A couple of years ago, Todd, Diane and I flew to NYC to work on a small video project with the French Culinary Institute. We met up at the hotel on the first day and after a 14.63 second hello, we jumped into a cab and headed to Momofuku Saäm Bar. If you know us, food is on our minds – ALL THE TIME. We’d rather stay in a clean hotel in the crappy part of town to save money — so that we could spend it on food…..which we did.

Our hotel….err….motel was nice, tidy but sooo small. If I wanted to stretch out my arms, I’d have to open the door to so. And I’d probably even hit the elevator button in the same motion.

But enough about the hotel, back to the food.

At Momofuku Milk Bar, we saw little jars of Kimchi Butter for sale (see DL’s mention and photo of the jar), and I was so tempted to buy a gallon to bring home with me, but I don’t think TSA would appreciate a vat of butter in my carry on.

Kimchi butter is spicy, savory, a touch of sour and is awwwwwesome on steak, burgers, vegetables or eggs. Psssstttt…..great hangover breakfast: scrambled eggs cooked with kimchi butter and a side of bacon.

Here’s my version that includes chopped kimchi, a spoonful of miso (for savory) and some good butter. Other things you can add to make your own – a few shakes of fish sauce, finely minced garlic, finely grated fresh ginger and Korean chili powder to make it more spicy.

Add everything to your food processor and whiz, whirl until everything has come together nicely. Or, if you like, just chop everything by hand and mix in a bowl.

You can put this in a jar and refrigerate, but I like to make Kimchi Butter logs that I can refrigerate or freeze. When I need some, I just cut off a piece of the log and return the rest to the freezer.

Kimchi Butter Logs

I use a sushi mat to make rolling a lot easier, but you really don’t need to if you don’t have one.

Lay the sushi mat on the counter with the slats going horizontal. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap on top.

Spoon the Kimchi Butter onto the plastic wrap.

Wrap the bottom edge of the plastic wrap up and over and shape loosely into a log shape. Try to keep a 1.5″ edge of plastic wrap  on both sides.

Grab the bottom of the sushi mat and roll on top of the log.

Now use two hands – right hand is pulling back on the mat to tighen the log. The other hand is holding the edge of the mat out. Notice that the edge of the mat (in my left hand) stays on top – do not let that edge tuck under the Kimchi Butter. Keep tugging and tightening until the Kimchi Butter is a nice, solid, evenly sized log. (this is also the way to make sushi rolls too)

Ta-da! Twist the ends and refrigerate or freeze.

Or you could just skip all this fancy rolling and place the Kimchi Butter in a jar or plastic tub to refrigerate.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2012. | Permalink | 29 comments

I’ve been on a kimchi rampage lately, using it like relish for everything like hot dogs, hamburgers, eggs and even making kimchi butter to top a perfectly grilled steak. Kimchi goes with everything. I think most would expect me to also say that, “the spicier, the better” but in reality, I’m not a dragon-mouth chili-head. I do enjoy chilies, but just the milder version. In fact, in my cookbook, I couldn’t even decide how to spell chile: Chile, Chili or Chilli or Chillie.

In many Asian countries, the correct spelling is Chilli with a double-L. I had an entire convo with Michael Ruhlman about this and he pulled up some reference guide by some famous food historian dude. So, I went with “chili” for the book. But honestly, I think I’m a single-L and an E gal, so from now on, “chile” it is.  Okay, okay, I just can’t do it. I can’t argue with Ruhlman. CHILI.

This recipe is from The Kimchi Chronicles by Marja Vongerichten, and if you recognize that last name, you’ll know her husband is the one and only Jean-George Vongerichten, or as I affectionately call “J-Vo”

Marja is Korean and the cookbook is a collection of Korean American recipes that her family enjoys. Most of the recipes are accessible for the home cook, with a couple of odd-ball dishes that J-Vo had a hand in (not in a bad way) – like Korean Baeckeoffe and Jeju Bouillabaisse.

Some of my favs from the book:

Spice-Rubbed Korean Chicken – uses gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)
Bibimbap
Kimchi Fried Rice
Kimchi Bloody Mary

For the Korean food lover, I absolutely recommend this book!

The Kimchi Chronicles, by Marja Vongerichten is available on Amazon)!

Continue reading Hot Dogs with Kimchi Relish...

