Inspired by the popular summer salad " Spinach and Strawberry Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing" I've come up with a similar salad using a popular Japanese vegetable Shungiku (Edible Chrysanthemum) Leaves. Strawberries, which is originally a summer fruit, comes in season during the winter months due to the high demand for the Christmas season. For the Japanese, strawberries are a indispensable item for the Christmas shortcakes.     

Shungiku is mostly used as an staple ingredient in the Nabe (Hot Pot ) during the winter months but can also be used raw in a salad. This Shungiku and Strawberry Salad will be a great alternative to your ordinary salads and a big hit for pot luck parties. To get the recipe, Please visit my Tokyo Grocery Shopping Guide page.
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Now that school has started any i've recovered from my cold, I've finally had a chance to update my Tokyo Grocery guide. I've added how to shop for Tofu and a popular recipe for cooking Tofu. This tofu is cooked in broth so you don't need to drain it. It's easy and all you need is about 15 minutes to cook so I hope you all give it a try. The better quality beef you use, the better it will taste (well obviously) but if make sure you don't overcook the meat as it may become too tough. You can also make it with pork.

Happy Cooking!

Nikudofu (Braised Tofu and Meat) 

 Ingredients (For 2- 3 servings)

• Tofu (Firm)                          1 block (about 300 - 350g)
  
• Slice Beef                            200g
  
• Onion                                  1            
  
• Mirin (Sweet rice wine)    3 Tbsp
  
• Soy sauce                           3 Tbsp
• Sugar                                 1.5 Tbsp
• Dashi (Soup Stock)          450 ml
  
• Sake (Rice wine)                3 Tbsp
  
• Spring Onions                   2-3
  

1.      Cut the tofu into 6-8 pieces. Cut the Onion into 6 wedges. Cut the Beef in 1 inch strips. Chop the spring onions.

2.      Mix the dashi, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and sake in a medium size pot, and add the tofu and bring to boil on medium heat. Once it starts to boil, add the onions and place a drop lid on it. Simmer for 6 -7 minutes.

3.      Take off the lid, Move the tofu to one side and add the beef and loosen it with your chopstick so it doesn’t stick together.

4.      Cook for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving bowl, Garnish with Spring Onions.

I've posted this recipe in my Grocery Guide Section under "Ground Meat" a couple of months ago. Although nabe (hot pot) is not in season at the moment, you can pan fry this chicken balls by shaping them into patties. It is a low calorie main dish with lots of protein. It will go well with ponzu or teriyaki sauce, or just soy sauce as the taste is quite plain.

Satoimo/里芋 (taro root) is a very common vegetable for the Japanese. It's slimy texture is unique and it is very nutritious yet low in calories. If you are not big fan of slimy textured food, but still want to try out this vegetable, Deep frying it opposed to boiling it or stewing it will reduce its sliminess. I've added a recipe for deep fried satoimo with a soy sauce flavored sweet sauce as well as how to peel the satoimo (it's a bit tricky).

I've added a recipe for nanohana (yao choy/flowering edible rape) in my Tokyo Grocery Guide Page. This is a great vegetable and can be cooked in many ways. Hope to post some more recipes later on.

Recipes will be added to my Tokyo Grocery Guide every now and then and will be notified in my blog. I've added Tofu and Nori Miso Soup Recipe today in my Miso Page. Nori seaweed is a great source of minerals, and so easy! Just add it to your miso soup and it adds flavor to it.

I've included an easy recipe for a stir fry made with komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) and aburaage (Fried Tofu) in my Grocery Guide.  Komatsuna is a vegetable high in calcium, so cooking it together with ingredients that contain protein or fat like  soy products or dairy products will help absorb the calcium effectively in to your system. You can also just stir fry it with a good quality vegetable oil with a splash of soy sauce too.

Recipe for Komatsuna and Aburaage Stir Fry>>>