing on the keyboards. the soba maker too moves the tips of his fingers quickly, making sure that there is no flour that is sitting still.  The hand movements are circular, fingers spread apart, and thumbs pointing towards your belly.  My hands are small. It wasn't easy to keep the flour moving in the bowl. "Let the soba take a journey," Sensei would say. It reminded me of the old saying, "Send your loving child on a journey." which means that the child will mature better by learning to stand on his own feet. Same thing with soba.  The only diffference was that soba had to take the first part of this journey in 30 seconds.

The fingers moves quickly to bind the flour with water. 

LET'S NOT WASTE FOOD

Any flour that was stuck on the fingers were wiped off and combined with the dough in the bowl. The whole idea of cleaning the bowl and removing the flour on your finger tips  were to keep flour waste to a minimum.  In class, we used a large and heavy stainless steel bowl. I could hardly lift one myself.  The traditional soba bowls, Hachi, are made of wood and are much lighter.  The stainless steel hachi was unbreakable, and easy to clean and sanitary.

Once the initial mixing was done, the next step was to continue mixing, using the fingers again but this time with your palms. The fingers are afloat.  This step ensures that every cell of buckwheat is fed with water and there are no dry cells left. As you work the flour, you can feel the moisture in the flour building.  Now you are ready to bunch the flour together and start kneading, Neri.

GLUTEN FREE 

Buckwheat flour contains no gluten. Gluten is the Latin word for "glue". It is the glutens in wheat flour that gives kneaded dough its elasticity. So how do we bind soba if there is no gluten?   

When flour is mixed with water and kneaded, the process adds strength to the dough, elasticity and helps bind the flour together wihtout relying on gluten.   At the Academy, we practiced making 100% buckwheat soba, Kikouchi, and Nihachi, 2:8 ration of all-purpose wheat flour and buckwheat flour, and some other variations. I found Kikouchi the tastiest of all Soba. 2:8 ratio was by far the easiest to handle while retaining good flavor and adding some elasticity to the dough. Sensei didn't want to add any more than 20% wheat flour so I didn't even try going beyond that but soba makers, especially those who make dried soba use as much as 70% wheat flour and they still label the package soba, which is something that does not make any sense. So far they have gotten away with such labeling so long as it is identified in the back as its primary ingredient. 

s.  

  The Flour combined with water is darker and mosit.

It is gathered in the middle of the bowl and ready to be knead.

I will talk about Neri, next in Flour days: Living and Kneading in Tsukiji (4)

Natto pasta with scallions

When it comes to fusion cusine, Japanese often do things that I find quite daring mixing native ingredients with foreign imports.  Take pasta, for example. The most popular Wafu, Japanese style pastas are Tarako, salted cod roe and Natto, fermented soybeans. Both ingredients have strong flavors.  Tarako is salty, some are spiced with chili, in which case they are called Mentaiko.  Natto is smelly like cheese and slimy like okra. It is an acquired taste.  Fusing Tarako with Pasta is understandable because Tararko is similar to Bottarga, the dried and cured roe, which is used in Italian pasta.  But there is nothing I can think of that comes close to Natto in Italy. The Japanese figured, if Natto works on top of rice, it can also work on top of pasta, and it does, more or less. 

Pasta Carbonara with Bacon, Mentaiko (salted cod roe) and Chives

When my son Sakae and his girlfriend Bina were in Tokyo during the winter holidays, I took them to an inexpensive neighborhood pasta place in Shibuya that's been here since the early fifities called Kabe no Ana, Hole in the Wall.

We ordered the two quintessential Wafu style pastas. The Natto spaghetti came with a generous mound of whipped natto (fermented soybeans) seasoned with raw egg, soysauce and mustard and served over buttered spaghetti. It was slimy as Natto  should be. People either love Natto or hate it. My son loves natto but he was not crazy about this dish. He said he prefers Natto over rice and not pasta.  I feel the same but many Japanese eat Natto this way and love it.

Bina ordered the Mentaiko pasta, carbonara style.  It was your basic egg pasta with bacon which was coated with spicy Tarako, salted cod roe. She ordered the large plate. Compared to the Natto spaghetti, this one was a winner. I orderedTarako, salted cod roe, and with Squid and Shiso.   Bina's dish tasted better. We all ended up taking a bite or two of her pasta. 

Both Natto and Tarako pasta can be easily made at home. WIth natto, you just take it out of the container, mix it with whipped raw egg, a teaspoon or two of soy sauce and mustard and pour it over hot buttered spaghetti.  Not much to it really.  Sesame oil works instead of butter, too. WIth the Mentaiko pasta, you take the cod eggs out of the egg sac with a spoon, or slice it in half, and mix the loose roe into the hot pasta. Toppings such as chopped shiso, scallions, nori seaweed, roasted sesema seeds, daikon sprouts work for both pasta dishes.

MAKING SOBA BY HAND IS ABSOLUTE COOKING.

Akila Inouye

I am posting the handmade soba noodle recipe from Akila Inouye's Soba

Workshop. The Soba dipping sauce recipe is also available (here is the link). 

Please also check out the Los Angeles Times Food Section's feature stories on Soba making, which includes step by step photosgraphs, recipes for making Soba, walnut and regular dipping sauces, and Soba side dishes. (Here is the link)

HOW TO MAKE SOBA NOODLES BY HAND (using a plastic bag)

2 servings

The basic measurement for the flour was provided in grams.

If you plan to use more or less flour, remember to keep the 8:2 ratio of

buckwheat flour to all purpose flour, and the

water at 40% of the total weight of the two flours. 

5.5 oz stone milled buckwheat flour (160 grams) (Cold Mountain brand or Japanese soba flour)

1.3 oz all purpose flour (40 grams)

2.8 oz (or 40% of clear cold water to total weight of buckwheat flour and all purpose flour (80 grams)

Uchiko flour for dusting (if you can't find Uchiko,use Cornstarch)

1 plastic bag (small trash bag)

Weigh the buckwheat flour and all purpose flour. Set aside 1 % of water (about 1/2 tsp of water) for kneading. Put the two flours and rest of the water in the plastic bag.  Using both hands, lump together the flour mixture through the plastic bag.

