Bento Recipe - Broccoli Stalks

Instead of throwing away the broccoli stalks, I like to peel the thick skin, slice into thinner pieces and simmer until tender in dashi. This is good hot or cold. I first was introduced to this dish at an izakaya (Japanese pub) near Tsukiji market. In the bento pictured above the light green vegetables in the middle and top of the bento is the broccoli stalks.

2 or 3 broccoli stalks
1/2 cup dashi stock

Peel the thick skin of the broccoli stalks. Slice the tender center of the stalks into thin slices.
Simmer until tender in dashi stock. Season with salt to taste.

Bento Recipe - Kabocha and Mayonnaise Salad

Preparing side dishes to go into bento is very simple. The key part is being organized the night before you assemble the bento. Most food can be prepared well ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.

One easy side dish to get started with is kabocha squash salad (on the far right in the bento above). Take a kabocha squash and cut into small bite-size pieces. I like to cut off the hard edges of the squash and removing part of the rough skin, not all of it, but parts of it.

kabocha squash
mayonnaise

Simmer until tender in water. If you want, you can always simmer in dashi for a richer flavor.

The simply dress with some mayonnaise and that is your first dish.

Miyazaki Mango

While muskmelons and strawberries in Japan are celebrated and often given as gifts, our favorite fruit in Japan is the mango. Miyazaki prefecture in southern the southern island of Kyushu is known for its mangoes. This one as you can see is labeled as authentic from Miyazaki and even the amount of sugar is labeled on the fruit - at 16 degrees this is quite high.

And, when cut open you can see how juicy it is, and trust me, it was very sweet.

I think I paid about $30 USD for this, not much, considering some of these at shops like Sembikiya will sell for $400 for one.

Gyoza in Kamata 蒲田の餃子屋 ニハオ

Nihao is a gyoza shop in Kamata, just south of Tokyo on the Keihin Tohoku line. This gyoza shop is featured in many gourmet magazines and TV programs, famous for its "hanetsuki gyoza" or gyoza with a lacy, crispy bits from the pan still attached to the gyoza. Here is my cousin, Ko-chan, with a plate of the famous hanetsuki gyoza. He looks like he may be a member of the Japanese yakuza but he's not.

This shop has been on my "Go List" for years and it was nice to finally go. Not only do they have pan-fried potstickers but also steamed and boiled - all of them are good.

Very humble settings in the basement. We came early and it was packed by 6:30 p.m. Very popular with groups. Plenty of Chinese dishes as well.

Nihao
Ohta-ku, Kamata 4-24-14
Tel. 03-3735-6799
http://www.nihao.co.jp/

Nabe Hot Pot

Cold, rainy days call out for a nabe (hot pot). Nabe are easy to whip together, easy to clean, and hard to mess up. This one here is ground chicken balls seasoned with chopped leeks and carrots, Napa cabbage, shirataki (konnyaku noodles), shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves), maitake and shimeji mushrooms, and sliced leeks. I serve this up with a ponzu dipping sauce.

new blog

As my book, Food Sake Tokyo, is coming out in the spring, I am starting a new website focused on shops in Tokyo. Please see the new site here:

http://foodsaketokyo.wordpress.com/

New York Times

Click through to rule #12 for Japanese practices that we put into use in our home.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/10/11/magazine/20091011-foodrules.html