Yakisoba

Before we lived in Okinawa I had never heard of yakisoba. It is a a type of stir fry with ramen style noodles and a sweet thick sauce that is very popular here in Okinawa. It's at basically every festival on the island, which is where we usually eat it. I decided I need to try making it at home in our final months here, while I can still get the noodles easily and while I still remember the taste. 
This recipe is based off my friend AnnMarie's recipe. It's one of those dishes that everyone has their own take on. I wanted to try it with shrimp but traditionally pork or chicken is used. I did stay true to the vegetable combination though, using cabbage, carrots, onion, and green onion as a garnish. 

Yakisoba
Printable Version
Serves 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil but olive or vegetable would work fine too)
Half a head of cabbage, chopped in about 1/2 inch pieces 
8 baby carrots (or 3 regular sized), thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
1 pound of shrimp, pork or chicken
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or mirin
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (if you don't have this just add in 2 minced cloves of garlic)
1 package of yakisoba noodles 
Sprinkle of sesame seeds (if desired)

Directions
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Add in cabbage, onion and carrots and cook for several minuted until onions are translucent. While the vegetables are cooking whisk together the soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic chili sauce (or garlic). Add the sauce to the wok with the meat and stir until heated through. 

Stir in the noodles and serve immediately with a garnish of green onions and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)

For our latest dining out in Okinawa experience, hubby and I went to an Okonomiyaki Restaurant. We happened upon it while out shopping and sight-seeing. We had heard of this type of restaurant, where you choose ingredients for a cabbage batter pancake and cook it on a griddle at your table. It sounds strange, but they are really very tasty! The ingredients all compliment one another and the result is a savory, filling meal. At the restaurant my husband ordered a pork Okonomiyaki very similar to the one I recreated at home. Here is hubby's dinner at the restaurant:

I got a "Mexican" flavored Okonomiyaki. Bad choice. It wasn't terrible, but the spices were strange and I really preferred hubby's over mine. The next day my neighbor and friend Louise asked me if I knew what my next Japanese recipe was going to be and I said I wasn't sure. She gave me a recipe for Okonomiyaki without her even knowing we had just tried it the night before! It was cooking fate, I tell you! I "Americanized" the recipe because I realize you won't be able to find hakurikko flour, pickled ginger or dried fish flakes and I didn't use them in my recipe anyway. The next time you are feeling adventurous or want to try something exotic, I hope you will consider making your own Okonomiyaki. Just the name is cool, don't you think!? :) I listed variations after the recipe, as the sky is the limit with these!

Okonomiyaki (Japanese "As-You-Like-It" Pancake)
Serves 2
Printable Version

Ingredients
2 2/3 ounces flour
1 ounce yam (sweet potato)
3 1/3 ounce fish stock or water
2 think slices of bacon
3 1/2 ounces cabbage
Green onion
1 egg
1 ounce Worcestershire Sauce
1 ounce Mayonnaise
1 ounce Vegetable Oil

Directions
Rinse the cabbage and green onion in cold water. Cut the cabbage into julienne strips and the chop the green onions. Peel the yam and grate. Chop one slice of bacon thinly and leave the other.

Place the flour, stock (or water), and grated yam into a bowl and whisk throughly to create the batter.

Add the cabbage, green onion, bacon and egg to the bowl and mix well. 

Heat a griddle to 400 degrees and add some vegetable oil. Pour the batter onto the griddle and place the other slice of bacon on top. 

Heat for three minutes. Turn the pancake over and allow the other side to cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for five minutes. Flip again and cook for three minutes. Flip on more time and cook another three minutes. 

Whisk the Worcestershire Sauce and Mayonnaise together and spread on the top layer. Serve immediately!

Variations: Shrimp, cheese, squid, corn, etc. in addition to or instead of the bacon. 

Crunchy Peanut Slaw

I love cole slaw and especially cole slaws that include a crunchy component. I saw this recipe for crunchy cole slaw with peanuts on The Kitchn and realized I had already had all of the ingredients so gave it a try right away.  It has lovely Asian inspired flavors and a wonderful crunch from the peanuts. It would be a great side dish to any of your summer meals!