Now take the dough out of the plastic bag, and put it on a cutting board or kneading sheet.  

Shape the dough into a disc.  Make holes on top of the dough with your thumbs.  Pour the reserved water (1/2 teaspoon)  into the holes, and knead the dough untl the water is incorporated completely.  Apply pressure to the dough with your palm, and shape the dough into a ball.

Sprinkle uchiko on the kneading sheet/board. Place the ball on the sheet/board, and sprinkle uchiko on top.  Using your palm, flatten the ball into a disc, about 15mm or 1/2 inches thick.

With a rolling pin, continue flattening the dough in diagonal directions until the disc is 8mm or 1/18 inch thick, and rectangle in shape.  Use Uchiko sparingly while flattening the dough.

Fold the dough in four layers. Use "generous" amounts of uchiko in between the layers. Slice the dough into noodles, about 1.3mm wide.

HOW TO COOK FRESH SOBA NOODLES:

In a large pot, boil about 2 gallons or more water over high heat.

Gently drop the soba noodles into the boiling water. The water should be boiling vigorously to prevent the soba noodles from sticking to each other.  Try not to use chopsticks or tools to separate the noodles while cooking. 

Cover the pot and bring the water to a full, rolling boil again. The noodles will

take about 90 seconds to cook. If the soba noodles are thinner or thicker,

you will need to adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Scoop out the noodles with a colander or strainer, and immediately soak the noodles in a large bowl of cold water.  

Prepare another bowl of ice water with ice cubes.  Transfer the noodles into the ice cold water for a second to give the noodles a final shock treatment.  Drain the noodles.

Serve the noodles on a dish ( zaru - Japanese style bamboo colnader or seiro -Japanese steaming mat), with the dipping sauce and Yakumi flavors - sliced negi (Tokyo style green onions),  grated daikon, and shichimi pepper.

Note: Reserve some of the cooking liquid that is left in the pot. You can use it for cooking more noodles, and as "sobayu" - dipping sauce thinner.

Akila Inouye and his son Yusuke left for Tokyo this morning.  We were up packing and celebrating the completion of our four workshops till 2am last night. Thanks to everyone who participated in the workshop.  I am planning to do another workshop in April with Akila, so please mark your calendars.  I will keep you all posted. Here is the link to Akila Inouye's Tsukiji Soba Academy. If you are planning a trip to Tokyo, do visit the Academy.  

On a personal note, this was the first soba workshop I produced out of my house. I learned a lot about what it takes to organize one; it's a little bit like producing films, only you get covered in buckwheat flour. What am I getting myself into...? was the question that kept popping up in my head, as the workshop grew from one to two, two to three, and three to four.  I wasn't even sure we could even fill up one workshop.  But we managed to pull them all off.  We sold out all four!  Thank you!

Thanks to my friends Keiko and Taku Shinomoto of Tortoise for all their support. Keiko took most of these photos. 

Many people say that soba is a hard craft to learn but Akila made it so accessible

and fun for all of us. I enjoyed making soba by hand, ate lots of it, and still want more. That's the beauty of soba. One nevers seems to tire of it. The best part of doing the workshop at home was making new friends, and hanging out with my dear old ones in my kitchen.  

Oh, and I must not forget to thank Yusuke, Akila's son. This was his first visit to the U.S. but instead of sightseeing, he spent most of his time grating daikon radish in my kitchen, and doing the dishes. Next time he comes to LA, I will take him to Amoeba and some other cool places.

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For those of you that ordered Uchiko, the cost is $4 for 200grams.  This is the amount you will need for 1000 grams of buckwheat / wheat flour.  I will follow up with you by e mail.

I have extra Uchiko flour, premium stone milled fresh buckwheat flour from Japan and Canada so if you would like to buy some, please give me a call.

Please go tot he photo gallery to view more pictures from the workshop. Please feel free to post your photos.  In the meantime, here is the recipe for the Dipping Broth. Please call me or e mail me if you have any questions. The recipe for the Hongaeshi (dipping sauce base) serves sixty but this keeps for a month in a cool place and can be adjusted to suit your needs. Same with the Morizuyu (dipping sauce).

During this soba tour, Akila did a soba demonstration and interview for the Los Angeles Times Food Section.  I also contributed a soba story on soba side dishes. These stories and recipes are scheduled to appear in the Times in December.

Finally, please posts comments and suggestions about the workshop.

Arigato!  

Sonoko

Please also check out the Los Angeles Times feature story on Akila Inouye, Making soba at home, with step by step photographs, recipes for dipping sauces and side dishes. (Here is the link) 

How to make Morizuyu (Dipping sauce for cold soba noodles)

[Summary] by Akila Inouye

To make morizuyu, prepare the Hongaeshi (dipping sauce base) first.

Add the hongaeshi to dashi stock to finalize it.

Hongaeshi will keep for a month in a cool and dry place, or in the fridge.

The dashi should be prepared each time.

[How to prepare Hon-gaeshi  (Dipping sauce base)

60 servings

1.0L Soy sauce (Koikuchi/regular type)

200ml Hon Mirin (Must use a real thing made from rice, rice sprit and rice malt)

133g Sugar (Reccommend Japanese white coarse sugar but generic sugar

in US should be okay)

Put the sugar and mirin into a pot.

Dissolve the sugar completely with medium heat.

Add the soy sauce and heat until the temperature reaches 70 degrees (centigrade).

Cover the pot with a clean cloth or other material instead of hard lid.

Set aside the pot until it is no longer steaming

and the liquid cools to room temperature. 

Store the liquid in a cool and dry place, or refrigerate.

You can keep the base for a couple of months.

