Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

The dessert for Japan Night needed to be easy to make in bulk quantities, preferably okay with being made ahead of time, easy to serve, and Japanese-inspired.  Red bean or black sesame ice cream would've been great on such a hot day, but my little ice cream maker wouldn't have been able to handle the load and having to scoop out enough ice cream for almost a hundred people would've been way too time consuming.

Then I remembered Jen's matcha mochi cupcakes which fit the bill exactly!  The ingredients, except for the matcha, are basically the same as my recipe for mochi cake, but the proportions are a little different.  There's less liquid, which I think worked better for the cupcake form.  Compared to the mochi cake, the cupcakes have a lot more surface area to get all nice and crusty while still retaining a ridiculously moist and chewy interior.  I do prefer a little less sugar than called for in this recipe, but everyone at the event loved the cupcakes, so that's just a very personal preference.

Matcha Mochi Cupcakes (from Tiny Urban Kitchen)

makes about 26 cupcakes or 56 mini-cupcakes

1 lb. glutinous rice flour

2 tablespoons matcha powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups milk

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten

Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. 

Brush the inside of each muffin "well" generously with vegetable oil. 

Fill the muffin tins almost to the top.  The cupcakes will rise in the oven but shrink a lot as they cool.

Bake at 350°F for around 30-35 minutes. Please note that ovens may vary and you should start checking before the actual listed time is up. Test by inserting a toothpick or sharp metal object (e.g., a knife) into a muffin. If it comes out cleanly, it is done. 

The muffins are easier to remove if you let them cool first. However, if you've oiled the pan well enough, they should just slide out.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu and Edamame

Since the Japan Night dinner was in the middle of a heat wave, we decided to make a cold soba noodle salad with baked tofu and edamame for the main entree.  For the actual event, we bought pressed tofu and marinated and baked that, but when I tested the recipe at home, I first pressed my own tofu.

To do this I first drained a package of firm tofu (you can also use extra-firm).  Then I lined the bottom of a bowl wide enough to fit the tofu in with paper towel, placed the tofu on top of the paper towel, and topped the tofu with another layer of paper towel.  On top of that I placed another bowl and put some heavy cans in it.  After 15 minutes you should see a significant amount of water at the bottom of the bowl.  I usually drain this off and replace the (completely wet at this point) paper towels and keep pressing for another 15 minutes of so.

The process of pressing the tofu removes a lot of the water in it so when you marinate it, it will soak up a lot more flavor.  I marinated the tofu in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, mirin, honey, and crushed garlic.  After a 30 minute soak in the marinade, the tofu gets baked for about 40 minutes and develops a nice crispy crust while maintaining a soft, almost custard-y center.  For this recipe I cut the tofu into half-inch cubes before marinating them so they were almost like croutons, but when I make baked tofu to snack on, I'll usually keep them in bigger slabs.

Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu and Edamame
makes 4 servings

For the baked tofu:
16 oz. firm or extra-firm tofu
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 clove garlic, crushed

Press the tofu for 30 minutes (directions above).  Cut into half-inch cubes and place in a large Ziploc bag.

Mix together the soy sauce, mirin, honey, and sesame oil.  Add the crushed garlic clove and pour into the Ziploc bag, making sure that the marinade covers all sides of the tofu.  Marinate for 30 minutes, turning the bag over at least once.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray or use a Silpat.

Remove the tofu from the bag, discard the garlic, and reserve the marinade for the dressing.  Spread the tofu evenly on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes, then flip them over.  Continue baking and flipping every 10 minutes until the total baking time reaches 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.

For the soba noodle salad:
8 oz. soba noodles
2 tablespoons of the reserved marinade from above
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/4 cup canola oil
Baked tofu (recipe above)
2/3 cup shelled edamame
4 Scallions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Cook the soba noodles according to the directions on the package.  When done, drain and rinse with plenty of cold water so that it cools down and doesn't stick.  Transfer noodles to a large bowl.

Mix together the reserved marinade, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and canola oil.  Pour over the noodles and toss with the baked tofu, edamame, sliced scallions, and sesame seeds.

For the actual event, we also added julienned carrots, red bell peppers, and cucumbers to the salad.

Next up:  Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

A few weeks ago I was asked to help out with creating a menu for Japan Night, an event at my church where a missionary family was sharing about their vision for Japan.  We definitely wanted something that was Japanese, or at lease Asian-inspired, and would be easy enough for a small team to cook for upwards of 100 guests in a couple of hours.  After testing a few recipes at home, we ended up with the following menu:

Green Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu and Edamame

Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

The spring rolls we bought frozen and just baked them in the oven, but everything else was pretty much made from scratch!

The carrot ginger dressing is the same bright orange dressing you often get at sushi restaurants before the start of a meal.  I never really knew what was in it and had guessed some type of citrus and probably soy, but in fact the main components are carrots, ginger, and miso!  This totally boggles my mind because I normally don't really like carrots or ginger (in a non-sweet dish) but I can't get enough of this dressing.  It must be the miso.  =)

Carrot Ginger Dressing (adapted from goop)

makes a little over a pint

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh peeled ginger
1 tablespoon sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped.

Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the canola oil and the water.

The dressing will keep refrigerated in an air-tight container for about a week.

I like to eat this over butter lettuce, but we used a mesclun salad at Japan Night.

Next up:  Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu and Edamame

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Vegetable Tempura and Tempura Udon Noodle Soup

Tempura udon noodle soup is pretty much my go to order at Japanese restaurants if they don't serve ramen.  I love the contrast of the crunchy tempura vegetables with the thick, chewy noodles and the delicate broth that brings it all together. 

Tempura isn't something I'd normally make at home since deep frying can be such a pain, but being able to eat freshly fried tempura is so good that it's worth it.  You can also refrigerate any leftovers and heat them up in the oven or toaster oven, but it won't be as good.

Vegetable Tempura
serves 3-4

Assorted vegetables (I used a large sweet potato, half a bunch of broccoli, and half a red onion)
Neutral oil for frying (I used canola)
1 egg yolk
1 cup ice water
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

Peel and slice the sweet potato into think rounds.  Cut the broccoli into florets and discard the stalk.  Cut the onion into thin slices.  Spread the cut vegetables out and allow to air dry for at least half an hour, flipping the pieces halfway through.

 
Pour enough oil into a heavy pot so that the oil is at least 2" deep.  Heat on high until the oil reaches 350°F.

 
In the meantime, mix the egg yolk, ice water, and flour to make the tempura batter.  Prepare a draining rack by lining a baking tray with two layers of paper towels and then laying cooling racks on top of the towels. 

Once the oil has reached 350°F, drop a few pieces of vegetable in the batter to coat and carefully lower into the oil (I used chopsticks to do this).  Make sure you do not overcrowd the pot; you don't want the vegetables to touch each other while they're cooking, and you don't want the temperature of the oil to drop too much.

 
When the vegetables have lightly browned, remove with a slotted spoon and place on the draining rack.  Make sure the oil has heated back up to 350°F and repeat with the rest of the vegetables in small batches.  Serve immediately.

 
You can make a dipping sauce by mixing one cup of dashi with 1/4 cup mirin and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce.

To make tempura udon noodle soup, heat two cups of dashi and add 2 tablespoons of mirin and soy sauce each.  Pour into a large soup bowl, add cooked udon noodles, and top with vegetable tempura.

 
If you end up with leftover batter after frying all the vegetables, drip it into the hot oil to make tempura batter "crumbs".  I like to add these to the udon noodle soup for added texture.

Four years ago:  Curry Turnovers

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Homemade Udon Noodles

Compared to making ramen noodles, making udon noodles seems a lot less fussy.  There's no obscure ingredient to find (unless you live somewhere where you can't find tapioca flour) and you literally use your feet to knead the dough.  I know!  Since the noodles are a thicker cut, there's even less of a need to have a pasta machine as well, although I found the dough to be stiffer so a pasta machine can really help with the rolling part.

Udon Noodles (adapted from She Simmers)
makes 1 1/2 lbs. fresh noodles

5 1/2 cups bread flour plus more for dusting
1/2 cup tapioca flour
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/4 cups warm water

Mix together the bread flour and tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl.

 
Dissolve the salt in the warm water.  Pour about half of the salt water into the flour and mix with your hands.  Add the remaining water, a teaspoon at a time, just until you can form a ball with the dough.

 
Place the dough in a gallon size Ziploc bag, squeeze out the air, and seal.  Place the bag on the ground and knead with your feet for a minute.  (I may or may not have put on my cutest socks for that shot.)

Remove the dough from the bag, fold it in thirds like a letter, place it back in the bag, and knead with your feet again for another minute.  Repeat this process two more times.

 
Let the dough rest in a warm place for 3-6 hours.

Divide the dough in 4 quarters.  Work on a quarter at a time, leaving the rest of the dough covered.

 
Use a pasta machine or roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/8" thickness. 

 

Dust the surface of the dough with a little more flour and then fold it into thirds like a letter.  Cut the dough into 1/8" thick strips. 

 

Keep the noodles covered while you work on rolling out and cutting the rest of the dough.  At this point you can store the fresh, uncooked noodles in an airtight container (I used a Ziploc bag) in the refrigerator for a few days before cooking.  Just make sure to toss them in enough flour to keep them from sticking to one another.  As you can kind of see from my pictures, my dough was so dry already that I didn't need to add much more flour. 

Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the fresh noodles.  After about 3 minutes, the noodles will start to float.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes until the noodles look swollen.  Drain and rinse with cold water.

 
Above is a comparison of hand-rolled and hand-cut noodles vs. machine rolled and cut noodles.  Can you tell which is which?

 
I like to eat my udon noodles in a dashi broth seasoned with a little soy sauce and mirin (about 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and 1 teaspoon of mirin per cup of dashi).  Add whatever toppings you want:  tofu, mushrooms, snow peas, carrots, etc.  My favorite is vegetable tempura, which I'll cover in the next post!

Three years ago:  Apple and Pear Cake Fail
Four years ago:  Macarons - A Lesson in Humility

reade more... Résuméabuiyad