On a particularly temperate Los Angeles evening, three Umamimart writers (one a founding member), and an Umamimart photographer, joined three Umamimart supporters and friends for a lovely dinner at Robata Jinya in West Hollywood, CA. Of the diners, two were strict vegetarians, one a somewhat new carnivore and the rest more of the “don’t knock it until you try it” stock.

West Hollywood seems to be a curious place for a Japanese restaurant, renowned for their delicious, traditional preparations, praised by food enthusiasts and critics alike. But Jinya in no way feels out of place. The menu expertly serves options of sushi, ramen, various small plates and robata-yaki (a Japanese grilling technique) in no particular order.

We started with a few beers and a glasses of sake. The sake was served traditionally in a narrow glass which sat in a wooden box to catch the overflow. The taste was light, floral and refreshing.

A few “must order” recommendations included the shrimp toasts, the homemade organic tofu and the ramen.

The tofu is made to order and prepared table side, so when the waiter poured hot soy milk into the bowl of milky white paste, we were curious how things would turn out.

Then we were instructed to wait 10 minutes while the tofu solidified. Once it did, we added the perfectly proportioned accoutrements of grated ginger, dried bonito and ponzu sauce. The taste was like nothing we’d had before. Everyone was impressed by the creamy, delicate flavor of what looked like homemade cream of wheat.

Tofu still firming up

Once it’s ready, add toppings and eat!

As we finished the tofu, more small plates, and the grilled items arrived.

Spicy tuna roll on crispy rice, topped with jalapeño 

The reviews were right! The shrimp toasts, made of a sweet bean curd and creamy shrimp mixture, were similar to a seafood pannini and arrived stacked in slices like a game of Jenga.

The okra was skewered and grilled to perfection as was the sweet, but substantial, Japanese pumpkin.

Okra

Kabocha pumpkin

Shishitou and maitake mushrooms

Eggplant

From left: Sunagimo (gizzard); breast with wasabi; tsukune (chicken meatball)

A call back to European influence was the sukiyakai croquette, which takes the sukiyaki mixture of sliced meat, soy sauce, sugar, eggs, and mirin (Japanese cooking wine), rolled into a ball and fried like a croquette.

The miso black cod was served on a crisp butter lettuce leaf and could easily be mistaken for butter, both in taste and presentation.

We held a beat then moved onto the ramen and the sushi.

The simple ramen menu is designed in a minimalist style similar to that of In-N -Out burger–you have a few good choices, which you can tweak to your liking if you know what to ask for. We ordered the Miso Tonkotsu Ramen with Sapporo braised pork. This place gets a big “W” for offering up half portions of ramen, which allow diners the option to try a variety of things and not fill up on this satisfying incarnation pork, noodles and salt.

Nicely cooked side of egg for ramen

Simultaneously the sushi arrived, a beautiful selection of uni and, I can’t believe I’m about to say this, the most impressive dish of the night, the vegetable sushi roll. Sarah Fatemi aka Jerkey, Umamimart writer and fellow diner describes the incredible dish below.

Uni

JERKEY: Listen up vegetarians: this dish is the closest thing to fish nigiri you can eat without actually eating fish. The chefs clearly went through painstaking measures to adapt these simple and ordinarily subtle ingredients into wonderfully surprising emulations.

The 7-piece consists of (arranged in order by picture above):
- Roasted red bell pepper, skin removed, with a delicate jalapeno slice and wasabi underneath;
- Eggplant, skin removed, with ginger;
- A thick mushroom slice with a shaving of black truffle. Make sure your tongue touches the truffle first to pick up the flavor;
- Eringi mushrooms in a delicate ponzu;
- Okra with an intensely flavorful red puree of citrus and spice;
- Pickled lotus root thinly sliced, wrapped around shiso leaf for a hint of aromatic;
- Sliced avocado with yuzu kosho.

