Hoisin at Home - This Sauce Can Do it All

Of all the condiments that have never crossed your mind to make at home, hoisin sauce is probably at the top of the list.  After all, barring some sort of catastrophic event, you'll be able to get hoisin at the store, but is that a chance you really want to take in this crazy world?  Even if you only cook a meager amount of Chinese food, hoisin's applications are many, and this homemade version will stay in the fridge for a long time. 

Still, you might be wondering what kind of person makes this at home.  Oh, I don't know, maybe someone with a sense of curiosity and culinary wonder.  Maybe you're gluten free, don't eat refined sugars, or the idea of modified corn starch irks you.  Or maybe, just maybe, you're planning on making char siu (Chinese BBQ'd pork) and you need some hoisin for the marinade (hint, hint). 

Super Simple Miso Soup

Red Miso Soup - Ready in Minutes

Sometimes the simple things in life are the best.  This is no secret to the Japanese, whose food is more often than not stupid simple, with an incredible depth of flavor.

These deep flavors mostly come from the use of umami, or savory flavors*.  Things like miso, soy sauce, mushrooms, and dashi-- staples in the Japanese pantry-- are all high in amino acids such as L-glutamate and 5'-ribonucleotides, which constitute the umami sensation.  Other foods high in umami include ripe tomatoes, beef, chicken, and fermented products such as fish sauce and certain cheeses.

Today, I'll be showing you how simple it is to create great flavor in only a matter of minutes with a favorite of mine: red miso soup.

Chinese Five-Spice in Under 5 Minutes

Making your own Chinese five-spice powder is not only simple, it's super fast.   Whether you're looking to make char siu or just liven up some vegetables, you can have this aromatic blend of Asian spices ready to go in mere minutes. 

Cock Sauce (AKA Homemade Sriracha)

You might have heard of the Sriracha shortage--heck, you might have even been affected by it-- but that's no reason for you to miss out on what very well may be America's favorite hot sauce.

Panko Crusted Flounder with Dashi Air

Not only is dashi one of the most delicious things on earth,  it's necessary for many Japanese meals and cooking techniques.  Sure, you've heard of soy sauce, sake, and sushi-- but dashi, a kind of stock, is the real star of Japanese cuisine.  You like miso soup?  Well, that has a dashi base.  What about ramen (not the crap that comes in a bag)?  Dashi base.  Even the sweet egg sushi simply called tamago (egg in Japanese) has dashi mixed into it.

Food for Seattle Fans: Cherry Teriyaki Glazed Chicken Bites

For the third and final installment of this week's "Super Bowl Food" series, I make good on my promise to offer Seahawks fans a meal they can call their own.

Due to the large influence the Asian community has had on Seattle (home of the Seahawks), I decided to make a recipe based on chicken teriyaki.  In order to represent the rest of the state of Washington, cherries were thrown into the mix.

Originally, I wanted to use Rainier cherries, but I couldn't find any in the grocery stores, so this recipe uses cherry preserves.

As a non-traditional teriyaki,  there's no need to whip out the hibachi.  You can stay warm and cook these tender bite-size chicken pieces on your stovetop.

Garnish with some toasted sesame seeds and stick a toothpick in them for the perfect Super Bowl appetizer, or toss them in a bowl with rice and veggies for a no fuss dinner. 

Dig into... Some Tonkatsu

Modern Japan isn't merely a country where East meets West.  The Land of the Rising Sun's story is more a case where East thought West was chou kawaii but after running through a couple different Western suitors (Portugal and Holland), East gave up on all foreigners and went totally asexual for a couple hundred years before that Chandler guy made them start airing Friends episodes in English... Yeah, that sounds right*.

Anyway, East finally settled on a handsome Western suitor who had the traits of a myriad of Western states, including Amurrica and Germany, to make 126 million homogenous children.  Here's where I tell you how this all relates to tonkatsu.