Oyako-don

Ingredients(2 servings)

150g chicken thigh
1 onion
1 tablespoon green peas(frozen)
2 eggs
seasonings
3 tablespoon soy
4 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoon mirin(sweetened sake)
2 teaspoon sake

Preparation

1. Slice chicken into small bite-size pieces, pour boiling water on them for removing smell and extra fat, and drain.
2. Slice onion.
3. Boil green peas roughly. 

Recipe

4. Put 1 cup water, seasoning, chicken and onion in the pan and cook them. Turn the fire down after boiling soup up.Cook it for 2 or 3 minutes.
   
5. Spread the beaten egg over the onion and meat in the
   pan. Sprinkle green peas on egg and cook until the egg harden partially.
   
6. Put the hot rice in each donburi(bowl). And place 5 on top of the rice.

Takikomi Rice

Ingredients: (4 servings)

540cc rice, rinsed well, soaked in water and drained in a strainer
560cc water
1 tablespoons sake, soy sauce
Salt
150g chicken, cut into 2cm sections and soaked in Sake and soy sauce
1/2 gobou, sliced thinly as if you were sharpening a pencil
1/3 carrots, cut into 2cm sections
1/3 package konnyaku, cut into 3mm thin and 2cm sections and
rubbed with salt, quickly parboiled and drained in a strainer
1/2 package fried bean curd, parboiled and draind in a strainer
and cut into 2cm sections
4 shiitake, sliced
Seasoning A)
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. Mirin, Sake

Recipe:

1. Put seasoning A in a rice cooker and stir.
2. Add chicken and other ingredients and boil them.
3. When the rice is cooked through, fold several times
   to mix with the other ingredients. Divide into
   individual serving bowls.

Toasted Rice Balls

Ingredients

• One cup (200cc) of cooked rice for every 2-3 rice balls required
• Fillings: flesh of pickled plums ("umeboshi"), shaved bonito ("katsuo bushi"), tuna fish, teriyaki chicken, or "takuan" (yellow pickled radish).
• Soy Sauce
• Salt 
  

 

Preparation 

Cook the rice in the normal (Japanese) way, but decrease the amount of water by 20 percent. One cup (200cc) of rice is sufficient for 2-3 rice balls.

Wet your hands thoroughly, sprinkle salt on them and rub them together. Shape the rice with pressing and rolling motions. The rice ball should be firm.
Poke a hole in the rice ball and insert the filling. Shaved bonito should be mixed with a small amount of soy sauce before insertion.
Toast the rice balls on a grill over a slow flame. A stove top fish grill is often used in Japan, but a barbecue grill is also suitable.
Toast them on both sides, being careful not to let them burn. Baste both sides with soy sauce at least once while they are being grilled.
When both sides are a golden brown, they are ready to serve.

 

Imo-yokan

Ingredients(4 servings)

250g sweet potatoes

40g sugar
1 teaspoon kanten powder
Salt

Preparation

1. Lay a paper in the lunch box to harden. 
   

Recipe

2. Cut sweet potatoes into 3 cm pieces and peel. Soak in water for a while and drain. Remove water of sweet potatoes, put 200g of them into the bowl. Heat them for 4 minutes by the microwave oven.
3. Crush the hot sweet potatoes by a whisk.
   Strain them by the strainer.
   
   
   
4. Put 3/4 cup water, sugar, Kanten powder and a little salt into the pan and put it over the fire. After boiling up, put the crushed sweet potatoes into the pan. Stir the sweet potatoes. After boiling up again, put out the fire.
5. Cool the pan in the water stirring by the wooden patula. After cooling down, put the sweet potatoes into the lunch box. Flatten and cool them. After hardening, cut them.

 

Ohagi

Ingredients (15 ohagi)

A:300g azuki/ One and three fourth cup of sugar
B:Half cup of kinako/ One fourth ~ half cut of sugar/ Little salt
C:200g mochi rice/Little salt/200cc water
D:Half cup of aonori

A:How to cook anko

1. Wash the azuki.
   
2. Place them in a saucepan and add enough water to cover them. Cook over high heat untill it boils, then, cook over medium heat for 40~60 minutes. Once in 10 minutes, add 100cc water removing the scum periodicully.
   
3. When the azuki become soft, cook over high heat and drain thoroughly. Then, add half suger mixing.
   
4. Add rest suger and salt and mix. Turn off the heat and let azuki cool

B:How to cook kinako

1. Add sugar and salt and mix.

C:How to cook mochi rice

1. Wash mochi rice right before cook. When cooked,steam them.
   
2. Add salt. Beat mochi rice with wet suriko-gi untill become like moti.
   
3. Make mochi rice round like ping pong ball shape.
   

How to cook ohagi

1. Anko/Put 1 tablespoons anko on hand. Then, put rounded mochi rice on anko,and rap.
2. Kinako/Add 1 teaspoons anko in mochi rice. And cover kinako with mochi rice.
3. Aonori/Same as kinako.

Western style Sushi

This recipe shows that you can make delicious sushi using Western ingredients. Why not experiment using your own favourite ingredients? Gomokuzushi
INGREDIENTS


    * 800g sushi rice
    * 12 slices smoked salmon
    * 100g sliced ham
    * 100g cheddar cheese
    * 2 pickles
    * 3 eggs
    * some salt
    * some capers

HOW TO COOK

   1. Cut the ham, cheese and pickles into 5mm cubes.
   2. Pour the beaten egg and salt in a heated frying pan to make scrambled eggs.
   3. Place the sushi rice, ham, cheese, scrambled eggs and pickles in a bowl, mix well, and serve on a plate. Cut the salmon slices in half and then place these on top. Garnish with capers.

Tempura Dipping Sauce

Although tempura is sometimes served sprinkled with salt, this is the classic accompaniment to a classic Japanese dish. Ten-Tsuyu
INGREDIENTS

    * 200 ml water
    * 50 ml mirin
    * 50 ml soy sauce
    * a handful of katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

HOW TO COOK

   1. Put all the ingredients in a pan and heat until boiling.
   2. Remove pan from the heat and leave the sauce to cool. Once cooled, filter it through a sieve. Drain the katsuobushi well to take all the flavour out of the sauce.
   3. The most popular additional ingredient for tempura sauce is daikon oroshi (grated radish). When grating daikon (peeled), don't grate too roughly and drain well before serving.

Tempura

This most quinessential of Japanese dishes seals the flavour of a variety of ingredients within a coating of light, crsipy batter. Tempura
INGREDIENTS

Serves 4

    * 1 egg
    * 100ml cold water
    * 100g plain flour
    * selected vegetables and seafood

HOW TO COOK

   1. Break the egg into a bowl, add the water and mix well
      The eggs, water and flour for the batter should be chilled in a refrigerator to make the batter crispy.
   2. Add the flour, sifting out any lumps then mix together with chopsticks, moving them to the right and left. Don't move them in a circular motion, or the tempura will not be crisp when fried.
      Don't mix the batter too much, just mix it roughly so that some of the flour can still be seen in the mixture.
   3. Heat enough oil to cover the tempura to a high temperature (up to 180 degrees) in a deep frying pan. (You can test that the oil is hot enough by dropping a small amount of mixture in the pan. It should form a crisp batter immediately).
      In order to keep the oil temperature constant, don't fry too many ingredients at the same time.
   4. Dip the vegetables in the batter and deep fry immediately. When they begin to change colour, remove them from the pan and place them on kitchen paper to drain any excess oil.
      When removing the excess oil from the tempura (by placing it on kitchen paper), don't do too many pieces at once, as too much oil will remain on the tempura.
   5. The hard vegetables (i.e. squash, sweet potato etc.) should be cooked carefully, making sure the oil is at the right temperature. Finally, fry the seafood (i.e. prawns, squid and fish). Before dipping in batter, cover each ingredient with flour to prevent the oil from splashing up when frying. Remember to remove any batter that has separa

Temakizushi

This is a very relaxed way of enjoying sushi and a great idea for a party, with everyone helping themselves to rice and toppings and having a go at making their own. Temakizushi
INGREDIENTS

Makes 2 rolls

    * 800g sushi rice
    * 8-10 sheets of dried seawed
    * cut into quarters (adjust according to the number of sushi)
    * 120g raw tuna
    * a few chives
    * 1 packet of natto (50g)
    * 4 umeboshi
    * 4 shiso
    * 1 can of tuna
    * some Japanese mustard
    * some Japanese soy sauce
    * some mayonnaise

HOW TO COOK

   1. Chop up the raw tuna and mix it with the finely chopped chives. (This will make a negitoro roll)
   2. Stone and crush the umeboshi, chop the shiso into fine strips and mix them together. (This will make an umeboshi roll)
   3. Stir the natto well, mix it with a small amount of mustard and soy sauce. (This will make a natto roll)
   4. Remove the oil from the canned tuna, and mix it with mayonnaise. (This will make a tuna-mayonnaise roll) You can roll sushi with salad leaves instead of seaweed. You can use other fillings such as takuan, cucumber, rolled omelette, thinly sliced.
   5. Each person scoops up enough rice for 3-4 bites (about 60g), places it on a sheet of dried seaweed, adds the topping of their choice and rolls it up to eat.

Simmered Plaice

This basic recipe is a classic method for preparing a 'simmered' fish dish Karei no Nitsuke
INGREDIENTS

    * 2 pieces plaice
    * a small piece of ginger skin

    * [A] 150 ml water
    * 1 tbsp sugar
    * 1 tbsp soy sauce
    * 1 tbsp sake

HOW TO COOK

   1. Mix the ingredients of the simmered broth [A] in a shallow pan with the ginger skin and bring to the boil.
   2. Put the pieces of plaice side by side in the pan with the skin sides up. Cover the plaice with a piece of cooking foil slightly smaller than the pan in diameter.
   3. Simmer for 15 minutes then remove the cooking foil and scoop out the broth with a spoon and pour over the plaice. Simmer for a further 3-4 minutes.

