Toshikoshi Soba Tsuyu Broth 蕎麦つゆ

Toshikoshi soba are buckwheat noodles traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve in many households throughout Japan. The long soba noodles have the significance of longevity and are part of the rituals associated with ushering in the New Year.

The soba tsuyu or soba broth can be purchased in bottles at most supermarkets now, even in America. It is an intense, slightly sweet soy broth. I prefer to make this at home as it is easy and will keep in the fridge for a long time, although we usually go through it in about a week.

This soba tsuyu comes from Kazunari Yanagihara.

Soba Tsuyu
3 Tbsp mirin
2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 cup soy sauce

Bring the mirin to a boil and then add the sugar and soy sauce. Stir until the sugar dissolves and then remove from the stove.

Allow to cool and it is ready to use.

When serving, cook the soba noodles, add your toppings and in a separate bowl make your soba sauce. I find it easier to dilute the soba tsuyu in hot water this way. In the past when I tried to put the soba tsuyu in the bowl with the noodles and dilute with hot water it is hard to control.

For toppings for this year's toshikoshi soba we served broiled chicken, spinach and shiitake mushrooms. The spinach and shiitake were cooked then marinated in a soy and mirin broth. Garnish with yuzu peel and shichimi tougarashi.

Best wishes for 2012. Japan has had one of its most trying years with the triple disaster in Tohoku. We are all hoping for a new start and for a better year this year.

Kombu and Enoki Tsukudani えのきと昆布佃煮

Tsukudani is a dish we often have in our fridge. As we are often making dashi from scratch we have kombu that can be recycled into a new dish. Tsukudani can be kombu simmered in a sweet soy sauce by itself, or you can add items like mushrooms to it.

For this version of Tsukudani, I have added some enoki mushrooms that I had on hand.

It is a bit intense in flavor so I always serve this with some rice. Start with reconstituted kombu, not dry kombu.

1/2 cup kombu, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup enoki, cut into small pieces (or shiitake)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sake
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp sugar

Bring the soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar to a boil and then add the kombu and enoki. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until most of the liquid dissipates.

Will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Sanma Sashimi 秋刀魚刺身

Sanma is perhaps most often eat salted and grilled whole. The bitter innards are considered a delicacy, especially when paired with a dry sake or glass of shochu. In our house though the preferred preparation with a truly fresh sanma is sashimi.

The kanji for sanma is autumn sword fish (秋刀魚). In season in the fall and resembling a shiny sword this fish is in season in the fall and winter.

Make two filets, and be sure to peel away the thin skin.

We love sanma with sesame oil and Maldon salt. When having it this way Shinji usually cuts the salmon into thin strips as in the photo and we'll either toss the sanma in the sesame oil and salt or just dip it in. If Shinji is making a sashimi platter then he'll cut the sanma into thicker slices and we'll have it with soy sauce and wasabi.

If you get the chance to try sanma as sashimi please try it. It is a very fishy fish.

Futomaki 太巻き

Who doesn't love futomaki? Sushi rolls stuffed with savory, and sometimes sweet fillings. I have long struggled to properly roll any makizushi (rolled sushi) unless they are temakizushi (the hand rolls). I have decided that I can no longer fear the futomaki and decided that practice makes perfect and the best way to learn is to just jump in and do my best.

Here is the first stab. Not great, but much better than I expected. And, definitely worth the time to put these together.

First, get your fillings in order, including cooking the rice. This is the time consuming part. Once you have everything in order, rolling is the easy part.

In back there is sweet tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet), cucumbers, sauteed Spam (from Minnesota!), braised spinach, and hoshi shiitake (dried shiitake) simmered in a sweet soy sauce.

I would have liked to included kampyo (dried gourd), sakura denbu (a sweet, pink colored flaked fish), and carrots simmered in the same sweet soy sauce as the hoshi shiitake, or Korean kimchi.

As for bamboo rollers, for me I found the larger one (30 cm x 30 cm) much easier to work with than the standard one. If it gets dirty, rinse in water and be sure to hang up to dry.

