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.

Ramen

Here's another fun way to spice up the bland and ordinary instant ramen meal. Have you ever thought, "Yeah, I like ramen. I wish there was a way that I can enjoy it for breakfast." Wish granted. With this recipe, you can enjoy your favorite instant noodle meal in the morning or at anytime. Ramen with Steak and Eggs!

Ingredients:
1 steak(preferably left-over), sliced into strips.
2 large grade A chicken eggs
1/2 cup white onion chopped
1 package instant ramen
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (you can use same amount of butter instead)
1 teaspoon Eric's Original Spice (recipe follows)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground peppercorn medley (black, white, green, pink)

Process:
Fill a small pot with enough water to cover noodles and turn stove to medium high. Once water boils, add noodles, but not the flavor packet. After three minutes, stir noodles then strain the water out. Add the flavor pack and mix. (I chose the chicken flavor but you may use your favorite) Set aside.
in a fry pan add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or butter) and heat on medium high. Add onions and steak. Sprinkle half of the Original Spice and the garlic and black pepper. Stir continuously for 2-3 minuets or until onions begin to turn translucent. Add the eggs and stir. Continuously stir for a minute. Remove from heat and add any remaining spice.
Mix the egg mixture into a large bowl with the ramen and serve.

Can serve two, can be eaten by one.

Eric's Original Spice
1 part peppercorn medley (black, white, green, pink)
1 part crushed red pepper
1/2 part kosher salt
1/2 part garlic powder
2 parts dried cilantro

mix all ingredients into a spice grinder and pulverize into a powder.

This is a delicious way to add flavor to ramen and spice up your breakfast at the same time.

Ramen

Growing up in a busy home where we didn't always have a home cooked meal every night, I grew accustomed to instant dinners and the like. One of my favorites was instant Ramen noodles. I ate them at any meal of the day. Surprisingly, they are great at breakfast with some eggs. After many years of eating the ramen as directed(only with the broth drained out-I prefer just the noodles and not the soup) I decided to experiment with adding flavors and spices to the ramen either along with or in lieu of the provided seasoning packet. Since my tastes weren't very mature at the time, I found myself adding just about everything into the noodles including worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and all manner of seasoning mixes. Since then my tastes have become more refined and skill at seasoning improved. But I still find any opportunity to experiment with flavors and now with my desire to use my own seasonings I have new and tasty varieties of ramen dishes to share.
This one includes Asian inspired flavors.

Ingredients:
Leftover steak, thinly sliced
Pack of Instant Ramen(your choice of flavor) [not cup o' noodles]
teriyaki sauce
tabasco sweet asian sauce
Eric's Original Asian Spice Mixture(recipe follows)
1/6 of a medium white onion, cut into thick pieces

Process:
If the steak isn't already sliced up, do so. Place in a large bowl and drizzle with teriyaki and tabasco. Stir lightly to coat. Either heat in microwave for 1 minute or reheat in saucepan. Keep in mind that how the steak was previously seasoned will affect the final flavor.
Fill a medium or small pot with enough water to cover the noodles. Turn heat up to medium high and wait for water to boil. Place noodles in pot, but do not add seasoning packet. After about three minutes drain water from noodles. Add seasoning packet. For this recipe I used the chicken flavor packet, but you can use which ever you like. Stir to coat and drizzle some teriyaki sauce. Pour noodles into the bowl with the steak and mix to combine.
In a small sauce pan or pot, add the chopped onion with a pinch of the Asian Spice Mixture and a drizzle of teriyaki sauce. Cook on medium and stir occasionally. After 2-3 minutes the edges of the onion should be browned. Remove from heat and add to the noodle bowl.
Serves 1-2, time 6 minutes

Asian Spice Mixture:
1 part peppercorn medley(black, white, green, pink)
1 part crushed red pepper
1/2 part kosher salt
1/2 part garlic
1/2 part ground ginger

Mix all ingredients into a spice grinder and pulverize until everything is finely ground.