[How to finish Morizuyu]

17 servings

1.2 L Clear water (soft type should be great)

70 g Sliced bonito

350 ml Hongaeshi

Dash of Mirin (Optional)

Dash of Sake (Optional)

Boil the water for making the dashi.

Put dried bonito flakes into the boiling hot water.

Lower heat and continue cooking for a minute.

Strain the dashi liquid with kitchen paper.

(The dashi liquid's amount comes to about 1,000 ml because  

10 percent of the water will evaporate during the cooking, and the dried bonito will

absorb another 10 percent).

Add the hongaeshi to the dashi and then heat it to 70 degrees (centigrade).

Add dash of Mirin and Sake, but this is optional.

Cool down the pot with a plenty of ice.

Serve 80 ml for each serving.

The Morizuyu will keep in a refrdgerator for 3 days.

I love soba.  It's food I can eat everyday and never get tired of.  I was on a soba marathon for the last few weeks while in Tokyo, visiting one artisinal soba restaurant to another and cooking it at my parents' home in Shibuya.  I also did something I have been wanting to do for the longest time: Take a cooking class in handmade soba.

The search for a school started whlle I was still in Los Angeles. I came upon several listings on the web. I chose Tsukiji Soba Academy because I liked the description of the classes and the location, which is near the Tsukiji Fish market. They offered classes for beginners to a full on soba chef training course that can last anywhere from a week to a month. I decided to sign up for the day class for beginners.  I had no idea what to expect but I had high hopes that when I come out of the class, I will get to eat my own handmade soba.

The school was on the third floor of a building just a few blocks off the fish market.  It was equipped with all kinds of tools and state-of-the-art machinery.  The place was spotlessly clean and had a feeling that you entered a dojo.  I was greeted by Akila Inouye, Master chef and President of the Academy, and his apprentice chef.  The apprentice chef asked me to take my shoes off and change into slippers.  My name tag and soba making tools, including a mixing bowl, knife, cutting board and a couple rolling pins were waiting for me at the work table.  Two more students had signed up for the class so we waited for a few minutes but they were a no show.  I ended up having a two-on-one class. I felt lucky but slightly nervous.

One of the first questions the Master chef asked me was how serious I was about soba. I said in my registration form that I was considering becoming a noodle maker one day. Ha. I said it.   I love working in movies but I can't do it forever. Even if I did, I want to make soba.  It would be wonderful if I can have a tiny handmade soba bar. Ideally somewhere not far from where I will grow my own buckwheat.  Pretty ambitious dream for an urban girl. The dream started when I was making the film SILK in a small village in Nagano prefecture near Matsumoto, Japan, which is famous for good soba. The man who built the film set invited me over to his house to eat his 85 year old mother's handmade soba. The old lady grows the buckwheat, mills the flour herself and makes the soba noodles - all by hand.That is when I thought,  If she can do it, maybe I could.  She has been making soba for more than 50 years so I will have to live a long time but I have good genes for that.  The handmade soba the old woman made was one of the best meals I ever had. I still think about  her and her family who went out of their way to treat me. That lunch was the inspiration for my dream.   I have been dreaming ever since.

I could turn out a soba that looks like a rubbery and inedible mass of flour but I decided to relax and give it a try.  When I revealed my dream to Akila Inouye, he said it was very realizable.   That he's had many people who attend his school with the same dream in mind.  I told him that I even tried growing buckwheat flowers in my backyard as a fun experiment.  He warned me that Buckwheat should not be grown for pleasure as it is a precious food.  Whoops, I failed him already. I washed my hands, put my cap and apron on and so the lesson began.  He demonstrated first.

Ingredients for making soba noodles:  

80 grams All purpose flour (churiki ko)   

320 grams Buckwheat flour

160 grams water - approx 40% of the flour weight plus additional water 2-8% of the flour, as needed during kneading.  

The ingredients are measured on an electric scale.  Soba making is quite a science.  The extra water (2-8% of the flour) indicated in the recipe will be used to make adjustments to the flour mixture according to the level of humidity, season, quality of the flour and soba maker's skill.

Once the measured water is added to the flour mixture, Akila Inouye works very fast, using all ten fingers (see how they are spread open) and the entire space of the mixing bowl. What you get is a sandy flaky mixture.

Now he rolls the dough into one oblong mass.

Notice how clean the bowl looks.  He wastes no flour.

The ends are gathered into one. The opening looks like belly button.  At this point, the dough is smooth as a baby's skin and has a nice shine.

He turns the dough out and we have an upside down Kiss chocolate.

He flattens the dough, using both hands and turns it into a disc. The kneading is complete. At this point, Akila Inouye  takes a break to wash his hands and wipes the bowl clean.  

The soba dough does not require drying like Italian pasta.

He uses his hands to flatten the disc to an even thickness.

Then begins rolling.

He takes a pinch of buckwheat flour and sprinkles it vertically across the dough in three areas.  To roll, he applies the most pressure at the center of the dough and eases the pressure as he rolls outward. The hands move across the dough like a pair of  window wipers.  I tried to do this but this window wiping motion takes practice on a piece of dough.

The dough eventually turns into an oval shape.  He then shapes it further into a rectangle shape.  This is easier said than done.  My dough was missing two corners and had wrinkles in the middle. No panic though.  You stretch the wrinkles gently so as not to tear the dough and leave the missing corners as is.  Any attempt to patchwork like we do with apple pie crusts will affect the texture of soba.  

This rolling is done rather quickly to prevent the dough from drying out.  The ideal thickness of the dough is a uniform 1.5mm  The dough in its final stage of rolling is smooth, long and flexible. These three elements are essential for making that slurpable long soba noodles.   

He uses the smaller rolling pin to roll out the corners.

He spreads buckwheat flour. Look at the generous amount of flour he uses!  

Now the dough is ready to be folded and cut.

He uses a special soba cutting knife, which is rather big.  Move over Freddie and Jason!

See how holds the knife.  He uses a forward motion to cut the noodles. Then tilts the knife at a 1.5 degree angle (very slight) to cut the next noodle.  It takes a lot of practice to make thin, even noodles.  Mine started out thin but as my hands grew tired, the noodles began to grow in size.  Some of my noodles were as wide as 2 mm to 2.5mm (some even 3mm!!!) , instead of the ideal 1.5mm.  I wanted to hide my noodles.  The apprentice chef told me not to worry, that when cooked they will still taste good.

The right hand and the left hand need to work in unison to make the perfect cut.

So this is the finished soba. Thinly sliced and ready to be cooked.  Talk about perfection!

Comments about the soba making class.  A three hour class was just a brief glimpse into this artful world of soba making.  Akila Inouye did a thorough and beautiful demonstration that really helped me appreciate the craft and tradition.  I know that in order to replicate the same soba at home, it will take a lot of practice, skill, and some soba making tools and equipment.  I think a beginner could modify the tools and use what they have at home but the end result will be quite different.  I am willing to take the lesson a step further and go for the longer commitment.  That soba cutting knife will be a commitment.  Not sure if I can even get it across customs!   I don't want to wait too long to take the next class.  At the end of the class, the apprentice chef cooked the soba made by Akila Inouye and served it with a dipping sauce, wasabi and chopped green onions.  It tasted heavenly.   I also got to take home my soba in my Tupperware. I cooked the soba that very night for my family who were all waiting to be the guinea pigs of my creation.  My father, sister and nephew thought my soba was very tasty even though the noodles were a bit uneven in width. I got the texture right.  When I shared my dream about someday becoming a soba maker, they didn't discourage me. They were so busy slurping, all they could do was nod.  Did I pass the slurpability test?  Not bad for a first try.   I am hooked!

I have been back in Santa Monica for almost a week but I am still on Tokyo Time.  I would love to slurp some of that  handmade soba I had in Tokyo.  But I don't have the tools to make handmade soba, not yet, so I am just going to make a quick lunch with dried soba noodles, which is also very good. 

I already have the dipping sauce for the soba because my sister, Sachiko, and my little niece Miki and nephew Mako were over at my house for noodle slurping a few days ago. The left over batch is still fresh. In fact, the dipping sauce tastes better because I threw in a a couple of dried shitake mushrooms to enhance the flavor.  

Normally, I make just a simple tamago omelete to accompany soba but there is a beautiful Wagyu flank steak marinating in some sesame oil, ginger and green onions.  It looks too good.  I want to eat it for lunch.  Meat and Soba!  A traditional soba eater would not serve beef with soba but, hey why not go modern.  With some sliced tomatoes from my garden, chopped lettuce and green onions, the flank steak will make a very nice "side dish" to go with the soba. Yes, even a Wagyu-style steak is a humble being before soba.  

Now you want to slurp the soba right away before they go limp.  So grill the steak first grill and whle the steak is resting, boil the soba.  Then while the soba is cooking, slice the steak. This way, you will have perfect timing.

FLANK STEAK WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs pounds Kobe style Wagyu flank steak

1/4 cup roasted sesame oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 Tbls soy sauce

2 Tbls wine vinegar

2 scallions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbls grated ginger juice

1/2 tsp black pepper

Salt to taste

Garnishes - chopped lettuce, green onions, sliced tomatoes, lime wedges 

In a flat container, mix the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, scallions, garlic, ginger juice, black pepper and salt to taste. Marinate the steak in the mixture for six hours to overnight, turning meat once or twice to coat thoroughly.

Preheat frying pan or grill for medium-high heat.

WIpe off the marinade.  Grill or pan fry steak for 3-4 minutes on each side, or to desired doneness.  It is more tender and flavorful on the rare side.  

Let the flank steak rest for a few minutes.  Then Cut across the grain at an angle, about 1/2 inch or slightly wider.  Serve the steak with sliced lettuce, tomatoes, chopped onions, and lime wedges.

Kitchen note: This piece of American Wagyu beef comes from the State of Washington. Like the true Wagyu (Japanese beef such as Kobe) , the American Wagyu (a cross between Angus and Wagyu) has nice marbelized juicy fat. It is pricy but less pricer than its Japanese cousin. I get American Wagyu beef  at Vincent Foods Market in Brentwood. They have one of the best meat sections on the Westside.

COLD SOBA NOODLES WITH DIPPING SAUCE

Serves 4

For this lunch menu, make your life easy by fixing the dipping sauce the night before so it doesn't become a big cooking project on the day of the lunch. This is one of the easiest Japanese lunch I can think of if you follow what I do.   

4 bunches of dried soba noodles (100 grams per person)

8 oz daikon radish, peeled and grated.

4 scallions, sliced thinly.

1 sheet of crumbled or cut nori seaweed (optional)

Wasabi, Shichimi peper - optional seasonings

Basic Dipping sauce (see below)

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. This water will be used to boil the noodles later.

First make the grated radish sauce. Peel and grate the radish. What you will get is a watery substance. Pour out most of the daikon juice and use the grated part but do not squeeze too much of the juice out. You want the grated radish to be juicy but not runny. Put it in a small bowl.  

Slice the scallions and put them in a small bowl or next to the grated radish. 

Cook the noodles in the boiling water for approximately 5 minutes. You want the soba noodles to be al dente. Prepare a large bowl with a dozen ice cubes. The ice water will be used to chill the soba noodles.  Drain the cooked soba noodles in a strainer and rinse under cold running water to remove the starchy film. Transfer the soba noodles into the cold ice water and let the noodles chill for 1 minute. Drain the soba noodles in a strainer and serve on a flat basket or plate.

This bamboo basket serves as a strainer and a serving basket.

Bring the grated radish, wasabi and scallions, nori seaweed and the shichimi pepper to the table. Set the table with chopsticks, bowls for the dipping sauce.   

Pour the chilled dipping sauce in the individual bowls. 

