My love for Katsu (especially Menchi Katsu)

My love for Katsu is strong. I’m pretty sure that one of the things that made me fall in love with katsu was that my mom was really good at making pretty much any kind of Katsu and we regularly ate it throughout my childhood years. It was my Japanese soul food that I couldn’t live without. It’s hard to say which one is the best, but if I had to make a choice, I would say Tonkatsu is my favorite!

And I remember, when I was pregnant with my son, I was craving Katsu so bad, that I had to eat it whenever I see it. I had some hesitation to eat Katsu so often while I was pregnant and I remember thinking if it’s really fine for my little peanut growing inside me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Katsu and nothing could stop me from having them ;P

Japanese Katsu’s growing popularity in the US

It seems Tonkatsu and Katsu Sando has started to become very popular in the US. Tonkatsu is basically a deep fried version of the American pork chop, and who doesn’t like deep fried food? 😉 But people are so busy these days, what if there was a more convenient way to eat this tasty dish, perhaps in the form of a sandwich. That’s how the Katsu Sando came about. Here is a photo of what it looks like, doesn’t that look tasty!

What do you eat Katsu with?

The way I like to eat Katsu is simply by itself, so that I can enjoy the tastes and flavors of those simple ingredients. However, if I put something on it, I usually pick soy sauce. I think Tonkatsu sauce is well known and popular as Katsu sauce for most of the various kinds of Katsu, but for vegetable Katsu, some go well with Ponzu. Try if you haven’t! 🙂

Tonkatsu sauce
(とんかつソース)

Soy Sauce
(しょうゆ／醤油)

Ponzu
(ポン酢)

Katsu Dishes

There are other ways to enjoy Katsu, like Katsu curry rice (かつカレーライス), Katsudon (かつ丼), and Katsu Curry Udon (かつカレーうどん), etc. When I make Tonkatsu, I sometimes make more than the amount I serve to my family for dinner. I use the leftover pieces in a different katsu dish (like in the below pictures) the following day for lunch.

What is Menchi Katsu?

Now I would like to introduce Menchi Katsu. If you describe Menchi Katsu in a simple way, it is a deep fried minced beef ball. You make minced beef into ball shapes like this:

And dress them up with flour, beaten egg, and bread crumbs (パン粉), and then deep fry it in heated oil.

Yum, I can hear the sizzling sound from this picture and it’s making me want to have them right now!

If you want to know how to make Menchi Katsu, please let me know in the comments below and I will prioritize adding it to my growing list of recipes just for you!

Here is a photo of a recent Menchi Katsu dish I made for my family…Eat Well, Be Happy!

Read more about Tonkatsu in this blog post: Tonkatsu and Tonkotsu: Do You Get Them Confused?

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The post You may know Tonkatsu and Katsu Sando, but have you heard of Menchi Katsu? appeared first on EATwithOHASHI.

It does require a lot of ingredients, but don’t let that scare you. Most of the effort is in preparation of the ingredients and then it’s just a matter of tossing them into your pot one by one. You can also customize this with pretty much any vegetable or meat that you’d like. Have fun picking your own ingredients while you try out my special mix of base ingredients for that perfect taste!

If you like spicy food and want something healthy, then you must try this spicy Sundubu Jjigae recipe! We probably eat this once a week in our home as it’s just an easy go to dish. It’s that good and it never gets old.

I use thinly sliced pork belly in this recipe. You can usually get it either at a Japanese grocery store or a Korean grocery store. They look like this:

Thinly Sliced Pork Belly

The Kimchi I use in this recipe is this one and I usually get it at WholeFoods or Ralphs:

Kimchi – Wildbrine

Konjac is one of the ingredients for this recipe. I usually get one either at a Japanese grocery store or a Korean grocery store. It’s an optional ingredient but it looks like this:

Konjac (Yam Cake)

(こんにゃく)

I used Shimeji mushrooms for this recipe. I usually get one at WholeFoods, a Japanese grocery store, or a Korean grocery store. It’s an optional ingredient and you could also use Enoki mushroom, Shiitake mushroom or Eringi mushroom instead, but they look like this:

Shimeji Mushroom

(しめじ)

For a complete list of ingredients, please check the shopping list below.

If you like to check out other spicy dishes, I recommend you these posts:

-Kimchi & Pork Jjigae Udon Recipe – A Korean Spicy Udon Soup with Pork
-Enjoy Raw Vegetables and Their Health Benefits with This Japanese Spicy Miso Dipping Sauce
-My Love of Spicy Korean Food – Bibimbap: A Healthy Spicy Rice Bowl with Vegetables

Eat well, be happy!

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Sundubu Jjigae (Korean Spicy Soup with Tofu)

Sundubu Jjigae is a Korean spicy soup with tofu. Dubu means tofu, but you can put pretty much anything in this (chicken, pork, shrimp, scallops, cheese, etc.). You can also easily make it a vegetarian dish!

It's also commonly served with rice on the side. You can either place the rice into your soup bowl or it can be eaten separately. If you like spicy and healthy, this dish is for you!

Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine Korean

Keyword Korean, Soup, Spicy, Tofu

Difficulty Level Easy

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 1 people

Equipment

• Korean Stone Bowl (Dolsot)

Ingredients

Ingredients for Soup Base

• 1 tbsp Garlic (Powder) Substitution: Grated or Minced Garlic
• 2 tbsp Gochujang
• 1 tbsp Miso
• 1 tsp Chicken Bouillon Paste
• 1 tbsp Dashi Powder Kayanoya-no-Dashi
• 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp Sesame Oil Roasted/Toasted
• 1/2 tbsp Japanese Ichimi Togarashi Peppers Put 1 tbsp if you really like spicy.
• 300 cc/ml Water

Main Ingredients

• 150 g Pork Belly Thinly Sliced
• 100 g Kimchi
• 1 Spring Onion
• 1/2 pack Tofu Soft
• 1 Eggs

Optional Ingredients

• 1/4 Shimeji Mushrooms
• 1/4 pack Konjac (Konnyaku / Yam Cake)

Instructions

Preparation:

• Cut the pork belly to the desired length. I recommend cutting into 1 or 2 inch length strips.
• Cut spring onion into 1/4 inch wide pieces diagonally (refer to picture).
  