Add the rice to the nori, to the edge on the side closest to you and leaving about an inch on the far side. Then add the toppings and take a deep breath. It's time to roll.

Bring the edge of the roll closest to you to the far end and squeeze somewhat tight, but don't strangle the roll.

When slicing, use a wet towel to clean the knife after each slice. Also, don't cut it too thick or it will be hard to eat.

Lessons learned from my first attempt? Place the nori to the edge of the bamboo rolling meat closest to you. And squeeze a little bit harder (my rolls were too loose).

Carpe diem. Don't avoid the roll. It was good fun and I will continue to practice.

Quick & Easy Ankimo Monkfish Liver 鮟肝

Ankimo is often called foie gras of the sea. The liver of the monkfish resembles foie gras, without the fattiness. It's lighter in flavor and delicate on the palate. I am a big fan of foie gras so would never compare the two, but wanted to mention it here as this is how it is most often referred to. It's in season right now and is a great partner for sake or shochu.

Most Japanese monkfish liver is consumed at its harvest port so it’s very rare to find it in the market. Most monkfish liver in the market is imported from the USA or China. Monkfish liver from the USA is fresher than Chinese, and as a result the price is often double the price of Chinese monkfish liver.

It's very easy to cook at home, if you can get your hands on some.

First, remove the bloodline. Then salt the liver, let it sit for twenty minutes, and then remove the excess water. Sprinkle it with sake to rid it of its fishiness. Wrap it in aluminum foil in the shape of a sausage and tie up each end. Steam for twenty minutes. Cool it in ice water. Slice into thin slices. Serve with grated daikon radish and some citrus dressing and soy sauce. This is how the Japanese traditionally eat monkfish liver.

The photo is some ankimo we made recently. Shinji plated it with julienned myoga, kombu, daikon, and shiso.

The steamed monkfish liver can also be pan-seared with some olive oil like foie gras. This can then be served with a Western-style sauce.

Crunchy Cucumber and Takuan Furikake カリカリきゅうりとたくあんふりかけ

Crunchy cucumber and takuan soft-type furikake by Ohmoriya.

This is a fun furikake that I picked up recently. I was curious to try it after catching the words "kari kari" (crunchy) on the package. Ohmoriya also makes a kari kari furikake with umeboshi that I like.

True to its name, it is very crunchy. The pickled daikon (takuan) and cucumbers are a nice contrast to the soft rice. I am going to try this with fried rice. I think it will be nice with some pork. I think it may also be a nice touch to a hot and sour soup.

Other furikake posts:

Furikake Popcorn

Furikake Tasting (reviews a few furikake)

Shirasu Pasta しらすパスタ

Yesterday's post was on ikura pasta. We were so happy with having pasta and Japanese ingredients that our next version was shirasu pasta. Shirasu are tiny anchovies that have been quickly blanched in salt water. Usually we have it on a bowl or rice as shirasudon. Or, sometimes we'll grate some daikon to make daikon oroshi and add the shirasu to it.

This pasta was simply some angel hair pasta with shirasu and extra virgin olive oil. Again, easy, quick, and delicious.

I would have liked to have added some pickled takana leaves or nozawa if I had some on hand to add some color. But this was a spur of the moment throw together dish and it wasn't necessary. This dish went very nice with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

You may also want to consider making an uni pasta.

Ikura Pasta いくらパスタ

Italian and Japanese ingredients often make for the best fusion cuisine. Part of it must be the simplicity of the ingredients so when they are put together it is never too much on the palate. It is so popular that there are restaurants that do outstanding Japanese pastas like Basta Pasta NYC. 

One of the first things that I thought was the perfect combination of Italian and Japanese ingredients was mentaiko pasta. Spicy cod roe with pasta, usually angel hair, sometimes topped with butter, or mayonnaise. Really good and addictive.

When we have ikura in the house we usually have it over rice. But after a day or two of ikura donburi we get the craving for a change-up and putting it over tagliatelle seemed like a good idea. It was. To this I only added some good quality extra virgin olive oil. Simple and delicious. Life doesn't have to be complicated.

