まぐろ の おむすび - Tuna Omusubi!

ごめなさい ございます, Sorry for the long absence.
But here we are as promised, we're back! It was two winters ago back when we used to get Hollywood UTB Television (Japanese programing with Engirish subtitles) that we first got the idea for this post. It was on the NHK Dramedy 地獄の沙汰もヨメ次第(Jigoku no sata mo yome shidai) aka Wives Make the World Go Round that we were first introduced to Omusubi more commonly known as the rice ball. In the show, Makoto Tachibana  played by Makiko Esumi owns a Omusubi-Ya with the hopes of bringing Japanese Omusubi to New York. Her only obstacle is her hard core traditionalist mother in law named Chiyoko Morifuku played by Yoko Nogiwa who lives in Kimono and takes Japanese traditions seriously. Her extensive omusubi making on the show turned us on to this traditional Japanese stable.

Sure, anyone living close to Little Tokyo or any other Nihon Machi can go purchase Onigiri. But if this is not the case and you'd like to try your hand at making it at home as we have, then you can follow along the way we did ours.
To make Omusubi you'll need the following things:

1. 4 cups Short Grained Rice
2. 1/3 cup Rice Vinegar
3. Salt
4. 1pkg Nori
5. 3 cans of Tuna
6. Patience!

If you have ever made Mexican Tamales, you know you are in for a time consuming labor of love. And if Chiyoko Morifuku had anything to say about it she'd tell you that you really do this with spirit. That or she'd hit you over the head with her shamisen. So let's cook with gusto and do our best! がんばって ください!

So as you might have guessed, we are going to need some rice. Short grained sushi rice is optimum. I prefer to use Matsuri Premium Rice for my Japanese Cooking.
Prepare rice as you would normally do. One part rice per part water and remember to put a dash of salt. Generally, I use two cups of rice to make six Omusubi. Depending on how large or small you make them, quantities may vary.

As with any other Japanese rice, add a cap full per cup of rice of Rice Vinegar and stir in. Shake your pot from side to side t absorb additional moisture.

Before you do anything else, fan your rice! You will be working with your hands and the last thing you want to do is burn your self with hot scalding rice in your hands.

Any good sized Japanese fan you have lying around from Obon will do!
Had I known this the first time I made Omusubi I would have not had to write this all so important reminder. And if this is your first time making Omusubi then you have already avoided your first crucial mistake. You see this is why I write this blog so you can learn how to and not to do in Japanese traditional or Japanese inspired cooking.

With your rice all squared away you will be ready for the next step.

In making Omusubi it is generally recommended to use small rice bowls in your preparation.

If you are a Shintoist like me you'll understand the importance of salt.
Salt is used for both purification and to keep the rice from sticking to your hands.

So have a bowl of salt handy because you will be needing it!

If you have already rubbed salt in your hands then you can proceed to the next step.

Take out your rice bowl and half way fill it with rice.
If the rice is still steaming, use your fan to cool it down.

My bowls are slightly over the size of my hands. You may want to use smaller bowls. I do not recommend using anything larger than this sized bowl or else you will make gargantuan rice balls that only a Sumo Wrestler could appreciate.

Next take a spoonful of canned tuna or cooked salmon meat.
Place it neatly in the center.

I recommend using tuna that has been preserved in water.
However you can use other available methods.

It's personal preference I would say.

With your rice spoon, place a small scoop of rice over the tuna covering it completely.


Sure this may seen obvious but in case you've never seen omusubi much less made it yourself I'd like to leave the detail so you don't write me and say I've got scalding rice in my hands...now what?

So now if your rice bowl looks like this, then you are ready to shape it into a rice ball.

Now if you have ever made home made meatballs before, then this will seem very familiar.

As previously aforementioned, you'll want to make sure your hands have been rubbed with salt.

You'll next turn your rice bowl upside down and into your hand.

From here, you will shape the rice by turning and squeezing the rice into a firmly packed, neatly shaped round rice ball to the best of your ability. The sticky rice combined with the salt will fuse the rice together when compressed. Make sure you shape your rice into a neat ball.

Remember, in Japanese Cooking presentation is very important!

Once your rice ball is ready you will be ready to add your precut Nori.

Lay the nori out flat and place the rice ball at one side.

Gently roll the riceball so that the nori carefully wraps around in the middle.

Take your time.

Once you have successfully rolled your first Omusubi, repeat the process. You will want to eat them within 24 hours. Keep covered so the rice will not harden.

