Baked Pasta Dishes

Even sauteed cauliflower feels decadant in this cheesy-crunchy baked pasta from Ina Garten. Be careful not to overcook your pasta, as it will continue to cook in the oven. 

GO TO RECIPE

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Humble Beginnings

I love Japanese food for its simplicity and ability to meticulously compliment the natural flavor of its ingredients. You could say this is a matter of personal taste, but Japan has an undeniably high standard when it comes to food. You don’t need a Michelin guide to tell you—it’s hard to find a bad meal […]

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Dashi

Many, many years ago, my cousin told me she made udon from homemade dashi. When I asked her about the taste, she said it added more depth to her broth and raved about how delicious it was. Dashi is a simple fish stock frequently used to cook any number of dishes like miso soup, namasu, […]

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Sōmen

Somen is served in the summer as a cold noodle dish. When the heat is unrelenting, cool off with this quick, refreshing meal!

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Chilled Corn Porridge

I don’t like cold soups, so you can trust me when I say this one is good. I spotted this recipe flipping through a Japanese food magazine and quickly skimmed the ingredients. They were accessible and simple so I went all in, totally overlooking the recipe’s title. It’s a good thing because I don’t think […]

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Oahu, Hawaii 2012

People may criticize Oahu as being commercialized, but the vibrant food scene reflects its history of immigration, integration of diverse cultures, and tourism—and the result is some pretty amazing eats. Before we left for a quick summer trip, I pulled together a list of places to visit. I restricted it to budget-friendly restaurants and I […]

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Chilled Tomato Somen

There’s no escaping the record-breaking 113 degree weather in Los Angeles. It wouldn’t be so bad except my husband and I are all about gaman. That means we’re the only crazy people on our street to tough it out and not turn on our air conditioning. I had to figure out a dinner plan that […]

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Kurogoma Soba Noodles

On our trip to Japan in 2010, we visited Togakushi with my dad’s family and friends. The region is known for their soba, so on the last day we went to a soba making class at a restaurant. We were divided into 3 groups and proceeded with the process of vigorous kneading and rolling. I […]

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Shiso Lemonade

We moved to a new house over the summer. My mom visited, carefully carrying 2 small green Japanese shiso plants with her on the plane. She planted them in our yard and they’ve thrived all summer, exploding with leaves—almost to the point where I can barely keep up. My mom suggested making preserved shiso or […]

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Burdock Root Tempura

The texture of gobo (burdock root) is like no other because of its fibrousness. When stir fried, it has an interesting crunch and when simmering in a stew, it becomes soft, but always retains its unique woodsiness. Deep frying it, however, is another matter. The edges of the fritter become light and crisp while the […]

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Tofu Donuts

We all have failures in the kitchen from time to time. This is one of mine. My mom couldn’t stop raving about these tofu donuts—she loved them so much she fried these babies up 3 days in a row. The original recipe (which comes from a Japanese cooking magazine) calls for Morinaga Hot Cake Mix. […]

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Beer Beef Stew with Bacon and Shimeji

When we have dinner guests, this Beer Beef Stew with Bacon and Shimeji is often on the menu. I didn’t think twice about including it in this month of recipes until my husband pointed out that he didn’t know it was Japanese. What makes a recipe Japanese? The source? The technique? The ingredients? The cook?

The recipe comes from one of my mom’s very old, boro boro Japanese cooking magazines. Knowing the recipe’s source and the fact that we always ate it over rice made it unquestioningly Japanese to me. But there aren’t any quintessentially Japanese ingredients, except for the shimeji.

Still, I don’t hesitate to include it here. This stew, despite it’s lack of overt Japanese influence, is too good not to share.

Beer Beef Stew with Bacon and Shimeji
牛肉のビール煮Makes 4 servings

Pearl onions are great in this dish, if you can get them. I had to substitute with shallots, which was still good, but the pearl onions make it a bit special, like little gems. Salting this dish is particularly important. When the stew is simmering, be sure to taste along the way and adjust accordingly. My mom would serve this over rice but these days I’ve made this with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach on the side. As you would imagine, it tastes even better the second day.

