Steamed Japanese Eggplant with Spicy Green Onion-Ginger Sauce

RECIPE

Small Japanese eggplants are cut into "sticks" and barely steamed for a crisp-tender side dish that's good with fish. This is best served immediately.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 1 cup eggplant sticks and 1 tablespoon sauce)

Ingredients
12 ounces Japanese eggplant, cut into 3 x 1/2-inch sticks (about 5 cups)
1/3 cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic
1/4 cup cilantro leaves (optional)

Preparation
Steam eggplant, covered, 2 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Divide eggplant sticks evenly among 4 plates; drizzle with the sauce. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Nutritional Information
Calories:45 (26% from fat)
Fat:1.3g (sat 0.2g,mono 0.9g,poly 0.2g)
Protein:1.5g
Carbohydrate:8g
Fiber:3.1g
Cholesterol:0.0mg
Iron:0.5mg
Sodium:291mg
Calcium:11mg

Japanese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Edamame with Mustard Vinaigrette

RECIPE

Blanching the onion and celery mellows their flavors, so they don't overpower the edamame and tangy vinaigrette.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add oil, stirring with a whisk until well combined.

Cook edamame in boiling water 4 minutes. Add onion and celery; cook 1 minute. Drain well. Add edamame mixture to vinaigrette; toss well to coat. Stir in parsley. Chill 1 hour.

Nutritional Information
Calories:124 (30% from fat)
Fat:4.1g (sat 0.5g,mono 1.2g,poly 1.6g)
Protein:8.6g
Carbohydrate:12.4g
Fiber:0.7g
Cholesterol:0.0mg
Iron:1.9mg
Sodium:295mg
Calcium:44mg

Japanese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Japanese Beef and Noodles Big Bowl

RECIPE

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
8 cups fat-free beef broth
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
8 ounces beef tenderloin, cut into 2 x 1/4-inch slices
1 1/2 cups (1-inch) sliced green onions
4 cups hot cooked soba (buckwheat noodles) or angel hair pasta (about 8 ounces uncooked)
2 cups fresh bean sprouts

Preparation
Beat egg whites and egg at medium speed of a mixer 1 minute; set aside.

Combine broth, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; add beef and onions, and simmer 1 minute. Add egg mixture without stirring; cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, and gently stir. Place 1 cup of noodles in each of 4 large soup bowls, and add 2 cups of beef mixture and 1/2 cup sprouts.

Nutritional Information
Calories:389 (12% from fat)
Fat:5.4g (sat 1.9g,mono 1.9g,poly 0.4g)
Protein:28g
Carbohydrate:55.4g
Fiber:1.5g
Cholesterol:90mg
Iron:4mg
Sodium:742mg
Calcium:54mg

Japanese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Japanese-style One-pot Supper

RECIPE

Prep and Cook Time: about 20 minutes. Notes: Look for dried bean-thread noodles, mirin (sweet sake or rice wine), and Sriracha (Southeast Asian hot chile sauce) in the Asian section of the supermarket.

Yield
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients
3 ounces dried bean-thread noodles (saifun or cellophane noodles; see Notes)
5 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup mirin (see Notes) or cream sherry
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
3 to 5 thin slices peeled fresh ginger
12 ounces boned, skinned, chicken thigh meat, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-in. chunks
1 small red bell pepper, seeded, stemmed, and cut into thin slices
4 ounces sugar snap or snow peas
4 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
8 ounces firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-in. cubes
3 green onions (green and white parts), cut into 1-in. lengths
Sriracha (see Notes)

Preparation
1. In a small bowl, soak bean-thread noodles in boiling water until soft, about 5 minutes. Drain and cut into 6- to 10-in. lengths.

2. In a 5- to 6-qt. pot or a 12-in. frying pan (with sides at least 2 in. high), bring broth, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 5 minutes.

3. Arrange noodles, chicken, bell pepper, peas, mushrooms, tofu, and green onions in separate piles in the pot. Cover and simmer, without stirring, until chicken chunks are no longer pink in the center (cut one to test), about 5 minutes. Set pot on the table so people can serve themselves, with Sriracha on the side.

Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.

Nutritional Information
Calories:363 (15% from fat)
Protein:28g
Fat:5.9g (sat 1.3)
Carbohydrate:42g
Fiber:2.5g
Sodium:1827mg
Cholesterol:71mg

Japanese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Miso-Marinated Skirt Steak

RECIPE

Skirt steak is a flavorful cut but tends to be tough; here, sake acts as a tenderizer. To easily trim the fat, roll up steak jelly-roll fashion. Use a sharp knife to slice away the fat as you unroll the steak.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 3 ounces steak)

Ingredients
1 cup sake
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-pound) skirt steak, trimmed
Cooking spray

Preparation
Combine first 7 ingredients in a blender; process 1 minute or until onions are finely chopped. Transfer sake mixture to a large zip-top plastic bag. Add steak to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 and up to 8 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove steak from bag, reserving marinade. Pat steak dry with paper towels. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly spray both sides of steak with cooking spray. Add steak to pan; cook 1 minute on each side or until browned. Remove steak from pan; keep warm. Add reserved marinade to pan, and cook 4 minutes or until thick and deep brown in color, stirring constantly. Return steak to pan, turning to coat. Cook 2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Let steak stand 5 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

Nutritional Information
Calories:315 (31% from fat)
Fat:10.8g (sat 4.1g,mono 5.3g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:23.9g
Carbohydrate:13.4g
Fiber:0.9g
Cholesterol:51mg
Iron:3mg
Sodium:391mg
Calcium:35mg

Japanese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Miso-Garlic Broiled Eggplant

RECIPE

Miso, garlic, and crushed red pepper give this dish an intense flavor. Serve this as an appetizer or side.

Yield
4 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons yellow miso (soybean paste)
2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 Japanese eggplants, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 1 pound)
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preparation
Preheat broiler.

Combine first 6 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Arrange eggplant slices on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Spread mirin mixture evenly over the eggplant slices, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Broil 8 minutes or until topping is golden. Place eggplant slices on a platter, and sprinkle with onions.

Nutritional Information
Calories:115 (26% from fat)
Fat:3.3g (sat 0.5g,mono 1.1g,poly 1.5g)
Protein:3.3g
Carbohydrate:16.1g
Fiber:4g
Cholesterol:0.0mg
Iron:1.1mg
Sodium:475mg
Calcium:46mg

Japanese cooking@home
by cooking lover

Teriyaki Pork and Pineapple

RECIPE

This sweet-salty marinade is excellent for almost any tender cut of meat that's cubed and skewered chicken breasts or thighs, or beef tenderloin or sirloin. Reducing the marinade concentrates its flavor and helps it stick to the kebabs. Although we usually marinate in zip-top plastic bags, we recommend using a bowl for this recipe so it's easier to scoop out the pork and pineapple with a slotted spoon. Serve over white and wild rice pilaf.

Yield
4 servings (serving size: 3 kebabs)

Ingredients
1/2 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
1/2 cup sake (rice wine)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 24 pieces
24 (1-inch) pieces red onion (about 1 medium)
24 (1-inch) cubes pineapple (about 12 ounces)
Cooking spray

Preparation
1. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat; cool completely.

2. Combine cooled marinade and pork in a medium bowl. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours.

3. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

4. Remove pork from bowl with a slotted spoon, reserving marinade. Place marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Cool slightly.

5. Thread 2 pork cubes, 2 red onion pieces, and 2 pineapple cubes alternately onto each of 12 (8-inch) skewers. Lightly coat kebabs with cooking spray. Place kebabs on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done, basting frequently with marinade.

Nutritional Information
Calories:289 (17% from fat)
Fat:5.4g (sat 1.8g,mono 2g,poly 0.5g)
Protein:24.4g
Carbohydrate:24.6g
Fiber:1.1g
Cholesterol:65mg
Iron:1.9mg
Sodium:580mg
Calcium:23mg

Japanese cooking@home
by cooking lover