Tuna Poke

Thank you Fishermen!  We got another batch of delicious fresh tuna from our local fishermen!   My husband picked up some tuna from his friend and Chef Azuki also got tuna from another.  We ate some immediately: sliced sashimi with wasabi always hits the spot.  With the rest, Chef Azuki made poke.  I had delicious poke in Hawaii and made it once with a package mix from the Japanese grocery store. But I didn't know you could create delicious tuna poke with just what you have in your pantry.  That's what I love about Chef Azuki's recipes; you can find most ingredients at your local grocery store.

Tuna Poke

Ingredients:
1 cup cut up tuna
1/2 stalk of sliced green onion
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
pinch of salt (regular or sea salt)

Directions:
1.  Cut up tuna in cubes
2.  Slice the green onions
3.  Mix together soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl
4.  Add to tuna and toss
5.  Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and salt
6.  Gently toss

Serve this over steamed rice and you're transported to Hawaii.  It's another great Asian comfort food.  Chef Azuki, you're giving me the confidence to try new recipes.

BeaNspirations:  Don't be afraid to try new things!

Teriyaki Chicken

Chef Azuki wowed a crowd with her her fantastic teriyaki chicken!  It's amazing to watch her spoon a little sauce into a bowl, taste and then add just the right amount of salt or pepper to make the flavors round out perfectly.  I was there to measure the event so we'd be sure not to miss getting the recipe! We're the lucky ones today!

Teriyaki Chicken

Ingredients
1 large party package of chicken wings or 3 small packages
1 C soy sauce
1/2 C sugar
1/4 honey
1 T mirin
2 tsp sesame oil
5 stalks of green onion
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ginger

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2.  Rinse wings
3.  Cut the tips off the wings and discard
4.  Cut the wing in half at the joint
5.  Mix soy sauce, sugar, honey, mirin, sesame oil, green onions, garlic salt, pepper,
     and ginger in a large bowl
6.  Marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
7.  Place in baking pan and bake covereing the top of pan with foil for 20-30 minutes
8.  Remove the foil and bake for 20 more minutes longer
9.  Ovens may vary but you should see a beautiful caramelized brown coat when done

Here's another perfect potluck prize winner! I love the caramelization of the sugar, honey and soy sauce.  Also, it was made lovingly with ingredients every pantry should be stocked with.  Definitely comfort food!

BeaNspirations:  Sometimes it's great to go back to what you know and start from there.

Japanese Kabocha Squash

There's something about autumn that is truly magical.  The leaves change color and pumpkins and winter squash take the stage. Where do these big gnarly skinned vegetables come from every October.   I remember autumn as the time of year my mom would bring out a big pan or a large pot and create warm delicious Asian dishes with mysterious ingredients.  The words come back to me, strange words like Kabocha, gobo (burdock root), kaki (persimmon) and more.  When Chef Azuki told me she received a kabocha from one her friends, I had a flashback & was intrigued to learn how to cook this winter squash. The thick green skin was intimidating, and I visualized trying to chop it and the squash slipping and breaking on the floor. Hopefully I wouldn't chop off my finger.  Is the effort worth it?  As usual, Chef Azuki had an easy way to chop it up, microwave it first.  Cool BeaNs! Let's get started today with that odd looking squash, The Kabocha!

Japanese Kabocha Squash

Ingredients:
1 medium Kabocha
1 cup of water
1 T Hondashi
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 T Memmi

Directions
1.  Cut slits into the kabocha - be careful, the kabocha is thick skinned
2.  Wrap the kabocha in a damp paper towel
3.  Microwave for about 5-6 minutes
4.  Take out of microwave and remove the paper towel
5.  Cut the top open
6.  Cut kabocha in half and remove the seeds
7.  Cut the kabocha in chunks
8.  Heat water in sauce pan until almost boiling
9.  Add hondashi and dissolve
10.  Add Kabocha, sugar, salt, and memmi
11.  Cook until kabocha is tender, about 20 minutes

Oh the flavors of fall.  It tastes almost like roasted chestnuts!  It's a delicious side dish to Chef Azuki's Chicken Stew and rice!

BeaNspiration:  Transport yourself through time and space with sights, sounds and tastes!

Persimmon Puffs

Chef Azuki just received a bag of persimmons and wanted to use them in a recipe.  So today we ventured to the grocery store and bought puff pastry shells and instant pudding to create this new delicious recipe.  The bright orange color and sweet pumpkin spice enhanced flavor of the persimmon shouts out, "Welcome to Autumn's Magic!"

Persimmon Puffs

Ingredients:
1 package puff pastry sheets
2 persimmons
1/2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1 tsp. sugar
1 1.5 oz box of instant vanilla pudding
2 Cups of Almond Milk

Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2.  Prepare persimmons by cutting into quarters then cut into slices and in half again, making
      little fanned shaped persimmon pieces.
3.  Sprinkle pumpkin spice and sugar on top and mix together gently with a fork
4.  Place puff pastry shells in oven
5.  Cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until golden and puffed
6.  Cool for five minutes
7.  Meanwhile, prepare the pudding by whisking together pudding mix and almond milk.
8.  Remove the tops of the puffs
9.  Fill with vanilla pudding
10. Top with persimmons (Create a flower on the top with persimmon petals)
11. Put back in the oven for 5-8 minutes
12.  Save the tops also.  You can flip them over and bake, making little side desserts
       by sprinkling with pumpkin spice and sugar  (They're almost like doughnut holes)
13.  Remove them from the oven and cool for 5 minutes

I love the smell of pumpkin spice.  Can't wait to dig into my Persimmon Puff!  Oh, it's so yummy!  Persimmons always remind me of the bags our Bachan (grandmother) gave us at this time of
the year. How amazing that the flavors of fall return every October!

BeaNspirations: The season's magic grows from the ground at just the right moment!