2 Tbsp butter, divided
2 lbs (1kg) beef stew meat
3.5 oz (100g) bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
3 oz (80g) pearl onions, peeled (I used 2 large shallots cut into quarter wedges)
3.5 oz (100g) shimeji, trimmed and separated into small sections
1/2 Tbsp mustard
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bay leaf
1/2 slice bread, torn into small pieces
1 to 2 cans beer
1 beef bouillon cube, dissolved in scant 1 cup (200ml) hot water
salt
pepper

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large pan and cook beef over high heat. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan. Do this in batches, if needed. Quickly brown all sides and transfer to a large pot. Season with salt and pepper.

In the same pan, brown the bacon, then add to the pot with the beef.

Again, in the same pan, lower the heat to medium-low and add the chopped onions. Cook slowly, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until caramelized and golden brown. Add the brown sugar, mustard, and vinegar. Mix well. Add half a can of beer and bring to a boil. Then, pour the onions into the pot with the beef. If little brown bits remain in the pan, add more beer and scrape, then pour into the pot.

Add the remaining beer and bouillon to the pot and turn the heat to low. Add the garlic, a couple pinches salt, pepper, bay leaf, and bread. Cover and gently simmer for 1 hour.

When the hour is almost up, heat a new pan and melt 1/2 Tbsp butter. Add the carrots and cook until they turn bright orange. Add to the simmering pot and cook for 15 mins.

Melt another 1/2 Tbsp butter over medium heat and cook the pearl onions. Add to the pot and simmer for 30 mins.

Lastly add the shimeji to the pot and simmer for an additional 10 mins.

Taste and add more salt, if needed. If stew becomes dry, add more beer.

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Matcha Sablé Cookies

I found this recipe on Bread et Butter and couldn’t wait to try it. I had some leftover matcha from last week’s Matcha Roll Cake, so making this was a no-brainer. The fragrance of the matcha really came through when I was preparing the dough and I loved the deep mossy color.

The bitterness of the matcha really came through. My stash of matcha is pretty fresh and I think that makes a difference. I store matcha in the freezer, but I’ve noticed the flavor does dull over time.

Matcha Sablé Cookies
Adapted from Bread et Butter
Makes about 45 cookies

To chill the flour, I put a bowl of it in the freezer and left it there while my butter was coming to room temperature. I used 3.25 oz of sugar, but the original recipe calls for 4.5 oz. Feel free to adjust to your sweet tooth.

7 oz (200g) cake flour, chilled
0.5 oz (15g) matcha
5.25 oz (150g) butter, room temperature
3.5–4.5 oz (100–130g) powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 egg yolks, room temperature
granulated sugar

Sift the flour and matcha twice and set aside.

With a stand mixer, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and salt and beat well until incorporated. Add the yolks one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Fold in the flour and matcha. The dough will look impossibly dry at this point, but it will eventually come together. I ended up using my hands because I was getting impatient. Whatever you do, don’t overwork the dough. Form a ball of dough and cover with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator for 5 mins.

Divide the dough into 2 and roll each into a log, measuring about 1 inch in diameter. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150ºC). Roll each log in granulated sugar and slice into 1/4″ (7mm) rounds. Place 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until edges are slightly brown, about 20–25 mins.

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From the Archives: Mixed Rice with Pork and Bamboo Shoots

For anyone who thinks rice is a little boring, I urge you to make this Mixed Rice with Pork and Bamboo Shoots. This maze gohan (mixed rice) is one of my favorites for its ease and short ingredient list. But more importantly it delivers in flavor.

