Rayu - Japanese Chili Oil

Rayu, or chili oil, can be used as a seasoning for steamed cabbage, ramen, dumplings, or any dish where you want to add a little bit of nuanced spice. This recipe is a quick, easy to make spicy chili oil that we learned from Chef Shinya, and is part of our Tokyo Style Ramen recipes. It has a pleasant, but not overwhelming, spice with accompanying sesame and garlic flavors that combine to create a well balanced addition to many dishes that need just a little "kick."

Original recipe from: Chef Shinya Asami (Cozymeal, Facebook)

Total time: 15 minutes

Ingredients (small batch)

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 3 Tbsp canola/vegetable oil
• 1 ½ tsp garlic, fresh, minced
• 1 Tbsp red chili flakes
• 1 Tbsp kimchi flakes (korean chili pepper flakes or red chili flakes)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, roasted
• 1 ½ tsp miso (red or Hatcho)

Directions

1. In a small pan, heat oils over medium heat, turn heat to low and add garlic and chili peppers. Cook until fragrant, add sesame seeds, and stir well then cook for 1 minute over very low heat. Turn off heat and let cool down for about 10 minutes, then mix in miso and stir well to combine.

Notes

• Chef Shinya's original recipe calls for Avocado Oil instead of Canola/Vegetable Oil. We have never made the recipe at home with Avocado Oil, but give it a try and let us know how it turns out!
• If you can get your hands on Korean chili flakes / kimchi flakes, use them!
• Red chili flakes are different than "crushed red pepper," which is the stuff commonly provided in small packets with pizza deliveries. For this recipe you want to use red chili flakes, which are commonly found in Asian supermarkets / grocery stores. The red chili flakes and kimchi/Korean chili pepper flakes in the recipe can all be the same if needed. Different combinations of chili flakes will create a slightly different Rayu, but they will be fairly similar.
• Mark forgot to take a picture of just the Rayu (sorry!). However, if you follow the directions above you will end up with a deliciously spicy and complex chili oil.

Ingredients (large batch)

• 6 oz sesame oil
• 18 oz canola/vegetable oil
• 6 Tbsp garlic, fresh, minced
• 6 oz (vol.) red chili flakes
• 6 oz (vol.) kimchi flakes (korean chili pepper flakes or red chili flakes)
• ¼ cup sesame seeds, roasted
• 6 Tbsp miso (red or Hatcho)

The large batch recipe can be scaled up or down as needed. Scale down by half for a medium batch. We always make the small batch recipe above, which is plenty for multiple batches of Seasoned Steamed Cabbage and ramen dinners.

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Seasoned Steamed Cabbage

Tokyo Style Ramen with Seasoned Steamed Cabbage (front-center)

Here comes the second post in the Tokyo Style Ramen series! In our cooking class with Chef Shinya, we learned how to make a simple Seasoned Steamed Cabbage used as a topping for the bowl of ramen. Since then we have also occasionally made this as an easy side dish. It comes together in less than 10 minutes and the Taiwan cabbage has a wonderful natural sweetness.

Original recipe from: Chef Shinya Asami (Cozymeal, Facebook)

Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 200g Cabbage, cut ⅜" wide (preferably Taiwanese Flat, or Savoy or other heirloom type)
• pinch of sea salt
• ¼-⅓ tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp chili oil (Rayu), or to taste

Directions

1. Prepare a vegetable steamer. Cut cabbage and steam for 1 minute, gently toss cabbage and check texture, then steam 1 more minute (more or less) depending on texture. Target texture is steamed with a little crunchiness remaining.
2. Transfer cabbage to a bowl and add a small pinch of sea salt, soy sauce, and chili oil to taste. Toss gently to incorporate and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes.

Notes

• Original recipe calls for weighing cabbage and adding 1.3% to 1.5% sea salt by weight. For example, if you had 100g of cabbage you would add around 1.5g of sea salt. For the amount of cabbage used in the full recipe, a small pinch of sea salt is how we measure. The soy sauce will also add saltiness and ramen broth tends to be well seasoned, so don't go overboard on the salt!
• Tawainese Flat cabbage looks very similar to a regular green cabbage but is a flatter in shape and has a sweeter flavor.
• We typically use Yamasa Low/Less Sodium soy sauce for our day to day cooking. It works well both in cooked dishes and for raw applications such as seasoning this cabbage or in a dumpling dipping sauce.
• While this cabbage is not overly spicy (in our opinion), if you are sensitive to spicy foods, start with a small drizzle (perhaps ¼ tsp) of the Rayu, taste, and add more if desired.

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Ajitsuki Tamago - Seasoned Boiled Egg

Tokyo Style Ramen w/ Seasoned Boiled Egg

Seasoned boiled egg, or Ajitsuki Tamago, is a classic ramen topping. A perfectly cooked and set egg white with a gooey yolk, marinated in a sweet-soy dashi solution - it might be the iconic ramen topping for many ramen lovers.

Surprisingly, these eggs are also very straightforward to make, requiring only a few hours of resting time after cooking before they are ready to be enjoyed in a hot bowl of ramen! The key to achieving a perfect cook is a precise boiling time. This recipe specifies a cook time of 7 minutes and 30 seconds, but your cook time may vary slightly due to the specific range and pot you use. Practice makes perfect as they say, so take notes when you make this recipe and then adjust your boil time the next time if your eggs are more or less done than desired.

This post also serves as the first in a series of posts that will teach you how to make the entire bowl of ramen shown above! A couple years ago, Erin gifted Mark a Tokyo Style Ramen cooking class experience with Chef Shinya Asami, a Seattle-based Japanese chef. We had a blast, and if you live in the area we would highly recommend taking a class from Chef Shinya. We learned a lot in the few hours we spent in the class and gained the confidence to make a respectable bowl of ramen at home. Over the next week or two we will be posting recipes for Nibuta (Chashu), seasoned steamed cabbage, Rayu (Japanese chili oil), and Tokyo Style Ramen soup and bowl preparation. Stay tuned for the deliciousness!

Recipe from: Chef Shinya Asami (Cozymeal, Facebook)

Total time: 2½ o 6½ hours

Ingredients

• 4 Eggs
• 300 ml Dashi solution (100%, water plus ½ tsp Dashi powder)
• 25 ml Sake (8.3%)
• 60 ml soy sauce (20%)
• 25g brown sugar (8.3%)

Directions

Poking holes in eggs with push pin

1. Using a push pin, poke a small hole in the fat end of each egg.
   
   

   

   Dashi solution and ingredients

   
   
   
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl to make marinade.
   
   

   

   Eggs boiling!

   
   
   
   
3. Bring a small pot of water to a boil then carefully drop eggs into boiling water. Cook eggs for 7 minutes and 30 seconds while keeping a consistent boil. Turn heat off and drain hot water, place pot under running cold water then fill pot with cold water and ice cubes to chill eggs.
   
   
   

   

   Cooked, cooled, and peeled eggs

   
   

   

   Eggs in marinade

   
   

   

   Covering eggs with paper towel

   
   
4. When eggs are chilled, gently crack and peel shells. Place eggs in a container that is just big enough to hold eggs. Pour marinade (dashi solution, sake, soy sauce, and brown sugar) over eggs. Place a small sheet of paper towel over the eggs in order to cover all eggs with marinade, and let stand for at least 2 hours, or up to 6 hours.
5. When serving, slice egg in half using either a piece of fishing line or a very sharp knife. (notes below)
6. For storage, remove eggs from marinade and store in refrigerator.

Notes

• Poking a hole in the egg provides an escape for pressure and ensures that the air bubble in the egg is located at the fat end.
• Covering eggs in marinade with a paper towel ensures the top of the eggs receive marinade! This was a "secret trick" we learned from Chef Shinya.
• Marinade can be used multiple times. After using several times, or to keep marinade for more than a week, bring marinade to a boil, simmer for a minute, then allow to cool.
• The recipe specifies a cook time of 7 minutes and 30 seconds, but your cook time may vary slightly due to the specific range and pot you use. I have found that my ideal cook time is closer to 7 minutes in my current kitchen.
• We use a 3 cup rectangular plastic Glad container to hold eggs in marinade. As seen in the picture, 4 eggs and marinade perfectly fills the container.
• For the cleanest cut, use a piece of fishing wire! This is another "secret trick" we learned from Chef Shinya, which we had never encountered in other recipes or cookbooks. A sharp knife works well, but for a perfect cut, tie a piece of fishing wire to a kitchen drawer handle just below your countertop, place the egg on a cutting board at the edge of the counter directly above, and then bring the fishing wire up and over the egg while keeping it taught to slice the egg lengthwise.

