Mitsuwa has many stores over the US, among which the nearest one is located in Costa Mesa. It's a very good place to shop Japanese rice, noodles, wine, sushi, and curry. Moreover, there are a couple of Japanese restaurants in it. Japanese food is famous for being expensive. The food in Mitsuwa is a little cheaper than other Japanese restaurants'.

Miyabi Goldzen

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Website: http://www.mitsuwa.com

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If you don't live in Irvine, find the nearest 99 Ranch Market by using their store locator:
http://www.99ranch.com/StoreLocator.asp

They also sell cooked or half cooked Chinese food, so you can serve your food faster. As a bonus, there are many Chinese restaurants (also Asian restaurants) near 99 Ranch Market:

• Sam Woo Restaurant (三和) (right by the 1st 99 Ranch Market in Irvine
• Irvine China Garden (弘城) (1 block away from the 2nd 99 Ranch Market in Irvine)
• SW Seafood & BBQ Restaurant (三禾) (by the 2nd 99 Ranch Market in Irvine)
• Chef Chen (馥園) (by the 2nd 99 Ranch Market in Irvine)

Ingredients (2-3 servings):

• 1.2 cups of jasmine rice
• 9.6 cups of water
• 1 lb sliced meat (chicken can be used directly, while pork or beef needs some advanced processing)
• 6 Chinese black mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tablespoons of cooking wine
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
• (optional) salt to taste
• (optional) green onions
• (optional) cilantro
• (optional) white pepper powders

Tools:

• a stove
• a pot with a lid
• a scoop
• a bowl for seasoning the meat

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The final result will be:

Ingredients (2 servings):

• 2 pairs of Chinese sausages (about 8oz)
• about 8oz of Chinese bacon
• some sliced shiitakes (black mushrooms)
• 0.8 cups of jasmine rice
• 0.4 cup of sweet rice
• 1.2 cups of water
• 4 slices of ginger
• 1 tablespoon of cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce

Tools:

• a rice cooker
• a knife for slicing the sausages and the bacon

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As far as I know, China Garden is the best Cantonese restaurant in Irvine. They serve authentic dim sum in the morning (up to early afternoon) and pretty good Cantonese dinner at night. Roughly each meal costs $15-$20 per person on average. It's worth the price.

See also:

• 99 Ranch Market 1 block away, a good place to shop Chinese food and Chinese food ingredients.

This is a typical Cantonese dish for celebrating Chinese New Year. In Chinese or Cantonese, the soup name is similar to the Cantonese idiom "發財就手", which means "the wealth is right by your hands" and expresses people's wish to be wealthy in the new year.

Ingredients (3-4 servings):

• 2 lbs pig hands
• 1 oz of hair weeds (black moss)
• 4 pieces of sliced ginger
• 8 Chinese black mushrooms
• 2.5 quarts of water
• salt to taste
• 4 teaspoons of vinegar (the Cantonese red vinegar is recommended)

Tools:

• a stove
• a pot with a lid
• a scoop

Directions:

1. Rinse the pig hands, hair weeds and the mushrooms.
2. Place the hair weeds and the mushrooms in a bowl of tap water for an hour.
3. Put the pig hands, the hair weeds, the mushrooms and the ginger into the pot. Add the 2.5 quarts of water in the pot. Cover the pot with the lid.
4. Turn up the stove until the water boils.
5. Stir the soup to prevent sticking on the bottom of the pot. Turn down the stove and cook for another 3 hours.
6. Add the salt to taste.
7. Serve with the vinegar on the side.

Don't be scared by these pictures. It's just a restaurant which has nothing to do with Chairman Mao. I thought the food would be of Hunan Province, which is Mao's hometown, and thus would be spicy. However, it's not spicy at all. Mao doesn't even pay our bill, although I would really appreciate it if he did.

In spite of that, it's a very good restaurant. The food is wonderfully tasty. I will definitely go to this restaurant again.