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On Monday, I celebrated the completion of our brand new raised bed garden that my rockstar husband built for me (and as a bonus, he also made a organized compost heap thingy too. oh yes, this man is definitely a keeper) by planting 48 onion seeds and 48 carrot seeds.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, we’re experimenting with Square Foot Gardening after having bought this book which instructed me to spant 16 seeds per square foot (this only works with carrots and onions, and of course I’ll go into more detail with loads of photos in an upcoming garden post).

But it didn’t occur to me until a few hours later that all 48 carrots and 48 onions would be ripe for plucking at the same time. I’m thinking that many other novice gardeners, in their bright-eyed eagerness, also make this same mistake.

What will I do with 48 carrots? One can only drink so much carrot juice before their skin starts turning a hue of an autumn sunset. But these roasted carrots with a sesame ponzu vinaigrette is definitely on my list.

Six ingredients and a two-liner recipe. Simple yet so different from your normal repertoire of carrot offerings. I promise you that you’ll love the Sesame Ponzu Vinaigrette so much, you’ll be searching for reasons to use it. Fortunately, it goes with everything, including stirring it just plain boiled noodles.

How to make Roasted Carrots with Sesame Ponzu Vinaigrette

Slice your carrots just like this, I like going on the diagonal. Toss ‘em with just a bit of olive oil or cooking oil. Then roast in the oven.

Continue reading Roasted Carrots with Sesame Ponzu Vinaigrette...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 25 comments

 I want you to meet a friend of mine, Aarti — though you’ve probably have seen her mesmerizingly happy smile on the Food Network already as she was the winner of The Next Food Network Star last year!

Aarti and I used to create cooking videos together with Good Bite (remember this Miso Soup?!) That was about 2 years ago, before Food Network discovered her and I’m so proud to announce that today, Aarti launches her brand new show, Aarti Party!

We’re sharing one of her recipes from Sunday’s show, Ketchup Chutney from scratch, a perfect compliment to your cheese plate or to slather on your burger. Make your own ketchup!? Absolutely! It’s a chunky, warmly spiced version of our All-American favorite condiment.

Here’s what Aarti emailed me when she suggested we try this recipe, “Alright, so I was thinking that a good recipe to share might be my “Ketchup Chutney”.  It’s a classic example of what I’m trying to do — introduce people to Indian flavours through the foods they recognise and love.  Ketchup, a condiment found in nearly every American fridge, is actually a chutney… which most people think of as an Indian invention.  Cool, huh?  So I make mine from scratch, which takes about 20 minutes, and it doesn’t have any stinky preservatives or high fructose corn syrup in it.  Plus, it’s got some gusto… packed with brawny Indian flavours like mustard seeds, cumin seeds, garlic and ginger (of course), garam masala and a little turmeric.”

Enjoy not only the recipe but a little Q&A with Aarti! Big thanks to Adam and Joanne for cooking the amazing recipe! ~Jaden

***

Tell us a little bit about life before Food Network Star, how has life changed since?

Well, before Food Network Star, my husband and I were scraping by on his unemployment checks (thank Goodness for those, or else I’m not sure what would have happened).  While that was really hard, what was harder was not knowing what I wanted to do with my life – my husband has always known that he wanted to be an actor, since he was 4 years old, and he’s great at it… but I didn’t feel like I had a clear talent, something that I felt really unquestionably passionate about.  Winning Food Network Star, heck COMPETING on FNS uncovered this passion that I never knew existed, or perhaps knew was there but never felt like I had anything to offer in that arena (cooking show host).  It is such a gift.  I wake up every morning thanking God for this new career.  I have received emails from people who either watched the competition or my cooking show now, that I would like to print out and frame – I never dreamed that I’d be able to touch people’s lives in this way.  It’s really breathtaking.

Where does your love of cooking come from, how about your love of teaching us about it?

I think we all ache for connection to each other… real, lasting connections that touch from the inside out.  Food is one way to do that.  I have NEVER been one of those eat to live types of people.  I live to eat.  And I live to eat with people, break bread with them – something magical happens when you do that.  You’re kind of bonded forever.  Whether it’s a first date, a special birthday, a comforting plate of food shared by two people in mourning… I just love that.  I think that’s where my love of cooking comes from.  That, and a really healthy appetite, that started from before birth – I was 10lbs when I was born!!

What is a day like in the life of a Food Network Star? How long will an episode take to shoot?

