Tag Archives: americastestkitchen

Tamago Sando (Japanese Egg Sandwich) and Japanese Milk Bread

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Every expat or immigrant knows that there are dishes you crave when you go back home. Apparently in Japan, it is these egg salad sandwiches- with the softest bread and the simplest of dressings (kewpie mayo, salt and pepper), it is a taste of home for the Japanese. I wouldn’t know- I’ve never been to Japan but I do like egg salad and this was a snowy weekend project.

This recipe is in 2 parts- part one is the egg salad and part 2 is the bread. I have no idea if any of this tasted like the real thing but it was pretty tasty to us.

Egg Salad:

Mayo: All the recipes specifically call for Kewpie Mayo which I could have ordered off amazon or boutht at the Asian store. But instead- I improvised and landed up with something quite delicious (though likely not at all accurate). To 5 tbsp of regular mayonnaise, add 1 tsp of rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of red pepper flakes, 1 heaped tsp of Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of nutritional yeast (in place of the dashi powder or MSG in most recipes), ½ tsp of granulated garlic and salt and pepper. Increase or decrease the quantities of the additives to your liking till the mayo becomes a delicious dip that  you repeatedly “taste” and then find a cracker to “taste” some more.

Boiled eggs: I love reading about boiling eggs. The serious eats encyclopedia entry on this is one of my favorite food articles. For hard boiled eggs- this works for me- start eggs in cold water and set timer for 15 minutes– the yolks are firm and a beautiful yellow wihtout being rubbery.

Combine chopped eggs with special mayo and 2-3 finely chopped scallions (because Japanese dish).

This is a delicious egg salad- good with any kind of bread but let’s now make the special super soft Japanese bread. Our old friend America’s test kitchen’s bread illustrated book will help us.

Fair warning- this is not a beginner bread, you need to have a fair idea of dough hydration and proofing times. But it isn’t croissants (laminated doughs hate me) –  you should try it. Bread flour is cheap- you can throw away your mistakes.

Start by bringing 3 tbsp of butter to room temperature (soft but not melted). The bread starts with a cooked flour and water paste (a Japanese roux) which leads to a very tender crumb. Whisk 3 tbsp of flour and 1/2 cup water will no lumps remain. Microwave covered, whisking every 20 seconds till the  mixture forms a stiff pudding.

Add the flour paste, 1/2 cup of cold milk and 1 large egg to your stand mixer and use the whisk attachment to blend till smooth (note to self- use blender next time).

Add 1.5 tsp of instant yeast and 11 oz (2 cups) of bread flour. Switch to the dough attachment and knead on low speed for 2-3 minutes till a sticky dough forms. Cover with cling film and rest for 15 minutes.

Add 2 tbsp of sugar and 1.5 tsp kosher salt to dough. Knead for 5 minutes, then add butter 1 tbsp at a time. Knead on medium speed for another 5 minutes till the dough leaves the sides of the bowl but still sticks to the bottom.

Transfer to a floured surface using a bench scraper and form a smooth round ball lightly coated with flour and tuck all the seams under the dough ball. Proof in a lightly greased container for 1-2 hours till doubled in size.

Shaping dough: take dough out onto a large floured area on your countertop ( I use a very large silpat on my countertop for this). Shape into a 24×4 inch rectangle. Now divide the dough using your benchscraper lenghtwise to get 2 rectanges 24×2 inches in size. Start rolling the 2 dough strips into tight spirals and place both side by side into a greased 8.5×4.5 inch loaf pan. Cover with cling film and proof for 1/2-1 hour till the bread rises to the lip of the pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes till the bread is a deep golden brown. Cook for 15 minutes, remove from pan and brush all over with  butter. Let bread cool for 2-3 hours before serving.

Slice and pile with egg salad above. Delicious with tomato soup.

Hot and Sour Vegan Ramen

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Hot and Sour Ramen (Tofu and Shiitake mushroom ramen from ATK vegetarian cookbook)
This is a great ramen recipe. The original calls for ramen packets (discarding the flavoring sachets). I’ve made this with the cheap ramen and the expensive dried Japanese ramen and it is as good with both. I might try baking the tofu the next time
 
1 14 oz pack of firm tofu – cubed into inch squares and dried on paper towels
8 oz shiitake mushroom caps – sliced
Seasoning 1: 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp garlic both finely chopped and 2 tsp sriracha
Base : 3.5 cups vegetable stock
Seasoning 2: 2 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tsp sugar
Ramen noodles from 4 packets (3 oz each)
6 oz spinach
 
Heat 1- 2 tbsp oil in a non stick skillet – brown the tofu on all sides (10 min). Remove tofu, add the mushrooms and brown (5 minutes). Add seasoning 1 and 30 seconds later, add the broth. Add the ramen- bring to a simmer and toss noodles around for 2-3 min till cooked. Add spinach and toss till just wilted. Add seasoning 2. Serve immediately! The ramen should be slippery and slightly brothy.

Sweet Chili Glazed Tofu from America’s test kitchen

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In my meat-eating past, my favorite Chinese dish was the crispy honey chili chicken. This is better. The glaze is not goopy but clings perfectly to the tofu.

 

Tofu: 1 pack of tofu (the recipe specifies soft, I had only firm) cut into 3 inchx1/2 inch long fingers. Dredge in a dry mixture of ¾ c cornstarch and ¼ c cornmeal, salt and pepper. I dredged them twice. Shallow fry in a nonstick skillet till light golden on all sides (about 10 min). Empty oil from pan

 

Sauce: whisk ½ c water, ½ c rice vinegar,1/3 c sugar, 4 minced garlic cloves, 2-3 tsp Asian chili garlic sauce, 2 tsp cornstarch together. Cook till they form a slurry (about 2-3 min)

 

Add tofu back to glaze, garnish with cilantro serve with rice

I stir fried the rice in some sesame oil and soy sauce but that isn’t really necessary.

Mushroom Bolognese from America’s Test Kitchen

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Like many vegetarians, I’ve tried many many recipes for Mushroom Bolognese. This is the best and the easiest recipe I’ve found. I love recipes that start with the food processor and then cook without too many interventions. The soy, the porcini, the tomato paste all add so much umami flavor. The dish is meaty and heartening and also paradoxically refreshing and delicious. I generally halve this- 2 small boxes of crimini mushrooms make up one lb

Step 1: food processor ! 1 lb crimini mushrooms, half a carrot, half an onion, approximately 6-7 rehydrated porcini mushrooms. Chop in batches, dump in pot

Step 2: add 2 tbsp of butter and the porcini water (hate to waste that) and cook till browned (15-20 min) but not burnt

Step 3: add ½ tsp sugar, 1 tbsp tomato paste – cook

Step 4: deglaze with ½ cup red wine. Cook wine off till mixture is dry

Step 5: add ½ tbsp soy sauce, ¼ cup vegetable broth and 1 small can (14 oz) tomatoes with 2 cloves of garlic (use food processor for tomatoes and garlic too) and salt and pepper

Let cook for 10 min too – don’t let this dry out. Finish with 2 tbsp of heavy cream off heat

Cook pasta , add sauce thinned out with some pasta water. Add Parmesan !