Coconut Milk Mole

Labor intensive, allow yourself a day to make this sauce.



Makes about 1 liters worth of mole sauce

Ingredients:

6 dried red chiles (guajillo or similar), seeded and rinsed

3 dried ancho chiles, seeded and rinsed

9 dried chile de arbol chiles, seeded and rinsed

2 cans coconut milk (400 ml each)

6 cloves garlic, minced

Yellow Onion, half of one, diced

Shelled pecans, 200 grams

Vegetable oil, or high heat oil, 150 ml

Ground cardamom, 1 tbsp

Ground oregano, 1/2 tbsp

Ground Smoked paprika, 1 tbsp

Ground cinnamon, 5 tbsp

Ground cloves, 2 tbsp

Unsweetened cocoa powder, 8 tbsp

Dark honey, 100 ml

Sea salt, 1/2 tbsp

In a large bowl, add all the dried chiles. Pour the coconut milk in the bowl in order to cover the chiles. Allow this to soak for half a day or overnight on the counter away from direct heat or sun. Once soaked, blend the mixture in a blender until everything is smooth and has no tiny clumps at all. Set this mixture aside but still leave in blender.

In a non-stick fry pan, toast the pecans on medium heat. Mix around frequently. Don't burn the pecans, just toast them nice enough to be able to smell the oils and give the nuts a bit of a crisp outer texture, takes about 10 minutes depending on heat and pan. Once toasted, set aside.

In a large saucepan, fry the garlic and onions in a little bit of oil. Once onions have become semi translucent, you're ready to add the spices. Add about 150 ml more oil to the pan and bring to medium heat. Add the cardamom, oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon, cloves, and cocoa powder to the saucepan and continue to mix until the spices become a bit more cooked. It will look like a clumpy mess at first with all the cocoa powder, but continue to mix and add a bit more oil if needed to make it a bit smoother (remembering that the big chunks are the onion and garlic).

Once the spice mixture is fragrant, add the toasted pecans and continue to cook for about 2 minutes just to mix the pecans in and coat them well. Do not burn anything, and turn off the heat.

Add the spices and pecan mixture to the blender and blend. The mixture should still be quite thick, but feel free to add oil (not water) little by little if the mixture is not blending smoothly in the blender. Think of the consistency of a super thick smoothie that looks like it will almost stick to the cup if you flipped it over.

Once smooth in the blender, pour the mixture into a large saucepan and raise heat to medium. Add dark honey and sea salt and stir slowly but continuously. Once mixture has heated up, lower heat, and continue to stir slowly but without stopping and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Place this mixture from the saucepan into a large glass bowl, and allow to cool down on the counter away from direct sunlight. Once the mixture is cool, cover the large bowl, and place it in the fridge for at least overnight. On the next day, the mole is ready to use. You can also save the sauce in sealed glass jars for a few weeks, or freeze whatever you have left to be preserved for a long time. The mole will only taste better with time, so each day becomes more and more delicious.



You can use this sauce to cook sweet potatoes or yams (my favorite way to use it). In a large pot, cook about 2 large yams in a tiny bit of water until they are soft but not cooked all the way through. Add about 400 ml (1 and 1/2 cups about) of the mole sauce to the pot and add a bit more water as needed. You want the mole to be really thick and creamy, not watery at all, but play around with ratios that suit your taste. Stir the yams and mole to mix everything. Cover and cook on low heat for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. The lower the heat and the longer the cook time, the more time the mole has to mesh with whatever it is cooking, and the flavor tastes way better.

Enjoy!

Chile colorado

*Not vegetarian version*



Makes 7-10 small servings

Ingredients:

6 dried large red chiles (guajillo or similar), seeded and rinsed

9 dried chile de arbol, seeded and rinsed

Roast meat, 1.5 kg

Garlic, 6 cloves minced

Yellow onion, 1 whole, diced

Oil, veggie or high heat oil

Ancho chile powder, 2 tsp

Cayenne pepper powder, 2 tsp

Smoked paprika, 1 tbsp

Black pepper, 1/2 tbsp

Red wine, good quality Cabernet Sauvignon, 200 ml (about 1 cup)

Chayote squash, 3 of them cut up in big chunks

Whole wheat flour, 3 tbsp

Sea salt, 1/2 tbsp

Dried tarragon, 1 tbsp

Place the rinse and seeded dried chiles in a bowl. Add about 400 ml (about 1 and 1/2 cup) water or broth, and allow the chiles to soak in the water for at least 3 hours. Once soaked, blend the chiles and left over water in a blender on high until the mixture becomes smooth and creamy. Feel free to add very small amounts of water a bit at a time during blending if the mixture looks too thick. You don't want it to be watery though, so just a bit at a time should work. Set this mixture aside.

In a large soup pot, heat about 5 tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, add garlic and onions. Continue to cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until onions are slightly translucent.

Lower heat to medium, and add ancho chile powder, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Continue to stir frequently until all the spices and onion mixture become fragrant, about 5 minutes depending on heat. You can choose to add this onion mixture to the blender and blend with the red chile sauce as well, but I didn't in this version. Up to you.

In a large saucepan, brown meat on the outside until you can cut it up in chunks. Once cut up into chunks, brown the meat some more in saucepan, and then add red wine. Let meat cook in wine until some of the wine has evaporated, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add contents of saucepan to larger soup pot with onion mixture.

In same saucepan you cooked meat, cook the chayote for a while on medium heat. No need to add more oil, but be sure to stir it occasionally. Chayote will release lots of moisture, so it shouldn't stick to the pan. If it does, turn down the heat a bit. Once the chayote is a bit softer, add the chayote to the larger soup pot. It doesn't have to be cooked all the way before adding it to soup pot.

In the same saucepan, add about 50 ml (1/4 cup about) and heat oil. The oil should be hot, but not burning. Sprinkle the wheat flour into this hot oil and let it cook for a bit, sort of like making a roux for curry. Once it is cooked after about 5 minutes, but not burnt, slowly add in the red chile mixture from the blender.

Cook the red chile mixture for about 10 minutes in the saucepan. Then transfer everything in the sauce pan with the chayote into the larger soup pan. Add the sea salt and dry tarragon, and allow everything to cook on a lower heat for about half an hour or so.

Serve hot and enjoy with tortillas, or rice, or a bowl of beans, or whatever you want. Enjoy!

Green Vegan Pozole

I went grocery shopping early to buy stuff to make pancakes, and then I saw some green chiles and suddenly craved pozole. I've been watching a lot of cooking shows, and I've been thinking a lot about fusing techniques and ingredients, so I thought about making a sort of pozole that incorporates a few things from my life experiences. For one, I always like to make vegan pozoles, I wanted to use tofu like I used to in Japan and incorporate vinegar somehow, I wanted to involve curry somehow, and I of course was craving some fresh green poblanos. It may not look like your traditional "pozole" because of its thickness, but it is equally as delicious. Please note that this recipe is just suggestive, and I've tried my best to record the times in minutes, but that will inevitably vary depending on what kind of heat source you have. Like most of my recipes, you'll notice that time and sequential order of things is super important. I can't stress this enough. It's taken me years to figure out when the right time to add an ingredient is based on smell, but I know what I like, and have a keen sense of smell (and taste, like the time I told my roommate all the ingredients that were in a homemade salsa just by tasting a bit of it, and she was shocked I was spot on). If you don't pay attention to your smell and develop that keen sense (along with taste and sight), then your food will always lack that extra "something" you can't figure out. For me it's been the difference between having a good meal at someone's place just because, and having a meal that creates fond memories for the rest of your life. I'm all about creating memories with smells and food, just ask those I've fed ha ha. Anyway, I jotted down this quick recipe, and as you might be able to tell, I used ingredients I had laying around. Feel free to use whatever you want, it's more the idea of being adventurous and being successful in your flavors that counts. Cooking for me is a journey, a meditation, and a form of self expression in a lot of ways, and I hope you find what cooking means to you as well.



Makes 10-15 servings

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 or 2 large shallots, diced

3 ripe vine tomatoes, chopped into chunks

10 serrano chile peppers, diced (leave seeds in for spice)

2 large poblano peppers, chopped into chunks (seeds removed)

3 to 4 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)

1 tablespoon each: ground cumin, smoked paprika, turmeric, cinnamon

2, 4 oz. small cans diced green chiles (hot), not drained

2, 25 oz. cans hominy, drained

1/2 cup GOOD dark red wine (like cabernet sauvignon)

1 block firm tofu, diced

Dried tarragon leaves, 1 tablespoon

Dried parsley, 1 tablespoon

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 and 1/2 tablespoon sea salt

In a large soup pot, fry the diced shallots in olive oil (3 tablespoons or so) until they are nice and fragrant and semi-translucent.

Then add the cut up tomatoes, diced serrano peppers, and chopped poblano peppers to the pot.

Continue to fry everything for a few minutes until the chiles start to sweat out a bit, but before they become fully cooked and change color.

Add enough vegetable broth to barely cover everything in the pot, about 3 to 4 cups. Bring to a low boil, and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Turn off heat, and allow pot to rest for about an hour. Go ahead and watch 2 or 3 episodes of the Golden Girls while waiting.

After the hour, put all the contents in a blender and blend until everything is liquified. You don't want any chunks (or maybe you do). Let sit in blender or separate container.

In the same big pot, add about 4 to 5 tablespoons of olive oil, and allow it to get hot (but NOT burnt) on low-medium heat. Working very rapidly, add all of the ground spices, and stir with a wooden spoon constantly. Once the spices smell like they've blended and are nicely meshed (anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes depending on heat), then add the diced canned green chiles. Continue to mix with a wooden spoon and cook the mixture. Allow for the chiles to cook in the spices for a good few minutes, and you'll notice the smell will begin to change.

Then add the hominy and continue to mix. You might want to turn up the heat, but be careful not to burn the spices. You want to get a good cook going on, like if you're trying to cook the hominy, but not exactly. Continue to stir with the wooden spoon frequently so nothing burns.

Once everything in the pot seems really hot and cooked a bit, then add the dark red wine. Again, allow this to cook on low heat for about 10 to 15 minutes. It's good to go once the bitter red wine smell goes away (I do love the bitter smell though).

Add the contents of the blender to the pot now, and mix with the wooden spoon. Add the diced tofu and the dried parsley and tarragon. Mix softly with a wooden spoon, and allow everything to come to a boil on very low heat.

Simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes, then add the balsamic vinegar. This will give it a bit of acidic taste to balance out the spice from the chiles. Mix gently.

Add the salt, and continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, and until the hominy has become softer (not mush, just softer).

Turn off heat, and let pot sit for about an hour. When ready to serve, reheat in pot, and serve.

These types of soups tend to be better the next day, so you might want to make this batch, cool it off, then refrigerate it until the next day or day after. I always like to taste a bit when it's first made, then save the rest for the following days. Just eat it within a week, as the tofu will not taste the same anymore, and it may begin to taste weird after a week, and change the flavor of the soup.

Enjoy!

Green Reflections

I wrote this post about 3 years ago, but never posted it. It feels timely now. Although I'm not vegetarian anymore as I dabble here and there, I still find this post holds pretty true for me.

No recipe this post, more like a reflection and some thoughts on my food choices.

It's sometimes hard to believe that growing up, I was the chubby kid. I was usually always the tallest in my class, but I also had a good share of spare tire. I've always had a pretty good appetite, and if it was good, I tended to eat it, sometimes I had to be coaxed by a persistent grandmother though. Once I started stretching out, my waist disappeared, my cheeks lost their fluff and I went from being chubby and plump to a very tall skinny guy. What I've learned over the years about food is that just like anything in life, it can be a very personal experience and should be about self discovery.

I think there's a lot of truth in the saying "you are what you eat," especially if you help cultivate and nourish what you will consume. Since your body is the only one you have, it makes a ton of sense to me to invest much time and effort in learning about all the many things that you could potentially consume. Growing your own food really makes you rethink your food (and by extension your life) choices and I believe brings about a more beneficial outcome.

I was always exposed to plants as food growing up. Coming from a rich Mexican tradition and having a family who used plants for all sorts of things, I've never really been too distant from my connections to nature. But because I was born into the modern world, and especially because I was born in the U.S. at the time, I was taught by many people outside of my grandmother's house that herbs were witchery, were not effective, and that you could never really "know" nature and what you are in a deeper sense. I'm glad I never truly bought in to all of this, and it's likely that because of my interest in plants and nature, the knowledge from my ancestors will be passed down in its own way.

When I first started getting serious about plants, I very much took the approach that modern science tells you to take. I read books upon books and lists of uses for all sorts of plants and their potential uses for all sorts of ailments. The information was overwhelming, and I often wondered why we had decided to classify everything to death and why things always had to be specific and were very rarely integrated with other disciplines. I was a product of my time, and it would take years of discovering myself and staying true to my convictions to realize something profound about nature: nature does not follow human rules because we tell it to, nature will have its way with us, and you choose to enjoy it or not. That sounds a bit more deterministic and fatalist than it actually is, but the truth of the matter is that when it comes to nature, there is no us and them, and so things like free will can and do exist while at the same time you are an organism influenced greatly by the ebbs and flows around you.

I thought, silly me, when I first started growing plants that I would somehow have to read so much, follow others advice, and be some sort of plant specialist in order to "get it right." I was still stuck in the frame of mind that experts and specialists will always know more than you. I still hadn't learned how to use all that information, but to also learn how to trust your gut and your own experiences, the most important thing.

I started growing plants because I was confused with my life and felt like something was missing. Initially, I thought I would have to learn so much, and read so much material in order to be good at growing plants. What I hadn't expected, but had sort of felt all along, was that the plants would be the ones teaching me. Then after gaining trust, we would begin to nourish each other.

It is very difficult for me now to conceptualize the thoughts I used to have about plants. Things like all leaves looking similar, plants are not all that extraordinary nor are they as smart as us, and plants are not that essential to our well being. I can't imagine now that I used to at least agree with these ideas to some extent, especially since now I very much feel like a plant.

When I finally made the decision to be vegetarian "for real" this time, it was based on a strong desire to not kill animals. Now however, I feel staying vegetarian and learning so much about the plants I put in my body every day has helped me realize that life and death are not ends of a spectrum, but part of an endless cycle of being. After all, plants must "die" in order to feed me. But as I watched my watermelon grow day by day, as I saw mint burst out of a huge pot I had though it had died in, and as I planted my first chile plant here, I began to think differently about plants. Those tiny seedlings would become these bigger organisms that would help feed me, and I would help nourish them. I would take their fruit, and in exchange I would provide water and access to sunlight for these beings I cared for.

This is the first year I have started growing edible plants from seeds I saved and been successful. Most of them are chile peppers, but I also sprouted 2 pumpkin plants from seeds I had saved. The rest of the many plants I care for were already saplings I bought at the local farmer's coop. Tomorrow I'm supposed to receive a cucumber plant from one of my schools too, and I'm going to give them a red pepper plant.

As I reflect on my love for plants over the years and who I have become, I can't help but think that this whole time the plants have been watching me. That it is not I who have exactly cultivated them, but they are the ones who have cultivated me. It makes sense, them knowing this about me. After all, I love to grow plants, and cultivating someone like me would be evolutionary beneficial for the spread of seed and plant production. In return, I get a world of beautiful dreams and colors, delicious fruits and vegetables, and clean air. After all, the plants know that if they help keep me healthy, I help them produce, and everyone benefits from that relationship. I'm not sure what my next step in life may be, but I've learned how to trust and believe in nature. The plants always provide, and it's the simple things in life that tend to be the most complexly beautiful. I find plants to be one of the most beautiful things I know.

Leek Mushroom Broth with Brown Rice

I made a potato leek soup the other day, and I still had the green upper stalk parts of the leeks in my fridge. I didn't want to throw them away, but I couldn't think of what to do with them. Ive been watching my fair share of cooking documentaries lately, and I felt like it was time to cook something warm and savory. A pre winter kind of meal. So I thought I'd use the leeks to make a broth, and since I had mushrooms, I'd use those too.

One of my aunts would always make button mushrooms in red wine that I loved during cold winter holidays. The recipe is simple, butter, wine, mushrooms, time. I always loved these, and since then I have made many a variation. I decided I wanted some sort of broth I could also pour over rice, so I concocted the recipe below.

It was hearty and delicious, just what I wanted. It served as a reflection of my own experiences, the rice making me remember all my cooking escapades on Tsushima, the mushrooms making me think of happier holidays with my aunt, the avocado to add some richness and umph because why not, and the overall mushroom soup and saltiness to remind me of those heavenly shiitake broths I used to make on Tsushima. I didn't have soy sauce handy in my fridge, and oh how I would have loved to have some local Tsush soy sauce, but the amino acids seemed to work well too.

Trust your palette, and adjust spices and flavors as needed. As always though, there is no substitute for time. That's probably why I make such dishes on weekends as I'm doing chores, which allows for all day cooking in spurts as I go about my day. Allowing a broth to marinate in itself over time is always worth it.



