Thanks for the Meal

Tag: Nagoya

  • Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya

    Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya

    Until I lived in Nagoya, I thought I only preferred less salty, lighter-colored misos, on the sweeter side. But the first time I had Misonikomi, another Nagoyan specialty, and tasted the deeply red and pungent hatcho (red) miso, my miso taste preferences widened and expanded. I loved making my kishimen noodle recipe from earlier this month, but this one might be even better!

    While testing this recipe, I was thrilled to find hatcho miso in the Bay area to use. If you are looking for a deeply satisfying, savory, umami-filled hearty noodle dish, Misonikomi is for you! Make sure you not only have chopsticks, but a soup spoon as you will want to spoon and slurp up every drop of the addictively tantalizing, comforting and delicious soup broth.

    If you like this, check out Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya too.

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    Misonikomi noodle recipe

    Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya

    Lucy Seligman
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    Ingredients
      

    • 14 oz. handmade or dried thick udon noodles
    • 5 oz. chicken breast boned, skinned, and cut into small bite-sized pieces
    • 4 slices kamaboko, steamed fishcake optional
    • 3 ½ oz. Japanese leeks roughly chopped
    • 3 ½ oz. carrots cut into rounds
    • 5 cups strong dashi
    • 2-3 tablespoons hatcho miso soybean paste, or a mixture of 70% red miso and 30% brown miso
    • 4 eggs
    • 3 ½ oz. fresh spinach stemmed, washed, and parboiled, with excess water squeezed out

    To garnish:

    • Shichimitogarashi “seven tastes” pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Boil the chicken, kamaboko, leeks, and carrots in the dashi stock until half-way cooked. Remove.
    • Next, add the udon to the stock and boil until it reaches a chewy consistency. Then add the hatcho miso and continue to cook. As soon as the stock returns to the boil, remove the udon and place in four deep soup bowls.
    • Break the eggs into the stock (perhaps in two batches), and poach until half-way done. While the eggs are cooking, distribute the chicken, kamaboko, spinach, and other vegetables over the udon.
    • Place one egg in the center of each serving, and ladle soup over it – the heat of the soup will finish cooking the chicken, vegetables, and egg. Serve shichimi pepper separately.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
  • Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    This month’s recipes are typical Nagoya fare: kishimen, a flat, wide quick-cooking udon noodle called hirauchi; and misonikomi (in next blog post), a dish of thicker handmade udon noodles in a hearty hatcho (red miso) broth.

    Kishimen noodles
    Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    If you don’t like noodles, you could never be happy in Nagoya. Happily, I love noodles, and loved my years of living in Nagoya and sampling and cooking many of their regional dishes. If you can’t get the right sort of noodles. Western-type pasta such as fettuccine can be used instead.

    Although there are few ingredients in this classic Kishimen recipe, don’t be deceived. It packs an intense wallop of flavors and taste sensations, especially the abundant topping of katsuobushi.

    A Nagoyan friend recently told me that Fried Ebi (shrimp) Curry Kishimen is a modern twist to this traditional kishimen recipe I am posting about and becoming popular. Of course, fried shrimp is a favorite Nagoyan dish too!

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    Kishimen japanese recipe

    Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

    Lucy Seligman
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 14 oz. fresh or dried kishimen noodles
    • 3 ½ oz. fried tofu (abura-age) cut into triangles or squares
    • 5 tablespoons mirin, sweet rice wine
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • ½ cup water

    For the broth:

    • 5 cups strong dashi, fish stock
    • 4 teaspoons soy sauce
    • 1 teaspoon sake rice wine
    • 1 ½ teaspoons mirin
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste

    To garnish:

    • 2 cups lightly packed dried bonito shavings, katsuobushi

    Instructions
     

    • First, make the broth: in a large saucepan, combine the dashi, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and salt. Heat through and set aside.
    • Place the fried tofu in a separate shallow saucepan with the mirin, soy sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer, turning occasionally, until the tofu has softened, plumbed up, and takes on a deeper brownish color – roughly ten minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the tofu in the saucepan to keep it warm.
    • Cook the kishimen according to the directions on the package, but take them out while still chewy. Add to the dashi broth and mix for a minute or two.
    • Pour the kishimen broth mixture evenly into four large soup bowls, distribute the abura-age between them, and top with generous mounds of bonito shavings. Eat at once.
    Keyword noodles
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  • Tebasaki: Nagoya-style Fried Chicken Wings

    Tebasaki: Nagoya-style Fried Chicken Wings

    tebasaki fried chickenThis recipe is a favorite in beer gardens and beer halls in Nagoya, where I happily lived for a number of years.

    Beer halls and beer gardens are popular summer retreats in japan. Just like overseas drinkers, the Japanese enjoy a variety of highly addictive and tasty snacks that inevitably inspired thirst for another draught. One typical favorite is tebasaki – flavored fried chicken wings.

    But first, a bit about beer. As far as we know, beer was introduced to Japan during the mid-Edo era (1603-1867) by Dutch merchants. The Dutch were allowed to land at Dejima island near Nagasaki during the long period of Japan’s national isolation, and among their wares was lager beer. The first Japanese to actually make beer for personal consumption was Dr. Komin Kawamoto, who acted as an interpreter for the Tokugawa military government in 1853 and was served beer while on Commodore Perry’s ship. Dr. Kawamoto became so enthusiastic about this new beverage that he obtained the recipe from Commodore Perry himself and then went home and started brewing. The first non-Japanese brewery was started in 1870 by an American named William Copeland, who built the Spring Valley Brewery in Yokohama to satisfy the thirsts of an increasing number of foreigners who converged on Japan after it opened its doors to the rest of world. We also have Copeland to thank for the first beer hall in Japan, situated right next to his brewery. Although these beers were not produced on a large scale, they were popular enough to be called maho mizu (magic water) by the Japanese.

    In 1872, the first Japanese brewery opened in Osaka and began producing Shibuya beer. In March 1875, the first advertisement about beer appeared in Tokyo Nichi Shimbun (now the Mainichi Shimbun). It was a simple newspaper ad, but since beer was somewhat unknown, it caused a big commotion. Kiyobe Nakagawa, often called the father of beer, started what would later become Sapporo Beer in Sapporo the following year. By the mid-Meiji era (1868-1912) there more than 100 breweries scattered around Japan, including Kirin, which also had its origin in Yokohama.

    Beer gardens first opened in 1896. Asahi Beer, based in Osaka, put up a tent and served a draft brew called Sakura Beer. In 1899, Ebisu Beer Hall was opened in Tokyo by Nihon Beer Corporation. Beer was sold by the glass with Western snacks such as sandwiches. After this, many popular beer halls opened in the city. Shimbashi Beer Hall, for example, catered to people waiting for trains and to foreigners. It was a large, typically noisy place. On opening day, it sold 225 liters of beer-due in no small part to the American navy men who had heard of it.

    For the sake of recipe testing, I won’t mention how many chicken wings and mini-drumsticks were consumed, along with various bottles of Japanese beer……..in pursuit of the perfect recipe!

    tebasaki fried chicken

    Tebasaki: Nagoya-style Fried Chicken Wings

    Lucy Seligman
    4 from 1 vote
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    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 8-12 chicken wings or mini-drum sticks
    • vegetable oil for frying
    • 1/2+ cup unagi-tare sauce, a thick, sweet, soy-based sauce often used for grilled eel
    • ground white pepper to taste
    • sansho pepper to taste

    Garnish:

    • shredded cabbage

    Instructions
     

    • Deep-fry the wings and or drumsticks in the oil until golden brown and fully cooked. Drain briefly.
    • Generously brush both sides of the chicken with the unagi sauce and dust generously all over with both of the peppers.
    • Place the chicken against a mound of cabbage and serve immediately.

