Giant Octopus Rice ("Tako Meshi") in Donabe

Happy octopus...just boiled

I've been ordering wild caught whole octopus (from Spain) from Kai Gourmet, along with other fresh seafood frequently this summer. Each weighs about 3.5 - 4 pounds and is very high quality. It's already cleaned and pre-tenderized, so I just need to rinse it throughly before start cooking it.

To prepare an octopus, I do a classic Japanese way.  I think in Europe, it's typical to start with a fresh octopus in cold water, then bring to a simmer and simmer for almost one hour or longer. In a typical Japanese way, we normally boil water first, then add the octopus and simmer for a short time, about 20 minutes or so. We enjoy the bouncy texture of octopus. Only when we want to make very soft and tender braised octopus, we cook it for more than 1 hours (sometimes up to 3 hours).

So, here's how I prepare an octopus.


First, rinse the octopus, then boil water in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, you can add a large bag of hojicha tea leaves to the water. It's totally optional, but I learned from my friend and great sushi chef, Mori-san (Morihiro Onodera), that by infusing the cooking water with hojicha, this will help the octopus resulting in nicer color and also makes the flavor better. No salt is added, but just some splashes of sake. According to Mori-san, adding salt would make the octopus meat tougher, so it's not necessary. Slowly, submerge the octopus from the legs. Once half of the legs are in the water, wait for about 10 seconds and lift again, so the legs are nicely curled. Then, submerge the octopus from the legs again and this time all the way to the head.


Wait until the water is brought to a boil again, then reduced the heat to gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for 20 - 30 minutes (depending on the size of the octopus). Make sure the octopus is completely submerged in the water. Turn the octopus over once for more even cooking. After 20 minutes, by using a wooden skewer, check the doneness. If a skewer can pierce the thick part of a leg smoothly, it's ready. Turn off the heat and let it rest in the cooking water for 15 - 30 minutes, then transfer to a colander. Slice the octopus anyway you like for your cooking purposes. I like slicing a few legs for serving cold as sashimi, then the rest for other dishes. The boiled octopus can keep for a few days in a tightly-sealed container in the refrigerator.


Here are some dishes I made from the same octopus. I made classic octopus and potato salad as an appetizer. With my soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe", I braised the octopus legs (cut in chunks) further in simple dashi-soy-sake-miring combination with gobo (burdock root) and ginger. Then, with my tagline-style donabe, "Fukkura-san", I sliced the rest of the octopus rather thinly and made steam-fry octopus, cabbage, and enoki mushrooms in soy-butter. All came out so delicious!


Last month, on 4th of July, we hosted a BBQ dinner at home by inviting some friends. Jason and I were so busy prepping and cooking, so we didn't get to take any photos of all the dishes we prepared...


Except, for the Tako Meshi (octopus rice)! This time, to feed our large group, I cooked it in my special giant size double-lid donabe rice cooker, "Kamado-san"! This Kamado-san cooks up to 10 rice cups, and it's really huge and gorgeous! It's, of course, handmade by Iga-yaki craftsmen at Nagatani-en in Iga, Japan. So, for this dish, I used an entire octopus to cook with the rice. It came out so delicious, and I was so happy that everybody enjoyed the dish so much! I will write the recipe (to cook in 3 rice-cup size Kamado-san) at the end of this post.


Dessert was made by Yuko, who is a specially talented pastry chef. She made mille-feuille. We all had such a blast!

So, here's my octopus rice recipe.

Tako Meshi (octopus rice)
(3 rice-cup size donabe rice cooker, "Kamado-san)

Ingredients: (4 - 5 servings)
2 rice-cups (360 ml) short grain rice, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 cups (320 ml) dashi
2 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons usukuchi shoyu (light-color soy sauce; can substitute with regular soy sauce)
1 rectangular abura-age (friend tofu pouch), blanched and cut into thin slices
1 knob ginger, finely julienned (about 2 tablespoons)
6 - 7 oz (180 - 200 g) boiled octopus, cut into bite-size pieces

Procedure:

1. In Kamado-san, combine the rice with the dashi, sake, and usukuchi shoyu. Let the rice soak for 20 minutes.
2. Spread the abura-age over the rice in an even layer, followed by the ginger and octopus. Cover with both lids and set over medium-high heat. Cook for 13-15 minutes. (Or wait for a couple of minutes after the steam starts puffing from the outer lid's hole.)
3. Turn off the heat an let it rest, undisturbed, for 20 minutes.
4. Uncover and fluff the contents gently. Serve into individual bowls.