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Ingredients (2 servings):

• 1 lb of chicken wings
• 5 tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee teriyaki sauce
• 3 tablespoons of  cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup of cooking oil
• 1/2 cup of hot water

Tools:

• a knife
• a pot with a lid
• a cooking spatula
• a bowl (or a similar container) for mixing the wings with teriyaki sauce

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Ingredients (2-3 servings):

• 2 cups of jasmine rice
• 2 cups of water
• 1 lb ground beef
• 3 eggs
• (optional) a little cilantro
• 2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons of cooking wine
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Tools:

• a pot with a lid
• a stove
• a big bowl for stirring beef
• a cooking scoop

Procedure:

1. Put the ground beef into the big bowl. Add the grated ginger, the cooking oil and the cooking wine. Stir uniformly and then set aside.
2. Boil the water. At the same time rinse the rice.
3. Add the rice to the boiling water.
4. When the water boils again, stir the rice to prevent sticking on the bottom, then cover the pot.
5. 1 minute later, add the beef over the rice quickly and uniformly and cover the pot. Turn down (NOT OFF) the stove.
6. A few minutes later, when the water is almost all absorbed by the rice, open the eggs and add them into the pot. If you prepared the cilantro, add it, too.
7. Cover the pot. Turn the stove more down. Cook for 20 minutes.
8. Add the soy sauce, stir, and serve.

(No cilantro in the pictures)

See also:

• Unagi (freshwater eel) rice pot

Ingredients (1 serving):

• 1 cup of jasmine rice
• 1 cup of water
• about 6 oz of broiled unagi (can be bought from Mitsuwa, a Japanese market)
• (optional) some vegetables

Tools:

• a stove
• a pot with a lid
• a scoop or a spatula for stirring the rice

Directions:

1. Boil the water. At the same time rinse the rice.
2. Add the rice to the boiling water.
3. When the water boils again, stir to prevent sticking on the bottom. Then turn down (NOT OFF) the stove and cover the pot.
4. Slice the unagi.
5. A few minutes later, when the water is almost all absorbed by the rice, add the eels and vegetables over the rice.
6. Cover the pot. Turn the stove more down. Cook for 20 minutes and done.

See also:

• Beef and eggs rice pot

• Yaki-soba noodles with sauce base
• about 6 oz of vegetables
• 1/5 cup of cooking oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons of cooking wine
• 1/4 cup of hot water

Tools:

• a stove
• a pan
• a spatula
• a knife and a cutting board

Directions:

1. Chop and rinse the vegetables.
2. Heat the oil in the pan.
3. Add the minced garlic into the pan and stir.
4. Add the vegetables in the pan. Stir until half done.
5. Set the vegetables aside, but keep the oil in pan.
6. Add the hot water in the pan.
7. Add the Yaki-soba noodles and pan fry for 2-3 minutes, loosening noodles.
8. Add the half-done vegetables and sprinkle sauce base over noodles. Stir until vegetables are done. Then serve.

Ingredients (3-5 servings):

• 1.3 lb of chicken (thighs are recommended)
• 1 package of S&B Golden Curry (5-serving package)
• 8 oz of carrots
• 8 oz of potatoes
• 1 tablespoon of grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup of cooking oil
• 1/4 cup of cooking wine
• 2 cups of hot water

Tools:

• a stove
• a pot or a pan with a lid
• a spatula
• a knife and a cutting board

Directions:

1. Slice the chicken, the carrots and the potatoes.
2. Add the oil to the pot. Turn on the stove to heat the oil for 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the grated ginger and the minced garlic into the oil, stir them. Be careful, hot oil drops may jump out of the pot and hit you.
4. Put the chicken into the pot, stir them. Be careful, hot oil drops may jump out of the pot and hit you.
5. Add the cooking wine, keep stirring for 1 minute.
6. Add the carrots and the potatoes, keep stirring for 2 minutes.
7. Add the hot water, cover the pot and cook for 15 minutes.
8. Remove the lid of the pot and add the curry, stir.
9. Keep stirring for about 5 minutes. When the curry melts completely, turn off the stove and serve.

Tips:

• Besides carrots and potatoes, you can also add onions, mushrooms, or other vegetables.
• Serving with steamed jasmine rice is the best.

See also:

• Teriyaki chicken wings