Let everyone help themselves to the soba noodles. The way to eat soba is first you put some grated radish (about 1 teaspoon) or wasabi and a sprinkle of shichimi pepper into the dipping sauce. Take approximately one or two mouthfuls of noodles with a pair of chopsticks and dunk them into the sauce and eat them. Repeat until the noodles are gone.

Serve the soba noodles with the grilled Flank steak.

BASIC DASHI DIPPING SAUCE

This is an all purpose basic dipping sauce that I use for dipping Tempura, Soba, Somen noodles. You can use this as a basic recipe and make some adjustments with the seasonings to suit your palate. The sauce is sweetened with Mirin, sweet sake, which unlike sugar has more depth in flavor.

1 cup of Dashi (see Basics for Dashi broth recipe) 

1/6 cup - light color soy sauce (Usukuchi-shoyu) or regular soysauce. (I prefer light color soysauce)

1/6 cup - Mirin, sweet sake

1/2 cup - bonito flakes

Bring the Dashi broth, soysauce and Mirin, sweet sake in a medium size pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Add the bonito flakes and let the flakes sink to the bottom. Strain broth. Discard bonito flakes. Let the broth cool down to room temperature.  Refrigerate.

Makes about 11/4 cups of dipping sauce.  

Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days.

If I were to have an office in Tokyo, I would without doubt  like to be near the Tsukiji Fish Market.  It so happens that one film organization I work with have this ideal location and they invited me to have lunch at one of their favorite restaurants in Tsukiji called Itadori. It has 7 locations right in Tsukiji, so it must be a popular place. Itadori specializes in Kaisen chirashi  (Seafood sushi rice) and curry noodles.  I couldn't  imagine a more unsual and strange combination of dishes but I can see how it could happen in Tsukiji where busy people need something quick, filling and fast to eat.  Curry is perfect for that.  Seafood and Sushi are already a given at the fish market.  

The restaurant was tucked away in the back of a fish shop. You have to go down a very dark narrow walk way.  It would take a bit of courage to go there alone.  It may have been a storage space in its previous life but when you go inside, it was surprisingly clean and well lit. Naked bulbs were used to light the place.  There were several communal tables.

It felt humid inside the restaurant but it felt that way everywhere.  Temperatures reached a high of 35 degrees centigrade. I could not possibly order their famous hot curry udon, though curry is always good in hot weather.  We unanimously chose the cold Chinese ramen noodles dipped in a mild curry sauce and ordered one seafood chirashi zushi to share amongst us. 

The Seafood chirashi sushi was sushi rice with a variety of toppings.  It had sea urchin, salmon eggs, water eel, tuna and snapper, all cut into small pieces. You can have it with braised shitake topping, wasabi and pickled ginger.  The seafood was fresh and the sushi rice had just the right amount of rice vinegar.  It made a nice appetizer for the five of us.

  

It's finally feeling like LA summer weather. The patio is turning into an oven.  Perfect temperature to dry my laundry in the sun. I have worked out a primitive system for drying clothes.  The sheets go on the big limestone table and get stretched like canvas.  I hang the shirts on the chairs.  Towels on the side table. The wrinkles don't come out and the clothes feel coarse but everything smells incredibly sweeter and cleaner, not to mention, I  save energy. The last two summers I spent in Brittany turned me onto drying clothes this old fashion way.  I haven't gotten around to putting up a clothesline in my house but that's coming soon.  Drying clothes in the sun also brings me back to my childhood in Kamakura.  There was a merchant that used to come around to our neighborhood selling bamboo for hanging clothes. They were freshly cut bamboo that was still very green.  My grandmother bought new bamboo every year. Then one day, some of the bamboo merchants switched to plastic bamboo.  I can still remember the first time I  heard them calling out, "blue bamboo, blue bamboo that never fades."  The bamboo was cobalt blue.  I didn't care for plastic bamboos but I can still hear the man singing. 

The sun also helps me decide what to cook.   sunny weather calls for cold soba noodles, which brings us into summer.   I am going to also make a fresh batch of dipping sauce. 

With the steamed chicken I made last night I make a chicken salad.  I chop some butter lettuce and scallions to make a bed of green.  I slice the chicken and on top/.  I get a little carried away and sprinkle way too much cilantro on the chicken. This dish is a failed work of art but the little red mound of pickled ginger (amazu shoga) gives a nice color against the turqoise plate.

COLD SOBA NOODLES WITH DIPPING SAUCE  

Serves 4

For this lunch menu, make your life easy by  fixing the dipping sauce and steamed chicken the night before so it doesn't become a big cooking project on the day of the lunch. This is one of the easiest Japanese lunch I can think of if you follow what I do.  The noodles only take about 5-6 minutes to cook so do this part last minute.  If you let cooked noodles sit long, they will go limp and starchy.   

  

• 4 bunches of dried soba noodles (100 grams per person)
• 8 oz daikon radish, peeled and grated.  
• 4 scallions, sliced thinly. 
• Wasabi, Shichimi peper - optional seasonings 
• Basic Dipping sauce (see below)

1. In a large pot, bring water to a boil.   This water will be used to boil the noodles later.
2. First make the grated radish sauce. Peel and grate the radish.  What you will get is a watery substance.  Pour out most of the daikon juice and use the grated part but do not squeeze too much of the juice out.  You want the grated radish to have be juicy but not runny.  Put it in a small bowl.
3. Slice the scallions and put them in a small bowl.  
4. Bring the grated radish and scallions to the table along with the other garnishes, such as chopped scallion, wasabi and shichimi pepper.  Pour the dipping sauce in individual serving bowls and bring them to the table.  You will need chopsticks for everybody.  Once you have set the table, you can cook the noodles.  
5. Cook the noodles in the boiling water for approximately 5 minutes.  You want the noodles to be al dente.
6. Prepare a large bowl with a dozen ice cubes.   The ice water will be used to chill the noodles.  
7. Drain the cooked noodles in a strainer and rinse under cold running water to remove the starchy film. Transfer the noodles into the cold ice water and let the noodles chill for 1-2 minutes.
8. Drain the noodles in a strainer and serve on a flat basket or plate.  
9. Let everyone help themselves to the soba noodles. The way to do it is to first put some grated radish (about 1 teaspoon) or wasabi and a sprinkle of shichimi pepper into the dipping sauce. Take approximately one or two mouthfuls of noodles with a pair of chopsticks and dunk them into the sauce and eat  them.  Repeat until the noodles are gone.
10. Serve the soba noodles with the Steamed Chicken Salad. 