    Notes

    There are endless seasoning variations to try and taste, and that’s part of the fun. Everyone has their own favorite. Remember to balance out a sweet base with a spicy topping as my recipe does.
    Here are some other flavor ideas to try:
    Make your own favorite soy-based marinade for the chicken: Some ingredients to add in could be minced garlic, wasabi, mustard, curry powder, sesame oil, paprika, white sesame seeds, vinegar, and so on.
    Sprinkle cooked chicken with white sesame seeds,  shichimi togarashi (7 taste pepper including red pepper), or coarsely cracked black pepper.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

    If you like this, check out other regional Japanese recipes >>

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    Leave a note in the comments section and let me know if you made this recipe and how it turned out!

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  • Real Eel: An Electrifying Dish from Nagoya

    Real Eel: An Electrifying Dish from Nagoya

    Once tasted, the delicate flavor of eel (unagi), prepared according to the special ways of Japanese cuisine, will linger in your memory forever. Since the Edo period (1603-1867), eel has traditionally been eaten in the height of midsummer on the Day of the Ox (July 23); popular custom has it that anyone who eats eel on this day will have extra stamina to cope with the summer heat. This is a custom I follow to this day! But the true gourmet’s season for eel consumption is late fall to winter (the time of spawning), when eel are at their best, even tastier than usual.

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    chopping eel

    There are many ways to serve unagi: the most popular is kabayaki, eel grilled in sauce, served separately from rice; if served on rice, it is called unaju. Or there is shirayaki, eel grilled without sauce, served with wasabi (horseradish) and soy sauce. A more unusual dish, unagi kamameshi, is the creation of Torisuzu, a chain of restaurants in Nagoya, where I lived for a number of years. It combines flavored rice and grilled eel with a tasty stock poured over the top, and wasabi and chopped green onions for an extra flourish. After tasting this dish just once, you’ll be a convert for life.

    Be warned, this recipe needs constant attention – no running away from the stove while it’s cooking.

    Buy the unagi sauce from a Japanese supermarket or supplier as it is virtually impossible for the home cook to make – in the kitchen at Torisuzu, a large vat of unagi bones, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sweet sake) is kept specially heated and cooking for a full three months before use. It’s also advisable to buy ready-grilled kabayaki eel (frozen if necessary), as grilling fresh eel is an intricate art unto itself.

    eel

    Unagi Kamameshi

    Lucy Seligman

    5 from 1 vote
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 cups short-grain Japanese white rice
    • 4 ½ cups water
    • ¾ cup unagi sauce
    • 14 oz. kabayaki (grilled eel, thickly sliced), Look in Japanese supermarkets, they are usually sold in vacuumed sealed packages in the frozen section.

    For the stock:

    • 3 cups water
    • 1 ½ teaspoons dashi (fish stock granules)
    • 1 ½ teaspoons low-salt soy sauce
    • 1 ½ teaspoons sake
    • A pinch of salt

    To garnish:

    • ½ cup minced or finely chopped green onions
    • Wasabi horseradish to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Drain and let sit for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
    • Place the rice and water in a heavy, deep, medium-sized saucepan with a well-fitting lid. Boil vigorously, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. To keep from boiling over, tap the top of the pan a number of times with a spoon. Most of the water should disappear – if it evaporates too quickly, turn down the heat during the last few minutes of cooking to avoid burning.
    • Pour in the unagi sauce and mix well, then turn heat down to medium-simmer, cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eel slices, cover again, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, prepare the stock. Heat water and stir in the dashi until dissolved. Add soy sauce and sake and adjust seasoning.
    • To serve, mix the eel into the rice and serve in individual bowls. Pass the stock, green onion, and wasabi separately, allowing each person to mix in as they desire.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Not only can you find a number of recipes from Nagoya on Thanks For the Meal, but we have a whole collection of regional Japanese recipes from across the country.

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    eel in package
    Here’s the one I purchased at my local Asian mall.  Leave a note in the comments section (see below) if you make this dish!