Cucumber, carrot & wakame (seaweed) salad

This is a refreshing Japanese salad with a pickled dressing that can be served on the side with other dishes. 

Ingredients:

1 cucumber

2 large carrots (peeled)

2 tbsp dried wakame seaweed

For the dressing

100ml rice vinegar

3 tsp sugar

Half tsp salt

Instructions:
1. Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a clean empty jam jar or a small lunch box. Secure with a lid and shake the dressing a few times to allow the sugar to dissolve into the rice vinegar. Set aside.

2. Place the dried wakame seaweed in water for about 10 minutes and then drain on kitchen towel.
 
3. Cut the cucumber in half. Use a tablespoon to take the seeds out of the middle of the cucumber. Slice the cucumber into bite size pieces.
 
4. Use a peeler or grater to finely slice the carrots.
 
5. Place all ingredients in a large salad bowl.


6. Pour the dressing over the ingredients and mix well. Leave in the fridge for 20 minutes before serving.

Edamame hummus

 
This recipe is a healthy lunchbox filler or an easy party food.

Ingredients:
200g edamame
1 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
Half tsp sesame oil
Half clove garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsp water
Freshly ground salt and pepper (to season)

You'll need:
Pestle and mortar
Blender

Instructions:
1. Toss the sesame seeds on a roasting tray and place in a pre-heated oven for about 5 minutes.

2. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the hot sesame seeds until most of the seeds are cracked and ground.

3. Place the frozen edamame in a saucepan of boiling water, reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes. Then drain.

4. Remove the edamame beans from the outer pod by using your fingers to gently squeeze the beans out of the pod. Remember you can't eat the outer pods!

5. Place all the cooked edamame beans, ground sesame seeds and the remaining ingredients in a blender and blitz until the texture is nice and creamy.

6. If you think the mixture is too dry then add a little more olive oil or water.

Tips:
- To add a little spice to this recipe add cayenne pepper or Japanese seven spice (nanami togarashi).
- This hummus goes really well with toasted pitta bread, carrot or celery sticks.

Homemade Vegetarian Furikake Recipe

During the Christmas holidays my friend came home from Japan with her three children and stayed with us for a few nights. On the first morning of their stay I asked the kids what they wanted for breakfast and they said rice and furikake!! Furikake is a mix of dry ingredients that Japanese people love to use to season rice. I didn't have any furikake in the house so I made this recipe with ingredients I had in the cupboard. You can buy furikake in Asian markets but I like to make my own as I can control the amount of salt and sugar and avoid MSG.

For this recipe, I'm using milled Irish dillisk which is made by an Irish company called Sea of Vitality. They have a great selection of seaweed products including the milled dillisk, ground kelp and a bread mix with seaweed.  I also use this milled dillisk for soups, stews and bread recipes. 

Ingredients:

8 tsp milled dillisk (dulse)

8 tsp black sesame seeds

8 tsp white sesame seeds

Freshly ground sea salt (to season)

Instructions:

1. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. 

2. Put in air tight container (e.g. empty jam jar).

3. It can be used as it is. Simply sprinkle over rice or add to other dishes/ salads.

Tips:

- You can use other dry ingredients for the furikake mix such as dry nori flakes, bonito flakes etc.

- Furikake can be sprinkled over a bowl of rice or onigiri (rice balls). It can also be mixed with breadcrumbs for coating fish and chicken.

Japanese street food recipe - chicken karaage

There are lots of festivals (known as matsuri) celebrated in Japan throughout the year and at each festival you'll find popular Japanese street food including takoyaki (grilled octopus balls), yakisoba (fried noodles), okonomiyaki (Japanese style pancake), ikayaki (fried squid) and chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken). At this time of year, the Obon festival takes place which is celebrated to honor the spirits of the dead. Here is my simple chicken karaage recipe to celebrate the Obon festival.

You can use chicken breast or chicken leg and thigh for this recipe. I prefer using chicken leg and thigh as it's much cheaper and tastier. Ask your butcher to remove the skin and bone and then just cut into bite size pieces.

Ingredients:
2 chicken leg and thigh or 2 chicken breast (boneless, skinless and cut into bite size pieces)
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp grated ginger
Potato starch or cornflour (to coat the chicken pieces)
Vegetable oil (for frying)
Black or white sesame seeds (optional to decorate)
Few wedges of lemon (optional to garnish)

Instructions:

1. Mix the sake, soy sauce and grated ginger in a medium size bowl. 
2. Put the chicken pieces in the marinade and stir to make sure the chicken pieces are evenly covered in the marinade. 
3. Leave in the fridge for about 20 minutes or a few hours (the longer the chicken is left in the marinade the tastier and more tender the meat will be). 
4. Drain the marinade from the chicken pieces and pat with kitchen towel to remove the excess marinade.
5. Place the potato starch or corn flour on a large plate and generously coat the chicken pieces.
6. Heat the oil to 170 degrees Celsius and fry for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and a nice golden brown colour. 
7. Arrange the chicken pieces on kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.
8. Serve with lemon wedges, wasabi mayo or sesame seeds.