• Cut the Konjac into small pieces (refer to picture).
  

Instructions :

• Add garlic powder, Gochujang, Miso, chicken bouillon paste, Kayanoya-no-Dashi, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and Japanese Ichimi red peppers in the stone bowl.
  
• Add water to the stone bowl.
  
• Mix water and ingredients well.
• Bring the stone bowl to a boil by starting with the lowest heat to avoid damaging the bowl. (IMPORTANT!)
• When the soup begins to boil, add each piece of pork belly one by one into the stone bowl (do not place all at same time).
  
• Add Konjac
  
• Add Shimeji mushrooms
  
• Add Kimchi
  
• Add spring onions
  
• Add Tofu
  
• Put a lid on the stone bowl and keep boiling for about 2-3 mins. Adjust the heat level if necessary (to avoid overflowing).
  
• Add a raw egg into the middle of the stone bowl carefully and keep boiling until the egg hardness is to the level you desire.
  
• Ita-daki-masu! (Japanese greeting word to say right before you eat. It means "thank you for the food!")
  

Shopping List

I have created a shopping list which includes the ingredients used in this recipe. Click the link below to view the shopping list.

View Shopping List

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Rate this Recipe

Rate this recipe and share your thoughts. I love feedback!

Click to Rate & Comment

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The post Sundubu Jjigae Recipe – Korean Spicy Soup with Tofu appeared first on EATwithOHASHI.

I can’t decide which hot pot I like the most, but I think Sukiyaki is probably my husband’s favorite. With Sukiyaki you dip the meat and vegetables into raw egg as you eat. So we typically go to our nearby farmers market to buy fresh eggs which we can safely eat raw. We don’t use eggs purchased from the local grocery stores, out of an abundance of caution.

Doesn’t the meat in the raw egg look so yummy? I think many Americans are fearful of raw egg, but you should definitely try, it taste so good! But just make sure you buy fresh eggs from a local farmers market. And be sure to check with them that it’s safe to eat raw.

If you like to read about other hot pots, I recommend you these posts:

-Shio Koji Hot Pot Recipe – A Healthy Japanese Dish
-Hot & Spicy Soups / Hot Pots – Too Perfect For Those Cold Days
-Make Shabu Shabu at Home is Actually a Great Idea! – Japanese Shabu Shabu Hot Pot
-Shio Koji Hot Pot Could be the Next Big Hit in the US, Move Aside Tonkotsu Ramen!

Eat Well, Be Happy

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The post Sukiyaki (すき焼き): My Favorite Dish to Eat When I’m Missing Japan appeared first on EATwithOHASHI.

For this dish, I use tofu mixed with minced meat to make this hamburg steak. You can’t really taste the tofu, but adds a nice healthy element to the dish. I also use my original sauce made from scratch for this dish. It looks like demi-glace sauce, but it’s not. It’s a mix of ketchup, Japanese Tonkatsu sauce or Okonomi sauce, and some other ingredients.

Organic Ketchup

Tonkatsu Sauce

Okonomi Sauce

For the salad, I bought this bottle of sriracha ranch dressing from Trader Joes, however, I can no longer find it there. ;(

I love the color combination in this dish. To me, it looks like art. Art that I can eat! 😉

If you are interested in seeing this dish posted as a recipe on my site, please comment below. Check out other recipes here.

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The post Tonkatsu Sause is The Magic Sauce: Japanese Stewed Hamburg Steak appeared first on EATwithOHASHI.

What is Takoyaki?

Do you know what Takoyaki is? Takoyaki is a Japanese street food that originated in Osaka. They are in the shape of little balls of batter that are a little crispy on the outside and a bit soft inside, containing pieces of octopus with tempura flakes, green onions, and Beni-Shoga ginger.

They are served and topped with Takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, Aonori powder (dried green seaweed), and Katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Yum, this is making me crave it so badly. I don’t know if I can finish writing this blog post.

People in the US may not be that familiar with eating octopus, but I have to say, just trust me, you gotta try it at least once. You may love it! And you are really lucky, because I made the recipe so you can actually make it yourself at home!

Many Ways to Eat Takoyaki

Takoyaki is traditionally finished with Takoyaki sauce, Japanese mayonnaise, Aonori powder (dried green seaweed), and Katsuobushi (bonito flakes) as I explained above, but there are several other ways to serve them with different sauces such as Dashi Shoyu (Dashi soy sauce), Ponzu, Teriyaki sauce, Mentaiko Mayonnaise, etc.

Personally, I prefer Takoyaki with Dashi Shoyu and a bunch of chopped spring onions with some drizzled Japanese mayonnaise. Mmmmmmm, I gotta go get some Octopus now, so I can make those Takoyaki balls!!

Click the link below to try out my recipe. Plan a Takoyaki party at home with your family and friends!

You can’t be missing Japanese mayonnaise from the ingredients to make Takoyaki. But if you can’t get Japanese mayonnaise, you can easily make it yourself first with this recipe:

Organic Japanese Mayonnaise

Click to see the recipe

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The post Takoyaki is My Favorite Osaka Street Food, Perhaps I’m from Osaka, Not Tokyo?! appeared first on EATwithOHASHI.