Katsudon - Yuri!!! on Ice

You might not want to be a pork cutlet, but with this recipe you can totally eat a pork cutlet!  And, really, what could be more desirable than a steaming bowl of rice, breaded pork cutlet, onions, and egg. Funnily enough, katsu and the word for victory are pronounced the same in Japanese (カツ and 勝つ, respectively), so athletes will often eat some katsudon before or after they compete.
So, in honor if Yuri Katsuki’s birthday, make some tasty katsudon!

Feeds 2

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked rice ( following this recipe if you can.  Feel free to make it ahead of time and heat it up before plating, but I’ll let you know when to start cooking the rice if you want to make everything all at once)
• 2 boneless pork chops (and a meat mallet)
  
• Salt and pepper
  
• Flour for dusting
  
• 1 egg, beaten, for breading
  
• 1 cup panko
• ½  cup dashi stock (you can use chicken or vegetable stock if you can’t get a hold of some dashi or dashi powder)
  
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
  
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup peas (alternatively, you can top it with scallions/green onions, thinly sliced nori, sesame seeds, whole snowpeas, and any combination of any of these)

Instructions:

1. Begin heating up some oil in a deep pan on the stove.  About ½” of oil should do.  Alternatively, if you have a deep fryer and feel comfortable using it, go ahead a use that for the pork katsu.
2. Use a meat mallet to pound the pork to about ¼” thick.
3. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and dust them with the flour.
4. Dip the pork into the first beaten egg, then coat them with panko crumbs.
5. Once the oil is hot (get some water on your hand and flick it into the oil from a safe distance above, if it sizzles and pops, the oil is ready), place the breaded pork into the oil.  Fry them until golden brown on each side.  Once they’re cooked, remove them from the oil, and set them aside on a plate with some paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
6. If you haven’t already made your rice, start cooking it now, using this recipe.
7. Add the stock, soy sauce, mirin and sugar to a pan (one big enough to hold both pork chops) and bring it to a simmer.  Add in the onions and cover the pan with a lid.
8. Once the onions are translucent, slice the pork katsu, and carefully (as to keep the slices together, treating them as if it were still a whole cutlet) add it on top of the onions.
9. Beat the remaining two eggs and pour them on top of the pork katsu.  Cover the pan with the lid.
10. Begin portioning the rice into two bowls.
11. Once the eggs are done (still kind of jiggly and slimy looking, but definitely not liquid anymore.  If you’re squeamish about eggs, feel free to cook it a bit longer, but be careful not to allow the egg to become dry and fluffy), pick up the pan and slide/pour the sauce, onions, katsu, and egg onto the rice in the bowl.
12. Top with peas or your choice of garnish.
13. Reward yourself with this delicious meal. (But only after you win the skating competition, of course.)

Chocolate Curry Buns - Black Butler

So, this is one of the most requested recipes, and also one that has taken me the most time to figure out.  If you’re looking for a quicker, more authentically Japanese curry bun, replace the curry roux and filling with a packet of instant curry and follow the instructions on a package.  This recipe is a “high class”, very British way of looking at the curry bun, with attention paid to how Sebastian cooked his in the show.  Notice the atypical additions of black pepper and red wine, frying the bun instead of baking, and, most importantly, the chocolate.  In short, his is simply one hell of a curry bun recipe.

Ingredients:

• Curry roux:
  
• 3 tbsp. butter
  
• ⅓ cup flour
  
• 2 tbsp.. garam masala
  
• 1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)
  
• 1 tbs. tomato paste
  
• 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

• Dough:
  
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1 tsp. dry yeast
  
• 2 tbsp. sugar
  
• 1 tsp. salt
  
• 1 tbsp. skim milk powder
  
• ½ cup water
  
• 1 egg
  
• 2 tbsp. butter

• Filling: 
  
• 2 tbsp. oil
  
• 1 small onion, sliced thin
  
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• ½ pound beef chuck roast, cubed, or stew meat
• ¼ cup red wine (substitute 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/8 cup all-natural grape juice if you can’t get wine)
  
• 1 carrot
  
• 1 medium pre-cooked yukon gold potato
  
• 1 tbsp. apple puree or apple sauce
  
• 1 cardamom pod
  
• 1 whole star anise pod
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• ⅓ cup peas (optional)
  
• Half of a bar of dark chocolate
  

Instructions:

1. First, we’re going to start with the roux. Melt the butter over medium low heat. 
2. Add the flour and whisk the butter and flour together in the pan until the mixture turns a golden brown.
3. Add the garam masala and black pepper and stir to combine, then add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and combine. Continue to cook until it becomes thick and paste-like. Remove from heat and set aside until the meat and veggies are ready.
   
4. Combine yeast, water, and sugar in a bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.
   
5. Add the rest of the dough ingredients and knead for 8-10 minutes.
   
6. Cover with a dish towel and allow dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.  If it’s cool in the kitchen, I frequently turn on a stove top burner, and let the dough sit on the counter near it to help the rising process.
   
7. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Let rest for 10 minutes (make sure not to let them dry out, cover them with a damp paper towel or two).
8. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your pan.  Pat the beef down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, sprinkle some salt and pepper on the meat, and dust with a bit of flour.  Once the pan is hot, add your meat, cooking for about 6-7 minutes on each side, or until nice and brown.  Then, put the meat into a bowl and set aside.
9. Heat oil in a pan, and saute onion and garlic.  While sauteing, grind the cardamom and anise.
10. Add the browned beef, wine, water, carrots, potatoes, salt, apple puree, cardamom, anise, and bay leaf, and then bring to a boil over high heat. 
11. Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer partially covered until the carrots are tender (about 45 minutes).
12. Add in the curry roux that you set aside in step 3 and the chocolate, and stir until the roux and liquid in the pan combine and thicken into a nice curry sauce.  Set aside to cool, and don’t forget to remove the bay leaf.
13. Dust your hands with flour!  Flatten the dough balls into a round disc, place a spoonful of filling in the middle, and wrap wrap the edges around the filling. Gently shape each dough ball into a bun.
    
14. In a frying pan, heat about an inch of oil (vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil are preferred). Add the buns, however many will fit in your pan at a time. Fry them on medium/low until golden brown, turning over to cook each side.
    
15. Let them cool, then present to the judges.  Or your friends.  Or just eat them yourself.

Chocolate Cornets - Lucky Star

Lucky Star was probably one of the most popular shows of the mid to late 2000′s.  In fact, I have a friend who makes certain to watch it at least once a year.  However, since its heyday, it’s seemed to wane in popularity.  In spite of this, some things (like this chocolate cornet, which is discussed at length in the first episode) stick with nerd culture.

So, which side do you eat your cornet from?

Ingredients:

• Horn/Cornet molds, or tinfoil or wax paper to make your own
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ cups half and half
• 1 tbsp. milk powder
• some water, slightly warmed (only if needed)
• 1 egg
• 1 ½ tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• 1 tsp. instant yeast
• ½ tsp. salt
• 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Instructions:

1. Sift the flour, then add milk powder, sugar, yeast and salt. 
   
2. Beat the egg slightly.
3. Add the oil, butter and 2 tbsp. of the beaten egg into the flour mixture, and mix together. 
   
4. Take ½ cup of the half and half and microwave it for 20 seconds (or just heat it on the stove until warm) and add it to the dough. 
   
5. Start kneading together for around 8-10 minutes, until the dough is soft and there are no more lumps of flour remaining. If your dough mixture seems a bit dry, or you’re having a difficult time getting the flour mixed in, go ahead and add small amounts of warm water until you can mix it well.
   
6. Touch a bit of oil with your fingertips and apply all over the ball of dough. Cover with a dish towel and let it rest for an hour until it doubles in size.  Keep in mind that the dough needs warmth in order to rise.  I find it helpful to let it rise on the counter near my stove top with one of the stove burners on, but you’ll want to be very careful doing this way.
   
7. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
8. While you are waiting for your dough to rise and your oven to heat, make your cone molds if you’re making them out of tinfoil or wax paper. 
9. Cut the dough into 5 or 7 pieces, depending on the size you want your cones. Make sure they are all about the same size. Shape them into balls, then cover and set them aside to rest for 15 minutes.
   
10. Take a small amount of oil, and grease the cone molds (or just use a spray like Pam).
11. Roll each piece of dough into a rope. Roll the dough ropes around the greased cone molds.  The dough may be a little bit difficult to maneuver; if so, just let the rope sit of a few more minutes before wrapping around.  Don’t worry if the dough on the cones seems a little small, they will puff up when baking.
    
12. Brush the tops of the cornets with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Place onto a wire rack and allow them to cool for a couple of minutes before removing the cone molds.
    
13. Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.
    
14. Place the remaining half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
    
15. Pour warm half and half over chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted.
    
16. Add butter to chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly before filling.
    
17. Fill the cones with chocolate let them cool.  I put mine in the fridge (maneuvering some things to keep them standing up) for about 10 minutes.  If you plan on taking it for a lunch, place a small square of wax paper on top of the chocolate before putting the cornet into the fridge, so that the chocolate won’t get messy in your lunchbox.
18. Figure out which side to start eating it from, and enjoy!

Ramen - Naruto

Guess who’s back!  I finally have enough time and energy to make up some more recipes, and what better recipe to celebrate than some ramen?  I got a lot of suggestions for this one, and I understand why.  When I was big into Naruto, those hot steaming bowls of ramen seemed like the absolute perfect meal.  However, back then, I didn’t understand the difference between those, and what came out of Top Ramen packets.  Now, I’m still using the Top Ramen noodles, but I’ve added a lot more traditional ramen elements.  And even if the noodles and stock aren’t 110% authentic, it’s still delicious.  Believe it!

