Japanese

When I first think of Japanese food, sushi of course comes to mind. What comes next, nigiri and sashimi. After that—edamame, gyoza, udon, and then I’m really wracking my brain for specific dishes. Given my obvious lack of Japanese cuisine knowledge, I wanted to use this week’s Cuisine Adventure to expand my palette and try new dishes. Japanese culture and cooking is so rich with tradition and variety that this was the perfect week for me to really learn and explore. No sushi. No dumplings. And definitely no edamame (sorry to all my soybean and salt fans).

SUNDAY

MONDAY

Of course, before diving headfirst into Japanese cuisine, I asked my followers for dishes that I should try out. I got a whole litany of responses, but far and away, katsu curry was the most common response. I knew that katsu is a panko-breaded cutlet (either chicken or pork), but truly had no idea that it was typically served with an Indian-derived curry stew and white rice. I thought this dish would be a great place to begin my week of learning and experimenting. I wasn’t wrong. The dish was excellent. It definitely was a weekend recipe though, as it took three hours in total to prepare, with me needing to make a stock, make a stew, steam white rice, and shallow-fry chicken cutlets. In the end, all the disparate components came together in a delicious, warming and filling dinner that I could see myself eating during the colder months. For Okonomiyaki Brussel sprouts (Monday’s dish) I got to use so many new ingredients, which was exciting. Seaweed, bonito flakes, Japanese mayo, just to name a few. I’d never really had bonito flakes before, so when I tasted the smoky, umami-forward topping for the first time, I was definitely a little shocked. While the ingredients were traditional, the preparation was not. Authentically Okonomiyaki is a pancake loaded with a variety of toppings, but Bon Appétit adapted this style to work for Brussels sprouts. I would say, one of the best Brussels sprouts I’ve ever had. So glazy, sweet and spicy, and the toppings make the dish pop in a flavor combination I didn’t know existed.

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

Tuesday’s cold soba noodle salad was also not inherently traditional but played upon some classical Japanese inspirations. Soba noodles are typically served cold in Japan, especially on hot summer days to cool off. This recipe was based around that concept, with the addition of cucumbers and scallions to keep it bright and fresh. However, the addition of a tahini-based dressing made the recipe both strikingly inauthentic and extremely delicious. Somehow the East Asian ingredients played beautifully off of the inherent nuttiness of the tahini, making a perfect Japanese-inspired salad to go with our dinner. Wednesday night was the only dish of the week I was well familiar with—ramen. I’ve had a good fair share of restaurant ramen in my time, so attempting to recreate those amazingly salty experiences at home, even semi-successfully, was well worth my time. I found a simple online recipe that wouldn’t take me days to cook, and I think that had a direct impact on the flavor profile of the dish. This ramen was closer to chicken noodle soup in flavor than the miso-y, well-spiced broth I’ve been accustomed to at restaurants. But with all the toppings—bok choy, a runny egg, chicken, scallions, and mushrooms—resting on a beautiful bed of ramen noodles, I couldn’t really complain that much. Another great cool-weather recipe that would really warm you up.

THURSDAY

The end of the week got precipitously worse. Thursday night I let my dad help out, which was a MISTAKE. He cooked the miso black cod, and I made the sushi rice. I won’t be entrusting him with the recipe again. Instead of drying off the cod filets post-marinade with paper towels so that we could get good browning, he decided to plop them into the cast iron wet, allowing the fillets to fall apart and never reach that dark-brown caramelized color we all love. I’ll have to try that recipe again, just sans sous chefs. Friday was even worse, however. This was my first truly failed recipe during a Cuisine Adventure. I wanted to make mochi; I ended up making a glue that stuck all over the kitchen counter. Perhaps I didn’t use enough potato starch when rolling out the dough (I could have sworn I coated the work surface well), but I had to scrap the recipe entirely. Sad! Aside from a somewhat of a poorly executed end to Japanese week, I certainly became more familiar with a lot of cuisine that isn’t too common to order with your sushi at Japanese restaurants. Katsu chicken will find a welcomed place in our weekly recipe rotation, along with that cold soba noodle salad. I also discovered several ingredients that I can see myself using all the time, including bonito flakes, toasted sesame oil, seaweed, rice vinegar, and more. The biggest lesson I learned this week though: always top your Japanese dishes with sliced scallions for a beautiful picture!