So easy and so delicious.
Happy donabe life.

Donabe Recipes...Summer Vegetables Curry with Turmeric Rice

I'm on fire doing donabe cooking with all the summer vegetables.
And, of course, my appetite for tomato curry grows even bigger especially in the summer time. This dish can be made with very similar ingredients as making ratatouille. The big difference is the spice. Just like my ratatouille, vegetables can be sun-dried beforehand. But, in this recipe, I simply salted eggplant and zucchini to take some moisture out before cooking. Cherry tomatoes and kabocha are cooked separately in the oven. They can be directly added to donabe without pre-cooked, but these extra steps make the dish taste much nicer. Kabocha tastes sweeter and its texture is much better aftert it's roasted.


Here's my summer vegetable curry recipe. The dish is completely vegan, and extremely satisfying. I use shio-koji to season the dish, so this brings up the umami flavors in this dish. My husband loves it so much he says he can finish the whole donabe-ful of it himself. My soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe", stays so busy during the summertime.


The curry is served with my donabe turmeric rice, which was made in double-lid donabe rice cooker, "Kamdo-san". This time, I used just water, instead of vegetable stock, and added some mochi-mugi (sweet barley) to brown rice. It was so nice with the curry.


Vegetable curry and turmeric rice, both were made in donabe. It's so hard to stop eating.


Tomato-flavored Summer Vegetable Curry
(for large-size "Miso-shiru Nabe")

Ingredients (4 servings)

5 oz (150 g) cherry tomatoes, halved

1/6 medium kabocha squash, shave off thin layer of skin, and cut into large bite-size pieces

3 medium Japanese eggplants, cut into oblique

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" (1 cm) thick disks

olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
1 clove garlic, grated
1 knob ginger, grated (about 1/2 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 3/4" (2 cm) square
2 to 3 teaspoons curry powder (make sure it's very high quality)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
8 oz (240 ml) crushed tomato from a jar/ can
1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 tablespoons shio-koji (can be substitued with 1 teaspoon sea salt)
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. Pre-heat the oven at 350F (180C) degrees. In a sheet pan, toss the halved cherry tomatoes in some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in one layer. Roast in the oven for 25 minutes. Set aside.
2. Turn up the oven to 450F (230C) degrees. In another sheet pan, toss the kabocha in some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread in one layer. Roast in the oven until it's just tender (15 - 20 minutes). Set aside.
3. Put the eggplants and zucchini in colanders separately and sprinkle some salt and leave to let them sweat for 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan and sauté the eggplants over medium to medium-high heat until golden brown. Transfer the eggplants to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess grease. Set aside.
5. Wipe off the grease from the pan and heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sauté the zucchini over medium-high heat until golden brown. Transfer the eggplants to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess grease. Set aside.
6. In "Miso-shiru Nabe", heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the onions for 20-25 minutes until the onions are lightly browned.
7. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin seeds, and bell pepper. Sauté until the bell pepper is softer (2-3 minutes). Add the curry powder, and cayenne. Continue to sauté for a minute or so until the mixture becomes fragrant.
8. Add the bay leaves, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock. Turn up the heat to medium-high. As soon as the mixture (curry) starts almost boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the garam masala and shio-koji, and ground some black pepper. Adjust the seasoning with some salt, if necessary.
9. Add the rest of the vegetables, and stir. Bring back to simmer and turn off the heat. Serve with donabe turmeric rice or plain rice.

Happy donabe life.

Donabe Meat Sauce with Preserved Lemon

Another donabe dish with my "moshio" preserved lemon.
This time, I made the meat sauce to enjoy with spaghetti. I always loved my mom's spaghetti meat sauce when I was a child, and this variation I made still reminds me of it. The preserved lemon adds the fantastic depth and hint of lemony touch to the dish.

The process is pretty very similar to my last dish of chicken in preserved lemon tomato sauce. The main differences in ingredients is it's ground beef, and good amount of red wine is used.

If you can't get preserved lemon (whether homemade or store-purchased), you can make it without and simply adjust the seasoning with a little more salt.


Of course, I made this dish with fantastic soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru" Nabe. I just love this dish so much.


Tomato Meat Sauce with Preserved Lemon for Spaghetti
(for large-size soup & stew doanbe, "Miso-shiru Nabe")

Ingredients: 3 - 4 servings

1 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-small onion, minced
1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds, optional
1 clove garlic, thinly-sliced
1/2 medium carrot, cut into small dice
8 oz (240 g) white mushrooms, thinly-sliced
1 pound (450 g) ground beef
1 3/4 cups (400 ml) crushed tomato (or tomato sauce)
1/2 cup (120 ml) red wine
3 pieces preserved lemon, minced plus 1 teaspoon of its syrup (*each piece is 1/8 of medium-size lemon)
1 cube/ packet consommé, optional
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry oregano
a pinch of nutmeg powder
1 teaspoon soy sauce
salt and pepper

spaghetti
Parmesan cheese


Procedure:

1. In Miso-shiru Nabe, sauté the onion and fennel seeds in 1 tablespoon olive oil over moderate heat until the onion is very soft (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and carrot, and sauté until aromatic. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until they are soft.
2. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the beef. Sauté until the meat is cooked through. Add the crushed tomato, red wine, preserved lemon with its syrup, consommé cute (optional), bay leaf, oregano, and nutmeg. Cover. As soon as it starts boiling, turn down the heat to simmer. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Skim as necessary. 
3. Add the soy sauce and a good pinch of black pepper. Adjust the seasoning with a little salt, if necessary. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10 minutes.
4. Cook spaghetti according to the package's instructions. Serve into pasta bowls and pour the meat sauce over the spaghetti. Serve immediately. Garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

You can also find the recipe in toiro kitchen's website.
Happy Donabe Life.

Quick Donabe Recipe...Shio-koji Chicken in Preserved Lemon Sauce

Ever since I made my first batch of "Moshio" (seaweed salt) preserved lemon, I've been crazy about it. Here's how I make "moshio" preserved lemon.


I finished my first batch so fast last year, so the end of last year, I made more to fit in a large jar. The preserved lemon becomes ready to use after 1 month.


After over 6 months, the preserved lemon is at its beautiful stage. The lemons are very nicely fermented in salt and covered in salty syrup. It's like lemon marmalade with no sugar. I learned that preserved lemon should keep for a few years when stored at a dark and cool storage, but I'm sure I would finish this big jar much sooner. The other night, I made simple chicken and vegetables in preserved lemon and spice sauce in my tagine-style donabe, "Fukkura-san". I will post the recipe soon.


Last night, I made another chicken dish with "moshio" preserved lemon. This dish is super easy and so delicious. It's the collaboration of two fermented seasonings. Both shio-koji and preserved lemon add such nice depth and flavors to this extremely simple dish. It cooks really nicely in soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru" Nabe.


Shio-koji Chicken in Preserved Lemon Sauce
(for large-size soup & stew doanbe, "Miso-shiru Nabe")

Ingredients: 2-3 hearty servings

1 pound (450 g) boneless skinless chicken thigh, cut into large bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon shio-koji (can be substituted with 1 teaspoon salt)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium-small onion, minced
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 clove garlic, thinly-sliced
2 tablespoons sake or white wine
1 1/2 cups (360 ml) crushed tomato (or tomato sauce)
2 pieces preserved lemon, minced plus 1 teaspoon of its syrup (*each piece is 1/8 of medium-size lemon)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dry oregano
4 oz (120 g) green beans, cut in half
salt and pepper


Procedure:

1. In a Ziploc bag, combine the chicken and shio-koji and mix well by hand. Tightly close (with the air out) and let the chicken marinade in refrigerator for at least a few hours to overnight.
2. In Miso-shiru Nabe, sauté the onion and fennel seeds in 1 tablespoon olive oil over moderate heat until the onion is very soft (about 10 minutes). Add the garlic and sauté until aromatic.
3. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the sake and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the crushed tomato, preserved lemon and syrup, bay leaf, and oregano. Cover. As soon as it starts boiling, turn down the heat to simmer. 
4. Meanwhile, in a sauté pan, pan-fry the chicken in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned outside but not fully cooked to inside. Transfer the chicken (but leave the oil in a pan) to Miso-shiru Nabe and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Clean the sauté pan after chicken was transferred. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté the green beans over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes. Transfer the green beans to Miso-shiru Nabe (but leave the oil in a pan). Continue to simmer for additional 2-3 minutes. Add a pinch of pepper and adjust the seasoning with salt, if necessary. Turn off the heat and let it rest (with lid on) for 10 minutes. Serve into individual bowls at the table.

You can also find the recipe in toiro kitchen's website.
Happy Donabe Life.

Donabe Beef & Daikon Stew

This donabe dish is a very homey Japanese dish. You can make it with just a few main ingredients in a very simple process. With the thick-body and round shaped Soup & Stew Donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe", the ingredients are braised effectively with the deep and round flavor result. I made it with sukiyaki slice beef this time, but sliced pork bellywould be also very nice. If you use sliced pork belly, you don't need to blanch the meat beforehand. You can cut the slices into bite-size pieces and add after step 1 in the recipe and sauté for a few minutes before adding the seasoning.


Beef & Daikon Stew
(for large-size soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe")

Ingredients: 4 servings
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 pound (450 g) daikon, cut into 3/4" (2 cm) thick discs and further cut into quarters
1 pound (450 g) thinly-sliced beef for sukiyaki, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons sake
3 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon raw brown sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) dashi stock
1 small knob, ginger, sliced into very thin shreds
some sliced or crushed chili (optional)
some sansho powders

Procedure:

1. Heat the sesame oil in Miso-shiru Nabe. Add the daikon and sauté over medium-heat for 8 - 10 minutes until daikon is lightly browned.
2. Meanwhile, boil water in a separate pot and add the beef to blanch for 10 seconds. Drain and set aside. Add to Miso-shiru Nabe.
3. Add the sake, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and dashi stock. Stir. Spread the ginger on top. Line the surface with a piece of foil. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or until the daikon is tender. Turn down the heat if the broth starts boiling.
4. Turn off the heat and let it rest for at least 30 minutes but a few hours will be better so that the flavors will nicely integrated. Reheat before it's ready to serve. Garnish with some chili.
5. Serve into individual bowls with some sprinkle of sansho powder at the table.

The key is the resting time. This dish actually tastes even better the next day.


Here's the variation of the dish. I added chicken and shiitake mushrooms instead of the beef and increased the amount of the dashi stock a little more so that it's more like a soupy stew. Since I found nice mustard greens, I added some at the end to finish cooking. It was great, too.

Happy donabe life.

My Iga-yaki Collection and Donabe Nikujaga

So, we got a new cabinet to store all the precious Iga-yaki bowls and plates.


I admire them so much. I can never get tired of even just staring at them. These are all hand-crafted by artisans of Nagatani-en, and they make me feel the power of the earth and fire from Iga, Japan.


With my new Iga-yaki bowls, my regular dishes taste even better. Shungiku and asparagus salad, and donabe steam-roasted lotus root and jako (baby fish).


Main dish was Nikujaga! I always make nikujaga in my soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe". I served it in a new Iga-yaki bowl, too. You can find my Nikujaga recipe in toiro kitchen's website.

Happy Donabe Life.

New Year Donabe "Oshiruko" Brunch

Donabe-simmered "Oshiruko" with baked mochi

A HAPPY DONABE NEW YEAR!!!


The final lunch of 2013 was our traditional new year's eve soba noodles ("Toshikoshi Soba"). In our (Japanese) culture, we eat soba on new year's eve to pray for health and longevity. I made classic cold soba noodle on a bamboo tray ("zaru soba") with dipping sauce and condiments.


On New Year's Day, Jason and I started with sweet azuki bean stew ("Oshiruko") brunch. First, I made azuki bean paste in my Soup & Stew Donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe". I braise the beans in the oven for 1 hour, and this slow and gentle process makes the really flavorful and delicate bean paste. You can find my sweet azuki paste ("anko") recipe in toiro kitchen's website. I made the "anko" a day before, so it was ready to go on New Year's Day.


About 1 cup of "Anko" was added to my mini-size classic-style donabe, "Rikyu-Tokusa" and diluted with some water (about 2: 1 ratio). While the mixture was being heated, I baked mochi in my tagine-sytle donabe, "Fukkura-san". I just set a grate on Fukkura-san's skillet (pre-heated over medium-high heat), laid mochi pieces, cover with lid and cooked until the mochi were puffed. So easy!


Finally, mochi were added to heated azuki stew and served at the table. Our New Year Oshiruko was so delicious and I felt a lot of good luck coming!

Happy Donabe 2014!