Tag Archive for:  gyoza

Tempura & Gyoza class

2 x main dishes of Tempura & pork Gyoza for a couple from Australia and UK, based in Sydney, NSW. Fresh Edamame season had arrived so we boiled some as one of our side dishes, plus Miso soup, rice etc.

Deep-frying Tempura on a hot summer day sounds a bit tiring? Well, many of our summer vegetables (aubergine, Kabocha pumpkin, Okura…) are perfect ingredients for Tempura so it is a very poplular dish in summer. Tempura & ice cold beer is our favorite way to enjoy summer evenings in Tokyo.

Tempura & Gyoza class_musubi_blog1

If you go to the Tempura master’s restaurant, chef may be using cold press sesame oil, which has no flavor like toasted sesame oil. This oil is regarded as the best quality option for frying light & crispy Tempura but there is one problem, it is quite expensive and not very friendly to my wallet. So I usually mix it with our reasonably priced ‘vegetable’ oil.

Tempura & Gyoza class_musubi_blog1.2

My guest couple went through several processes of preparation and finally we completed a great lunch! Yummmm!! And a lot of fun talk over our feast goes on and on…..

Tempura & Gyoza class_musubi_blog1.3

Many thanks for coming!

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!

Gyoza & Edamame class

The main dish choice by my guest couple from Melbourne, Australia was Gyoza, pork, and veggies Potstickers Japanese style! Side dishes include aubergine with sweet Miso sauce, fresh cabbage salad with pickled Kombu slices, and Miso soup. It was a hot day in early summer so we boiled some Edamame beans as well. Fresh Edamame is available only in the summer months here.
It turned out that both of my guests were already quite familiar with our food, as they have been hosting many Japanese students in Australia. I was surprised to hear that they even have a bottle of Mirin stocked at home for occasional use cooking Japanese dishes!
In this cooking class, we used Mirin to make sweet Miso sauce. The main ingredient for Mirin is Mochi Rice (a very sticky type of rice, rich in glucose) while Miso is mainly made with soybeans. If you use white Miso, this sweet sauce tastes almost like salty caramel but is 100% veggie-made!
I have a lot of great memories of Victoria and Melbourne. It was such a nice time for me to hear all sorts of things about Australia that I almost felt like I were back in Aussie land.
I was so busy chatting that I did not take many photos but it was a wonderful few hours.
Many thanks for coming!

 musubi_blog3 Gyoza & Edamame class.

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

Gyoza time with doctors from east and west

Gyoza class with two pairs of couples, from the US and UK. While making Gyoza filling and wrapping them, we were chatting about all sorts of things about food and not about food, then surprisingly, 3/4 of my guests were in the medical field!  It was interesting to find out about differences in the education system to be a doctor in each country.

Making a piece of Gyoza into nice shape! Much easier than it may look.

The amount of filling should be one spoonful as shown here. It might be tastier if you have more inside, but be careful not to push in too much and ended up breaking!
I hope my guests enjoyed their time at the Tokyo apartment kitchen.
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

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