SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2009 3www.rafu.com

Pho SureKellie Yum, manager of The Pho Shop in

the newly revitalized Little Tokyo Galleria, shows off one of the restaurant’s most popu-lar dishes, Bun Bo Tom. Pan fried marinated steak and charbroiled shrimp sit atop bundles of angel hair rice noodles with a host of veg-etables, drizzled with fi sh sauce and a hint of spice. Opened April 3, the Pho Shop features a menu of Vietnamese favorites, including pho (rice noodle soup), noodle dishes and a variety of fried rices. The Pho Shop is located on the ground fl oor of the mall at Third Street and Al-ameda, open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. A discount of 10 percent is offered to seniors. (213) 617-8533.

Somen Champuru(sautéed Angel hair noodles)

When friends visit unexpectedly this Somen Champuru is very easy to prepare and always a big hit.

Ingredients: (for 4 servings)4 bundles of Somen noodles (An-

gel hair noodles)green onion or nira (chives, scal-

lions): ½-1 bunch1 tbs of salad oilDashinomoto, soy sauce (as

enough to suit your taste)How to Make:1. In ample amount of boiling

water, add 1tsp oil and pinch of salt. This is to prevent somen from stick-ing together.

2. When water begins to boil add somen and small amount of cold water.

3. When it boils for a second time, remove from heat, drain in colander immediately and rinse under cold running water by rubbing noodles together. (Do not overcook because it will be stir fried later.) Pour salad oil lightly over somen.

4. Sauté somen on high heat with salad oil. Pour Dashinomoto and soy sauce to your taste.

5. Add chopped green onions at very end and turn off heat.

•There are many varieties to add to the above basic recipe adding any kind of fi sh, meats and vegetables,

with different kinds of sauce (catsup, curry powder, chili sauce, etc.). Cre-ate your own specialties and enjoy!

Yomogi (Fuchiba-Jushi) Porridge

(Yomogi [Mugwort] leaves rice porridge)

Word “Fuchiba” means the mug-wort leaves in Okinawan language. In Japan, they call “Yomogi.” Yomogi is a perennial herb, it has been widely used as medicine from olden times. Because its color and aroma are distinctive, its juice is extracted for drinking, or it is used to make mochiand castella (Japanese pound cake), or it used as an ingredient in vari-ous dishes. Mugwort is a ubiquitous weed and considered very healthy. In spring the young leaves are blanched and made into “ohitashi (marinate salad) or add to soup or rice. “Yomogi mochi” is a mixture of the chopped yomogi leaves which gives it a green

color and fl avor. Yomogi is also dried and used as moxa in moxibustion.

The word “Jushi” means rice porridge. There are two kinds of porridge in Ryukyuan cuisine. One is hard and the other is soft porridge. This “Fuchiba Jushi” belongs to the latter. In the classic version, rice is cooked in much more water than usual.

In Japan, when yomogi starts to sprout, it is a sign of spring. In Japa-nese culinary arts, they always enjoy seasonal ingredients to put the four seasons on their table every day.

Ingredients: (for 4 servings)1cup of rice 7 cups of chicken stock (or bonito

stock), if you use hondashi stock, add 1 tbs hondashi to water

1 bunch (2-4 oz) of Fuchiba (yo-mogi, mugwort leaves)

½ tbs of salt, 1 tbs of soy sauce¼ lb. of pork belly (optional), pre

boil the meat and when done cut into small bite size. Save stock.

How to Prepare:1. Wash rice and let it sit for ½

hour in bamboo sieves.2. Pinch off yomogi leaves from

stem and place in large mixing bowl and rinse well by rubbing the leaves with hands in ample water to rid of bitterness.

3. Use rice cooker and put all in-gredients into pot and cook. Follow the rice cooker’s directions.

Simple is the BestThis month I would like to focus on the theme “Simple is the Best!!” So I selected two

Okinawan cuisine recipes.Below, please fi nd how easy it is to prepare and so delicious. Enjoy!

—NANCY NIIJIMA

Somen Champuru

Pasadena’s Oba Sushi Izakaya gets it right where it counts the most.By JORDAN IKEDARAFU STAFF WRITER

Between my wife and I, we have been to a lot of sushi restaurants in Los Angeles. We’ve seen and eaten it all, from cheap places where the sushi is very Americanized and frankly, not even decent, to the me-dium-priced sushi bars whose fi sh rates between an “eh…” and “pretty good” to the top quality places that cost half a paycheck to afford.

We are pretty good food review-ers when working in tandem. I’m American, she’s Japanese, so we bring different palettes to the table. I enjoy all the unique and fl avorful fusion rolls that have become very popular here in the States, while she enjoys the freshness and subtle fl avors of top quality fi sh.

We’ve looked high and low for sashimi that meets her standards of Japanese quality. The only place we found cost us nearly $300.

In short, it takes a lot to impress her.

Of course, for me, it’s all worth it, because when she’s happy with a meal–I mean, downright happy–she rocks back and forth with a slight grin on her face.

After fi nishing our meal at Oba Sushi Izakaya in Pasa-dena, my wife got her sway on.

