Clam Rice

I was lucky enough to make another trip to Japan with TheKeeper.  And what made it even sweeter was that we went back to Hokkaido.  I love Hokkaido.  Of course, I need to make it clear that I have only been to Hokkaido in autumn, so perhaps I would not love Hokkaido during January or February. 

TheKeeper enjoys staying at branches of a moderate hotel chain, Toyoko Inn.  The hotel website promises clean and comfortable rooms at reasonable rates.  This time we stayed at a different branch from last year, and again, the service was great.  This place was even closer to the Sapporo main station, and it was surrounded by multiple 7-11s, Lawsons, and SeicoMarts!

One thing I really enjoy about this particular chain is the free breakfast.  Of course anything free is great, but more than the $, I really enjoy the food.  This year, the food was a little different that what was offered at the hotel last year.  We spent 5 nights at the hotel (read=5 breakfasts), and not one time did I see any kind of sausage as a breakfast meat.  The featured breakfast meat was meatballs.  The meatballs looked like they were swimming in a reddish-brown sauce which I assume was some kine of bbq sauce.  Not being much of a fan of the combination, I chose to bypass that selection.

On several days, the breakfast buffet line featured a green bean dish.  DHS and I loved it and swore to try recreating the dish when we got home.  I have yet to actually try a recipe for it, but it's on my short list of things I must cook soon. 

My favorite part of the buffet is the assortment of starches.  Every morning, there were at least 4 different starches, actually more if you include the different breads.  I am not usually a big rice eater, but I really enjoyed all the mixed rice selections.  Some days the rice was made into musubi (triangular onigiri?) and other days, it was just mounded in a large dish. 

A few weeks before I went to Japan, I actually made a delicious mixed rice dish.  I served it from a large dish, but I think it would be equally scrumptious pressed into shapes. . .or even used for the rice portion in a Spam musubi.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Clam Rice

     1 can (6 oz) kogai ajitsuke (seasoned clams), drained, juice reserved
     1/2 c bamboo shoots, slivered
     4 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in water and slivered
     1/2 c slivered carrots
     1/2 c soybeans, thawed if frozen
     2 tbsp shoyu
     1 tbsp sugar
     1 tbsp mirin
     1 tsp salt
     1 packet (about 1 tbsp) dashi-no-moto
     3 c (rice cooker cups) rice, prepared as usual

Add reserved clam juice, salt, and dashi-no-moto to rice and water.  Let stand for 20 minutes then cook as usual.  Cook shiitake mushrooms with shoyu, sugar, and mirin.  Add carrots and bamboo shoots.  Cook until carrots are soft.  Add soybeans and clams.  Remove from heat.  When rice is done, toss clam mixture with rice.

We arrived in Japan on Sunday, October 7, although it was around noon on Saturday, October, 6, when we left Hawaii.  For some reason, it felt like we arrived earlier than we did last year, as restaurants were still open for dinner.  We were lucky enough to go to our favorite tonkatsu restaurant, Tonkatsu Wako.

Spicy Soybeans

Happy Labor Day (for those in the U.S.A.).  I've been back at work for over a month, but I still come home totally drained.  Is it me or are more people just screwing up?  My job wouldn't exist if screw-ups didn't occur on multiple levels, but really, I don't need to be kept so busy!

Aside from my ramblings about all the dipshits I deal with daily, one would think I had a good amount of time to recover from the flurry of activity thats been happening around here:  start of school, Yurihama visitors, D2's birthday party.  Truthfully, I haven't.  I will need an entire summer vacation PLUS to recover.  One measly holiday is not gonna do it.

As you may have seen from the slide show (last post), part of the festivities for the Yurihama guests was a Farewell Dinner.  Most of the food was catered by Yvonne Torres, however, the parents of the Hilo students were invited to share a pupu, salad or a dessert.  It sounded like Alson had the desserts covered, so I decided to bring a pupu.  Looking ahead as to what I could make ahead of time, I decided on Spicy Soybeans.

Alan Wong's Pineapple Room restaurant in the Ala Moana Macy's serves some kind of seasoned edamame as an appetizer.  I remember going there and not being able to get enough of it.  While this recipe is not intended to be an Alan Wong's copycat, it does a good job of fulfilling all that I could ask for in a pupu.  I know D1 feels the same way.  I saw her loading her plate several times with a mound of these beans.  I guess she really IS my daughter.  A few weeks later, others confessed to loading their plates with these beans too (see update after recipe).

I'm not sure where I got the original recipe from, but I have tweaked it a little to adapt it to my taste and preference.  Feel free to add more chili pepper, especially if you like a really good kick.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Spicy Soybeans

     1 lb frozen soybeans in shell

     6 c water

     4 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

     1 chili pepper, seeded*

     2-inch piece ginger, cut into pieces

     3 cloves garlic

     3 tbsp shoyu

     1 tbsp oyster sauce

     1/2 tsp sesame oil

Boil water.  Add frozen soybeans and cook for 30 seconds.  Drain and set aside.  In a small food processer, combine chili pepper, ginger, and garlic.  Pulse until chopped very fine.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok until hot.  Add beans and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Shove beans to one side of wok and add remaining 2 tbsp oil.  Add chili pepper mixture. Add shoyu, oyster sauce, and sesame oil.  Cook until liquid is evaporated, tossing frequently to distribute seasoning evenly among beans.

Update:  I have been validated over the taste of this recipe.  Both Alson and Esther, the club advisor and the principal of Hilo Intermediate School, respectively, have requested the recipe.  Esther said she loved the ginger flavor.  Alson stated that he is not fond of ginger, yet he found himself eating mounds of this.  

*08/2017 Update:  I ran out of chili peppers (I normally keep a stash in my freezer)!  I used Korean chili pepper powder, and it turned out fine.  Substitute 1/4 tsp of the powder for 1 chili pepper.  Korean chili pepper powder is available in Asian markets, and the only ingredients are chili pepper and salt.  If you like heat, then use 1/2 tsp of the powder.