Japanese Cooking at Home (Pt. 1)

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

When a recent case of the travel itch hit us it just so happened there were some bargain flights to Japan. So good was the price I was almost positive we were going. But then we let our conscious get the best of us and decided it was too much of a load with all the other things on our 2016 calendar on top of a marriage in Austin. Of course during the time I thought we were going I was already looking at what and where to eat. I couldn't stop as spot after spot and dish after dish stood out to me. I certainly wasn't unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine but I soon learned there's so much more of it I need to explore. So instead of going to Japan, for the time being anyway, we booked a fantastically priced ticket to Seattle where there's good Japanese food. Also since then I've been cooking a good amount of Japanese food myself with the help of the internet and Mitsuwa Market out in Arlington Heights.

Japanese Grocery Chain in the Northwest Suburbs 

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Japanese Gyoza

Gyoza Ready for the Pan

Dumplings are most certainly one of my favorite forms of food and Gyoza are always good when I get them while eating out. But it's shockingly easy to make your own and you'll get at least 50 of them out of what you'd pay for around 12 of them at a restaurant.  Mitsuwa Market usually has a selection of fresh not frozen dumpling skins. You want to use the Gyoza ones while trying to stay away from the Dynasty brand which is too rubbery for my liking. Get one of the ones imported from Japan with very little English displayed on the wrapper. Like I was saying I've relied solely on internet recipes thus far and even though me and the guy have bumped heads over on da twitter this recipe from the Food Lab is money. Although I like it with a bit less cabbage then it calls for. 

Japanese Gyoza Dumplings

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Tonkatsu Sandwich

As easy of a recipe as there is, especially if you get the ready to fry pork at Mitsuwa pictured above

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Yaki Udon 

Here we have my favorite thus far. I also made it for my family recently and they too really enjoyed it. Yaki Udon is a homestyle dish that's very easy to complete, like most other Japanese recipes. It's all about the ingredients and the girl who's recipe I used suggested a wonderful brand of Udon to look for and sure enough Mitsuwa had it. They also have a bunch of different Mentsuya options so if you don't want to make your own just pick up a bottle there. Again I suggest the one with very little English except whats on the sticker which mentions no MSG. Its crucial for this recipe which I add a poached egg on top of. It's made on my Dash Rapid Egg cooker which was well worth the $20 imo.

Yaki Udon with Pork

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Next Month: A look into the Mitsuwa Market Food Court Options.