Scattered Raw Fish Sushi

INGREDIENTS

    * 250g sushi rice
    * some wasabi

    * [ Toppings ] 3 slices tuna (20g each)
    * 2 slices sea bream
    * (15g each) 1 ark shell
    * 1 scallop
    * 1 shrimp
    * 1 slice squid
    * 2 slices rolled omelette

HOW TO COOK

   1. Pour 70ml hot water over the squid to parboil, and prepare the seafood according to the Nigirizushi recipe.
   2. Make the rolled omelette in the same way as for the Egg Nigirizushi, and cut 2 x 3cm width slices.
   3. Arrange all the toppings on the rice and serve in a bowl, garnish with wasabi. This dish is eaten with chopsticks.

Salmon Teriyaki

This is an extremely popular way of serving salmon in Japan, basted with a soy sauce-based sweet sauce.
INGREDIENTS

    * 2 pieces salmon
    * sprinkled with salt

    * [A] 2 tbsp soy sauce
    * 1 tbsp mirin
    * 2 tsp sake
    * 2 tsp sugar

HOW TO COOK

   1. Place the salmon, skin side up, on a gridiron and grill (medium heat). When the surface becomes light brown, turn the fish over and grill the other side as well.
   2. Place the ingredients for teriyaki sauce [A] in a small pan and simmer, stirring constantly, until it becomes slightly sticky
   3. Cover the top of the salmon with 1/3 of the sauce and grill at a medium heat. When the sauce becomes dry, repeat the process twice to use up the sauce.

 

Deep-fried Chicken Nuggets (Tori no kara-age)

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes

For the marinade:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 30g (1 oz) root ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the coating:

• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 2 slices lemon, to garnish

Grilled miso chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons light miso
• 2 green onions, crushed and slivered
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger root
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 8 boned chicken thighs, skin intact
• 1 tablespoon seven-spice powder (optional)

Chawan-mushi (egg custard)

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 2 3/4 cups cooled soup stock [chicken stock + fish-based stock (powdered or liquid form acceptable) + dash of sake and soy sauce]
• 4 slices of gu (filling, such as fishcake, shiitake mushroom, or chicken breast, parboiled)
• 4 cilantro leaves (also known as chinese parsley)

Inside-out California Rolls

Ingredients:

• Clingfilm
• 3 half-size sheets seaweed paper
• 1 quantity sushi rice
• Japanese horseradish
• Thinly sliced cucumber
• Flesh of 1 avocado
• 150g / 5 oz crab meat
• Toasted sesame seeds and roe (optional), to garnish

Baked Onion Chicken Thighs with Umeboshi and Shiso

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for the baking dish
• 1 large onion, minced
• sea salt
• fresh coarsely ground black pepper
• 10 umeboshi, pitted
• 20 shiso leaves, chopped, 1 tablespoon reserved
• splash of sake
• 1 pound (450g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Ochazuke with Salmon Flakes

Ochazuke is a dish in which hot tea is poured over cooked white rice topped with a few simple ingredients. It is a deceptively simple yet extremely tasty dish beloved by all Japanese. Ochazuke can be enjoyed as a light meal or snack at any time of day, and it is extremely easy to prepare. All you need to do is put some simple ingredients on a bowl of hot white rice and pour a cup of tea over it.
Of course, the flavor of the dish will improve if you are particular about the rice, the type of tea, and the topping. Favorite Japanese toppings are pickled plums (umeboshi), dried sea laver (nori), grilled salmon, soy-simmered fish and seaweed, tempura, broiled eel, and so on. Alternatives from Western cuisine are grilled chicken, grilled salmon, pickled cucumber, smoked salmon, and oysters marinated in oil.
Various seasonings can be added for flavor, such as sesame seeds, Japanese horseradish (wasabi), or freshly grated ginger. Ochazuke is normally served in a bowl large enough to hold the rice and a generous amount of tea. Individual salad bowls, large breakfast cups, or cereal bowls are good substitutes.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 salmon steak
• salt to taste
• 1 1/2 cups hot water
• 1 1/2 tsp sencha, bancha, or hojicha [green tea]
• 1 bowl warm cooked rice
• 2-3 trefoil (mitsuba), cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) lengths
• 1 tbsp croutons or any crunchy cereal
• Japanese horseradish (wasabi), optional

Blowfish Sushi To Die For

I love me some Happy Hour and Blowfish Sushi to Die For not only has HH, but so much more. This futuristic restaurant satisfies the taste buds and entertains the eye. The music thumps and the hip architecture is a conversation piece. And let’s not forget the food, it is, after all, the reason we’re here.

