How to : Hibachi at Home

日系アメリカ人夕食

Would it be too much if I said this was "easy shmeasy Japanesey"? (bashful face). Back when my mom's office was next to an authentic Asian market, one day she came home with a rice cooker, a lifetime supply of rice, and a complete setting of Asian-style dishes so I could make hibachi at home. I've probably made it 100+ times since.

 

Miso soup > Asian salad > Stir fried veg > Fried rice

The hibachi dinner is to Japan as Taco Bell is to Mexico. We hosted some Japanese exchange students when I was in elementary school (sister city exchange: Lawrence, Kansas and Hiratsuka, Japan) and I asked them if they did hibachi like this and they we're puzzled. To be fair, they had just seen a garage door open for the first time. They didn't realize they were staying with magicians. Hibachi, meaning "fire bowl" in Japanese, is a traditional open-topped heating device.

The ingredients for this hibachi dinner are easy to find, but you could step it up with some real deal items from an authentic market that would make it taste more like the restaurants. I make the soup first, then cut and prep everything down to scrambling the eggs so it's all ready to go, otherwise I'm eating it cold or solo.

Hibachi at Home

Serves: 4

Everything you'll need

• 4 T. miso paste (I use Miso & Easy from World Market)
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
• 1 pint white mushrooms: 1/3 of the container sliced thin (for soup), quarter the other 2/3 (for veg)
• 1 bag Romaine lettuce
• Asian style- ginger, sesame, miso, etc.- dressing (I use miso-scallion vinaigrette from Williams-Sonoma or go to an Asian restaurant and ask to buy some of theirs. Most will let you.)
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 medium yellow squash, sliced
• 1 medium onion; slice half of the onion (for veg), dice the other half (for rice)
• 3 T. sesame seeds
• 1 T. dark sesame oil
• 4 cups cooked rice
• .5-1 lb. chicken, diced and stir fried in a stir fry or teriyaki sauce
• 3 eggs, scrambled
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables, cooked
• 3+ T. butter
• Soy sauce
• Salt and pepper
• A wok or large, wide pan and a sauce pan
• Glass of wine

Directions

Miso Soup and Salad

Add sliced mushrooms and 1/3 of the sliced green onions to 3 cups of boiling water. Stir in miso paste once mushrooms become soft. Serve with salad.

Vegetables

Heat sesame oil in wok over med-high, then stir fry zucchini, squash, sliced onion and quartered mushrooms until done (about 6-7 minutes). Everything should cook in the same amount of time. Toss in 1 T. of the sesame seeds and salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Fried Rice

1. Cook rice as directed.
2. Stir fry chicken until done, then set aside.
3. Melt a pat of butter over med-high and cook the diced onion until soft, then set aside.
4. Melt a pat of butter over med-high and cook scrambled eggs until done.
5. Mix in rice, chicken, diced onion, the remaining green onion, the remaining sesame seeds, and mixed vegetables.
6. Add soy sauce, salt, pepper and butter to taste.

*This can all be vegetarian by losing the egg and chicken (or substituting stir fried tofu). 

Japan has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to go to a country where they use symbols, not letters. You could say I like to be a little uncomfortable when I travel. I suppose that means I'm learning.

The above Japanese symbols say, "The American Japanese Dinner."

[photo sources: Decor Arts, Mrs. WRCIV]