Good, Simple Food

[Sublymonal]

Hey all!

Earlier today I asked about a recipe for okonomiyaki, but was disappointed to learn that it would not be worth it if I could not get a few key ingredients.

Now my question is this: what are some good Japanese recipes that I, an American, could easily make [by easily, I mean that I can get a hold of the key ingredients]. In the okonomiyaki recipe, there was some essential type of root that I simply can not get a hold of
[I CAN get a hold of some dried, canned, and bottled ingredients via Amazon, and a local multinational market.]


That being said, the weirder the better!

[kMal]

Japanese Ginger Salad Dressing
* 1 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 lemon, juiced
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
* 1 teaspoon prepared Dijon-style mustard
* 2 teaspoons honey
* ground black pepper to taste

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, mustard, honey and pepper. Once these are thoroughly combined, add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly. When all of the oil is incorporated into the dressing, pour into a glass jar and chill until serving.
Ginger Salad Dressing - Source

For the salad I use carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and a little bit of white cheese.

[TalnSG]

Without some general idea of what ingredients you CAN get locally, this is a bit difficult to recommend. If you are in the U.S., what's the nearest city? That will give us some clue of the local food and maybe then we recommend something with mostly stuff that is available locally.

[Sublymonal]

Originally Posted by TalnSG

Without some general idea of what ingredients you CAN get locally, this is a bit difficult to recommend. If you are in the U.S., what's the nearest city? That will give us some clue of the local food and maybe then we recommend something with mostly stuff that is available locally.

I live near Indianapolis.

For the most part, the things I really can't get a hold of are the fruits, vegetables, and other spoilables. If they come canned, there are places I may be able to order them.

I've been looking into making some Daifuku. I have found a place to get the adzuki beans, but then I have to make my own anko . As far as that goes, if anybody has suggestions for a good substitute for anko I'd like to know . While I can get a hold of the adzuki beans and make my own anko, if I can find something easier to get a hold of, that'd be great.

[TalnSG]

You have rice and adzuki beans and plenty of local fruits & veggies, so keep it simple.

A few thermoses of miso with tofu and some steamed rice with a few adzuki beans would be fine. Almost all major grocery store carry either instant (powdered) miso or miso paste and most carry both. Or go to your nearest health food store who will definitely have miso paste and tofu. Just don't let anyone tell you that tempeh is the same as natto - it is not!

or.......

Vegetable sushi with cucumber, carrots and a touch of horseradish (since that is what fake wasabi is anyway) would be easy and even better if you can get nori in your grocery store (many large American chain stock it these days)

or .......
You can make onigiri. If you will go to this heading and search in here for onigiri there is an entire thread on it. The ingredients and cooking are very simple, you can make it ahead, and you don't really need to have a mold. Though its simpler that way for some people, I find its easier by hand. This is a very traditional item and you can fill some with the adzuki. Pear is a common Japanese fruit, so if you can get fresh ones (even if not the prized asian pears) that would be very appropriate and I think more of your classmates would enjoy it over the adzuki beans.

Try focusing on the elements of Japanese cuisine that people eat everyday, instead of going for what you consider bizarre.

[Sublymonal]

Well, I'm not exactly looking for bizzare, just out of the ordinary. The whole point of this school project is to teach the class about our subject country, so I wanted to make something that we normally wouldn't know about. I would have liked to make sushi, but most people in my class already know about sushi, which defeats the point.

Onigiri sounds good, but don't you have to have a steamer for the rice? Or is there a way to make that sticky rice without such a device?

I'd really like to thank you, you've been REALLY helpful to me!

[MMM]

Wash rice. Place in sauce pot. Add water up to the last knuckle of your middle finger with fingers resting flat on the rice. Cover pot tightly with tin foil. Put on high burner. When the rice comes to a full boil, let it go for 1 minute, then reduce to low and put a heat diversifier under the pot. Cook 40 minutes. Perfect sticky rice every time. Use Kokuho or similar rice.

From Yahoo Answers

I bet your classmates have never had natto gohan.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/21/27...g?v=1121876543