Japanese food
Crunchy Tofu Steak
I am a big fan of Japanese food. I fell in love with Japanese food when I first tasted a sushi roll. I told myself that I have to learn how to do it. And I simply did. I have learned to make California Maki. I used to hate sushi because I didn’t like the taste of wasabi, but I later started to like it and eventually fell in love with it. I am now so addicted to salmon sushi. Whenever we are in an international buffet, I never fail to miss the Japanese Cuisine. But, my husband is not a big fan of sushi. The only Japanese dish he wants is tempura. Sino ba naman ang aayaw sa tempura diba? 
But, I’m glad my officemates love to eat Japanese foods. We usually dine at Tempura Japanese Grill in Ayala during payday. During one of our visits, we ordered their Tofu Steak and loved it. It was crunchy outside and soft inside. I knew that it was easy to make, so I searched for the recipe and tried it at home. The result: A SUCCESS! My husband loved them and asked me to cook them again.
Here are the ingredients:
For the crunchy tofu, you will need:
Silken Japanese tofu, sliced (be careful in slicing the tofu because it is very soft)
Flour for dredging (season with salt and pepper)
1 egg, lightly beaten with 2 tbsp of milk
Japanese bread crumbs
Oil for frying
For the sauce:
- ¼ cup sake
- ¼ cup mirin
- 2 Tbsp light soy sauce (I used Kikkoman)
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil for sautéing
- 1 large white onion, sliced in rings
- 1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp water
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Chopped green onions for garnish
Procedure:
- Drain tofu’s excess water in a paper towel.
- Carefully dredge the tofu in flour, then dip in egg, and coat with breadcrumbs.
- Deep fry until crisp and golden brown for 1-2 minutes. Set aside and arrange in a serving dish.
- To make the sauce, combine sake, mirin, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Set aside.
- In a frying pan, sauté the onions until transluscent. Add the soy sauce mixture and mix well. Add the dissolved cornstarch and let the mixture thicken slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour the sauce on top of the fried tofu and garnish with the green onions. Serve immediately.
Note: The original recipe includes shitake mushrooms, but I omitted them because they are not available in my pantry during that time.
***This is an original post from my food blog. I am planning to transfer all my recipes from the food blog because I am having a difficulty maintaining 2 blogs.
Something Japanese: California Maki
It was a very busy Saturday for me. I did the laundry, cleaned the house, and cooked 2 of my favorite foods, California Maki and Coffee-Chocolate Panna Cotta. While resting and reading about hgh supplements, I came across a site showing various Japanese foods and craved on sushi rolls. That’s what made me decide to make a California Maki. I’m glad that I still have all the ingredients needed, but this time I will be using ripe mango as one of the fillers.
So here are the ingredients and tools that you’ll need:
- a bamboo mat, wrapped in plastic to avoid the rice from sticking into the mat
- 2 cups of Japanese rice
- ½ cup mirin
- 2 tbsp sugar
- Nori sheets
- Japanese Mayonnaise
- Riped mango, cut into strips
- Crab sticks
- Roe (can be bought in Japanese grocery, I also found one in Landmark Trinoma)
- Black sesame seeds (can be bought in Japanese grocery)
Procedure:
Mix the vinegar and the sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
Cook until sugar has dissolved completely; remove from heat.
While the rice is still hot, stir the sugar-mirin mixture into the cooked rice.
Cover the bamboo mat with plastic wrap.
Put a sheet of dried seaweed on top of the mat. Spread sushi rice on top of the seaweed and press firmly.
Sprinkle sesame seeds and roe over the sushi rice. (This time, I asked Andre to assist me.) 
Turn the sushi layer over so that the seaweed is on top. Place mango strips and crab sticks lengthwise on the seaweed.
Roll the bamboo mat forward, pressing the ingredients inside the cylinder-shaped sushi. Press firmly the bamboo mat with hands, then remove the rolled sushi.
Cut the sushi roll into bite-size pieces. Top with Japanese Mayonnaise upon serving.
Here’s the final product:
