Japanese Dinner May 2012

For the Japanese dinner, Stephanie hosted, but we met at Kim's house. We had several kinds of Sushi, both fish and vegetarian, maki and nigiri.  We also had a miso glazed Salmon and a Japanese salad.

I (Rebecca) brought Shojin Salad with Peanut-flavored Tofu Dressing, a recipe I found in The Enlightened Kitchen: Fresh Vegetable Dishes from the Temples of Japan by Mari Fujii.

Shojin Salad with CPeanut-Flavored Tofu Dressing

8 thin Spears Asparagus
4 lettuce leaves, torn into bite sized pieces
10 1/2 ounces tomatoes, diced
2 avocados, cut in 1/2 inch dice
2 Japanese cucumbers, cut in 1/2 inch dice
1 block silken tofu (7 ounces)
2 Tbsp. peanut butter, unsweetened
2 tbsp. rice vinegar
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. maple syrup
dash black pepper
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Wrap the tofu in a paper towel, place a plate on top and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.

To make the dressing, blend the tofu, peanut butter, rice vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup,black pepper, salt and lemon juice in a food processor.

Blanch the asparagus, drain, plunge into cold water, then slice diagonally into 1 inch pieces.

Spread the lettuce on a serving plate, arrange the asparagus, tomato, avocado and cucumber on top and cover with the dressing.

I (Kim) decided to try a vegetarian roll from The Art of Japanese Vegetarian Cooking by Max Jacobsen.  This recipe is adapted from a recipe from Charlie Trotter.

Maki Rolls with Pickled Mango and Carrot and a Spicy Asian Vinaigrette

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch sticks
1 small mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch sticks
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
3 tablespoons water
2 cups cooked Sushi Rice
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
4 sheets nori
1/2 cup opal basil
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and cut into 1/4-inch sticks

Pickling Juice:
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup sake
1/3 cup water

Japanese Vinaigrette

1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons shichimi

Place carrots and mango in a small bowl and cover with the pickling juice.  Allow to marinate for about 2 hours in the refrigerator.  Remove the mango and carrot from the pickling juice, drain and set aside.  In a small cup, blend the wasabi powder with the water, stirring until a smooth paste is formed.

In a separate bowl, combine the sushi rice, rice vinegar, and sugar, and stir gently until the ingredients are well mixed.  Lay out a makisu (bamboo rolling mat) and top with 1 of the sheets of nori.  Spread a quarter of the rice mixture flat over the nori using the hands, leaving a 2-inch border at the top of the nori.  (Charlie Trotter recommends moistening the hands with water each time before handling the rice to prevent sticking)

Spoon 1 teaspoon of the wasabi on top of the rice mixture, and place a few leaves of the basil in the center.  Lay a few pieces of mango on top of the basil  Repeat with the carrot and then the red bell pepper.

Using the rolling mat, carefully roll up the nori, and as you near the 2-inch border along the top of the nori, moisten it with water and seal up the roll.  The roll should be firm and smooth.  Repeat the process to make the other three rolls.  Set the rolls aside for 30 minutes.  Slice and serve at room temperature with the spicy Asian vinaigrette for dipping.

Note:  I used the leftover vinaigrette as a marinade for grilled chicken.  It was excellent.

I (Katharina) made miso-glazed salmon (sake misoyaki). I found this recipe on cooksillustrated.com.

1 cup white miso

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sake

4 (8-ounce) center-cut salmon fillets

1. Whisk the miso, sugar, and sake together in a medium bowl to dissolve the sugar and miso (the mixture will be quite thick). Gently lay the salmon in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag and pour the marinade into the bag. Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible, and refrigerate for at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours, flipping the bag occasionally to ensure that the fish marinates evenly. (Do not overmarinate.)
2. Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler. Line a broiler pan bottom with foil and top with a slotted broiler pan top. Remove the fish from the marinade, lay on the broiler pan top skin side down and spoon 1 tablespoon of the marinade out of the bag over each fillet; discard the remaining marinade.
3. Broil the salmon until nicely browned and the flesh is opaque and flakes apart when gently prodded with a paring knife, 6 to 9 minutes. Transfer the salmon to a platter and serve.

I (Lauren) made brown sushi rice and helped Stephanie make sushi rolls. We made salmon and veggie, all veggie, tuna and veggie. Veggies used included cucumber, carrot, and avocado. We made some Philadelphia rolls with low-fat cream cheese.  We also made spicy tuna rolls with a pinch of mayo and Siracha sauce.  We did not use specific recipes to fill the rolls. Some rolls had rice outside and some had the nori outside. I made a few nigiri as well, specifically some Tamago nigiri.  Later, I also made some pickled ginger that was very strong.  The recipe for the brown sushi rice, which is called genmai rice, was on the package of the rice, but I found the following site useful: http://www.marisabaggett.com/2008/05/29/brown-sushi-rice-a-wholesome-alternative/. For the pickled ginger, I tried a quick pickle recipe from the NY Times.