A Night In Japan

My dearest Japanese friend T.I. survived the earthquake while visiting Japan last month.

She returned bearing gifts and cooking dinner for somerville kitchen.

An out of this world menu with authentic Japanese food and her own creations, made for a delicious meal and a wonderful evening.

Upon arrival, the table was set with three delicious appetizers.

(1) (right) Steamed asparagus marinated in balsamic vinegar, wrapped in prosciutto, and baked for the best tasting asparagus I have ever had.

(2) (top left) Bok choy gomae seasoned with organic roasted sesame seeds brought directly from Mie in Japan - the place my host is originally from.

(3) (bottom left) Cucumber and avocado salad (who thought those two went so well together), with olive oil, lime juice and freshly ground dark rock salt off a salt stone brought directly from the Himalayas.

After clearing all platters, guests were invited to the kitchen to witness the preparation of fresh Okonomiyaki. 

"Okonomi" means whatever you like - i.e., a mixture of vegetables and meats of your choice; "Yaki" means deep fried.

The batter is made with flour and Japanese soup stock, and added to it tonight:

- Cabbage
- Roasted chicken breasts
- Shrimps

The batter is then fried in a lightly oiled pan until it starts getting dry on the edges. At that point, it is turned around, covered and left to steam/cook for 10 minutes.

It is then eaten with Japanese oyster sauce, Japanese mayonnaise and sprinkled with dried sea weeds and dried Bonito fish shreds. The most entertaining of the production is the "Dancing Bonitos" - the shredded fish start melting and moving from the heat of the Okonomiyaki, looking like a major dance production on top of the dish.

And then came time for dessert.

Whole wheat crepes stuffed with Japanese chestnut paste that came directly from Japan. Delicious, provided you like chestnuts.

A simply beautiful evening, delicious authentic dinner and talk of earthquakes, Japanese cooking and everything in between.

 

Thank you T.I.