This recipe is inspired from my Teppanyaki Be-the-Chef training at Benihana last month. Now that I've made chicken fried rice on a legitimate habachi grill at the restaurant, I've got the confidence to replicate the dish on my little 4 burner gas grill. Trust me, this dish is better than take out and can be served as a main course with the addition of chicken. The key to this rice is the integration of sesame oil, egg and day-old rice. I planned ahead and used a rice-cooker to cook the rice to peak fluffy perfection and stored it in … [Read more...]
Benihana Grilling Tips from Iron Chef Sakai
December 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment
It’s holiday time- a full month synonymous with festive parties and dining out. In fact, restaurateurs say that more families than ever are choosing table service over table setting. For years, one of our favorite family dining experiences is eating habachi style at Benihana restaurant. Last month I had the honor of training one-on-one and Be-the-Chef with head chef Rupak at Benihana's NYC midtown location. I learned the art of Teppanyaki cooking and all the celebrated tricks of the Benihana trade (including flipping shrimp tails into my … [Read more...]
Be the Chef at Benihana
November 11, 2013 By 10 Comments
For the past 4 years, every birthday has come with a mandate from my kids to celebrate their special day with a dinner at Benihana! Without hesitation, we’ve eagerly gone to midtown Manhattan to experience the excitement of hibachi-style cooking. Yes, we don the tall red Benihana chef hats. Yes, we watch wide-eyed (like it’s the first time) as the Master Chefs make onion volcanoes, toss shrimp tails into their hats, make eggs roll, and create beating hearts out of chicken fried rice. So, can you imagine how THRILLED I was this past … [Read more...]
Fried Rice
April 25, 2012 By 3 Comments
When it comes to my kids and eating, I can guarantee three items they’ll NEVER pass up: pizza, pasta and rice. As I’ve gotten more confident in my kitchen, I’ve taken more risks with these go-to meals. On pizza I’ve added homemade pesto sauce. To accompany pasta I’ve added peas and sautéed shrimp. And with rice I’ve added grilled fruits and nuts. So far, so good. However, even with this burst of “culinary creativity,” I’ve never once attempted Fried Rice. For some reason, I always felt like I couldn’t measure up--that dish was always … [Read more...]
