D.K.'s Sushi Chronicles from Hawai'i: Recipes from Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar - Softcover

Kodama, Dave; Friedman, Bonnie

9781580089630: D.K.'s Sushi Chronicles from Hawai'i: Recipes from Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580089631 ISBN 13: 9781580089630

Publisher: Ten Speed Press, 2009

Fresh, innovative Japanese-inspired fare from one of Hawaii's most adventurous and renowned chefs.

In this collection of favorite dishes from his celebrated restaurant, chef D.K. Kodama teaches readers how to recreate exquisite Asian fusion cuisine in their own kitchens. His unique global approach masterfully blends Asian, Hawaiian, American, and European ingredients and techniques in dishes that are as visually spectacular as they are delicious.

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About the Author:

A native of O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, D. K. KODAMA spent more than a decade on the U.S. mainland and in Mexico and the Caribbean before returning to Hawai‘i and eventually opening the first Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar in March 1996. Now executive chef/owner overseeing three Sansei restaurants, he lives in Honolulu with his wife, Lori, and daughter, Brie Ann.

Introduction

THIS IS A BOOK about cutting-edge Japanese-inspired Pacific Rim cuisine. It's also a book about family, in the broadest and most embracing sense of that word. It is a book filled with recipes and stories. The force behind the food is a combination of my Japanese heritage, Hawai'i's incredible ethnic mix, and the flavors I've experienced in my travels. The resulting culinary style is unique. In Hawai'i, there is tremendous importance attached to family. It flows from the native and the Asian traditions-both deeply rooted in these Islands-which often find several generations living under one roof, a roof under which elders are revered. The word Sansei itself is a familial reference. It means "third generation," and I am just that: third generation Japanese in Hawai'i. It is in deference to my family traditions that I chose Sansei as the name for my restaurants-with a little help from sister Diane. It's time to finally give credit where credit is due: My sister Diane thought of the name Sansei!

The Kodama Family Comes to Hawai'i

My maternal great-grandfather, Rev. Takie Okumura, came to Honolulu in 1894 as a minister. He was already married to Katsu Ogawa, who joined him two years later. Four of their children were born in Japan; the youngest nine of their thirteen children-including my grandfather, Fuyuki-were born in Hawai'i.

During the outbreak of the black plague in December 1899, the city of Honolulu ordered the home of one of the victims to be burned in an attempt to stem the spread of the disease. The result of that order was the Great Chinatown Fire. And 3,500 Japanese immigrants living in Chinatown at that time lost everything they had. The epidemic and the fire impressed upon my great-grandfather the urgent need for a Japanese hospital. He quickly spearheaded the effort to establish the Japanese Benevolent Hospital in 1900. He was as good a fundraiser as he was a minister. After the United States entered World War II, the name of the hospital was changed to Kuakini Hospital. It eventually grew to become Kuakini Medical Center. Today, it is one of Honolulu's three largest hospitals.

Grandma Tsuwa (my paternal grandmother) came to Hawai'i in 1906 as a "picture bride." Her soon-to-be husband, Grandpa Kamejiro, had arrived from Hiroshima in the great wave of Japanese immigration to Hawai'i at the end of the nineteenth century. He was just sixteen years old. Like most others at that time, he was destined for one of the Islands' sugar plantations, in his case, the one in P�'ia, Maui. Plantation life, it turned out, was not for him. Just two years after he arrived, he and a partner opened a retail store-which promptly failed. Shortly after his marriage to Grandma, he opened his own business, Kodama's Store, a retail vegetable outlet. This time, he achieved success.

My dad, Tamateru (Tama), was the youngest of four children. As my mom says, "He's typical samurai." He studied civil engineering at the University of Hawai'i from 1947 to 1952. In characteristic steadfast immigrant style, he worked as a licensed civil engineer in the construction industry for fifty years, providing a loving and comfortable home for his family. He retired in 2000. Retired, in Dad's case, is not synonymous with "gone fishing." He helps out at Sansei Seafood Restaurant & Sushi Bar Honolulu almost every day as well as at special events.

