Definitely in love with wafu pasta

As I was reading the Japan times the other day I discovered they have a monthly column called Japanese kitchen with some cooking tips and recipes and found an old recipe of natto and umeboshi pasta. Neither A. nor I are fans of natto but it was time to prepare lunch and I was planning to make tagliatelle but I wanted to eat umeboshi, so wafu pasta naturally, and the recently read recipe made me create this super simple version: replacing natto by seasonal vegetables, and using some soya sauce for dressing the pasta. As I mentioned in my earlier post on the topic, wafu pasta are something of their own kind that may be ignominious to the purists but once you have tried them they are quite exquisite and the mariage of flavors can be exceptional. I loved the one of this recipe. I hope you will too.

Umeboshi, nanohana and shiitake tagliatelle (serves 2)

180g of fresh tagliatelle
5 nanohana
3-5 shiitake depending on size
3 plain umeboshi medium size
1tbs of soya sauce
A ponch of sesame seeds

Wash and slice the shiitake. Wash and cut the nanohana in 3. In a large pan slightly greased (I used sesame oil, but anything works) start cooking the vegetables under cover at low heat. In the meantime boil the pasta. Drain the pasta and add to the pan. Stir well. Add the soya sauce, the sesame seeds, the flesh of one umeboshi, stir again and serve. Top each plate with an umeboshi, enjoy!

March 8, 2021

Nabana, nanohana whatever you call it, it’s spring!

I remember reading Natsume Soseki’s novels more than 20 years ago and not fully understanding how he could write that the new year celebrations were also marking the beginning of spring with plum trees blooming… until I realize he was talking of the former calendar and the lunar New year which is basically in February. And indeed at this time of the year spring is in the air. Not only plum tree are blooming, the spring vegetables are sprouting, it’s time for fukinoto and nanohana.

Blooming plum tree: a sign of spring and the promise of many fruits in June

Nanohana, also called nabana 菜の花　or 菜花 that I often translated as canola is indeed a close relative indeed, but also of broccoli. The little yellow flowers at the top of this brilliant green stick and leaves, brings sunshine in any dish. And there can be many. It’s a very versatile vegetable, easy to prepare Japanese way or with western influences. I love nanohana in quiche or with pasta, in sautéed rice, with eggs, also cooked in dashi and topped with katsuobushi, and seasoned with soya sauce. As you can see I love it!

And maybe I love it that much because I believe that the first time I remember eating nanohana was at our wedding lunch, 14 years ago. Indeed, A. And I got married in winter, or rather early spring in the old calendar. And after the ceremony at the shinto shrine we celebrated with our guest in a ryoutei 料亭 we liked very much, in Ningyocho. And the chef who had carte blanche, impressed us with a combination of Japanese traditional and seasonal flavors, and some more western cuisine. Perfect given the mix of culture in our guests. So that’s when I remember eating nanohana.

Incidentally, nanohana is the emblem flower of Chiba prefecture, and the Isumi railway becomes picturesque when they bloom together with sakura (typically in a few weeks), I invite you to come and visit the area, it’s truly beautiful.

February 25, 2021

Sakura rice

The other day I was so happy with cherry blossom rice in my bento that I couldn’t help trying to make some. It’s just the right season for it, cherry trees start to bloom, though it seems they are rather late this year. Making sakura rice is very simple. You need only four ingredients: white Japanese rice, soya sauce, some fresh greens: spinach or canola, and some salt preserved sakura flowers. In Japan it is very easy to find them in little bins in supermarkets, in small boxes or packs at the farmers market. Wash the greens, and blanche them. Slightly and delicately rinse of the sakura flowers. In a pan or rice cooker add the rice and about 5 to 10 flowers. Add a tbs of soya sauce. Cook your rice as usual. Cut the greens in 1.5 cm pieces. Add to the rice when cooked and stir. Add a salted flower for decoration. That’s it!

March 29, 2017

Japanese style pasta

And here we are with a new recipe of Japanese pasta. Honestly I didn’t think I would like this combination so much but in the end I prepare some more than often after the one with pickled cabbage. So this time I prepared a vegan base with new onion, canola, snap peas, fried tofu, to which you can add some bonito flakes. Served with spaghetti or liguine, and a few drops of soya sauce. Simple and delicious! Have a nice weekend!

March 11, 2017

Canola with miso

It is nice to change shopping place once in a while because different markets have different products and it opens up to new opportunity for trying new recipes or new combinations. So this weekend instead of shopping in Ohara I shopped in Kuniyoshi, a small village 10km away. I love their coop shop because they have many different products in particular for fish and meat. So I got a beautiful sashimi of sabre fish and prepared it very simply with white rice, canola boiled in dashi and served with miso (one classic use of canola in Japanese cuisine), and I pan fried some tiny lotus roots and the fish. That’s it!

Canola with miso – 味噌和え菜の花

– 1 bundle of canola

– 1 small handful of katsuobushi

– 1 tbsp of miso of your choice

Wash quickly the canola under running water, remove the hardest parts if any. In a pan boil 1/3L of water, add the katsuobushi in a dashi bag. Bring to a boil. Add the canola and cook for 5min. Drain and rince with cold water. Squeeze them gently to remove all the water. Cut in 3 or 4 the whole bundle. Serve woth miso on top. (You can also mix the miso with it but it might break the leaves and flowers, so I prefer not to)

January 29, 2017

Weekend one-plate

Sunny weekend, fresh food from the market and the beginning of spring vegetables: na no hana. So I prepared a simple one plate with white and green rice, boiled daikon in dashi with yuzu miso, boiled na no hana in dashi with soya sauce and katsuobushi, grilled fresh bonito, and some little radish. All simple all delicious!

February 26, 2016