One-bowl lunch

This is definitely the end of winter! But the spring greens and veggies are not yet ready, we'll have to wait a few weeks, so in between, mizuna, brocolli, spinach, na no hana are the best options!

I find that mizuna really goes well with plain Japanese rice, so I prepared it on a rice bowl with some steamed brocolli, and I made some pork-okara-curry bites.

For the mizuna just wash it in clear water, the brocolli I steamed them on top of thd rice for 2 min, the bites, I mixed pork meat with 2 large spoons of okara, one egg, a spoon of curry powder, salt, pepper and cooked then golden. Served all in one bowl, topped with some sesame seeds.

I believed that the pork can be removed and replaced by a little of panko for a veggan experience.

Restaurants in Tokyo

I have had the chance to spend 7 days in Tokyo last week to visit my sister. It has been such a long time I didn't go there, but now it's done. It was so nice, great and lovely to go back there. Nothing has really changed, and that was exactly like in my memories.

During this stay, I went to different restaurants, all very nice from the smaller and traditional one to the best of them, sushi-bar, café, kaiseki, and contemporary Japanese... The menus are completely different but always very good, with a so nice presentation. I choose a few of them for this post.

Burdock soup, grilled mochi and na no hana scrambled eggs

Though it is slowly getting warmer it's still not yet spring. A warm soup for dinner is still very much welcome!

This time I made for the first time gobo (burdock) soup with some grilled mochi (rice cake) and accompanied it with a little na no hana scrambled eggs. 

Gobo are long thin roots with a taste close to artichokes but slightly more bitter and are supposed to be rich in potassium.

For the soup after peeling the burdocks I let them dip into fresh water for 15min, then boiled them 30 min after changing the water (it removes the bitterness). I then remove the water and add fresh water again. Blend well until liquid. Finally when eating the soup I added some vegetable consommé, and pepper. Grilled a rice cake in the oven and serve together.

For the scrambled eggs I just put a little of olive oil in a frypan, added washed and cut na no hana, then eggs, and finally soya sauce.

Nabe four hands

After a cold day walking accross rice paddies, nothing better than a good nabe, home made of course. 

Nabe is a traditional Japanese soup with vegetables (Chinese cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, leeks...), tofu (here we have yuzu tofu), shitaki (white Japanese konyaku pasta) and fish cut in small peaces (or meat, as you like).

In a big pot, on a fire in the center of the table, add the vegetables to the konbu and katsuo dashi bouillon. 

Then, add tofu, pasta and fish (and if you like small shells). You can also go for a 100% vegan version, delicious too.

When it's cooked, everyone can help himself directly in the big pot. Add a drop of ponzu sauce, if you like you can add grilled mochi, rice to put inside and Bon appetite!
Made together by Prunellia and Gentiane!

Kara-age chicken

Today, small Japanese meal for lunch with kara-age chicken and rice with marinated seaweed. It's very simple: you cut the breast chicken in small bites, and you add fresh ginger and soya sauce and let it for a couple of hours. Then just before fry the chicken in oil you add 

potato starch. And it's ready to be cook. When the chicken is gold, you can serve it. I add a drop of mixed sesame-Japanese pepper on it. Bon appetite. 

Special fish dinner

Last night I was invited at one of the university senior professor's place for dinner. It was mainly for business purposes, but it's not so often that Japenese invite you home. After 10 years there, hundreds of dinners at home, I can still count on the fingers the number of houses we've visited as guests!! Most people prefer to invite you at the restaurant.

Last night host's hobby is fishing and he offered us a selection of unique fishes he fished on Tuesday for dinner. Something really delicious and fresh!

The first one was slowly oven grilled sabre fish served with a little of soya sauce and rice. This fish has a very fine white flesh, juicy and it's shape and color make an simple beautiful plate.

The other one, more exceptional is scorpion fish. A quite rare and difficult to catch fish. This very muscly fish has a very firm flesh very similar to the monkfish was served in a shabu-shabu style. Something like a hot-pot where you dip the slices of fish to cook it. 

Everything was home-made and delicious! Thanks for letting me discover these fishes!