Poached Chicken Breast with Cucumber Salad

Here's a very refreshing, yet protein-rich side dish for the upcoming warm season. I'm listing the basic soy sauce + sesame oil flavor, but you can be creative by adding mayonnaise, mustard, miso, minced umeboshi, or hot chili sesame oil (ラー油).

Poached Chicken Breast with Cucumber Salad

• 2 Persian cucumbers, thin-sliced 
• 1 Chicken breast
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Sake
• White sesame seed
• 1 tsp Sesame oil
• 1 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar

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makes 2 servings

1. In a heavy bottomed pot ( I use Le Creuset pot), place a piece of chicken breast, add sake and just enough water so that chicken won't stick on the bottom. Cover with a lid and cook in a low heat.
2. Once water start boiling, cook for another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Keep the lid on, and let it steam for about 5-10 minutes.  
3. In a bowl, add sliced cucumber, sprinkle some salt and mix. After 5-10 minutes, squeeze the cucumber and drain extra water. 
4. Take out the chicken from the pot, shred it with your hand, and add them to the cucumber. 
5. Add chopped ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce and vinegar to the bowl and mix them well.
6. If time allowed, chill for 15-30 minutes, sprinkle sesame seed at the end.  

Note: .

Pico de Gallo (salsa fresca) and Guacamole

Healthy snack, great as a party appetizer. I make the two dippings together, since they use similar ingredients.

Pico de Gallo

• 2 packs of grape tomatoes, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1-2 lime, juiced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• a cup of cilantro
• salt and pepper
• white vinegar

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makes 4-5 servings

1. Finely chop all vegetables. Keep them in separate containers. Strain chopped tomatoes and remove excess liquid. You can reserve the tomato liquid to make  a healthy cocktail-drink later.
2. In a bowl, combine all vegetables, season with lime juice, white vinegar, salt and pepper.
3. Adjust flavor to your taste by adding onion, jalapeño and cilantro, little by little. Same with the seasonings.

Guacamole

• 2 Avocados
• pico de gallo (chopped tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lime, juiced
• salt
• a pinch of ground cayenne pepper and cumin

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makes 4-6 servings

1. In a bowl, mash halved avocados, add lime juice, pico de gallo, and garlic, mix together.
2. Season with salt, cayenne pepper and cumin.
3. Adjust flavor by adding remained vegetables from pico de gallo recipe.
4. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve chilled.

Note: The amount of ingredients are just a guide. Just chop a bunch, keep them in a separate container, add each ingredient gradually, taste, then reach to your best flavor.

How to make Red Bean Paste (Anko: 餡子)

Anko, red bean paste, is used in many confectionery in Japan, most commonly used for wagawashi (traditional Japanese confectionery). Anko is often used in a similar way as chocolate, sometimes wrapped in pastry, bread, mochi (we call it Daifuku), or topped on ice cream. I simply like to eat it with sticky mochi, or in Zenzai style, a soupier version with mochi inside. This is my comfort sweets around New Year.

 Red bean paste (Anko: 餡子)

• 10 oz (283.5g) Azuki red bean 
• 280g suger
• water
• a pinch of salt

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1. Rinse azuki beans, let them soak over night with a plenty of water in Donabe (earthenware pot) or other deep pot. Pour water till 1-2 inches above the beans.
2. When soaked, start heating the pot, bring them to boil in high heat. Covered.
3. Once boiling, scoop the scum off the surface, reduce heat to low, cook for 1-2 hr, covered.
4. keep adding water so that beans are always covered.
5. Pick one azuki bean and squeeze it with your fingers. If it is smushed easily, it’s done. Check few azuki beans and make sure all beans are soft. ( *Once you add the sugar, uncooked beans will harden like a stone.)
6. Dump azuki beans into a strainer, drain water completely.  
7. In a pot, add 70mil of water and sugar, then cook till sugar is dissolved.
8. Add drained azuki beans, cook in high heat even after boiling, keep mixing gently to avoid burning the beans, or mash beans too much.
9. Stop the heat when beans a thicker and syrupy (they will harden as they cool down), add a pinch of salt.
10. Move azuki bean into a container, let them cool down completely before you eat. You can wrap extra portion with saran wrap, keep in a freezer. 

Note: Cooking time varies depending on the kind of Azuki bean you're using, and how old they are, as well as the kind of pot you're using. The brand I used tend to cook in about 1 hour.  The sweetness of azuki bueans also  depends on what kind of sugar you use. White sugar tends to be too sweet to my taste. Experiment with different kinds of sugar and discover your own favorite. 

Cripsy Potato Skin Chips

Utilizing saved peeled potato skins that come out of your typical potato dishes such as mashed potatoes, stews, etc. A great way to add an extra dish to your supper, or use them as a healthy snack.