If you want to make uni pasta it is quite easy. Here are directions for an uni pasta we make quite often at home.

December Seasonal Japanese Seafood １２月旬の魚

I love seafood this time of year. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I met Shinji around New Year's and one of the first days we spent together he took me on a tour of Tsukiji Market (he was working as a buyer at Tsukiji then).

Some of our favorite seafood for sashimi include kinmedai (splendid alfonsino), hirame (olive flounder), kawahagi (thread-sail filefish), and kanburi (winter Japanese amberjack). Shinji loves kanburi so much that part of our honeymoon was spent trekking to one of the ports famous for harvesting winter buri and having it for breakfast. And, if the kawahagi is fresh, you can eat the liver raw - a real treat.

Wakasagi (Japanese smelt) is lovely when simply dredged in some flour and fried up. Eat it whole and serve it with some sake. We love to use ankou (monkfish) for nabe and to steam the ankimo (monkfish liver) in sake. Some say it is better than foie gras. Having studied at the French Culinary Institute and having a soft spot in my heart for French cuisine, I would have to say that I prefer foie gras, but that ankimo is a close second - and excellent with some sake or shochu.

Shijimi (corbicula clams) are best enjoyed in miso soup. Asari (littleneck clams) over pasta with simply extra virgin olive oil just can not be beat.

Shinji loves to grill hata hata (sailfin sandfish), especially if they are komochi (full of eggs). I have tried to come to like the hard eggs but it's an acquired taste. I love fish eggs of all kinds, but these are very hard and crunchy and surprisingly big in size.

Crab is in season this time of year - perhaps best enjoyed simply steamed. I love uni - as sashimi, sushi, or when I am craving some Western preparation I love to make uni pasta.

Finally, the photo above is of kinki (thornhead). This is an amazing fish when simply simmered (nitsuke). Tender, delicate, and sweet flesh that falls off the bone.

* If you click on the name of the fish in Japanese you will be able to see a photo of the fish.

December Japanese Seasonal Seafood

Akagarei – 赤鰈 flathead flounder (Hippoglossoides dubius)

Amadai – 赤甘鯛 tilefish (Branchiostegus japonicus)

Ankou– 鮟鱇monkfish (Lophiomus setigerus)

Asari – 浅利 littleneck clams (Ruditapes philippinarum)

Bora– 鯔flathead gray mullet (Mugil cephalus cephalus)

Buri– 鰤Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Fugu – 河豚 blowfish or puffer fish (Takifugu porphyreus)

Hata Hata – 鰰 sailfin sandfish (Arctoscopus japonicus)

Hirame – 鮃  olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

Honmaguro – 本鮪 bluefin tuna (Thunus thynnus)

Houbou – 魴 gurnard (Chelidonichthys spinosus)

Hoya – 海鞘 sea squirt (Halocynthia roretzi)

Inada–  イナダ young Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Kaki – 牡蠣 oyster (Crassostrea gigas)

Kanburi – 寒鰤 Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Kawahagi – 皮剥 thread-sail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer)

Kinki – 喜知次 thornhead (Sebastolobus macrochir)

Kinme – 金目 splendid alfonsino (Beryx splendens)

Kurumaebi – 車海老 Japanese tiger prawn (Penaeus (Melicertus) japonicus)

Madara – 真鱈 Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus)

Makarei – 真鰈 littlemouth flounder (Pleuronectes yokohamae)

Managatsuo – 真名鰹 silver pomfret (Pampus punctatissimus)

Madara shirako – 白子 milt from Pacific cod

Mebaru – 目張 rockfish (Sebastes inermis)

Meji maguro – young maguro  

Mizudako – 水蛸 North Pacific giant octopus (Octopus dofleini)

Mutsu – むつ gnomefish (Scombrops boops)

Namako – 生子 sea cucumber (Stichopus japonica)

Nametagarei – 婆鰈 slime flounder (MIicrostomus achne)

Saba– 鯖 Pacific mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

Sakuraebi – 桜蝦  sakura shrimp (Sergia lucens)

Sawara – 鰆  Japanese Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius)

Sazae – 栄螺 horned turban shell (Turbo cornutus)

