Spring Cabbage

Hello,

There are lot of cabbages out there lately, those spring cabbages are tender and yummy especially when in season. I use cabbage often, for soups, salads, to saute and steam, to make a Japanese style pan cake ( Okonomi-Yaki ), rolled cabbage...etc.

I created a strawberry dressing and tossed with steamed cabbage. The dressing was so delicious it gives you that fresh spring feeling.


I have tried this dressing with broccoli, celery, and carrots and it was good, too. The consistency of the sauce is pretty thick, so it's good as a dipping sauce also.

Spring Strawberry Dressing:

Makes about 1/3 - 1/2 cup

Strawberry 3 medium

Red Onion 1.5 oz

Red Wine Vinegar 1 tbsp.

Olive Oil 2 tbsp.

Salt and Pepper for taste

Pinch of Sugar

Direction: Put all ingredients into a food processor and mix until combined well, that's it!

Oroshi - Soba (Cold Soba Noodle)

Hello,

I usually go to work in the afternoon, so I make lunch for my husband and myself before I go. Sometimes I make a different lunch menu for each other - like pancakes and eggs, salad for my husband, for me soba or udon noodle or rice bowl something like that.

The other day, I made Oroshi-Soba. Oroshi is grated Daikon Radish. I enjoy the flavor the tangy sauce makes on the cold soba noodle. I also use watercress, thin sliced lunch meat, and a lot of shredded seaweed on it. This Soba noodle is the one that my mother sent me from Japan the other day, and also is known as one of the local favorite soba restaurant's! Oh, I hadn't eaten that for a while! Thank you mother!!

This salad looks like the cold noodle is very refreshing, clean taste. It is nice to have a dish / meal like this in the spring or summer time. (And YES! summer time has begun)

I was a little hesitated to put lunch meat on the top of soba, but it worked out very well and tasted fairly good!

I used a ready to use Soba-Tsuyu (sauce), grated Daikon radish and mixed into the sauce, then poured over the noodle.

If you would prefer a more heavier dish, try putting some Tempura or Kaki-age is a good idea, it's just a little tasty idea :)

Kobu-Maki ( Rolled Kelp )

Hello,

I'd love to sit and blog more, but I haven't been able to manage my time very well. :(

But, little by little, and bit by bit.

The other day, my mother sent me a package with a lot of Japanese ingredients, including various types of seaweed. Yeah! I love to eat seaweed, we have many different types of seaweed and seaweed products in Japan- Nori, Wakame, Kombu, Hijiki, Tororo-Kombu, Ao-Nori...

When I saw the big kelp package in the box, I was inspired to make Kobu-Maki right away.

I soaked the kelp in the water and made until tender, then rolled carrots and shiitake mushroom in a piece of seaweed, and put Kanpyo (Dried Gourd) strip and tied the roll.
Then I simmered the rolls in Dashi (Japanese broth), Soy sauce, Sugar mixture for 30min.

This is a popular New Year's dish. Because Kom-Bu, it is the same pronunciation as "Yo-Ro-Ko-Bu" = to be glad in Japanese (English translation), it is said that kom-bu is considered to be a good luck type of food ingredients in Japan. That's why this dish is recognized as a New Years Dish.
Inside ingredients are vary including the following; burdock root, carrots, other root vegetables, cured or smoked fish...

I only had carrots and mushroom that day, but I wish I had Gobo and Nishin ( Herring ) or so.
I love to make it again soon, and next time I will offer to my husband...