Steamed Tuna Miso Salad

It’s not quite a salad, actually.  It has thick salty miso taste, and it made me want to eat this dish with steamed rice.

Very cheap, easy, and fast to make.  What you need are plastic wrap and microwave.  I made up this dish because I didn’t have any meat in the fridge, and have been trying to save on grocery bills (post) so just wanted to create a dish with cheap ingredients.  Since I started to record my expenses on groceries I’ve been more careful what to buy and able to save some money!  Now our grocery expense (for 3 of us, sometimes includes diapers and toilet paper) is less than $400.00 a month.

The salty miso goes with steamed rice!  I was actually thinking to make this with thinly sliced pork (I think it would taste much better) but tuna was also ok.  You can simply substitute chicken too!  If you use port or chicken instead of tuna, make sure you cook through the meat.

<Steamed Tuna Salad> serves 2

• 1 cup cabbage, roughly chopped
• 100g tined tuna
• 2 tbs miso paste
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• 1 tbs sugar (I use raw sugar)
• 1 tbs water
• 1 tbs spring onion, chopped
• 1 tsp sesame oil

a

1. Mix miso, sake, soy sauce, water, sugar and spring onion.  Drain tuna well.
2. On a microwave-safe plate, arrange cabbage then top with tuna.  Spread miso mixture on top.
3. Wrap the plate with plastic wrap, and microwave for about 2 minutes.
4. Drizzle sesame oil over.  Serve with steamed rice.

a

Canapes with Miso Jam (Torimiso)

Grilled vegetables, boiled eggs, and fresh silken tofu topped with miso jam with chicken mince.

It is a great party item or as a accompaniment to any alcohol!  It also goes with hot steamed rice.

Today I used zucchini, boiled eggs and tofu, but you can basically use any vegetables, such as broccoli, daikon radish, or even Chinese cabbage leaves.  Anything goes with this tori-miso jam.

<Torimiso with Vegetables and Tofu> serves 2~4

• 100g chicken mince
• 50g red miso paste
• 30g sugar
• 1.5 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• zucchini
• 2 eggs
• 1 pack silken tofu (around 300~500g)
• sesame seeds and spring onion to garnish

Miso Hamburg Steak

One day I was thinking about hamburg family restaurants in Japan – Big Boy, Bikkuri Donkey, etc…  Although I’m not really a meat person, I sometime got a craving for a juicy delicious hamburg steak.  Besides, family restaurant was like my nest when I was a teen.

If you want to try Japanese hamburg steak restaurant, try Bikkuri Donkey!  I love the food, and also the atmosphere there.

The other day, I wanted to eat like the hamburg steak plate that you can get from family restaurants.  Hamburg steak, rice, salad, all in one plate.

I mixed miso paste to the mince mixture to add extra flavor.  The patty was soft and fluffy, and it smelled delicious.

With fried egg and special sauce.  Add a cup of soup to make it a perfect “hamburg steak lunch plate”!

<Miso Hamburg Steak> serves 2

• 300g mince (I used 50% beef and 50% pork)
• 1 onion, medium
• 1 egg
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• 2tbs breadcrumb
• 1 tbs miso
• 1 tbs milk

• 100cc white wine

• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup water
• 1tbs tomato sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

a

1. Chop onion finely.  In a mixing bowl, mix the mince, onion, egg, nutmeg, breadcrumb, miso and milk together until well combined.
2. Divide the meat mixture into an uniformed-size balls, and flatten the centre to make them into patties.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan.  Place the patties and cook over medium-high heat until the bottom side is nicely colored.  Sprinkle salt and pepper on the meat, and pour the white wine around.  Flip the patties, and place a lid.  Cook until the patties are cooked.
4. Mix the ingredients from “sauce”.
5. Serve the hamburg on a plate along with the sauce.

Tofu and Chicken Meatballs

Adding tofu to a meatball gives soft, fluffy texture.  If you have leftover tofu in your fridge and want to use it up, try this recipe ♪

<Tofu & Chicken Meatballs>

• 400g chicken mince
• 300 tofu
• 1tbs miso paste
• 1tsp grated ginger
• 1tsp sake (cooking wine)
• 1tsp corn flour

• 1tbs miso
• 1tss mirin
• 1tsp soy sauce
• 2tbs water 

  

1.  Drain liquid from tofu : Place tofu on a microwave-proof plate.  Microwave for 1 minutes.  Sandwich with kitchen paper to absorb any water from tofu.
2. Place tofu in a bowl.  Break with hand or wooden spoon briefly, and add all the ingredients.  Mix well, slightly beating the mince, until the mixture comes together.
3. Shape the mixture into balls.  Flatten the centre.  Dust with extra corn flour.
4. Heat 1 tbs olive oil, and grill meat balls both side, until browned and cooked through.  remove from the pan, and set aside.
5. Mix all the ingredients from <extra sauce>.  Simmer the sauce in another pan.  Place the meat balls into the sauce and coat through, turn off the heat.

  

You can also make this with pork mince.  Add to soup, udon, steam board, miso soup etc…  enjoy your way

Japanese style Chili Tofu (Mabo Tofu)

Mabo Tofu is a typical Chinese food we eat in Japan.  Apparently it’s little different from the original dish, but we still call it “Mabo Tofu” and we enjoy it.  Some people add more chili to make it spicier, and that’s became one of “summer food” in Japan.  (In Japan we eat hot & spicy food in summer)

There is a dish called “Mabo Donburi”, it’s basically a rice served in a bowl, covered with mabo tofu.  You can find it even in convenience stores in Japan during summer.

Mabo Tofu (ma-bo dofu)

<Mabo Tofu>

• 50g pork mince
• 300g silken tofu
• 1tsp grated ginger
• 1tsp grated garlic
• 1tsp tobanjan
• 1tbs sesame oil
• 1tsp corn flour + 1tsp water