i spent the better part of yesterday making an array of japanese stocks, learning that bonito, iriko, and konbu are indispensable tools for success. the results were well worth it:

miso soup with enoki mushrooms

rice with vegetables and chikuwa

moon-viewing noodles in broth

soy-braised sun-dried daikon

konbu and shiitake relish

tuna bagnat (okay, so this one isn’t japanese.)

happy new year. in between seemingly endless rainstorms and even more seemingly endless home improvement projects, i’ve kept up with the cooking:

lemongrass egg flower soup

siu mai

spicy okra in shrimp sauce

beer-battered ahi rolls

soft tofu and mushrooms in black vinegar sauce

chow fun chicken

i’m too exhausted from painting and moving and measuring and hammering to write about my pizza and champagne new year, or my crash course in japanese pantry essentials, or anything for that matter. its suffice to say that the past few days have been a real workout.

each year, the beginning of december always marks not only the rush to the holiday season, but also the start of a string of birthdays one after another through the next couple of months. four birthdays down this week (vic, dom, my cousin, and my dad), and several more to go.

i spent a couple of days in the city this week, where a group of us attended wonder-full with dj spinna and bobbito. we also wandered through downtown (its so busy this holiday season!) and drank communist-cum-yuppie coffee, amongst other things. despite the oh-so-hipster logo, my cup was suprisingly good. (and strong!) as if their nod to soviet-era russia wasn’t enough, the inside of shop boasts paper currency pinned to the wall, including none other than a 10,000 rial piece bearing the ayatollah’s likeness. the evil empire and the axis of evil all in one coffee shop!

oh yes, and i’ve been cooking too.

artichoke rice cakes with melting manchego

eggplant parcels stuffed with fresh mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes

beijing chilled vegetable stir-fry

braised tofu and mushrooms

green onion flatbreads

snow peas with fried tofu (served alongside nori-encrusted sirloin with shiitake mushrooms and jasmine rice)

i finally saw himalaya, twilight, and letters in the wind. the first is a must-see, the second was quite good, and the third was a bit of a dissapointment.

i finished searching for hassan: an american family’s journey home to iran as well. i highly recommend this to anyone with the slightest interest in iran. part travel memoir, part childhood memories, and part reflections on the religious and historical culture of the country, searching for hassan is a fantastically written ode to iran. it touches on so many aspects of iranian society without seeming biased or too generalized. nostalgia constantly crept up on me while reading this. this book was stunning in every respect.

what i’ve been cooking this week:

three-cheese baked pasta with porcini and radicchio

spicy fun see noodle salad

spring rolls

baked saffron and clam capellini with lemon-mint shrimp

maybe i need to ease up on cooking with pasta for a while. its just that warm baked pasta dishes seem so evocative of the season. then again, so pomegranates, persimmons, and figs. with those in mind, i suppose i can’t complain about chilly air and shorter days. its not such a bad trade-off i guess.

on a different note, this is pretty funny. now if only real-world diplomacy also took place in the form of comedic song and dance.

despite my current fixation on wanting to cook all things japanese and korean, i keep steering towards other cuisines. maybe its because i’m still on the lookout for a decent, authentic japanese cookbook. (fusion can be lovely and all, but sometimes i just want to try the real thing.)

this past week:

lemongrass hot and sour soup

dan dan noodles

orzo salad with spinach and feta

shrimp with morel butter

mushroom risotto

fried okra with sweet chile sauce

olive, anchovy, and parmesan bread with garlic-oregano dressing

here’s the recipe for the lemongrass hot and sour soup:

4 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 piece dried wood ear
1 package firm tofu
5 cups chicken broth
1 stalk lemongrass (bottom six inches only), crushed
2 slices ginger, crushed
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup julienned bamboo shoots
1/2 cup rice vinegar
3 T soy sauce
1 t chili garlic sauce
2 T cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 water
1 egg white, lightly beaten

1. soak mushrooms and wood ear in warm water until softened, about 15 minutes; drain. thinly slice mushroom caps and wood ear. cut tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.

2. place broth in a large pot; bring to a boil. add mushrooms, wood ear, lemongrass, and ginger. reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. discard lemongrass and ginger.

3. add tofu, carrots, and bamboo shoots; cook for 2 minutes. add vinegar, soy sauce, and chili garlic sauce; bring to a boil.

4. add cornstarch solution and cook, stirring, until soup boils and very slightly thickens. turn off heat. add egg white, stirring, until it forms long threads.