Tag Archive for:  ramen

Ramen & Gyoza class

Pork Ramen and Gyoza dumpling class for a family from West Virginia, USA!
It was a hot summer day but no worries I got my air conditioner on max. The very first task for my guests was to grate a whole piece of smoked Bonito, of course.

musubi_blog_Ramen & Gyoza class
It is not as simple as it looks but my teenage guest did a great job and we enjoyed rich Umami & slightly smoky flavor in our Ramen broth. Freshly grated ones have a different level of aroma but sadly it does not last very long.

musubi_blog_Ramen & Gyoza class

We moved on to chop several kinds of veggies, including green leek, Nira or Chinese chive, cabbage, etc. for Gyoza filling. Nira has a stronger fragrance on its white part towards its roots so make sure not to chop off  the best part.
Pork slices and chicken minced meat, bean shoots & fresh Mitsuba for topping. Don’t forget everybody’s favorite, flavored eggs!

musubi_blog_Ramen & Gyoza class

My guest lady has some relations with Hong Kong, one of the dream destinations for all foodies in my country. Japanese Ramen has its origin in Chinese noodles so there are many similarities but differences as well. I hope my guest family found our homemade Ramen not too bad!
Many thanks for coming!

Curry & rice class

musubi Curry-rice-class1

Onoin, garlic, ginger, carrot & whole spices, some of the ingredients for Curry roux.

Ramen and Curry have a lot of things in common. Both are not traditional Japanese cuisine and originated from overseas, China and India respectively. Both introduced to our country fairly recently but now the most popular menu among Japanese people of all generations!
Somehow, Ramen has grown so well-known as someting typically Japanese & we receive many requests from visitors at our cooking class, yet not so much for Curry so far.

musubi Curry-rice-class1

So I knew my guest lady from Calgary, Canada, was very familiar with our local food culture and maybe lived in our country when she mentioned ” Curry & rice, with pork Katsu (cutlet or côtelette)”!
Japanese style Curry can be easy if you use a box of ready-made paste or roux. Or you can cook from scratch if you like to create your own roux with your choice of spices.
If you have time, keep stirring chopped onion over low-middle heat until golden brown, which is going to be the base for your Curry sauce. This process is similar to making French onion soup. Just be VERY careful not to burn your onion!

musubi Curry-rice-class3
2 big onion chopped here. It should turn to the color and amount below.

musubi Curry-rice-class4

My guest lady turned out to be a Japanese sweets chef and a cafe owner in Canada. In fact she was visiting Japan at this occasion to deepen her expertise as patisserie. Her boyfriend loved our home made Curry very much that he went for a full second serve, which made me super happy of course!
Many thanks for coming!

Ramen & Gyoza class

Musubi blog Ramen & Gyoza class

My guests were a US Airforce officer based in the suburb of Tokyo and his wife from Hong Kong, both big fans of Japanese Ramen, and their sister visiting from Seattle USA.
The couple was about to leave Japan and move on to one of their European bases soon. That is why they were interested to learn how to make their favorite Japanese food, Ramen & Gyoza before their departure.

Musubi blog Ramen & Gyoza class

It was very easy to spot them at the subway station, as she was wearing a Ramen museum T-shirt!
The family was expecting a baby at the time of our cooking class. It was a hot day and nice to have some chilled barley tea that has no caffeine & safe for our young mother and her baby.

 

Musubi blog Ramen & Gyoza class

They also loved my little sweets after lunch, made with mango, yogurt & coconut milk. The recipe is super simple but it tastes so good after hot Ramen and Gyoza in early summer.
Hope they are doing good and even happier with their new little family member,
Many thanks for coming!
Akiko

Ramen & Gyoza class

blog musubi - Ramen & Gyoza class

My guests at this class were university students from Philadelphia, USA. They were travelling with some other friends but decided to go on different itinerary this morning to learn how to make Ramen, wow!

blog musubi - Ramen & Gyoza class

One is studying pottery, while the other in science field but they are long-time good buddies & I am happy to join their relaxed time together in Tokyo.

blog musubi - Ramen & Gyoza class

Both are very interested in not just Ramen but also Japanese cuisine in general including our various traditional seasonings and cooking tips.

