121213 Himitsu no Arashi-chan (RECIPE) - Kimura Kaela's Pasta Dish!

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

Tested Kimura Kaela's pasta recipe from the 2012.12.13 episode of Himitsu no Arashi-chan. I have to say it's a pretty simple and tasty dish!


Since the show didn't feature it step by step, I decided to add details to the pasta. Try it and enjoy! :)


Note #1 - MENTSUYU: The only ingredient that may be a little difficult to get is the MENTSUYU or the noodle dipping sauce that's basically a concentrated mixture of dashi (katsuo & konbu), soy sauce and sake. You can make this on your own or just buy the bottled kind in supermarkets (It's a livesaver, I make my oden, tempura dipping sauce, agedashi tofu by diluting this with different ratios of water. Such a timesaver!) Also, I used Thai Napa cabbage instead of the cabbage Kimura-san used but I promise you it's pretty much the same.

Note #2 - Choosing Mushrooms: Shimeji mushrooms have a softer texture compared to shiitake but a similar woodsy taste. I think that woodsy flavor is what adds the umami to this dish. If you'll use fresh button mushrooms which are slightly milder in flavor, I suggest browning a bit and then adding a bit more mentsuyu for taste.
BUT PLEASE PLEASE make sure you choose fresh or well-dried mushrooms. Moisture inside the pack is not a good sign! Mushrooms have to be kept well whether fresh or dried if in doubt, DO NOT EAT IT.


EDIT! Here's a more detailed explanation according to coolohoh
"Moisture is bad for mushrooms, they spoil easily when moist... so you have to make sure they didn't go bad. (Maybe repackage them once you get home - newspapers are good for soaking up moisture, or cook them ASAP.) If you're not sure whether the mushrooms are still good, or can't tell how bad mushrooms look like, best to just avoid packets with moisture in it."

Ingredients:

• Pasta (Kimura Kaela used spaghetti but I only had the farfalle so that's what I used)


• 3 shiitake Mushroom or half a pack of shimeji mushrooms (I used shiitake since the one in the grocery were moist--which I avoid. Mushrooms have to be kept well whether fresh or dried if it's moist or fluffy DO NOT EAT IT.)


• Cabbage (I used two large napa cabbage leaves, washed. Sliced in the middle and then chopped into 2cm pieces.)


• 1 large clove of Garlic (I sliced some for the visuals but I chopped most of it for FLAVOR <3)


• Olive Oil or whatever oil you'd like


• Butter (I used around a slice that's 1cm thick. You can add more but I'm sensitive to lactose so... Haha)


• Mentsuyu (I used a dash. If you want exact measurements I suggest between 3-5 tablespoons depending on how concentrated your mentsuyu is.)

How to Make:

1. Boil pasta in well salted water. (Since my farfalle said boil for 6-8 minutes I went for 7.)


2. Sautee the garlic in olive oil on low-medium heat. When it starts to change color, add the mushrooms, sautee til it softens a little


3. Add butter and then add the leaves.


4. Add the pasta and don't worry if you add a bit of the pasta water (I always do this step when I make pasta. It tastes more together in my opinion when you add a bit of pasta water.) Mix.


5. Add mentsuyu and then taste the sauce. At this the taste should be strong enough for you to taste the mix of the mentsuyu and butter. Make sure that when you're mixing you don't crush the pasta.


6. Add a little more butter and pepper. The mixture should have a bit of sauce from the combinations of seasonings and pasta water. Let it bubble a bit so that the flavors sink in.


7. Serve <3

Note: I don't think they used parmesan or any cheese during this episode. But if you want go ahead. I made this last night and it was a very satisfying pasta dish.

I do wonder if this will taste good with chicken strips with it. I'd like it even more with some protein...hmm..

LASTLY!
Don't waste the shiitake mushroom stalks! They're delicious! Slice and then,  soak them in hot water prior to cooking. Don't waste such a tasty part of the mushroom!

Comments

[shynanigans.livejournal.com]

Mm, this sounds delicious! It probably would do well with chicken, too, like you said. Protein can really give a dish a more "finished" feeling.

I had no idea about the mushroom thing--that it is no good to use them if they are moist. Since I do not eat them so often, not something very familiar with. But it is really good to know!

Thanks for sharing!

[coolohoh]

Well I won't say that they have definitely gone bad if the pack is moist. In the supermarket in Singapore a lot of the packs (sometimes, all! Well Sg is a really humid place but still...) end up moist because they don't package it properly.... BUT moisture is bad for mushrooms, they spoil easily when moist... so you have to make sure they didn't go bad. (Maybe repackage them once you get home - newspapers are good for soaking up moisture, or cook them ASAP.) If you're not sure whether the mushrooms are still good, or can't tell how bad mushrooms look like, best to just avoid packets with moisture in it.

