Yakisoba Noodles

While doing some more net surfing on Japanese Cuisines for AWED-Japanese event guest hosted by Lavi of Home Cook's Recipes, event started by DK, I came across very interesting sites (courtesy google site search on Japanese Cuisines) with lots of information on the ways & tips of Japanese cooking, the main ingredients used and a whole range of new recipes.

These are some of the points I came across....

Rice is of course the staple food of Japan, but the second most popular food is menrui (noodles).

Japanese cuisine is incomplete without the mouth-watering noodles. Noodles are prepared & served in many different ways, fried, hot and even cold with tasty dipping sauce and condiments
Basically there are three types of Japanese noodles: soba (buckwheat & wheat), udon (white flour) and ramen.

• Soba noodles are thin, flavorful, and generally light brown in color. They come in various sizes and colors, there's even a type made with powdered green tea called cha-soba. During the summer months soba is served cold in shallow bamboo baskets, and the noodles are dipped into a cold dipping sauce. In winter the noodles make their appearance in hot dashi, and are accompanied by ingredients like fried tofu, vegetables and meats.

• Udon noodles is a very thick and pasty wheat noodle that is served in hot dashi and topped with the same condiments as the soba noodles. Udon noodle dishes are also prepared according to summer and winter months.

• Ramen noodle is also made up of wheat, but it may be thin, thick or ribbon-like. It is believed that soba and udon are traditional Japanese noodles and ramen is based on Chinese noodles.

Here is the recipe to prepare Yakisoba Noodles...

Ingredients:

• 500 gms yakisoba noodles
• a bunch spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 onion, sliced
• 2 capsicum, sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger, chopped
• � cup soya sauce
• � cup rice wine
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4-5 tbsp white oil

Procedure

1. Take a small bowl, put soya sauce, rice wine and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Keep aside.
2. Boil enough water in a pan. Put the noodles in the boiling water and cook for about 5-6 mins, until they are tender (but not too mushy).
3. Put the noodles under cold tap water and then put the noodles in a strainer / colander and drain excess water.
4. Heat a non-stick kadhai, heat white oil. Add onion slices, saute a little and then add the capsicum slices and chopped ginger and stir fry till the vegetables are tender.
5. Add the noodles, mix well with the vegetables and pour the prepared sauce over the noodles.
6. Toss the noodles, simmer and cook the noodles for 3-4 mins. Transfer the noodles to a serving dish. Serve hot with a spicy tofu dish.

Tips: You can add other vegetables like cabbage, carrots, cauliflowers also.....

This is my second entry to the AWED-Japanese event.....

Spicy Chilli Capsicum Tofu

Tofu is soybean curd (rich in protein), which is made by coagulating soy milk. Nigari (magnesium chloride) is commonly used to make tofu in Japan. Tofu is both nutrient dense and contains high calorie (2 - 4 oz per serving). Since it's kind of heavy, it is advisable to eat just a little tofu to start with.

Some information on Tofu:

Tofu Varieties: Kinugoshi-dofu (silken tofu) is the softest tofu. It has very smooth texture. Momen-dofu (cotton tofu) is made by draining some moisture, so it is firmer than kinugoshi-dofu. It's suitable for frying.
Keeping Tofu: Tofu don't stay fresh so long. Be sure to refrigerate tofu in fresh water and consume immediately or eat within one or two days.
Eating Tofu: Tofu is a common ingredient in Japanese cuisine and is cooked in many different ways. It is often eaten raw in Japan. Raw tofu is called hiya-yakko (Hiya means cold and yakko means tofu).

Bought some tofu from the food mall the other day and prepared Spicy Chilli Capsicum Tofu. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 250 gms extra firm tofu
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 large capsicum
• 2-3 onions
• 4 large cloves garlic, grated
• 1 cup soy sauce
• � cup oz sesame oil
• 2-4 tbsp honey
• 2-3 green chillies, sliced
• vegetable oil (for frying)

Procedure:

1. Take a bowl, place grated garlic, soy sauce and honey. Mix well and keep aside.
2. Cut tofu into half inch cubes. Lightly saute in vegetable oil and keep aside.
3. Wash the onions & capsicum and dice them. Heat sesame oil in a pan and saute the diced capsicums & onions till onions turns translucent.
4. Add the ginger-soy sauce mixture and mix well. Add the vegetable stock.
5. Add the fried tofu, simmer and cook till the capsicums and tofu are tender. (Make sure all cubes are separate from one another).
6. Remove from fire and serve hot with yakisoba noodles.

This my entry to AWED-Japanese event guest hosted by Lavi of Home Cook's Recipes, event started by DK.