(If you’re really looking for a from-scratch-as-traditional-as-you-can-get, I’m planning on making up that recipe a bit later.  Be forewarned, it’s a bit time consuming)

Ingredients

• 2 Packages of Top Ramen
• About 5 cups of pork or beef broth (You can use the stuff in a box, the stuff in a can, or the cubes or the paste)
• Pork tenderloin
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Baby bok choy
• 1 Green onion
• Soy sauce
• Optional:
• Aburage - that’s those brown sticks on the right side of the bowl, it’s a type of soy product that’s used when you make inari-zushi.  It’s some of my favorite stuff, and you should be able to find it at an Asian food store.
• Nori - I forgot to put this is mine, but it’s those black/green sheets sticking out of the back.  You’d probably be able to find this at any grocery store with an Asian foods section
• Kamaboko - This is that white thing with the pink swirl.  Its made of a sort of fish paste that is steamed into like a cake.  I know it’s kind of distintive in the Naruto ramen, but I didn’t have time to go and grab some from an Asian food store (which is where you’d have to get it).

Directions

1. Marinate the tenderloin for at least 3 hours.  You can use just soy sauce, or a mixure of whatever other Asian sauces you want.  Teriyaki would be good, as would some mirin.
2. Preheat your oven to 450, then cook the tenderloin for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.
3. Put your eggs in a pot with enough water to cover them.  Bring to a boil and cover with a lid.  It should take about 10 minutes to hard boil the eggs.  Then pull them out and put them into a bowl of cold water to cool.
4. While this is happening, pour or mix the stock/broth in a pot and bring it to a simmer.  You can add soy sauce or mirin to taste.
5. Once simmering, add the Top Ramen noodles.  Do NOT add in the flavor packets.  Let that cook.
6. Now, we cut up all the toppings!  Peel the eggs and slice them in half, cut the pork,  kamaboko, bok choy, aburage, and green onion into thin slices.
7. Serve up the noodles and broth in a nice deep bowl, then place all the ingredients in groups on top, and add in a few small rectangles of nori.  Itadakimasu!

Onigiri - Pokémon

So, for all of you who thought yesterday’s recipe was serious, joke’s on you (Happy 1st of April!).  And for those of you who aren’t quite in on the joke, when 4Kids was dubbing Pokémon, they though little children wouldn’t understand what some of the foreign strange foods were, so they changed it in the script.  Thus onigiri (a common food in the show) became everything from sandwiches to popcorn balls to, most commonly, jelly filled donuts.  And, honestly, as a child, I knew something was up.  Those weren’t no jelly filled donuts everyone was munching down on.  Anyway, onigiri itself is a staple food in Japan, simple, portable, and filling, making it perfect to take on long adventures to duel gym leaders and Team Rocket.  I hope you enjoy them almost as much a as a box full of donuts!

Ingredients

• Rice (However much you want to make.  I used 1 cup of uncooked rice for the onigiri in the picture above.  As always, follow this recipe to cook the rice.)
• Salt
• Optional:
• Nori - The thin, paper like seaweed used to wrap up sushi
• Furikake - Also known as rice seasoning, it’s normally just bonito flakes, some nori, maybe some sesame seeds, and flavoring)
• Peas
• Soy sauce
• Fillings - The most common filling for onigiri would probably be umeboshi, or sour pickled plums, however it is quite and acquired taste (my host mother laughed at the puckered face I made after eating my first one), so watch out.  Other common fillings are canned tuna (mixed with mayo and sometimes wasabi), cooked tuna or other fish, fried chicken, a little cooked spam, or just about any kind of pickled vegetable.

Directions

1. Once the rice is cooked and cooled down, all you have to do is shape them.  I have a difficult time with this, so what I’ve learned to do is use some plastic wrap.  Put a scoop of rice in the middle of the plastic wrap and wrap it up.  Onigiri Variation #1:  If you want to make pea onigiri, like in the picture above, or you want to mix in some furikake, you need to do this before you put the rice in the plastic wrap.  Just take your scoop of rice, put it in a bowl, and mix in your ingredients with a utensil.
2. Now, the shaping.  Hold the wrapped up rice in your hand.  Cup your hand so it looks like a “U”, and then cup your other hand, perpendicularly, on top of it tightly.  Gently squeeze the rice.  If you’re doing it correctly, it should start to look kind of like a triangle.  Then, rotate the rice ball in your hands, so a different point is pointing downward and repeat.  Onigiri Variation #2: If you want to add a filling, sometime near the end of forming the onigiri, press a dent in the middle of rice with your thumb.  Add your filling, and cover the hole with more rice, and continue forming.
3. Take the rice out of the plastic wrap and form it a few times with your bare hands.  Then place it on a plate, and sprinkle some salt on them.  Onigiri Variation #3: You can add nori to just about any type of onigiri.  You’ll need to cut up the nori to fit, but you can cut it into any shape you want, be it a larger sheet to cover the entire onigiri, a small little rectangle for just on the bottom, or some cute shapes.  Onigiri Variation #4: In addition to the salt, you can sprinkle some sesame seeds or furikake on top, and press it into the rice.  Onigiri Variation #5: Finally, one of my favorite types of onigiri, yaki onigiri, or grilled onigiri.  Now, I don’t have the appropriate small grill to make these, so I make them in the oven.  Just heat your oven up to a low heat, brush some soy sauce onto one side of the onigiri, place it on a cookie sheet, and put it in the oven.  In 10-20 minutes, flip the onigiri over, and brush some more soy sauce onto the other side, and cook it again.  Just keep an eye on it, and cook it until it’s slightly crispy on both sides.