by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta

Penne Rigate with Creamy Pepper Sauce
ペンネパスタ、パプリカソース和え

It’s been a busy week.

And for some reason I ran out of fresh veggies quickly this week, so I had to rely on frozen vegetables for a few days.

I was able to finally go grocery shopping yesterday, so tonight I enjoyed cooking the veggies I had just bought.

I didn’t have a concrete plan on how to make the sauce, but it turned out great.

My husband said it was the best pasta sauce I’ve ever made.

Creamy pepper sauce: sauteed garlic (4 cloves), half onion, and 2 orange peppers, about 1/4 cup cashew nuts, sundried tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, soy milk, soy sauce Koji

The soy sauce Koji is a Umami powerhouse and did an awesome job in this sauce too.

I’ve recently made soy sauce Koji, and I’m loving it.

I’m hoping to have a whole post to talk about it soon.

The pasta was served with corn and sauteed asparagus.

No meat.

No fish.

But it was so satisfying.

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by : Reiko Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta, Tofu

Fettuccine with King Mushrooms, Ground Koya-Tofu, and Garlic Chives
きのこ高野豆腐”挽肉”ニンニクの芽フェットチーネ

I like pasta with red sauce.

And we have that a lot for a weeknight dinner.

It’s an easy and tasty meal.

But I also like pasta without sauce, especially when I have certain ingredients.

I love any mushrooms, but king mushroom is one of my favorite mushrooms, mostly because of its meaty texture.

Ground Koya-Tofu (freeze dried tofu; cooked with soy sauce based sauce).

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2023/04/10/rice-with-bean-sprouts-and-ground-koya-tofu

I can’t help buying it when I find fresh chive flower (or garlic chives) at the local Asian grocery store.

I also used baby bella mushrooms.

They (and garlic) were all sauteed with olive oil, salt, and pepper and combined with freshly cooked fettuccine.

No sauce needed.

Simple and delicious.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta

Midnight Diner Curry Ramen
深夜食堂、カレーラーメン

Recently I re-watched “Midnight Diner”.

It’s a Japanese show based on a comic book.

It’s a fictional small diner in Tokyo, where people come for food, drinks, and human contact.

The owner of the diner is a middle-aged man with a visible scar over one of his eyes, which indicates he may have an interesting past.

The menu is short, but you can ask him to make what you want.

If he has the ingredients, he will make it for you.

Although each episode features a particular dish, the show is rather about the people who order the dish and their stories.

The curry ramen was features in Season 2.

When I saw it, I knew I had to make it myself.

This is an easy dish to make.

You pour curry over ramen (noodles and soup).

I also followed the suggestion made in the show and added cheese as a topping.

(I used my homemade vegan cheese).

There are other dishes I want to try from the show as well.

It’s too bad that only two seasons are available on Netflix.

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by : Reiko Fish and Seafood, Noodles/Pasta

Pantry Spaghetti
パントリースパゲッティ

I prefer fresh vegetables.

But our busy life does not always make it easy for me to cook with them.

As you can see most of the things I used to make this dish came from a jar or a can.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not tasty.

It turned out so tasty that I could actually eat it every day!

Freshly cooked spaghetti was combined with sundried tomatoes, olives, capers, sardines, sauteed garlic, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and extra virgin olive oil.

Take a look at some of my other favorite spaghetti dishes!

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2021/06/28/garlic-lemon-creamy-spaghetti

This is a great way to celebrate the arrival of spring!

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2020/12/13/garlic-tomato-hijiki-spaghetti

This one is great particularly for seaweed lovers!

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by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta

Natto Radish Spaghetti for One
納豆ラディッシュおろしスパゲッティひとりごはん

My husband was out and about, and I was on my own for lunch.

So, a Natto dish was perfect to make!

My husband likes a lot of Japanese food, but Natto is not one of them.

I LOVE Natto, and this turned out to be a fabulous meal for me.

Freshly cooked spaghetti was served with Natto, grated radish, scallion, roasted Nori, olive oil, and soy sauce.

Itadakimasu – Thank you for the meal.

He usually detects the smell, but not this time.

I ate lunch early, washed everything well, and even took out the garbage.

I don’t blame him.

Natto does have a strong smell…

*I updated my Instagram page, and it now shows highlights from our 2023 vacation in Spain. Check it out!

https://www.instagram.com/culinarytribune/

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Soul-Warming Ginger Ankake (Thick Soup) Udon
生姜あんかけうどん

Ankake (Japanese thick soup/sauce) makes the noodle soup so satisfying.

We avoided the coldest part of the Minnesota winter, but the cold weather is still lingering.

So, noodle soup was perfect for today’s lunch.

The addition of ginger gave the right spiciness and helped it even more soul-warming.

Let’s stay warm and healthy.

We are almost there to experience the beautiful spring weather.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta, Tofu

Arare Tofu Soba
タモリさんのあられ豆腐のせ蕎麦

Making this Arare Tofu is quite easy.

You remove excess water from soft tofu.

Cook the tofu in sesame oil, and add flavor with soy sauce and sake.

I added tomato in addition to tofu, and I also used some sugar and salt to finish.

The original recipe was created by Mr. Tamori, who is a Japanese celebrity who hosted a popular daily show called “Waratte Iitomo” for many years.

In Japan it is customary to eat Soba noodles on December 31.

It’s supposed to be a good luck because the long noodles represent a long life and happiness.

We are having a quiet evening tonight.

Just me and my husband at home.

We will watch some TV.

Not sure if we can make it to 12:00…

We’ll see.

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Vegan Cheese

Black Noodles with Plant-Based Cheese Sauce
黒パスタとVチーズソース

The impact of the color black is strong.

It’s unique, but I do like black food.

So when I saw this at a local specialty store, I decided to buy a package.

It really has a nice black color.

It loses the intense black color when cooked, but it’s still pretty dark.

I served it with homemade vegan cheese sauce, sage, and black walnuts.

The pasta’s texture is a bit different from the one of the wheat pasta.

It’s chewier.

I didn’t dislike it, but I couldn’t say I loved it.

Since I’m not used to this type of pasta, there is a possibility that the more I eat, the more I may come to appreciate it.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Ankake Noodles with King Oyster Mushrooms and Soy Curls
キングオイスターきのことソイカールのせあんかけ蕎麦

Ankake or thick soup is one of my favorites.

It makes any dish a bit special.

I like this brand.

The noodles are NOT fried but “air-dried”, and the ingredients appear very good too.

Also the texture is wonderful when cooked.

Soy curls.

I get these mushrooms at the local Asian grocery store, Ha Tien Supermarket.

They are always fresh, and I like their size and how they look.

it’s currently one of my favorite mushrooms.

Today I put away our Christmas tree and all the decorations.

The spot where the tree was looks so empty now.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta, Vegan Egg

“Napolitan” Spaghetti, inspired by Netflix “First Love”
Netflix”初恋”を観て、ナポリタン作りました。

My husband and I recently watched a Japanese show called “First Love” on Netflix.

Hubby actually found this show and wanted to see it because he thought it would help him learn some Japanese phrases.

I enjoyed it, but it was a bit confusing to him, because the actors who played the main characters at a younger age and the current time looked very different, and he would repeatedly ask me, “who is that again?”

It’s a cute story, but I’m not sure if it appeals to western audiences because of cultural differences.

In the show you’ll see “Napolitan” spaghetti several times.

Adding the omelet at the bottom is something I grew up with.

It’s a regional thing, popular in the Nagoya area.

My omelet was made of chickpea flour.

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