JAPANESE TONJIRU RECIPE - PORK SOUP

Tonjiru is a tasty Japanese stew using pork, vegetables,  and miso paste. Traditionally pork is used however you could use chicken instead.

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 litre of homemade dashi stock or 1 litre of water and 1 tbsp of instant dashi granules
1 tbsp vegetable oil 

200g pork shoulder (thinly sliced) or pork belly
2 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine) - optional

300g  daikon (peeled and cut into bite size cubes)

100g carrots (peeled and cut into bite size cubes)

100g potato (peeled and cut into bite size cubes)
3-4 tbsp miso paste 
Scallions/ Spring onion (finely chopped to garnish)

Nanami togarashi (optional to taste)

Chilli oil (optional to taste)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. If you're using homemade dashi then click here to see how to make homemade dashi. You'll need to make a start on this first.
2. If you're using dashi granules then you'll need 1 litre of cold water and 1 tbsp of dashi granules. Set aside until point 5.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy based saucepan and fry the pork slices until browned on both sides.
4. Pour the sake over the meat and then add daikon, carrots and potatoes to the pork. Stir and continue to fry for a few minutes.
5. Pour the homemade dashi stock or 1 litre of cold water and 1 tbsp of dashi granules into the saucepan with the meat and vegetables until the vegetables are cooked (15-20 minutes).
6. When the water starts to boil skim the scum off the surface of the water.
7. When the vegetables are cooked lower the heat allowing the dashi to simmer only. 
8. Dilute the miso paste in a cup of dashi water taken from the saucepan. Then, add to the saucepan and mix all the ingredients. Do not allow to boil once the miso is added. 
9. Serve in a bowl sprinkled with nanami togarashi and a few drops of chilli oil. 
10. Garnish with spring onion. 

NOTES:

Click here to see my post on daikon and it's health benefits.

JAPANESE RAMEN COOKING EXPERIENCE WITH WAGAMAMA

A few weeks ago I was very fortunate to be part of a small group that was invited to a ramen cooking experience with Wagamama's head chef and trainer Juan Carlos Manteca. Juan has developed a great passion for Japanese food through his work in Wagamama's restaurants in Belfast, Cork and Dublin over the last 7 years. 

Juan started off with a very interesting presentation on ramen. Ramen was brought into Japan from China and over time has become one of the most loved dishes in Japan. Throughout Japan you'll find thousands of ramen restaurants (called ramen-ya). Japanese people believe that ramen making is like an art so each ramen-ya closely guards their secret ramen stock recipe and method of preparation. This art of ramen making is portrayed in a Japanese comedy film called "Tampopo" and an American film called "The Ramen Girl". 

Ramen is a noodle dish served in a flavoured soup with toppings such as bamboo shoots, boiled egg and seaweed. The four main categories of ramen include:

1. Shio - yellow coloured soup usually made from chicken stock

2. Tonkotsu - cloudy white coloured soup made from pork stock

3. Shoyu - clear brown soup made from chicken/vegetable stock and soya sauce

4. Miso -  miso paste mixed with one of the other flavoured stocks

After learning about ramen we got ready to start cooking in Wagamama's South King St kitchen in Dublin. We were each presented with our own Wagamama hat and apron. Juan explained that we'd have a ramen cook-off where each one of us would make our own ramen and then we'd rate each person's ramen.

It felt surreal to be at the other side of the counter as a chef rather than a customer. We had a quick tour around the kitchen and then started to make our own ramen. I made a salmon ramen with vegetables using pork stock (which Juan had been up the night before preparing) and miso paste.

Here's my Salmon Miso Ramen

My Wagamama pose which believe it or not was not a pose (I was tasting Wagamama's ramen stock)!

Wagamama's cooking experience has been enjoyed by the Irish Rugby team and the Irish Olympic team. I had so much fun with Juan and all the staff there. Thanks so much it's an experience that I'll always treasure.

Patrick Hanlon from RTE Food also attended this, click here to see his article on the ramen experience. 

View Wagamama's selection of ramen dishes at www.wagamama.ie.

Tonkatsu - Deep fried breaded pork chop

One of the main ingredients in this recipe is panko which is flaky breadcrumbs used in Japanese cooking. The biggest difference between panko and standard breadcrumbs is that panko doesn't contain the crust of the bread and the breadcrumbs are bigger in panko. Seemingly panko absorbs less oil than standard breadcrumbs!

You can get a packet of panko in most Asian supermarkets. If you can't easily source ready-made panko then you can easily make your own or just use standard breadcrumbs. To make panko just remove the crust from a few slices of white bread. Then tear the bread into small flake like pieces. Place on a baking tray in a low heated oven until the bread is completely dry but it shouldn't turn a golden brown colour. Then store in an airtight container.

Ingredients:

2 pork chops/ cutlets

Salt and pepper for seasoning
Flour for coating
1 egg, beaten

Panko (flaky breadcrumbs)

Rapeseed oil for frying

White cabbage (optional)

Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Cut the fat off the pork chops if you prefer not to eat the fat. 
2. Make small cuts all around the edge of the pork chops.
3. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. 
4. Coat the pork chops in flour (shaking off any excess flour).
5. Dip the pork chops in the beaten egg. 
6. Finally coat in panko (rub the panko gently onto the pork chops).
7. Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan to 170 degrees Celsius.
8. Place a bit of panko into the oil to check if the oil is hot enough. 
9. Gently place the breaded pork chop into the oil. Fry for a few minutes until the panko turns a nice golden brown colour and then turn the breaded pork chop and fry for a few more minutes.
10. Remove the pork chop from the oil and place on kitchen towel.
11. Cut the pork chop into bite size pieces while it's still hot. 
12. Serve on a bed of finely cut white cabbage and drizzle Bulldog Tonkatsu Sauce over the Tonkatsu.

How to eat:

To enjoy a complete Japanese tonkatsu meal experience serve with a bowl of Japanese rice, a bowl of Japanese miso soup and Japanese pickled vegetables.

Tips:

1. If you like a nice thick breadcrumb on the pork chop then after coating the pork chop in flour, egg and panko coat it in egg and panko again to get a double breadcrumb coating!
2. Breast of chicken goes really well in this recipe also!

Why not:

Serve with Japanese curry sauce rather than tonkatsu sauce.