Japanese Oshinko "Coleslaw"

This is something that I am improvising. It is a hybrid mix between a tsukemono quick pickle, oshinko, a salad and vinegar coleslaw. It starts with one of the "Asian chopped salad kits" you can get at the grocery store.

One bag of supermarket "Asian chopped salad kit"

I started off taking half the bag and putting it in a ziplock, and then I added a generous amount of seasalt to wilt the cabbage and  make a light brine. I then leave it in the fridge for a few hours.
I then drain any excess water and there was not much. I don't have ginger or green onion at the moment.
I will add some rice vinegar, soy sauce and a drop of sesame oil, and some sugar - not much, just a pinch and some red pepper flake.

I think I am going to add some wakame to this batch to get some umami flavor in it.

Hiyayakko - Chilled Tofu

1 block silken or firm tofu, chilled
Katsuobushi - dried bonito flakes
Grated ginger or daikon radish
Thinly sliced scallions
Toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Drain the tofu and cut into blocks. Combine the soy sauce and sesame oil; drizzle over tofu.
Top with desired toppings.

Mayo Harusame Salad

This is a mayonnaise-based version of the traditional harusame salad.

2 bundles of bean thread noodles
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded & julienned
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 lb ham or imitation crab sticks (surimi), cut into strips
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped - optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Rehydrate the bean thread noodles according to package directions; you want them to be clear and soft, but still chewy. Drain the noodles and rinse with cold water. Drain well, cut into manageable lengths with kitchen shears, and add to a bowl.
Meanwhile, mix the cucumber sticks with a pinch of salt and set aside for about 5 minutes. Squeeze out the liquid and add the cucumber to the noodles.

Whisk the sugar and rice wine vinegar together; pour over the cucumber and noodles. Add the mayonnaise and mix well. Add the ham/imitation crab and egg (if using); mix well. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Let chill for about 1 hour before serving.

Horenso no Ohitashi - Spinach Salad

1 lb fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup dashi
2 tbsp. soy sauce
Pinch of salt
2-4 tbsp. katsuobushi or sesame seeds

Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Add the spinach and blanch for about 1 minute or until just tender. Drain and soak in cold water for about 5 minutes to stop the cooking process and retain the spinach's color. Drain the spinach and squeeze out the excess liquid; traditionally this is done by rolling the spinach in a bamboo mat or makisu rolling mat.  Lay the drained spinach onto the mat.
Roll up the makisu, squeezing any excess liquid from the spinach while rolling.
Once completely rolled up, give the roll a good final squeeze.

Carefully unroll the makisu and transfer the spinach to a cutting board.
Cut the rolled spinach into short lengths and place on small plates. Combine the dashi and soy sauce.
Pour this dressing over the spinach and then top with katsuobushi or sesame seeds.

Zaru Soba - Cold Soba Noodles

The tradition of eating soba originates from the Tokugawa period, also called the Edo period, from 1603 to 1868. In the Tokugawa era, every neighborhood had one or two soba establishments, many also serving sake, which functioned much like modern cafes where locals would stop for a casual meal.
At that time, the population of Edo, now modern Tokyo, being considerably wealthier than the rural poor, were more susceptible to beriberi due to their high consumption of white rice, which is low in thiamine.
It was discovered that beriberi could be prevented by regularly eating thiamine-rich soba. Soba is the traditional noodle of choice for Tokyo residents.

Chilled soba is often served on a sieve-like bamboo tray called a zaru, sometimes garnished with bits of dried nori seaweed, with a dipping sauce known as soba tsuyu on the side. The tsuyu is made of a strong mixture of dashi, sweetened soy sauce also called "satōjōyu" and mirin. Using chopsticks, the diner picks up a small amount of soba from the tray and dips it in the cold tsuyu before eating it. Wasabi and scallions are often mixed into the tsuyu. Many people think that the best way to experience the unique texture of hand-made soba noodles is to eat them cold, since letting them soak in hot broth changes their consistency. After the noodles are eaten, many people enjoy drinking the water in which the noodles were cooked "sobayu", mixed with the leftover tsuyu.

First make the Mentsuyu dipping sauce:
1/2 cup sake
1 cup mirin
1 cup soy sauce
One 2x2 inch kombu
1 cup packed katsuobushi
In a medium saucepan, add sake and bring it to a boil over medium high heat. Let the alcohol evaporate for a few seconds. Add mirin and soy sauce. Then add kombu and katsuobushi.
Bring it to a boil and cook on low heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside until cool down.
Pass the mixture through a fine sieve and now the Mentsuyu is ready to use. For a dipping sauce, you dilute the concentrated mentsuyu with water, either 2 or 3 parts water. For a soup base, you will likely dilute the concentrated with 4 or 5 parts water.

14 oz. dried Soba noodles

Zaru Soba toppings:
2 green onions, finely chopped
Wasabi paste
Kizami Nori - finely shredded nori sheet

To make the soba noodles, boil water in a large pot. Do not add salt to the water. Add dried soba noodles in the boiling water separating the noodles from each other. Boil soba noodles according to the package instructions - usual is 4 minutes. Stir the noodles so they don’t stick to each other. Check the tenderness and do not overcook. Drain the noodles into a colander and wash the noodles in a cold running water to get rid of the excess starch. This is very important and key to great tasting noodle.
Put chopped green onions and wasabi on a small plate. Serve soba noodles on a tray or dish. Sprinkle Kizami Nori on top right before you serve.

Kyuuri to Wakame no Amasuzuke

These are probably one of my favorite pickles or tsukemono. This is a classic sanbaizu preparation, of course. The marinade is enough for one large English-style or "hothouse" cucumber - the long, relatively thin kind that often comes shrink-wrapped in plastic. If you're using other cucumbers, aim for about 4 to 5 cups cut up. Other than just cucumbers you try sliced turnips, carrots, daikon radish, regular radish, etc.
If you have made this before and it was missing "something" try using the Hon Dashi granules, and you will likely find the flavor other recipes miss with this.

8 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. Hon Dashi dashi soup stock granules, or one 4 inch square of kombu seaweed
1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
4 tbsp. boiling water
1 whole dried red chili pepper - optional
1 large English-style cucumber
2 tbsp. dried pre-cut wakame seaweed the "fueru" type that just requires soaking.

Combine and mix until the sugar is melted to prepare the vinegar dressing.
De-seed and cut up 1 English-style cucumber or equivalent other kind of cucumber into thin coins.
Put the marinade in a small glass, ceramic or plastic bowl - but not metal or a ziplock plastic bag. Put the cucumber and wakame seaweed in. Stir or shake around, seal well and let marinade in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours or overnight. Drain off the marinade and serve in small bowls. This should be eaten within 2-3 days. Here is the wakame you want to use..

Vegetable Miso Soup

5 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp powdered or 3 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cup carrots, sliced
2 cups portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1/4 cup miso, dissolved in 2 tbsp broth
2 cups spinach
Cooked soba or noodles of choice

In a large pot, combine the first three ingredients and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and add all remaining ingredients except the miso, spinach, and noodles. Cover and cook on low for 12 minutes or until the carrots are soft. Turn off the heat and add the spinach, stirring until it wilts. Immediately stir in the miso paste. Also stir in noodles if desired.