TIPS:
- If you like you can leave the skin on the chicken pieces.
- To check the oil temp drop a bit of potato starch into the saucepan if it drops to the bottom and immediately rises then the oil is hot enough. If you notice that the chicken pieces are starting to brown too fast then the oil temp is probably too hot.
- Do not overcrowd the saucepan or the temp of the oil will reduce.

OTHER INFO:

- Check to see what Japanese festivals are in your area every year to get a chance to try Japanese street food. There is a Hanami festival in Dublin every year with a great selection of Japanese street food. Click here for more details.

JAPANESE RECIPE: MIXED VEG IN A LIGHT AND CRISPY TEMPURA BATTER

Kaki-age tempura is a type of tempura with a mix of vegetables and other ingredients such as seafood. I think it's one of the easiest and more versatile types of tempura to make at home as you can use whatever you have in the fridge.

INGREDIENTS:

200g sweet potato (cut into thin strips like matchsticks, leave skin on)

200g carrots (peeled and cut into thin strips like matchsticks)

100g onion (peeled and cut into thin strips)

2 tbsp flour (to coat the vegetables)

For the batter

1 cup of flour (sieve)

1 tsp corn flour (sieve)

3/4 cup ice cold water
Few ice-cubes

1 egg yolk

For the sauce

100ml dashi stock (homemade dashi stock or 100ml water and a sprinkle of dashi instant granules)

20ml  mirin

20ml soya sauce
Grated ginger/daikon (optional)

Lemon wedges and sea salt (serve on the side)

Vegetable oil (for frying)

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOR THE MIXED VEG TEMPURA

1. Mix all the vegetables in a large bowl and using your hands or a large spoon evenly coat the vegetables in 2 tbsp of flour. Then set aside. 
2. Beat the egg yolk and ice cold water in a large bowl. Toss in a few ice-cubes to keep the water cold.
3. Gradually add the flour and cornflour to the water/egg mix and then lightly mix.
4. Toss all the vegetables into the batter mix and ensure all the veg is equally coated.
5. Heat the oil in a heavy based large saucepan to 170 degrees celsius (medium/high heat).
6. Drop a bit of batter in the oil to check the temperature. If the batter rises slowly to the top of the oil the temperature is right.
7. Put the tempura veg mix on a large wooden spoon and slowly place in the oil against the side of the saucepan. Use a large spoon or chopsticks to help keep the veg mix together when placing in the oil. Remove the wooden spoon slowly once the tempura mix is secure and firmly binded together.
8. Deep fry the tempura until it is golden brown only turning a few times.
9. Drain on paper towel to absorb excess oil. 

FOR THE TEMPURA DIPPING SAUCE 

1. Put all the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a saucepan and let it simmer for a few minutes. Then set aside and let cool.

HOW TO EAT:

• Serve on top of a bowl of rice or udon noodles.
• Season with salt and lemon wedges or a tempura dipping sauce. 

TIPS:

• You can add a little sesame oil to the vegetable oil for extra flavour
• Do not overcrowd the saucepan as the oil temperature will drop
• Do not over mix the batter, lumps are ok in the batter
• Add prawns or scallops to the mix

QUICK JAPANESE RECIPE: FIG & GOAT'S CHEESE SALAD WITH JAPANESE DRESSING

SALAD INGREDIENTS:
100g mixed salad leaves
2 fresh figs (cut into bite size pieces)
80g soft goat's cheese (use a teaspoon to roll into small balls)
3 radish (thinly sliced)

JAPANESE DRESSING INGREDIENTS:
4 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Pour all the Japanese salad dressing ingredients into an empty jam jar, put the lid on and shake well. 
2. Toss all the salad ingredients into a salad bowl. 
3. Just before serving pour the salad dressing over the salad and mix well using your hands.   

LOW CALORIE TUNA & CHICKPEA SALAD WITH JAPANESE DRESSING

I love this salad because the ingredients are very filling so you won't be hungry an hour after eating it! The salad ingredient measurements are just a guide, you can add more or less or whatever you like!

Salad ingredients: 
100g mixed salad leaves
130g tin of steak tuna, drained
150g cherry tomotoes, halved
Handful of sweetcorn
Few handfuls of chickpea

Japanese dressing ingredients:
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp soya sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp brown sugar

Roasted sesame seeds (optional) 

Serves 2

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Toss the salad ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. 

2. Mix the Japanese dressing ingredients in a small jug.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad just before eating.

4. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds over the salad.

Japanese Twist on classic recipe: Matcha Simple Apple Tart

This is my St. Patrick's Day inspired recipe taken from chef Paul Flynn. It's a simple apple tart recipe that I love making this because it takes about 5 minutes to prepare and then another 15 minutes to cook in the oven. It's goes perfect with a cup of tea!

I sprinkled the apple tart with matcha just before serving and garnished with pecans and maple syrup instead of making the sweet sauce in Paul Flynn's recipe. 

 

INGREDIENTS: 

shop bought pre-rolled puff pastry
red apples (half an apple per portion)
icing sugar
50g chopped pecans

For the sweet sauce
40g castor sugar
100 ml water
200 ml cream
drizzle of maple syrup 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Unwrap the pastry and roll out on a chopping board. Cut into 10cm x 5cm rectangles. Prick the centre of the pastry, leaving a 1cm border around the edges unpricked.

