Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Ponzu and Soy Sauce Sauteed Japanese Vermicelli w/ Green Pepper(ピーマンと春雨のポン酢醤油炒め)

While we were in Japan, I didn’t copy any of Aya’s mom’s recipes, but with her here, I’m determined to copy as much as I can. A lot of these seem fairly simple and easy and I’d love to be able to cook Japanese more for Ellie and Aya.

This normally calls for asparagus, but since it isn’t in season anymore, Aya’s mom used green pepper that was plentiful from our garden.

RECIPES:

Ponzu and Soy Sauce Sauteed Japanese Vermicelli w/ Green Pepper

100g Japanese vermicelli (harusame noodles)
200g (about half a lb) ground pork
1 large green pepper thinly sliced
40g (about a 1/3 cup) thinly sliced carrot
30g (about a 1/4 cup) sliced Chinese leek (or green onions if leeks are not available)
A) 1tb vegetable oil
1/2tb sesame oil
1tb minced fresh ginger
1tb minced garlic
1 chopped chili pepper
B) 4tb Ponzu sauce
3tb “straight” somen tsuyu
2tb water
C) 1/2tb potato starch
1tb water

  1. Boil the vermicelli and cut it randomly to prevent long strands.
  2. Cook A and add the ground pork until browned.
  3. Add the cooked vermicelli and B.
  4. Add the thinly sliced carrot, green pepper, and Chinese leek.
  5. Once everything is stirred and cooked together, add C.
Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Japanese Fried Chicken w/ Ume Ponzu Sauce

Japanese fried chicken with ume Ponzu sauce, miso soup with eggplant, tomato, and okra, and rice. Aya has been having the urge to cook more lately. We have tons and tons of Japanese recipes, I just can’t read them. So when she steps up to the kitchen and whips something like this up, I gladly get out of the way. Soooo good.

RECIPES:

Japanese Fried Chicken with Ume Ponzu Sauce

Chicken breast 300g
Onion 1/8
Cucumber 1/2
Grape tomatoes 5
Umeboshi(Japanese sour plums) 2

A) Ponzu soy sauce 1 1/2 tb
Sesame oil to taste
White grated sesame seeds 1 tb
Sugar 1/2 tsp

B)  Yuzu(Japanese citrus)
pepper 1 1/2 tsp
Sake(Japanese cooking wine) 1 tb
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Potato starch(may substitute with potato starch), flour; to coat
Vegetable oil 4 tb

  1. Thinly slice the onion and cucumber and soak them in ice water.(this takes away the bitterness of the onion and keeps the cucumber fresh)
  2. Roughly chop up the grape tomatoes and umeboshi after taking out the seed. Mix with A.
  3. Cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces, and marinade with B.
  4. Lightly coat the chicken with potato starch, lay them on a microwave safe plate in a single layer, cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes.(this reduces the amount of oil and cooking time needed to fry the chicken later)
  5. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium low, lightly coat the chicken with flour and fry them on both sides until lightly browned.
  6. Place chicken on plate, top it with the onions and cucumber(make sure you wipe off the moisture with a paper towel), and pour the sauce over.

 

Matt Dad Stuff, Fall, Family, Food, Halloween, Holidays, Japanese, The Domestic Specialist, Toddler, Travel

VACATION WITH A TODDLER?

I ended after a very long, stressful, irritating, exhausting flight asking the question, “Isthis what vacation is like from now on?”

“This” being not really having a moment alone, a moment to relax, a moment to feel rested, a moment that feels like an actual vacation. You know, like you had pre baby. Well, the short answer is, yes. Yes, this is how vacations will be from now on, which sounds awful. But the long answer isn’t a simple yes or no, and it really isn’t as dreadful sounding.

Continue reading “VACATION WITH A TODDLER?” →

Matt Cooking Stuff, Recipes

Ramen Noodles

It’s Noodle Week folks! And what’s a better way to kick off Noodle Week than with the Japanese classic, Ramen Noodles. I thought I knew what ramen noodles were. They were those packs of noodles you could buy 50 for a dollar at the grocery store. I pretty much lived on ramen noodles all through college. But when I met Aya, I was schooled on what ramen noodles really were. You can add all kinds of stuff to them, but tonight was the typical hard boiled egg, pork, vegetables, and buttered corn with a pork broth soup. I don’t have a recipe because I used the instant pack her mom sent to us. Aya is a ramen noodle snob and thinks the American packets just don’t come close. My response to that is that Japan doesn’t know how to make hot dogs. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.