I spend a couple of months coming up with show themes and recipes, testing them and re-testing them.  When it’s time to shoot, we shoot 13 episodes in about 10 days – 1.5 episodes a day, with an extra few days to shoot the party scenes featuring my real friends and family.  I start at about 7am, with two hours in hair and makeup (yup, I need that much work!), then we start shooting at about 9am, and we go until about 730pm.  The shoot days are exhausting (I had no idea how much energy you need to be “perform”) but invigorating.  I love the production team that makes my show – they are fonts of knowledge and talent, and I can feel the cogs in my head turning just a bit faster when I’m around them.

How do you come up with recipes for Aarti Party?

Well, I eat a lot.  Ha!  But seriously, what joy to know that whenever I eat out, it’s for inspiration!  LA has some of the freshest and most creative food around.  I love finding new flavour combinations that I never knew worked together.  Then there’s old family favourites I can’t wait to share.  And, I take requests!  I often ask people on my Facebook fan page what they’d like to learn to make.  My fans (um, it’s still so crazy that I can say that!) are awesome.

What is your favorite comfort food or indulgence?

Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream.  One of the first presents that we bought for ourselves after I won was an ice cream maker, so that I could make ice cream whenever I wanted.  I am slowly working my way through David Lebovitz’s The Perfect Scoop.  I wasn’t allowed a lot of dessert growing up, because I was such a portly child, and so the thrill of eating a big bowl of ice cream hasn’t gotten old yet.  HA!

What is in your fridge right now?

We’re moving house right now so it’s mostly condiments: fig butter, sriracha, homemade apple-ginger chutney, some carrots, turnips and beets that I pickled, aged gouda, leftover chicken curry with apricots that I’m perfecting, a bottle of green Kombucha and some gluten-free beer.  I’m all over the place!

Aarti’s Burger Station Epsidoe will air on The Food Network 9am/8c Saturday, August 13, 2011!

making ketchup chutney

Ketchup Chutney comes together quite quickly, so we found it best to slice, dice and measure out everything in advance.

First, thinly slice 3 cloves of garlic.

Then, finely dice one medium onion.

Continue reading Ketchup from Scratch: Indian Spiced Ketchup Chutney...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 20 comments

For our family, if there ever was a PERFECT cut of steak, it would be the bad-boy Porterhouse steak. It’s big. It’s massive. One giant hunk will feed our family of four.

But before I get into our love for Porterhouse (because I’ll get carried away and will forget about anything else I was supposed to tell you), a word about the Whiskey Mushroom Sauce:

Simply. Must. Make.

Of course, you don’t have to just use this sauce on Porterhouse – any cut of steak will do. Even pork tenderloin, chicken breasts, grilled tofu….whatever your little heart desires. Promise me you’ll make it.

Oh and bonus: just wanted to mention that this is a one-pan + one piece of tin foil meal!*

Anatomy of the Porterhouse Steak

This summer, I’m beef gal for Sweetbay Supermarket – a Florida based supermarket chain, known for its amazing Black Angus Beef (best job ever, right!?)

Now, back to the Porterhouse. The Porterhouse steak has two very distinct sections on either side of the bone.

Image credit: Savio D Silva (check out more beef cut diagrams + many more other diagrams on wide variety of subjects!)

For sake of simplicity, I’ll boil this anatomy of a Porterhouse Steak down to easy terms to relate to. Many of you know what a filet mignon, T-bone and strip cuts are, so we’ll use these terms to describe the anatomy of a Porterhouse. There are so many different cuts of beef that it can get incredibly confusing.

The left side, or the smaller side is part of the tenderloin, the most tender steak cut (pssstt…..it’s what butchers and restaurants call “filet mignon.”) Now the larger side on the right is the strip (pssstt…..the “strip cut.”) The middle? Well, that’s the bone – you can call that the “t-bone” because it’s shaped like a “T.”

You can also think of it this way. A T-Bone steak and Porterhouse steak are very, very similar and found right next to each other. A Porterhouse steak is just a larger T-Bone steak

What’s great about Porterhouse is that it’s a great deal, especially when you can find a piece that has a very large tenderloin section. Also, for families like ours, it’s the absolute perfect cut. My husband, Scott is a filet guy – he loves the tender tenderloin cut. My kids love the big beefy flavor of the longer “strip” side.

So where does that leave me? Well, let’s take a look at what’s left…the meat close to the bone! It’s crazy-tender, full of flavor and for the evening, I’ll ditch all my table manners and bite off all that meat. I swear I was a dog in a former life. Though, I should tell you that I’m also a lover of blue crab, crawfish, chicken wings and ribs….basically I like to work for my food!

