Napa Cabbage with Crushed Sesame Seeds

My husband came home from a fishing trip so we're having fresh fish tonight!  What can I cook as a side dish to broiled fish?  Chef Azuki had the answer!  Here’s a delicious side dish that will compliment fish or chicken dishes.  I’m going to try it tonight.

Napa Cabbage with Crushed Sesame Seeds

Ingredients:

3 cups of water

1 head of nappa cabbage

1 T memmi

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp crushed sesame seed

Directions:

1.     Boil 3 cups of water in a large pot

2.     Chop the napa and add to the boiling water

3.     Boil for 5 minutes or until napa is tender

4.     Drain napa and squeeze out the excess water

5.     Mix memmi and sesame oil

6.     Pour memmi and sesame oil mixture on napa

7.     Gently toss

8.     Add store bought crushed sesame seeds or lightly roast raw sesame seeds in a pan and gently crush in suribachi, not into a paste.

9.     Sprinkle crushed sesame seeds over the cabbage

Oh yum!  It sounds so delicious!  I love cabbage, and the more delicate napa cabbage is one of my favorites!  I remember my mom using a suribachi when I was growing up.  Maybe I’ll have to get one next time I’m at a Japanese market.  I’ll probably try a mortar and pestle this time.  I’ll let you know how it goes.  Thank you Chef Azuki, I’m going to try this tonight!  I can already smell the delectable aroma of roasted sesame seeds being crushed.

BeaNspirations: 

I transport to another time and place with smells and images from my kitchen.

Roasted Chicken Soup

The night's are getting cooler as fall approaches. It's time to strengthen your immunity and cozy up with this delicious soup. Here's one that Chef Azuki boiled up with leftover roasted chicken from the supermarket. There's something magical about cooking soup in a pot. These few ingredients simmering together create a delicious flavor. I can't wait to try it. It's so simple and the kids will love it!

Roasted Chicken Soup

Leftover chicken from the supermarket
8 Cups water
2  zucchini chopped
2  carrots chopped
2 potatoes chopped
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions:
1.  Put chicken carcass and shredded chicken meat into a pot of water
2.  Boil it for about 20-30 minutes
3.  Remove carcass and remove any meat left on carcass and add this meat to the pot
4.  Add vegetables and bring to a boil again
5.  Reduce heat, add salt and pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender


Here's a basic recipe that you can enjoy just like this.  Of course, you can add noodles or herbs to create other enchanting creations.  But, sometimes it great to have just a simple recipe with simple flavors.

BeaNspirations:  Sometimes you need to partake in the simple things in life.

Chef Azuki's Top Five

Hello Friends!  It's official, the Azuki BeaN Mamas have reached their 50th Blog Spot!  To top that off, our blog has reached its 1 year anniversary!  Hurray!  To celebrate this occasion we've decided to publish our Top Five recipes of the year, so you can easily find them without having to scroll through the whole list.  So without further ado.....

#1  Azuki Bean Tea Cakes

2 tea bags of your favorite green tea
3/4 cups hot water
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3 egg whites stiffly beaten
1/2 tsp. azuki bean paste for each tea cake

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees
2.  Put tea bags in hot water and steep for ten minutes
3.  Cool tea
4.  Add cool tea and egg yolks to bowl and lightly mix
5.  Mix in vanilla, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt
6.  Mix egg whites for about 3 minutes to get stiff peaks
7.  Fold in the stiffly beaten egg into the batter
8.  Pour the mixture into round or square cupcake tins lined with paper baking cups
9.  Fill each paper cup 1/2 full
10.  Add 1/2 tsp of azuki bean paste on top
11.  Cover with remaining batter until each cup is 3/4 full
12.  Bake for 17 minutes ( Time may vary depending on oven)
13.  Cool in pan for ten minutes

#2 Turkey Slaw Won Tons

½ lb. or Ground Turkey

1 C broccoli slaw

3 stalks green onions

1 tsp. oil for stir fry

2 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp sesame oil

6 oz. pkge wonton skins

Oil to fry wontons

Directions

1.     Stir fry vegetables and ground turkey with 1 tsp oil

2.     Add Soy sauce and ½ tsp. sesame oil

3.     Cool

4.     Put turkey and veges in the middle of square wonton skin

5.     Dab water onto edges

6.     Fold into triangles and seal edges by pressing together

7.     Fry in pan with ½” to ¾” of oil until golden and crispy

#3 Deviled  Eggs, Asian Style

6 hard boiled eggs
4 small avocados or 2 medium
1/2 tsp. lemon juice 
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt
1/8-1/2 tsp. wasabi paste
1/4 tsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. soy sauce 
daikon sprouts