All of the vegetables are then laid on top of perfectly made sushi rice. This unique dish is unlike any other typical “veggie roll” and outshines even the best futomaki you can imagine.

Robata Jinya is a great place to take a group, the ambiance and menu allow for a casual, languorous dining experience and a menu that truly offers something for everyone.

We punctuated our evening by asking the waiter to take a group picture. After some technical problems and about five false starts, we took a picture to commemorate the very special venue that tied everything wonderful about Umamimart together.

From left: Tomo, Megan, Jerkey, Kayoko, Thomas, Sarah, Caroline

Thanks to Kayoko and to the extended Umamimart family of contributors, readers and supporters. I look forward to meeting you on the next adventure. Until then, Kanpai!

*Photos by Thomas Young and Kayoko Akabori

Kayoko let me borrow Japanese homecooking maven Elizabeth Andoh’s new book “Kansha: Celebrating Japanese Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions” and for that, I am brimming with kansha (thanks).

I had always wanted to try my hand at making shira-ae (sesame tofu dressing) after playing the goma-ae (sesame dressing) card one too many times. So while I read through Andoh’s book, I slapped a large post-it note on page 99: Chrysanthemum Green in Nutty Tofu Sauce (shungiku no shira-e).

With pumped up ratios of saikyo miso (white miso) and freshly ground sesame seeds, this recipe had a depth that is appropriately described as nutty. This week’s Japanify is an interpretation of Andoh’s shira-ae recipe.

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch of chrysanthemum greens/shungiku or spinach

The Sauce
4 ounces of tofu (drained)
1 tsp of white sesame paste
2 tsp of Saikyo white miso (see this Just Hungry article on all the varieties of miso)
1 tbsp of dashi
1 tbsp of freshly roasted sesame seeds
Pinch of salt

METHOD

1. Drain the tofu and squeeze excess water out of block by wrapping it in a paper towel and placing a heavy object on top of it.

2. Soak greens in large tub of fresh, cold water. The ends might be kind of rough, please cut and shave them off if necessary.

3. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil and add greens. Wait until the greens come up to a boil again and keep them in the pot for 30 to 40 seconds.

4. With tongs or chopsticks, transfer the greens into cold water. Squeeze out the water.

5. If you have a mortar and pestle or suribachi, use these tools to mash up the tofu. If you don’t have either, mash tofu with the back of a spoon or fork.

6. Add the salt, miso, dashi and sesame paste and mix well.

7. Toss the greens with the sauce and serve.

8. Mix in roasted sesame seeds.

*Every Thursday, Japanify aims to make Japanese cooking at home easy, accessible and affordable. For questions, please email Yoko directly at yoko@umamimart.com or simply comment below!

I discovered okara during my first year in Tokyo, thanks to my neighborhood tofu shop who sold me 400 grams (0.88 lbs) of okara every week for ¥150 (about $1.70). Okara is translated as “tofu lees” or “soy pulp” and is a byproduct of the tofu-making process.

Maybe it’s just me, but “soy pulp” sounds kind of gross, so it’s one of my missions to spread more awareness to the population at large about this miracle food by referring to it as its Japanese namesake okara. Its literal meaning in Japanese means “shell” referring to the shell casing of the soy bean which is hulled in the tofu-making process.

Websites devoted to the wonders of okara are abundant on the “net” – for example, here, here and here.

The last link takes us to a site giving us a play-by-play of some guy on the okara diet. Perhaps not as gimmicky as the South Beach diet, but the okara diet did cause a bit of a stir nationwide in Japan.

Okara belongs in the upper echelon of healthy and socially responsible foods – healthy because of its high protein, high fiber and low fat content, and socially responsible because it is usually thrown away in the tofu-making process.

But folks, this is the clincher: It’s free at my local Japanese grocer, Tokyo Fish Market, in Berkeley, California.

Here’s a better look:

I suspect that because most Americans do not know what to do with it, there is way more okara in the country than consumable. Therefore, the okara in the states is literally dirt cheap or free. Large amounts of okara in the U.S. are used for animal feed and processed foods such as veggie burgers.