blog musubi - Ramen & Gyoza class

I hope my guest girls enjoyed their time at my kitchen as much as Studio Ghibli, where they were looking forward to visiting later during their stay.
Many thanks for coming!
Akiko

Pork Ramen & Gyoza class

This lovely couple from Florida, USA was another big fan of Naruto & Ramen!
I always ask my guests to taste a few kinds of Miso in my stock. The differences come from the percentage of rice & soybeans, amount of salt, period of fermentation, as well as special Koji, the fungus each Miso maker is using.
In this class, my guest couple loved our Red Miso so much that we decided to adjust the composition of seasonings and add a lot of Red Miso. The result was a nice and spicy bowl of Ramen we all enjoyed a lot!
In mid-June, our climate starts getting wet and humidity goes up higher and higher each day, that may be one reason the powerful taste of Red Miso works great.

They were here to learn how to cook Ramen & Gyoza, so when they return home, their souvenir for friends looking after their doggy and family would be a table of Japanese-style dinner. I loved that idea very much & hope I could be of a little help.

Many thanks for coming!
Akiko

Pork Ramen & Gyoza class

My guest couple was from Germany and Holland, beautiful performing artists and another people attracted by our comfort food, Ramen & Gyoza.

Both of them were very knowledgeable about Japanese cuisine, enjoying seeing a whole piece of smoked Bonito and dried Kombu seaweed etc. They are very important ingredients for our cooking.

Hot sizzling Gyoza was also something they loved while travelling in Japan. It is so simple and easy to prepare, once you hear a few tips! I hope they are now making Gyoza dumplings at times back in Europe.

Many thanks for coming!
Akiko

Pork ramen & Gyoza class for honeymoon

Today’s guest couple was from Paris, France, a very talented florist &  a doctor on their honeymoon.  The cooking class was a gift from their brothers and sisters, such an honor and privilege for us to be chosen for such a special occasion!

They were very familiar with our Japanese culture, including our history, pop culture, gastronomy & of course, Manga!   From  “Amaterasu Omikami” to “GTO”,” Monster” etc.,  many topics popped up in our conversation while chopping veggies and wrapping Gyoza.

Everything is ready and finally, it’s time to taste our great outcomes, yummmm!  No hurry but make sure you taste the noodles while hot.
Many thanks for coming!
Akiko

Pork Gyoza & Ramen class for Aussie couple

Gyoza making with an Aussie couple today!
Wrapping a spoonful of filling with Gyoza skin. Dumplings may look a little complicated to make, but Japanese style Gyoza is simple as ABC.

My guest couple has made them very neatly!  Thank you for a great job!!

And of course, Pork Ramen is coming with Gyoza. Now, some people think Ramen is a simple bowl of soup & noodles but it is NOT. That is also why there are layers of flavors.  Come and find out yourself when in Tokyo!
Many thanks for coming!
Akiko

Juicy, crispy and chewy!

It is amazing how Ramen & Gyoza are widely known as Japanese food. Today s guests are beautiful sisters from Australia. Welcome to Tokyo!
If you are keen to experience the local feeling of these comfort foods, home cooking is one of the best options, especially for Gyoza.

Oishii but very hot!! The first bite of Gyoza is always hoooot so be careful.
Enjoy the juicy filling, crispy bottom, and chewy steamed top of dumplings.

Many thanks for coming!
Akiko

Ramen & Gyoza class for an Aussie couple & Swedish café owner

“Oishi-!”  do as Japanese do when photo-shooting in Japan!?

The main dish for this class was Pork Ramen, with pork broth & Japanese Dashi soup stock, with toppings of Miso flavored pork and meat sauce with Japanese seasonings.
For Gyoza, we chopped cabbage, garlic chives (Nira), leek etc. Add a little bit of grated garlic if you like.
Both are served sizzling hot and full of rich meaty flavors, so I recommended something cold and fresh as a side dish. I would like my guest to try something different while they are at Tokyo apartment kitchen so here it is, fresh cabbage torn into one bite size with hands, marinated with sesame oil, salt and pickled Kombu! If you like soy sauce & vinegar flavor, try this easy side!
My Swedish guest owns a cafe near Stockholm serving some menus inspired by Japanese taste such as Maccha, while my guests from wine country Adelaide were big fans of anime.
I hope they all find our home cooking dishes as good!
Many thanks for coming!
Akiko