Nothing about the restau-rant, which will be celebrating its one-year anniversary as the calendar rolls into May, screams “best sushi in the world.” Oba is a little corner restaurant next to a gas station in a strip mall on Glenarm Street. Inside, there is nothing eye-popping or vibrant, more of a minimalist décor with earthy color tones and very few wall ornaments.

But what Oba may lack in ambi-ence, it more than makes up for in what’s really important about a great restaurant.

“Oba is about quality food,” said co-owner Alvie Betancourt. “I think this is the most unpretentious place that you will find serving quality food, and we run the gamut from families to young couples and every-one feels welcome. There is no high brow disposition here.”

Manager and co-owner Kunche named the restaurant after the spiky green leaf because she loves how it tastes. With twelve years of experi-ence under her apron, Kunche came up with a menu that serves traditional sushi and contemporary Japanese tapas. Izakaya, which means small plates, is similar to Spanish tapas. Pa-trons can order a variety of dishes and

spread the wealth around the table. My wife and I ate like royalty. We began our meal with some

seaweed salad ($3.50). Chilled and zesty, the vivid green marinated mixed seaweed over lettuce was a great way to begin our journey and was good enough that we were both tempted to get another helping.

Reminding ourselves that there was much more to eat, we resisted that temptation and instead tried

Oba’s shishito ($5), which are Japa-nese peppers (like jalepenos) topped with bonita fl akes. Unfortunately, the fi rst pepper I popped in my mouth sparked a wildfi re that quickly spread over every bud on my tongue. Eating the shishito should come with a warn-ing “try at your own risk” because every once in a while, you’ll end up with one that is atomic-hot.

The salmon garlic croquettes ($5), rounded deep fried panko-encrusted salmon mixed with potato, were soft and warm on the inside with a slight crunch. They came with a sweet sauce. The garlic in the dish makes it-self known, but is not overwhelming. While unique, the croquettes were admittedly a little bland. This was perhaps a side-effect of my atomic pepper, but I couldn’t help wishing for a little more fl avor.

Flavor, however, comes in bunch-es with many of Oba’s specialty rolls. With names like Mango Tango, Richie Rich and Chimpanzee, each roll we tried was both beautifully presented and equally tasty.

The Richie Rich Roll ($14.50), aptly the most expensive item on the menu, is made of spicy tuna, jalapeno, sweet sauce, garlic, tuna, yellowtail, avocado, lemon rind, chili and ponzu. Once it enters the mouth, it starts with a citrus gusto before the chili and jalapeno crash the party with a zesty surprise.

Being that the restaurant was named Oba, we certainly had to try the Oba Roll ($10.50). The Oba roll

has lettuce, yamagobo and jalapeno on the inside, oba leaves and house marinated beef on the outside, and a sweet and sour house sauce drizzled over everything. The initial taste is like a Thai spring roll with beef, and just as those fl avors are register-ing from tongue to brain, the oba leaf washes over everything leaving a gingery, lemony, minty aftertaste.

Delectably yummy. And while all of those

dishes I certainly enjoyed, the true star of the show was the sashimi. Fresh, without

smell and extremely beautiful. The sake (salmon) and maguro (tuna) slid across the tongue like butter. Texturally, the uni (sea urchin) was like biting into a cloud. And as for my two favorites, the hirame (hali-but) and hon hamachi (premium yellowtail), I would have to travel to the Tsukiji fi sh market in Tokyo to fi nd their equal. Just my humble opinion.

The best part, all of this goodness for under $70.

If ever there was a more appropri-ate name for a restaurant. Oba sushi might look ordinary on the outside, but the refreshing taste will linger with you.

Oba Sushi is located at 181 E. Glenarm St. in Pasadena. Lunch is Monday to Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner is Monday through Sunday, 5:30 to 10 p.m. Free parking in front and rear. For a complete menu, visit www.obasushi.com or call (626) 799-8543.

Photos by JORDAN IKEDA

Oba Sushi Izakaya co-owners Alvie Betancourt, standing, and Kunche, with sushi chef Alfonso Estrada.

Unexpected Gem

The star of our dinner was our sushi plate, with sake, maguro, uni, hirame and hon hamachi.

For the tart shell:2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted For the fi lling:1/4-ounce packet unfl avored gelatin1/4 cup cold water8-ounce bar cream cheese, softened3/4 cup sugar1 cup fat-free Greek-style yogurt1 teaspoon vanilla extract3/4 cup strawberry jamFresh strawberries

Heat the oven to 400 F.1. For the shell, in a medium bowl,

mix together the cookie crumbs and butter. Press into a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.

2. Bake for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until set. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

3. In a microwave-safe cup com-bine the gelatin and water. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the gelatin is dissolved. Microwave the gelatin for 30 seconds or until it boils.

4. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the yogurt, gelatin and vanilla.

5. In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the strawberry jam until mostly smooth. Add the jam to the cream cheese mixture and use a rubber spatula to just barely fold it in, stir-

ring only once or twice.6. Transfer the mixture to the

cooled tart shell, smoothing the top. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Serve with fresh straw-berries. Serves 8. –Associated Press

Whip Up an Almost No-Bake Cheesecake for Mother’s Day

Photos by MIK

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SS/Rafu Shimpo

FOOD& D I N I N GRESTAURANT REVIEW