Call your local Japanese food grocer or tofu-producer and ask if they can sell or give you some okara. Chances are, they will be happy to get rid of it.

One of the most famous okara dishes in Japan is unohana 卯の花 and is often served as a otoshi お通し (a free starter that comes automatically with your first drink order in Japanese izakayas). It is eaten at room temperature or chilled so it can be considered a protein-rich salad.

This dish has served me well when:
a) I have no protein dish for tonight’s dinner but the butcher shop has already closed.
b) I am invited to a potluck with a bunch of vegetarians and vegans.
c) I am on a tight budget.

Here’s how to make it:

A)
1 cup of dashi (or clear veggie broth/water for vegans)
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sake
2 tbsp shoyu

B)*
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 carrots, julienned
1 gobo (burdock root) shaved in strips
3 shiitake, sliced
1 lb okara

* I have also used various veggies that are more unusual or leftover in my fridge such as kanpyo, spinach and konnyaku, in addition to carrots and gobo.

1. Combine and whisk together the ingredients in section A. Set aside so that the sugar has time to dissolve.

2. Cut your carrots and shiitake. Shave your gobo pieces as if you are sharpening a pencil with a cutter. Soak the gobo shavings in ice water so they do not brown.

Gobo (burdock root):

Gobo shavings in ice water:

3. Heat the oil in section B over med-high heat in a pan or wok.

4. Saute the carrots and gobo. Once they soften a little bit, add the shiitake and saute for another minute or two.

5. Lower the heat to medium and add the okara to the pan.

6. Drizzle the liquid contents of section A over the okara and vegetable mixture.

7. Thoroughly mix the okara and vegetables together and keep over medium heat for about 5 minutes while mixing.

8. You can add more shoyu or sugar to taste.

9. Store in air tight containers in the refrigerator. This dish can be eaten cold or at room temperature.

One serving should be about 2-3 tablespoons.

The idea of a salad at many Japanese restaurants in America is some iceberg lettuce, julliened carrots and a cherry tomato (if your lucky) – topped with a creamy, sesame dressing. I can say that I am sometimes a fan of this combination, but it’s really not the kind of salad you will ever see in Tokyo. Iceberg lettuce with sesame dressing is basically an American salad with “Japanese” dressing.

Izakaya’s in Tokyo serve a plethora of salads – from daikon salads, to cucumber sunomono to shrimp salads. But the thing that was so obviously Japanese (wafu) about salads in Tokyo were that most, if not all, the ingredients were derived from the Japanese cuisine ingredient list. We are talking tofu, seafood and seaweed, not cheese, bacon bits and lettuce.

The best part about concocting a Japanese salad is that it can be way less time-consuming to make than an American or leaf-based salad that requires rinsing, straining, spinning and tearing or cutting. In fact, this post could very well be fit into Kayoko’s beloved Lazyass Cookin’ series, so I decided to throw “Lazyass” into the title of this post.

The second best part about Japanese salads is that they are most likely protein-heavy and pack plenty of flavor. See for yourself. Here are the ingredients for my salad.

For the salad:
1/2 a block of tofu, cubed
2 tbs of dried wakame (rehydrated)
a handful of cherry tomatoes
2 tbs of natto (optional – you can also substitute with boiled shrimp or sesame seeds)

For the dressing:
1/2 tsp of Wasabi
Pinch of sugar
2 tsp of Yuzu Passion ponzu* (or other varieties of Ponzu)
1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
3 tsp EVOO

Mix together all the ingredients for the dressing. Mix them together in a measuring cup for an even pour onto the salad later.

* Mainstream ponzu such as Mizkan’s Ajipon or Kikkoman’s Ponzu can be used, but be aware that these varieties have MSG in them, and in a salad dressing the MSG taste can be very obvious. I have been using Yuzu Passion‘s Yuzu Soy Sauce which contains no MSG and makes a huge difference especially in a salad where nothing is cooked and every ingredient is tasted. Also, yuzu really adds a curiously good kick of freshness that lemons can’t (which is what the mainstream folks use).

