I thought I had posted this previously but when I went to find the link for a friend I discovered that I had, in fact, NOT posted this here at all. It's a crime, really. The world needs to know about this bread. I learned how to make it from my Mom ... I think there is a story about how she learned to make it but I can't remember it right now.
Mom ... is there a story ?
All you need for this is ... some yummy bread.
I usually use a french stick but that
wasn't available this time so I
used a loaf and man
was it good !
We will
use
it
from
now on ! As
well, you will need
heaps and heaps of garlic.
Seriously ... heaps and heaps and heaps.
Also ... olive oil, and butter. I used both but you
could use one or the other ... it's totally up to you and your
taste buds. So ... chop up your garlic. Then heat your butter/oil in
a small fry pan. Cook up the garlic til it's a soft brown. Don't burn it.
Pour the butter/oil and the garlic onto the bread that you have
chopped into big fat chunks and placed on a baking tray.
Put the tray into a pre-heated oven. I think I had it
on about 180 since I'd just pulled the lasagnas
out. You don't need to leave it in too
long. Just long enough to make
the bread go a bit crunchy
on the outside and
warm on the
inside !!
mmm, mmm, goood !
you can see we
don't put as much
garlic on the kids as we
do on ours. they pick it off
and we figure ... no use wasting
good garlic when we could be eating
it ourselves !! when you are ready
to eat the bread, get your fork
and push the garlic and
yummy butter bits
down into the
bread !!
There is indeed a story! We first had garlic bread this way at Ninnikuya, in Ebisu. Ninniku is the Japanese word for garlic, ya....well in this case it means restaruant! And Ebisu is in Tokyo. Everything in this restaurant is cooked with garlic. If you go to their web site you read that they don't take reservations. That has not changed since the 90's, when we were there! There is always a long wait to get in. The kitchen is across a counter (where if you are lucky you can sit and eat and watch them cook the whole evening....) that is right inside the front door. While you are waiting for your table you inch your way right past the entire kitchen...what a heavenly wait! I learned how to make every single dish I ate there! Those who weren't taking free cooking classes while they waited were in olfactory heaven, as the perfume of the cooking garlic was pratically a visible cloud! It is so easy, and delicious, and if you make it using a long loaf (cut into quarters of fifths so they are 3 of 4 inches tall), such an inpressive presentation, you will never want to serve garlic bread any other way! And, just so you know, in Japan, you would of course push the garlic down into the bread with your chopsticks!
ReplyDeleteI KNEW there was a story !!! :) I have it in writing now, never to be forgotten again !! And how come I never went to this restaurant ?! I think I need to make a trip to Tokyo now just to go there !! ha.
ReplyDeleteSo ... maybe this post needs to be retitled ... Chunky Japanese Garlic Bread ?!?!
If you get to Tokyo before we can go together, you just get off the subway at Ebisu and follow your nose. Truly, you can smell the place 2 blocks away! You never went because it was a whole evening event, and was pricey, but I guarantee you ate everything I did, cause I learned to make it all! Do you remember the deep fried garlic eggplant? That was my other favorite dish from there.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I do remember the deep fried garlic eggplant ... hmm, I'm thinking maybe these Ninnikuya recipes need to make their way onto this blog !!!
ReplyDeleteNow this is my kind of Garlic Bread!!!
ReplyDeleteMom did an excellent job of storytelling about Ninnikuya. All I have to add is that it was one of my favorite restaurants in Japan (and we had many), and an excellent excuse for a train ride to Tokyo!
ReplyDeleteIt runs in my mind we discovered this place soon after arrival in Japan, and we were still trying to communicate with people in Spanish rather than Japanese and there was a waiter from Ecuador, if memory serves, who could speak to us in Espanol...
How about "Garlic Bread a la Ninnikuya"?
Ha ha love that story...and would love to hop on a train and make a stop at Ninnikuya!
ReplyDeleteI made this for the first time last night. they were a big hit (in the sense that there were NO leftovers at ALL!). yummmmmmm.
ReplyDeletegotta love it when there are NO leftovers at all !!! it's not really that great leftover anyway ...
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I was just reading what I wrote nearly three years ago, and it is what I was going to write just now. I had forgotten what I had written.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, this stuff is great. We need to have it again soon.