kimchi soba noodles

January 3, 2016 radish*rose 1 Comment

Helloooo! Did you miss me? I took a wee holiday break from blogging, due to all the end-of-year craziness and celebration, and I am back all bright-eyed and bouncy! Speaking of celebration, did you know that many Asian cultures ring in the New Year by eating noodles, which represent long life? My good friend described to me how to make kimchi soba noodles – not just for New Year’s, but as a simple everyday one-pot dinner using ingredients that are easy to keep on hand. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat, and have a hearty, nutty flavor which is perfect with the strong garlicky flavor of the kimchi. I’ve added tofu and spinach for extra goodness, and you should feel free to add whatever vegetables and protein you like as well. Continue reading

hawaiian poke tuna

August 16, 2015 radish*rose 0 comment

Poke (pronounced POH-kay) tuna is tuna sashimi marinated in a flavorful blend of sesame oil, ginger, garlic, lime, and soy sauce, topped with scallions, sesame seeds and nuts. I believe kukui nuts or macadamia nuts are the classic nuts to use, but you can substitute peanuts if you haven’t got any of those lying around. Although it seems exotic, this dish is actually very easy. Perhaps this is obvious, but there is no heat involved, so it’s fabulous for summer. It is usually accompanied by seaweed salad, either mixed in with the tuna or on the side.

blistered radishes with sesame soy sauce

November 10, 2014 radish*rose 1 Comment

Behold, the humble red radish, my namesake. Broiled, the bite goes away and they almost resemble baby red potatoes – I’m not kidding – but with a tiny kick remaining… and NO CARBS, BABY. My husband mowed ALL of these (I had a dainty few). OK maybe 2/3 him, 1/3 me. LOL. My point is, they’re really good. I feel like this could be the next cauliflower. (Veggie that gets all kinds of star treatment due to being a carb stand-in!) Continue reading

ginger soy butter mussels

August 10, 2014 radish*rose 2 Comments

Ginger, soy sauce, and a touch of butter make an irresistible Japanese-influenced East-West broth for these mussels. The original recipe was for clams, but I haven’t quite gotten the hang of cleaning those yet, so I substituted mussels since I know what to do with those (and so will you, read on!). Also, did I mention that mussels are one of the most sustainable types of seafood? Yay for mussels! Continue reading

grilled tuna steaks with sesame ginger dipping sauce

June 5, 2014 radish*rose 0 comment

Since we are urban apartment-dwellers, grilling = broiling for us. It’s like an upside down grill! Or at least ours is, because the heat source (flame) points down from the top of the oven – not everyone’s broiler is the same. Check yours out.

We made this on a cast-iron, enameled grill pan (like this) to get a nice sear and the grill marks on it (which serve a purpose – searing protein creates a Maillard reaction which intensifies umami, also known as savoriness). It helps a lot if you heat your grill pan up under the broiler, place your food on it (it will sizzle!) then put it back in the broiler. Nice! These tuna steaks are a hearty treat. We probably could have made them a little less well-done, which we will try next time. The dipping sauce is pretty intense, especially if you add wasabi – you gotta try it. Wasabi nose, whee!! (That feeling you get when the wasabi heat goes up in your nose! Ever notice how chile heat affects your mouth and lips but wasabi heat affects your nose? Know why? Me neither!) Continue reading