Cripsy Potato Skin Chips

• Potato skins (picture above is from 4 potatoes)
• Flour
• Salt & Pepper
• Vegetable oil

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1. Save potato skins when you cook other potato dishes such as mashed potatoes.
2. Put them on a paper towel, sprinkle salt and let the paper towel soak moistures, let them dry.
3. Heat oil, sprinkle pepper and flour all over the skin to separate them each other.
4. When the oil is hot, throw in the skins, make sure to separate them. Cook a portion at a time.
5. When they're golden crispy, take them out. 

Tool recommendation:

OXO Good Grips Swivel Peeler

Daikon & Carrot salad, Sesame Mayo flavor

A refreshing salad with a bit of crunch. Fine shred makes it easy to eat plenty, hence helps digestion. Make a batch, and save for when you don't have time to make a fresh salad.

Daikon & Carrot salad, Sesame Mayo flavor

• 4-5 thin carrots, peel the skin if they're not fresh
• 1 medium size Daikon radish, 
• a handful of chopped Shiso mint leaves or basil
• 1-2 pieces of lemon or Orange rind, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame sauce (Goma dare) or Tahini sauce, if not, substitute with ponzu + sesame oil.
• 1-2 tbsp Mayonnaise 
• 1-2 tbsp vinegar (my favorite is Alessi fig infused vinegar, which gives a touch of sweetness.)
• Lemon juice
• White sesame seed

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makes 5-6 servings

Peel the skin off Daikon and carrots, chop the bottom end off, shred them. I use Mandolin Vegetable Slicer. It make a life so much easier. Just watch out not to cut your finger. Combine vegetables in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and toss well. Set aside for 10 minutes, or until vegetables are soft. Meanwhile, chop the Shiso/ basil and lemon/ orange rind finely, then make a dressing by combining sesame sauce, mayo, vinegar, and lemon juice. Once vegetables are soft, combine everything together, and toss.  Serve chilled, sprinkle sesame seed before serving.

Tool recommendation:

Kyocera CSN-182S-NRD Wide Julienne Slicer, Red

Daigaku Imo (Glazed sweet potato sticks)

Daigaku-imo （大学いも）literally means University potatoes. The snack itself probably originated as a cheap high-calorie, affordable snack sold to students on budget. It is characterized by crispy outer shell with creamy interior, glazed and coated with crunchy black sesame. I am introducing a  quicker/ healthier modification of the original recipe.

Cut Japanese yam potato (Satsuma sweet potato) into sticks. Microwave them for 2 mins. Toast black sesames on frying pan till you smell the sesame. Empty the sesame out of pan, melt butter in a pan, saute potatoes till crispy outside. Blend black sesames into potatoes, drizzle maple syrup, sprinkle dash of lemon juice at the end.


揚げずにカリッと炒めたお芋に煎った黒ごま、メープルシロップ、最後にレモン汁を絞る。

手順：サツマイモの細切りに少し塩をしてレンジで２分。その間に黒ごまをフライパンで軽く煎っておく。煎ったごまを皿に取り出して、フライパンにバターを溶かす。チンしたお芋を強火でかりっと焦げ目がつくまで焼く。最後にメープルシロップとレモン汁、ごまを絡めて出来上がり。頂き物の川根茶と一緒に食す。ああ、幸せ。

ポイント：かりっと炒め焼きをするのと、ごまを煎ること。

CrunchyTangy lotus root salad

The crunchy, sweet yet delicate flavor of lotus root has numerous health benefits. It is high in fiber, and an excellent sources of vitamin C. Lotus root has traditionally been used to treat various respiratory problems, as well.

Umeboshi (Japanese pickled plum) also have remarkable medicinal qualities. Their powerful acidity has a paradoxical alkalinizing effect on the body, neutralizing fatigue, stimulating the digestion, and promoting the elimination of toxins. This is the Far Eastern equivalent to both aspirin and apple; not only is it a potent hangover remedy for mornings after; more than that, an umeboshi a day is regarded as one of the best preventive medicines available.

CrunchyTangy lotus root salad

1 section of lotus root
1 piece of umeboshi pickled plum
5~6 leaves of basil
a dash of ponzu sauce
1 tbsp of mayonnaise
white sesame seed
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makes 2~3 servings

Chop each end of lotus root, peel the skin off, slice them in 2-3mm thickness.
Soak them in water with a little vinegar for 5-10 minutes.
Remove a seed from Umeboshi, mince it by chopping, chop basil leaves as well.
Boil water in a pot, throw in strained lotus roots, cook them for 1~2 minutes, drain water right away.
While still hot, coat them with ponzu sauce, once less hot, add mayonnaise, basil and minced umeboshi and mix them together. Serve chilled, sprinkle sesame seeds when serve.