Shijimi – 大和蜆 corbicula clams (Corbicula japonica)

Sukesoutara – 介党鱈   Alaska pollack (Theragra chalcogramma)

Suzuki – 鱸  Japanese sea perch (Lateolabrax japonicus)

Uni –  sea urchin

Wakasagi– 若細魚 Japanese smelt (Hypomesus nipponensis)

Warasa– 鰤Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Zuwaigani – 頭矮蟹 snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio)

Basic Miso Soup - Lessons from Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga

Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari is sharing with us lessons on how to make miso soup. This recipe first appeared on the Lohas website and Lohas has given us permission to translate this into English.

Miso Soup
10 minutes preparation time
127 calories

Miso Soup Ingredients (Serves four)

900 ml dashi (click here for Nonaga-san's dashi recipe)
60 grams miso
1 block tofu
1 onion
shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) - optional

Put 900 ml dashi in a soup pot.

Peel and cut the onion. First cut into half and then into quarters. Then cut into thin slivers.

Key point: when cutting into quarters, cut from the outside (as shown in the first photo). When cutting into thin slivers, cut from the inside of the onion (as shown in the second photo).

Most important is to cut the onion into equal widths as it will cook evenly.

Cut the tofu into bite size pieces.

Key point: place the tofu in your hand and let the weight of the knife cut the tofu. If done properly you will not cut yourself. If you pull or push the knife you may cut your hand. (Yukari's note - tofu is much easier to manage if you can learn to cut it while holding it in your hand.)

Add the onions to the dashi and turn on the heat.

Key point: only turn on the heat after adding the onions. If you turn on the heat before now you may become anxious as you are cutting the onions or tofu and may lose your concentration.

Bring the dashi to a boil and when the onions are half translucent lower the heat to medium high. Add the tofu slowly to the pot.

Let the pot come to a boil and after the tofu is warmed up and the onions are soft, turn off the heat. Add the miso by either using a miso koshi (a miso strainer) or by mixing it in as the photo above shows. Put some dashi in a large spoon and dissolve the miso into the dashi using your chopsticks.

Key point: add the miso only after turning off the heat. If you add the miso while the pot is still cooking you will lose some of the delicate aromas and flavor of the miso.

You can garnish the miso soup with some shichimi togarashi if you would like.

Yukari's note: once you have mastered this soup, you can do many different variations by using different vegetables or including sea vegetables. Some options include potatoes, carrots, daikon, cabbage, wakame, and abura-age (deep-fried tofu).

Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga on cooking Japanese rice.
Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga on making Japanese dashi.

Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga was 2002 Champion of the original Japanese Iron Chef program. He can most often be found behind the counter at Nihonbashi Yukari. A third generation kaiseki restaurant in Nihonbashi, just minutes from Tokyo station's Yaesu exit (and also around the corner from Nihonbashi Takashimaya).

Wafu Vinaigrette - Japanese Salad Dressing

We have stopped using bottled salad dressings in our home and make a quick vinaigrette with each salad. As I like to put sea vegetables on our salads, usually wakame, I tend to make Japanese style dressings. Most often just a little bit of soy sauce with rice wine vinegar and some sesame oil. If I am not rushed, I love to put a tiny bit of miso in as well, which adds umami (but be careful not to use too much as it can quickly get salty).

Basic Wafu Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. salad oil
2 Tbsp. sesame oil

To this you can add shredded shiso, toasted sesame seeds, grated ginger, chopped garlic, or yuzu peel.

This product by Marukome Miso is miso with dashi in a bottle, ekitai (liquid) miso 液体味噌. Unlike traditional miso which is a paste, this is a thick liquid. I love using this for not only miso soups, but also for salad dressings.

Basic Miso Dressing

2 Tbsp. ekitai miso

3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

3 Tbsp. salad oil

Spinach Ohitashi ほうれん草のおひたし

One of the very first Japanese dishes I came to love as a child was ohitashi. Blanched greens, usually spinach, topped with a bit of soy sauce and sesame oil. Growing up in Minnesota we didn't have access to too many authentic Japanese ingredients but spinach was something we could find.