Makes 2-3 Servings

16 ounces of meatier mushrooms (I used baby bellos), rinsed thoroughly
2 leek stalks (green parts, washed thoroughly)
4 cups low or no sodium vegetable stock
1/2 stick butter
Dried tarragon, 3 tbsp.
1 cup red wine (good quality)
Ground black pepper, 2 tbsp, and more for garnish
Amino acids, or soy sauce, 5 to 7 tablespoons.
Brown rice, 1 cup, soaked for a few hours in mushroom stock
Avocado, for garnish

In a large pot, bring the leek stalks and the vegetable stock to a low boil. Allow to simmer for 30 minutes to 45 minutes on very low heat. Remove leek stalks completely.

Add butter, mushrooms, tarragon, black pepper, and red wine to pot with stock. Cook on lowest possible heat for about one hour.

Allow mushrooms and broth to cool for about 30 minutes.

Empty soaking water from brown rice, and ladle or pour enough of the broth from the large pot into a small pot with the brown rice. Don't put any of the mushrooms in, just the broth. Don't pour all the broth from the mushrooms pot into the rice, just enough for it to cook the rice over time.

Once you've ladled enough of the broth to cook the rice, add the amino acids or soy sauce into the large pot with the mushrooms (not the rice pot). Gently mix everything around, and let sit. This is done instead of adding salt to the mushroom broth initially, and so as not to add the saltiness to the rice.

Allow rice to further soak in the broth you poured for about 45 minutes to an hour. Once soaked, cook rice on low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until rice is soft.

Once rice has cooked, slowly reheat the mushrooms in the same pot with the broth that was left over. Scoop out the rice into a shallow soup dish, and scoop out slices of avocado and place around rice. Scoop out the mushrooms and place on top of the rice. Then slowly pour the broth into the dish, just enough to cover a bit of the rice, but not too much as to make the whole dish like a soup. Just pour enough broth to get things a bit wet, since the broth is really rich, a lot of it won't taste too good if you eat too much of it all at once.

Grate some more black pepper on top of the mushrooms, and serve hot.

Enjoy!

Reserve any left over broth for use in some sort of delicious way later.

Vegan Menudo, Second Batch

After making a few batches, I finally made one I really enjoyed and decided to write the "recipe" down so I'd remember what the hell I put in it. Menudo has long been one of my favorite dishes since I was a child, even though I always picked out all the meat and just ate the hominy if they'd let me. Technically, menudo is the type of meat that's used in the dish, so the naming of this dish as menudo is "wrong" but oh well, it's still as delicious. This is one of my go to comfort foods, and holds such a cultural significance as well as strong memories for me. The toppings I included in this recipe are the toppings my family uses when eating this, but feel free to eat it with whatever you damn well please. Also, not all canned hominy is the same, so try a few different brands to get your own likes and flavors a chance to shine. All veggie bouillon cubes are not the same either fyi, so same thing applies. Did I mention that this menudo is vegan? It'd fool my family for sure, and I'm sure they'd eat this stuff up just as easy. Feel free to change the ratios to make smaller batches, as I recommend you refrigerate the entire batch for at least a day before serving so the flavors can soak into the hominy better. It'll make a huge difference in flavor I promise. This batch had a spicy level that my family would enjoy, i.e. for most other people who aren't as used to spicy food, it might have a good kick. You can play around with the amounts of dried chiles used if you think it might be too spicy for you. Specifically, the chile de arbol and guajillo are the kickers. I don't recommend changing the amount of chile rojo though, as this might make the soup really watery. If you don't have ancho chile, you can add about 3 more rajas of chile rojo. Happy cooking!



Makes 15 servings

1/2 onion, chopped into chunks
6 cloves garlic, chopped into chunks
Coriander seed, 1/2 tablespoon
Olive oil, 5 to 7 tablespoons
Dried Chile Rojo, 7 to 10 rajas (i.e. pieces)
Chile ancho, 1
Chile de arbol, 7 to 10 rajas
Chile guajillo (or similar), 4 small rajas
Vegan no salt added bouillon cubes, 4 pieces, I like using Rapunzel brand
Rock salt, 2 to 3 tablespoons
Hominy, 1 big ass can (a bit more than 100 ounces worth), I prefer Juanita's brand

For topping:

Finely chopped onion
Finely chopped cilantro or parsley
Red chile pepper powder
Squeeze of lime or lemon juice
Dried oregano

In a large large pot, put the onion, garlic, coriander seed, and olive oil. Turn the heat to medium and cook, mixing constantly, until onions are a bit soft. Turn off heat.

Rinse off all the dried chiles and add them to the pot. Add enough water to slightly cover everything, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, and let everything sit still for about 10 to 20 minutes while it cools off a bit.

Put all the contents of the pot into a blender. Allow the mixture to blend for a good while, about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, break up the bouillon cubes into the big pot. Open the hominy can and place the hominy in the pot. Pour the blender contents over this and mix well. Add enough water to cover everything well, but don't make it too watery. Add the rock salt, mix well. Turn up the heat to medium.

Once the mixture has come to a good rolling boil, boil for another 10 minutes on medium, then lower heat to low. Boil on low for 1 and a half hours or until the hominy is a bit softer. Then turn off the heat and let everything cool off. Although, you should serve yourself a fresh bowl of course before it gets cold, you know, to taste your creation.

If your kitchen is not ice cold in the winter like mine is, you'll have to pour the contents of the pot into a large ass glass jar. Put in the refrigerator and let the flavors soak into and soften the hominy for a day. Then when ready to serve the next day, heat up the batch and get to eating. This is a soup that tastes way better when it's had time to soak. Serve with toasted buttered french bread. This shit is SO good!

Open Faced Sandwich

No real recipe, just a list of what I stuck on this delicious sandwich



On butter toasted sliced French bread, stack the following:

Sliced pickled chile peppers, grilled tofu, a few splashes balsamic vinegar, avocado, and shiitake mushrooms sauteed with olive oil, soy sauce, rosemary, and fresh garlic. Nothing to it :)

Oden

Oden is a great winter dish in Japan and is one of my favorites that makes me all nostalgic and stuff. I've tried to make this many times, but this recipe is the one that I finally said "fuck yeah" to. I was reminded of the importance of good quality and local ingredients with this recipe, a hallmark of Japanese cuisine. One of my schools gave me a huge batch of root vegetables and I immediately thought of some sort of nabe dish, then I thought, oden! All the ingredients for this recipe, except the tofu, were all produced locally, and they taste so much better this year. Like the miso paste I bought has provided so many happy tummy moments. I suppose it was a good harvest year after all. Using shiitake instead of the traditional fish broth also makes this dish nice and vegan. Happy cold weather warm soup eating!


(This picture does not do this dish justice, sorry)

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

Good quality dried shiitake, about 1 to 2 cups dry
Dashi konbu, a large square about the size of your palm
Rock salt, 1/2 tablespoon
Soy sauce, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
Miso paste (without dashi), 2 tablespoons
Root vegetables such as daikon and turnips, I used 5 turnips, 3 small daikon, cut up into bite size chunks
Fried tofu, big slabs. I used 2 packages worth and cut the big traingle pieces in half

Dried wakame (optional)

Place the dried muchrooms in a small pot and cover with a good amount of water. Let sit for at least 2 hours.

Pour the mushrooms with their broth into a large pot. Add the konbu, the salt, the soy sauce, and the miso paste.

Add the root vegetables and the tofu. Add water to cover everything generously, just like a broth soup. Bring to a boil.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The vegetables should be soft.

Place some dried wakame in a serving bowl and ladle some of the oden in. Let sit for a minute or two so the wakame can expand. Serve hot, just like a good brothy soup.

This dish tastes even better the next day when the flavors mesh well. Enjoy!

Root vegetable ideas: carrots, potatoes, renkon, sweet potato, etc.

Meatless (and Vegan) Menudo

Oh yes, this happened! If you are not familiar with the Mexican dish of menudo or pozole, I am sorry to tell you that you're life is still not complete. Menudo and/or pozole are like Mexican icons, based off of different versions of soups that are made using hominy. Menudo was something I grew up on, always picking out the pork meat pieces (menudo is technically the name for the pork meat used), and the dish carries a very emotional meaning for me. Food is way tastier when it has the power to invoke strong positive emotions and memories, and for many Mexicans, a well made bowl of menudo or pozole will do just that. My flight being cancelled and having to go back to a friend's house to cook this dish gave me 2 witnesses who can attest to the scrumptiousness of it all. My friend even said "this dish doesn't even need meat, I can't believe I just said that." I'm beginning to realize I have more than a knack for cooking, maybe one of these days I'll decide to cater and see what happens. Anyway, this dish surprised me in it's tastiness. Funny enough, most of the ingredients I used are basically impossible to get in Japan unless you have connections (someone like me let's say), yet I used fried soft tofu to mimic the chewy pork pieces of menudo, tofu of a quality I have never really found in the U.S. I intend to make this dish for my family when I go back for a visit, and though I didn't make the dish to see how close I could get it to tasting like it had been boiled with pork, I know they won't even be able to tell the difference. They may think that me not using meat is a lie too ha ha. These hands and this soul are getting good at making things of beauty, but that's just me being modest. Reminder, time is essential in letting flavors soak, so start making the sauce a day in advance. You'll notice I included diced onions 3 times, this is for 3 different parts of the process that are done at different times.



Makes about 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 medium to large onion, diced
Olive oil, a good amount for sauteeing
Chipotle powder, 1/2 tablespoon
Habanero chile powder, 1/4 teaspoon
Chile de arbol powder, 1/2 teaspoon
Oregano, a few sprinkles

Dried, deseeded, destemmed, and cleaned chile rojo, about 7
Dried, deseeded, destemmed, and cleaned chile de arbol, about 10
Dried, deseeded, destemmed, and cleaned chile guajillo (or similar red in color pepper, Google image it for the color), about 5 small ones
Rock salt (or regular), 1 to 2 teaspoons
Good quality Vegetable boullion cubes, crushed or cut up, 1 and 1/2 squares. (about a tablespoon and a half worth if it were powder)
Big glass jar, (preferably glass, but I suppose you can use a plastic one if no glass)

Hominy, 1 big ass can (105 ounces or so worth)
Onion, diced, about 1 cups' worth
Fried tofu, diced, the kind with the semi soft skin cover and soft tofu inside, 1 package (about 2 or 3 medium pieces usually)
1 dried guajjillo like chile (Google image it for the color), stem and all so don't cut it open or seeds will spill out during cooking

Oregano, for topping
Freshly diced onion, for topping
Lemon/limes, a squeeze for topping

In a medium pot, sautee the diced up medium to large onion with enough olive oil to cover everything generously. When the onions are soft and semi-translucent, turn the heat down. Add the chipolte, habanero, and chile de arbol powder. Mix everything together frequently so spices don't burn. Add the oregano after about 2 minutes of cooking, and mix and cook for another 5 minutes. You might start coughing from the pungent aromas, but get used to it. Once everything is well integrated, turn off the heat and let the pot sit for about 10 to 20 minutes. Clean your chiles if you haven't done so already.

In the same pot, add the dried chiles and about 1 or 2 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer for about 10 minutes or more, until the chiles are soft enough for smooth blending. Mix occasionally to make sure all the chiles get steamed/boil evenly. You will likely be coughing again when you uncover the pot. Let the pot sit for a few minutes with the top on.

Blend all the contents of the pot until you have a smooth sauce, it should look like tomato sauce. It's okay if it's a bit watery.

Empty the blender contents back into the pot. Add the salt and crushed boullion cubes, and stir and simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes until the boullion cubes have mostly dissolved. Pour the warm mixture into a glass jar and let it sit slightly covered on a counter for a few hours as it cools. Once it cools, place in the fridge and let it sit there for at least a day.

The next day you are ready to make the main event. Allow yourself at least two hours to cook before serving. In a large ass pot, add the hominy, the 1 cup of diced onion, the diced tofu, the chile sauce from the jar, and the uncut guajillo chile, stem and all. Add water until everything is covered and the dish looks like a sort of stew. You're making a soup like dish, not a thick chile, so don't add too little water. Mix well, and turn up the heat to medium. Cover the pot.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, lower the heat and let simmer. Simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until the hominy is soft, bite a few to test them. Stir occasinally.

Once ready to serve, pour some soup in a serving bowl, top with fresh diced onion, dried oregano, and a squeeze of lemon/lime juice. Serve with toasted buttered french bread (or tortillas?? some people apparently do that, it can be a heated debate between Mexicans from different regions ha ha). Enjoy! If there's leftovers, good news is it'll taste even better the next day!

Turmeric and Shiitake Rice

I was lucky enough to stumble upon black rice at a smallish shop a friend took me to, so I've been cooking with it quite a bit. I added a few spices and some shiitake to this batch. Simple recipe that came out good, so hopefully you will get ideas for more creative flavor combinations as well. Sometimes simple is also quite delicious.



Makes 2 servings, so multiply quantities if using more rice

Ingredients:

Short grain (or other variety) white rice, 1/2 cup dry
Black rice, 1/4 cup dry
Dried shiitake, 4 to 5
Turmeric, 2 teaspoons
Cumin, 3 teaspoons
Butter, salted, 1/2 tablespoon

Wash the white and black rice and drain the water. Place the rice in the rice cooker pot, add the amount of water you will use for cooking, and add the dried shiitake. Let the rice and shiitake soak for at least one hour.

After at least one hour, remove the shiitake stems if any and slice them up. Place back in the pot. Add the spices and mix well. Add the butter (no need to mix), close the rice cooker, and push the magic cook button.

When the rice cooker beeps and the rice is done, mix the rice well in the cooker to spead the now melted butter. Serve!

Chiles en Nogada

Nogal means walnut in Spanish, and nogada is a sauce made with walnuts. This dish is some very old school ranch style Mexican fare, and there are many variations of this recipe. I didn't actually grow up eating this, but have always wanted to make it, so I did. This dish has quite a history and was also popularized (at least for me) by the movie "Como agua para chocolate." Do some internet research on this dish if you're interested, and I recommend the movie as well, definitely a Mexican classic. Seeing a hanging pomegranate and buying some long chiles at the coop place gave me the inspiration I needed to try out this dish. The concept is relatively simple (it's getting the flavors and spices to mesh that is the trick). Chiles stuffed with a picadillo of meat and fruits and spices, topped with the walnut sauce and sprinkled with pomegranate. Since I did not want to pick the pomegranate I saw and get caught stealing, I used paprika and some homemade habanero hot sauce to add the red to the dish. Obviously, I did not use meat, but using the right kinds of spices made this dish delicious nonetheless. This is definitely a recipe I will make again and again in many variations. It's quite dairy product heavy, so not very vegan friendly, sorry. One last note, the prep for this meal took about day, so read the recipe until its end to allow for prep time. There is just no substitute for time. Although I love cooking for the end product as it were, I am much more about the process as I use cooking to give me time to think and dream while making something creative as well. Always remember to enjoy and love what you cook, you and others will taste the difference, that I can guarantee :)

The "picadillo" before topping with cheese and the chiles:



Topped with the chiles:



Final Chiles en nogada :)



Makes enough picadillo for 2 dishes

Ingredients:

For the nogada (walnut) sauce, made the day before:

3/4 cup walnuts
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup soymilk or milk
Salt, 1 teaspoon
White pepper, 1 teaspoon
Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
Oregano, a sprinkle
Basil, a sprinkle

12 long chiles, mild or spicy is fine

For the picadillo:

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons
Fresh diced ginger, 2 tablespoons worth
1 small to medium onion, diced
Chipotle powder, 2 teaspoons
Cardamon seeds, empty one pod of cardamon (don't use the pod case, just the seeds)
Raisins, 1/4 cup
1 carrot, diced
1 small apple, a crisp one (I used a yellow one), diced
Cooked whole kernel sweet corn, 1/4 cup
Butter, 1 tablespoon
Spinach, diced, 1/4 to 1/2 cup's worth
Cheese, to top the picadillo with before the chiles. I used camerbert

For garnish:

Fresh hot sauce, I used a habanero one I made, a few drizzles
Paprika, a few sprinkles
Dried green herbs, i.e. oregano, basil, parsley
Black sesame seeds, a few to sprinkle

The night or day before, make the nogada (walnut sauce). Cut up the walnuts into smaller pieces, and in a large non-stick fry pan, toast the walnuts for a few minutes. Don't burn them, just get them fragrant. Let them sit for a few minutes to cool off. Then in a blender, add the walnuts, the cream, the soy milk, salt, white pepper, cinnamon, oregano, and basil. Blend until smooth. Pour the sauce into a container, and let sit in the fridge overnight or for at least a few hours.