Traditional sushi and sashimi are well represented and bring on the Asian fusion; the combination is music to my ears. If you are adventurous like I am, and I know you are, try their To Die For appetizer, not only does it combine lobster and filet mignon, but who thought you could add mascarpone to that? And the Pyramid of Tartar is unbelievable; layers of tuna, salmon, and avocado with honey tartar, sweet ginger soy and house chips, man this has to be seen to believe it. They also have oysters, prawns and sushi, of course.

Entrees include Chilean Sea Bass, Filet Mignon, Ahi and Chicken. And the sushi menu is extensive; from yellowtail to monkfish liver and sea urchin, they’ve got a little bit for everyone. They even offer dessert, I highly recommend the Ice Cream Sampler, I just love trying little bit of everything.

For my drinking buddies Blowfish serves up a fantastic Dragon Crackergreen Tea, Mango Mojito, Plum Sake Cosmo and Peach Nympho. All good, all unique, all alcoholic just like I like em.

Blowfish can be found at 9229 Sunset Blvd, in Los Angeles, 90069. For information phone 310-887-FUGU (3848) or email infola@blowfishsushi.com. Hours of operation are Mon-Fri, 12pm to 2:30pm for lunch, Mon-Thurs, dinner is served 6pm to 11pm, Fri-Sat, 6pm to midnight and Sun, 6pm to 10pm. Happy Hour is Mon-Fri, 5pm to 7pm. Visit them online for a unique experience

Gyu-kaku

Gyu-Kaku is a wonderful bonding experience. Now I don’t normally say that about a restaurant, but most restaurants don’t let you make and break bread at the same time…figuratively speaking. Even Gyu-Kaku says it themselves, their goal is to deliver happiness through their food and experience, and trust me, they definitely deliver.

The idea of Gyu-Kaku is that dining together in an enjoyable atmosphere creates an enjoyable lifestyle. Because I dine out so often, I can truly say I believe this. I love the experiences different cuisine and restaurant s can bring. At GK I had the pleasure of trying their Hawaiian Ahi Poke appetizer and the edamame, not to salty, not to squishy. For an entrée I’d suggest their Kobe Filet Mignon or the Kobe Trio for meat eaters. If you are a non-red meat person, go ahead and try the Garlic Lobster or Shrimp, or the chicken. They also offer a ton of different vegetables items to grill as well as wonderful noodle and rice dishes and tofu.

And save room for dessert, they have s’mores! S’mores at a restaurant that you grill yourself. How cool it that? Or try their banana chocolate ice cream, it is divine. It’s also a great place to take a group, they’ve got set priced menus that make it fun without worrying if you are racking up the bill.

Gyu-Kaku is located all over Los Angeles. I went to the Beverly Hills location at 163 N. La Cienega Blvd, in Beverly Hills, 424-354-3462. For more information on a location near you visit their website at http://www.gyu-kaku.com. The BH location is open Mon-Thurs, 5pm to 11pm, Fri-Sat, 5pm to 12am and Sundays from 5pm to 10pm.

Kaiseki cuisine ( haiku-type)

The term “kaiseki” originally meant a meeting and specifically a meeting of composers of “haiku” poems as it has the same pronunciation as the “kaiseki” used in the tea ceremony. There were originally 2 types of “kaiseki” cuisine, one for a meeting of “haiku” poets and the other for the tea ceremony. But, as people gathering at the poetry meetings were often similar to those gathering at tea ceremonies, the two words were and still are sometimes confused. The “kaiseki” cuisine for the meeting of poets is defined as “kuikiri”, or “eat-out” cuisine, and its purpose is to enjoy the tastes of different recipes without being too much worried about ceremony and formality. The food is served individually at intervals. Recipes are served on individual, small dining tables about 1.2 feet wide without legs. The food is generally composed of “saki-zuke (hors-d’oeuvre)”, “suimono (soup)”, “muko-zuke (a main dish composed of sliced raw fish, etc.)”, “kuchi-gawari (an entr_e to refresh the palate)”, “yakimono (broiled foods)”, “nimono (stewed foods)”, “aisakana (steamed or fried foods)”, “sunomono (food pickled in sweetened vinegar)”, “tomewan (end course)”, etc. But the simplest recipe consists of only three dishes, that are sometimes increased to higher odd numbers such as five (including two soups), seven, nine and eleven. The contents of the menu and the order in which the dishes are served are left to the discretion of the chef.