My mom, Sandy-aka Mama Kodama, or just Mom-was born in New York City. It was there that her Maui-born mother, Yukie, met her Honolulu-born father, Fuyuki. When Fuyuki's bookstore failed during the depression, Fuyuki and Yukie Okumura brought their young son and daughter back home to Honolulu.

Sandy and Tama were married in 1953 and had six children and now have eleven grandchildren. I figure in the middle of the brood. My mom says that Grandma Tsuwa, who lived with us for twenty-six years, was the culinary influence on our family. But there was good cookin' on Mom's side, too. According to Mom, her maternal grandmother was a wonderful cook, with a big copper pot on the stove all day holding stock to which bones were added constantly. Her paternal grandmother ran a cooking school in the late 1890s. It supplemented the family income but was mainly to teach young Japanese women how to make traditional foods, which were unavailable in Hawai'i markets.

As good a cook as Grandma Tsuwa was, though, everyone will tell you my mother is no slouch in the kitchen either. She works in the restaurant almost every single day. By day she's a prep cook, baker, and mom to the entire staff, and by night she is The Hostess with the Mostest. Mom can "work a room" like nobody's business! On Mother's Day 2001, I gave her a chef coat with Executive Mom embroidered on it. And on Christmas 2002, her "kids" at the restaurant gave her a spectacular quilt-each square handmade by a staff member. It hangs framed in the Honolulu restaurant dining room.

Mom says that one of the most important things she learned from Grandma Tsuwa was that you must educate your children's palates, and that's what she tried to do with her kids. She believes it's one of the reasons why all six are good cooks.

Following are some recipes from Mom and Grandma Tsuwa, with headnotes written by Mom. These dishes take me back to my childhood, and I remember again the delicious food that was put in front of me with such love and care. Close your eyes and imagine your own mother's or grandmother's kitchen.

Pork and Beans, Kodama-Style

Serves 2

Now it can be told: D.K. was Grandma Kodama's favorite. This was his favorite of her very simple, very American dishes.

1 pound ground beef

1 (24-ounce) can pork and beans

2 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup chopped green onion

In a pot over medium heat, stir-fry the beef until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the pork and beans, ketchup, and green onion and simmer over low heat 30 to 45 minutes, until the mixture comes to a low rolling boil. Mix well and serve. Introduction

Tuna Patties

Makes 8 patties

When the cupboard is bare, there's no easier meal, especially if you have a house full of hungry kids.

2 (6-ounce) cans tuna

1 small red onion, sliced

1 egg

1 tablespoon flour

Salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying

In a bowl, combine the tuna, onion, egg, flour, and salt and mix well. Form into 8 patties. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. In batches, fry the patties for about 2 minutes on each side, until both sides are golden brown. Serve.

Grandma Tsuwa's Ojiya

Serves 4

My mother-in-law's version of seasoned gruel, a family staple in our day. When any of the children showed the first signs of cold or flu, Grandma-and years later, I-would immediately make a batch of ojiya. We used canned clams because they were less expensive than the traditional Japanese hokkigai.

3/4 cup short-grain white rice, washed

1 (15-ounce) can mid-Atlantic cocktail clams with the juice

1 bunch chives, chopped into 1-inch-long pieces

2 tablespoons miso

2 eggs

Salt

Dash of hondashi

In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice, clams, and clam juice and stir to combine. Decrease the heat to medium. Simmer until the mixture thickens and most of the liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. Just before removing, add the chives, miso, eggs, salt to taste, and hondashi and stir until combined. Serve.

Fried String Beans

Serves 2

In our home, my husband always wanted a variety of dishes on the table. This was something a little different-and quick and easy-to do with a common vegetable.

1 pound string beans, sliced diagonally into 1Ž2-inch pieces

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt

1 egg

Rinse the beans in cold water. Drain, but do not dry. In a frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the beans to the pan; they should sizzle. Season with salt. Saut� the beans until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg to the beans and stir to scramble. Serve.

Grandma Tsuwa's Cabbage Tsukemono (Pickled Cabbage)

Serves 4

Every Japanese family has its own version of this dish. This one comes from my mother-in-law. You must always have pickled cabbage in the house.

