04 Feb 2014
by scolgin
in Pork, Recipes
Tags: japan, Japanese cooking, Ponzu, Pork, schnitzel, tokyo, tonkatsu, yōshoku
As I’ve explored in previous posts about tempura, ramen, sumiyaki, sushi and other specialities Japonais, dining in Japan can be very segmented. Stroll about a street in Tokyo and you’ll find restaurants devoted to each of these particular styles of cooking (or not cooking) and many more.
Tonkatsu with Japanese cole slaw and egg/mirin dipping sauce
Browsing the aisles of my favorite Japanese market the other day, I found a beautiful Kurobata pork loin on sale. Now pork loin can be one of the stupidest of meats, mostly because it has zero fat. But the Japanese have a nifty way of rectifying that problem with the dish, tonkatsu. More
21 Jan 2014
by scolgin
in Recipes
Tags: 99 Ranch Market, Asian cooking, basil, grilled chicken, House of the Gods, Pattaya, pesto, Thai food, Thailand, the Pogues
Whilst shopping for my New Year’s Eve dinner at my favorite 99 Ranch Asian megamarket, I grabbed a big package of Thai basil.
I’m not sure why. I rarely use Thai basil. But I’ve been making vaguely Southeast Asian rice noodles lately as my wife takes one of her periodic breaks from gluten, and so I suppose the zeitgeist was right for the herb to capture my passing eye.
Thai basil is different than Italian basil. When you hold it in your hands and then smell it on your fingers, it evokes not vineyards and villas but temples and tuk tuks. It’s scent is exotic and sultry. Because it is spicy and insistent, I find it less useful for the wide variety of applications appropriate to Italian basil. So I made noodles, I used a little for a sauce in my Asian-accented New Years Eve dinner. And still, the bulk of it was left on the bottom shelf in my fridge. More
17 Jan 2014
by scolgin
in On the Road, Recipes, Starlets, Yoga Students & Quinoa (stories)
Tags: eggplant, Kusadasi, Mediterranean, Mehmet, meze, recipes, Turkey, Turkish cooking, şakşuka
It is a noteworthy thing when, having gone your entire life never meeting anyone named “Mehmet,” you meet two at the same time. Of course, it is less remarkable if you are in Turkey — as we were — were every third guy is named “Mehmet.” (The Turkish version of “Mohammed.”)
Cats in the Grand Bazaar
It was more than a decade ago, in the seaside town of Kusadasi, to be precise. Our honeymoon — a friend with a cruise line that I did a lot of work with had arranged the gift of a voyage through Italy, Croatia, the Greek Isles and Turkey. On a day in port, we had gone to see the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, and were en route back to our ship when we stopped in a bar for a beer and a bite to eat. More
14 Jan 2014
by scolgin
in Recipes, Sensational Salads
Tags: arugula, DASH diet, Harry Potter, Mark Bittman, pumpkin, quinoa, recipes, salad, tzatziki, Voldemort
Somewhere in Heaven or on Mt. Olympus or wherever divine beings congregate, the Food Gods and the Irony Gods are toasting and laughing at me. Because, as I write these very words, I am eating quinoa.
Arugula & quinoa salad with roasted pumpkin, walnuts and yogurt cucumbers
They (those gods) had barely just gotten over their amusement at my new jogging regimen (after years of declaring that I only ran if something was chasing me), and now they had this to entertain them! More
10 Jan 2014
by scolgin
in Pork, Recipes
Tags: David Chang, Father's Office, food, Ivan Orkin, Ivan Ramen, Japanese cooking, ramen, tokyo, Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle, Umami Burger
My pal Greg, who has expanded my cookbook horizon in the past, got me an interesting book for Christmas. It’s called “Ivan Ramen.”
So this Jewish guy Ivan from Long Island moves to Tokyo, it seems, and decides to open a ramen shop. (Sounds like the set-up for a bad joke.)
Ivan
Ramen is an interesting food. To most of us, it’s something that comes in a brick in a package to be added to hot water. In Japan, it’s essentially a fast food, but is treated with an amount of reverence not afforded our chicken nuggets or fajita wraps. More
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