The bone that’s left is for our dog, Coco. I try very hard to leave Coco some of the meat on the bone, but when steak is this good…I simply can. not. resist.

Okay, so now that we’ve got the anatomy of the Porterhouse out of the way, let’s focus on the recipe!

As you can see, this Porterhouse is pretty thick. This one steak will feed the four of us for dinner tonight. Well, five if you count the dog too.

Preheat the oven to 375F. The first step is to rub the steak with a little bit of cooking oil. I like doing this instead of oiling the pan. You’ll use less oil this way.

My instructions here are for cooking on the stove and oven….feel free to grill this on your BBQ grill as it’s the perfect weather for grilling now!

Heat a cast iron pan (or other oven-safe pan) on high heat – get it very hot! When it’s hot, lay the steak on the pan. Let it cook, undisturbed for 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, let’s flip it over.

Let the other side cook for 5 minutes. Then we’ll put the entire pan in the oven to cook for 7 minutes for medium rare (for a 1 3/4″ steak) or 5 minutes if you’ve got a 1-inch steak.

While the steak is in the oven, let’s cook the mushroom sauce. Heat butter in a saute pan and add the onions and the mushrooms. We’ll let that cook on medium for a few minutes.

Once the onions and mushrooms get soft, we’ll pour in 3/4 cup of chicken broth.

And stir in 1 tablespoon of grainy mustard, season with salt and pepper.

The sauce includes whiskey, but please feel free to leave the whiskey out if you prefer. 

Glug…glug…glug…about 2 tablespoons of whiskey**.

Let everything cook for a minute more.

And pour on top of the steak once it’s done.

***

*BONUS: I’ll give you a couple of side dish ideas that will complete the meal with no additional pans – just a piece of tin foil.

1) Oven roasted tomatoes: Slice tomatoes in half, drizzle olive oil on top. Let them cook in the oven at the same time that the steak is cooking. Usually 10 minutes is all it takes.

2) Edamame: Find these healthy Japanese beans already cooked and shelled in the produce section, right next to the tofu. After you’ve made the mushroom sauce and have poured it on the steak, don’t wash that pan yet! Return the pan to the stove and turn the heat to medium. There’s plenty of flavor still in the pan and just add in the edamame. Stir and when the edamame is warmed through, it’s done!

**A piece of nifty advice here, if your husband is a Single Malt Scotch Whiskey lover, don’t try to grab any ol’ bottle to cook with. Especially the one that says, GlenFarclas 1968 Family Cask.

More Steak Recipes

Simply Recipes: Steak Fajitas

Leite’s Culinaria: Steak au Poivre

White on Rice Couple: Whiskey Flat Iron Steaks

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 31 comments

I. LOVE. KIMCHI. I love it on rice, in tacos (and just for the record, I did this before Kogi even!), I love it with seaweed, rice and spam (okay, don’t roll your eyes….it’s GOOD!), in soups (Kimchi Jigae) and to spice up midnight instant noodles. But I’ve never made kimchi myself before, which is why i asked Amy Kim of Kimchi Mom to help me out and teach you all how to make kimchi! She’s even made a little video to show you. ~jaden

***

I’m Amy Kim of Kimchi Mom, and my blog is a collection of stories and family recipes from my kitchen. As a kid, I watched my mom cook Korean food everyday but never paid attention to any of it even when she tried to teach me (ah, those teen years). But I do remember being at the dinner table every night at 5 o’clock and having totally consumed dinner 20 minutes later. Yes, it was that good! Fast forward to a couple of years ago. My parents stayed with us for several months to help when my second child was born. And by “help”, she cooked! The dishes she made were flavorful, easy to make, and most importantly, voraciously devoured by my toddler son! I was intent on learning how to make these dishes and Kimchi Mom was born!
Continue reading How to Make Kimchi (video)...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 37 comments

Chimichurri is an Argentinean condiment that I love slathering on grilled steak, especially skirt steak. While the recipe varies from town to town, family to family, the basics are olive oil, parsley and oregano. Other ingredients, like red wine vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes complete the sauce in this version from Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentine Way by Francis Mallmann (love this book!)

The chimichurri sauce is great as a marinade or topping for fish, steak, pork loin and for roasted vegetables (a combo of red bell pepper, portabello mushrooms and potatoes!)

The first time I ever had chimichurri was at a restaurant in Los Angeles. A small ramekin of chimichurri sauce was served alongside my grilled skirt steak. I kept asking for a refill of chimichurri and by the end of the meal, the waiter handed me a to-go bag with a quart of chimichurri to take home. He got a good tip, let me tell ya!

You can make chimichurri with dried parsley and oregano, like the gauchos do, but the fresh version is best. It’s bright, garlicky and wonderfully tangy – you’ll want to use this sauce on everything!

How to Make Chimichurri Sauce

Fresh parsley, fresh oregano, crushed red pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar (you could also use white wine vinegar or lemon juice) and garlic. I also use sea salt too.

Finely chop the herbs and the garlic.

Add the herbs, garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and salt into a bowl. Pour in the red wine vinegar, olive oil.

Continue reading Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 23 comments

Do you enjoy wasabi with your sushi? If you dine at sushi restaurants here in the U.S., chances are the green paste served is not real fresh wasabi, but rather regular horseradish with green food coloring. Today’s guest post is from my friend Tim Mar, owner of an online foods store, Chef Shop based in Seattle, Washington. They feature and support the small family owned, artisan producers that make amazing products like Amabito No Moshio – ancient sea salt from Japan.

Tim sells fresh wasabi grown by family farmers Brian, Laurencia and daughter Aleena. The crops are grown in three locations in North America, whose exact locations are kept a secret because U.S. grown wasabi is incredibly rare and valuable. There is such a high failure rate in wasabi farming that Brian must keep his location and harvest schedules confidential.

Enjoy the article below! ~Jaden

What is Fresh Wasabi?

by Tim Mar

Ever wonder why Wasabi, that fiery green paste and indispensable sushi accompaniment, tastes so much like horseradish?

Here’s why: because it IS horseradish.

Although we’ve learned to call it Wasabi, what we’re served in sushi restaurants in North America – and largely in Japan, too – is nearly always a mixture of horseradish and green coloring, with perhaps a little dry mustard, with possibly a very little bit of real Wasabi added in.

Why not offer the real deal? Because real wasabi, Wasabia japonica, is very rare. Even in its native Japan, demand constantly outstrips supply, and it’s expensive to import and notoriously tricky to grow.

It is a rare find and an unmatched taste experience.
And here it is…

The Secret Wasabi Grotto

It’s a chilly, gray morning in May here in the Pacific Northwest, and I’m peering through dark-colored shade tarp walls into a long greenhouse. Inside, a thick, lush carpet of wasabi plants extend from one end to the other, almost ready to be harvested. There’s barely room to pick a pathway through the sea of green.

We are here to talk with Wasabi Meister, Brian, his wife, Laurencia, and their 10-year-old daughter, Aleena, who met us at one of their prime wasabi-growing sites. As Aleena leads us into the greenhouse, the rich, heavy, green smell of the damp plants envelops us. We watch as Brian selects a big, bushy plant that’s ready for harvest, after years of growing.

Loosening it from the ground with a hoe he pulls it up, leaves, roots and all, and carries it outside to a cleaning and prep station conveniently set up right outside the greenhouse.

After a brisk washing in lots of cold water, Brian deftly trims away the leaves (which he saves; they’re edible too – and delicious!), cuts off the roots, and holds out a knobby, 3-inch-long, greenish, root-like object: the coveted wasabi rhizome.

The rhizome, which is a root-like stem that grows above ground, is the part of the plant that’s grated to make wasabi as we know it – that is, wasabi as we’re used to seeing it but not tasting it!

Aleena, their daughter, proudly does the honors of grating the wasabi. Traditionally a sharkskin grater is used and is still considered optimal, but ceramic works well, too. (We’ve also found that A MICROPLANE zester will work for some applications, although it does not mash the rhizome, which is ideal.)

In a minute, Aleena amasses a little pile of grated wasabi, a lovely, light shade of green. (It really is green; the color comes from chlorophyll, since despite its root-like appearance, the rhizome grows above ground.) She pushes the shavings into a neat little pile, and then we let them rest for one to two minutes. This allows the wasabi’s flavor to develop; the flavor-producing compounds react following grating and exposure to the air. They’re extremely volatile, though – meaning that fresh wasabi loses its pungency and hot flavor in about 20 minutes. It must be eaten freshly grated!

