_john

ahh the long awaited recipe: the following recipe recreates almost perfectly my favorite ramen resturants yakibuta ingredients: 1c. shoyu (japanese soy sauce) 1c. mirin 1/2c. shaoxing rice wine 1/2c. sugar 2-3c. water (you may need to add more if you liquid evaporates too quickly) 1 negi (substitue 1 small leek or 3 green onions) 1 thumb sized pice of ginger sliced into thin rounds 1 "pork loin roast" this may be called something else depending on where you live (see picture for refference) butcher's twine opt. pressure cooker First tie up your roast tightly with the buthers twine. If you dont know how to do it here is a good tutorial. When you are done it should look like this: The next step is to make the braising liquid. combine all other ingredients in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved (otherwise it will burn at the bottom). slice the green onion and ginger thinly and add it to the liquid. then add all ingredients in a pressure cooker. put the lid on and let the roast marinate for up to 24 hours. You don't have to marinate in the cooker, that is just how I do it. When marinating is complete close the lid (if you are using a pressure cooker) and turn heat on high until the liquid boils and pressure is achieved. When the liquid boils set the stove to med-high and let it go for 30min. After 30min put the pressure cooker under a cold tap until the pressure has gone. Open the cooker and turn the roast over and add more water if it looks too low (if the liquid becomes too concentrated it will burn. remember all that sugar?). close it up and braise for another 30min on the second side. let the roast cool to room temperature in the liquid or full flavor will not develop. remove twine, slice, and enjoy. if you don't have a pressure cooker you can do this in the oven with a pot that has a tight fitting lid. It will take about 3 hours at 400 faerntight. you can also do it in a crock pot but I have never done it that way. The liquid can be used for multiple roasts I freeze mine for when I make more. now if i could only find shinachiku around here. Enjoy!

Recently I bought some ginko nuts at a local market. I was wondering if if anyone has some favorite ways to prepare them? I have seen them as tempura, cooked with rice, and simply boiled. What are the best way to prepare and enjoy ginko?

I have a question about kansui water. Someone told me this is an important part of making ramen noodles. I found this page with an illustrated recipe at the bottom. So my question is: what is kansui water and is it a standard ingredient in ramen noodles?

That sounds more like it. Fatty shoulder, tied up in a cylinder, simmered for hours. now I just have to develop a recipe that suits my own taste. I will post the recipe when I get it right. thanks

ah, the watch maker cases are very appealing. Im thinking of devoting a large drawer to spices and filling it with these cases. That way I could open the drawer and grab what I need just by looking through the tops. Anyone else have a spice storage solution they are particularly fond of?

the true Chinese style char sui and the Japanese ramen topping (which is sometimes called char sui) are slightly different. The Japanese version is usually not red in my experience and seems to be a different cut or meat (it usually is cylindrical). Reading that thred certainly gave me some ideas of what to try though, thanks.

I am not a fan of most spice storage devices. The are either poorly designed, bulky, or expensive. my current system is leaving the spices the way i get them: in the plastic bags with twist ties on them from the bulk spices place. at this point i have 20+ plastic bags just sitting on a shelf. I am looking for a better solution but I have some strict criteria: no clear glass (light degrades spices over time), the containers must have wide mouths, straight sides, and tight fitting lids. They must be easy to label or have some sort of "window" to see what the spice is without having to pick it up. I would also like the containers to be fairly large, in spice rack terms, 1cup would be pretty good. It would be best if the containers were under $2 a piece as well. Does anyone know something that fits this description or can point me to a good discussion of spice storage options?

I have tried several recipes for yakibuta as a ramen topping but none have been able to match the taste and texture of a ramen shop. the recipes I tried produced fairly dry and tough pork that did not have the same flavor. what cut of pork is used in japan? How do you cook it and for how long? also, on the topic of ramen toppings, does anyone know if shinachiku can be found in japanese grocery stores in the U.S.?