Japanese Popcorn

Looking for a healthy alternative to chips we have been making a lot of popcorn at home lately. We have tried a variety of toppings, including mattcha jio (mattcha flavored salt) - which did not work out. One of my favorites is sprinkling on some aosa or aonori, flecks of nori and salt on popcorn. The nori adds a minerality and earthiness to the popcorn. A great hit!

Popcorn

Aonori

Sesame Vegetables

I am often asked for tips to help kids eat vegetables. One of my favorite quick and easy recipes is this sesame dressing. Crush some toasted sesame seeds (white or black) in a mortar and pestle. Add a bit of sugar and soy sauce to taste. That's it. This can be used to top any steamed vegetable. Most often I use it for greens like spinach, broccoli, and green beans but it also works for carrots.

When making Shinji's bento I try and incorporate five colors. Red, white, yellow, green, and black. Black can be hard to incorporate if you don't make hijiki. This sesame dressing with black sesame seeds is a good way to include black.

Sesame Dressing

Simmered Kabocha 南瓜の煮物

Kabocha is one of my favorite Japanese vegetables. Much like a pumpkin, but with a denser, sweeter flavor. This dish is a bit labor intensive in prep, but definitely worth the few extra steps. I remember at culinary school, at the French Culinary Institute, chef Jacques Pepin talking about taking the extra steps to make a good dish. I don't remember if he said we do this because we are chefs, or this is what makes chefs different from home cooks, or if we just should not take shortcuts if we know that there is a better dish to be made. Regardless, the dish will be better if you can do full prep.

Cut the kabocha into bite size pieces. Cut the inside of the kabocha, to rid of the soft spot where the seeds were. Then cut the four edges of the skin. This is the key step not to skip. It will soften the edges which may be off-putting when eating later after it is simmered. Finally, score the skin to rid of any rough spots and to create areas to help the kabocha simmer.

1/2 kabocha
3 1/2 cups dashi
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
1/4 cup sugar

In a pot combine all of the ingredients. Cook until the kabocha is tender. Will keep for several days.

This dish is often served at room temperature.

Kabocha