Hijiki Chikuwa Nimono ひじき竹輪煮物

One more attempt to get out of our routine of hijiki nimono made with abura-age. This time with chikuwa. Our last version was made with Satsuma-age fish cakes (recipe).

The major difference between chikuwa and Satsuma-age is that chikuwa is toasted while Satsuma-age is fried. This chikuwa comes from a popular brand called Kibun that is also sold outside of Japan.

After reconstituting the me-hijiki (bud hijiki).

30 grams hijiki
2 slices chikuwa (toasted fish cakes)
100 grams carrots, julienned

vegetable oil

broth:
2 Tbsp. sake
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. mirin
salt to taste

Rehydrate the hijiki in water for 5 minutes. Then quickly blanch in boiling water and strain. Julienne the carrots and cut the chikuwa into thin slices.

In a saute pan add a little bit of vegetable oil and cook the hijiki, chikuwa, and carrots until the carrots over medium heat until the carrots start to soften. Add the sake, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and salt to taste to the pan. Put a lid on the pan and simmer for about ten minutes or until the vegetables are cooked. Be careful to watch the pan so that the sauce does not evaporate completely. If the carrots do not soften, add a small amount of water or dashi and continue to cook.


Serve at room temperature. Will keep in the fridge for about five days.

Nori no Tsukudani - Soy Simmered Nori Topping for Rice

Growing up this condiment for rice was one of my favorite treats. A popular brand, Momoya, has a version called "Gohan Desu Yo" (literally, it's time for dinner). It's simply nori simmered in a sweet soy broth that is a thick paste, perfect for dolloping over a bowl of white rice.

Making this at home could not be any easier. And, if you are like me, chances are you have a pack of yaki nori in your cupboard that has started to lose its crispness. This is the recipe that everyone should have on hand after a night of sushi rolls.

5 sheets yakinori
4 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons sake
1 Tablespoon sugar

Tear the yakinori into small pieces. In a pot combine the soy sauce, sake, and sugar. Add the nori and allow to rest for a few minutes so the nori can soak in the sauce. Bring to a simmer. Continue to stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Be careful to keep the heat low so that it does not burn. Allow to cool in the pan and then store in a clean glass jar. This will keep for up to two weeks.

Simmered Hijiki Nimono ひじきの煮物

Hijiki is a dried sea vegetable that is always in our pantry. Simmered with some vegetables in a sweet soy broth it is a staple dish in our house, both on the table, and in obento. In this photo I used what we had in the house at the time, celery and carrots. But, other vegetables that are great in this dish include gobo, renkon, simmered soy beans, and pea pods.

30 grams hijiki
2 slices abura-age (thin, deep-fried tofu)

roughtly 100 grams each of julienned or thinly sliced vegetables:
carrots
celery
gobo
renkon
pea pods

or simmered soybeans

broth:
2 Tbsp. sake
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. mirin
salt to taste

Rehydrate the hijiki in water for 5 minutes. Then quickly blanch in boiling water and strain. The abura-age also needs to be blanched in boiling water to rid it of excess oil then sliced into julienne strips. Best to cut it in half once lengthwise before julienning.

In a saute pan simmer the hijiki and any vegetables (except for the pea pods) and cook until the vegetables start to soften. Then add the sake, sugar, soy sauce, mirin, and salt to taste to the pan. Put a lid on the pan and simmer for about ten minutes or until the vegetables are cooked. Be careful to watch the pan so that the sauce does not evaporate completely. Add the pea pods and cook for one to two minutes.


Serve at room temperature. Will keep in the fridge for about five days.

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.

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