Year: 2008

A couple of weeks ago, Son and I decided we were in the mood for Japanese… but not sushi. (I know, blasphemy! Really, people. I eat many foods aside from sushi.) A quick search on Yelp found a cute little Japanese Izakaya called Musha.

The first dish that came out was the Spicy Tuna Dip. I had heard great things about the spicy tuna dip accompanied by rice crackers, but it failed to impress. The rice crackers were large and difficult to eat, and made the whole dish seem dry. I wouldn’t get this again if I revisited Musha.

The Cheese Tofu, on the other hand, was amazing. One of my favorite dishes of the night. Silky smooth tofu was mixed with some sort of cheese – perhaps a cream cheese, or something similar? Crackers and slices of bread come on the side – definitely go for the crackers. The bread… not so good. But the crackers, topped with a scoop of the cheese tofu and drizzled with a bit of honey… I could eat this all day. Indulgent, and my hips would not thank me if I did, but man this dip was good! My only complaint would be about the pink peppercorns sprinkled on top of the dip. They added an unpleasant sharpness to the otherwise amazing dip.

And then, the Scallop Dynamite. These were… amazing. If you’ve been a reader of the blog for a bit, you’ll know that I love scallops. These were incredibly fresh (probably sushi-grade) scallops, topped with a rich, spicy dynamite sauce. Of all the dishes we tried that evening, this was Son’s favorite. He even used this sauce to dip several of the other foods in.

The Kabocha (pumpkin) Croquettes may seem like a somewhat odd dish, until you try them. These hot, fried triangles of pumpkin puree covered in panko crumbs are perfect for a cold wintery night. The sauce that came with it was slightly spicy, but incredibly addictive. Sadly, there wasn’t quite enough sauce, although I blame that on Son – he was using it quite liberally. (Just kidding, Son!)

The last dish of the night was the Kakuni Pork Belly. The pork was amazing melt-in-your-mouth delicious. It reminded me of the chashu in the Kakuni Paitan Ramen we had in Hawaii. The potato and egg that came with it… nothing special. I just wish there had been more of the pork belly to go around.

Overall, it was a nice meal. The place can get very crowded (luckily we went on a Monday, before the dinner rush) and the tables are very close together – so don’t expect a private romantic meal unless you go for one of the private rooms in the back. However, it was worth it. The entire meal came out to only about $50, including tax and tip (we both got water).

Two years ago today, Sushi Day was introduced to the world. On only our second day live, we got a very warm welcoming, and significantly more traffic than we had ever expected. From there, things only got better. A year ago, we began selling shirts, and just a month ago I introduced you to my new food blog.

In celebration of two years of fun, crazy, delicious sushi, I decided that I would highlight some of my favorite sushi I’ve made in the last couple of years. These are all must-try recipes that I’ve made and loved. Do you have a favorite roll on Sushi Day? Or maybe your own creation that you love to make at home? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Of all the rolls I have ever made on Sushi Day, the Crunchy Shrimp Roll is the most popular. Not only is it incredibly simple to make, it’s also quite difficult to find anyone who doesn’t like these ingredients! This roll has made an appearance at my family’s New Years celebration ever since I launched Sushi Day, and probably will for many years to come!

For me, Inari Sushi is a classic. This was the first sushi I ever ate, and I’ve loved it since I was a small child. It’s a little sweet and a little salty, and even picky kids will eat it – believe me, I was among the pickiest as a child!

The Caterpillar Roll was the first inside-out roll with some sort of topping that I ever made, and I was surprised at how nicely it turned out! Sure, sushi topped with avocado or other toppings seem intimidating to make, but they’re really not very difficult at all.

Dear Yvo, one of the first commenters on Sushi Day and definitely the one who has stuck around the longest, came up with the idea for Monkey Maki. This was my first time ever tempura-frying anything… who knew you could tempura-fry a banana? And who knew it would be so yummy?

Tuna Salad Sushi is another of my favorites. I had tried tuna salad sushi from Bristol Farms before, so I already knew it would be a winner. Making it at home – just as amazing. Plus, you can make the tuna salad however you like it.

Living with Son, it’s hard to completely avoid spicy foods, so it wasn’t long before spice began to make it’s way into my sushi. Hence the Spicy Tuna Salad Roll – so similar to the non-spicy one, but with the extra kick of Sriracha sauce.

The Crazy California Roll was a roll I had first tried on my eighteenth birthday, when Son took me to a local sushi restaurant. Ever since then I would always get this roll whenever we went back, and I was happily surprised when it tasted just as great when I made it at home.

Throughout college, I lived only a few minutes away from a banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) restaurant. Inspired by those sandwiches I love so much (and crave so often), the Banh Mi Sushi became another favorite of mine. It takes a lot of work, but oh my goodness is it worth it.

Oh, SPAM. What a poor, misunderstood product. So many people bash it just on principle, but if only they had one taste of Spam Musubi, I’m certain they would change their mind. Although my favorite way to eat SPAM is still scrambled in eggs, Spam Musubi comes in at a close second.