Unagi Donburi

Material:

     * 200 grams of white rice
     * 100 grams of unagi, wash clean
     * 1 egg, omelette

Material sauce:

     * 200 ml kikkoman soyu
     * 1 tablespoon rice wine (I do not like can not a)
     * 3 tablespoon mirin
     * 3 tablespoon sugar
     * 2 tablespoon honey
     * 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
     * 75 ml water

How to make unagi (sidat) donburi:

    1. Heat mirin to burn, wait until the fire dimmed.
    2. Enter the sake, sugar, kikkoman soyu, grated ginger and honey.
    3. Add water, cook with small fire until the sauce is reduced slightly and a bit thick.
    4. Turn off the fire, take unagi, polish with the sauce bit by bit.
    5. Roast with fire while being scrubbed repeatedly until cooked unagi.
    6. Serve with white rice and omelette.

Tempura Donburi

 Ingredients

    Main Ingredients    
                           
    2 cups     steamed white or brown rice    
    2/3 quart canola or vegetable oil    
    Tempura    
                           
    8 pieces large shrimps    
    2 pieces Okura    
    2 pieces Shiitake mushrooms    
    3 tablespoons water    
    Tempura batter    
                           
    1 cup Tempura flour or cake flour    
    1/2 cup water    
    1 large egg    
    Condiments    
                           
    10 tablespoons Temtsuyu (Tempura dipping sauce)    
    2 cups Miso soup    
    some pickles

Recipe

Tempura    
Peel off shrimp skin, slit along spine with about 2/3 inch in depth, slightly open the slit, and remove a black dorsal vein.    
Make several cuts lengthwise with Okura. These cuts will prevent from burst while frying.    
Remove Shiitake stem and slit a cross at the top.    
Tempura batter    
Prepare a small bowl.    
In the bowl, bring an egg, remove chalaza and then whisk. Don't skip the chalaza removal process for a better tasting result. Use chopsticks for removal.    
Using a fine mesh strainer, strain the whisked egg into another small bowl to smooth it out removing the remaining of egg and chalaza, and set aside. You may need to use a spoon to beat out whisked egg through strainer.    
In a medium size bowl, bring Tempura flour, water and the whisked egg.    
Frying Tempura    
Prepare a large deep skillet. Heat 3.5 inch deep oil to 340 degrees F.    
Bring shrimps in the prepared Tempura batter, put batter around shrimps, and bring the all shrimps quickly into the skillet one at a time.    
Fry shrimps for about 7 minutes or until the surface gets light brown. Bring shrimps on paper towel draining oil off.    
Bring Okura and Shiitake in the prepared Tempura batter, put batter around them, and bring them quickly into the skillet one at a time.    
Fry Okura and Shiitake for about 3 to 5 minutes or until the surface gets light brown. Bring them on paper towel draining oil off.    
Finishing    
Bring half the prepared steamed rice into each of two large bowls.    
Pour 2 tablespoons of Tentsuyu all over the steamed rice in each bowl.    
Place the cooked shrimp, Okura and Shiitake on top of the steamed rice. Pour 3 tablespoons of Temtsuyu all over the cooked Tempura in each bowl.    
Serve with Miso soup and pickled ginger, if desired.

Tonkatsu Donburi

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cup steamed Japanese rice
• 4 pieces tonkatsu
• 1 onion
• 1 1/4cup dashi soup stock
• 5 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 eggs

Preparation:

Slice each tonkatsu into about 1 inch-wide pieces. Slice onion thinly. Put dashi soup stock in a pan and heat on medium heat. Add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in the soup. Add onion to the pan and simmer for a few minutes. Put tonkatsu pieces in the pan and simmer on low heat for a few minutes. Beat eggs in a bowl. Bring the soup to a boil, then pour the eggs over tonkatsu and onion. Turn the heat down to low and put on a lid. Turn off the heat. Serve steamed rice in four deep bowls, then place the simmered tonkatsu on top of the rice. *Makes 4 servings

Gyuniku Donburi

Gyudon (beef bowl) is a popular domburi dish consisting of beef and onion served over a bowl of rice. The meat and onion are cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake giving the dish a sweet, salty flavour. Many chain restaurants (gyudon-ya) specialize in gyudon making it an informal, inexpensive dining option frequented by students, and ideally suited to travelers on a budget.
Typically, beni shoga (pickled red ginger) and shichimi (red chili mix) are available at the table and added to taste. Tofu or konnyaku (devil`s tongue) may be cooked along with the beef although these ingredients are more common in home recipes than at restaurants. Common restaurant additions are a beaten raw egg stirred into the finished product, or green onions sprinkled on top of the meat.

