Cuts like a knife

So I've gone and done it -- I bought a Japanese knife. It's a deba bocho, to be exact, a knife carefully angled to cut fish, chicken and meat. I've been using it for the last week to slice leeks alarmingly thinly and sprinkle them on cold tofu. It's not the most inventive arrangement, I know, and probably insults the butcher. But work has been creeping into my kitchen time so it's the best I can do for the moment. This weekend, I'm planning to maul a chicken, so perhaps I'll be back in your good graces.

Even more scary than the knife is the stone that I'm supposed to use for sharpening. It looks innocent enough, a 1,000-grade rectangle, brick-like and sandy. The knife-selling man near Kappabashi Dori gave plain instructions. Soak the block for 10 minutes in water. Then take it out, place longways in front of you, and hold the knife at a 45-degree angle against the stone. Then push the knife away from you, one section at a time, until you're satisfied with the results. It's this last part that has me worried. I'm afraid I'm going to shave the thing down to a toothpick.

If I did it would be a one-sided toothpick. The thing is, this is a left-handed knife, so that the edge falls only on the left edge. The right side looks as plan as a sheet pan. Finally, after all these wooden spoons and butter knives crafted exclusively for the right-handed, I have a not-to-be-trifled-with tool that dresses left. It's about time.

But time has been my problem for the past few days, so I haven't had the chance to take the knife for a true plunge or to get the stone wet. Instead, I worked up a recipe that combines ideas from two of my favorite food-blog writers, Clotilde and Molly (or perhaps I should say, Brandon). Here's lunch, which takes as long to make as it takes to shred a carrot, and is a good midday break when you have to eat at your desk.
















2 to 3 carrots (I use one huge Asian carrot; sorry I don't have a scale), grated
1 can chick peas, rinsed
1/4 to 1/3 cup sliced green onion or young leek

For dressing, combine:
1 heaping soup-spoonful of good quality, natural peanut butter
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sushi rice vinegar (I believe in the states they call this 'seasoned,' which means it has some sugar in it)
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3 to 4 tablespoons warm water

Mix all dressing ingredients save for the water; use the water to thin out the dressing to your desired consistency. Combine all. Makes two servings.

Avocado and shredded cabbage would be wonderful additions; my cupboard was just a little bare. Still, it's nice to know you can make a healthy lunch with only two main ingredients and a left-handed knife.