I know I have many vegetarian or vegan readers, who just can’t eat most of the sushi I post because, well, fish? Yeah, not so much. Lucky for them, I have made quite a few vegetarian and even completely vegan (I think) sushi. Take my “Beef” and Broccoli Maki, for example. It’s not really made with beef – the “beef” is actually fried tofu, marinated in a teriyaki sauce, then sauteéd with broccoli. Inspired by my favorite vegetarian Thai restaurant, this sushi is vegetarian-friendly, and amazingly delicious.

The Mango Salsa Sushi is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful rolls on Sushi Day. The alternating yellow and green of the mango and avocado, not to mention the purple and pink from the red onion and shrimp, result in a very beautiful (and delicious) roll.

Stuffed Somen Salad is another beloved dish from my childhood. My great-aunts used to make stuffed somen salad every year for our family Christmas party, and my grandmother would sometimes stuff inari packets with the somen salad. Amazingly delicious. And, if you leave out the imitation crab (which we do because my mom is allergic), vegetarian!

My sister has been a great source of ideas for sushi. Every now and then she’ll message me with, “hey, I’m coming home… want to make me sushi? I think you should make me sushi with these ingredients…” Since she came up with this amazingly delicious (unorthodox, yes, but delicious nonetheless) roll, I thought it only fitting to name it after her. Thus, the Kristen Maki.

The Bacon Crunchy Shrimp Roll. Because bacon makes everything better, and this was no exception.

Unagi = yum. California Roll = yum. Unagi + California Roll = Super California Roll = yum².

The Maguro Karakuchi Spicy Tuna is another favorite of mine. The sauce in this roll is nothing short of amazing. In fact, I use it not only for sushi, but also as a spread, mixed into tuna and egg salad, and to dip sashimi in. Seriously. Amazing.

What? I told you I love this sauce. Of course I had to use it for my Spicy Hamachi Gunkan.

Sometimes, simplicity can be amazing. Such was the case for the Mango Tuna Tango. Nothing more than tuna, mango, and a little Sriracha sauce go into this roll, but they all combine to create an explosion of flavor in your mouth.

When I first tried Spicy Shrimp Inari from Whole Foods, I knew I had to recreate it at home. I didn’t think anything could make my classic favorite any better, but man was I wrong. This is probably the sushi that Son and I eat the most – any time we feel like sushi I make this because heck, it’s so dang easy!

Hotate (scallop) has quickly become my favorite type of sashimi, as was in evidence on my Hawaii trip. My first attempt at using hotate in a roll was when I made the Santa Barbara Roll, and my goodness was this a success. Amazing, amazing, amazing all around.

My first encounter with hotate was in Sunnyvale, when I tried the Hotate Special. This was one of those rolls that I knew I would have to recreate at home, and it didn’t fail to live up to my expectations when I made it at home.

My last must-try recipe is not a sushi recipe, but it’s amazing just the same. Cheese Age are wontons filled with cheese and jalapeño, then deep fried until crispy. They are incredibly addictive, and although quite spicy, it’s hard to stop at just one.

So thank you for sharing two years of sushi with me, and here’s to many more!

Everyone loves getting packages. Especially when they’re somewhat unexpected packages with awesome goodies inside. And I got three! In the same week! How awesome is that?

First off, I received the bento box that I won in Yvo’s Does This Make My Lunch Look Phat? contest. Seriously, the cutest little bento box ever! It’s so little, and cute, and adorable, and even though I work from home I might just have to start packing myself lunches in it. It’s just that cute.

Then, cookies! I love cookies! Especially when they’re as yummy as these were! (Notice the use of past tense there – Son almost didn’t get any.) These were from Sam of Becks and Posh. She volunteered to send cookies (among other “prizes”) to anyone who donated to The Race for the Cure through her donation page.

As anyone who has read my blog for a while knows, I am a huge supporter of anything to help those with cancer (especially leukemia), so it was a no-brainer for me to donate. Besides, I got cookies! Yay! Cookies!

Finally, my BBM package arrived, all the way from Europe! Look at all the cool things I she sent me!

First up, sardines packed in tomato sauce. Huzzah! These were so good… Son and I just shared them for lunch today. Toast up a slice of bread, butter it and sprinkle garlic sauce on it, then top with the sardines… yum! Reminds me of when I was younger… every now and then, my dad would open a can of sardines and we would place each sardine on a saltine cracker. Delicious memories.

Next, rose scented soap. I haven’t used it yet (it’s too pretty to use!) but it smells beautiful! I think I shall save it for those days that I want to feel very beautiful and elegant.

She also packed me some salted caramel – delicious, but I only got one bite of it! Son stole it before I could have any more. This is the guy who salts anything and everything, and he loves salty sweets. This was no exception… he loved it.

Then, a La Source candle. I don’t burn candles very often, but this is as good an excuse as any to start. The candle smells fantastic – I can only imagine how wonderful my apartment would smell while burning the candle!

And then… lip balm. Oh, the lip balm. I’m one of those girls who don’t always wear make-up, but I always have to have some sort of lip balm or chapstick on. (Although Son hates it… he refuses to kiss me if I’ve just put on chapstick!) The stick I got in my BBM package now has a permanent place next to my bed – every night before I go to sleep, on goes the lip balm! I love it.

