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.

Roasted Kabocha Squash

Kabocha squash is an essential vegetable in Japanese cooking. It has a dark green skin and is much smaller than the squash we are used to as Americans. The flesh is a beautiful dark yellow and becomes sweet and fluffy when cooked. It is loaded with carotene and vitamin A. Often when we dine out in local restaurants it comes on a tempura vegetable plate. I decided to try making it at home after I saw this lovely Kabocha squash at the grocery store a couple weeks ago.

I wanted to roast it in the oven so found a recipe using coconut oil. The result was a rich, simple flavor that was a nice compliment to our dinner. If you happen to see Kabocha squash I encourage you to give it a try!

Roasted Kabocha Squash
From Nom Nom Paleo 
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 medium sized Kabocha Squash
2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
Kosher salt and pepper to taste 

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse squash and cut it in half.

Scoop out seeds and cut the squash into thin wedges. Toss in a large bowl with the melted coconut oil, salt and pepper. 

Place in a single layer on a large baking sheet and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, flipping them over after 15 minutes. Serve warm! Note: the Japanese eat them with the skin on and I like them that way too, but you can also peel your squash with a vegetable peeler before cutting it into wedges. 

Okinawan Taco Rice

Taco Rice is an extremely popular dish here on Okinawa. It's said that this dish was created by a local chef who combined the Tex-mex flavor of a taco with rice, a staple in the Okinawan diet. It's a genius idea: the flavors of taco flavored meat on a bed of rice and garnished with traditional taco toppings: tomato, lettuce, salsa. It's on the menu at many local restaurants and we've sampled it several times already. We liked it so much I decided to try making it at home. I loved how this dish calls for melting the cheese on the rice before adding the meat. If you want a taste of Okinawa give this fun recipe a try!

Okinawan Taco Rice
From Cooking with Chopsticks
Printable Version
Makes 2 large servings
Ingredients
1 cup of rice, cooked
1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound ground turkey or beef
6 tablespoons pureed tomato sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Several drops of lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1 cup cheese
1/2 cup lettuce, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped


Directions
Place the cooked rice in an oven proof baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the garlic and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes or until the onions are soft. Mix the garlic and onions into the rice gently with slicing motions instead of mashing motions. 

Heat a little more olive oil in the pan and add the meat. Break the meat into small chunks and once cooked add the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer until the water reduces. 

Cover the rice with cheese and place into the oven for about five minutes or until the cheese is throughly melted. 

Top the cheese and rice with the meat mixture. Squeeze some lemon on the meat and dust with additional chili powder if desired. Garnish with tomato and lettuce and serve. 

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. 

Japanese Curry

Since moving to Japan we have been very eager to not only try the local cuisine at nearby restaurants, but also try making them ourselves at home. We had been told before moving that Japanese curry was out of this world and different from the curries we have tried in the United States. We ate our first curry here a couple of weeks ago and it was delicious! Dark brown colored and very spicy, even though I ordered mild. I got mine with all veggies but hubby got tempura beef. Even though mine was excellent, I have to say, his was better! We enjoyed the curry so much that we decided to try our own at home. The groceries stores here carry Japanese curry sauce mixes such as Golden Curry, the one that I bought. 

I believe if you look in the international section at your local grocery store you should be able to find this brand too. Just look on the box and make sure it's from Japan!  

I used chicken in mine, but you can also use shrimp, beef, or lamb. I served it on udon noodles at hubby's suggestion. Udon noodles are thick, chewy Japanese noodles made from wheat flour.  

Although the box also said to serve over noodles or rice, I really think rice would be better. Plus at the curry restaurant they served it on rice, so I am sure that is more authentic.

Japanese Curry
Recipe from Golden Curry Box
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts
1 onion, chopped finely
3 tablespoons cooking oil
Several carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 package of tofu (this was another addition I added on my own!)
1 cup of water
3/5 ounces Golden Curry Sauce Mix
Noodles or rice for serving
*I also garnished each dish with chopped green onion

Directions
Cut the meat into cubes. Add oil to a large pan and stir-fry meat and onions until onions are slightly browned. Add carrots and red pepper (celery and/or potatoes is also recommended). 

Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, approximately ten minutes. Remove from the heat and break the curry sauce into pieces, then add them to the skillet.

Stir until curry is completely dissolved. Stir in tofu gently. 

Simmer five minutes, stirring constantly. 

Serve hot over rice or noodles. 

Miso Soup

For my second post from Japan, I decided to go with Miso Soup. I've always enjoyed Miso Soup when dining at Sushi restaurants in The States. I love it's subtle taste and the different textures from the seaweed and tofu. It is very healthy and hubby even says he thinks it has "healing powers". Not so sure about that, but when I looked it up on Wikipedia, it did say that some researchers believe it it can reduce the risks of breast cancer. 

It was fun shopping for the ingredients for the soup and guessing as to what things were. I was proud that for my first time I found all the correct items. I think I went a little overboard on the seaweed, mushrooms and tofu, so next time I will scale it back a little. This recipe makes 4 one cup servings.

Miso Soup 
From my Japanese Food Explorers Guide, given to us at our orientation :)
Printable Version
Ingredients
6 ounces tofu
2 1/2 tablespoons Miso (fermented soy bean paste)
3 cups Katsuo dashi (fish soup stock)
1 green onion
1/2 cup small mushroom or seaweed (I went with 1/2 cup of each and it was too much)

Directions
Cut tofu into 1/2 inch cubes. 

Chop green onions. Heat soup stock in a sauce pan. I did this by heating 4 cups of water and adding in the Katsuo dashi (fish stock). Bring to a boil. Add green onion. Mix miso into soup stock. Add tofu cubes, seaweed, and mushrooms and bring to a boil. 

Remove from heat and serve in small bowls. 

First Post from Japan: Goya Champuru

Konnichiwa! Hubby and I have been in Japan for 6 days now, 3 of which we have had to spend inside, sequestered to our hotel room riding out Typhoon Muifa! What a welcome to Japan! We are awaiting base housing which has been delayed due to the typhoon, so I haven't been able to do much cooking yet. Thankfully our good friends took us shopping and invited us into their home (and kitchen) where I helped make goya chapuru. Shopping in an authentic Japanese market was an adventure in itself! Of course everything is in Japanese, so we relied on packaging and our friends pointing things out to understand what most items were. 

After we found the items we needed, we checked out and headed home to start cooking. That night we made homemade sushi, miso soup, and goya champuru. I decided to share the goya champuru with you first, since it's not very different from scrambled eggs! Goya is a bitter melon and is a staple in the diet of Okinawans. 

Champuru is an Okinawan term that means "mixture". After doing a little a research, I discovered there are many variations to goya champuru. Some call for garlic and onions, some use tofu, and all are probably very similar tasting. The similarity in all of the recipes are the incorporation of goya, eggs, soy sauce, and salt and pepper. 

I am going to share with you the recipe that we created. Although I realize most of you will not be able to find goya, if you have an Asian market near you it is possible!

As for my blog, I would love your input on where to go from here. Are you interested in seeing more Japanese recipes even if that means you may not have access to the ingredients?  Would you like to see a blending of both American and Japanese cuisines? Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated! 

Goya Champuru
Printable Version
Ingredients
1 large goya
2 tablespoons cooking oil
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
6 eggs
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Salt and pepper 


Directions
Wash goya carefully, do not peel. Slice lengthwise and discard seeds and inside with a spoon.

Slice very thinly. Heat oil in a wok or saute pan and add goya, cooking until soft.

In a separate bowl, crack and whisk eggs. 

Add into the wok along with the crumbled bacon. 

Pour in the soy sauce. Scramble everything together, making sure not to overcook. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.