From left to right: beni shoga, soup, raw egg Between 2004 and 2006, a Japanese ban on imported American beef drastically affected the production and sale of gyudon, causing upset among gyudon lovers. However, the ban increased the popularity and frequency of butadon and tondon, which are both pork variations of beef bowl.
Gyudon ya are numerous and often open 24 hours. These restaurants operate in one of two ways. Either a staff member takes one's order as usual, or the meal is paid for in advance at a vending machine located near the restaurant entrance.
A side bowl of miso soup may come with the meal or be offered in a combo set. Other side dishes are salad and kimchi. Tea and water are offered for free with refill jugs available on the table for customers to serve themselves.
Japan's three largest gyudon-ya chains are:

Japan's three largest gyudon-ya chains are:

	Yoshinoya 1062 outlets in Japan as of March 2008 Yoshinoya's orange sign and logo are almost synonymous with gyudon. It is Japan's largest gyudon chain and has overseas locations in Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and the US. A standard size gyudon serving costs 380 yen.
	Sukiya 995 outlets in Japan as of March 2008 Sukiya offers are broader range of menu items and markets itself as a "suburban family restaurant". Its restaurants typically have more booth space than the other two large chains. A standard size serving of gyudon is 350 yen.
	Matsuya 719 outlets in Japan as of January 2008 Matsuya is the smallest of the three big chains. Their gyudon bowl is called gyumeshi on the menu and is always served with a side bowl of miso soup. A standard size serving of gyumeshi costs 350 yen.

 

Oyako Donburi

This is a popular (at least in Hawaii) Japanese dish which is often served at restaurants in individual bowls. Oyako means mother and child, hence the main ingredients, chicken and eggs."

 INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

    * 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    * 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips
    * 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
    * 1 cup chicken broth
    * 6 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked until soft, then sliced into strips
    * 1 carrot, julienned
    * 2 tablespoons white sugar
    * 4 tablespoons soy sauce
    * 1/2 teaspoon salt
    * 1/2 cup chopped green onions
    * 5 eggs, beaten

 
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chicken strips and onion until the chicken is cooked   through, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off as much liquid as possible.
 2. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and carrot, and let simmer for a few minutes before stirring in the sugar, soy sauce and salt. Simmer for 3 more minutes. Sprinkle in half of the green onions, stirring gently. Pour beaten eggs over the chicken mixture, and simmer until the eggs are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve over Japanese sticky rice.

Smoked salmon cake

Ingredients :
6 servings :
3 eggs
150 grams (1/3 pound) wheat flour
1 small bag of baking powder
1/10 liter (1/2 cup) colza oil
100 grams (1/4 pound) grated gryèere cheese
80 grams (1/6 pound) smoked salmon
5 centiliters (1/4 cup) ale (beer)
Direction :
1. Pre-heat the oven at 350°F
2. In a salad bowl, blend the flour and the baking powder, then add the eggs and stir so that you get rid of any lump, then add the beer and the oil and stir, then add the salmon cut in small cubes and the grated cheese. Let the mixture rest during 30 minutes and then pour it into a rectangular high edged cake mould.
3. Cook in the oven during 20 minutes but after the first 10 minutes, cover the cake with an aluminium sheet. As usual, the cake is cooked when a needle inserted into the heart of the cake comes out dry and hot. Wait for 15 minutes, after the cake is out of the oven, before removing it from the mould.

Serve your cake sliced and warm and present in a sauce dish a salted and peppered chantilly cream, topped with some chopped cives or a pinch of grated horseradish

Roasted scallops coated with hazelnut crumbs

 

Ingredients :
One recipe of our menu 'special end of the year celebrations'.

(for 8 servings if part of a sampling menu or for 4 if a starter :

24 nice scallops (without the red coral)
For the hazelnutcrumbs coating :
50 grams of hazelnut powder
30 grams of potatoe starch
1 soupspoon of olive oil
table salt and black pepper
2 peeled and seedless tomatoes, cut into small cubes ('mirepoix')
2 de-germed, crushed and chopped cloves of garlic
10 cored black olives
A little thyme flower
16 mini blinis (the smallest as possible),
table salt, freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
For the lemon cream :
1 large cup of liquid cream
5 gram of powder of curcuma
50 grams of capers
the juice of 1/2 lemon
Direction :
The preparation of this recipe is very quick ; before the meal, you will have already prepared the sauce you will keep hot in a 'bain marie', the tomatoe purée will be ready in a small saucepan and the oven will be pre-heated at 350°F to heat the blinis.
You will then only have to cook the scallops (3 minutes) and to put them on service dishes (the whole will only take 6 to 7 minutes).

1/ In a small saucepan, heat 1 soupspoon of olive oil, then add the tomatoe cubes, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and let it cook covered with a lid during 10 minutes. Then, add the black olives cut in big pieces and keed the whole out of the heat.
2/ Prepare the lemon cream : in a small saucepan, pour the cream and the lemon juice, add little salt and reduce to half quantity ; then add the curcuma (or saffron) and the capers and keep in a hot 'bain marie'.
3/ Prepare the hazelnutcrumbs coating :
In a salad bowl, blend the hazelnut powder with the starch, add salt and pepper and put on a dish.
4/ When it is time to go to the dining room, pour 1/2 liter of olive oil in a dish and heat a non adhesive frying pan with little olive oil. Put you scallops in the olive oil of the dish then in the hazelnut crumbs and roast them in the hot frying pand during 2 minutes on each side and put the scallops aside.
This preparation step must be done very quickly so that the scallops stay hot.