Moleskines! This was one of the things in the package that I was most excited about. I’ve always wanted a Moleskine, but never actually bought one. And she gave me two! And they’re mini ones… so cute!

Along with the Moleskines, the little package of saffron was the other thing that made me dance around my apartment excitedly. (Oh, who am I kidding? The entire package made me dance around my apartment excitedly!) I’ve always wanted to cook with saffron, but could never quite justify spending that much for the spice. (Son would have a heart attack if I bought some and he saw the price tag!) Now to decide… what to make with it?

She gave me a poncho! This one did make me giggle, but it certainly will be useful. It’s the perfect size to stash in the car, for any time I happen to get caught in the rain! Especially since the rainy season is coming up… *hides from everyone not in Southern CA throwing rocks at me* 😉

Another one I was super excited about was the Scandinavian Feasts Cookbook. Obviously I cook Japanese all the time (sushi, anyone?) but I’ve really ignored the other side of my heritage. Sad, I know. So keep an eye on Fridgg… you might just see some Swedish recipes soon!

Lastly, a cheese slicer thingy! This is pretty cool, because I’ve been wanting to branch out and try more cheeses (I LOVE cheese, but have mostly limited myself to cheddar thus far), so this is a great way to force me to do so!

(Another package I got this week was this, which I purchased from this awesome woman. I’m super excited about it… and even using one of my Moleskines to document my journey! How cool is that?)

I love sushi. Duh, Allison, of course you do. Well yes, my adoration of sushi is just a wee bit obvious. After all, I wouldn’t have this sushi blog if I didn’t love it, now would I? As with any trip I take, my first thought is of what sort of good food can be found in the area, specifically great sushi bars. Hearing that Mitch’s Fish Market has the best sushi ever? Obviously, I had to try.

We arrived at Mitch’s after a day that included a yummy breakfast, a visit to the botanical gardens, and various beaches and tidepools as we drove the big loop around Oahu. We were tired and definitely hungry. When you walk into the sushi bar, it’s obvious that the primary business is the fish market – the sushi bar is almost an afterthought. The restaurant is very small… it could easily have been an office that was turned into a restaurant. There are two or three tables, and a sushi bar that might seat four, at most. You don’t go to Mitch’s for the ambiance… nope, you go there for the sashimi.

We had heard that Mitch’s was one of the few places you could get lobster sashimi, so of course we had to order that. We also decided to get the Chirashi Deluxe, so we could try their wide array of sashimi accompanied by a seasoned bowl of rice. As an afterthought, we also decided to get an extra order of hotate (scallop) sashimi… I’m a wee bit addicted to hotate. 😀

The sashimi was undoubtedly the best sashimi I have tasted. Ever. Since you’re eating at a fish market, you know it’s fresh, but there’s just no way to describe how amazing the sashimi was. The shrimp were sweet, the chu toro (tuna, just one level below toro) melted in my mouth, the yellowtail not even close to how stringy it normally is. The hotate were a scallop-lover’s dream come true, and the sweet tamago almost fluffy. The salmon was amazingly soft, the uni incredibly smooth, the tako (octopus) slightly chewy, and the ikura incredibly fresh. As for the chirashi rice that came with the plate of sashimi, I enjoyed it immensely. Something about the mushroom pieces, nori strips, and other seasonings sprinkled on top made me think of New Year’s. I believe the flavor may have been something that I am used to tasting in the various dishes we used to enjoy at the New Year’s celebrations at my great aunt’s husband’s parents’ house. It was delicious.

And now, the lobster! After we ordered but before our meal, we were surprised to see them bring out a live lobster for us to approve of for our sashimi. Talk about fresh… you can’t get much fresher than that. The lobster sashimi was… interesting. We rather enjoyed it, although for the price ($52) I’m not sure we would purchase it again. The sushi chefs sliced up the lobster tail for us to eat, accompanying it with the typical wasabi (the real stuff!) and gari.

The flavor of the lobster was very clean, fresh, and although it was mostly flavorless, it was just a little sweet. The texture is crunchy which is a little odd at first, but easy to get used to. Overall we enjoyed the lobster sashimi… but wait, there’s more!

Once we finished the sashimi, the waitress came and took the shell of the lobster tail, “to put in the soup.” Huh? I hadn’t heard anything about any soup. What’s this? Not too long later, she came back with two bowls with the rest of the lobster parts sticking out of it. They sure know how to use a lobster… not a single part went to waste. The lobster miso soup was similar to regular miso soup, except that we got to pick the lobster meat out of the head and claws. Delicious! It was a very nice surprise to end our meal at Mitch’s.

The cost of the meal totaled $130, including tax and tip, for the two of us. Mitch’s only serves tea and ice water, so if you want alcohol or other drinks with your meal, you have to bring your own. They will, however, gladly provide glasses for you. If ever in Honolulu, I highly recommend visiting Mitch’s. Everyone who works there is incredibly friendly, and will make you feel like family. Heck, they’ll even let you take a picture of the lobster you’re going to eat! Besides, who can resist such amazing sashimi?