Chikuzenni 筑前煮 (Sauted Chicken with Root Vegetables)

There is chikuzenni 筑前煮, a stew with chicken, renkon(lotus root), carrots, mushrooms, and takenoko(bamboo shoots).　Chikuzenni is especially popular in late fall or winter. The steaming root vegetables and meat and savory broth keep a body warm in the cold winter months.

Time, about 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• chicken thigh or other white cut ..................300 grams/10 oz.
• dried shittake mushrooms ................................8
• gobo(burdock root).................................................100g/half a stick
• carrot.............................................................................1
• rennkon(lotus root).................................................100g/ about 1
• mirin(cooking sake....................................................5 Tblsp.
• Soy sauce.....................................................................5 Tblsp.
• dashi stock...................................................................200ml
• cooking oil

Directions:

1. Cut chicken into small chunks, season with salt and mirin.
2. Cut vegetables into bite sized wedges. Cut burdock root at an angle. Soak burdock and lotus root in vinegared water.
3. Put 1 Tblsp. cooking oil in a pan and saute the chicken. Add the vegetables and cook everything together.
4. Add the dashi stock and mirin and soy sauce. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer until everything is tender.
5. Seve with steamed snow peas if desired.

Japanese Glazed Sweet Potatoes Recipe (Daigaku-imo)

Fall in Japan brings to mind sweet potatoes and one of my all time favorite and simple sweet potato dishes is the Japanese glazed sweet potatoes, Daigaku-imo(大学芋), literally "University potatoes".This dish first became popular as a cheap, easy to make snack for university students. It was originally sold at food stalls at University campus fall festivals in Japan. They're small pieces of fried sweet potato covered in a hard carmel sugar coating. They're basically candied yams. In Japan, they use a kind of syrup called mizuame, "sweet water"(水飴). You can use corn syrup or even honey instead. Some recipes call for only honey, others only sugar(3 Tbsp.), but using sugar and syrup is best to make the fine, brittle, carmel coating. Ideally, they should be a little bit crunch on the outside.  If making more, simply multiply ingredients per how many potatoes. This is definitely not a diet food, but perfect to satisfy that sweetooth. Please enjoy this simple fall dish. 

Serves 1-2

Ingredients:

• 1 sweet potato(satsuma-imo, purple/reddish skin and yellow inside)
• vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. corn syrup (or honey)
• 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
• black sesame

Directions:

1. Wash potatoes. You can peel or leave the peel on. Leaving the peel is more esthetically pleasing, but personally, I think they taste better without the peel. A compromise is to peel half the potato in alternating strips. Cut potato into 1 inch wedges and soak in water for 5-10 minutes to remove excess starch. Drain and pat dry.
2. Heat oil in a pan to about 340F/170ºC. Deep frying is best, but not absolutely necessary. Fry potato wedges in oil about 5 minutes until thoroughly cooked and golden brown.
3. In the meantime, combine sugar, corn syrup, and soy sauce in a small pan. Cook  over medium heat until mixture is completely dissolves and is syrupy.
4. Remove cooked potatoes, drain off oil and mix into the syrup pan immediately. Mix thoroughly so all pieces are covered with the hot syrup. 
5. Sprinkle on black sesame and serve.

Japanese Pumpkin and Ground Meat Recipe(Kabocha to hiki-niku no Nimono)

Here's a really simple and tasty pumpkin and ground meat recipe. Kabocha to hiki-niku no Nimono(かぼちゃとひき肉の煮物) is a common and healthy side dish at Japanese tables, especially in fall. Japanese pumpkins or squash are small, green, and quite hard. They're really challenging to make a Jack-O-Lantern out of, let me tell you. But they're also delicious. The flesh is yellow or orange. Leave some of the peel on if it's not too hard. This recipe can be used with ground beef, pork, or chicken, whichever you choose. You can also add finely chopped green onion to the meat if you like. The result is a sweet and savory dish. The leftover sauce is great over rice and eat with a spoon.

Serves 5-6       301 cal./serving

Ingredients:

• 2 lb(1kg) Japanese pumpkin/winter squash(kabocha)
• 1/2 lb (225g) ground beef, chicken, or pork
• 5 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Cut open pumpkin and clean out the middle seeds and fibers and discard. Cut pumpkin into large, bite sized chunks. It's ok to leave some peel.
2. Lightly brown the ground meat in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and just a little oil over medium heat.
3. Add pumpkin and gently mix with ground meat. Then add 1-1/4 cups water, salt, soy sauce, and sugar.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer with lid for about 10 minutes until pumpkin is soft.