 

soba noodles chilling in ice water

 

BASIC DASHI DIPPING SAUCE

 

This is an all purpose basic dipping sauce that I use for dipping Tempura, Soba, Somen noodles. You can use this as a basic recipe and make some adjustments with the seasonings to suit your palate. The sauce is sweetened with Mirin, sweet sake, which unlike sugar has more depth in flavor.

• 1 cup of  Dashi (Link to Basics for Dashi Recipe)
• 1/8 cup - light color soy sauce (Usukuchi-shoyu) or regular soysauce. (I prefer light color soysauce)
• 1/8 cup - Mirin, sweet sake
• 1/2 cup - bonito flakes

1. Bring the Dashi broth, soysauce and Mirin, sweet sake in a medium size pot and bring to a boil. Turn off heat. Add the bonito flakes and let the flakes sink to the bottom. Strain broth. Discard bonito flakes. Let the broth cool down to room temperature.
2. Makes about 11/4 cups of dipping sauce.
3. Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days.

 

NOTE: To make the sauce a little stronger in flavor, do 1/6 cup of soy sauce and sweet sake each instead of 1/8 cup. Use koikuchi soy sauce for soba.

 

STEAMED CHICKEN SALAD 

(link to Recipe with Picture)

 

Serves 4

• 2 chicken breast with skin
• 4 scallions, roots cut off. sliced in halves and then cut horizontially
• 4 tbls ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
• 6 tbls sake
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• salt and pepper
• 10 leaves butter lettuce
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 4 tbls cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbls pickled ginger (amazu shoga) - optional
• 
  

1. Bring the steamer to a boil over medium heat.
2. In a soup or pasta bowl, put the chicken. Top with ginger, scallions, sake and sesame oil.
3. Put the whole plate in the hot steamer. Be careful not to spill the liquid. Cover the steamer and steam for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked. Let the chicken cool completely. Best if you let it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill. You can keep the chicken in the liquid. This will turn into a gelatin which makes a nice sauce for the chicken.
4. Just before you plan to serve the dish, take the chicken out of the fridge. Discard ginger and scallions. Peel the chicken skin off or leave it on, whichever you like. Slice the chicken crosswise, about 1/4-inch thick.
5. To make the salad, slice the butter lettuce leaves into strips, about 1/4-inch wide. Make a bed of butter lettuce strips and scallions. Arrange the sliced chicken on top. Sprinkle with cilantro and garnish with a small mound of pickled ginger (amazu shoga). Serve with soysauce and wasabi. 

 

 

  

   Classic Somen Noodle dish with an assortment of garnishes.

I wrote a story on somen noodles in today's Los Angeles Times Food Section. My dentist in Pasadena who has treated me since I was a teenager read the article and contacted me about it.  I had not seen him in years. I got a few other e mails like this. Here is the link for the two recipes: http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-somen1-2009jul01,0,1958041.story. I like traditional somen served with a soy-mirin based dipping sauce.  I also made one with a spicy bean paste sesame dressing, which is Asian fusion.

Asian fusion style somen noodles served with spicy sesame sauce

I am packing for a month long trip to Tokyo and Paris. I leave on Friday. My family in Tokyo asked for the following souvenirs: My sister Fuyuko: an assortment of cheeses, My father: 3 packages of buckwheat pancake and waffle mix; My brothers: fresh tortillas; My mother: cotton pajamas; My friends: my homemade apricot jam.

I am also packing some mollases from North Carolina so Fuyuko, my pastry chef sister can try it in a recipe. My gifts from California are always ecclectic. I am going to the farmers market now to get some dried California fruit. I am not a light t dream to be. I am looking forward to spending some solid time with my family in Tokyo and also am looking forward to having some food adventures.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Mozzarella Bufala and Spaghetti with Ragu alla Bolognese

Russ Parson's Roasted Cherry Tomates and Mozzarella Bufala.

I am having a Japanese guest over for lunch today. I figured she might be hungry for Japanese food after being in LA for 5 days. So I made some fresh dipping sauce for the noodles last night and checked the pantry to see what kind of noodles I have in stock. I have plenty of soba and somen noodles. I am in good shape. It would be a no brainer simple lunch. But later in the evening, I did what I usually do almost every night. I took a cookbook to read in bed. Whenever I read about food, I either get involved with it or it knocks me right to sleep. What came with me to bed was an old issue of Savuer (April 2008), which featured Classic Pasta. I've read this issue countless times but when it comes to classic recipes, I like to reread and cook them in my imaginary kitchen. This practice hones my skills and deepens my appreciation for cooking, without any pressure. This issue discusses various Ragu alla Bolognese recipes. Ground meat, tomato sauce, red wine, onions, carrots and celery are the basic ingredients. The modern recipe spices the ragu sauce with coriander, star anise, cardamon, sherry vinegar, fish sauce, tabasco and tons of garlic. Another recipe in the same issue doesn't ask for garlic or a single sprig of parsely. An Italian ragu recipe with no garlic or parsely? I reread the recipe to make sure I didn't skip a line. So funny what keeps me up in the middle of the night. Some where between looking for the garlic in the recipe and thinking about tomorrow, I fell asleep. When I woke up this morning, I was still thinking about the ragu alla Bolognese so I decided that I will serve Spaghetti with Ragu alla Bolognese and forget the Japanese noodles.