A few hours before you intend to serve the dish, roast the chiles. If you've never done this before, it might be a good idea to Youtube a video or two. Ideally, I would use the long stems of a chile to use my hands to turn the chiles over an open flame. But since the stems were so short on the chiles I had, and since I didn't want to burn my place down, I roasted them in a large non-stick fry pan as follows:

Wash the chiles and place them one layer thick in a large fry pan. Turn the heat to medium and cover the pan (covering is important to retain moisture). Let the skins blacken on one side, and then turn chiles over. Cook until skins blacken on the other side too. This will make your place smell ever so delicious, but open your windows anyway. Once the chiles have blackened skins on both sides, try to get all the sides of the chile skin blackened. This may take a while, but be sure to not burn the chiles. You just want the skins to be charred to peel them off later, not to burn the whole chile. Turn the heat down if need be.

Once the chile skins are pretty black and crispy, cover the pan and let the chiles sweat for about an hour. You can do the prep for the picadillo if you so desire while you wait, or listen to some jams or go eat lunch with your friends like I did.

After allowing them to sweat, deskin and deseed the chiles using a small knife. My chiles were too small to stuff, so I used them as a sort of layer over the picadillo instead. Deskinning and deseeding the roasted chiles will take patience and time, so allow both for this step. Peel the skins off gently, being sure that you just take the skin off, not the juicy fruit of the chile. If you have a few seeds left over, that is okay, but try to get as many out as possible. Again, watching a Youtube video will help greatly if you have never done this. You will get your hands dirty :) Set the chiles aside.

About 30 minutes before you intend to serve, make the picadillo. In a large fry pan, add the olive oil, the onion, and the cardamon seeds. Cook over medium heat until the onions are semi translucent. Lower the heat, add the chipotle powder and cook for about 3 minutes until it smells nice. Add the raisins and cook for another minute or so, being sure not to burn anything. Turn the heat off, cover the pan and let the onions sweat for a few minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

Turn the heat back on to medium. In the same pan, add the diced carrot, the diced apple, and the corn. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the butter, mix until melted. Add the spinach, but don't mix. Lower the heat, and cover the pan. Let cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, then mix all the ingredients in the pan. Keep covered and warm until ready to serve.

Time to get layering. Reheat the chiles so they will be hot. Then place a cup's worth or so of the picadillo mixture onto a plate. Place slices of the cheese on top of this mixture. Top the whole thing with the roasted chiles, being sure to cover as much as possible (see second picture above). You will likely have to get your hands dirty again. Time for the sauce.

Mix the nogada sauce in the container to get the consistency even again. Then using a large spoon, or simply pouring it out of the container, gently and generously pour the nogada sauce all over the chiles evenly. It is okay that the sauce is cold right from the fridge since the rest of the dish should be piping hot. Then drizzle red hot sauce and sprinkle paprika on one side, and dried or fresh green herbs on the other side. I also topped the middle area with black sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

This is some good stuff!

Red Dahl Spicy Coconut Curry

Curry! Dahl! This is one of my more spicy, yet most flavorful concoctions. This recipe takes a lot of TIME to make, so please don't try to cut out the soaking and setting aside time. There is no substitute for time in this recipe, and it is an essential ingredient. If you try and do this slapdash and fast, the flavors will just not be the same, and you will be sorely disappointed. A good flavorful curry is usually made the day before and allowed to sit, so if you're up for a day of cooking, and you like the payoff of a flavorful dish, this is a great recipe to add to your menu. The lentils and coconut milk make this dish extra creamy, perfect for pairing with naan or something bready. As always, feel free to adjust spices and ingredients to this recipe to your liking, except for the time needed of course. Most of all have fun. Sing to your dish, laugh out loud, do a little dance, and cough and laugh when the chile smell takes over your kitchen.



Makes a medium pot's worth

Ingredients:

Time, half a day should suffice.
Red lentils, 1 cup, washed and soaked in water for at least 3 hours
Brown lentils, 1 and 1/2 cup, washed and soaked in water for at least 3 hours
Shiitake mushroom broth, 2 cups. Dried shiitake soaked in 2 cups water for at least 3 hours. I suppose you could use vegetable broth as well, but I like to be able to control my salt intake.

Coconut chile milk, make ahead of time:
Coconut milk, 1 can
Fresh red chile peppers, washed with tops cut off. About 1 to 2 cups worth depending on your spicy preference

For curry stock:
Olive oil, liberal amount, about 7 to 10 tablespoons
Diced onion, 1 cups worth
Fresh diced ginger, 1/2 cups worth
3 cloves garlic, diced
Caraway seeds, 1 teaspoon
Coriander seeds, 1 teaspoon
Anis seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh mint, about 10 leaves or so

Curry spices:
Curry powder, 2 tablespoons
Red Masala powder, 1 tablespoon
Cinnamon, 3 teaspoons
Garam masala powder, 1/2 tablespoon
Cumin powder, 2 teaspoons
Black pepper, 2 teaspoons
White pepper, 1 teaspoon

Brown rock salt or similar, about 2 to 3 teaspoons
Unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons
Cauliflower, 1 head diced into bite size pieces
More extra diced fresh onion, 1/2 cup
Tofu, 1 cups worth, cubed

If you haven't soaked your lentils, do so now and you will be eating this curry in 3 hours or so, ha ha.

Shake the can of coconut milk before opening to get all of it out. Place the coconut milk and the red chiles in a medium pot. Be sure to scrape out all that coconut milk from the can too. Boil for a good 15 minuted on medium heat, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for at least an hour.

Meanwhile, begin your curry stock. In a large pot, add the onion, ginger, garlic, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, and anis seeds. Turn on the heat to medium, and cook well until the onions are translucent and everything is quite fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes perhaps.

Turn the heat to low, and add the mint. Begin adding all the curry spices, being sure not to clump any spices to the bottom of the pan where they will burn quickly. Once all the spices have been added, mix well with a wooden spoon and continue to cook on low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan constantly to prevent burning, but you also want the spices to cook in the oil for a good while. It should all start to smell amazing. Let this sit for 30 minutes or longer so the flavors have time to mesh well.

After some time, add the drained red lentils and the mushroom broth to the pot. Add a TINY bit of water if the broth is not enough to cook the lentils. Turn up the heat to medium and mix well. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently until the lentils are soft. This should take about 10 to 15 minutes, but taste the lentils just to be sure. Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for 15 to 30 minutes until it cools off. Read a book or listen to your favorite album for a while.

Once everything has cooled, it's time to get to cooking again. Pour the coconut milk chile mixture into a blender. Blend until everything is nice and creamy and red from the peppers. Pour this all back into the same pot. Turn on the heat, and boil the mixture for about 7 to 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit while doing the next step.

Rinse out the blender with water just enough to get any remaining chile seeds out. Place the contents of the curry stock from the large pot into the blender. Blend until all is smooth and creamy too. Pour this back into the large pot.

Pour the coconut mixture through a strainer and into the large pot. Using a strainer ensures you don't get all those lovely hard seeds in your meal. Mix the lentil curry and coconut milk mixture well.

Add the drained brown lentils to the large pot. Mix well, and cook over medium heat until the lentils are soft, about 15 minutes. The mixture will be creamy, so be sure to mix frequently and watch over the pot so the lentils don't burn to the pan bottom. Taste a few lentils to make sure they are soft and cooked through.

Once the lentils are soft, add the rock salt and butter and mix in well.

Add the cauliflower, the extra diced onion, and the tofu, mix. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat, then 5 minutes on low heat, mixing occasionally.

Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

If you did it right, this dish is spicy and ever so creamy, so serve yourself a small portion and eat it with many other side dishes. If you just eat a big bowl of this stuff, your asshole might pay dearly and it won't be as enjoyable. You can also let the curry sit for a day when everything has time to get acquainted, just be sure to refrigerate it after a few hours. I think curry always tastes better after a few good hour or day long sit. Hope you enjoy this dish!

Marinated Tofu Shiitake and Spinach Stir Fry Sandwich

This is probably one of the best sandwiches I have ever had/made, and I've had/made a ton of delicious sandwiches. I found the idea for marinading the tofu online, and it did not disappoint. Topping the tofu with a mushroom spinach stir fry was also a great idea, as shiitake, ginger, and spinach are all fresh and in season. All the hearty and juicy and savory flavors meshed so well together. It was quite a flavor combination and hit the spot just right.

Sandwich before topping with the last slice of bread:


Sandwich after cutting:


Makes 1 stacked sandwich

Ingredients:

2 slices tofu, marinated overnight or longer in 2 parts balsamic vinegar, 2 parts olive oil, 1 part maple syrup, fresh (or dried) rosemary, salt and pepper

Recently made spinach stir fry: sliced shiitake mushrooms, spinach, onion, garlic, and fresh ginger sauteed in a covered pan with butter, soy sauce, red chile flakes, and black pepper. Add the spinach and black pepper last, and let the spinach wilt with the heat off in the covered pan.