1 whole cabbage, quartered

1/2 cup Hawaiian salt or other coarse salt (enough to make the cabbage squeak)

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup hot water

In a bowl, sprinkle the cabbage with the salt and sugar. Pour the hot water over the cabbage and cover with a heavy weight. Set aside for half a day. Turn the cabbage over several times after half a day and replace the weight. Let the cabbage soak for 24 hours at room temperature. Rinse the cabbage with fresh water and chop it into bite-size pieces. Serve with soy sauce.

Pickled Cucumbers

Serves 4

When you live in Hawai'i, you need to have a big potluck repertoire. This is a great one because you get a big yield out of a few inexpensive ingredients. It's also a staple of every Japanese home. Kochujang sauce is a Korean seasoning made from miso, honey, and chili pepper. You can buy the bottled sauce in any Asian market.

2 cucumbers, sliced into 1Ž4-inch-thick rounds

4 tablespoons sugar

1/4 cup vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon Kochujang sauce

1 teaspoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

In a bowl, place the cucumbers and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and mix well. Drain the cucumber, squeezing out any excess liquid. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Takuwan (Pickled Daikon)

Serves 4

Another staple of every Japanese home. We wouldn't think of going on a picnic or to a potluck without takuwan.

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup salt

1/4 teaspoon yellow food coloring

6 whole daikon, sliced into matchstick-size pieces

In a bowl, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, and food coloring to make a marinade. In another bowl, combine the daikon with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. It will keep for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

A Sansei Is Born

I was born and raised on O'ahu in a family pretty typical of second-generation Japanese in Hawai'i: hard-working parents and six kids happily living the simple Island life. I was following in my father's footsteps as a civil engineering major at the University of Hawai'i and working at a downtown restaurant when the bug bit. I started as a busboy, moved up to server, then bartender. Not only was it fun . . . I got paid, too! Pau hana (that's what we call "after work time" here in Hawai'i), the guys would get together and fantasize about how cool it would be to own a bar. That fantasy stuck in the back of my mind as a real possibility for me someday.

An opportunity to be a restaurant manager presented itself when friends Robert Peterson, Peter Chalman, and Jim Phelan opened a restaurant in Seattle. It meant moving away from home for the first time, and I accepted. In 1979, I became the first of my clan to venture off to the Mainland . . . and the glamorous restaurant business. I spent three years in Seattle. It was a lot of hard work and very long hours, but I learned a lot and really enjoyed it.

The next opportunity came when another friend, Jack Ichikawa, asked me to manage his restaurant in Aspen. I didn't even know where Aspen was, but I jumped at the chance anyway. During my ten years there, I must have worked at twenty different restaurants. I wanted to learn all I could about every aspect of the business. Off-seasons at the ski resort provided me with time to travel throughout the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean, where my "local boy" palate was introduced to a world of new flavors and culinary styles.

The culinary scene was exploding. Julie Murad-Weiss and Peter O'Grady, who owned Julie & Peter's Creative Catering, taught me classic and contemporary cooking techniques and exposed me to new and exotic products. After that, I worked for Casey Koffman, owner of the famous Takah Sushi Restaurant, who was very patient with me. Lucky for me, because it gave me the opportunity to learn from her amazing head sushi chef, Kenichi Kanada, or "Ken-san."

Well, you can take the local boy out of the Islands but you can't take the Islands out of the local boy, and so I returned to the place I love best. My first job back in Hawai'i was working with Katsuhiko Sato, "Sato-san," at a traditional sushi bar, where he not only refined my skills but also taught me new techniques, introduced me to new items, and explained it all in a way that was easy to understand. He combined patience with skill-the marks of a true mentor.

At about the same time, the Hawai'i Regional Cuisine movement was just starting to gather steam. Local chefs were creating food that was exciting, fresh, beautifully presented, and really tasty. I became inspired and wanted to incorporate some of their wonderfully nontraditional items into my sushi repertoire. I had a sushi bar "concession" at Bev and Joe Gannon's Hali'imaile General Store on Maui, and it was there that I started to experiment with my new-wave sushi. They made great product available to me. I also met Nobu Matsuhisa there, my sushi guru. I was so lucky to work at his side during a special dinner at the General Store and, subsequently, at many other culinary events.

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