For the salad, cube up the tofu, rehydrate the wakame (10-20 minutes), wash the cherry tomatoes and reserve about 2 tbs of natto. The concept is similar to a caprese salad, except the tofu replaces the mozerella, and the wakame replaces the basil leaves.

Wakame rehydration:

For an aesthetically pleasing salad, its best to stack the ingredients from largest to smallest. So I layered them on the plate in the following order: tofu, cherry tomatoes, wakame and natto.

Once the dressing has had time to sit for about 10 minutes (or roughly the time it takes to put together the salad) mix it up again so that the oil is evenly distributed with the other ingredients and slowly pour the dressing onto the salad. The great thing about wakame and tofu is that they will soak up the dressing and every bite will be delightfully saturated with dressing.

This is a perfect dish to whip up for an emergency dinner party. Except for the Yuzu soy sauce (which can be substituted for mainstream ponzu) and the dry wakame, all the items should be available at the corner store.

Last month, I took a relaxing trip to Pt. Reyes with one of the best books I have read this year, the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was another one of my favorites this year). Although I felt like I kind of knew what Pollan’s deal was from hearsay, I fully understood the logic and practicality of his views by actually reading his book – packed with clear and often, hilarious prose.

What does this have to do with making miso soup? Well, I am huge fan of American cereal and a huge fan of the simple, Japanese breakfast. After reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma though, I noticed I was slowly phasing out the former from my diet. The fact that cereal is mostly comprised of processed grains and corn, I was beginning to feel that it was a bit overpriced for what it was– without giving me the benefits of a miso soup-based breakfast which is doesn’t leave me feeling overly stuffed and then really hungry barely an hour later.

The beauty of miso soup is that you can pretty much throw in any kind of left-over leafy greens to give you a great start to your day.

So let’s get to making the actual miso soup, using the dashi from my post last week.

1. Put three cups of dashi in a pot. If you use wakame, make sure to soak the wakame in some water for at least 10 minutes, while you heat up the dashi. I like to experiment and my latest favorite wakame substitute is watercress. I just dump a handful into my dashi and heat on medium until the watercress is wilted.

2. You can also add any other kinds of veggies that entice you (I have used Napa cabbage, regular green cabbage, broccoli, potatoes, onions, etc). I also usually slice up a shiitake and sprinkle it in.

3. Bring down the heat to low. Cube tofu and add into mixture.

4. Make sure that the soup is not rolling – you may even have to turn off the heat.

5. Add about two tablespoons of miso slowly into the liquid. Make sure the miso doesn’t clump up by either straining the miso into the liquid or slowly melting the miso into the liquid by breaking it up with chopsticks.

6. Turn off the heat if it isn’t already off.

7. Ladle soup into bowls. Bowls should preferably have lids and they should be capped when served.

8. The point of a lidded bowl is that when the eater opens the lid, a waft of the miso soup’s blissful, aroma will fill his/her nasal passages. Its lid will also keep the soup warm and lock in the flavor.

In a nut shell, miso soup is just about cooking some veggies in dashi, adding some tofu and adding the miso into the mixture in the end right before serving. Once you get the the hang of it, it can be ready in 10 minutes.

This is my typical breakfast nowadays.

I have to say, I don’t miss my cereal one bit… yet.

Spare me the formalities and let me present to you: The Cold Tofu Salad.

- Cold tofu, the kind you get in the square plastic container in the refrigerated section of the store. Your best bet is to get the House brand, which is at many markets now (I personally like the medium firmness, although silky is nice for the salad too). For all you Californians: I’ve recently discovered that Marukai‘s tofu is AWESOME. For $1 a pop, it’s the best out there.

- Sliced cucumbers, for the crunch factor.

