Recipes and Shopping List

Get Ready for Obon at Home!

Obon at Home is coming up quickly! Review each of the pages below to learn all the details about this weekend’s activities!

Obon in a Box

This box includes most ingredients you need for the familiar tastes of the MVBT Obon.  Use the ingredients as you wish, or follow the enclosed recipes to satisfy all your obon cravings!

Ingredients Included in the Box

Food Items:
  • 3 lbs of Ball Tip beef, pre cut into bite sized pieces
  • 6 Polish sausage and buns
  • 6 Ears of corn on the cob
  • 1 Package shredded cabbage
  • 1 Package flavored ramen
  • 1 Can of Spam
  • 1 Pack of nori
  • 2 Packages udon + soup base
Non food items:
  • 4 Bingo cards

Shopping List

These are the items not included in your box, but are required or suggested in the Obon in a Box recipes.  We are also listing OPTIONAL items such as toppings or garnish under each recipe section listed below.

  • 4-5 cups white rice
  • Green onions (1 bunch)
  • Ginger (small piece)
  • 2 whole chicken breasts (or equivalent)
  • Shoyu (soy sauce) – at least 3 cups
  • Granulated sugar
  • White vinegar
  • Sesame oil (1/4c)
  • Canola oil (1/4c)
  • Cooking sake
  • Mirin
  • Salt and Pepper
  • BBQ Skewers

Recipes

*Note: Recipes have been adjusted since last year.  Beef Teriyaki Marinade and Chicken Salad Dressing have been cut in half

Beef Teriyaki Skewers

optional items: Aloha Shoyu
INGREDIENTS:
  • 3 lbs Ball Tip beef, cut into 1 in cubes
  • 8” skewers
MARINADE:
  • 2 c. Shoyu (Aloha brand recommended)
  • 1.5 c. Sugar
  • 1 T. Mirin
  • 1 T. Sake
  • 1 T. Grated Ginger
  • 2 c. Water (If marinating overnight)
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Rinse beef under running water to remove any excess blood.
  2. Use 8” skewers for approximately 5 pieces of beef.
  3. If marinating overnight, place beef skewers in a marination container. Best to do a “cross hatch” pattern so that marinade gets to all pieces of meat. Pour marinade over the beef, then refrigerate overnight.
  4. If you’re in a rush, place your skewers in the full-strength marinade. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Turn. Then let sit for another 20 minutes.
  5. For medium cooked beef, grill or broil until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. 
  6. Let rest for at least 15 minutes in a covered tray or container.3

Corn on the Cob

optional items: butter, shoyu pepper (butter is best!)
INGREDIENTS:
  • 6 ears of corn, husks removed
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
  • Butter
  • Shoyu
  • Pepper
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil
  2. Drop corn in, boil for 3 minutes
  3. Remove corn, cool, top with desired toppings and ENJOY!

Chicken Salad

optional items: carrots and red cabbage for color
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 bag of shredded cabbage (or ½ head of cabbage, shredded)
  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 4-5 green onions, chopped but not bruised
  • 1 3.52 oz package of Nissin Ramen noodles – the ones that have the flavoring on the noodles, not in a separate packet.
DRESSING:
  • 3/4 cups of sugar
  • 1.5 tsp. black pepper, regular grind
  • 3/4 c white vinegar
  • 1/4 c. sesame oil
  • 1/2 c. canola oil
DIRECTIONS:
  1. Boil chicken breasts until cooked. Remove from water and let cool. Shred into big pieces with the grain of the meat. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Keep in large Ziplock bag in the fridge
  2. Make the dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a large jar and shake well to combine. Pour some in with the chicken and reseal the Ziplock bag, pushing most of the air out. Cover and chill the rest of the dressing.
  3. Shred your cabbage (Cathy recommends using mandolin) or empty your bag of cabbage into a bowl. Optionally add some finely grated carrots and sliced red cabbage just for color. Rinse in water. Drain and put into a large Tupperware bowl, cover and keep chilled.
  4. Wash and drain green onions and cut into thin round pieces (chopped but not bruised) keep in a sealed container
  5. Crush your ramen noodles in the bag
    When ready to serve, combine salad mix with the marinated chicken and enough dressing to moisten everything. Top with crushed flavored ramen noodles, toss and serve!

Polish Sausage

optional items: ketchup, relish, mustard, sauerkraut, jalapeno, kimchi, diced onions
INGREDIENTS:
  • Polish sausage
  • Steak rolls (lightly toasted or warmed)
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
  • Ketchup, Mustard, Relish, Sauerkraut, Jalapeno, Diced onions, Kimchi, Kewpie mayonnaise, furikake
DIRECTIONS:

These sausages are a combination of pork and beef and come fully cooked. They can be prepared just like you would cook any pre cooked hot dog.

Suggestions from Russ Nakano, former Polish Sausage booth chair:

I prefer grilling by charcoal or propane BBQ, but sliced up in a stir fry or casserole are also excellent choices. or even microwaved is okay. Since the sausages are big, preheated or lightly toasted steak rolls are a perfect match. My personal choice of condiments are ketchup, mustard, relish, diced onions and sauerkraut!

Spam Musubi

optional items: Spam musubi press mold
INGREDIENTS:
  • 1 can of SPAM
  • 4-5 cups of cooked, white short grain rice
  • 5 sheets of nori (seaweed)
  • 1 T vegetable oil for frying Spam

**Highly recommend acquiring a Spam musubi mold if you don’t already have one.  They typically come in SINGLE SIZE and DOUBLE SIZE

BASIC TERIYAKI MARINADE:

Equal parts shoyu and sugar, some ground ginger, splash of mirin and splash of sake

DIRECTIONS:
  1. Cook rice
  2. Slice Spam.  1 can should yield approximately 10 slices
  3. Prepare marinade by combining all ingredients together in a medium bowl and mixing until sugar is dissolved.
  4. Add Spam slices to the bowl and marinate for 5 minutes
  5. In a large skillet, heat 1 T oil over medium high heat. Cook the Spam slices for 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. 
  6. Cut nori sheets in half and lay on a flat work surface such as a large cutting board. 
  7. Assemble musubi:
    1. Place a Spam musubi press mold in the center of the sheet, and press around 1/4c rice tightly inside the mold. 
    2. Top with a slice of luncheon meat. 
    3. Top Spam with another 1/4c of rice and remove mold
    4. Wrap nori around rice mold, sealing edges with a small amount of water. (Rice may also be formed by hand in the shape of the Spam slices, 1 inch thick.) 

Udon

optional items: green onions, kamaboko, shiitake mushrooms, scrambled eggs
INGREDIENTS:
  • Udon noodles
  • Sauce Packet
  • Hot water
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:
  • Green onions
  • Kamaboko fish cake
  • Shiitake mushrooms
  • Scrambled eggs
DIRECTIONS:

Cook according to package instructions and add toppings of your choice!

Mountain View Buddhist Temple
575 N. Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA 94043

Learn More about MVBT at our main website: mvbuddhisttemple.org