This is a great way to spice up what would have been a bland meal of instant ramen. It doesn't take long and could feed more than one person. If you like Asian food, this should be right up your alley. And the onions don't just go great with ramen; they are also great on hot dogs and hamburgers as well. Give it a try. You never know, you might not want plain ramen again after eating it this way.
There are many more varieties of ramen in my repertoire, and I would like to share them with you as well. Keep checking back to see what I come up with.

Stir Fry

One of the most requested dishes in my repertoire is also the most recent I've experimented with, Asian stir fry. Originally it was because of my love for hibachi style food. I really wanted to recreate that flavor. Unfortunately I did not have access to a hibachi grill of my own, so I chose to use a regular frying pan. While I'm still experimenting with this dish, I would like to share the recipe as is with all of you. It is great for any kind of weather and perfect for gatherings and cookouts. In fact this past Fourth of July I shared it with my fiancee, her family and friends. It was unanimously devoured. Not only that, it was requested at least three more times that week. And countless times since then.

Ingredients:
Thinly sliced Steak
1/4 White Onion chunky dice
1/2 cup Baby Carrots sliced lengthwise.
2-3 tablespoons Teriyaki Sauce
1 pack Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Tabasco Sweet Asian Sauce
1 pack Duck Sauce (found at most chinese fast food stands)
1 pinch of Eric's Original Asian Spice Mixture (recipe follows)
1 cup White Rice
1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 tablespoon of freshly ground peppercorn medley (black, green, white, and pink)
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Process:
In a large bowl marinate the steak with 1/3 of the teriyaki sauce, half of the soy sauce, the tabasco sauce, duck sauce, asian spice and ginger. Let sit for thirty minutes.
In a large pot, boil the rice.
In large saucepan or fry pan, heat 1/3 of the olive oil over medium high. Cook the steak. The moisture from the steak may fill the pan, drain this off and continue to cook. Remove meat from pan and set aside.
Move rice into the sauce pan and add half of the remaining oil. Stir continuously to prevent burning. Add the rest of the soy sauce and half of the remaining teriyaki sauce and continue to stir. Add half of the peppercorn medley. Move the rice to one side of the pan and add the onion and carrot. Add the remaining teriyaki sauce and peppercorn. Stir until the onion starts to brown. Mix the meat, rice and veggie mixture to evenly distribute the stir fry. Serve immediately.

If you have a love of Asian food, this is a great way to spice up the dinner routine. I guaranty that your family will regularly request it, and You may find yourself cooking it often.

