Category Archives: Asian food

Asian food, travel

Ramen Every Day…Almost

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There are a few things you usually learn about Japan before you go there. There are the common things, naturally: Be polite. Respect the traditions. Especially respect people older than you. Say “thanks” on a regular basis (almost more often than when talking to British people).

But there are also the more specific ones: Leave your shoes on the doorstep when entering a home and some public places. Don’t blow your nose in public. 

And, of course, take joy in all the amazing food!

A general rule to eating in Japan is: Try everything. Make use of the vending machines that sell beverages all over the country. Make use of the konbinis and supermarkets with their astonishing offer of takeaway food like onigiri and sushi to go. 

And if you go out for a meal don’t look for the loudest advertisement. They try to lure tourists. Look for the quiet places, instead, the places that are crowded with locals. Try the little places, the ones that seem to have no space left whatsoever. And don’t hesitate to stand in line for a perfect bowl of ramen. It is Japan—it will be worth it!

Shinjuku: Sharin, Shinpachi Shokudô & Kobe Beef Ramen 

Ramen actually were our first meal in Tokyo and it should not only become a regular thing during this vacation but also one of these many “simple yet so wholesome” meals that we’ve both been missing ever since we came back home. There’s just a wonderful feeling a comforting noodle dish brings that can’t be put into words. Heavenly, maybe. Soul-lifting. And when you find your favourite bar you simply can’t help but come back. And back. And back. And back.

Like Sharin, for example, which is one of those ramen places at which you order your food by using a vending machine. They mostly stand either directly in front of the entrance outside or close to the door when you enter. You choose your meal on the touch screen or buttons, choose an extra topping or additional drink if you like (depending on the place water or tea is always included in a meal), pay and hand over the ticket(s). You can find it near Shinjuku Train Station and it lured us in on our first evening on our search for food with the promise of heartwarming, honest broth.

We tried their traditional ramen. We tried the spicy ramen. We tried the dip noodles (tsukemen). We tried their oiled noodles. We tried their gyouza. And every single time we went home with wide beams and happily stuffed bellies.

Another restaurant we fell in love with before we even set a foot in is Shinpachi Shokudô, this fish place just around the corner. The restaurant is wonderfully traditional and well known amongst the locals, entices with a wooden front and the typically Japanese way of displaying food in a small window with plastic replicas. They looked amazing and the place was packed with customers every day at every time. A good sign and yet it took us a few days to finally give it a try and look if they’d have room for us.

The place is so tiny that you have to squash your way in while you already grin at the delicious scents of grilled fish. The bar at which you get seated forms a U and the solemn silence in this stuffed place tells enough about the quality of the food. The customers seem to come here regularly, most of them order with entering and not having to look at the menu. A good sign. As is the efficiency of the cooks. 

The place specialises on fish. You choose your “main course” and it always comes with a tea, a portion of miso soup, shredded daikon (radish), pickles of the day, and rice. Try their sake marinated mackerel and their rockfish. Try the miso salmon and float up into fish heaven. Never ever did we have such delicious fish. And it even comes for a low price.

The Kobe restaurant a parallel street further is worth a recommendation as well. Their Kobe beef ramen is an absolute delight, as is their tonkotsu ramen… and their katsudon is a pure joy as well.

Harajuku: Marion Crêpes 

If you care for something sweet instead Marion Crêpes is worth a visit. It sells crêpes in the Japanese way: rolled and stuffed with fruit and other delicious things.

Take the Yamanote Line, cross the road in front of Harajuku station and dive into Takeshita street with its colourful life and youth culture until you come across the lines in front of the crêpe trucks to your left. Waiting is more than worth it and also gives you a bit more time to decide between the range of variety of the crêpes. Our favourites so far: The strawberry, cream, and cheesecake crêpe and the sakura crêpe which is similar, but additionally has a ball of cherry ice cream on top of everything else that makes you want to cry with happiness.

