Tag: japanese food
Spicy Bok Choy and Pork Noodles
This recipe is also taken from NY Times cooking section…
- 4 to 5 baby bok choy heads, trimmed with the dark green tops and white stems separated. The white stems should be chopped and the greens sliced in half.
- 2 inch piece of ginger, grated
- 16 ounces rice noodles (I used rice udon noodles), prepared according to package directions
- 3 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 pound good quality ground pork
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced
- Salt
- ½ cup torn cilantro
Heat a wok like pan on high with 2 tablespoons oil. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork or back of a wooden spoon until golden and cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1½ tablespoons soy sauce and ½ tablespoon rice vinegar. Transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon.
Add the remaining oil to the same pan and add the onion, ginger, garlic and chili. Cook until fragrant on medium heat for about a minute. Add the bok choy stems and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes and add the pork back to the pan. Toss the noodles, remaining soy sauce and vinegar. Cook till heated through. Check for seasonings. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.
Last Day in Tokyo, Day Seven
Today is our last day in Tokyo- day seven. I am ready to go home but I am in awe of this city and the people. My husband planned this trip- usually I organize our summer vacations but since he is celebrating his fortieth this year, he picked the destination. When he first mentioned Tokyo, I wasn’t too keen- it wasn’t on top of my list of places to visit. I like Japanese food but wasn’t very curious about the cuisine to want to visit. He convinced me by informing me how Tokyo recently took over Paris for the number of Michelin starred restaurants- that really piqued my interest. Once we booked the trip and I started telling my friends, I was pleasantly surprised at how many of them had visited the city and raved about it, especially the food.
Once we got here and looked around, I realized how food is an integral part of this culture. I guess everyone likes to eat- the difference is they do it to perfection. Everything is very lovingly displayed, packed and served. As a tourist, walking around, taking the subway and bus, it is very aparent how thoughtful the whole Japanese culture is.
There is food everywhere, displayed in department stores, on the streets, train stations- really everywhere imaginable. The service is unbelievably warm and the food is amazing. The people are super friendly, very poised and calm. Whoever you look at, they seem happy with what they are doing- even the guy who is sweeping the streets. Everyone does their best- I think that is what makes a society succesful.
If I had to describe this culture in two words- I would use- perfection and moderation. Everything is done to perfection and they do everything in moderation. Even the food flavors are perfectly spiced- not too sweet, salty or tangy.
It was a great pleasure to be here and I have a feeling we will be back….
Day Five- Kyoto Shrines and Temples
Kyoto is a very quaint city compared to Tokyo. Considering the size, I am still surprised at the amount of French cafes and patisseries. Everywhere we go, there is another one to look at and maybe try some kind of a confection. Today, we took all kinds of buses to get around Kyoto. Just like the subway system in Tokyo, the buses here are very well run and quite easy to track. We started the day at the Golden Pavilion, which was gorgeous. A rock garden and the silver pavilion later it was time for lunch. It was a hilly area around the silver pavilion, lined with restaurants as well as homes. We scoped out a few while walking towards the temple. As we came back, we chose a small, quaint restaurant which seemed to be run by a family. We ordered bowls of rice with pork cutlet and egg for me and tofu and egg for my husband.
We relaxed with some beer and sake. The meal was simple, yet delicious. It is amazing how different the portion sizes are when you leave the US… As we walked out, I remembered I wanted to have a soft serve cone with green tea ice cream. I had noticed the shops everywhere and kept forgetting to try one. Well, it was out of this world- creamy with a fabulous earthy, green tea flavor. Not too sweet- just perfect. I am really loving all the confections made with green tea- they are all over the place.
For dinner, we actually did some research and checked on tripadvisor. The number one rated restaurant in Kyoto is called Issian. I am a big fan of tripadvisor since it has never lead us wrong. Well, we decided to go to the restaurant and asked our concierge to guide us and surprisingly we found it. It is part of the famous main street full of restaurants- which is kind of a maize since there are tons of restaurants and very hard to find. It is a Japanese stone grill and they cook all kinds of meat in front of you- to perfection. The meat and fish were delicious and yet again trip advisor did not disappoint us.
The meal started with shrimp and fish. Chicken came in between- and the meal ended with pork and beef. The taste of the meats was unbelievable. We dipped the meats either in salt or ponzu sauce. Miso soup and rice were served, including a salad. We finished off with a delicious sorbet.
Overall it was a great dinner and best of all, the chef told me about a 450 year old knife shop in Kyoto which is world famous- guess who will be buying herself a knife tomorrow??- stay tuned.
Day Four- Bullet Train to Kyoto
Did I mention there is coffee all over the place? I was expecting tons of tea- but not coffee. There are vending machines everywhere with a variety of drinks including lots of iced coffee or cafe au lait. I bought a bottle and it was delicious. We ate the rice cakes, rasq and washed them down with the delicious coffee.
The ride to Kyoto was approximately two and half hours. We reached our hotel and decided to eat at one of the restaurants below the establishment. Soba noodles in a broth for me and a bowl of rice with egg for my husband. We finished and grabbed two French pastries from the hotel lobby- there is food everywhere in this country- amazing! We had a mango mousse and a green tea pastry-absolutely delicious.
