japanese fried aubergine (agedashi hasu)

We had this Japanese staple at Tanuki in Auckland the other day. I can’t think of a better preparation of eggplant on its own.

2 medium aubergine
120 ml dashi
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
2 tsp caster sugar
1 spring onion finely chopped
2 tsp grated ginger

If using medium aubergine slice them across into 25mm slices and score one flesh side in a pie pattern to half the depth of the slice. If using Japanese (small) augergine cut into two pieces and, slice in half lengthwise and score the skin in a 10mm grid. These cuts help the augergine to cook fully. Salt and leave for 30 minutes, wipe dry.

Add the dashi, soy, mirin and sugar to a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Turn off the heat and put aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan or a shallow saucepan to 180C. The depth of oil should be at least half the thickness of augergine. The deeper the oil, the faster it will cook. Fry augergine pieces 2 minutes scored side down, then turn over and cook for 1 minute until the augergine is browned and very soft inside. Drain on paper towels. Pour sauce over, sprinkle with spring onion and ginger and serve.

If you feel that the augergine skin is a bit tough (this can happen when fried too long or the augergine is very large), soak the augergine in the dashi sauce, scored side down, before serving, for 30 minutes or more. Serves 4.

umeboshi rice

Umeboshi have a delicate sweet and sour fragrance, pairing perfectly with shiso. Try serving with onsen eggs or pan-fried white fish.

3 cups Japanese standard white rice
3 umeboshi (pickled Japanese plums)
4 large shiso leaves, finely chopped
2 tb sesame seeds, toasted

Prepare and put your rice in a rice cooker, with water, as normal. Add the umeboshi on top. Cook the rice. Allow the rice to sit in the cooker for 10 minutes and remove the umeboshi. Fold the rice over carefully with a rice paddle to release excess steam.

Extract the umeboshi stones and mince the flesh. Fold this, sesame seeds and shiso into the rice. Ready to serve or shape into nigiri. Enough for 4 servings.

onsen eggs in broth

Japanese breakfast eggs.

2 tb mirin
1/2 tb sugar
60 ml light soy sauce
180 ml dashi for cold broth (480 ml for hot broth)
4 onsen eggs at room temperature (see our other post)
spring onion, thinly sliced

Simmer mirin and sugar in a saucepan and add soy sauce. Chill in fridge. When ready to serve add the dashi.

Put the cold broth in 4 small bowls, put an egg in each and sprinkle with spring onion.

gyoza

1/2 won bok (chinese cabbage), finely sliced on a mandolin, salted with 1tb salt, stood, wrung dry by hand
1 kg pork mince (preferably pork pieces freshly shredded in a food processor)
1 1/2 tb ginger, minced
3 spring onions, minced
1 sachet Kayanoya vegetable stock powder
1 tb sesame oil
ground black pepper
1 packet of fresh round 8 cm pre-made Chinese dumpling wrappers, about 60 pieces

My Japanese neighbour Sumi kindly showed me how to do these.

Mix the first 7 ingredients together for the filling, check for seasoning. Proceed with forming your dumplings. Needless to say, the technique to actually making the dumpling packet cannot be described in words. Look for videos online or get someone to show you. Moisten only half the edge of the dumpling wrapper before closing. It isn’t too difficult 🙂

To cook straight away generously coat the bases of the dumplings with flour. Heat some canola oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Place the dumplings in the hot oil and move into position to make sure they haven’t immediately caught. Fill the pan with a cm of water, cover and reduce heat to medium. When the wrappers have turned transparent and the filling feels soft to touch remove the lid and turn up the heat to boil off the remaining water. At the end drizzle a little sesame oil over the pan. Scoop out with a thin spatula. Or, if you are game, put a large plate over the pan and upend the dumplings onto that; you serve them upside down. There should be a golden net of crispy flour and fat all over the bottom of the dumplings. Your dumpling bottoms must be crispy!

If cooking later, arrange them on wax paper on a plate and place uncovered in the freezer. Once frozen you can stack in a plastic container, separated by wax paper. The initial freeze will dry out the outer surface and they won’t stick together. Cook direct from frozen.

Serve with a dipping sauce of chilli oil, dark soya sauce and red wine vinegar.

Traditionally you can make these with chicken, beef, shitake or just the cabbage. There is a wacky world of contemporary dumpling fillings out there to explore too.

yakisoba noodles with egg

Japanese street food, for 3.

2 tb worcestershire sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 onion, thinly siced
1 carrot
4 cabbage leaves
2 spring onions
3 shiitake mushrooms
450 g yakisoba wheat noodles (precooked), loosened in hot water and drained
3 eggs, fried, sunny side up

Combine the first 5 ingredients to make the sauce, or buy pre-made. Generally cut vegetables into small bite-size pieces.

Stir-fry the vegetables quickly in oil, adding in the above order.

Add noodles then the sauce. Stir-fry briskly. Make sure the noodles don’t get soggy or stick. Serve into bowls and top with the fried egg.

Easy to add a little pork belly or fried tofu.

chicken kara-age

Crispy Japanese chicken. Delicious.

• 800 gr chicken (preferably deboned thigh)
• 3 tbsp light soy
• 6 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• potato starch, other starch or flour
• spring onion

Cut meat into large bite size pieces. Prepare marinade from two parts sake, 1 part soy sauce and grated ginger, let marinate for 30 minutes.

Dust meat with potato starch or other cooking starch. Fry or deep fry once in 170’C oil until light brown, rest on a wire rack or kitchen paper. Fry a second time until brown and crispy, serve immediately with very finely cut green parts of spring onion.

mince soboro

Tasty mince over white sticky rice with gooey eggs. The kids love this. Fast, simple and very tasty. You can use beef, chicken or pork. Serves 4.

• 250 g mince 
• 2 tbs sake
• 2 tbs mirin or 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbs good quality soy sauce
• handful of green parts of spring onions, chopped
• 4 onsen eggs

Gently fry mince in peanut oil without browning, add sake, mirin and soy. Cook until nearly dry. If using pork, add 1 cm of finely grated fresh ginger. Serve over sticky rice with spring onions, onsen eggs and some tsukemono.

In Japan, this is often served with scrambled eggs and steamed green vegetables.

cold cucumber kim chee

A fantastic Japanese / Korean tsukemono (pickle) that is eaten together with the refreshing pickling fluid. Good on a hot day with barbecued or spicy dishes. The original recipes says it is a good remedy for hangovers, too. I was not able to verify that.

Spajiro Spaghetti

Sami was craving for pasta in Tokyo and I very reluctantly went into a Japanese-Italian-Pasta-Fusion joint, Spajiro. This is a retro-engineered version of the very satisfying dish I had there that makes natto, the infamous fermented soy beans, accessible even for the sceptics. Serves two.

Kinpira

Another staple dish of Japanese izakaya “tapas” cuisine. Traditionally, this is made with gobo, a Japanese burdock root but works well with carrots, turnips and salsify. Easy and fast to make.