Ueno Park area: Baskin Robbins, aka “the cutest ice cream ever (probably)”

If that isn’t enough ice cream for you step back into the metro and drive all the way to Ueno station. Take the exit to the south and watch out for Baskin Robbins, an ice-cream seller in the basement of the adjacent mall.

Admittedly, it might not be the most delicious ice cream ever you will get here, but it certainly will be one of the cutest. Choose between a range of adorable baby animals, pick your flavour and feel almost too besotted to actually eat it.

Ikebukuro: Swallowtail & Kailaku

For even more cute food go to Ikebukuro and head for Sunshine City. Directly in front of Tokyu Hands there’s a small stand by Swallowtail (a butler café) that sells cute little cakes, puddings and more. We admit we devoured this little cat’s eyes first, so they wouldn’t judge us. And the dessert itself (coconut pudding on top of a sponge dough) was super delicious!

If you care for more heartily dishes afterwards head back in the direction of Ikebukuro station and make halt in front of Kailaku. They sell gyouza here and the nice thing is you can either order them to eat there, buy some to fry them at home or even have them fried as a takeaway meal. We did latter and feasted on them back in the hotel. 

Asakusa: Yokohama Kurikoan & Akanesaryo

And when the bellies are still hungry: Tokyo is beautiful in the evening too, with all its lights and city life, and all its street food. On our last two nights we strolled through Asakusa and found Yokohama Kurikoan, this wonderful Taiyaki place. Taiyaki are fish shaped pancake sandwiches with mostly a sweet filling.

Try their recommended filling with anko (sugared red bean paste) and chestnuts and take delight in it’s perfectly balanced sweetness. If you crave for something more liquid instead head a little bit further down the streets and order a cup of “Oshiruko to go” at Asakusa Coffee Akanesaryo to be rewarded with a hot anko soup with little rice balls to warm your soul.

What a perfect way to end a wonderful day in Tokyo!

List of all the food places & their address:

anime, Asian food, geek corner, main dish, meat & fish

Food Envy

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Katsudon

A bad and all the same wonderful thing about watching anime is all the food. You agree? Just think about all the delicious looking pictures: Simplified just enough so you will recognise the dish, but the colours beautiful and bright, every little detail a perfect masterpiece, and you can nearly smell the rising steam. Equally awful is watching the characters indulge in said dish with their beaming eyes and an excited “oishii!“ that in bad times nearly makes me swoon.

Yes, whilst watching anime it’s easy catch food envy. The praised Katsudon (pork cutlet rice bowl) in the latest hype “Yuri!!! on Ice“ is another example out of many. Luckily you can make it yourself at home. Easy and good. It might not look quite picture-perfect as on TV, but the flavour will make up for it. 

Katsudon

Katsudon — Pork Cutlet Bowl

Ingredients for 2 generous portions

  • 2 pork cutlets without bone
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tbsp potato starch or flour
  • panko or bread crumbs
  • 1 tbsp oil for frying
  • 1 onion, cut into rings
  • 1 spring onion, peeled and cut into rings
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • 2 servings of freshly steamed rice

Crack one egg onto a plate and mix it thoroughly. Put the starch on a second plate and the panko on a third. Mix the soy sauce and mirin in a bowl. Wash the pork cutlets, pat dry them dry with kitchen paper and crumb it. For that turn it first in the starch, then in the egg mixture and finally in the panko.

Heat the oil in a pan. Put in the cutlets and fry them on medium heat for 5 minutes. Flip them over and fry for another 5 minutes.

Get the pork out of the pan, and get in the onion and the white part of the spring onion. Fry for about one minute then add the soy sauce and mirin mixture. Cook for another 3 minutes.

Cut the pork into bite-sized stripes. Roughly mix the remaining two eggs. Put the cutlets back into the pan and pour the eggs over it. Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook for about two more minutes until the egg just has solidified.

Divide the rice onto two bowls, cover with the pork and finish with the remaining, green part of the spring onions and some sesame if you like. Enjoy.