Crunchy Peanut Slaw 
From The Kitchn
Printable Version

Ingredients
1 medium head of cabbage (I used one bag of shredded cole slaw mix)
1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
1 bunch green onions
1 cup chopped cilantro, chopped (two handfuls)
Salt and pepper

Dressing:
1/2 cup light oil (like canola)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more to taste)


Directions
Shred cabbage very finely and toss with peanuts in a large bowl. 

Chop the green onions, both the white and green parts. Toss green onions and cilantro with cabbage and peanuts. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Whisk ingredients for the dressing until emulsified and taste to modify for your preference of sweetness or saltiness. Pour over cabbage combination. 

Southwest Slaw

This is the phenomenal slaw from Patio Daddio that I made for the Grilled Fish Tacos. It adds an excellent crunch atop the fish tacos. It is zesty, smoky, and so good that I ate it for lunch all by itself the next day!

Southwest Slaw
Modified from Patio Daddio
Printable Version


Ingredients
1 package of cole slaw mix (or 1/4 head red cabbage and 1/4 head green cabbage)
1/2 red onion, sliced very thin
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped medium-fine
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 whole limes, juiced
1 whole chipotle chile, in Adobo sauce (canned)
1 tablespoon Adobo sauce (from the canned chiles)
1 teaspoon garlic salt


Directions
Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and blend well with a stick blender. You could also put into a stand mixer.

Set aside. Combine cole slaw mix and red onion in a large mixing bowl. Add the cilantro and dressing to the bowl and mix well. 

Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Serve on top of fish tacos or with your food of choice: burgers, sandwiches, etc.

Gram's Cole Slaw

This cole slaw was a staple in Gram's fridge. I love cole slaw and my Grandm'a cole slaw was definitely my favorite. It's sweet, tangy, and creamy. I love how it has a little bit of this and a little bit of that, which is so classic of my Grandma's cooking. She just eyeballed ingredients and tasted as she went along. So in honor of her I did not use a single measuring cup to make this recipe. 

This picture of my Grandma and Grandpa on their wedding day in 1947. My Grandma was only 16 when she and Grandpa eloped and got married in Indiana. They were married for 61 years and were each other's best friend. Truly amazing if you ask me. 

Grandma's Cole Slaw
Printable Version


Ingredients
3 flat tablespoons sugar
2 heaping tablespoons Hellman's Canola Mayonnaise 
2 heaping tablespoons low fat sour cream
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 of a green pepper, chopped
1 teaspoon celery seed
1 or 2 shakes of garlic salt (don't overdo)
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 package of shredded coleslaw mix or 1 head of shredded cabbage with a few carrots shredded 

Directions
Mix all of the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Taste for sweetness or tanginess and add sugar or vinegar if needed. 

Asian Noodle Salad

This is Pioneer Woman's "Most Favorite Salad Ever, Ever, Ever, Ever!" Just the pictures of this amazingly beautiful and incredibly colorful salad had me hooked - there are so many veggies in it that I cannot remember them all unless I look at the ingredient list. I love the addition of the cold noodles, it makes the salad more hearty. My favorite part was probably the toasted cashews. I played hunt for the cashews with every bite I took.

I wasn't sure my meat loving husband would be a fan of this uber healthy, chocked full of veggies salad, but he was! The dressing was his favorite part, he kept asking for just a little bit more. It is an extremely wonderful dressing - soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, etc. YUM YUM YUM! This salad is so big I couldn't fit it all in my lovely red salad/pasta bowl. There are so many servings in this you will be eating it for days, so make it when you are either trying to fill you veggie quota for several days or for a healthy addition to a potluck or luncheon.

Pioneer Woman's Asian Noodle Salad

From PW

Printable Version

Ingredients
(get ready, it's loooong)

For the salad:
1 package of linguine noodles, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
1/2 head sliced Napa Cabbage, or more to taste
1/2 head sliced purple cabbage, or more to taste
1/2 bag baby spinach, or more to taste (I used an entire package)
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced thin
1 orange bell pepper, sliced thin (didn't use this - that's a LOT of bell peppers!!)
1 bag bean sprouts (also called Mung Bean Sprouts)
Chopped Cilantro, up to 1 bunch, or to taste
3 green onions, sliced
3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced (only used 2)
1 can (10 ounces) of cashews, lightly toasted in a skillet (watch these, you gotta keep them moving!)

