After just reading part one of The Omnivore’s Dilemma this week, maybe I should feel a little guilty about enjoying this corn-packed risotto as much as I did. But then again, I am in Japan, so I’m probably not supporting the disturbingly powerful American corn complex. (Or maybe I am? Who knows where that corn came from!?) At any rate, this risotto was awesome – awesome to the max!!! Please enjoy.
Corn and Crab Risotto (more…)
These past two weeks, the viking was on vacation. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get the appropriate amount of new risottos! That’s right – since I went AWOL for two Sundays in a row, this Sunday I’m making up for it with not one, not two, but three brand new risottos!
The first pays tribute to various meibutsu (local specialties) from my home state of Wisconsin; namely, wild rice, cranberries, beer, butter, and cheese. Please enjoy the creamy tang of real Wisconsin-made aged Cheddar and young Colby bound together with rustic wild rice and a light burst of cranberry sweetness. I made this for my extended family, so the recipe here is good for about nine people as opposed to the usual two.
Risotto of Wisconsin Meibutsu (more…)
AKA the most ridiculously rich thing I have ever made.
Almost everything I cook is a bit of an experiment, but this dish combined two rather risky things I’ve never tried to do before: 1) making a risotto with beer, and 2) making a dessert risotto. But can you really go wrong with anything involving a sweet lambic, a malty stout, very dark dark chocolate and very creamy cream cheese? I think not, and this intensely chocolatey risotto is proof.
Chocolate Blackcurrant Beer Risotto Pudding (more…)
Alright, so this isn’t technically a new risotto. It’s an old risotto (a week old, to be precise), made into something new: Japan’s favorite rounded triangle, onigiri!
Note: if you made your yuzu-koshō risotto extra creamy, this recipe won’t work. The risotto needs to be fairly solid and sticky in order to hold its shape.
Please enjoy this flavorful and filling snack when you are too lazy to make a new risotto.
Yuzu-koshō Risotto Onigiri with Lox
1 1/2 cups leftover yuzu-koshō risotto, refrigerated
about 50 grams lox, torn or sliced into bite-size pieces
toasted sesame seeds, to taste
nori, to taste
mayonnaise, to taste (optional)
Japanese cuisine: bland, unadorned, monotonous. All it takes to dispel this common misconception is a survey of Japanese condiments. Often adopted from Chinese or European culinary traditions, Japanese condiments are a diverse and flavorful lot. There is shōyu, ginger, and wasabi, of course, but also sōsu, teriyaki sauce, kabayaki sauce, ika sauce vinegar, egg, mentaiko, mentaiko mayonnaise, ponzu, tsuyu, umeboshi, shiso, umeshiso, katsuobushi, katsuoume, yakitori tare, hot mustard, miso, aonori, hijiki, shichimi, ichimi, sansho, ajishio, furikake, tekka, tsukemono, takana, sesame seeds, garlic, etc., etc., etc.
One of my favorites is a substance called yuzu-koshō 柚子胡椒, made from the fragrant peel of the yuzu ground with salt, sugar, spicy green chilies and often MSG into a fine, evil wasabi-looking forest-green paste. Its aroma is warm, peppery, and citric with a top note of pine needles; its flavor is thorny and permeating with heat, acidity, and salt. It is delicious, and an absolute must for Japanese hotpot (nabe 鍋) dishes. To me, it is the flavor of Japanese winter.
It isn’t winter yet, but it’s getting there. Please enjoy this warm and aromatic risotto on a cool autumn evening.
Yuzu-koshō Risotto with Japanese Mushrooms (more…)
“No MSG.” This self-congratulatory proclamation adorns countless food packages around the Anglosphere. We’ve all seen it, on bags of potato chips or Chinese takeout menus, on instant noodles or those “just add meat and sour cream” Mexican meal kits. Oh thank heavens, we think when we spot it. This food is safe. This food is [...]
This is another article for FukuokaJET.com. Each establishment’s address, phone number, and opening hours can be found at the very end of the post. Please leave a comment if you need directions! In response to comments graciously informing of new beer developments in Fukuoka, I have updated this article on September 23, 2009. Kyushu is [...]
On my recent, brief trip to New York to visit family and friends, I had a checklist of specific foods I wanted to eat there; I wanted nothing but good food experiences – nothing mediocre, nothing mundane. To these ends, the trip was beyond satisfactory. Fork-tender Greek-style grilled octopus, colorful piles of Ethiopian curries on [...]
This is an article I’ve been working on for FukuokaJET.com, a resource website made for JETs living in Fukuoka prefecture, especially new recruits. The information here focuses on Fukuoka, but I think it’s a fairly good survey of the major ramen styles for anybody who’s interested. Tonkotsu (Pork Bone) 豚骨・とんこつ Tonkotsu ramen is the richest [...]
The other day at one of the middle schools where I work, a certain poster caught my eye. It advocated “balance” in your daily diet and featured a graphic that reminded me an awful lot of the USDA’s food pyramid:
