Author Archives: j

salmon takikomi gohan

i made salmon takikomi gohan tonight. it didn’t look quite like the dish at yabu, but i enjoyed the salmon immensely. i soaked kelp in water to make a broth then added soy sauce, rice, mirin and topped the bowl with seared salmon. the rice cooker did the rest. m sauteed the komatsuna and enoki mushrooms. i chopped some scallions. we piled all of it on our heaping bowls of salmon takikomi gohan. umami!

Serves: 3-4 Prep Time: 1 hour Cooking Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

  • 3 Cups of Japanese (short grain) Rice
  • 3 Tablespoons of Shoyu (Soy Sauce)
  • (see mirin below) 2 Tablespoons of Cooking Sake
  • (see mirin below) 1 Tablespoon of Sugar
  • (substitute cooking sake and sugar) 3 tablespoons of Mirin (Sweet Cooking Sake)
  • 1 3″ x 3″ sheet of Hoshi-Konbu (dried kelp)
  • 1 (or 2) Kirimi (cut) of Salmon

A cup of rice is measured using the measuring cup in the rice cooker. The water should be done in the same way. Imperial cups are much larger than the rice measuring cups.

A kirimi is a cut of salmon approximately the thickness of the forefinger and the middlefinger.

Take a bowl large enough to fit the sheet of kelp in. This may be the rice cooker bowl or the pot. Cut the sheet to fit if neccesary. Fill the bowl with 3 cups of water, the same amount the rice will be cooked in. Let the kelp be submersed. Let stand for 30 minutes. This will make the stock, and soften the kelp. DO NOT DISCARD WATER/STOCK.

Use a pair of scissors or a knife to slice the kelp into thin strips as thin as you have patience for, approximately 1″ long. Return kelp into the stock.

Wash the rice to be cooked. For questions on how to cook Japanese rice, refer to the Rice (Japanese) entry. Drain water from rice. Place rice into the cooking container, add kelp and soupstock. Add in soy sauce, cooking sake, and sugar. Mix thoroughly, using your hand to ensure an even mixture. Let stand for 15 minutes while doing the next step.

Grill the salmon at high heat to sear the surface. Cook only enough to color the surface and make it crispy. Alternately, use a frying pan to sear the surface of the salmon. Ideally, use no oil. The salmon need not be thoroughly be cooked. This step is intended to add texture to the salmon, and bring out some of its scent.

Place cooked salmon on top of rice. It needs only to sit on the top. Cover, and begin the cooking cycle on the rice cooker. No time modification needs to be made on an electric cooker.

When cooker is finished, let stand for 5-10 minutes. Take the Shamoji (rice paddle) and use the edge to “cut” the salmon into the rice. Break apart the salmon (steamed, it should do so readily) as you mix it throroughly. Do NOT use the flat side to squish the rice and turn it into a featureless mush.

salmon steams on top

salmon steams on top

mix it up!

mix it up!

final product with enoki, komatsuna, and green onion

final product with enoki, komatsuna, and green onion

side of king trumpet mushrooms

side of king trumpet mushrooms

nira and komatsuna

i generally don’t like spinach unless it’s sauteed and mixed with butter and garlic. i generally don’t order spinach salads. so i was hesitant to order the komatsuna (spinach) salad with anchovies at yabu, and, trust me when i say, it wasn’t the anchovies that gave me pause. ultimately, i loved the salad. i chased after all the little anchovies with furious chopsticks and even tried to get the ones off m’s plate. she shooed me away claiming that the fish on her plate had previously fallen onto the tabletop and were therefore inedible. i didn’t care – i wanted those fish. the komatsuna has a stiff rib that crunches when you chew it. the leaves don’t leave a furry feeling on my teeth like the spinach that i am used to. of course, the japanese yuzu/soy dressing also made the salad complete.

we went in search of mochi after lunch to take to baby g’s and baby c’s mom. this brought us to nijiya where we not only picked up mochi but also komatsuna and nira (chives) and soba and somen.

i used to say that if i could only have one cuisine in the world, it would be japanese. i can eat both rice and noodles. i can have it cold or hot. there’s lots of fish and they eat all kinds of meat. there is a freshness and lightness to the cuisine, or, at least, the dishes i order (and don’t forget sushi!).

as i was making breakfast today (poached eggs on komatsuna sprinkled with nira), i was thinking that if i became a chef, i wouldn’t train in french cooking (although that might be a requirement in some schools). i would perhaps train in french cooking and then add other cuisines to my repertoire. i can understand now how fusion food came about. and i live in an area where i can use nira instead of regular chives and komatsuna instead of regular spinach. i can pair my locally sourced meat with beech or maitake or enoki mushrooms. i can pursue particular textures or flavors and acquire them within a few hours. this is globalization’s finest result.

Surprise!

I was rummaging through the dresser in the downstairs bedroom today. What should i do with the envelope atherton lin used to send me my calendar? The envelope is handmade: they pasted a piece of paper to firm cardboard to protect the contents. It worked, for the most part. I laid some heavy medical books on it for a week while we were out of town to make it as flat as possible. They wrote heir address on the envelope. At least i think it’s their address. It could be a studio or an office addy. This is curious to me because they don’t publish anything but an email address on their web site. I imagined myself buzzing their flat the next time i’m in london…do i ask for jeremy and jamie or mr atherton and mr lin? My reception will depend heavily on my salutation. I continue to mull this over when i notice there’s something else in the envelope. I squeeze it open thus releasing whatever may be pinched in the corners. I peer inside and discover they have included 3 bookmarks, one of which has a personal greeting written in pencil. They wish me a happy new year. I lay the bookmarks out on the dresser and smile, thinking: nice people still exist.

balconi coffee company

cafe balcony has a new location and a new name. and it is only 2 blocks from my mechanic. sweet! i can’t wait for my next oil change…the owner said he’s not offering wifi. i’m glad – it’ll keep the riffraff out and make them head to starbucks. let the real coffee aficionados squat at balconi.

kimchi chigae

prologue: mitsuwa and nijiya do not have gochujang (korean red pepper paste). they have this vinegar-y kimchee paste. i made the mistake of calling nijiya and then believing them when they said they had it. so, left with no choice, i tanked up with gas at costco and headed to ktown. only about 15-20 minutes each way on the wide open freeway. takes about as long as it does from weho taking surface streets. i went to the galleria market: 3250 w olympic blvd 90006. this may or may not be the one i intended to go to, but was not disappointed. the market was huge. mushrooms were on sale. there was a great korean optometry store just outside the market. lots of brightly colored frames in unusual shapes. next time…

armed with 3 recipes and some instinctive cooking acumen, i am making kimchi chigae right now. one recipe says fry the beef then add the kimchi. JP’s mom’s recipe says fry the kimchi then add the beef. the third recipe calls for meat but doesn’t say when to add it in the directions. the way i figure it, i can do it however i want and it will come out. JP’s mom’s recipe calls for dried anchovies (she calls them maerichi). i think this is the real secret ingredient that will make this stew pop. and my inherent knowledge of korean cooking, of course.

so here’s what i did, in case i want to replicate it: added 12 cups of kimchi and about 1/4 cup of juice. added 1 TBSP of sesame oil. added 1 TBSP of gochujang (add another .5 – .75 TBSP of gochujang – see note below). started boiling. added 4 tsp crushed garlic and 1/8 tsp ground ginger (because i forgot to buy fresh). added 22.4 oz of short rib beef cut into thin slices. boiled/mixed for 5 minutes. poured water over the ingredients, just enough to cover. cut heads off and put 2 anchovies into a spice ball and brought to a boil. am boiling for 30 minutes (it is currently bubbling vigorously like a little geyser). then i will turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes. JP’s mom then advises to add sliced tofu (optional) and take the anchovies out. longer boiling = softer stew. i figure if it needs more fishy flavor or heat, i can add more fishies and paste and pepper flakes as needed and continue boiling adding water if necessary. it’s just stew – it can handle it.

epilogue: i just tasted it. it’s perfectly fishy but, surprisingly, it needs salt. it would definitely benefit from some onion. the garlic i added was either not enough or has no effect. had a slight burn, but is pretty mild. i added another 3/4 TBSP of gochujang. i’ll taste test in another 10 minutes.

bike log: day 1

when i woke up this morning, everything hurt: my head, my shoulder, my back, my hip…after m got in the shower, i went back to bed. every time we pressed the snooze button, i was able to fall back asleep. however, once i got up and walked around, i was awake. a bit foggy, but awake. after dropping m off at work, i noticed that today’s sky is perfectly clear and i thought to myself: it’s a good day to try my lap around the neighborhood.

after walking and brushing anna and generally spending some QT with my puppy, i put on my favorite long sleeve bike jersey, my wind pants (the wind from yesterday decided to stick around today in the form of a breeze which even in 55 degree weather is chilly), and pumped up my rear tire. i hesitated for a moment before walking out the door: “should i run upstairs and get my hr monitor?” i decide that today i will not take a baseline reading. i will just enjoy my ride and see how i do. a reconnaissance ride, so to speak.

my goal is to bike to the ocean, up to san vicente and back down home via 17th. i pedal in the third easiest gear – the same gear i pedaled in two days ago. except for two brief muscle memory shifts, i stay in this gear the whole trip. despite having biked once before, i don’t feel overly confident. i am cautious but not scared. i breathe. i cross 17th when there is no traffic and begin pedaling north. i stop and signal at the intersection and now i can see the ocean. it is the bluest blue. the sky is a lighter blue above it. it is an abstract painting; a study in blue. how could i even think i would stay inside and bike? it feels like spring. it is time to bike outside.

it’s early enough on sunday morning, that there isn’t too much traffic. what traffic there is, is respectful and allows me to proceed forward when we both arrive at the intersection at the same time. i am careful about starting up from a stop. i unclip my right leg so i don’t jar my left. but this means that i must push off with my left when i start moving forward again. i do so gingerly but confidently, trying not to torque my joint. unlike my previous bike persona, my goal today is not to speed. it’s to cherish the ability to bike again and enjoy the sunshine. now that i’m home, i’m almost sad i’m not still biking. all in good time, my dear, all in good time…

i make it to the ocean. i feel pretty good. let’s continue, i think to myself. i signal, like i always do, that i’m turning right. there’s a mazda 3 ahead of me also turning right. it is the same dark blue as KL’s mazda. i wonder how he is doing in costa rica visiting volcanoes. we wait for the sunday morning pedestrians to cross ocean ave. i proceed on a green light. the mazda zooms away; i stay in my third easiest gear. i look to my left. this is when i see how brilliantly gorgeous the ocean is. i should really come visit the ocean more. anna and i should just come and sit and read and write. i want to duplicate this blue scene that i am witnessing but i don’t know if charcoal or colored pencil will adequately capture the image i now have in my head.

wow, ocean ave goes uphill. i don’t notice because i’m breathing hard. i notice because there’s a slight burn all along both my legs. these are things i never really noticed before, zooming past these cars and through my life at 20 mph in a much faster gear. i watch the parked cars on my left, the pinecone like obstacles on the road, and the traffic on my left. it seems a bit far to san vicente, but i still feel good. i can do this.

and then there it is. i turn and relax a bit because there is virtually no traffic and the street is wide and welcoming. at about 4th street, i notice my legs burning again. i was biking about 1 revolution per second or 60 revolutions per minute. this is not exact, of course. i noticed that my speed was about 9.5 mph. after 4th street, my speed drops to 7.5 mph and my cadence to 45 rpm. there’s a stop sign at 7th. i unclip again. this time there’s more traffic. there’s a large black suv on my left and a black bmw on my right who is turning right. i wait, hoping that when i start again, i don’t wobble or fall. and ultimately i don’t. i remount my bike gingerly and confidently again, focusing on moving forward, not moving forward at the speed of light.

there are lots of people out on this beautiful sunday morning. runners, bikers, walkers. a few bikers pass me. and then a few more. i am only going about 9 mph and i don’t mind them passing me. this is not a race. this is me getting my life back, one gentle step at a time. this is exactly what i need: exercise, fresh air, something that makes me feel good.

my final turn is onto 17th where i head south. there are lots of parked cars, but virtually no traffic in this quiet area between san vicente and montana. i pass alta, one of my favorite east/west streets. i stop at montana and hear a cacophony of chatter from the patrons sitting outside enjoying sweet lady jane. m and i did that a few weeks ago. i prefer susina’s fare, but i certainly enjoyed our time sitting in the sun with our puppy. suddenly, i’m zooming downhill. i look at my cyclometer: 13.5 mph. i slowly brake. not only is this downhill slope messing with my average speed, it’s also not the speed i want to be going. so i keep applying pressure to both brake levers while i pedal to keep my legs moving at a comfortable speed. i have no desire to go any faster. i’m enjoying myself just fine, thank you very much. “who is this person?” i think to myself.

as i near home, i unclip my left leg out of habit and reclip it as i’m unclipping the right one. i do this while i’m slowing down and realize that i’m doing too many things at once. it all turns out ok as i slow to a halt and catch myself on my right leg. i balance on my left as i swing my right leg over the seat. at this point, 9 months ago, my left hip would not be happy with me. it would be tired and wouldn’t like me bearing my full weight while my hips twist. but right now, my left hip seems pretty content with all that has happened. i should probably do some back and ab exercises, though; i’m starting to feel my age in these places now.

i am home. i am about to take a shower and go to an open house. my first thought as i neared the end of my ride: i like this neighborhood. maybe we should stay.

summary: 4.58 miles / 32.15 minutes / 8.3 mph average speed (even with the 13.5 mph throwing it off)

2 amazing things

Yesterday, Anna performed a new trick. Completely unsolicited. She blogged about it, too. M and i went for a bike ride. More significantly, we biked in the rain. Do you know how nice it is to do something you love after not being able to do it at all? It is heavenly. It didn’t matter that it was raining or that we only went for a few blocks. Thank you M.