Any leafy, green vegetable will work for this dish. Most often we use spinach but try it on other greens you find at the supermarket.

Spinach Ohitashi
1 bunch spinach

soy sauce
sesame oil

optional toppings:
katsuobushi
ground, toasted sesame seeds

Trim the base of the spinach stalk of the very tip. I prefer to keep the spinach together in each stalk until it is cooked. If the base of the stalk is very thick, then but it open from the bottom to help rid it of dirt when washing. Carefully wash the spinach.

Cook until the stems are tender in boiling, salted water. Shock in ice, cold water. Before squeezing of excess water, remove from the cold water and align the spinach so the tips are together. Squeeze carefully of excess water. Cut into bite size pieces, about two inches long, and put into a serving dish.

Drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce (to taste). Garnish with ground, toasted sesame seeds or katsuobushi (optional). Can be served cold or at room temperature. Will keep for two days in the fridge. This is a great dish for your bento.

November Seasonal Japanese Seafood

Autumn is a great time for Japanese seafood as a lot of the fish are rich with fat. This time of year we love sanma, both as sashimi, or simply salted and grilled. Katsuo done tataki-style, seared on the outside and rare on the inside, calls out for some shochu or nihonshu. And when it gets really cold, Shinji loves kanburi, or the winter buri (Japanese amberjack) rich with fat and as sashimi. 

This list of November seafood is short as I don't have a lot of time at the moment, but I do hope to update it later this month along with links to photo of the seafood.

Akagarei - flathead flounder (Hippoglossoides dubius)

Ara – rock cod (Nuphon spinosus)

Buri – Japanese amberjack (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Chidai – crimson sea bream (Evynnis japonica)

Ginsake – coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

Hamadai – ruby snapper (Etelis coruscans)

Hokke – arabesque greenling (Pleurogrammus azonus)

Katsuo – bonito or skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis)

Kawahagi – thread-sail filefish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer)

Kurigani – helmet crab (Telmessus cheiragonus)

Medai – Japanese butterfish (Hyperoglyphe japonica)

Mishima Okoze – Japanese stargazer (Uranoscopus japonicus)

Mizudako – North Pacific giant octopus (Octopus dofleini)

Sanma – Pacific saury (Cololabis saira)

Shishamo – Japanese longfin smelt (Spirinchus lanceolatus)

Yanaginomai – yellow-body rockfish (Sebastes steindachneri)

Japanese Rice - Lessons from Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga

Rice is a staple of the Japanese meal, yet how confident are you when it comes to washing, measuring, and cooking rice? Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga shares with us the proper way to rinse and cook Japanese rice. The results is rice with a gorgeous sheen and each grain cooked just right.

This information is translated from the Lohas website which has given us permission to put this in English.

Washing the rice.

In a large bowl place your rice and add a good amount of cold water (about three times the amount of water to rice). With your hands mix the rice in the water and discard the cloudy water. Repeat until the water rinses clear, usually about three or four times.

POINT: Use good water, but not too expensive. Filtered or tap water is fine.

If the rinsing water is clear, put the rice in a strainer for ten minutes to rest. This allows the water on the surface of the rice to be absorbed.

Put the rice into your rice cooker. Add water. The amount of water should be one part water to one part rice. The key point here is to measure the rice after the ten minute rest in the strainer, not the original measuring before rinsing.

(Yukari's note: When we tested this recipe at home, two cups dry rice measured to about two and a half cups after rinsing and resting for ten minutes. It made a huge difference in the rice after cooking, a big improvement. The rice was fluffy and tender. Also, it was much easier to get the rice out of our ceramic rice pot. Uusally, rice is stuck to the bottom of the pot.)

Cook your rice as you normally do, or by turning on your rice cooker.

(Yukari's note: At our home we cook our rice in a donabe or ceramic pot. I let the rice soak in the water for about an hour. Turn on the heat to high for nine or ten minutes. The key is to listen for the water boiling. Then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for twelve minutes. Then, I turn on the heat to high for one minute to try and make a nice crust on the bottom of the pot.)