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Central Coast Tri-Tip Sandwich (with a twist!)

Tri-Tip Sandwich

I recently came across a recipe somewhere (where exactly and what for has been lost in my memory, let's call it a casualty of the pandemic) that used one of the more uncommon cuts of beef: tri-tip. This recipe, however, reminded me of an absolutely delicious barbeque sandwich from Firestone Grill in San Luis Obispo, CA: the tri-tip sandwich.

I first encountered this wonderful sandwich as a young first-year student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (SLO, pronounced "slow" by those in the know), where I spent a few years before moving back to Seattle. SLO is a small college town in the central coast region of California, just north of Santa Maria about half way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Although I didn't stay in SLO for my entire undergraduate education, there are a few things that I dearly miss from the town (aside from friends I made). The location is beautiful, with amazing beaches nearby and great hiking in the hills (search for the Nine Sisters). There are also some incredible sandwich shops, Gus's Grocery being my personal favorite with the build-your-own option. And last, but not least, is Firestone Grill, a mainstay of downtown SLO where having a tri-tip sandwich with a side of fries seems to be a rite of passage for incoming students at Cal Poly. I don't recall my first time going, but I do recall going back many times and almost exclusively getting the tri-tip sandwich.

Firestone's Tri-Tip sandwich is oddly simple: a French roll, sweet and sticky barbeque sauce, and thin-sliced tri-tip. This post is my recreation of this culinary masterpiece, with a twist. Tri-tip itself is not an overly common cut of beef that comes from the bottom sirloin. I've heard a few different stories of how this particular cut became common on the central coast of California, and I encourage those interested in its story to read up on all the variations, but regardless of origin it has been enshrined as the singular cut of beef most strongly associated with the area. In my version I season the tri-tip with a homemade barbeque dry-rub before grilling to medium and thinly slicing against the grain. Buttered and toasted sesame burger buns are piled with the meat and topped with a sweet barbeque sauce and some honey-Dijon coleslaw. Overall, I was extremely pleased with the results and felt that it was a fitting recreation of a fondly remembered sandwich. Perhaps some day I will make my way back to SLO for another taste of the real thing!

Ingredients

• 2 pound tri-tip
• Barbeque dry rub (here is one I created)
• Sesame burger buns (or French rolls)
• Barbeque sauce (a sweeter sauce is commonly used)
• [optional] Honey-Dijon Coleslaw (here is the recipe I used, but omitted the apple)

Directions

1. Prepare grill for both direct and indirect grilling.
   
   

   

   Honey-Dijon coleslaw

   
   
2. Prepare coleslaw as desired and set aside while meat cooks
   
   

   

   Dry-rubbed tri-tip

   
   
   
   

   

   Searing the tri-tip on the hot side

   
   
3. Pat tri-tip dry and rub all over with dry-rub. Grill tri-tip over hot side of grill on all sides until just starting to char. The rub I used had a lot of sugar that burns and chars easily, so this didn't take too long with a hot fire.
4. Transfer meat to the indirect cooking zone and cook with lid closed until internal temperature is about 130-135℉ in the thickest part. Total cook time will likely be in the 30-45 minute range. Remove from grill and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
   
   
   

   

   Garlic-buttered buns ready for toasting on the grill

   
   
5. While meat rests, toast buns until lightly browned. I put some melted butter with freshly minced garlic on each half before toasting.
   
   

   

   Perfectly medium-cooked tri-tip

   
   
6. Slice tri-tip across the grain into thin slices using a very sharp knife.
   
   

   

   Bun with meat and sauce!

   
   
7. Prepare sandwiches by piling some slices of tri-tip onto the bottom bun, followed by some barbeque sauce, and topping with coleslaw. Top with other half of bun and enjoy!

Notes

• I made a homemade barbeque sauce, but any sweeter barbeque sauce will work well. Tri-tip has a good beef flavor and stands up well to the sweetness of the sauce and rub.
• Coleslaw is not found on the Firestone Tri-Tip, but is commonly found on barbeque sandwiches more broadly. I decided to top my sandwich with some because I had a craving for some 😁
• Experiment with different barbeque rubs! Half the fun of barbequing (in my humble opinion) is constantly tweaking the recipes based on your preferences on cook day! Some days I like a sweet rub, some days a pepper-forward rub, and other days a more herbaceous rub!
• The best part of barbeque is sharing the results with family and friends. This recipe will scale up by cooking more tri-tips, which tend to run in the 1½ to 4 pound range. A 2 pound tri-tip will make about 6 sandwiches.