Spaghetti with Ragu alla Bolognese

You can almost never go wrong feeding Italian food to Japanese people. They adore it. If you go to Japan, the second most popular flag next to the Japanese flag is the Italian flag. This is because there are so many Italian restaurants that fly them. I basically combine three recipes from Saveur but use ground chicken as a base because that is all I have in the fridge. Ground beef, lamb or pork are more common meat for making a ragu sauce. From the modern ragu recipe, I use a dash of coriander and with some hesitation, star anise but I skip the fish sauce, tabasco and the sherry vinegar. That would too adventurous. Then I go to the old recipe I already have in my head, which is no recipe. I add some dried herbs - basil and oregano. Now I feel in my comfort zone. I cook the sauce for about two hours over low heat. I get a little nervous about what the star anise is doing to the sauce. What if my guest doesn't like the flavor? I don't want it to overwhelm so I scoop it out. I taste the tomato sauce. It has a hint of the anise scent. That's exactly what I was going for. I make a few adjustments to the sauce with a teaspoon of sugar to help neutralize the acidity of the tomato and a generous splash of red wine just for fun. It can't hurt. My kitchen smells Italian. The Ragu came out light because I used chicken. My guest thought it was nice and healthy.

There is time to make an appetizer. I decide to do the dish that my friend Russ Parson made for Marisa Roth's party the other night. It is Roasted cherry tomatoes and Mozzarella Bufala which is served on slices of toasted baguette. Russ is not only a very good journalist but also a very good cook. This appetizer was so popular at the party that people took turns sitting in front of the plate. Unfortunately, the Bufala I bought is not the creamy Puglia type that Russ used. I cut my soft but not creamy soft Bufala into bite size morsels and make a sheet of white on the plate. My guest arrives just as I am taking the roasted tomatoes out of the oven. "It smells very good, " she says. "I hope you don't mind, we are eating Italian?" "I love Italian, she said smiling. See I told you. My guest is walking around the house taking pictures of my funky vegetable garden and Sakai's sculptures. While she is snapping away, I put the roasted cherry tomatoes on top of the bufala. I start the water for boiling the spaghetti. Then I go back to the appetizer plate. I garnish the roasted tomatoes with chopped basil and serve it with the toasted baguettes.I offer her wine but she opts for ice tea. I have the same. I will have a glass of wine in the evening.

all gone!

RUSS PARSON'S ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA BUFALA

Serves 2

• 1/2 box or about 24 Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/2 ball Mozzarella Bufala (Puglia style is preferred) 
• 1/2-1 clove garlic, chopped finely 
• 1 tbls sliced basil 
• 1/2 baguette, sliced about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick,crosswise 
• Olive oil, salt and pepper to season 

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. 
2. To roast the cherry tomatoes, put them on a sheet of aluminim foil large enough to hold the tomatoes.  Toss lightly with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  Seal the foil and put it in the preheated oven for about 7 minutes.  When the tomatoes are half way cooked, throw in some chopped garlic for added flavor.  The tomatoes are done when they are very soft and begin to burst.  Do not burn the tomatoes.  Take the tomatoes out of the oven and open the foil to let them cool down.
3.  If you can find Bufala from Puglia, the cheese will be too soft to cut.  Simply, scoop it out of the container and spread it on the serving plate.  If you have regular Mozzarella Bufala Campagna, the ball will be soft but not creamy soft.  So you will be able to cut it into small morsels.  Lay the morsels on the serving plate.  
4. Toast the baguette.  You can brush the surface of the baguette with olive oil, if you like.  Serve the roasted tomatoes on top of the Bufala and sprinkle basil.  Serve with toasted baguette.  
5. Serve immediately.

Chicken Gyoza  

Turnip Miso Soup with Scallions

Vinegared Cucumber with Shiso

I am making gyozas again this week.  It was a last minute lunch just in case our guest showed up hungry.  I made the gyozas with chicken not pork to be on the safe side. It turns out that our guest Brent does not eat meat at all.  "I am a "pescaterian"," he said, "I have also been called a "vegequarian".  New word for me.  This means he eats fish and vegetables.  He loves to go fishing so there is a hunter in him.  He just doesn't eat meat. Too bad I didn't know in advance.  Since Brent had already eaten lightly before he came, he was happy sipping the turnip miso soup and eating cucumber pickles, which I made as an accompaniment to the Gyozas.  

As I watched Brent nibble the cucumbers, he told us how his mother raised him on Julia Child's cooking. "it was good French food made with lots of butter, cream and cheeses."  Who would have guessed?  One day, however,she stopped cooking out of Julia's recipes because she realized it wasan unhealthy way of eating.  Brent said he still loves cheese and eats a ton of it.   So a pescatarian/vegaquariam can have dairy!  

When it comes to Julia Child, she lived passed her 90s so her food could not have been all that bad.  It's all about eating in moderation if you ask me.  My Grandmother lived to be 102 and her favorite food was steak and potatoes but she was a sensible eater.  I own one Julia Child's cookbook, out of which I made my first quiche when I was a teenager.That was a big accomplishment  since I didn't grow up eating cheese in Japan and it was one of my first English language cookbooks to tackle.The quiche, as I recall, came out lovely as did my gyozas.   