You too will love this way of cooking Japanese rice, as taught to us by Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga.


You may also like this post on how to make dashi from Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga.

Japanese Supermarket Gotta Get - Tube Seasonings

About three or four nights a week, one of these tubes will find their way to our dinner table. On the top is neriume, then on the bottom from left to right is yuzu kosho, nama wasabi, karashi,  and yuzu kosho wasabi.

neriume - umeboshi paste

yuzu kosho - a salty and slightly spicy paste of yuzu, salt, and green tougarashi (pepper)

nama wasabi - fresh wasabi

karashi - Japanese mustard

yuzu kosho wasabi - a blend of wasabi and yuzu kosho

The neriume is used mostly for making salad dressings, mixed with some rice wine vinegar, a bit of soy sauce, and some sesame oil. It is also a nice garnish to some sashimi or steamed white fish.

I can't get enough of the yuzu kosho. We use it on everything from a garnish to pot au feu, oden stew, yakitori, and grilled fish. It can be added to any salad dressing. Most recently we had it with steamed potatoes from Hokkaido. We just mixed a bit of the yuzu kosho in with some mayonnaise as a dip for the hot potatoes.

The nama wasabi and yuzu kosho wasabi are used mostly for when we have sashimi.

And the karashi mostly for oden.

These can be found in supermarkets or even at 100 yen shops. Other flavors to be found include ground ginger, grated ginger, and momiji oroshi (grated daikon and dried red pepper). Many of these products are from the spice company, S&B, famous for its curry powder. 

These have become an essential part of our pantry. Convenient, delicious, and easy on the wallet.

Yukari Spring Rolls (Red Shiso & Ground Chicken)

I don't know what it is about harumaki (spring rolls) that I find so addictive. The crispy skins are definitely one reason I will make these. Another is that depending on the filling, it can be a quick and easy side dish to pull together at the last moment. This is also perhaps the one fall-back appetizer dish that I go to for most dinner parties.

This quick, easy, and delicious recipe is simply ground chicken and yukari (dried, red, shiso leaves). Another version I like to do that has similar flavors are fresh shiso leaves, umeboshi paste, and ground chicken. 

Two important tips to keep in mind. First, cook a small batch of the chicken and yukari mix in a pan to see if you are happy with the flavor. It is possible to add more yukari to the mix at this point if you prefer a stronger shiso flavor.

Second, as I am usually making this at the last minute, I can't be bothered with making a flour and water paste to seal the rolls shut. So I am careful to put the unsealed end down into the hot oil first so that it seals itself shut as it cooks. It works like a charm and saves time in the kitchen.

Chicken Shiso Spring Rolls

Makes eight

1 cup ground chicken
1 Tablespoon yukari
8 Tee Yih Jee spring roll wrappers
vegetable oil

Spread two tablespoons of chicken and yukari mix on one edge of the spring roll wrapper. Roll like a cigar and leave the unsealed edge face down.

Heat a small amount of oil in a large saute pan wide enough to hold the length of the spring rolls. Place the unsealed edge of the spring roll face down into the oil. Saute until light brown and chicken is thoroughly cooked through.

As the shiso brings a lot of flavor to the spring rolls these do not need a dipping sauce.

Nakamura-san's Wafu Curry 中村さんちの 和風ポークカレー

Japanese television is filled with cooking programs. Even daily variety programs often include a cooking segment. Asaichi on NHK (Japan's public broadcasting channel) is a program that I watch almost daily while having breakfast. Recently, a quick and easy wafu (Japanese-style) version of curry was shown so I replicated it at home. What makes it Japanese is its use of tsuyu, the flavors of the sweet soy broth are prevalent in the curry.

I was first attracted to the recipe because it uses curry powder and it makes a roux with flour and katakuriko (potato starch). It's quick and easy. Also, it uses no oil, so it appears to be a healthy version of curry. The original recipe has just pork and onions in the curry but I included steamed potatoes and carrots.

Here is the recipe in Japanese.