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Salmon in Creamy Dijon Chive Sauce with Roasted Potatoes and Lemony Zucchini

Salmon in Creamy Dijon Chive Sauce with Roasted Potatoes and Lemony Zucchini

Salmon is one of our favorite fish and when prepared properly makes an excellent choice for a quick and easy dinner. This meal features Atlantic Salmon in a simple pan sauce accompanied by roasted potatoes and zucchini. The recipe is originally from Hello Fresh (yes, we occasionally use meal prep boxes, too!), which designs most recipes to have reasonable prep time. While not every meal we have had from these services was a favorite, we found this meal to be very good and recently made it again on our own.

Atlantic Salmon is not a common fish used in our house due to the abundance of fresh pacific coast seafood found here in Seattle. However, it works very well in this meal and, when raised responsibly (like all fish), can be a good protein choice in your meal. We managed to find a nice piece of fresh, farmed-raised Atlantic Salmon at the grocery store this past week and put it to use in this meal.

The rest of the meal is straightforward: cut up some Yukon Gold potatoes and zucchini and roast on a single pan in the oven. The zucchini is finished with a little lemon zest, tying its flavor together with the salmon's sauce.

Ingredients

• 10 oz Atlantic Salmon (fresh if possible), cut into two equal pieces
• 12 oz Yukon Gold potatoes
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Lemon
• 4 Tbsp Sour Cream
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• ¼ oz fresh chives (or green part of 1 green onion)
• ¼ cup water
• [optional] 1/2 tsp vegetable stock concentrate
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Butter
• Salt and pepper
• [optional] garlic powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450℉ and adjust rack to upper third of oven. Spray a sheet pan with a little cooking spray (or spread a little olive oil over it) and set aside.
2. Cut potatoes into ½" thick wedges. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise then cut into ½" thick half-moons. Zest lemon, then cut in half. Cut one half of lemon in half again. Mince chive (or slice thin rings of green part of green onion). Juice the half of lemon into a small dish and set aside.
3. Toss potatoes with a little olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. Spread potatoes on one half of prepared baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes in oven.
4. Toss zucchini with a little olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
   
   

   

   Adding zucchini to roasting potatoes after 10 minutes

   
   
5. After potatoes have roasted for 10 minutes, remove sheet pan from oven, add zucchini to empty half of pan, and return to oven. Roast for 12-15 minutes, until potatoes and zucchini are browned.
6. When potatoes and zucchini are finished roasting, remove pan from oven and toss zucchini with lemon zest (you likely will only need about half the zest from a single lemon).
   
   

   

   Cooking salmon

   
   
7. While potatoes and zucchini roast, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and ½ Tbsp of butter in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Pat salmon dry and season with salt and pepper, then add salmon skin side down to the pan and cook until skin is crisp and fish is mostly cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
   
   

   

   Cooking salmon after flipping

   
   
8. After 5-7 minutes, flip fish and cook about 2 minutes more, or until salmon is cooked through. Salmon should flake easily when cooked.
   
   

   

   Sauce cooking (I added the green onion early, oops!)

   
   
9. Wipe out pan used to cook salmon and return to medium heat. Add stock concentrate, ¼ cup water, mustard, and juice from half the lemon. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
   
   

   

   Sauce after incorporating sour cream and butter

   
   
10. Turn off heat and stir in sour cream, half the chives, and ½ Tbsp butter. Season with salt and pepper. Sauce should be a drizzling consistency.
    
    

    

    Finished meal!

    
    
11. Plate each portion of salmon onto a plate and then divide potatoes and zucchini between plates. Drizzle sauce over salmon and garnish with remaining chives. Squeeze a bit of lemon over the dish or serve remaining lemon wedges on the side of each plate.

Notes

• Be careful not to overcook the salmon! Cooking salmon properly takes time to learn how to do. The times above are best estimates for "standard" sized pieces of salmon (i.e., from the head end of the fillet, about 1" to 1 ¼" thick). Salmon dries out when overcooked, so if this happens, fear not (!), and next time make sure to remove from pan right when it flakes.
• The sauce is also delicious on the potatoes!