After a short break, we ventured out into Kyoto. It was raining so we stuck to the covered outdoor markets. We stopped for coffee and some green tea cake- it was all yummy. The coffee was lightly sweetened with a hint of caramel- I think I want that for breakfast tomorrow! We then moved on to a outdoor food market and sampled lots of things including fried chicken and shrimp dumplings.
We were almost full when we came across a small bar and decided to go in. As we were waiting to be seated, I saw some kind of meat being cooked on a griddle – I asked the hostess and she told me it was chili beef- I told her I wanted that. We sat down and ordered beer and chu-hi, which is a hard lemonade kind of drink- very yummy. Our beef dish came and it was absolutely delicious- very flavorful, a bit spicy but not over powering. It was a perfect end to the day.
We walked back to our hotel via ‘the restaurant row’. It is narrow alley of restaurant after bar after restaurant. An amazing selection- we couldn’t believe it. The Japanese really like to eat- and eat well. We plan to be back there for a meal tomorrow- stay tuned.
Second Day- Tokyo- The Asakusa Area
We went to the old part of Tokyo today, better known as the asakusa area. We saw the Senso-ji temple which is one of the oldest and most popular temples. It is surrounded by a line of small outside shops full of trinkets, snacks and clothes- did I mention the snacks?? My husband was a bit concerned since we had no idea what we were eating- but I just wanted to try everything. The snacks were mostly rice based and even the sweet stuff was not too sweet. We also had a cup of delicious, chilled green tea- probably not the kind you get in the bottled stuff back home.
As we walked, we kept looking at all the restaurants. Japanese food is very visual- most places have pictures of all the dishes served- good for people like us who don’t know the language. We finally ended up at this crowded, small restaurant and were quickly ushered upstairs. As we climed up, we were given a choice of sitting on the stools or mats on the floor. We quickly took our shoes off and sat down to rest our tired feet.
A friendly man came over and said hello. He explained there were no food photos- I waived my hands indicating ‘never mind’. We ordered rice and shrimp tempura with miso soup for my husband and a bowl of soba noodles with pork in a curry broth.
My husband enjoyed his beer as I ordered sake- actually it is called nihonshu. He suggested I enjoy it hot- and it was delicious.
We finished our leisurely lunch and decided to check out the Imperial gardens. Turns out they are huge. To get to the gardens, we walked through the financial district and stumbled upon a little square full of people and restaurants. We sat down in the shaded area and saw a French bakery. I got a madeline for my husband and a burnt milk (caramel) ice cream- one of the best ones I have had.
After an hour rest back in the hotel, we decided to head back to the Shinjuku area to have dinner. There are restaurants on multiple floors of buildings, so you have keep looking up and down to see where you want to go. We decided on a place on the third floor- completely random- the pictures looked good. It turned out to be a place that serves grilled chicken (different parts) and a few other things.
We took our shoes off and were lead into a dark, loud eating area. We sat down and were given a menu with some English- very helpful. We ended up getting a bunch of things- it was tapas style.
Most of the dishes were good- the tofu was exceptional. So were the chicken meatballs. We left there quite happy and picked up a pastry on our way back to the hotel. I didn’t realize how prevalent bakeries are in Tokyo- full of them. The pastry was delicious and so was the good night sleep. Tomorrow we are off to the fish market- stay tuned for my adventures there…
First Day- Tokyo- Shinjuku Area
We got to the busy Narita airport in Tokyo after a thirteen hour long direct flight from Newark, NJ. The food on the flight was not as bad as I thought- it was okay. I saw four movies and four shows- and didn’t sleep at all. By the time we got to our destination (the next day1:30 PM, local time), we were shattered. We caught a train (hour and a half long) to Shinjuku station where we found a hotel shuttle to take us to our bed- yes, that was the only thing on my mind- well, yes, food was as well. We got some kind of a rice snack with seaweed- looked like little pretzel sticks. As we sat on the very clean train- I couldn’t help thinking how well everything is planned out here. It seems they have thought of everything. They tell you where the train is going to stop- what side the station is coming. There are lockers in the train for your luggage and in case you forget your combination- there is an announcement telling you where to go to collect your luggage. Everything is super clean- did I mention how clean the bathrooms are??? Well, it is a tourist’s delight- at least it is mine.
Anyway, after resting, we ventured around the Shinjuku area. It was super crowded and very well lit. We were starving and found a noodle bar. It had pictures, and so we decided to go in. I got a bowl of udon noodles with a strong flavored broth topped with thin slices of pork. I was able to garnish it with thinly chopped green onions, ginger and a seven spice hot powder. My husband got the same noodles with tofu and we also had some shrimp and chicken tempura on the side. It was all delicious.
Later we stopped for beer and some bellini. We sat and watched all the people walk by- I realized the Japanese people are extremely fashionable and well-dressed- a pleasure to sit and watch as I sipped my bellini.
We headed back to our hotel room around 9, ready to sleep after an enire 24 hours, to rest up for tomorrows adventure and good food- so stay tuned…