Nakamura-san's Wafu Curry
Serves four

200 grams thinly sliced pork belly
1 onion, julienned

500 ml water
500 ml men tsuyu (concentrated broth for noodles)
70 grams of Nakamura curry roux (recipe below)

optional garnish:
negi (leeks), julienned
raw egg


Nakamura curry roux
240 grams flour
50 grams curry powder (I like S&B)
50 grams katakuriko (potato starch)

In a pan roast the flour over medium high heat until it turns a light brown. Add the curry powder and katakuriko and roast over low heat and mix until combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool. This curry roux can be kept in a jar in the refrigerator for up to two months.

In a large saute pan combine the water and tsuyu. (When I first made this recipe I found the tsuyu to be a bit strong so maybe start with 300 ml of tsuyu to 500 ml of water and adjust later. It will be easier to add tsuyu later than it will be to water down the recipe.) Add the onions and pork and allow to simmer.

In a bowl combine 70 grams of the Nakamura curry roux with some of the liquid from the pan and make a slurry.

Bring the pot to a boil and add the slurry. When the sauce becomes thick turn off the heat. (Do taste it to see if you want to add more tsuyu or adjust with water.)

Serve with hot rice. Garnish with negi and a raw egg.

Japanese Dashi - Lessons from Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga

Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari has some great information on basic Japanese culinary skills online. Unfortunately, it is mostly in Japanese. I am translating it into English to share his wealth of knowledge. He is a great teacher and makes learning easy with his key points. I hope this helps others out there who want to learn more about Japanese cuisine. This comes from his post on Lohas.com, a Japanese website.

Dashi 101

Dashi is the basic building block for which many Japanese recipes are based upon. There are many types of dashi, such as a kombu (Japanese kelp) dashi that is strictly vegetarian, excellent for use in delicate dishes, or ago (tobiuo or flying fish) dashi that is more commonly found in the southern island of Kyushu. This dashi from chef Nonaga is the traditional dashi made from water, kombu, and katsuobushi (bonito flakes). Sometimes it is referred to as ichiban dashi (the first dashi). Niban dashi (or the second dashi) is a weaker version, made from the leftover kombu and katsuobushi from the first dashi, that is still flavorful enough to be used in some simmered dishes. Nothing goes to waste in the Japanese kitchen. Great care and attention is made to use each item to its fullest.

If you note the color of the dashi in the champagne glass you will see that it has some color to it, both from the kombu and the katsuobushi. Unfortunately you can not smell it or you would smell the minerality of the ocean and the smokiness of the bonito flakes.

1800 ml water

25 grams kombu

20 grams katsuobushi

Chef Nonaga suggests making a big batch of dashi and saving it in a pet bottle in the fridge. It will keep for up to three days.

Rinse the kombu in water. Add to cold water in a pot.

POINT - add the kombu to the water before you turn on the heat.

Turn on the heat to medium low until 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). It will take about ten minutes to get to temperature.

At this temperature the rich flavor of the kombu is released into the water.

The top photo shows water at 60 degrees C (140 degrees F). The bottom photo shows water at 75 degrees C (167 degrees F).

POINT: At 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) the color and umami from the kombu comes out. You will see the color of the water change and if you look carefully you can see tiny bubbles from the cut edge of the kombu releasing its natural umami into the water. Keep the water between 60 degrees C (140 degrees F) and 75 degrees C (167 degrees F).

Let the kombu simmer in the water for about 25 to 30 minutes and then taste the water to confirm you are getting a nice taste of the kombu. Then quickly raise the heat to 90 degrees C (194 degrees F) and remove the kombu. Before it comes to a boil, turn off the heat and add the katsuobushi.

POINT: At 95 degrees C (203 degrees F) the dashi may lose its aroma and bitterness may come from the katsuobushi. So be careful not to let it get this hot.

The katsuobushi will start to settle to the bottom of the pan. Once it has settled then strain using a cheesecloth.

POINT: You can squeeze the katsuobushi,  but at ryotei they do not squeeze the katsuobushi but the flavor is released naturally from gravity as it settles in the water.



You may also like this post on how to rinse and cook Japanese rice by Iron Chef Kimio Nonaga.