Asian food, main dish, meat & fish

Against the Loss of Appetite

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Udon with Pork Belly

It happens to the best of us. A—hopefully temporary—period of tiredness. A time of “ehhh!”, listlessness or mopishness. A state that tells us there is something bothering us and we should listen to what is going on inside: Is it caused by outside influences? Is it ourselves? Is it simply a sign of being stressed out? Is it a health-issue? It is important to talk about this in an environment where social media, society, and advertisement suggest that life has to be perfect all the time and we with it. Always glorious. Always happy times. A constant state of elation. Because, spoiler alert? Life isn’t like that. It is okay, normal, important, to have days like these. Or weeks. Or even months.

During these times we need soulfood. It has to be made quickly. Easily. Almost without effort. Because—let’s be honest—especially in times like these we want it that way. Uncomplicated. We need these “almost no recipe” recipes. These “please don’t let me stand in the kitchen for too long” dishes. These “I’ll cook you every day, because everything else would be too bothersome” favourites. These “I just want to munch happily and feel good” meals, that go best with a glass of wine or a beer or a comforting pot of tea.

So what about udon noodles, quickly cooked and mixed with stir-fried pork belly? The noodles make happy just by being noodles and are always joyful to eat. The limes give a certain freshness and flavour, the pork is comforting, and the hot and sweet sauce will make us smile again. Of course you could make the udon on your own. But hey! There’s no need to always do everything from scratch when you can have it easy just as well. It’s alright. Live a little!

Udon

Udon Noodles with Pork Belly in Lime and Honey Sauce

Ingredients for 2 portions

  • 2 portions of udon noodles*
  • 200 g pork belly without bones, cut into 1-3 cm big dice
  • 2 spring onions, washed and chopped
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp mirin
  • some chili flakes
  • 1 tsp sesame

*The recipe for homemade udon noodles is below

Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil, add the noodles and cook according to instructions. Drain them into a sieve and wash with cold tap water to rinse off additional starch and to stop the cooking process. Drain well and gently mix with a tbsp of oil.

Pour the sesame oil into a pan and heat it up on medium to high heat. Mix the lime juice, honey, soy sauce and mirin. Put the pork into the pan and fry it until it looks nice and crispy all around. Shake the pan or stir every now and then. Add the white parts of the spring onions, the chili flakes, and the sauce and let it cook until it is reduced to a creamy consistency. Put the noodles into the pan, give it a good shake and divide the dish onto bowls. Sprinkle with the green part of the spring onions and some sesame. Serve hot and enjoy.

Udon with Pork Belly

Homemade Udon Noodles

Ingredients for 2 portions

For the udon noodles*:

  • 250 g wheat flour
  • 125 ml water
  • 12 g salt
  • some rice flour for rolling out
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

*If you don’t want to make the udon on your own you can buy them just as well, of course. Personally, I prefer the precooked ones to the dried version.

For the udon noodles knead the wheat flour with the water and the salt into a firm, smooth dough that’s neither wet nor too dry. Cover it and let it rest for an hour. Put the dough into a big plastic bag and put it into the floor to knead it with your feet for at least 5 minutes. Put it onto your work surface and roll it out until it is about 3 mm thick. Dust with a little bit of rice flour and cut it into 3 mm thick strings. Bring a pot of unsalted water to a boil, add the noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain them into a sieve and wash with cold tap water to rinse off additional starch and to stop the cooking process. Drain well and gently mix with a tbsp of sesame oil.

Stored in a closed container and in the fridge the udon noodles will be good to eat for about two days.

Asian food, meat & fish, soul food

There’s Nothing to Fear Under a Blanket

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Decke*photo source: unsplash

Blankets are something wonderful. Something brave. In the twinkling of an eye they can transform you into a superhero: Wrap it around your shoulders and you are ready to hunt evil; even if it’s only a fly buzzing around.

And if you’ve got enough of fighting: Soft and gentle as they are, all they want is a cuddle. To warm you and caress your soul. Wrap it over your desk and you’ve got your own, secret hideout place. Like back then when we were little. With a torchlight and the favourite book…what bad could possibly happen like this?

