Cooking with Kurihara-san

Some food I craved while away: ramen, sashimi, mos burger, tofu, Costco fries, fresh seafood. I had forgotten how much of a staple salmon was in my west coast diet. Shopping in Costco, I had the opportunity to eat some delicious fries and buy a beautiful wild sockeye salmon. I decided to cook dinner for my parents that night, with the help of the delightful Harumi Kurihara.

Harumi Kurihara is one of Japan’s most popular cooks, particularly after her English-language debut, Harumi’s Japanese Cooking, won the title of Best Cookbook in the World from the Gourmand Cookbook Award. I used her Home Cooking for inspiration, adapting some basic recipes to what was available in the pantry.

Preparations begin with cutting the filet of salmon into individual pieces, and then marinating them in a mixture of sake, mirin, ponzu, and soy sauce.

My parents recently bought some fragrant Calamansi limes from Surrey. One of my favorite things.

The salmon is sauteed for just a few minutes.

Potatoes and carrots are steamed, skins unpeeled. This makes the vegetables taste fresh and gives them a good texture.

Shallots and cucumbers are added. I like her idea of placing sliced pieces of boiled eggs atop individually-shaped portions.

The roasted tones of the seaweed are beautiful. I use the broth to boil the cabbage.

The mix is drained.

Vegetables are cut for a salad and tempura.

I ask my mother to make the tempura batter. I especially like okra/ladyfingers this way. So crunchy and soft at the same time!

Hot oil! The metal strainer is from the handy Daiso.

Thanks mom!

I enjoy cabbage in my salads. This is a warm cabbage salad made simply from parboiling and draining bite-size pieces of cabbage – not too soft, not too raw, with a nice bite. The sauce is a mixture of soy sauce, mirin, and some lemon or lime (or sudachi if you have any). This is garnished with katsuo bushi (dried fish flakes).