Category Archives: Japanese Inspired
Roast Chicken Breast with Miso Gravy
Another great way to serve chicken- Japanese style with delicious miso paste… I served it over broccolini fried brown rice…so, good!
- 2 tablespoons dark miso paste
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons mirin
- 2 large chicken breast halves on the bone with skin
- Salt
- Pepper
Mix all the ingredients together. Loosen the area between the meat and the skin with your fingers and place the miso paste on both pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate for 2 to 3 hours.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons dark miso
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
- Salt
- Pepper
Heat a large frying pan with the oil on medium heat and brown the chicken pieces skin side down for 2 to 3 minutes or till golden brown- be careful not to burn as miso and honey burn easily. Transfer the pieces to a baking sheet and bake in a 400 degrees oven for 15 to 20 minutes or till the chicken is cooked through. Keep aside.
In the meantime, pour any excess fat from the frying pan. Add the green onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes or till about ½ cup is left. Add the miso paste and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, parsley and basil and serve with chicken.
Miso Ramen with Pork Broth
This dish is definitely a labor of love. I love eating a steaming hot bowl of ramen noodles and love to go eat it at Ippudo in NYC. It is the ultimate comfort food for me. Well, I got it in my mind to replicate the dish… it was quite an adventure from going to the Asian store and getting all the ingredients to finding pork bones… I went to three different stores to find the neck bones… it was all worth it as in the end I had a delicious broth and a yummy bowl of ramen. I made extra broth and froze the rest…
Pork Broth
- 1 to 2 pounds pork neck bones
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, preferably on convection heat.
- 2 teaspoons instant dashi granules
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 4 tablespoons red miso paste
Transfer the bones to a line cookie sheet and roast in oven for 45 minutes to an hour or till the bones are golden brown. Transfer to a stock pot and cover with water, at least 10 to 12 cups. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 to 4 hours, adding water as needed. Skim any brown stuff that comes up to the surface. Turn the heat off and take all the bones out and let cool. Strain the broth and return to the stock pot, you should have about 8 cups broth. Bring to a boil and add the dashi granules, tamari and miso. Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste the broth and keep aside.
Take the meat off all the bones and shred and keep aside.
- 4 eggs
Place the eggs in a small saucepan and cover with the eggs with water. Bring to a boil and cover with the heat off. Let sit for 5 minutes and take the eggs out and place under cold running water. Un peel and keep aside.
- 1 bunch Chinese Broccoli, stems chopped off and chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
- Salt
Heat a wide frying pan with the oil. Add the Chinese broccoli and sauté on high heat for minute. Add the garlic and salt and continue sautéing for 5 to 6 minutes. Check for seasonings and keep aside.
- Dried ramen noodles, enough for 4 people, cooked according to package directions.
- 4 green onions, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 bunch enoki mushrooms, end cut off
- Nori strips (dried seaweed)
Place the noodles in all four bowls. Top with enough of the very hot broth. Cut the eggs in half and place on top, sprinkle with a bit of salt. Add a bit of pork meat in all. Add the Chinese broccoli, the green onions, cilantro and mushroom in all the bowls. Top with cilantro and serve.
Yaki Udon with Chicken and Tofu
My daughter loves to eat yaki udon whenever we go to a Japanese restaurant, she absolutely loves it! I guess what is there not to love about a yummy, steaming bowl of noodles… especially udon noodles. I love how thick and delicious they are! Now that we have the Asian store nearby, I have been buying fresh noodles from there. I got a pack of fresh udon noodles from there. The key to delicious yaki udon are just a few ingredients- mirin, a sweet cooking wine and dashi granules. They give Japanese dishes that particular flavor we all taste in Japanese cuisine.. the rest of the steps and ingredients are easy…
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 large shallot, sliced
- 1 large chicken breast, sliced thin, sprinkled with salt
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup snow peas, sliced
- 1 pack firm tofu, cut into cubes
- 1 16 ounces pack of fresh Udon noodles, cooked according to package directions
- 2 green onions, sliced
Sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons dashi powder
- 3 tablespoons mirin
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
Mix the dashi powder, mirin, soy sauce, chicken broth and corn starch in a small bowl and keep aside.
Heat a wok like pan with the oil and add the shallots. Saute on high heat for a minute. Add the chicken breast and sauté on high heat till golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Take out of the pan leaving the shallots in there. Add the carrots and snow peas and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tofu and the cooked noodles. Saute for a minute and add the chicken back and the sauce. Bring to a boil and stir well and cook till chicken slices are cooked through. Taste for seasonings and garnish with green onions.
Pork and Vegetables Stir Fry Ramen Noodles
This was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and wanted me to make it again!
- 1 pound boneless pork chops, sliced
- ¼ cup Szechuan peppercorns, ground
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
Marinate the pork slices with the peppercorns and salt for 2 to 3 hours in the fridge. Take out half an hour before cooking.
Heat a frying pan with the oil and add the pork slices. Cook on a high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Take out and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 red chili, deseeded and chopped
- 2 cups Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium red pepper, sliced
- 1 cup green beans, trimmed and cut in half
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shao Shing Hua Tiao cooking wine
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ponzu sauce
- 1 packet of Ramen noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Transfer the oyster sauce, fish sauce, cooking wine, dark soy and ponzu sauce to a medium bowl. Mix well and keep aside.
Heat a wok like pan with the peanut and sesame oil. Add ginger, garlic and red chili and sauce for 1 to 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper and green beans. Sauce for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the noodles and cooked pork slices. Mix well and add the sauce. Toss and garnish with green onions and cilantro. Serve warm.
Miso Udon Noodles with Chicken and Scallops
We love anything with noodles in our house. So, when we visited a Japanese grocery store in Edgewater, NJ, we were thrilled to find fresh Udon noodles in the freezer. I was inspired by the yaki udon my daughter orders at our favorite Japanese restaurant. The key ingredient is to have white miso which is readily available at grocery stores. Try this dish- it is delicious!
- 1 pack udon noodles, cooked according to package instructions
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- ½ pound scallops, cleaned and sliced in half
- 2 to 3 chicken cutlets, sliced thin
- 2 inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- 1 10 oz pack Cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small bunch of bok choy, chopped, whites and greens separated
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
Miso Sauce
- 1 tablespoon white miso
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon low sodium tamari
Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and keep aside.
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Mix the cornstarch into the chicken broth and keep aside.
Heat a wok like pan with the oil. Brown the scallops and chicken slices on high heat, in 2 to 3 batches and keep aside. Add the ginger and mushrooms to the pan and sauté on high heat until the vegetables are golden brown- about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the white parts of the bok choy and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the greens parts, noodles, scallops and chicken. Saute for a minute and add the miso sauce and chicken broth. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cook till the chicken strips are cooked through. Check for seasonings and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.
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.