Kozmo Kitchen

Authentic Japanese Home Cooking

Summery Miso Soup with Corn and Okra

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 Summery Miso Soup with Corn and Okra
Course Soup
Cuisine Japanese
Servings
Ingredients
Course Soup
Cuisine Japanese
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Put a sheet of kombu, the corn cob, and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once mixture is boiling, remove the kombu. Cook another five minutes and remove the cob.
  2. Note: bonito flakes are not necessary in this recipe because the corncob makes a rich broth, but for extra flavor, you can add 1/4 cup of bonito flakes with the corncob and strain them out).
  3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the corn kernels and cook for about one minute more.
  4. Add okra and turn off the heat immediately. Add miso paste, stirring well until it is dissolved.
  5. Serve hot in individual bowls, garnished with green onion.
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Sansai Okowa (Sweet Rice with Edible Ferns)

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 Sansai Okowa (Sweet Rice with Edible Ferns)
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. (On the day before the cooking) Rinse sweet rice quickly under running water (no need to scru the rice) and soak it in plenty of clean water overnight.
  2. (On the day before the cooking) Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in 2 cups of water overnight.
  3. On the cooking day, julienne carrots into and inch long strips, slice burdock root thinly into an inch long strips (or shave it thinly using sasagaki cutting method). Squeeze water out of the dried mushrooms ad slice the mushrooms thinly. Rinse aburaage with hot tap water, squeeze excess water and chop it into 1/4 squares.
  4. Strain the sansai mix of water.
  5. Cut green onion into thin slices. Or you use mitsuba, chop the greens coarsely
  6. Optionally cut chickin thigh into 1/4 inch squares.
  7. In a medium sized sauce pan, put the shiitake soaked water and heat it over high heat.
  8. Add in sake, mirin, 2 teaspoons of salt and soy sauce.
  9. Add in all the vegetables, sansai and abura age (and chicken if you use it). Cook the ingredients until they are just cooked for about 10 minutes.
  10. Using a collandar, strain the cooked solids of the liquid. Reserve the liquids in a bowl.
Using a rice cooker
  1. Strain sweet rice of water and put the rice in the rice cooker. Add the reserved liquid in to the level "3 cups fo mixed rice". Add in the solid ingredients on top. Cook the rice mixture as instructed for the rice cooker.
Using a steamer
  1. Use a two layered steamer. In the bottom pan, fill water in. Put the top layer on, speard a cotton cloth wide enough to cover the entire bottom and sides, put a lid on and heat the steamer over high heat.
  2. Once the steamer starts boiling (i.e. steam comes out of the steamer vigorously), add in sweet rice. Put the lid back on and cook for 15 miutes until the rice is just cooked but maintains al dente consistency.
  3. Transfer the cooked rice into the reserved liquied in the bowl. Coat the irce in the liquid well. Transfer the rice back into the steamer. Put the lid back on. Cook another 5 minutes.
  4. Place the solid ingredients on top of the rice in the steamer. Cook for another 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the rice. If it's fully cooked then it's done. Cook another 5 minutes if necessary.
  5. Transfre the okowa into a large bowl and toss it with the vegetables well using a spatula. Add another 1 teaspoon of salt if needed .Garnish wtih chopped gren onion or mitsuba.
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Nibitashi – dashi soaked vegetables

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In Japanese home cooking, Abura-age (fried beancurd ) is a very popular ingredient. It’s basically a deep fried sliced tofu and available at any Asian grocery stores these days (at least in Seattle area). Typical recipes using abura-age include miso soup, rice dishes and Inarizushi (sushi stuffed sweeten abura age), but you can easily substitute meat products with abura age because of its rich and satisfying flavor and texture.
Here is one dish I often make especially when I get fresh Komatsuna at the farmers market (@ Taki farm). It’s easy to make, lasts for several days in the fridge, and of course very tasty 😀

