Cookpadding's Diary: June 2012

Saturday, June 30, 2012

sesame dip somen

Thanks to all the cookpad users searching for Tanabata themed dishes, my sesame dip somen with okura as stars! just got 10 reports and is now on the front page :D

http://cookpad.com/recipe/1489205

Squid ink paella

we had such a great run this season for Paella, im afraid im a little emotional when we got to the point of squid ink paella! We Came So Far!!! Lol

we got squids to use for topping.

the leggy things are used for flavoring..

it takes a LOT of squids to collect ink, but the greatness that is squid ink mix! comes to the rescue :D

red peppers added-they become soft even without grilling them first.

green peas.

and its done!!!!!

slightly moist yet yummy crunchyness...

yumyumyumyumyum..........

Gochisosama deshita!!!!

see how its still doing the subtle bubbly thing? that means, its close, but not yet!

patience my friend.... in the end, the wait it Absolutely worth it~~~!!!

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Aji soba kake soba

today's aji soba; kake soba!

Instead of dipping in cold soup, I poured hot soup over it making the aji soba a soba noodle soup dish.

Maybe better cold...I could have used some chicken as well.

Still good!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Aji Soba

I've been having acute laryngitis and CANT SAY A WORD!!!

The only sound that comes out of my mouth sounds like a dying horse or something... depressing!

But then, friends prevail to save me!

My friend's father visited the other day and brought Nanbu Aji Soba!!

I was so excited to have this gem of Iwate that I couldnt decide what to do for topping...and made a bunch!!

When in doubt, do it all! do it all, the, way :D

Even the sobayu was great.

I still dont have a voice but feel better. Thanks☆

My friend from Japan is visiting, and wanted to go out for Italian. After agreeing to Japanese-Italian, I was super thrilled to book a table at Dieci!!
Tucked in a half basement little corner in the LES, this is one of my favorite wine places as well.

Oysters, with interesting relishes.

misozuke beef

yuzu pepper ponzu marinated tuna avocado

and then UNIIIIII♥♥♥
sea urchin in other words, this one was a great eggy combination of uni, caviar on top of scrambled eggs :)

uni with cheese and yuzu foam

Uni Pasta!!!!!

Oh yeah was AWESOME!!!!

Gochisosamadeshita :D

Monday, June 11, 2012

The☆Paella

I am so lucky to have a friend who is SERIOUS about food, and in this case, PAELLA :D

After literary months of test runs, using different methods, he has finally arrived to a place where he is comfortable with the result.

Below I give you, the real deal!

The☆Paella!!!

now aint that something!!! I wish i took better pictures cus mine doesnt do it justice! the color, the rice, the chicken - to die for!!!

how it's been cooked....感慨深いww

I shall state the obvious - IT WAS GOOD!

tortilla!

cheese! only Spanish cheese!

guacamole!!! it had a different twist after adding chopped tomato :)

olives with rosemary and garlic. Lots of it!

pickled cauliflower

it was a platter of cute little sweet tomatoes and arugula on prosciutto, but i ate it before taking pictures.

this, is, genius! garlic and tomato infused bread toasted and drizzled with olive oil.

tortilla! i think it went better than before- changed the way i cut the potatos-now thinly sliced rather than chopped into cubes.

hipster ice gelato from greenpoint!

ginger & earl grey oishii~~~

what a journey!

Now I think it's safe to say that his paella master will happily give him a certificate :)

PS. I hear that he is now going to aim for squid ink paella&/larger size pan paella!

at this point, no one's going to believe me when i say he is not in the food business lol

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Smorgasburg and Ramen

It's my first time at Smorgasburg, but it was great! very cute. Wanted to eat everything but ended up eating 2 Ramens that I absolutely wanted to try!

first up, Yuji ramen's cold mazemen!

They run their ramen business in Kinfolk bar, which i like but I never had a chance to eat the ramen so I'm thrilled to have the chance to tell myself; I had it! and it was good!

this was a chilled thick ramen noodle with tomato and clam sauce, adding a very pasta-ish flair to the whole thing.

and then Ebisu ramen! They havent started their shop yet, which will open fairly soon I think, next to Chai in Williamsburg. Their noodle was a chinese type warm noodle with chashu and fried garlic chips. Yum!

Must go back to try more of the other stands I missed on this occasion :D

Takoyaki

Takoyaki, is the famous japanese octopus ball dish! My friend made it at home using a very retro pan, crunchy on the outside, creamy in the inside - oh so yum!

ehen, it comes with beer!

gochiso sama deshita :)

Miso egg yolk

Miso egg yolk :D I always wanted to try this... you just place egg yolk in a bed of miso for a few days. It looks good, just dont know how its going to taste but I assume its going to make me beg for shochu :)

Saturday, June 9, 2012

1or8 like no tomorrow

my very good friend who is also the first person to take me to 1or8 is moving back to Japan! very sad!

It had to happen - we had to go to 1or8 and have a big sushi fiesta to send him off on the right foot, and boy did I eat! this time around, i have to write everything in japanese but you can still see how good the pictures look!!!