A Night In Tokyo

One of my favorite places to eat is a Japanese restaurant called Little Tokyo. The food is amazing, and prepared traditionally. I could eat there all the time. The ambience is welcoming and the air is filled with the smells and sounds one would expect from a Japanese restaurant. In the distance, one can hear the familiar clamour of the hibachi chef's knives followed by oohs and ahhs of the patrons. In the back, you can see the head sushi chef at work always taking time to greet the new guests. Once you order the waiter brings you a small salad and a bowl of miso soup. I ordered a pot of hot green tea, and Ash ordered eda mame which are boiled soy beans still in the pod. They are a healthy and tasty snack you can pop into your mouth. We also enjoyed an appetizer of beef tataki, which was delicious. It was served chilled, and the dipping sauce was nice and spicy which warmed you with each bite.

We ordered sushi and my favorite dish, the Spicy Beef Don. It is a donbury, which is a rice bowl with the meat served on top. Normally you eat this with a spoon, where you mix the meat around in the rice which causes the sauce to moisten the sticky rice. The Spicy Beef Don is a variation of a Korean barbeque. It is savory, spicy, and warming.

Ramen

I'm always looking for ways to improve upon the ordinary ramen meal. Here's a simple one that is sure to become a favorite.

Ingredients:
1 Teriyaki Chicken breast
1 packet Ramen Instant Noodle Soup
1 cup sliced Onion
2-3 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce
1/4 teaspoon Eric's Original Asian Spice

Procedure:
For this recipe I used a leftover Teriyaki Chicken breast. Slice the chicken widthwise into thin pieces and set aside in a bowl marinating in 1/3 of the teriyaki sauce for five minutes.
In a small pot, boil noodles in water for three minutes. Drain the water and then add the flavor packet. You may use whatever flavor you want; I chose the chicken flavor. Add a small amount of teriyaki and a pinch of the Asian Spice.
In another pot, cook the onion in 1/3 of the teriyaki sauce until the slices become translucent. Add the chicken, Asian Spice and any remaining teriyaki sauce. Stir until chicken is hot.
Serves 2. Serve either in one large bowl all mixed together or in two separate bowls.

This is a delicious way to enhance the ordinary ramen meal. I know you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

Hamburgers with Asian Inspired Flavors

Hamburgers are just about everybody's go to food, and we all have our own ways of topping them. From different kinds of relish, to the standard lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. Do you like ketchup and mustard? Perhaps mayonaise? Honey Mustard? Hot sauce? How about trying some Asian flavors like ginger and teriyaki? Well you'd be surprised at just how trying different things can spice up the ordinary hamburger.

Ingredients:
2 hamburger patties
bell pepper
onion
garlic
teriyaki sauce
Eric's Original Asian Spice
2 hamburger buns
lettuce

Dice up some about half a cup of onion and bell pepper and mix into the patties. Cook as you normally would, either in a skillet or on the grill. As they cook add a touch of teriyaki sauce. In a saucepan. drizzle teriyaki on sliced onion and sprinkle Eric's Original Asian Spice. Cook until the onions become translucent.
Lay the lettuce on the bottom bun, then add a few of the teriyaki onions. Place the patty on top of that then more onion. And cover with top bun. Serve with your choice of side.

If you like Asian flavors, this is a good way to get your fix with just a few changes to the classic burger.