Thursday, April 12, 2012

Takoyaki Party


 
  


Takoyaki  (Japanese for "fried octopus ball," made of wheat flour batter and diced octopus, pickled ginger etc. and special sauce) is the quintessential street food in Japan. It is also very popular in Korea. Takoyaki is a simple, yummy snack or meal that is loved by men and women, young and old, somewhat like French fries or pizza in the US. 

When my husband's old friend from Japan, Tetsuro, visited us in early April, we went to a local Japanese grocery store and bought the ingredients for takoyaki and the special takoyaki pan upon Tetsuro's recommendation. The takoyaki pan is essential, as the small concave half-spherical molds in the iron pan give the takoyaki look. I chose the ready-to-use takoyaki batter mix as I am a novice. Tetsuro advised that one could simply use regular wheat flour with salt, pepper, and bits of seafood in the absence of proper taokoyaki mix. In fact, I found the takoyaki mix very salty, something to keep in mind for next time.






Ingredients: Takoyaki mix 110 grams; water 200 ml; eggs 50 grams; blanched octopus 50 grams; green cabbage 40 grams; spring onion 30 grams; cooking oil 15 grams; katsuobushi [dried fermented smoked tuna flakes] 5 grams; takoyaki sauce 45 grams, mayonnaise 45 grams.

1. Mix one whipped egg into water and add takoyaki mix. Stir well.
2. Dice the cabbage, spring onion, and the blanched octopus. 
3. Preheat the takoyaki pan on stove-top and coat it with cooking oil. Add egg/water/takoyaki mix to half-point of each mold in the pan. Add the diced cabbage, spring opnion, and octopus.
4. Add the remaining batter mix to fill each mold to the top and cook on medium heat.
5. As the batter puffs up and spills over, roll each takoyaki gently left and right in the mold so that it does not stick to the base of the mold.  
6. When the takoyaki turns brown (about 10 min), it is ready to be served. Remove the takoyaki from the pan and transfer them on to a plate; sprinkle generously the katsuobushi and pour the takoyaki sauce over the takoyaki and serve.




Ddeok Bokki (spicy Korean rice cake)

In Korea, ddeok bokki, stir-fried rice cake with spicy chili sauce, is the quintessential street food. One can find street vendors selling this favorite snack in busy intersections and city streets, campus towns, crowded open markets, as well as sleepy towns.

My friends Boyeon and Giyeon made this fiery version with chicken. The hot chili sauce burned my tongue delightfully. It was deliciously painful to eat, and utterly addictive.



Sunday, April 8, 2012

Balsamic Vinegar







One fine spring day close to Easter. Flowers are blossoming and sweaters are finally being shed in New England. Russell sits contentedly in his stroller as I take him out for a walk in the sun. 





Back home, my husband and I opened an artisanal bottle of balsamic vinegar at lunch. We love fine balsamic vinegar and enjoy sipping it in a sherry glass. Our favorite of the month is Villa Manodori, which, according to the bottle label, is "produced in very small quantities by Massimo Bottura, chef and owner of Osteria Francescana restaurant in Modena....It is matured for 10 to 20+ years in small barrels of oak, chestnut and juniper woods, yielding a balsamic of dark rich color, intense aroma and syrupy consistency."

Syrupy it certainly is, as it grudgingly pours out of the bottle and into the sherry glass. It leaves a thick film on one the side of the glass as we tickle our tongue with its sinewy sweet drop. What a perfect pair to a sizzling thick cut of ribeye or pork chop. Stands up well to oily fish like salmon and mackerel, too. Does wonders to a humble plate of fresh mozzarella and vine-ripened tomatoes. But, it is best when tasted in small sips by itself. The complex flavors of wood and fruit just burst in your mouth. I see my husband stick his finger into the empty glass and smear his finger with the residue. "I've never sucked my fingers before," he intones, as he sucks on his index finger like our baby son.



Saturday, April 7, 2012

Fish to die for


Spring is in the air, and that means flower blossoms on campus and fresh sea bream at the local fish market.
Over the weekend my husband's old friend from Japan, Tetsuro, visited. We walked through the lovely Tufts University campus and saw several kinds of flowers. 





The three of us, seafood-lovers that we are, stopped by what is by many accounts the best seafood market in Boston. Almost every item sold is sushi-grade, just gleaming with sweet, deep-sea freshness. Taut-looking black sea bream, gorgeous crimson-colored yellow tuna, stately red-orange-colored wild king salmon, shiny swordfish steaks, shad roe and giant shrimp that looked so full and tight that a pinprick could release all the juice, practically live-looking fluke, the freshest Wellfleet oysters, and my favorite, sea scallops that are so fresh and sweet they, when eaten raw, melt like butter on the tongue and permeate your entire mouth with sweet umami, all stared at me intensely. They don't come cheap, but the selections here are to die for. 






Tetsuro was a devoted customer when he was a student in Boston in the late-1990s, and we owe him a nice chunk of toro (fatty tuna) for introducing this place to us. No longer Boston's best kept secret, New Deal Fish Market draws customers from all over Boston who on weekends stand in line happily for 30 minutes or more. A very famous Japanese pitcher for the Boston Red Sox is among the regulars here. Highly recommended.









Fluke, sea scallops, and salmon sashimi. All were simply excellent--so flavorful and sweet.
The salmon skin and the layer of fat underneath was explosive on the palate. It was on the house, which was a nice gesture.

I've a feeling we'll be back at New Deal very soon. Thank you, Tetsuro!