You may spend two to three hours doing this but in the end you will end up with a traditional Japanese staple that you can impress your friends with.

We first debut'd ours at the Shinkendo Honbu Dojo in Little Tokyo. We deliberately did not tell Mrs. Obata Sensei who made this until we heard the first Oiishii from one of the resident Nikkei namely Mrs. Obata herself who was really impressed to see a non-Nihon-jin like me make Omusubi. This turned out to be a big hit for us and can be for you too!

Enjoy!



(Seen here is the batch we made for the Koyasan Buddhist Temple)

Serving up Soba

Soba noodles never quite caught my attention until I first tried my hand at cooking Japanese dishes. That's likely in part due to their resemblence to spaghetti that we've grown up with here in the states.

Ahh but despite appearences, the similarities stop there.
Watch!

Like with any noodle you'll want to bring a pot of water to a boil.
Drop a bundle of the noodle into the ot and stir right away.
Decrease heat and simmer for no more than five minutes.

Now if you are in Japan, aquiring a zaru is no problem. Luckily, I live near Little Tokyo so I can find these things. But if you live out somewhere like my parents do in a state with no Japanese community then your on line stores can provide you with one.

So that the hell is a zaru anyway? A zaru is actually a bamboo mat used for draining noodles much like a colander and it's also used for serving as you'll see in my final photo.

You don't need a zaru to cook soba but it sure looks traditional if you do!

So now that you have your soba ready drain it with a colander or a zaru with cold water.
Rinse and drain completely before you serve! I can't emphasize that one enough. I once neglected to rinse thoroughly the first time I tried to make soba and thought I got a bad batch. Nope! That's why it's good to read the instructions!

Now that I've got your atten well continue on!

Presentation is always part of the game.

But it's not just presentation. It's ultimately about taste.
 
Here's what I reccomend servinv soba with:

1. Thinly diced green onions.
2. Thinly sliced nori (seaweed)
3. Wakame - Dried Seaweed.

 
Combine all these elements together on top of your zaru or favorite serving plate with a shot or two of Ponzu Sauce and you are ready for a quick and easy Japanese meal that can be enjoyed at any time of the day.
 
Enjoy!

Furofuki-Daikon Or What to do with a Daikon Root?

I've always wanted to try a Daikon Root recipe but had no idea once I found one how to follow along in a manner that made sense. Like with any new dish, there is bound to be some level of trial and error. My attempt was no exception.

For Japanese people this is no daunting task but if you are like me who didn't grow up with this stuff there's bound to be some initial confusion. But that's ok. We're here to share how we went about this so you can get an idea of what you can do and should you be in Japan and low on cash this is something you can make for next to nothing on the fly.

At first glance the Daikon Root looks sturdy enough to carve but one quickly finds how easy they are to split apart when you least want them to so proceed with care.

So what we did was slice in 1 1/4 inch cuts.
Next with a small pairing knife you'll need to peel off the outer edge of the Daikon Root.
This is where you find how easy it is to make unintentional cuts so take your time and make it look nice. Remember with any type of cooking presentation is part of the game. Once you have the outer edge of the root peeled away you'll want to make small cross like cuts to help absorb heat and avoid further splitting.

Now many recipes I have came across recommend cooking rice along side this dish. One byproduct of the rice cleaning process is the rice water. You'll actually want to use that water to cook the root slices for around ten minutes in a large sauce pan or cooking wok. On the surface this didn't make too much sense but they say this offers better texture so being I had never cooked with Daikon Root before, who was I to argue with?

Once you've cooked the Daikon Root in the rice water you'll want to drain that out and replace with a simmering sauce comprised of :
1tsp Sugar
1tsp Salt
2tsp of Mirin
3 or more tsp of Soy Sauce - Depending on taste.

Pour the Simmering Sauce in the Daikon and bring to a boil for ten minutes then serve.
If you have access to Japanese Kombu (kelp) you can add this when you serve it.

If you followed along you may do something creative with rice.
I added thinly sliced nori and furikake (roasted Sesame).
This is only a serving suggestion.

So far I have to say mine came out pretty good! That's a do-again at my house!

There are other Japanese ways to cook Daikon but for the simple first time this is one easy way to try.

Enjoy!

Tamago no Ramen

Now if you have ever been laid off before or simply did not know what to make on a budget here's something for you!

Salmon Salad