2 slices bread, preferably not white bread
Cheese, the best you can find
Sesame seeds
1/2 Avocado
Chile sauce, I used homemade habanero sauce

In a large frying pan, gently melt some butter. Place bread slice in pan and toast well until the bread is crispy and deliciously buttery. Repeat with all sides and slices of the bread.

Top bread with cheese and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Place in fish grill or broiler or toaster. Toast for a few minutes until cheese has melted.

Pan fry/grill the marinated tofu, being sure to get all sides as crispy as possible. Place a bit of the liquid you soaked it in into the pan to avoid burning.

Now time to layer. Place one tofu slice on top of a melted cheesy slice of toast. Top with avocado slices one layer thick. Drizzle with chile sauce.

Place the next slice of tofu on top of the avocado. Top with some of the shiitake spinach mushroom stir fry. Place the other cheesy toast slice on top, cheese side down, and press down gently. Cut the sandwich in half with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

Tofu Grilled Cheese(ish) Sandwich

I was really craving a grilled cheese sandwich or tofu burger kind of thing, so this is what I came up with. It took a bit of time, but came out quite good. A friend gave me the idea to soak my tofu in sauce for as long as possible to give it more flavor, VERY good idea. The key to this sandwich was good stacking, hope this gives you ideas. Camambert cheese is hard to slice because it's so mushy and gooey, but I usually put it in the freezer for a few minutes right before I cut it and that seems to help. Then I toast the bread with the cheese before adding the rest of the stuff to melt it again.



Makes 1 sandwich (double ingredients etc. for more)

Ingredients:

2 slices of the least gargantuan bread you can find in the store
Butter, 4 small cubed pieces, for 4 sides of bread
Tomato, thinly sliced
Black pepper
Fresh mint or herbs, a bit
1/2 small wheel of camembert cheese, or cheese you like, sliced
Sesame seeds, to sprinkle on top of cheese 1/2 avocado, scoop out with spoon into slices when stacking
1 square thin block of agedofu (fried tofu), sliced lengthwise in the middle, soaked in soy sauce and chile peppers (or whatever you like) for a few hours
Hot sauce (I made my own, but Tabasco will work just fine)
Fresh spinach, or other leafy green

In a nonstick fry pan, melt (not burn) one of the pieces of the butter, and place a slice of bread on. Toast that side of the bread until it's nice and buttery. Do the same with the rest of the butter and sides of the bread to get a buttery toasty 2 slices of bread.

In the same pan, place the agedofu with a bit of the soy sauce and "grill" it on low heat, making sure it doesn't burn as you start making your sandwich. Be sure to flip it every so often.

Place the tomato slices on one of the the slices of bread, sprinkle with black pepper and top with the mint or herbs. Top with the cheese, and sprinkle some sesame seeds on top of the cheese.

Place this slice of bread in your fish grill or a toaster oven and begin toasting. Toast until the cheese is starting to melt a bit, turn the bread every so often to avoid burning any one side. You can put the other empty slice of bread in too to get it all toasty as well.

Take the bread slices out, and put the avocado on top of the cheese. Then using a spatula, carefully place the agedofu on top of this as well. Drizzle some hot sauce over the tofu. Place the spinach on top, and put the other slice of bread on top. Press down a bit, and using a sharp knife, cut the whole sandwich in half. Chow down!

Ochadzuke

Ochadzuke (or ochazuke) literally means to place or pour green tea onto something, in this case a bowl of rice, and is usually a simple dish. Great for cold weather, or when you have a cold, or just want a refreshing "ahhh" kind of meal. I like to add my own flavors to dishes, so this version has a bit more complexity in the rice. It was the perfect "I want a filling dish with few spices today" kind of meal.



Makes 2 servings (or 1 for a hungry person)

Ingredients:

Dried shittake mushrooms, about 5, soaked in a small amount of water for at least an hour, reserve the water
Konbu seaweed, small slice, soaked together with the shiitake
White rice, presoaked for at least an hour, rinsed
1 tiny packet of various grains that you put in rice
2 tablespoons canned corn
Shiso furikake, the purple rice sprinkly stuff
Black pepper

Topping:

Fresh ginger, about 1 tablespoon finely diced
Soft tofu, 1/2 block, diced into small pieces
Powdered Aonori seaweed
Black sesame seeds
Shaved dried seaweed, like the kind you sprinkle on okonomiyaki
Umeboshi, pickled plum
Fresh green tea

Place the rice in a rice cooker. Slice up the shiitake, and put in the rice cooker as well. Add the corn, the grains from the packet, and add the mushroom/konbu soaking water. Use the piece of konbu for something else later if desired. Add a bit more water to the rice cooker pot if necessary, mix well, and set the rice to cook. You can kinda kick back until the rice is almost ready.

Once the rice is almost done, boil the water for a fresh bit of green tea. Pour the hot water in a teapot with the green tea leaves and let sit while you prepare the other stuff. You can do this step last if you don't like your tea as strong.

Once the rice is done, add about 1 to 2 teaspoons of shiso furikake, and the black pepper to the rice. Mix well, but softly, with a rice paddle. Let sit while you get the other ingredients ready to top.

Place all the delicious mushroomy rice from the rice cooker into a large bowl. Top the rice with the fresh ginger and add the tofu around the edges. Slowly pour in the hot green tea to liking.

Sprinkle the middle with aonori, then with sesame seeds, then with the shaved seaweed, and finally place an umeboshi or two on top of it all.

Makes a perfect warm dish that is filling, rather easy, and delicious.

Pumpkin Lentil Goodness

This recipe is an example of buying a pumpkin and some zucchini and then looking into my cupboard to use basically all the spices I had. I've built up my spice collection over time, so some of these spices might only be found in like "international" stores versus the main grocery stores here in Japan. However, feel free to use whatever spices you like and be adventurous. It's taken me lots of practice and adding too much or too little of things over the years to kind of figure out what sorts of flavors I like to mesh together. That said, my tastebuds seem to be fans of chile powders and dried herbs ha ha.

You can usually find the 木のくらげ by the kelp and seaweed at most grocery stores, or if not, in the "Chinese cooking" section. 木のくらげ has a sort of mushroomy, yet seaweedy texture. If you'd like though, you can substitute the 木のくらげ with a darker mushroom instead, like shiitake or eringi. Lastly, if you can't find lentils (VERY rare in Japan in my experience), I suppose you can omit them or substitute them. Maybe you could use small red beans instead. Lentils cook much faster than beans, so if you do use beans instead, make sure they are already cooked. If you buy the beans in a can or package, be sure they are JUST beans, as a ton of the beans in cans or packages in Japan usually are used for desserts, i.e. they all have sugar. Adding that much sugar to this dish would kind of ruin it I think he he he.



Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients:

2 small onions, sliced
Fresh ginger, diced up, about 1 to 2 tablespoons worth
Garlic, 7 cloves, left whole
Dried chipotle chiles, about 3 to 4, deseeded
Olive oil, about 5 tablespoons

Spices:

Caraway seed, 1 teaspoon
Cardamon seed, 1 whole
Coriander seed, 1 teaspoon
Anis seeds, 1/2 teaspoon
Dried rosemary, 1 teaspoon

Black pepper, 1 teaspoon
Ground white pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
Curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon
Masala, 1/2 teaspoon
Habanero powder, 1/4 teaspoon
Chile de arbol powder, 1/4 teaspoon
Chipotle powder, 1/2 teaspoon
Ground cardamon, a small dash
Cinnamon, a small dash
Cumin powder, a liberal dash
Garam masala, a liberal dash
Ground sage, a small dash
Dried parsley, 1/2 tablespoon
Dried cilantro, 1 teaspoon
Dried marjoram, 1 teaspoon
Oregano, 1/2 teaspoon
Dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon

Further ingredients:

Small pumpkin, diced up into medium chunks
Fresh mint, 1 handful
2 large zucchini, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
木のくらげ, about 1/4 cup dried (or substitute with 3/4 cup of mushrooms)
Red lentils, 1/2 cup
Brown lentils, 1/2 cup
Salt, a few dashes
Butter (optional), 2 tablespoons worth
Coconut oil, 1 and 1/2 tablespoons
Tofu, 1/2 block
Fried tofu, 3 slices
Sesame seeds, 2 teaspoons

In a large pot, place the onion, ginger, garlic, and dried chipotle chiles. Add the caraway seed, cardamon seed, coriander seed, anis seed, and dried rosemary. Pour the olive oil, mix everything with a wooden spoon, and turn on the heat to medium.

