First time for raw fish sushi & Onigiri bento box

I told you, I have a student from Saudi Arabia at my house.
He can not eat pork by the reason of his religion.
So I am cooking beef and chicken dishes for him.

But, last week, he ate fresh and raw salmon sushi at first time in his 24 years life.
I said to him, "don't ask any question about this ingredient and just bite it"
He say " yes Mom, I trust you".
I show him how to mix with soy sauce and wasabi, and dip the sushi just little be.
He ate it and said "delicious!"

Yes, fresh sushi are delicious even for the first time experience persons in their life.
He could not stop eating sushi, he keep asking me more and more.
So I started to make hand roll for him because easy to hold and bite it.

Just he does not know about sushi fishes are so expensive.
But, I was so happy to see his smile with my sushi.

Japanese people love "onigiri" (rice ball )with stuffing of pickled plum, grilled salmon and shaved dry bonito.

Japanese Mom make different shapes of rice balls such as flat triangle, flat round and cylinder.
And wrap the onigiri with a nori (roasted seaweed sheet).
Simple and delicious homely dish.

We love "onigiri"as our Mom's taste, so I made onigiri bento box for my business.

See you soon.

Love

Keiko

My birthday and Bento box

Today (March 12th) is my birthday. I am ?years old now.
I don't know about this age is young or old,
I always feel same feeling when I was 36 years old. Just number is getting big and big.
I am going to die at age of 104 years old, so I think I am still young for my life.
I got a beautiful arrangement flower from my son. Also he sent a birthday card to me from N.Y.
When I read the card, I cried a little be with his gentle words from his soul.
Dinner time, my friends came and we had a wonderful time with champagne, wine and delicious dishes.

By the way, do you know Japanese bento box?
Japanese people love bento box for lunch.
Bento box have 1200 years history in Japan.
With small amount of each ingredients, you can enjoy 7~8difference delicious dishes with rice.
I started to add "bento box catering" to my business.
I think this will be very popular among American people who have come to enjoy sushi the past 20 years.
Please take a look the bento box.
Looks so delicious and really taste is great!

See you soon.

Love

Keiko

A friend who never see each other for 30 years

I could not do anything for my blog for so many days.
My friend (her name is Emiko) who lost contact each other for 30 years came to see me from San Francisco last week.

My recipe was on the food magazine called "Culinary Trends" for executive chefs in 2~3 weeks ago.
Emiko's husband is a chef, so he was reading this magazine all the time.
She found my picture and recipe inside of the magazine and screamed "Keiko"

We met in the airplane when we were coming to L.A from Japan in May 1979.
We were so excited for visiting to L.A. We made our friendship by 13 hours flight.
She was 20 years old and I was ?years old.

Only one thing difference was "she was going back to Japan and I was not."
Of course, we had sightseeing visa only,I should go back to Japan.
But I had a dream which love to live and have own restaurant in L.A

I had two restaurants already in Japan.
But I was so uncomfortable with Japanese business society which was dominated by Japanese men.

In summer time of 1978, I visited to L.A as a tourist.
I fell in love to L.A.
I thought "this is my city which should stay forever"

After we arrived to L.A, Emiko stayed in Orange county and I lived in North Hollywood.
Sometime I missed to speak Japanese language so much, I took a bus and went to see her.
She came to see me too.
After couple month later, I had to disappear from her because of "illegal resident"

A few years later,I got my son, permanent resident card.
6years later, I got own house and opened own restaurant.
Step by step, I made my dream come true.

I did not have my husband, so that was tough time but I was so happy all the time with my son.
Sometime, I remembered about my friend Emiko, but I thought she must be happy in Japan.

I think, this thing which she found me in the food magazine is "fate and miracle".
After 30 years later, last week, Emiko and her husband came to see me.
Can you imagine how much we were happy to see each other again.
She had five children from 24 years old to 6 years old.
Her husband is a wonderful Japanese man and also great executive chef.

I wanted put our picture on this page, but my face was terrible with too much wine.
So I will put "Tuna tataki sashimi on tofu" which Emiko's husband cooked for us.
This is a very delicious and simple dish.

3oz Fresh tuna filet for sashimi, 1 silken tofu, 1 Tbsp grated ginger, 3 Tbsp edge cut green onion.


direction: Seal the tuna's surface only with frying pan ~ cut to thin slices ~ place the tuna on the top of tofu ~ sprinkle the green onion and arrange the ginger ~ done!

Please make sure eat with soy sauce, not ponzu sauce.

Thank you.

Love

keiko