Japanese Cooking Class
So I was under strict instructions to take pictures and post details about the Japanese cooking class I attended the night the girls flew back to Utah. Except it is very complicated to post pictures, and I can't remember how to access photobucket, so the pictures are still on the computer.
Overall, however, the class was not thrilling. Neither are the pictures, so you may not be missing much. Here is the summary.
There were three items demonstrated and sampled: Tempura, Okonomiyaki, and Udon Bowl. The tempura was good, but relied on a packaged tempura flour. I might get that if I were making a lot for a large group (like family all together) but otherwise I'd probably just go with a flour recipe off the internet. I did learn to dry the vegetables and dust them with some flour/mix before dipping into the batter, so the batter will stick. And she held the zucchini pieces with chopsticks until they floated on their own, dragging them back and forth through the oil, so they wouldn't sink and brown on the bottom of the pan. She left the tails on the shrimp uncoated so she could see them turn pink.
The Okomiyaki was next. She described it as a Japanese pizza, but it was more like a frittata with lots of goop on top. It consisted of okonomiyaki flour (mix), water, chinese cabbage, green onions, pickled ginger, eggs, and mayonnaise (asian, more like a french mayonnaise--eggier). She then cooked this vegetarian version like a pancake, flipping it to cook on both sides. When it was done she put okonomiyaki sauce on top, then mayonnaise, then bonito flakes. The second batch she made was with a seafood mix: mussels, shrimp, crab, squid rings, octopus, and squid tentacles. Personally, I preferred the vegetarian one, though I didn't care for all the goop on top. And I'm not fond of bonito flakes. But I did eat some new and unidentifiable creatures. I'm pretty sure the mussel I recognized would have tasted better in a French restaurant's garlic-butter sauce.
The final dish was udon. She cooked fresh frozen udon (preferred over dry for a better taste) in boiling water for a short time, then cooked napa cabbage in the same water until tender. She put the noodles and some cabbage in our bowls, then made stock from fish cake, mirin, udon soup base, and green onions. She topped the bowls with two slices of the fish cake, stock, cilantro, and tempura shrimp.
Overall, it was not terribly exciting. I learned more about different mixes than different techniques. The tempura was not as good as we've made at home, and while I enjoyed learned about okonomiyaki, the combination of the frozen mixed seafood being thrown in and the mayo and sauce on top just wasn't very appealing. I do like udon, but it was pretty bland. And I can skip the fish cake.
I think it's a great marketing plan for this store, and I might go to the next one, which is on her native Taiwan's stir fry, but overall I didn't leave eager to attend every class. I was just anxious to go home and see David and Rosalind. I like my soba better than the dishes we had tonight.
I'll try to get pictures up, but honestly, they're not very exciting either. However, I also downloaded pictures of Juliet in her pirate costume. Those I need to get up soon!
Overall, however, the class was not thrilling. Neither are the pictures, so you may not be missing much. Here is the summary.
There were three items demonstrated and sampled: Tempura, Okonomiyaki, and Udon Bowl. The tempura was good, but relied on a packaged tempura flour. I might get that if I were making a lot for a large group (like family all together) but otherwise I'd probably just go with a flour recipe off the internet. I did learn to dry the vegetables and dust them with some flour/mix before dipping into the batter, so the batter will stick. And she held the zucchini pieces with chopsticks until they floated on their own, dragging them back and forth through the oil, so they wouldn't sink and brown on the bottom of the pan. She left the tails on the shrimp uncoated so she could see them turn pink.
The Okomiyaki was next. She described it as a Japanese pizza, but it was more like a frittata with lots of goop on top. It consisted of okonomiyaki flour (mix), water, chinese cabbage, green onions, pickled ginger, eggs, and mayonnaise (asian, more like a french mayonnaise--eggier). She then cooked this vegetarian version like a pancake, flipping it to cook on both sides. When it was done she put okonomiyaki sauce on top, then mayonnaise, then bonito flakes. The second batch she made was with a seafood mix: mussels, shrimp, crab, squid rings, octopus, and squid tentacles. Personally, I preferred the vegetarian one, though I didn't care for all the goop on top. And I'm not fond of bonito flakes. But I did eat some new and unidentifiable creatures. I'm pretty sure the mussel I recognized would have tasted better in a French restaurant's garlic-butter sauce.
The final dish was udon. She cooked fresh frozen udon (preferred over dry for a better taste) in boiling water for a short time, then cooked napa cabbage in the same water until tender. She put the noodles and some cabbage in our bowls, then made stock from fish cake, mirin, udon soup base, and green onions. She topped the bowls with two slices of the fish cake, stock, cilantro, and tempura shrimp.
Overall, it was not terribly exciting. I learned more about different mixes than different techniques. The tempura was not as good as we've made at home, and while I enjoyed learned about okonomiyaki, the combination of the frozen mixed seafood being thrown in and the mayo and sauce on top just wasn't very appealing. I do like udon, but it was pretty bland. And I can skip the fish cake.
I think it's a great marketing plan for this store, and I might go to the next one, which is on her native Taiwan's stir fry, but overall I didn't leave eager to attend every class. I was just anxious to go home and see David and Rosalind. I like my soba better than the dishes we had tonight.
I'll try to get pictures up, but honestly, they're not very exciting either. However, I also downloaded pictures of Juliet in her pirate costume. Those I need to get up soon!