Of course you can always go the easiest way: Simply lay down on the couch and pull the blanket over your own head. It is nice down there, isn’t it? Safe and warm. Hidden from the world like this nobody will ever be able to see you. And—even better sometimes—you won’t be able to see anyone else either. And sometimes that all we need.

Shrimps, as I’ve come to hear, like to hide just as well. Under a blanket of noodle dough for example. Package by package is wrapped, fried in a pan until it is crispy, then shortly steamed and done is the favourite dish. For that I’ll even leave my own blanket for a while. Even if it is just for a short time.

Shrimp Gyouza

Shrimp Gyouza

Ingredients for 15 dumplings

For the filling:

  • 150 cooked und peeled shrimps, finely chopped
  • 1 small spring onion, washed and finely chopped
  • 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
  • a piece of ginger (as big as the garlic), peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sake or sherry
  • 1 tbsp potato starch

For the gyouza:

  • 15 gyouza wrappers (from the Asian shop)

For the dip:

  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • some chili oil

Additionally:

  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Get the package with the gyouza wrapper out of the fridge to let them defrost at room temperature for about 1 hour.

Mix the chopped shrimps spring onions, garlic and ginger with the soy sauce, sake and potato starch. Put about 1 tsp of filling onto 1 gyouza wrapper and fold it in the gyouza style.

Heat up the oil in a pan. Put in the gyouza and fry them at medium heat for about 5 minutes. Switch down the temperature to low, add a splash of water and cover the pan with a lid. Steam for 3-5 minutes.

Mix the ingredients for the dip, fill it into small bowls (like for soy sauce) and serve with the warm gyouza.

Asian food, main dish, meat & fish, soul food

The Feeding of Predators

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Steakhouse owners and -waiters always rejoice in my appearance whenever I step over their threshold: My brightest smile of my face, sparkling eyes that beam with anticipation, and already deeply inhaling the flavours of Heaven… yes. It is time to feed The Predator again. Side dishes, mostly unnecessary anyway, are counter-ordered or simply left aside; my concentration is fixed on the essential. The meat.

Good is what it has to be. A little bit of luxury for a special moment. It should have lived a happy life, a species-appropriate existence on wide meadows under the sun and stars, with a generous selection of yummy grass, various herbs, fresh air, and freedom with an end that was as respectful as possible. Ideals – I know. But they are worth pursuing. In exchange I’d rather savour a little less often, but then properly.

Then the next question: Filet? Or ribeye? Maybe a striploin or t-bone? Marinated? Mediterranean? From the barbecue or out of the pan? The portion for a lady (hardly so…) or for a hungry fellow (much more likely!)?

One thing is always for sure though: For me it has to be rare and bloody! Still wonderfully bright red inside and – here at the latest you detect good quality – tender and delicious. A little bit of marinade or dip to that and the evening is perfect. All that’s missing now is a glass of red wine or a cocktail…

Entrecôte with Miso Dip

Entrecôte with Miso Dip

Inspired by Nigel Slater’s “eat”

Ingredients for 2 portions

  • 400 g entrecôte, one single piece
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 branch of rosemary
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • some oil for frying

For the dip:

  • 1-2 branch of thyme
  • 3 tbsp white or yellow miso paste
  • 1 tbsp apple vinegar
  • 1 gulp of sake or dry sherry (30-50 ml)

Rinse the meat under cold tap water and pat dry. Peel the garlic and chop into slices. Remove the rosemary from the branches, mix with the garlic and the olive oil and rub it into the steak. Cover it and let it marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, better over night.

Heat up a pan and add some oil. Put in the meat and fry it on middle to high heat on both sides until it is to your liking (I prefer it very rare, so I only let it in the pan for 1-2 minutes on each side, medium should take about 8 minutes on each side).

Remove the thyme leaves from the branches and mix with the miso paste and the apple vinegar. When the meat is done remove it from the pan and add the sake. Stir and take the pan off the flame. Add the miso mix.