For the dressing:
1 whole lime, juiced
8 tablespoons of olive oil
8 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons (up to 3) of sesame oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 whole hot peppers or jalapenos, chopped (I omitted, scared of these!)
Chopped cilantro

Directions
Mix salad ingredients together. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour over salad. Mix with tongs or hands and serve on a platter. Note: Dressing keeps for up to three days.

Sesame-Soy Salmon

My wonderful in-laws gave me this beautiful Dutch Oven for my birthday, along with a very cool recipe book called Glorious One Pot Meals. The first recipe I tried from the book is Sesame Soy Salmon. I chose this dish because I was looking for a salmon recipe, since 3 of you lovely readers voted I should use salmon next in my ingredient poll. It sounds strange combining salmon, cabbage, and avocado, but it was a very unique and light dish. I love the flavors of the sauce: soy sauce, ginger, garlic, lemon juice and sesame seeds. It was super healthy too, using just a little sesame oil and lots of veggies. Everything was cooked perfectly. The salmon just flaked off, the cabbage was not too crunchy, not too mushy, and the avocados kept their delightful shape and flavor. I am excited to put my new Dutch Oven to use as I try out more recipes from the cookbook.

Sesame-Soy Salmon

From "Glorious One Pot Meals"

Special Thanks and Lots of Love to Mom and Dad T

Ingredients:

2 1/2 teaspoons of sesame oil

1 cup Jasmine Rice

1/2 - 3/4 lb salmon filet

2 carrots, peeled and julienned

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 head red cabbage shredded (about 2 cups) *I used green cabbage 

1 avocado, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat the inside and lid of a cast iron Dutch Oven with 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil.

Rice the rice in a strainer under cold water until the water turns clear. Tip the rice into the pot. Add 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon water and stir to make an even layer. Place the salmon in the pot and scatter the carrots of top of the fish.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, ginger, garlic, sesame seeds, and lemon juice. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. 

Pour half the mixture into the pot.

Layer in the cabbage and top with avocado. Pour the rest of the soy sauce mixture over the top.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes. Serve immediately. 

Chinese Napa Cabbage Salad

I've come to the conclusion that any recipe which involves sesame oil is going to be a winner. I really enjoy the flavor of sesame oil in stir fries, and our favorite short rib marinade and it adds a very lovely nutty complexity to this cabbage salad. I've read that sesame oil is the "Queen of Oils" because of it's healing powers and nutritionally, it contains Vitamin E (an anti-oxidant which helps lower cholesterol), magnesium, copper, calcium, iron and Vitamin B6.

The sesame oil is only one of the great flavors in this salad. The topping of toasted ramen noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds add a wonderful crunch and the green onion taste is mild, yet significant. The dressing is delicious, so much that I would mix it up and use again to dress any Asian salad combination.

This recipe makes a large portion, so I separated the cabbage and onions into three different containers and will add the dressing and topping to it when I eat it, so it doesn't get soggy. It would be a great side at a potluck or large meal.

Ingredients:

1 (3 ounce) package of chicken flavored ramen noodles

1/4 cup of butter

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1 large head of Napa Cabbage, shredded

6 green onions, chopped,

1/4 cup of olive oil

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce - I was out and used Teriyaki Sauce, which tasted fine, too!

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/8 cup white sugar

Directions:

Crush noodles and place them in a medium sized skillet. Brown in butter over medium heat heat. Add in the almonds and sesame seeds, stirring often to prevent burning. Add seasoning mix from ramen noodles and cool (I only used 1/3 of the packet and found that to have more than enough of the chicken flavoring).

Prepare the dressing by whisking together the oils, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar. Add in salt and pepper to taste. Pour dressing over salad and toss with topping.