Service : pour some lemon cream into the bottom of each individual service dish, 3 scallops at the perimeter of the dish and, on the middle of the dish, a little blini topped with a spoon of tomatoe purée and a second blini so that both blinis look like an open scallop shell.

The textures, the slight acidity brought by the lemon cream and the slightly sugared taste of the scallops will bring you a moment of happiness.

You will not find this recipe in any book : I have created it only for the loyal visitors of our site 'aftouch-cuisine.com'...

Foie gras with caramelized onion

Ingredients :
Ingredients:
450 g of foie gras
5 g of salt,
10 g of pepper,
3 big onions peeled and sliced thinly,
1 lump of sugar,
Salt and pepper

Direction :
Gently place the foie gras in a non-stick frying pan and place on medium heat. Add salt and pepper.
Using two spatulas, very delicately turn the liver repeatedly in the frying pan for 25 minutes. With care, remove the foie gras from the frying pan and place it in a terrine, then add some fat from the frying pan. Using a weighted plate, compress the foie gras lightly.Keep the foie gras in the terrine for at least four days in the refrigerator before serving. To make the caramelized onion, mix the thinly sliced onion with a little water and cook on medium heat until onions take on a beautiful brown color.

Browned scallops

 

Ingredients :
Browned sea scallops For 4 persons :

150 g of small button mushrooms
8 sea scallops (without the coral part)
1/2 liter of dry white wine
1 kg of mussels
1 tablespoon of flour
2 tablespoons of fresh cream
50 g of butter
1/2 yellow lemon
breadcrumbs

Direction :
Roast ine butter the mushrooms. Make the mussels opened in a large pan on strong heat on the hob, then remove their shells, filter the juice. Poach during 6 - 7 minutes the scallops (removed from their shells) in the wine with salt and pepper. Drain them, reserve the liquid of cooking.
Make a light brown "roux" with 1 tablespoon of flour and 50 g of butter, dilute little by little with the juice of cooking of the mussels and of the scallops. Let it thicken under slow heat during 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of thick cream, the lemon juice, adjust seasoning. In 4 hollow scallop shells, distribute mushrooms, mussels and scallops.
Coat with the sauce, sprinkle breadcrumbs, put a pat of butter on top and make it gratinate (brown).

Anchoiade and Coquilles St Jacques (scallops)

 

Ingredients :
For 6 guests :
12 scallops
12 medium tomatoes
6 anchovy fillets
3 garlic cloves
2 egg yolks
25 cl of olive oil
The juice of 1 lemon
30 gr of capers, finely chopped
6 handfuls of lamb's lettuce
balsamic vinegar
chives
Direction :
Using a knife, draw a cross on each tomato bottom. Boil some water and scald the tomatoes for several seconds. Next quickly plunge the tomatoes into ice cold water and proceed to peel them.
Cut the tomato tops and carefully scoop out the flesh from inside. Using a knife, cut a small slice at the bottom of each tomato in order to enable each of them to stand upright.
For the anchoyade: blend the anchovies and the garlic cloves (degermed and peeled).
Put the anchovy paste in a large bowl. Add the egg yolks and whisk everything together with 20 cl of olive oil in order to make a mayonnaise. Add the chopped capers and the tomato flesh.
Set aside in the refrigerator.
During this time, put some fine salt inside each hollow tomato and place them upside down on a grill for ½ an hour so that they lose their water.
In a small dish, cut your scallops in 2 along the width. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and cover them with 5 cl of the remaining olive oil. Add the lemon juice and leave to marinate for ½ an hour.
Wash the lamb's lettuce properly at least two times, manually leaving any dirt on the bottom of the washing container. Dry the lettuce carefully using a cloth napkin.
Put some anchoyade inside each tomato and then add a scallop slice in each of them.
Season your lamb's lettuce with the scallop marinade and season to taste.

Composition: the salad should be placed in the middle of a nice individual plate (season the salad only at the last minute). Delicately place the scallop halves on top of the salad, put a tomato on each end and decorate with surrounding droplets of balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle chives over the composition in a decorative way.
This first course can be served on a festive occasion. It will lightly waken your taste buds, enabling you to enjoy a stronger main course.

Emmental Cheese Tarte with Apricots and Fennel

Ingredients :
Recipe for 4 guests
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 à 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the shortcut pastry:
250 g of flour
1 egg
100 g of butter
1 pinch of salt
A bit of flour
For the garnish:
250 g Grated French Emmental cheese
1 fennel
100 g of apricots (fresh or frozen)
50 g almonds, powdered
2 tablespoon spicy oil (in which an Espelette chilli pepper has been kept)

Direction :
For the shortcut pastry:
Mix the partially melted butter with the flour. Dig a hole in the middle: add an egg in the middle. Add salt. Work the dough. If it is too dry you may add some water. Keep working the dough until it becomes firm and until it is well blended. Pat in order to make a ball with the dough and place it in a plastic bag in the fridge for 30 minutes. During this time prepare the tart filling.

