When I was growing up in Hawaii, we’d sometimes go buy school supplies at the Japanese bookstore. They always had lots of cool or cute stuff that you didn’t find in the regular stores. The Japanese always designed things that were a step above anything else.
Apparently, they didn’t limit cute design to just erasers and gadgets. They’ve found their way into food as well. Annie got these cute little egg molds sent to her from Japan via Singapore.
Annie found a packet of three servings of miso ramen at the Asian grocery, on sale for 3 bucks. These aren’t your typical fried and dried “Top Ramen” type packets with the overly salty spice powder packet. The noodles are fresh and the sauce is a wet paste. The preparation is straightforward – boil water, make broth, pour over warmed noodles.
To the soup bowl, I added in some frozen corn sauteed in butter, blanched bean sprouts, a barely hard-boiled egg, some slices of home made char siu, and garnished with nori and chopped green onions. I added a few dashes of shichimi chili powder to mine to spice it up a bit.
This really hit the spot. It was just as good or even better than Ramen Halu in West San Jose (supposedly the best ramen in the South Bay).
Aloha, Nate
One of the things I enjoyed growing up in Hawaii was “miso butterfish”. There’s some confusion over what exactly this “butterfish” is. But there’s no denying how yummy it is.
Marinate some seabass fillets in sake, mirin, and white miso for 3 days, turning each day to ensure even coating.
Broil until the top starts to turn nicely brown. Then turn the oven to 400*F for about 8 minutes. Remove and cool.
Over the three days marinating, that lovely miso flavor permeated the flesh of the seabass. Definitely have to do this again!
Aloha, Nate
Korokke is Japanese croquette. If you order it at a Japanese restaurant, you get something that is mostly potato, not very tasty, and often over-fried. Annie made this from scratch as part of a whole Japanese dinner she had planned.
3+ lbs of mashed potatoes, a chopped onion, browned ground beef, a little Worchestershire sauce, and a little ground nutmeg. Mix well and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Shape into patties
Dip them in some beaten egg, then dredge them in panko. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown and delicious. Drain on some paper towels.
Serve with tonkatsu sauce. (My sauce was made with Worchestershire, ketchup, dijon mustard, sugar, shoyu, and a little ground allspice.)
Aloha, Nate