Cut the meat into thin stripes and serve with the dip.

Eat with rice, roasted potatoes or as a sandwich between to halves of a ciabatta.

– – –

The beautiful lady on the photo above is one of the happy cows of Denmark. I named her Kate and she was my lovely meadow friend for two whole weeks. Then we had to drive back home again…

Asian food, main dish, meat & fish

Listen to Your Heart

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Listen to your heart. It usually tells you what you truly need (and even on what you should give up).

Don’t let things which you can’t change anymore get you down. You can not change them anymore. But you can learn from them.

Be brave and reach for the stars. You are worth it!

And just say “no” from time to time. You are allowed to.

Treat yourself every now and then. No matter if it is reasonable or not – your soul will thank you for it.

Listen to your music. And do more of the stuff that you love.

Just breathe… first because you actually need air and second because calm serenity often brings you further than short temper.

Miso Salmon

And if the day still just does not turn out to be a good one… indulge in something delicious to eat! Because sometimes it is prepared easier than you might think. The salmon in miso paste almost cooks itself on its own in the oven, the rice cooker takes care of the rice, and you should always have gari at home anyway. To that some creamy eggs and a cup of heart-warming tea and everything looks a little brighter already. Wanna bet?

Miso Salmon

Ingredients for 2 portions

  • 2-3 tbsp white or yellow miso paste
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp make
  • 200 g salmon filets with skin, scaled

Mix the miso, mirin, and sake in a dish. Turn the salmon in the marinade, cover the dish and let it rest in the fridge for 60-120 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper and brush a little oil on it. Put the salmon onto the tray, skin side down, and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Serve with freshly steamed rice and if you’d like some creamy eggs, some gari, and a cup of tea tea.

Asian food, main dish, meat & fish

Let’s celebrate!

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It is time for a party. And we truly need it. The year is almost over, the cosy winter solstice is right ahead and with the brighter days afterwards it just seems likely to dedicate a feast to life itself. To sitting together, to laughing, and – because what would a good party be without it, eh? – a lovely and highly enjoyable meal.

Today a little less traditional and far from goose and Christmas duck; these delicious roasts I want to attend to without traditions implying it to me, even if they may ask for it all so quietly. Let’s just have a look at the rest of the culinary season and discover venison. Beautiful and gorgeous in its dark, and almost purplish-coloured, red tone and spicy in its very own and special way it is quite a good fit for such a feast. And it even goes well with the Southeast Asian flavours, that I adore so much.

Reh Teriyaki

Simply marinated, sizzled in a generous amount of good butter (because especially on Christmas we please do not want to start skimping on that one!) and finally served on perfumy, steaming rice along some gari, spring onions, sesame and a fine sauce it truly is a delight. And it is my contribution to Zorra’s eleventh culinary Advent calendar.

Venison Teriyaki on Rice

Kulinarischer Adventskalender 2015 - Tuerchen 20Ingredients for 2 portions

  • 250 g venison
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • some wasabi paste
  • 1 additional tbsp butter
  • 1-2 spring onions
  • 2 portions freshly steamed Japanese short grain rice
  • some gari
  • some sesame

Let the venison adapt to room temperature first, then wash it and pat it dry. Heat up the tbsp butter in an pan on medium to high heat. As soon as it foams and starts to turn brown, add the meat and fry it shortly on each side, all the way around. Let it fry for 1-3 more minutes so it still will be at least medium rare in the middle.

Mix soy sauce, sake, mirin and wasabi and pour in into the pan. Switch heat down to medium and let it cook down a bit. Add the rest of the butter and let it melt in the sauce. Turn over the meat in the pan so it will be covered with the sauce, that should have thickened by now, and put the pan off the stove. Get out the meat and let it rest for a minute.

Meanwhile chop the spring onions into rings and divide the freshly steamed rice onto two bowls.

Cut the venison into thin slices and arrange them on the rice, adding the gari, the onions and some sesame for garnish. Pour the sauce over it and enjoy.

Reh Teriyaki