Cook everything on medium heat until it starts to smell quite nice, about 5 to 7 minutes. Don't let anything burn. Turn off the heat, and add the rest of the spices, from black pepper until dried basil above. Mix well with a wooden spoon.

Add the diced pumpkin and about 3 cups of water, just enough to barely cover the pumpkin. Turn on heat to medium, and bring to a a boil. Mix occasionally.

Once the pumpkin is soft, turn off the heat. Add the fresh mint to a blender. Use a large ladle to scoop up some of the pot contents into the blender. Blend the mixture in batches, as you likely won't be able to fit all of what's in the pot into one blender all at once. You can also add a bit of water to the blender if needed to allow it to blend more smoothly.

Pour the blender contents into a large bowl, and continue to blend what is in the pot until it is all blended. Then return all the blended mixture to the pot.

(I tend to put a bit of water into the empty blender and blend quickly to get all the last bits of mixture off the blades. Then you can pour this into the pot too.)

Add a bit of water to the pot, about 1 cup for now. (You can use the same bowl you kept the blended stuff in to do this so you don't waste any lovely pumpkin mixture.)

Add the zucchini, carrots, 木のくらげ, and the red and brown lentils to the pot. Sprinkle some salt as well. Mix well, and turn the heat on to medium. Add a bit more water. Just enough so the soup is still thick, but also so the zucchini and carrots are covered well. Mix well.

Once the mixture comes to a boil, add the regular and fried tofu. Mix. Add the butter and coconut oil and stir.

Once the mixture comes to a boil again, lower the heat to a low flame. Allow everything to cook on a low boil for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with rice or something and: Chow down!!

Tip: Just like a curry or chile, this goodness will taste even better the next day when the flavors have more time to seep into each other.

Quick Dinner

Been a long while since I wrote here, but I made a quick dinner and thought I would share it for some ideas. No real recipe as it's all in the picture for the most part, so I'll just type out some quick steps. Makes enough for 3 big ass slices of bread (I got something close to wheat)



In a large fry pan I sizzled some butter, then placed the bread on top. I toasted one side of the bread until it was crisp, then put another bit of butter and repeated with the other side. Then I sprinkled wonderful high quality cheese (I wish) on top once it was piping hot. I did this with all slices.

Then I spread avocado over all the slices, I suppose you could sprinkle some salt too.

In the same fry pan, I cut a medium block of tofu into 3 slabs (one per slice). Then I fried the slabs on both sides for a bit until piping hot. I placed them on the bread and then sprinkled paprika on them.

In the same pan, I then put thinly sliced eringi mushrooms. You could add a bit of soy sauce and butter to them while sauteeing for a nice flavor. Once cooked and soft, I placed the sliced mushrooms on top of the tofu. I sprinkled some black pepper over this.

Some nice sliced tomato over the eringi, and then I used a small spoon to sprinkle a bit of balsamic vinegar over the tomatoes. Then sprinkle some black sesame seeds over that. Finally I placed some fresh mint and cilantro from my veranda one pot garden, and munch time!

Mini Vegetarian (or vegan) Tamales!

If you're brave enough to attempt these and can get a hold of corn flour, you'll have some very happy eating. I wouldn't exactly say that making tamales is one of our family traditions, but eating them sure is. Making tamales takes me back to a time when we all chipped in while one of my great grandmas was still alive. To make my house smell like it did that night is more than worth the time and effort. Cooking is filled with emotions for me.

You can pretty much fill the tamales with anything you want really. I used kimchi and a bit of cheese. Sounds odd, but they were fuckin fantastic in my opinion. Omit cheese to make the filling vegan. Because I can't get corn husks here, I used coffee filters. Apparently you can use that or soaked parchment paper, thanks be to the internets. I also don't have a proper tamale steamer, so I improvised. When it comes to the amount of corn flour, I tried my best to guess, but it might not be exact. Basically, you want the masa(dough) to be smooth enough to spread, but not too creamy. You also don't want it too hard, because then you'll have thick tough balls of cooked dough for tamales. It should be close to the consistency of a batch of mashed potatoes before adding milk and butter to make them creamy, that's the closest thing I can think it looks/feels like. Touch your food, with clean hands of course. I eyeball almost all of my cooking, so I'm just making the disclaimer if you used the amounts I have here and they didn't come out to your liking. Always try again, I've learned through many mistakes over and over, it's okay.

A final note on corn flour. If you can, actively seek out non-GMO corn flour. I won't go into details too much, but basically, what they have done to corn in the modern age is absolute shit. I'll let you do the research and make your own decisions. I ordered my corn flour online, and was able to find non-GMO from www.fbcusa.com which is a handy site if you live in Japan, try iherb.com if living in the U.S. Let's get to tamales:



Utensils needed:

One big ass pot
A vegetable steamer
A wire whisk (not that plastic shit)
Large mixing bowl
CLEAN small towel or large rag
Coffee filters, or parchment paper that has been soaked in water. I used these coffee filters:


Makes about 10 to 12 very small (about finger length) tamales depending on how big your coffee filters are

Ingredients:

Vegetable shortening, 120g tube
Corn flour, about 1 cup I think
Baking powder, about 1/2 teaspoon
Salt, a few pinches
Any spices you'd like or dried herbs, like pepper, oregano, cilantro, etc. A small pinch of each
Warm to hot water, about 1/2 cup
Filling for tamales. I used kimchi and cheese. About half a cups worth. Raisins and nuts or fruit like pineapple if making sweet tamales.

Make sure you have all the right utensils for making the tamales before starting your mixing.

First, use a sharp knife to literally cut open the tube of shortening, because who the hell puts shortening in a tube (oh Japan...)? Squeeze all the shortening out into the large mixing bowl. Now the labor part.

Using the wire whisk, mix the shortening to make it fluffy. Pretend you are lifting an egg white. It's the same motion, but since the shortening is very thick, it requires a ton more muscle and work. Once the shortening is fluffy and smooth, basically when you're out of breath and your arm hurts, it is ready. Remember to take breathing breaks in between. This fluffiness takes me anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, and it's not really a step that can be skipped, sorry.

In another medium bowl, add the corn flour, the baking powder, the salt, and any spices. If you are making sweet tamales, add a bit of sugar and instead of oregano and cilantro etc, use cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, etc. Mix well with a fork to incorporate everything.

Add about half of the corn flour mixture and a few tablespoons of the hot water into the bowl with the fluffed shortening. Use a medium spoon to mix the dough, folding everything together. Once mixed well, add more corn flour and hot water, and mix again. Do this until the masa (dough) is mixed well, and the texture is sort of similar to a less creamy version of mashed potatoes. You may have to use your hands, that's okay.

**Feel free to do some internet research on the "right" consistency of tamal masa. You will be overwhelmed with what everyone thinks is "right," but it also depends a whole lot on your corn flour and personal preference, so experiment. P.S. fuck GMO cornflour! If you're in the U.S., that's pretty much all you'll find in the stores. Very sad teary reality. You might be able to find non-GMO corn flour in health food stores and such, that's your best bet. If not, online. Try other varieties of non-GMO cornflour too. Corn in nature has such rich diversity and colors/flavors, but unfortunately that is being destroyed at an alarming rate. Okay, back to the recipe.

Prepare the pot and vegetable steamer. Add about 2 to 4 cups of water to the pot. There should be enough water to cover the bottom of the pot so all the water doesn't evaporate during steaming, but not enough water to boil up onto the vegetable steamer (which would wet the tamales, a no no). Turn the heat on to medium and cover the pot

You're ready to spread. Cut the coffee filter if needed as such:



Place about 2 tablespoons of the masa into the center using a medium spoon. Spread the masa evenly out from the center. Add about a teaspoon and a half of the filling to the middle. Press both sides of the coffee filter so the masa touches and wraps up the filling. You can use your fingers to help make sure the filling is sealed into the masa well, like you would a dumpling. Wrap the coffee filter around the tamal to seal it in well and place on the vegetable steamer in the pot.

These are the finished product wrapped in the coffee filter, but basically, you want to wrap the tamales as such:



Continue to place wrapped uncooked tamales on the steamer in the big pot until you run out of masa. Place them evenly around the steamer to make sure the steam will get to all of them evenly.

Place a clean towel or rag over the tamales as such, making sure it doesn't touch the sides of the pan:



**If you are lucky enough to have a very deep pot, you can make more tamales. Basically, stack a layer of tamales on top of the rag/towel, place another towel/rag on top of that layer and keep stacking. Make sure you cover the last layer with a rag/towel though. If making more, obviously, double or triple etc. the ingredients used.

Once the water comes to a boil you have 2 options: Option 1) You can leave it on medium heat. This will cook the tamales within about 40 minutes or so, but you run the risk of the tamales coming out drier because it is harder to control the heat.