Today is the last day of my month-long challenge to post every weekday in March to celebrate Humble Bean’s 4th anniversary. Thank you for following along and sending me your comments! My hope is you found something interesting here to make in your own home. In case you missed any, here’s a list of all the recipes:

Week 1

Mon: Hayashi Rice
Tue: Carrots with Sesame
Wed: Chicken Tatsuta Age
Thu: Temaki Zushi
Fri: Sukiyaki Donburi

———————
Week 2

Mon: Hamburger Steak
Tue: Chicken Soboro
Wed: Egg Drop Soup
Thu: Bacon Korokke
Fri: Tuna + Avocado Donburi

———————
Week 3

Mon: Ginger Beef
Tue: Spinach Dressed with Tofu
Wed: Pan-Fried Gyoza 2
Thu: Matcha Roll Cake
Fri: Kuwayaki Pork Donburi

———————
Week 4

Mon: Kakiage Tempura
Tue: Smashed Pickled Cucumbers
Wed: Beer Beef Stew
Thu: Matcha Sablé Cookies
Fri: Mixed Rice with Pork and Bamboo Shoots

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Skoshbox

I recently came across a new subscription service called Skoshbox. Readers out there who have limited access to Japanese products—you’ll love this. Every month, Skoshboxdelivers the best of Japanese snacks and other items straight to your door for $12 per month (includes shipping). This service model is like a CSA box for Japanese snacks and candy! This sample sent to me was filled with nostalgic goodies I grew up with like Koala’s March (コアラのマーチ), Umaibo (うまい棒), Marble Chocolate (マーブルチョコ), and Choco Ball (チョコボール)! Plus there were others I’ve never tried like Look Chocolate, chocolate bars with green tea milk and azuki filling. You can see a full description of the current box here.

Even if you have access to a Japanese grocery store, this would make a great gift to someone who doesn’t. In fact, in a bit of personal news, I’m packing these snacks in my hospital bag to take when I go into labor. It has the perfect variety of small salty and sweet snacks!

The deadline to subscribe for this month is July 15. Enter the promo code BEAN06and you will receive a free mystery snack with your first box. Subscribe now—the July deadline is fast approaching!

I received a free sample from Skoshbox, but this is not a sponsored pot. While I’ve received requests for product reviews in the past, I usually decline them. However, I felt Skoshbox’s subscription service would be of particular interest to my readers, so hope you give them a try!

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Salt-Massaged Napa Cabbage with Meyer Lemon

After a long hiatus, I’m easing back into things with this simple, delicious recipe. It comes from Nancy Singleton Hachisu’s Japanese Farm Food, a book my very generous (and wildly talented) cousin Kathy let me thumb through. It’s a fairly thick tome, with a mix of approachable recipes (like this one), and complicated ones (like ramen—soup, noodles, rayu and all!).

The book is as much a story of her life as a wife of a Japanese farmer as it is a cookbook. I’m not finished reading it, but I take away from it a deep love of family, food, tradition, nature, and culture. And despite that, it isn’t stuck in a distant past. Hachisu has a way of smartly modifying her home, kitchen space, rituals, cooking, and these farm recipes to suit the needs of modern life.

This is a quick pickle, to eat with rice (would be great with ochazuke). In the past I’ve had this cabbage dish with kombu, chile flakes, and ginger, but I like it this way best, with the lemon zest. It adds the right amount of fragrant brightness to the salty cabbage.

A couple of notes. The original recipe calls for yuzu. This is Los Angeles. I’ve gone through 5 (expensive!) yuzus and haven’t managed a suitable one for use. I substituted Meyer lemon (which she suggests), picked ripe from my mom’s tree. I also omitted the chile flakes because I have a new eater hanging around these days. She’s the reason for my absence, but now that she’s found different ways of occupying herself while I’m cooking, I’ll be popping up here more frequently.

Salt-Massaged Napa Cabbage with Meyer Lemon
白菜の塩揉み
Adapted from Japanese Farm Food
Serves 6

1/2 napa cabbage (cut in half, vertically), core trimmed and sliced thinly, crosswise
1 Tbsp salt
1 Meyer lemon, skin peeled and cut into slivers

Combine napa cabbage, salt, and zest in a large bowl. Massage and let sit until cabbage has softened and some of its juices puddle at the bottom of the bowl. Transfer to a ziplock bag and squeeze the air out. Let it sit in the refrigerator for 15 mins. Taste and add more salt, if needed.

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Sesame Miso Dressing

My stepdaughter does not do salad but she said she’d actually like it if it was always dressed with Kayanoya’s creamy sesame miso dressing. It’s an amazing dressing. I’d brought a bottle of it back home from our trip to Japan last summer and—now that it’s gone—I was set on making a version of my own.

I wanted something simple and easy to make on a whim. It’s 5 ingredients, things I usually have on hand: sesame seeds, miso, vinegar, honey, and oil (and water). If you can, freshly grind the sesame seeds because it imparts a nice robust flavor. If you can’t, use tahini instead. The tahini version tastes a bit flat so maybe mash up a little garlic to give it some dimension, if you go that route.

A side note: Thank you to my readers who encouraged me to continue posting on this blog. It means a lot to me that you reached out and that these recipes are appreciated!
Sesame Miso Dressing
ゴマ味噌ドレッシング
Makes almost half a cup

2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 Tbsp miso (I used red)
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp honey
4 Tbsp oil (I used canola)
1 tsp water

Toast sesame seeds in a pan, careful not to burn. Coarsely grind (I used a surikogi and suribachi). Add in miso, vinegar, and honey. Add oil in a slow, steady stream while whisking to emulsify. Add water to thin.

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Pan-Tossed Green Beans and Pork

As you can imagine, a lot has changed since I had my daughter a year and a half ago. I used to enjoy the challenge of recipes that took a bit of time, skill, and rapt attention and thought the extra work and care gave it the made-with-love charm. I’ve since revised that opinion and have a great appreciation for simplicity. Simplicity requires a different kind of attention, one that allows you to look deep into a process or ingredient. I like that it’s easier to identify what is working or lacking and that it’s practicality makes it also easy to adapt.

Pan-Tossed Green Beans and Pork was made on a whim and posted on Instagram a few weeks back. There was some interest in it, so I scribbled down some notes the next time I made it, to post here. My mom gave a very enthusiastic thumbs up (and was just as excited to eat the leftovers for lunch the next day) so I consider it worthy to post.

Chopping the green beans is the most time-consuming part, but the rest comes together very quickly. There are many possible variations (adding green onions, substituting the pork for beef, asparagus for green beans, adding bamboo shoots, etc.) but I’ll leave that up to you. The basic recipe here suits me just fine.

Here are other great (not necessarily Japanese) recipes that are beautiful in their simplicity:
– Marcela Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter
– Nicholas Day’s Macaroni Peas
– Arugula Pesto via xo breakfast
– Alice Waters’ White Beans with Garlic and Herbs
– Sukiyaki Donburi
– Banana Pancakes via Oh Joy!
– Renee Erickson’s Sautéed Dates for my morning oatmeal

If you have any simple favorites, please share! In the meantime, hope you like this enough to add to your repertoire.

Pan-Tossed Green Beans and Pork
Makes 4 to 5 servings

0.5 lb (220g) ground pork
1 Tbsp canola oil
13 oz (370g) green beans, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp sake (or water)
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp shoyu
rice

Heat a large pan over medium and cook the pork, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon. When no longer pink, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel.

In the same pan, heat the oil, then add the green beans and toss to coat. Cook for a couple mins, tossing occasionally. Add the sake, toss again, and let it cook off.

Once green beans begin to brown, lower the heat to medium-low, add the garlic and toss more. Once fragrant, add the pork, oyster sauce, and shoyu. Toss, toss, toss. Once heated through, it’s done. Serve over and mix in with steamed rice.

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Shiitake and Shimeji Mushroom Okayu

First, I want to say the 5-DAY BREAKFAST CHALLENGE is going down this week. Today’s recipe is: Shiitake and Shimeji Mushroom Okayu.

Second, I want to quickly introduce you to Noelle and tell you about the challenge. Her blog, xobreakfast is crisp, funny, and packed with thoughtful, purposeful recipes. I see her every week because our kids have a standing play date, but really we use the time to talk about food (and these days, potty training).

Noelle talks about food with specificity and a glimmer of excitement in her eye that tells me we are like-minded when it comes to eating and cooking. She’s the reason I don’t bother to pound my chicken breasts flat (and let the butcher do it instead!). She got K to eat (and not spit out) the food she detested most—raw tomato. And she introduced me to wild spinach (a revelation!).

We were both in a cooking rut (and let’s face it, a blog rut). Breakfast, especially, because it’s easy to go on auto pilot first thing in the morning. I challenged Noelle to cook 5 new recipes every day this week. She was game and suggested we post the photos and recipes on our blogs before midnight each day.

So here’s my day one. My daughter eats and likes most things but she is crazy about shimeji mushrooms. I’ve been having a hard time getting her to eat first thing in the morning, so this breakfast is for her.

Shiitake and Shimeji Mushroom Okayu
干ししいたけとしめじのおかゆ
Adapted from きょうの料理ビギナーズ 2010年3月
Makes 2 servings

I washed and drained the rice the night before and soaked the dried shiitake overnight.

4 dried shiitake mushrooms
100 ml rice
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 package shimeji
shoyu, to taste

Rehydrate shiitake by placing in a bowl with plenty of water. Set aside.

Wash the rice and drain for 30 mins.

Once the shiitake is soft, pull from water and trim the stem, and slice thinly. Save the shiitake soaking liquid.

In a pot, heat the sesame oil over medium heat, then add the shiitake and fry until incorporated. Add the rice and cook, stirring frequently, until it is evenly coated in oil.

Pour the soaking liquid into a measuring cup and add more water until it measures 600ml. Add this to the pot, along with the salt. Raise the heat to high until it comes to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 mins, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface.

In the last 5 mins, stir in the shimeji. Ladle into bowls and drizzle shoyu to taste.

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Caramelized Onion Muffins

You can’t go wrong with caramelized onions, even in muffin form—even in muffin form with no eggs (!). The recipe is from an (almost) vegan Japanese cookbook titled, “Meal-like Cakes and Muffins You’ll Want to Eat Everyday,” which is very wordy when loosely translated by me.

Despite the skepticism I had about the lack of egg, I was surprised when we ate it, still warm from the oven. It was fairly moist and paired well with a strong black coffee. It was sweet but not too sweet and had generous ribbons of caramelized onion throughout. I made some changes—sneaked in some whole wheat flour, used butter instead of canola oil, and buttermilk instead of soy milk. I can’t say if this holds well when cooled or the next day but K ate almost a whole muffin this morning, so it’s a success in my book.

Oh, and hey. Did you check out Noelle’s Peach Chia Shake? That recipe comes from Amy Chaplin’s book (which we lovingly call “the book”). We talk about how we have too many cookbooks and don’t cook enough from them but then excitedly bought “the book” and talk/text about it often. What I love is the recipes I want to try aren’t necessarily hers, so discovering recipes I would’ve otherwise overlooked is part of the fun. This breakfast shake is one of them and I can’t wait to try it.

Caramelized Onion Muffins
玉ねぎマフィン
Adapted from まいにち食べたい“ごはんのような”ケーキとマフィンの本
Makes 5 muffins

I cooked the onions and measured out the dry ingredients the night before.

1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
70g AP flour
30g white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
80ml buttermilk
20g brown sugar (I used sucanat, thanks to Noelle)
2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1 Tbsp maple syrup

Preheat the oven at 350ºF. Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat, add the onions and salt, and cook until golden (recipe says 10 mins, but it took me 15 mins), stirring constantly. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, brown sugar, butter, and maple syrup until the sugar dissolves. Then, sift in the flour and baking powder and gently fold in with a rubber spatula (it’s okay if it’s lumpy). Add the onions and fold in again, careful not to over mix as this will make the muffins dense. Don’t worry about lumps or if the onions are not evenly dispersed.

Fill each cup with a spoon until 80% full. Bake for 20–25 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.

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