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Tilapia, Pesto Zucchini Noodles, and Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

Tilapia, Pesto Zucchini Noodles, and Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

While many of our initial blog posts have focused on "food projects" that are oftentimes time-intensive, we also prepare and eat quick and easy meals most days. In contrast to those projects, this post contains the recipes for one of our standard favorite weeknight meals. It comes together in about 30 minutes or less with minimal prep work. The recipes can also be tweaked based on your individual preferences, so think of these recipes more as a template instead of a strict guide.

The meal in this post comprises three pieces: pan-cooked tilapia, pesto-sauced zucchini noodles or pasta, and roasted carrots and parsnips. We love tilapia because it is a mild-flavored white fish that cooks quickly in a pan and works well with a variety of different flavor profiles. Even with the abundance of fresh fish in the Seattle area, we almost always have a bag of frozen tilapia fillets on hand. They defrost in about 10 minutes in cold water and cook up in about another 10 minutes. As with any seafood product (really any food product), make sure you understand where your fish is coming from. When raised properly, Tilapia can be both a health- and environment-conscious fish choice.

The key to this meal is timing. Roasting the vegetables takes the longest and then the pasta and fish cook while vegetables roast. I firmly believe that the hardest part about "easy" weeknight meals is getting the timing right. Cooking two or three different items and having them finish cooking about the same time takes practice, so don't be discouraged if everything isn't ready at exactly the same time when you make this recipe.

Special Equipment:

• Spiralizer: used to create "noodles" from zucchini (we have the OXO Good Grips one)

Ingredients

• 2 tilapia fillets, skinless, individual portions
• 1 large carrot
• 1 parsnip
• 1 zucchini
• 2-4 oz long pasta (fettuccini, linguine)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• olive oil
• garlic powder
• chili powder
• 1-2 Tbsp of pesto

Roasted Carrot and Parsnip Rounds

Directions - Carrots and Parsnips

1. Preheat oven to 400℉
2. Wash and peel carrot and parsnips. Cut on the bias into ¼"-½" thick rounds. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet (optionally, spray baking sheet with cooking spray to lightly coat).
3. Roast carrot and parsnip rounds in oven for about 20-25 minutes. Check and toss with spatula after 15 minutes. Cooking time will depend on thickness of the rounds.

Spiralized zucchini noodles

Zucchini noodles, pasta, and pesto

Directions - Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta. Cook pasta according to package, drain, and set aside in colander.
2. While pasta cooks, wash zucchini then spiralize to create noodles. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut noodles into shorter lengths.
3. A few minutes before pasta finishes cooking, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add zucchini noodles and saute until softened a bit, about 3 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent browning.
4. Add cooked pasta to pan, mix briefly then remove from heat and stir in pesto to thoroughly coat noodle mixture.

Seasoned Tilapia fillets

Pan-cooked Tilapia

Directions - Tilapia

1. Pat dry tilapia fillets with a paper towel and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder.
2. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tilapia fillets (seasoned side up) and cook for about 4 minutes. Flip fillets and cook another 4 minutes. Flip again and cook until fish is opaque and flakes easily.

Directions - Timing

1. Preheat oven and start carrots and parsnips first.
2. While vegetables roast, boil water for pasta and spiralize zucchini.
3. When vegetables have about 10 minutes remaining, start cooking tilapia.
4. When tilapia and vegetables have about 3 minutes remaining, begin cooking zucchini noodles in skillet.
5. Remove carrots and parsnips from oven when done, as they can sit on the hot baking tray out of the oven while the other items finish cooking.
6. If fish finishes before zucchini noodles, remove from pan and put on plates for serving. Tilapia is more forgiving than salmon in regard to overcooking, but like all fish it will dry out if overcooked.

Notes

• The basic template for this recipe is: fish, pesto pasta, and vegetables. Feel free to customize each component to your tastes!
• We often omit the roasted vegetables and instead have only fish and zucchini / pasta with pesto. The zucchini noodles and regular noodles make a nice combo pasta-vegetable side.
• Tilapia takes well to many seasoning profiles. Try lemon-garlic-herb or blackened seasonings for new twists.

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