Sweet and Spicy Shrimp (General Tso’s Shrimp)

My mother-in-law Atsuko makes this shrimp dish, which is sort of a Japanese rendition of a General Tso’s recipe. You can substitute the shrimp with chicken or any vegetable too.

 

 

Pan Fried Fish with Vegetables

Here is a really delicious recipe for a wonderful, healthy fish dish which is smothered lightly with a Japanese accented sauce. The fish can be pan-fried or steamed (to make it even healthier).

 

 

Tofu with Pepper Sauce

Japanese Curry

Have you ever thrown the kitchen sink at a dish?

I do it all the time – especially when I make Japanese curry.

It’s the ultimate, healthy, comfort food. It is one of my kids and younger brother’s favorite dishes.

The way my mother-in-law, Atsuko, taught me to make Japanese curry was with carrots, meat, onions and potatoes. It is very simple and really delicious that way too.

 Me…I throw in every shred of left over vegetable I can find.

You don’t have to.

Feel free to add or take out any ingredients from this recipe that don’t work for you (expect the curry of course).

Steamed Scallions with Miso Paste

These are the gorgeous gifts I get in my weekly fall organic veggie box from my farmer at my local CSA.
 

 
Here is an unexpectedly simple way of cooking scallions, which is super delicious and really healthy.
 

 

WARM GLASS NOODLE AND EDAMAME

My sister in law Sonal has given me the cookbook of a lifetime!

The book is called Plenty  by Yotam Ottolenghi, a renowned chef and author who writes a weekly vegetarian column in London’s weekly  Guardian newspaper. Ottolenghi owns “haute couture” food shops in London, which are well known for innovative dishes, that are made using the best of ingredients.

This is a spectacular dish I recently made for a luncheon, which ended up being a favorite with adults and the kids alike.

Stir Fried Cabbage with Salmon and Miso

Salmon and cabbage make a really great combination. This is a quick dish I throw together when I have leftover salmon from a meal. I used Napa cabbage in this recipe but you can use regular green cabbage too. You can chose to leave the smoked salmon too but it does add an nice smoky twist to the dish.

STIR FRIED RICE NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES

Who doesn’t love rice noodles?

Here is a really quick and healthy recipe, which is chockfull of vegetables. I usually use whatever veggies I have lying around in the fridge – you can always improvise with this recipe.

The main flavoring for these noodles comes from hon-tsuyu and sesame oil. If you don’t have hon-tsuyu, you can just use soy sauce and a little sugar.

 

Chicken Teriyaki Burgers

These little teriyaki burgers are so yummy! The first time mother in law, Atsuko, who is one of the most phenomenal cooks I know, made these for me – I couldn’t believe something so simple could taste so good. Now I make them with my own little healthy twist where I add broccoli to it. You could also put shredded carrots instead of broccoli or you could leave the veggies out of it altogether.

Japanese New Years Day Cuisine: Osechi-ryōri

Oshogatsu, which is the New Year, is considered the most important holiday in the Japanese tradition.

It is celebrated by spending time with friends and family and by eating Osechi-ryōri, which consists of special traditional New Years day foods. Each of these foods has a special significance and is believed to bring health, prosperity and good luck. It is considered bad luck to do any kind of work on this day, including cooking, so these traditional foods are prepared in large quantities, days before the onset of the New Year.