Finally, on the tip of a chopstick, we taste the fresh wasabi. It’s a revelation – like nothing I’ve ever tasted. It’s strong and hot, but with no harshness and no lasting burn. Plus, it tastes green, herbal, distinctly plant-like (unlike the imitation version); it’s a very clean, pure flavor.

The Joys of Real Wasabi

Just imagine this with sushi – but that’s not all. Imagine it with grilled fish, as an accompaniment to fresh lump crab salad, dotter atop steaming mashed potatoes, or along a plate like a coulis. From steak to fresh vegetables, it’s a brilliant accompaniment. And you can’t get it anywhere else…!*

But wait, there’s more: don’t forget the wasabi leaves and their long stems!

The large, heart-shaped leaves and crisp stems, known as petioles, are edible and excellent. Pleasantly spicy, resembling spicier varieties of salad greens but with a distinct hint of wasabi flavor, they’re flavorful and refreshing (and the touch of heat fades quickly, as with the grated rhizome). Even more than the rhizomes, the leaves are extremely rare outside of Japan. What better touch for your next springtime dinner party than a wasabi-leaf salad?

Chefs are Crazy about Fresh Wasabi

Brian and Laurencia are finding an enthusiastic audience among local chefs that’s particularly interested in their recently available fresh wasabi. They also work with chefs from around the world; from the Pacific Northwest, with its terrific culinary scene and strong Asian-Pacific influences, to the U.S. and Europe. A number of chefs at Michelin-rated restaurants are customers, even as far away as South Africa where one chef brings wasabi to the table for customers to grate themselves! Wasabi is particularly suited for table-side service, since its flavor fades quickly. In addition to accompanying sushi and sashimi, chefs are serving wasabi with oysters, with steak, and to flavor soufflés, to name a few ideas!

How to Store Your Wasabi

Rhizomes: One way is to individually wrap each rhizome in a damp paper towel and then store them in a bowl, uncovered, in the fridge. Do not use plastic; the rhizomes need air circulation. Keep the paper towels damp, and rhizomes will store well for a couple of weeks. Morimoto explained to me, in Aspen at the Food and Wine Classic, that we should store the rhizomes in ice water, changing the water daily. The rhizomes will darken around the edges, but you can just scrape off outermost layer with a vegetable peeler before grinding.

Leaves and Petioles (Stems): These store very well in the fridge for about 10 days. Wash leaves and petioles and leave them moist; store in a plastic zip-type bag.

Preparing Fresh Wasabi

Preparing wasabi to eat is a snap – and it’s fun, too! Start by washing the rhizome and trimming any bumps. Then trim the root-end (holding the leafy end upright) for a fresh surface, and grate wasabi into a small pile. Let it rest one to two minutes for flavors to develop, and then serve!

NOTE: Wasabi loses its flavor very quickly – in about 15-20 minutes when exposed to air – so gathering the shavings into a ball not only keeps it together for easy use as a condiment, but minimizes exposure to air.

TIP: You can freshen up wasabi that has lost its flavor by grating on a little fresh wasabi into the pile and gathering it all into a ball again, rolling it between your fingers. Wasabi should be “sticky;” it should easily stay in a ball-shape.

How Fresh Wasabi Ended Up In The Pacific Northwest

Despite its incredible culinary appeal, Brian initially became interested in wasabi for its potential health benefits. Brian, who until five years ago was a researcher and lecturer in botany at the University, came across some information about wasabi and its potentially anti-cancer properties right at a time when he had recently lost several family members to cancer.

In 1993, he ordered his first wasabi seeds from Japan and planted them. They died soon after, but a second batch sprouted and grew. Fast-forward to today – skipping past years of trial and error, endless experiments with growing conditions – now, the wasabi is top-notch. It’s now available year-round from farms in the America’s and can be shipped over-night.

Wasabia Japonica is native to Japan, where it has long been a coveted delicacy (and also known to have medicinal benefits – more on this below). Such was wasabi’s desirability that, according to one story, shoguns gave Samurai warriors wasabi plantations as a thank you for services performed.

In the wild, wasabi grows naturally in cold, mountain stream beds. Traditional Japanese farmers have also planted it in streams for cultivation, which produces great plants; semi-aquatic, or sawa wasabi, is considered more desirable for flavor and character than soil-grown. For Brian, however, in-stream was not a viable long-term planting option, considering the meandering route of streams, even controlled for planting. “It’s not very linear,” he points out – certainly not in the Western farming model of neat fields on acreage! Now, after years of research and experimentation, Brian and his associates have developed a method of growing sawa wasabi, with excellent results.