Print Recipe
 Nibitashi - dashi soaked vegetables
A quick and easy recipe to enjoy fresh komatsuna or other leafy greens. It's a good idea to have dashi stock available in the fridge.
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Katsuo (Bonito flake) Dashi
Nibitashi
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Katsuo (Bonito flake) Dashi
Nibitashi
Instructions
How To Make Katsuo Dashi
  1. Put water and kombu in a medium sauce pan, and heat it over medium-high heat.
  2. Once the water starts bubbling, add bonito flakes. Do not boil. Turn off the heat in 30 seconds and let the dashi sit for 5 minutes until the bonito flakes start sinking to the bottom of the pan.
  3. Using a cheese cloth, sarashi (Japanese cotton cloth), or paper towel, strain dashi slowly. Save the strained kombu and bonito for reuse (and making the second round of dashi making).
Nibitashi
  1. Cut komatsuna into 2 inches long. Note: If you use spinach, you should blanch it in boiling water for 30 seconds, strain it and squeeze excess water).
  2. Pour hot water on both sides of aburaage to rinse off excess oil. Slice aburaage thinly (5 mm wide, 1 inch long).
  3. Put katsuo dashi, sake, and mirin in a sauce pan and heat over high heat. Once boiling, add soy sauce and turn down the heat to medium-low.
  4. Add in the cut komatsuna and aburaage. Cook for a minute. Turn off the heat. Leave the pan for 30 minutes to let the ingredients absorbe all the great dashi flavor. You can serve warm or store it in the fridge and eat cold.
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Amazake Marinated Fried Chicken

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 Amazake Marinated Fried Chicken
Japanese fried chicken is called Karaage, very popular comfort food in Japan. This is a sweet twist using naturally sweet Amazake, which is a fermented sweet rice beverage!
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Amazake
Amazake Marinated Fried Chicken
Course Appetizers
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Passive Time 2 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Amazake
Amazake Marinated Fried Chicken
Instructions
How to make Amazake
  1. In a medium sauce pan, cook rice and with 1/5 cup of water over medium heat for about 30 minutes until the rice grains turn to porridge.
  2. Add 1.5 cup of water to the porridge so that the temperature goes downs slightly before 140 F. Add koji in and stir well.
  3. Transfer the koji mixture to a thermos that can keep the 140 F temp for 8 hours (I use a Zohjirushi thermos https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003DZ0HAC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
  4. Close the thermos and wait for 8 hours.
Amazake Chicken
  1. Cut chicken thigh into an inch square pieces.
  2. Make amazake marinade by mixing amazake, soy sauce and ginger. Add in chicken.
  3. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours.
  4. Dry the chicken pieces with paper towel and coat them in potato starch powder.
  5. Heat frying oil to 350 F. Dust excess starch off the chicken pieces and fry them until their color turns golden.
Recipe Notes

[recipe]

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Shio Koji Marinated Pork

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 Shio Koji Marinated Pork
Experience Koji magic! Easy shio koji marinade gives wonderful umami flavor and amazingly tender texture to your everyday pork!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Shio Koji
Marinated Pork Loin
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Passive Time 8 hours
Servings
people
Ingredients
Shio Koji
Marinated Pork Loin
Instructions
Shio Koji
  1. In a storage container such as a glass jar with a lid, mix water and salt well until salt is completely dissolved.
  2. Add dry koji and mix with the salt & water. Put the lid on but do not close the container tightly. Carbon dioxide produced during fermentation should be able to escape.
  3. Leave the container at the room temperature, stirring the content once a day.
  4. In one week to 10 days, when the koji becomes creamy, it's ready for use.
Koji Marinated Pork Loin
  1. Combine shio koji, garlic, and ginger well.
  2. Put the pork fillets and koji marinade together in a ziploc bag. Massage the pork, making sure to squeeze all the air out of the bag. Seal the bag and refrigerate it for 8 hours or overnight.
  3. Take the pork fillet out of the bag and wipe off excess marinade with paper towel, as the koji tends to burn quickly on a pan.
  4. Heat cooking oil in a cast iron or stainless steel pan over medium-high heat. Place the pork in the pan.
  5. While cooking one side put the lid on and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for about 5 minutes.
  6. Flip the pork, put the lid back on, and cook the other side for another 5 minutes or longer until the meat is cooked through.
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