Japan, Part 1
No doubt just the start...
First, let me say that even after a week of focusing on Japanese cooking, I feel like I know nothing. In a way, I could summarize Japanese cuisine to say that it is heavily technique-focused, but also simple. It’s often marked by the use of soy products and dashi, yet those elements serve the main purpose of highlighting the real star… fresh, seasonal ingredients.
When I contemplate the world’s great cuisines, Japanese is right up there at the top. Like French food, Japanese dishes are heavily technique driven. The interesting thing is that Japanese dishes are both simple and deeply complex at the same time. Japanese culture embodies the idea of shokunin, mastery at one’s profession, being an artisan. When focusing on food, these artisans aren’t just good cooks, they are true masters at their craft. A movie that highlights this well is Jiro Dreams of Sushi, a documentary about Jiro Ono, the now 98 year old sushi master of Sukiyabashi Jiro, a previously three Michelin starred restaurant. — Side note, they lost their rating because the stopped offering reservations for the general public. Now you have to go through the concierge of a luxury hotel to get in. — Jiro just retired from daily operation of his restaurant in 2023, at 97 years old.
I say all of this to highlight that my exploration in Japanese cuisine this week is at a very surface level, particularly highlighting the way a modern family might eat at home. These are going to be the way people who aren’t artisan cooks would make a meal for the family, a quick lunch or dinner that is satisfying and simple in preparation. We’ll call this week Japan, part 1, because it is a cuisine that deserves the time and attention of far more than a week of cooking can offer.
Most recipes this week are directly from Morimoto’s Mastering the Art of Japanese Home Cooking. I cannot recommend this book enough, especially his Chicken and Dumplings recipe.
I started the week by making what is more representative of Japanese breakfast than dinner, but everyone likes breakfast for dinner, right?
Broiled salmon, seasoned only with salt, green beans with toasted sesame and soy, white rice, and miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed. This was my first time broiling salmon and honestly it may be my favorite way to eat it now. I picked a pretty fatty center-cut for this dish, rather than the filets that are more common in the Pacific Northwest. The real surprise in this dish was actually the green beans. They were simply boiled and then tossed with toasted and ground sesame seeds mixed with a splash of soy sauce.
The next dish was chicken and eggplant with miso. This was a bit more complex because I had to fry the eggplant medallions first. Honestly, if I were to do this dish again, I would likely roast the eggplant rather than fry it. The oil that the eggplant absorbed was released when combined with the chicken and, while absolutely delicious, far too oily. In a proud moment, however, I was able to use a good bit of red miso that I personally made from scratch a few years ago. It has a deep umami and sweetness that is hard to balance in every day dishes, so I was excited to get to use it.
The next few dishes I made were mainly focused on the idea of Donburi, rice bowls with various topics. I LOVE RICE and I am not ashamed to admit it. This was what my wife described as “Mark Food”. It is basically proteins, and sometimes vegetables, on top of rice, often served with a sauce of some type.
My first Donburi was oyakodon, chicken and eggs. This is a sleeper dish. It is extremely easy to prepare and utterly delicious. There is a sweetness to the light sauce that you almost poach the eggs in, comprised of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and a touch of sugar. I’m excited to try this one again, focusing on pulling it off the heat before the eggs are quite so done.
I found a wonderful hangar steak at the market last weekend, so I also made sutekidon, steak with a spicy teriyaki sauce. I do want to stop for a moment and just say that if you are at all into Japanese cuisine, do yourself a favor and do not buy teriyaki sauce. It is simple to make and taste better than anything you are going to get from a jar. This one includes a little tobanjan, a spicy Chile bean paste that is easily found at any Asian market. I tend to always have some on hand as it is a key ingredient in Sichuan dishes. Admittedly, I overcooked the steak a little. It was still tender and worked great with the spicy, sweet teriyaki. I served it with some quick cucumber pickles tossed in the same toasted sesame seasoning as the green beans,
Next up was pork yakisoba. I made this for lunch, using fresh yakisoba noodles and a premade yakisoba sauce. Hey, even Morimoto said to use a jarred sauce for this. Again, simple to make and delicious. Honestly, it was so good that I could probably eat it every day for weeks before I got tired of it. The first version I made (pictured) was with pre-sliced pork belly. I made again for dinner the next night and used chicken. I went a little heavy handed on the bonito flakes, which gave it a smoky flavor. The pickled ginger brightened the dish up and gave it some balance.
Finally, we topped off the week celebrating my birthday at my favorite restaurant. I’v been lucky enough to eat at some incredible restaurants, Michelin starred or otherwise, and Nodoguro is without a doubt my favorite. I’m lucky enough to live in the same city and highly suggest trying to get in if you find yourself planning a trip to Portland. It can be tough as you have to watch for when the tickets open up each month. We were incredibly lucky that they had last minute openings on my birthday. Here are a few pictures from our evening. The theme of this dinner was hand rolls and started with a couple of dishes prior to the hand rolls being served.
Yes, I ate one of the oysters before I thought to take a picture.
Finally, my amazing wife found what has to be the perfect birthday card for me. She gets me. :)