- Grated ginger, for the spice kick.

- Little wakame (seaweed) pieces, which Joe pointed out looks like ANTS!

- A dribble of ponzu.

A lazyass post for an even lazier dish– forgive me. This seriously takes two minutes to prepare; a great dinner for the HOTHOT summer nights– super light, and equally nutritious.

Left: San Jose Tofu, a local favorite- a little shop in downtown SJ where they’ve been making tofu for decades. They take a piece of tofu out of these huge vats, puts it on a piece of styrofoam, and ties it up into a clear plastic bag, right in front of you. It’s the best. $1.95.

Middle: Otokomae tofu, imported from Japan. I’ve seen this in several fridges throughout Fridgin’ Out, people love it. Fairly sweet and super silky smooth- pricey as hell though. Otokomae translates to “Hot Guy” in Japanese though, so I guess there’s a premium for that. Find it at many Japanese grocery stores. $4.95.

Right: House tofu, which can now be found at grocery stores. It’s the cheapest and the best for cooking, say mapo tofu. $0.89.

I’m on a crazy Six Feet Under binge right now, and I just watched the episode where Lisa feeds “tofu meatloaf” to Nate and Claire in Seattle. Claire excuses herself to the bathroom where she flushes her piece down the toilet. God I love this show- though tofu is probably not something we would ever find in the Fisher fridge.

*UPDATE: Michelle just told me that the House tofu costs $2 at her grocery store in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Oh, New York City…deep breaths.

I haven’t cooked a while since I was away. Now my culinary endeavors have to go an extra mile for something that takes long. So I went to Sunrise Mart to search for something that takes long to make. Recently, I’ve been seeing “nigari” (boiled sea water or Magnesium chloride) at stores, which makes tofu when added to soy milk. So I bought a pack of it, plus a bag of soy beans (dry).

Tofu making doesn’t require much. The most important thing is patience, and soy and nigari. That’s it.

1. Wash soy beans, then soak them in 6 (Japanese) cups of water for 10-20 hours, until it triples in size.

It does get very plump once you soak them in water long enough.

This is a package of Nigari. It taste like very boiled down salt water.

2. Put same amount of soy and water in blender and blend it for like 3 minutes until there are no more particles of soy to be seen. Then boil them and once it boils reduce the heat and cook it for another 8-10 minutes. First it smells like raw beans, but once it cooks, it changes to tofu-ish smell, that’s when you should stop cooking.

3. Then this is the most annoying process of all. Place a piece of cloth (cotton preferred) on top of a colander, then pour the liquid above into it, then squeeze the liquid out. Liquid is soy milk, the the the rest (below) is called “okara” (or soy pulp). Okara could be turned into a wonderful side dish, cooked with vegetables with soy flavor.

4. Put soy milk back into pan. Meanwhile mix 20cc ish Nigari with 80cc of water, put it aside. This time, you have to be careful. You heat the soy milk to 75c. Once it hits the temperature, turn the heat off, then pour nigari mixture, and turn it like twice, no more, no less. I heard if you mix too much, it makes tough tofu. No one wants tough tofu.

5. Can you see its coagulated? It’s very weird. Once you pour the nigari mixture, it immediately start coagulating. It almost look like a failed batter. Put a piece of cloth again on colander and pour the mixture into it, then put a little bit of weight to squeeze out the excess water. After 30 minutes of so, walah, tofu is done.

This was a good experience. Since I only had a navy colored cloth, there are some spots where the fabric bled on tofu, and yeah, I have to use white cloth for next trial. In Japan, one can buy soy milk that is unflavored, which will make tofu making very easy, but here all the soy milk has weird vanilla or chocolate flavors, and it will make weird tofu.

Tofu making is definitely interesting. I wonder if I could use different kind of beans and make tofu? Does Nigari only react with soy? Should I try using kidney beans, or something completely weird? Since we don’t work Fridays during summer month, maybe I will try red or black bean tofu. I will report.