Option 2) lower the heat to medium low, it'll take the tamales about 1 and a half hours to cook, but they are more likely to come out moist (not wet) and smoother. Cover the pot for both options.

The tamales are ready when they are cooked through. When you press on it, it should no longer be mushy and spring back. Yet, they should not be hard like a dense cake or bread either, that means they are overdone. You may have to make a few batches to learn how to know when tamales are ready. I wish I could put into words the smell of a tamal that is ready, but that's just something you'll have to figure out.

Notes: Don't be scared of making tamales. They can be a very fun, albeit labor-intensive, process. Getting friends and family involved is also awesome. Plus, if you are able to make these in Japan, you can wow the hell out of your coworkers/everyone, it's not everyday someone makes a traditional Mexican food like tamales in Japan (if ever). Also, mistakes happen. I've made many many batches throughout the years, and have finally learned what it is I like and how to make tamales I can call my own. You learn by fucking up, but it's worth it. Finally, try all sorts of fillings. Chile and cheese, mole, beans, fruits, endless possibilities. Happy cooking!

Damn Good Chile!

One thing you'll likely not find much of in my cooking is speed. I'm not a huge fan of "quick and easy" recipes. Not that I'm against them or anything, I just prefer my food to cook on super low heat for hours to let flavors mesh better, and even to let it sit for a day sometimes. This is one of those recipes :) I'd been really wanting something hearty as the cold weather starts to come, and I seem to have done it with this chile. I would have preferred to put in fresh non-sweet white corn instead of the edamame, but the edamame came out quite nice. If you can't find/have the dried chiles (which you likely won't if you live in Japan), you can just use about a tablespoon of red chile powder, that should be fine. I added the onions and bell peppers last so that they could still be a bit crunchy when served, but you can add them in with the carrots if you like. Finally, all the amounts are guesstimates, so feel free to not use measuring anything ha ha. Hope this helps keep you warm this winter.



Cook Time: 2 to 3 hours, plus overnight soak for beans

Makes about 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients:

Dry beans, large type like lima, kidney, etc., whatever your store stocks. About 3 cups dry
Dried small chile pepper, deseeded
5 smoked chipotle peppers, deseeded
1 dried chile rojo, deseeded
2 chile de arbol, deseeded
Garlic, 5 to 7 cloves, chopped up into small pieces
Very ripe tomatoes, 2 medium, diced up into small chunks
Red wine, cheap kind is okay, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup
Olive oil, 4 tablespoons
Mirin (sweet fermented rice wine), 1 tablespoon
Soy sauce, 1 & 1/2 tablespoons
Shiitake mushrooms (or similar type), 15 small, stems removed and cut in half
3 medium carrots, diced into medium chunks
Edamame, removed from pods and rinsed, about 1 cup's worth
Onion, 1 medium, diced up
Bell peppers, 10 small, diced up

Spices, to be added in all at once:

Bay leaves, 4
Dried oregano, 1 teaspoon
Dried parsley, 1 teaspoon
Dried basil, 1 teaspoon
Black pepper, 1 teaspoon
White pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
Ground cumin, 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon
Nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon
Paprika, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons
Salt, 1 teaspoon

Soak the beans overnight or for at least 8 hours. I suppose you could use canned beans, but I don't like doing this as you can't control the flavor of what comes in a can, plus it's just not as fresh

The next day, rinse the beans and place in a large pot. Pour enough water to just barely cover the beans. Turn the heat on to medium high. Once the water begins to boil, lower the heat to the lowest setting possible.

Add the small pepper, the chipotle, the chile rojo, and the chile de arbol to the side of the pot. Cover the pot and let cook for about 3 minutes.

Remove the dried chiles with a fork or chopsticks and put in a blender. Use a ladle to scoop out some of the bean water and add to the blender. Blend this until there are no more big chile chunks in the mix. Add this back to the pot of beans, pouring more bean water into the blender and shaking it around to make sure you get all the mix from the blender out.

Add the tomatoes, red wine, olive oil, mirin, soy sauce, and all the spices. Stir well.

Add more water to the pot to cover everything. Don't add too much water though, a few cups should be alright. Let this come to a boil, lower the heat, then cook on a low flame for 1 hour to 1 and a half hours.

**Note: Check that the beans are cooking well, they should be soft after about 1 to 1 and a half hours, even if not completely cooked quite yet. Basically, if you take one out and it is too hard to chew, they are not ready. If this is the case, let this pot boil on low heat for another 20 minutes or so, then proceed with the next steps.

Add the shiitake, carrots, and edamame. Stir well.

Let the chile cook for another 30 to 40 minutes, then add the onions and bell peppers and stir well. Cook for another 15 to 20 minutes to let all the flavors soak in well.

Enjoy with whatever the hell you want; like crakers, bread, rice, whatever you fancy. Happy eats :)

Potato Tofu Saag (and Roti)

When Japan gives you spinach, make saag! This version is vegan too, and comes from looking at a couple recipes online and coming up with my own processes and ingredients. Amazing what a little creativity can do. However, if you do prefer the dairy in your saag, substitute the coconut milk with whole whipping cream or unflavored yogurt, and the tofu for paneer (the cheese). If you don't have spinach, feel free to use whatever sort of dark leafy green you have available. Also, if you want to make this less spicy, omit the ingredients I've labeled as optional. Feel free to play around with spices and quantities to find something you like. This recipe and eating this yummyness helped me get over a stupid cold I had for a bit. Nothing like warm fresh food to soothe the soul. I served this dish with roti. See the link at the end of this recipe for how to make the roti. Happy eats :)



Makes about 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

Olive oil, about 5 tablespoons
Garlic, 4 to 5 cloves, chopped up into small pieces
Ginger, chopped up into small pieces, about 1 tablespoon's worth
Onion, 1/2 of a medium onion, chopped up into small pieces
Cumin seeds, about 1 & 1/2 teaspoon
Anise seeds, about 1/2 teaspoon
Curry powder, 1 & 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala, 2 to 3 teaspoons
Dried herbs: oregano, basil, cilantro, a few dashes of each
Black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon powder, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)
Chile powder, 1 teaspoon (optional)
Small dried chile, seeds removed (optional)
Tomato, 1 medium, diced up
Whole leaf spinach, 2 big ass bunches. Pick off the leaves from the stems, and wash them well to remove any dirt.
Coconut milk, 1/4 cup
8 very small potatoes (or equivalent amount, like 4 medium, or 2 large), cut up into small chunks
Firm tofu, 1 block, cut up into thick cubes (to resemble the paneer in saag paneer)
Salt, 1/2 teaspoon

In an extra large pot, place the garlic, ginger, onion, cumin seeds, and the anise seeds. Pour olive oil liberally all over everything. Turn the heat to medium and let everything begin to fry. Stir frequently.

After allowing the onions to fry and get soft, add the curry powder, garam masala, dried herbs, black pepper, cinnamon powder, nutmeg, chile powder, and the small dried chile. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon while the spices and onions begin to fry. Be careful not to burn anything.

Once the pot smells nice and the spices give off a good scent, add the potatoes and continue to fry for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes or so, until the mixture becomes hot and begins to bubble. Turn off heat.

In another pot, place all the spinach leaves. Add about 1/4 cup of water. Turn up the heat to medium, and allow the water to get a bit hot.

Once the spinach leaves begin to wilt slightly, immediately turn off the heat. Don't throw away the water. Place the spinach leaves in a large collander, and submerge in ice water (this preserves the color apparently).

Pour the warm spinach water (which should be clean) into the pot with the potatoes, and turn the heat to medium. Cover the pot.

Meanwhile, put all the spinach leaves into a blender. Put about 1/4 cup water, and blend. Blend the spinach until there are no longer any chunks and the mixture is smooth. About 1 minute of blending should do. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes on medium heat in the large pot for a short while, about 5 minutes. Then stir in the spinach from the blender. Add the coconut milk, and stir well. Add the tofu, and stir well.

Add the salt, stir, lower the heat, and allow everything to simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve with roti (or whatever you'd like) and enjoy!

I added some cumin seeds to the roti recipe I used below, for a nice toasty cumin flavor. I simply mixed in the seeds with the flour before adding anything else. Obviously, omit the butter at the end or use a substitute to make them vegan. Here's the video/recipe link I used to make the roti:

http://showmethecurry.com/breads/rotli-roti-indian-bread-recipe.html

P.S. This vegan version of saag should taste better the next day when all the spices have been given a chance to mesh together. And you don't have to worry about any of the dairy spoiling.