Fast Food

It's late, you've just had a long hard day at work and don't particularly feel up to cooking dinner as well. So you stop at the first fast food proprietor you pass and grab a bite on the go. After all, they're convenient. I don't disagree with that statement. Fast food restaurants are convenient; or at least more convenient than preparing a full meal yourself. When you take into account purchasing the groceries, thawing them out if necessary, choosing what meal to prepare, and actually cooking it, the fast food run seems a lot more convenient; barring microwave dinners, of course. However, convenience is not always the best option. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against fast food, I just have many problems with it.
I'll just start off by saying that I do enjoy fast food; if it's prepared well, is nutritious, and is above all delicious. The problem is that many fast food chains do not fall into any of these in one way or another. I'll give a few examples: I love Burger King. I love whoppers. They aren't exactly nutritious, but they tase great. The problem is that sometimes they are so greasy that the paper wrapper becomes translucent by the time it gets to the table. There's another problem with the whopper, but I'll get to it later. McDonald's has some good food, however most it is neither healthy or tasty. And In fact sometimes its not prepared well either. Once I ordered a burger and didn't find out till later that It was still raw. Now that is unprofessional. I could have seriously gotten sick from that burger. Fortunately once I realized this I tossed it, but if I'd had a keener mind I would've filed suit against the McDonald's corporation. Many of the grievances I have toward fast food chains are actually the fault of the employees themselves. Many of whom are high school dropouts with no ambition to do anything with their lives, this doesn't apply to all. I've met many who were working their way through school. I applaud them for this, I just wish they could have found a better job.
Back to my point that my problems are due to the employees, I mean that it is not hard to make an order, yet somehow they always screw it up. They make no amenities for people with food-related allergies either. Which is why all restaurants should have it where people can leave items or toppings off of their orders. I myself am lactose intolerant, and I find it offensive that at certain fast food establishments I am required to order my meal without cheese. In my opinion, there should already be a version of that order without cheese, because it is redundant to say,"I would like a cheese burger without cheese." However I am obligated to do so because the particular menu item comes only with cheese. The cashier always sounds taken aback when I do also.
Along these same lines I am sick of menu items with sour cream, mayonaise, and cheese. I hate sour cream. If you like it, that's fine, but I think rather than me having to order an item without it, there should be a version with and without. The same goes for mayonaise. Now it's not so much that I hate mayonaise. I'm ok with it in small amounts, which by the way is how it was intended when it was invented. I am sick of going to a fast food restaurant (especially Burger King or Wendy's and there is more Mayonaise than anything else on the sandwich. "Would you like meat with your mayo?" Its sickening. The correct application is a thin coating spread on the bread or bun; not a glob. That is pure unhealthy and disgusting. Trust me, try a sandwich with the correct amount and you will understand.
Now as for cheese, and before you get on my case about the lactose intolerance, I love cheese, and ice cream. I just can't have it all the time. Fortunately there are plenty of alternatives, soy etc. But every now and then I want the real thing. However, ALL fast food chains use American cheese. Which in my opinion is the worst cheese ever created. And trust me I've had cheeses from all over the world. American IS the worst in taste and texture. It covers the taste of whatever you put it on. Why do these restaurants insist on using it? because its cheap. There are much better cheeses to have on sandwiches. Cheddar, jack, colby, gouda, meunster, swiss, provalone, even mozzarella, parmesan and many more. Believe you me, Put some better quality cheese on a sandwich and watch how it tastes soo much better than that nasty craptastic American garbage.
Now one of my biggest grievances is with Wendy's. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I've met many who have not. The first 4 or 5 items on the menu DO NOT come with Mayonaise. DO NOT. Look at the pictures on the menu board. None of those sandwiches have Mayo on them in picture, yet every time I order them the automatons behind the counter put eggin' mayonaise on them. Either its false advertising or poor workmanship, either way I can smell a lawsuit. I'm serious, every Wendy's I've ever been to does this, and the images are the same countrywide. There's no Mayo until the chicken sandwiches on the menu, apart from the limited time menu items that may be placed between the classics and the chicken. Is it so hard to make these items, the eggin' pictures are right there above your heads. You see them everyday! Start making them right or change the pictures. I'm tired of it.
Now, before I make it seem that I dislike all fastfood establishments there are a few examples of great fast food that I would like to site. Qdoba is a great fast food Mexican place with delicious food which in a Subway style system, you order your food as you move down the line and get only what you want on your plate. With a variety of tacos, burritos, and quesadillas the combinations are endless, and there's also a host of salsas to choose from, and chips are aplenty. Trust me, you will not be disappointed in Qdoba. Another is a more widely known chain, though still small compared to the bigs. Five Guys is a burger joint with a simple yet complex menu. Again, here you order only what you want on your plate. There are basically 5 menu items, burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, fries, and a drink. And you can alter them in any way. Double patty burger, add cheese, your choice from like a dozen toppings, seasoned or regular fries, etc. There is nothing on your plate that you didn't want. I get my burger with sauteed onions, lettuce tomato, pickles, and Frank's hot sauce. It is amazing. I cannot stress how much I love Five Guys. You just have to try them. And you will see, that there is more to fast food than mindlessly slopping on toppings like a robot.