by : Reiko Japanese Food, Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew, Vegan Egg

Sticky Cury
ねばねばカレー

Last time I made a kind of sticky curry with Natto,

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2022/05/11/natto-curry%e7%b4%8d%e8%b1%86%e3%82%ab%e3%83%ac%e3%83%bc/

I said it was just okay.

Well, this time I made it a bit differently, and I LOVED it!

As you can see in the title, this time I added a few other sticky things, like this one, Okra.

The reason I decided to make this curry was because I found this at the local Asian grocery store.

It is Japanese nagaimo.

And as you can guessed, it is sticky.

Nagaimo is interesting.

Nagaimo literally means “long potato” in Japanese, but this “potato” can be eaten raw.

And the texture is unique.

Nagaimo is often enjoyed grated in Japan.

But because of the wonderful texture I like it diced.

And you can’t forget Natto.

The king of sticky food, if you ask me.

Are you ready for this?

Another thing I did differently is that I made the curry a bit thinner without losing flavor.

I think this soup style curry works well for this sticky curry.

It’s getting better and better with rice and a vegan egg.

This was so delicious, but I know it’s a love or hate kind of food.

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by : Reiko Asian Food, Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew, Vegan Egg

Summer is Coming! Cold Noodle Soup
もうすぐ夏~!ピリ辛冷スープ麺

It’s not quite summer yet.

But I know once winter is over, summer comes quickly here in Minnesota.

The soup is cold.

Spicy.

Sweet.

And a bit sour.

It’s also got texture, from onions, ginger, and sesame seeds, which cling to the noodles so well.

In addition to a lot of veggies, I added vegan omelet (homemade) and vegan mini egg rolls (from Costco).

I have a feeling that I will be eating this a lot for the next several months.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew

Natto Curry
納豆カレー

I like Natto, and I like curry.

But I’ve never thought about putting the two together.

I saw someone doing it on Instagram, and she said it was her favorite way to eat curry.

So I had to try it.

When I was little, my parents would eat their curry with a raw egg.

I did eat my curry that way for a while because I thought that was how you were supposed to eat curry, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t really like that.

Since I turned a teenager, I’ve only eaten my curry as is (just over rice).

So this was kind of a big deal, and I was so excited to try it.

A verdict?

Well, I liked it.

But it was rather 2 + 2 = 4.

So it tasted what I had expected.

It’s not a bad thing, but it was not what I wanted.

I wanted it to be 2 + 2 = 10.

This time I also added a few other things.

These were actually fun to add to my curry plate.

I don’t think I will do Natto Curry again, but I’m open to other topping suggestions.

If you have any favorite curry topping, let me know!

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

Soba Noodles with Shungiku Tempura
春菊天ぷら蕎麦

Tempura is one of the dishes I recommend when I go to a Japanese restaurant with someone who has never had any Japanese food.

Battered and deep-fried?

Who wouldn’t like that?!

Well, I usually don’t order tempura at restaurants myself (I usually go for Sushi), but I do like good tempura at home.

There are so many vegetables that are delicious when made into tempura.

This leafy vegetable is not on everyone’s favorite tempura list only because not a lot of people use it to make tempura (although they should!).

People usually use it for hotpot.

I do like it in hotpot, but it’s also delicious in salad.

This was my first time (I believe) using it to make tempura, but I’m glad I did.

At the Asian grocery store where I buy these call them “Tongo”, but we call it “Shungiku” in Japan.

It’s literally translated into “spring chrysanthemum”, so I believe it is a seasonal vegetable.

It has nice unique bitterness that I love.

Don’t throw away the stalks.

They are a bit hard, but that’s where it is the most flavorful.

By the way zucchini is another one good when mad into tempura.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew, Vegan Meat

V-Chicken Katsu Curry
Vチキンカツカレー

I like curry, and I like “katsu”, fried chicken.

That means Katsu Curry is a winner!

This is homemade vegan chicken, panko-fried.

When I have time, I make my own curry roux, but premade one certainly comes in handy.

There are different brands, but not all are vegan.

This is one of the vegan ones, and this is one of my favorite ones because its ingredients are simpler than others.

This bowl was sold as a “curry bowl”, and it IS perfect for curry.

Who else likes Katsu curry?

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*I also have an Instagram account. ↓　There I post some pictures and videos that you don’t see here at the blog. If you followed me there as well, I would love that! When you stop by, say “hi! I would love to hear from you. Thank you.

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

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by : Reiko Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew

Minnesooota Wild Rice Rye Berry Cream Soup
ミネソタ・ワイルドライスライ麦クリームスープ

Wild rice is considered a local food of the state of Minnesota.

I love its unique texture and nutty taste.

If I had a restaurant, I would make sure to have at least one dish that features wild rice to attract tourists.

Interestingly, there aren’t many restaurants that serve wild rice dishes.

My mother-in-law was given wild rice by her sister, and she shared some with me.

Along with the wild rice in this soup you’ll see rye berries (from my brother-in-law’s farm), onion, corn, broccoli, etc.

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*I also have an Instagram account. ↓　There I post some pictures and videos that you don’t see here at the blog. If you followed me there as well, I would love that! When you stop by, say “hi! I would love to hear from you. Thank you.

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

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by : Reiko Noodles/Pasta, Soup/Stew

Kitsune (Fried Bean Curd) Wakame Soba
きつねわかめ蕎麦

This fried soybean curd is called “abura-age” in Japanese.

It’s something I enjoy cooking and eating when I get tired of eating tofu.

It’s plant-based.

Yes, it’s processed, but only minimally.

It’s pre-fried, so the fat that comes with it gives a great flavor.

It was braised in slightly sweetened soy-sauce based broth before added to the soup.

It’s plump and juicy with delicious broth absorbed inside.

The other toppings are Wakame seaweed, fried onion, and green onion.

They are some of my favorite toppings!

I love soba.

I like noodles in general, but soba is definitely one of my favorites.

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by : Reiko Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Curried Kabocha Potage
カレー風味かぼちゃポタージュ

I’ve tried different types of squash, but Kabocha continues to be one of my favorites!

I usually leave the skin when I cook Kabocha, but this time I peeled it off only because I wanted my soup to have a bright orange color.

The orange color from the soup and the red from the pot look so good together.

Creamy, slightly sweet, and spiced.

And the color!

Perfect for this time of the year.

We don’t have any Halloween-specific plan today, but we are going to have dinner and watch the Vikings game with our neighbor friend tonight.

So that was the reason I made this soup.

I am bringing it over to her place tonight.

I also got this flower pot for her because she always lends me her books, and this is a little way to say thank you.

(She has a great selection of books, and I haven’t had any of her books I didn’t like!)

Hope she likes the flower pot.

I personally really like the colors.

Very autumn-like.

Apparently this is NOT the book I borrowed from my friend.

Her book I just finished reading is called “The Invention of Wings” by Sue Monk Kidd, and it was excellent.

(Oh, and I do not recommend reading a book when your soup is ready. You don’t want to let it cold!)

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Soup/Stew, Vegan Egg

Chickpea Curry with V-Egg
目玉焼きのせひよこ豆カレー

I get craving for the Japanese style curry like this.

My mother, like everybody else, always used the same things to the curry, onions, carrots, potatoes, and some type of meat.

So for the longest time I had a hard time imagining curry without those.

But then switching to the plant-based diet changed everything!

You just have to think out of the box almost all the time.

So in this curry you’ll see onions, carrots, and chickpeas!

The curry was great!

But the star of this meal was this vegan egg.

It just gives the whole dish a complete look that I love.

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