Wasabi is considered by many people to be a very difficult plant to grow. Brian agrees with this statement, however, “It’s like baking a difficult cake; once you figure out the recipe, it’s not so hard,” said Brian.

Perhaps not, but the recipe took many years to discover! Even now, they continue to experiment and tweak their methods.

The Health Benefits of Wasabi

In a published article of Naturopathy, Brian detailed some of the potential benefits of wasabi, some of which are summarized below.

- Wasabi is a member of the super-healthy cruciferous family, which includes kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mustard and more.

- When ground up and mixed with water – that is, when chewed – a group of compounds in fresh wasabi convert to isothiocyanates (ITCs); much of the health-related research on wasabi has focused on the attributes of these ITCs. (They don’t occur in dried wasabi, but recent work is showing that freeze-drying preserves them until they are ingested.)

- In Japan, wasabi has long been believed to have medicinal properties. ITCs inhibit some strains of bacteria, yeast and mold; it is believed that wasabi’s anti-microbial effects are a reason that it became a part of the diet in Japan, an effective complement to any ill effects of raw fish.

- ITCs also have anti-inflammatory effects, meaning that wasabi may be useful for controlling seasonal allergies and asthma. Brian and his family are convinced that it is, and they love to tell stories of friends and family members helped greatly by wasabi (in freeze-dried capsule form). They have recently found a clinical trial done in Japan that supports the fact that wasabi is very good for seasonal allergies.

Other potential benefits are helping to prevent tooth decay and, possibly, working against cancer cells. Research has been limited, partly due to the low availability of wasabi and the expense in obtaining it. Brian hopes that, having learned to grow it, he will be able to help scientific research on wasabi progress.

- Fresh wasabi is occasionally available at some well-stocked Asian groceries.

Fresh Wasabi – The Whole Nine Yards

Plants: Wasabi is ready to harvest after at least 18 months, when the bushy, leafy plants are about knee-high. The whole plant is pulled up.

Wasabi Rhizome: The rhizome – a thick, root-like stem growing just above ground-level – is the coveted part of the plant. The knobby rhizome is about THREE to SIX inches long.

Leaves and Petioles: Virtually unknown in North America are the wasabi plant’s leaves. The palm-size leaves and long, crisp, light-green stems are both edible and delicious. They don’t taste quite like wasabi, but they have a bit of a spicy bite to them, and they make an excellent salad green.

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2011. | Permalink | 26 comments

The people who sell you ready-made teriyaki sauce are ripping you off! Not only is it expensive, but the taste of the bottled stuff is flat, chemically and too-sweet.

The secret is, teriyaki sauce is really only 3 ingredients. Sure, you can get all fancy and put more, like sesame seeds, a little grated ginger and garlic. But plain and simple, teriyaki sauce is equal parts sugar, sweet cooking wine (mirin) and soy sauce. Though, if you’re like me, and prefer a less-sweet version, I use a lot  less sugar.

Mirin is Japanese sweet rice wine. It’s not the same as Chinese rice wine, nor is it rice vinegar. Mirin contains sugar mixed with rice wine and is an essential ingredient to everyday Japanese cooking. You can find mirin in Asian grocery stores and I’ve seen them in most regular grocery stores in the “Asian” or ethnic section.

To make a Teriyaki sauce, just bring all three ingredients to a simmer until all the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. That’s it!

Continue reading Teriyaki Mushroom Sauce with Grilled Salmon...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 46 comments

Some people say that its hard pressed to find a meat leaner than chicken breast, and thankfully they are wrong. Dinners at our house would be as boring as the fourth hour of a chess game if this was true.

The meat that might surpass you as being just as lean as chicken breast is pork tenderloin. No, silly, i didn’t say pork belly or bacon, but the tenderloin, prized for it’s leanness and versatility. For you steak-lovers, it’s like the filet mignon of the pig, except ten times cheaper than it’s cow counterpart.

Buy an entire tenderloin, unwrap it, season with salt and pepper, throw it in the oven and cook for 20 minutes or until center reaches 150F (or blush pink.) While the pork is cooking, make this grilled tomato salsa from celeb chef  Marcus Samuelsson’s New American Table cookbook. Dinner’s done, totally healthy, checkmate.

Continue reading Pork Tenderloin with Warm Grilled Tomato Salsa...

©Steamy Kitchen Recipes, 2010. | Permalink | 31 comments