I had a lunch date with a friend in Minneapolis last weekend.
So, I decided to stop at the largest Asian grocery store, United Noodles, which is located about 10 minutes from the restaurant where I met my friend.
I used to go there all the time, but since they opened a smaller store close to our home, I haven’t been there much.
I was excited to find out how they have changed.
I heard a lot of nice things about this rice, so I decided to try it for the first time.
I was glad that they carried this rice.
The rice (shape and size) looked very similar to the kind of rice I grew up with in Japan, and when cooked it was very tasty!
It’s a bit pricey, but it definitely tastes different and much better than the other cheaper ones I’ve had.
I don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner.
I told you about this Sake Lees in my previous posts.
Another thing I wanted to make with this was soup.
Since I was out of miso, I bought this one at the store too.
This was a new brand for me to try.
These are Daikon leaves.
If you ever see a Daikon with leaves attached, buy them and do not discard the leaves.
I always loved them in my miso soup, so I was so excited to find these at the store.
The soup turned out so good!
The sakekasu (Sake Lees) gives a nice flavor and depth to the soup.
I also made this gochujang braised potato, with tomatoes and Hijiki seaweed.
The idea came from a traditional Japanese dish called “niku-jaga” which literally means meat-potatoes, but this gochujang-tomato version seemed to appeal better to my husband because it has a stronger flavor.