For the filling:
Wash the fennel, peel it and cut it into thin slices.
Wash the apricots and cut them in four.
Preheat the oven at a temperature of 350°F (180°C or th6).
Roll down the pastry and place it in a flan dish. Prick it with a fork in several places. Add the powdered almonds. Add the fennel and the apricot pieces. Sprinkle with a large amount of emmental cheese. Pour a dash of spicy oil. Cook in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Our cook's touch: We may also add some fennel grains in order to bring up the aniseed taste of this dish.

Olives Cake

Ingredients :
Olives cake recipe for 6 to 8people :
For 1 or 2 baking tins depending on their sizes
300g strong flour
100g pitted green olives
100g pitted black olives
50g sun dried tomatoes
30g smoked duck
20 cl rose wine
5 eggs
8 cl olive oil
15g baking powder
Some salt
Some cayenne pepper
Direction :
1) Start your oven at 200 degrees Celsius (392F)
2) In a bowl, mix the olives, the smoked duck and 50g of flour. In this way they will stay dispersed evenly in all the cooked cake.
3) in another bowl, place the flour. Add the beaten eggs, baking powder, tomatoes, salt, wine, pepper and the olive oil. Mix well with a spatula. Then, add the olives.
4) Allow to rest for 15 minutes and pour the mixture into a (or 2) tins.
5) Bake for 40 minutes.

Cauliflower Cream with Smoked Salmon Caviar

Ingredients :
For 6 guests:
400 gr of cooked cauliflower
30 cl of dairy cream
15 gr of powdered gelatin
60 gr of smoked salmon eggs
salt, freshly ground pepper
dill
Direction :
Set aside 6 tiny cauliflower tops.
Mix the gelatin with the cream and put it on slow heat while mixing. Put the cream in a blender, add the cauliflower and som salt and pepper and blend for 1 min.
Important: Pour the warm mixture halfway into nice looking glasses or smal bowls and leave these in the regfrigerator for 2 hours. Next, decorate placing some smoked salmon eggs in the middle of each cauliflower cream and some tiny cauliflower tops on the edges of each glass. Sprinkle with some dill.

PS: one of our greatest French cooks had the brilliant idea of combining the taste of the cauliflower with that of caviar. It is simply delicious. You may substitute the salmon eggs with these small black coloured eggs…

King's Cake

Ingredients

• 1¼ pounds puff pastry (available in the frozen foods section of the supermarket)
• 1 dry bean (such as a dried kidney bean or navy bean)
• 2 eggs
• 7 ounces almond paste
• Paper crown for decoration

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Grease a cookie sheet.
3. Roll out pastry an 8-inch round.
4. Mix 1 egg with the almond paste until smooth and spread evenly onto the pastry.
5. Place the bean anywhere on the filling.
6. Roll out another 8-inch piece of pastry and place it over the almond filling. Press the edges together firmly to seal. Score the top layer lightly with a sharp knife.
7. Beat the other egg lightly and gently brush over the top layer.
8. Bake for 20 minutes. Lower the heat to 400°F, and bake for another 25 minutes.
9. Serve warm, with the crown on top.

Serves 8. The person who finds the bean is designated as the queen or king.

Yule Log

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 Tablespoons water
• 1 cup cake flour
• 1½ teaspoons cornstarch
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ½ teaspoon vanilla
• Large jar of seedless jelly (strawberry or raspberry)
• Chocolate frosting, 1 can
• Powdered sugar
• Optional decorations: holly berries and evergreen leaves (fresh or artificial)

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Grease a jelly-roll pan (cookie sheet with a rim all around) and line the bottom with waxed paper. Grease the waxed paper well.
3. Beat the eggs until frothy and pale yellow in a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the sugar and water to the eggs and continue to beat.
5. Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.
6. Add the flour mixture to egg mixture.
7. Add the vanilla and almond extract.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
9. Bake for 15 minutes. (Toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Do not overbake.)
10. Remove from oven. Cover pan with a clean dishtowel, and turn over to remove cake from pan. Remove pan and carefully peel off the wax paper. (Cake is wrong-side up.) Trim off any crusty edges.
11. Fold one end of towel over short end of cake, and carefully roll cake up inside the towel.
12. Lift the whole roll and place it, seam side down on a cooling rack.
13. Allow to cool completely. Unroll carefully.
14. Coat the cake completely with jelly.
15. Carefully roll the cake back up again, without the towel.
16. Cut a 2-inch slice from one end and cut in half.
17. Attach these pieces to the sides of the cake to resemble branch stubs on a log.
18. Frost the cake "log" with chocolate icing. Drag a fork along the length of the cake, scoring the frosting to resemble bark.
19. Arrange holly berries and evergreen leaves around the cake if desired.

Serves 12 or more.