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

Listen to coolohoh! She's got background in science. My info on mushrooms comes from advice I got. Haha
I guess it's right to base it on the humidity too. :)

P.S. I shall add this info to the post! Haha.

[coolohoh]

Yeah food in Sg spoils fast because it's so hot and humid out :( Maybe that's why a lot of the packs have so many water droplets in it...

Well mine comes from mum's advice + practical mushroom choosing experience I guess haha. Moisture doesn't automatically mean they are bad, but it makes the shrooms go bad much faster so do watch out ;)

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

I agree! You're right, having meat makes food feel more "finished".

Re: The mushrooms, check @coolohoh 's reply to you.
Whole info on mushrooms is a "piece of wisdom" (?) i got from my relatives. They really make sure the mushroom is well kept, especially when packaged. When you're in doubt, don't eat it. That's the golden rule. :)

Thank you for reading! <3

[coolohoh]

Oh! Mushroom stalks are like... the best part of the mushroom! Esp love the texture and taste

*waiting for photos of the dish* XD

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

Right? So sad most Westernized Japanese cookbooks tell you to discard the stalks.If you soften them they're lovely.

[coolohoh]

EH! That's such a waste. True, I remember watching Aiba manabu and their old shows and they were cooking food that they usually throw away, and mushroom stalks was one of them. I was like... what? We just cook it normally together with the rest of the musroom. Esp for like button mushrooms, the stalk is pretty soft and doesn't even need to be softened.

There's a vegetarian dish where they use mushroom stalks to make mock meatballs. Just absolutely delicious. Love the mushrooms!

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

I'll google that recipe. Sounds interesting. I LOVE MUSHROOMS <3

[coolohoh]

We normally buy it factory made... but I think it'll be nice too if you make it yourself!

[coolohoh]

yay for photos! Ah... I prefer... 'thicker taste' pasta like those cream/tomato based, but this sounds nice. Might ask mum to give it a try since she made pasta with just oil + garlic for flavoring a few times recently. My sis might like this...

Hmm... mentsuyu is pretty common in SG (loads of Japanese food here yay!), Daiso has it too so if their country has Daiso maybe it'll have it? Ahhh mirin is a livesaver too! Mirin + soy sauce + sesame oil goes with any Chinese/Japanese type of noodles! And I dump a bit of mirin into the pot when I'm cooking veggies and stuff too. Ahhh rice/cooking wine is good too.

Gosh, this is making me so excited. I'm a foodie/glutton you see...

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

Hi five from a fellow foodie!
Try it with your sister, some day then! :D My sis liked it. :D Maybe yours will too? Hahaha

Mentsuyu is my fav Japanese ingredient. I sometimes "cheat" the katsudon sauce with it. Haha. AND! I shall try that mirin + soy + sesame oil thing!

[spsn.livejournal.com]

actually mushroom can last quite long, compared to those greenies esp., in the fridge (yes, even in SG). However, it won't survive more than 1 week because it'll get slimy and ugly (de-oxidized). They usually throw away the stalks because of aesthetic reason. I don't see any other reason other than it looks ugly if you include them.
Mentsuyu is a very handy to have on your pantry because it can work like soy sauce but give more mellow taste (as it's already mixed with dashi) and smell nicer (to me) LOL.

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

I agree with the mentsuyu bit! Even with cold tofu just a splash of mentsuyu makes it better. Haha. <3 Very handy indeed.

And yup abut the ugly mushrooms. I sometimes freeze them after slicing to TRY and prolong the life but they end up wilting when I cook them. Haha. Mushrooms, so good yet so short lived.

Thank you for reading! :)

[lapetit-chou.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing this. I tried it and it was really good! Oishii desu! It's really simple to make. Thank you again!

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

Yay! Glad you tried this! I'm thinking of trying more recipes from ARASHI in the future. I'll post about it when I do. <3 Have a great weekend! :D

Oishiiso!

[kachikochi.livejournal.com]

Looks like something I could actually cook and eat and find all the ingredients in the store. Thank you for posting this!

Re: Oishiiso!

[nijininare.livejournal.com]

Thank you for taking the time to read! Hope you'll like it! :D

[j-sei.livejournal.com]

This actually looks good!
I don't like mushroom tho so I will add other things like maybe chicken strips or beef slice :D
and, I wonder if I can get mentsuyu here. Should check first :)