Category Archives: Japanese Inspired
Roasted Fennel Risotto with Chilean Sea Bass
This is a delicious and sophisticated dish I came up with. I made this through the week but I think it is very appropriate for a special occasion or a nice Sunday dinner. I have been using fennel a lot these days- raw and roasted. I decided to roast it and cut it up and use it in a risotto- why not, I thought… I also roasted some other aromatic like garlic and shallot. All these ingredients gave the risotto and lovely sweet, nutty flavor.
I bought one of my husband’s favorite fish- Chilean sea bass and marinated it in a miso mixture and simply sautéed it. I also tossed baby arugula with olive oil and lemon juice.
The combination of the risotto and fish with the arugula was unusually delicious… try this dish when you want to impress your family…
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Miso Glazed Cod with Bok Choy
This is a yummy, yummy dish. I used my daughter’s favorite fish, cod. I did a miso glaze like I usually do with the black cod- which is a very expensive fish. It is my husband’s favorite and do make it once in a while- special occasions or when I feel really generous.
The miso glaze is delicious with any fish. The fish was really tasty and simple. I made bok choy on the side and used the tofu noodles with mushrooms.
Amazing meal- try it…
- 3 to 4 cod fillets
- 2 tablespoons mellow white miso paste
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 tablespoon mirin
Mix the miso, tamari and mirin in a small bowl. Marinate the fish with the paste and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
Heat the oven to a high broil. Sprinkle the fish fillets with salt, pepper and oil. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness- make sure not to overcook. Serve over bok choy.
- 4 bunches of baby bok choy, whites and greens separated and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- Salt
Heat a medium frying pan with the oil. Add the bok choy whites and garlic. Saute on medium high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the greens and salt. Saute for another minute or so and serve hot with the fish.
Garlic and Cilantro Shrimp with Soba Noodles
I loved coming up with this dish. I started with fresh shrimp I got from our local fish store. I marinated them in a mixture of garlic, cilantro, salt and olive oil. I skewered them to keep it simple. I cooked them under the broiler but they would be great on the grill outside. The key is to marinate the shrimp for at least 4 to 5 hours- to make sure the flavor permeates into the shrimp.
I then made a delicious noodle dish. I used soba noodles instead of the regular variety. These noodles are healthier as they are made with buck wheat. I added lots of aromatics like onion and garlic. I also added tamari and sweet chili sauce.
While in Whole Foods, I noticed a pack of Chinese greens that can be used for salads or stir fries. I brought them home and decided to use them for the noodles. Baby can be used as a substitute.
The dish was beautiful looking and best of all, it tasted delicious!
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Vegetable Udon Noodles served with Breaded Tofu
This is a great vegetarian meal with tons of flavor. After watching Food Inc, I am trying to incorporate more vegetables and different proteins (other than meat) into our diets. Besides being careful about where our chickens and beef are coming from, I am also very careful about buying local fruits and vegetables.
We all love tofu in our family but again- I have started looking for non-GMO soy products. I found this extra firm tofu at Whole Foods. I usually use tofu in a stir fry but this time I wanted to make something different. I decided to marinate tofu sticks and then use the same breading technique I use to make crunchy chicken fillets. The tofu sticks were delicious- crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside- really good.
I also found Udon noodles in Whole Foods- the best part is the noodles are made out of whole wheat. I chopped up some broccolini and used the shredded carrots I always have in the fridge and made a delicious noodle dish. It was a great looking dish and we all ate it up. My daughter loved both the noodles and the tofu.
Try this fabulous vegetarian dish and I bet your kids will love it…
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Bok Choy and Fresh Corn Fried Rice
I served this rice with the salmon marinated with miso. When my husband and I ate at Ming Tsai’s restaurant, my lobster dish had the most delicious fried rice I have ever tasted. As I enjoyed and devoured the rice, I realized it had butter in it. Now, of course I am health conscious and don’t want to use extra fat but I realized that if I saute the rice in a mixture of butter and olive oil, I can get great flavor as well.
So that is what I did with this rice dish. I had farm fresh corn and bok choy and decided to combine the two in the dish- the more the merrier. Actually the two went really well together. The sweet corn was great with the earthy taste of the bok choy. I sauteed everything together and cooked the rice in chicken broth.
I love making fried rice as a side dish. You can put anything you want in there, really- no rules.. It’s easy to make and all sorts of vegetables can be added to make it healthy.
I was happy to serve a really healthy protein with this fried rice full of vegetables- it was a great combination. My daughter didn’t eat the fish but loved the rice. There was no mention of the strange green vegetable floating around- that is another reason to make fried rice- kids will eat it with whatever you add to it.
Overall it was a successful dinner- no complaints.
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt
In a medium saucepan, heat the butter, olive oil and add the rice. Saute for a minute on medium heat or till the grains begin to look opaque. Add the chicken broth and salt and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium once bubbles begin to show on the surface. Cover the saucepan once the broth has evaporated and cook on low for 15 minutes or till rice is cooked. Take out and let cool.
- 1 large head of bok choy, cleaned and the white and green parts separated and chopped.
- 2 ears of corn, husked and kernels taken out
- 3 inch piece of ginger, minced
- 1 teaspoon white miso
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons tamari
Mix the white miso, honey and tamari together and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
In a wide wok-like pan, heat the olive oil and add the ginger. Saute for a minute and add the chopped white parts of the bok choy. Saute on medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Next, add the green part and the fresh corn kernels. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked rice and the miso mixture. Saute the rice on high heat for 5-6 minutes. Check for seasonings.