CHICKEN GYOZAS

Please also refer to the pictures in my pork gyoza. (here is the link)

• Makes about 50 gyozas  (Serves 4 or more as appetizers)
• 2 packages gyoza wrappers (about 50 pieces) 
• 1 lbs ground chicken
• 2 cups napa cabbage, chopped finely
• 3 scallions, chopped finely
• 1 tbls ginger, peeled and chopped finely
• 1-2 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 tbls soy sauce 
• 1 tbls sake
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash of pepper
• 1 tbls water
• Sesame oil for cooking
• Serve gyoza with Chili Oil (La yu) and soy sauce

1. Combinethe meat, cabbage, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, water, salt and peper. Mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to marinate the meat. 
2. Prepare a cup of water in put it to the side of the cutting board where youwill make the gyozas. The water will be used like glue to seal the wrapper.
3. Put one wrapper on a clean dry cutting board. Place approximately 1.5 teaspoons of meat in the middle of the wrapper and fold in half.  Donot overstuff the wrapper. It will tear. Seal the edge of the wrapper by basting it with water.  You can do this by dipping your finger into the cup of water and use the wet tip of your finger to baste the edge of the wrapper.  Make folds as in the picture or anyway you like.  Use more water to baste and seal areas of the wrapper that are open. You don't want the meat to fall out while frying.  Line wrapped gyoza on a plate. You can refrigerate the gyoza at this stage for a few hours and cook them later but best if you fry them right away.
4. In a medium size non-stick frying pan, pour about 2 tablespoons of sesame oil or more and heat pan to medium. You will get the best results when the pan is heated evenly.  It's the same idea as making pancakes. Put about half the gyozas in the pan.
   
5. When the bottom of the gyozas are evenly brown, pour about 3/4 cup of water or enough to cover the gyozas a third way in water.
   
6. Turn heat to a low and cover the pan.  Let it simmer until almost all of the liquid is gone.
   
7. Open the lid and bring the pan to a medium high.  Let the bottom of the gyozas get crisp. You can add a teaspoon of sesame oil in the pan if you want to have a really crispy finish.  Loosen up the gyozas with a spatula.
   
8.  When all of them look crispy, transfer to a serving plate, brown side up. Serve immediately with chili oil and soysauce.  While everyone is eating the first batch, you can start the second batch.  Makes about 50.

Today, I invited a few neighbors for Happy Hour.  Everyone bought a bottle of wine.  I served a L'Estandon rosefrom Cote de Provence.  I love to drink roses in the summer. I love its color and refreshing taste.  Dan came with a red wine from La Vieille Ferme from Cotes du Ventoux. He said it wasa good one and a great buy - under $10.  He was right.   Ellen brought a beautiful Santa Barbara Chardonnay from Gainey Vineyard. This one was a hit.  

I decided to make Gyozas for everyone. They are the perfect food for a casual gathering. People love to participate in the wrapping process .  No one quite wraps gyoza the same way. I once made gyozas for a party of sixty Brazilian and Canadian film crew in Toronto. There were about 7 or 8 people who volunteered to help and the volunteers kept growing. The kitchen got chaotic and Tommy, one of my volunteer wrappers, ended up slicing his finger with a glass he was using to cut the wonton skins into roundshapes. He had bought square wrappers by mistake instead of the roundones we commonly use for gyoza. Austin, his boyfriend had to rush him to emergency. I felt really bad. Some of the gyozas that we made that evening turned out like empanadas and charcoal but we managed to fry them all up and feed the hungry crowd. They were ecstatic but it was a lot to manage.  

I make my gyozas with three folds on each side. I have tried folding them in one direction but they don't come out as nice. Gyoza making is similar to knitting. Once you get into a certain habit, it sticks with you.  In my meat Gyoza, I use ground pork or chicken, shrimp,scallions, napa cabbage, garlic and ginger. It's all chopped up evenly and I marinate the meat mixture in sesame oil, sake, and soy sauce for a few hours. For today's happy hour, I made two packets worth of gyoza,about fifty in all. They disappeared along with the wines, lemon cillo and the strawberry buckle that Ellen and Liz each went back home to get.  It's good to have neighbors over.  We were one happy bunch. Since I was out of town on Memorial day, this really felt like my first day of summer.  Please also refer to the pictures in the Gyozas I made for a Summer lunch. (here is the link)

GYOZA

Serves 4 (or more as appetizers) 

• 2 packages gyoza wrappers (about 50 pieces) 
• 3/4 lbs ground pork or ground chicken
• 2 cups napa cabbage, chopped finely
• 6 shrimp, deveined and chopped finely
• 3 scallions, chopped finely
• 1 tbls ginger, peeled and chopped finely
• 1-2 clove garlic, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 tbls soy sauce 
• 1 tbls sake
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• dash of pepper
• 1 tbls water
• Sesame oil for cooking
• Serve gyoza with Chili Oil (La yu) and soy sauce

1. Combine the meat, cabbage, scallions, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, water, salt and peper. Mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours to marinate the meat. 
2. Prepare a cup of water in put it to the side of the cutting board where you will make the gyozas. The water will be used like glue to seal the wrapper.
3. Put one wrapper on a clean dry cutting board. Place approximately 1.5 teaspoons of meat in the middle of the wrapper and fold in half.  Do not overstuff the wrapper. It will tear. Seal the edge of the wrapper by basting it with water.  You can do this by dipping your finger intothe cup of water and use the wet tip of your finger to baste the edge of the wrapper.  Make folds as in the picture or anyway you like.  Use more water to baste and seal areas of the wrapper that are open. You don't want the meat to fall out while frying.  Line wrapped gyoza on aplate. You can refrigerate the gyoza at this stage for a few hours andcook them later but best if you fry them right away.
4. Ina medium size non-stick frying pan, pour about 2 tablespoons of sesame oil or more and heat pan to medium. You will get the best results when the pan is heated evenly.  It's the same idea as making pancakes. Put about half the gyozas in the pan. When the bottom of the gyozas are evenly brown, pour about 3/4 cup of water or enough to cover the gyozas a third way in water. Turn heat to a low and cover the pan.  Let it simmer until almost all of the liquid is gone. Open the lid and bring the pan to a medium high.  Let the bottom of the gyozas get crisp. You can add a teaspoon of sesame oil in the pan if you want to have a really crispy finish.  Loosen up the gyozas with a spatula.  When all of them look crispy, transfer to a serving plate, brown side up.  Serve immediately with chili oil and soysauce.  While everyone is eating the first batch, you can start the second batch.  Makes about 50.