Japan Night
We enjoyed the Japanese food the other night so much, we decided to go at it again, but from a different angle.
First, some firm tofu, pan-fried in rendered chicken fat (schmultz
), and dusted with a combination of aonori (prepared sea weed), gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes), and sansyo (special Japanese pepper).
Next, some blanched and steamed and salted edamame (young soy bean pods), wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and pickled ginger.
Next, some avocado rolls: sushi rice (with a bit of sushi seasoning: rice vinegar, salt and brown sugar), rolled in nori (seaweed sheets for sushi), all wrapped around julienned avocado, carrot, and scallions.
Next, mozuku soup: kombu/shiitake/katsuobushi dashi (broth from kelp, de-hydrated shiitake mushrooms, and bonito flakes), and mozuku (a special sea weed), and a bit of mushroom-infused soy sauce.
Next, teriyaki mushrooms: sliced mushrooms (baby bellas & re-hydrated shiitakes from the dashi), sauteed in rendered chicken fat, then glazed with teriyaki sauce and sprinkled with toasted and crushed sesame seeds.
Next, karaage chicken: chicken wings, marinaded in soy sauce, sake, grated ginger, and minced garlic. The wings were then dredged in katakuriko (potato starch) and deep fried. The chicken was served with a dipping sauce, consisting of mayonnaise, Thai fish sauce, and sriracha.
Next, for dessert, some pseudo nigiri sushi: sushi rice, sweetened with a bit of mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine), and topped with sliced strawberries from the garden out back, that had been dusted with sugar.
Finally, to wash this all down, a nice bottle of Choya Umeshu (Japanese Plum Wine).
Enjoy,
Rich P