Sukiyaki

Steve gave me Betty Crocker's International Cookbook the Christmas before we were married. I love this book, it has so many fun easy recipes and it worked great when my kids were in school and needed food for a country they were studying.

In Japan's early history, when peasants were forbidden to eat meat, savvy farmers quickly cooked on the spot what game they could find. Suki means hoe - the trademark of the Japanese peasant; yaki means to broil. According to legend, the farmers used their metals hoes as skillets!

Our only complaint is that it seemed too salty. This isn't the first time we have made this but I don't remember that complaint so it just might be the brand of soy sauce that we have, it is what we usually buy. I think that I will buy the lite soy sauce, it is supposed to have 50% less salt.

1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
1/2 cup hot water
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1 pound beef tenderloin or boneless sirloin,* 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 stalks celery, cut diagonally into 1/4-inch slices
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/8-inch slices
1 bunch green onions, cut diagonally into 2-inch pieces
8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1 can (about 8 1/2 ounces) bamboo shoots, drained
4 ounces spinach, stems removes (4 cups)
Hot cooked rice

Dissolve bouillon in hot water; stir in soy sauce and sugar. Reserve. Cut beef into 1/8-inch slices. (For ease in cutting, partially freeze beef about 1 hour.) Heat oil in 12-inch skillet until hot. Place half each of the celery, carrots, green onions, mushrooms and bamboo shoots in separate areas in skillet. Pour half the reserved soy sauce mixture into skillet.

Simmer uncovered until vegetables are crisp-tender, turning vegetables carefully, 8 to 10 minutes. Push vegetables to side of skillet; add half each of the beef and spinach. Cook beef to desired doneness about 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining vegetables and beef. Serve from skillet with rice and additional soy sauce.

*1 large whole chicken breast (1 pound), boned and skinned, can be substituted for the beef. (For ease in cutting, partially freeze chicken about 1 1/2 hours.)

Tempura

Recipe from Betty Crocker's International Cookbook. Tempura - an assortment of fish and vegetables dipped in batter, fried and served with a special sauce. Do not let the long list of ingredients discourage you from trying Tempura; select, according to personal preference and recipe instructions, those that most appeal to your taste.

We were supposed to eat this last night but elk hunting got in the way so we enjoyed it tonight. We ate Sukiyaki as well as Tempura. I prepared the Sukiyaki and brought it to the table, while we were eating we cooked our shrimp and vegetables. When Steve blessed the food he asked that we would all be safe around the dinner table and we had no mishaps. We also added two vegetables that were not on the list, zucchini and yellow squash.

Shrimp with tails, shelled and deveined
Scallops, cut into halves
Fish fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup 1-inch pieces asparagus
1 cup 1/4-inch slices carrots or celery
1 1/2 cups cauliflowerets
1 1/2 cusps 2 x 1/4-inch eggplant sticks
1 cup 2-inch pieces green beans, partially cooked
1 cup 2-inch pieces green onions
1 green pepper, cut into 1/4-inch rings
1 medium onion, sliced and separated into rings
1 bunch parsley
1 cup pea pods
1 sweet potato, cut into 1/8-inch slices
Vegetable oil
Tempura Batter (below)
Tempura Sauce (below)

Choose 1 pound seafood (about 4 ounces per person). If servicing shrimp, make several crosswise slits on undersides to prevent curling. Choose 3 or 4 vegetables from selection above. Pat seafood and vegetables dry; arrange attractively on platter. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

Heat oil (1 to 1 1/2 inches) in wok to 360 degrees. Prepare Tempura Batter. Dip seafood and vegetables into batter with tongs, fork or chopsticks; allow excess batter to drip into bowl. Fry a few pieces at a time until golden brown, turning once, 2 to 3 minutes.

Drain. Serve with Tempura Sauce.

Tempura Batter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup cold water
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients with fork just until blended. Batter will be thin and slightly lumpy.

Tempura Sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
1/4 soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

Heat all ingredients until hot. Serve in small individual bowls.