Nobu Clear Soup with Chrysanthemum Petals

Nobu's newest cookbook on sushi (currently only in Japanese) includes some seasonal soups that are perfect for serving with sushi. We really loved the summer Red Miso Soup with Fruit Tomato. And I was so curious about his autumn soup as I've never seen anything like it. Petals from an edible chrysanthemum are plucked and served in a classic clear Japanese soup.

As soon as the flowers came into the market we picked up a packet. The flowers come in yellow or a lavender color. It was very easy to prepare and the soup was delicious. As Nobu writes in his recipe, chrysanthemum flowers are representative of autumn seasonal ingredients in Japan. And, as the Japanese eat with their eyes this is a dramatic presentation, and delicious as well.

Look for the NOBU Sushi Cookbook in English in 2013.

Nobu-Style Ceviche Sushi Bowl セビーチェのバラちらしずし

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Our newest cookbook is Nobu's Sushi Cookbook, currently only in Japanese but anticipating the English version next year.

As I am married to a fishmonger hardly a day goes by without seafood. If it is fresh we'll have it as sashimi, which is often the case. So, as you can imagine, we love perusing Nobu's cookbook as his recipes include classic sushi as well as original recipes that are so appealing.

We love the tang and spice from Nobu's ceviche sauce. It is not at all like any flavors we are used to in Japan when we think of sashimi or donburi. The ceviche sauce includes lemon and yuzu juice, minced garlic, ginger juice, aji amarillo chile paste, and more. I am blessed to have a Peruvian friend in Sydney who visited Tokyo and knew all about Nobu's chiles and sent me some. Here is the aji amarillo that we used for the ceviche sauce.

Sweet fruit tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and red onions add a nice contrast to the seafood  as well the bright cilantro. For sashimi we used flounder, salmon, tuna, and scallops. We couldn't find awabi and I am allergic to shrimp but those should also be included. What also makes this ceviche so simple is that the seafood is not marinated for a long time as traditional ceviches. We made a large batch of the ceviche marinade and used it as a dressing on thinly sliced tuna carpaccio topped with micro-greens and that also was a hit.

Look for Nobu's Sushi book in English this spring.

Nobu's Tomato and Miso Soup - NOBU フルーツトマト赤だし

Nobu's Tomato and Miso Soup

My newest cookbook is Nobu's Sushi Cookbook (in Japanese). The photos are gorgeous and  so detailed when it comes to making nigiri and roll sushi. The English version should be coming out this spring, so be sure to look out for it.

The first recipe we tried was perhaps the easiest, Tomato and Miso Soup. The tomato is from Kumamoto on the southern island of Kyushu. The miso is an aka dashi, made from soybeans that is slightly heady and intense. The sweetness and acidity from the tomato was perfectly balanced by the dark, red miso. It is simply garnished with hana hojiso, the flowers from the shiso plant, that adds a hint of shiso.

We were in a rush and didn't have time to make dashi from scratch so we used Marukome liquid miso (マルコメ液みそ　赤だし).  The liquid miso includes dashi so we cooked the tomato and then added the liquid miso diluted with some hot water. To the table in minutes.

And herein lies the brilliance of Nobu Matsuhisa. Simple ingredients combined for a winning dish. We had this for breakfast and it was so addictive that we made it for lunch. Had there been any more tomatoes in the refrigerator.

Also from his cookbook: Clear Soup with Chysanthemum Petals

NOBU no Sushi, in Japanese is available in bookstores throughout Japan. Look for the English version this spring around the world.