Direction:
1.  Cut hard boiled eggs in half
2.  Carefully take out egg yolk without breaking whites
3.  Cut avocados and scoop out into a bowl 
4.  Mash together avocados and egg yolk
5.  Add lemon, salt, wasabi paste, and soy sauce
6.  Mix together thoroughly
7.  Put wasabi mixture into cookie press and press out into hollowed egg white halves
8.  Add daikon sprouts as a garnish on top of wasabi mixture

#4 Roasted Harvest Vegetables

1.5 lbs of small potatoes cut into bite size pieces

14 brussel sprouts cut in half

1 yam cut into bite size pieces

14 baby carrots cut in half or thirds depending on size

2 sprigs of rosemary

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. garlic salt

¼ tsp. pepper

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2.  Chop all the vegetables

3.  Put into baking pan

4.  Take leaves off of rosemary sprig and sprinkle over vegetables

5.  Add olive oil, garlic salt and pepper

6.  Thoroughly toss the vegetables in olive oil

7.  Roast in oven  for 40-45 minutes (gently toss once after 20 minutes)

8.  Place on a platter and garnish with fresh herbs

#5 Wasabi Guacamole

 Ingredients:

1 large or 2 medium avocados   

½ tsp. wasabi

½ tsp. soy sauce

½ cup cilantro

½ garlic salt

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and mix to desired consistency.  

These are the five recipes that have the most views.  We're glad you enjoyed them and will keep blogging for another year, trying new things along the way.  Looking forward to another year of delicious meals and yummy treats!

BeaNspirations:  Cheer when you reach special milestones in your life!

Chef Azuki's Chicken Stew

Chef Azuki's family is eating more chicken lately.  Here she converted her Nikujaga or Beef Stew into a chicken stew for us all to savor.  Get in that back to school mode with this homey delicious dish!

Chef Azuki's Chicken Stew

1/2 onion chopped coarsely
1/2 tsp of canola oil
3 chicken breast cubed
3 carrots cubed
3 medium potatoes cubed
3 1/2 cups water
2 tsp.  hondashi
1 small package of saifun noodles (optional)
3 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp mirin
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:
1.  Cook onions on medium heat with a small amount of oil in a pot until translucent
2.  Prepare saifun noodles in another smaller pot according to directions on the package
2.  Add chicken, carrots and potatoes. Cook on medium heat until chicken is almost cooked.
3.  Add water, sugar, hondashi and mix.
4.  Add saifun noodles, mirin, soy sauce. (If adding noodles you may need slightly more soy sauce)
5.  Lower heat and let it simmer for 20-25 minutes.
6.  Add 1/2 tsp salt if needed.
7.  Add peas to the pot and cook for a minute more.

Now  you're ready to serve.  Serve this with rice and you're set. This dish makes you feel warm and cozy!  Autumn is just around the corner.

BeaNspirations:  Our summer adventures are behind us and our home is welcoming us in.

Mochiko Chicken

Here's a favorite of Chef Azuki and her family.  She used a tried and true passed down recipe, but omitted the MSG so it would be healthier.  Also she decided to change to low sodium soy sauce and use skinless breasts.  Cut the breasts into small thin pieces and save time too.  Taste test results...still delicious!

Mochiko Chicken

Ingredients:
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 Tbsp mochiko (sweet rice flour)
4 Tbsp cornstarch
4 Tbsp sugar
5 Tbsp low sodium shoyu (soy sauce)
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp garlic salt
Canola oil

Directions:
1.  Rinse, pat dry and slice breasts in half
2.  Place mochiko, cornstarch, sugar, soy sauce, eggs, green onions and garlic salt in a bowl
3.  Mix thoroughly
4.  Soak chicken in mixture for 4 hours or overnight in the refrigerator
5. Put enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan
6.  Fry until golden brown and cooked through

It's fun changing old recipes to fit our new lifestyle.  Chef Azuki found a scrumptious compromise.

BeaNspiration:  Our amazing life is filled with tweaking things, to fit the us we are today!