2. Cut the apple in half and remove the core. Thinly slice the apple and spread out over the surface of the pastry. Dust liberally with icing sugar. 

 

3.. Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes until the pastry is crisp and caramelised.  

4. Toast the pecans in a dry non-stick pan and transfer to a bowl. 

5. Place a thin layer of caster sugar in the pan and allow caramelising on a medium heat. Add a little water and dissolve the caramel. Return the pecans to the pan with the caramel syrup. Add cream and maple syrup. Bring to the boil then allow to cool slightly before serving.

Note:
For information on how to make matcha and where to buy it click here.

JAPANESE FOOD REVIEW: SNACKS

Here are some of my favourite Japanese snacks which you can now find in supermarkets, Asian markets and health stores. These snacks go great with beer (especially ice cold Asahi beer) or wine. I usually serve these when I'm entertaining at home and they're always a hit! 

I bought these snacks in Superquinn, Tesco and Holland & Barrett. 

Japanese Rice Crackers

Wasabi peanuts

Edamame Beans

Seaweed Peanuts

Wasabi Peas

Japanese Renkon & Wakame Salad - Lotus Root & Seaweed Salad

This is a refreshing and healthy salad that can be quickly prepared. You don't have to follow the exact ingredients listed below, use whatever you have in the fridge! 

Click here to see my last post on lotus root which has a brief note on the health benefits associated with lotus root and where it can be sourced.  

 
Ingredients:
300g renkon/ lotus root (peeled and cut into thin slices)
1 medium sized carrot (peeled and cut into julienne strips)
Half a large cucumber (remove seeds and cut into julienne strips)
1 tbsp dried wakame (seaweed)
1 tsp vinegar
2 tbsp mayo
1 tsp Japanese soya sauce
Salt & Pepper (to season)

Instructions:

1. Add 1 tsp of  vinegar and sliced lotus root to a mediun sized saucepan of boiling water and boil for 10 mins. 

2. Remove the lotus root from the water and set aside to cool on kitchen towel to remove excess water.

3. Place the dried wakame in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes. Then remove the wakame from the water and place on kitchen towel to remove the excess water. 

4. Place the cooled lotus root, wakame, carrots and cucumber in a large salad bowl.

5. Add 2 tbsp of mayo, 1 tsp of soya sauce and pepper. 

6. Mix well and serve chilled.

Tips:

After peeling lotus root it can quickly turn brown so soak it in water and vinegar if you're not going to use it immediately. 

Where can I find lotus root? 

In most Asian markets

What are the health benefits associated with lotus root?

Low in calories and high in dietary fibre, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B-6, thiamim and riboflavin. 

 

BASIC JAPANESE COOKING: TEMAKI SUSHI HAND ROLLS

I love making temaki when I'm entertaining family or friends at home. Sometimes I prepare the temaki rolls in advance and other times I leave all the ingredients in the centre of the table and let everyone dig in and make their own temaki. My nieces and nephews eyes always light up when they're allowed to make their own temaki so it's a enjoyable way to encourage kids to eat a healthy meal. 

Temaki sushi is a cone shaped hand roll wrapped in nori seaweed and filled with sushi rice and your favourite ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

Sushi rice and seasoning

160g sushi rice (uncooked)
Japanese white rice vinegar 50ml
Sugar 1 tbsp
Salt half tsp

Temaki

Half nori (roasted seaweed) sheets

Smoked salmon or raw salmon (make sure to source salmon which is suitable for eating raw)

Avocado (peeled and cut into long strips)

Mango (peeled and cut into long strips)

Sesame seeds (optional to garnish)

Soya sauce (optional as a dipping sauce)

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

How to prepare sushi rice

1. Click here to see my post on how to prepare and cook Japanese rice. 
2. To make the sushi rice seasoning pour 50ml of rice vinegar and 1 tbsp of sugar into a non-aluminium saucepan. 
3. Heat until the sugar is dissolved and then add half tsp of salt. Stir, take off the heat and allow to cool. 
4. Once the rice is cooked transfer it to a shallow non-metallic baking tray using a rice spatula or wooden spoon. 
5. Sprinkle the sushi rice seasoning evenly over the rice and then gently turn the rice with a spatula (try not to break the rice grains by gently using the spatula to cut into the rice at an angle and fold over the rice).
6. Fan the rice using a fan or a piece of cardboard to help cool the rice to room temperature and absorb the excess sushi rice seasoning. 
7. Try to use the rice as soon as possible and avoid putting it in the fridge as this will harden the rice. You can cover the rice with a damp tea towel and set aside in a cool place until needed.

 
Temaki
1. Cut the nori sheet in half placing the shiny side of the nori sheet down.

2. Put a heaped tablespoon of sushi rice on the left side of the nori sheet. 

3. Moisten your hands before spreading the rice evenly over nearly half of the nori sheet using your fingertips.

4. Place all the ingredients including the strip of salmon, avocado and mango at a 45 degree angle on the rice (try not to overload with ingredients as this will make it difficult to roll).

6. Slowly start to roll the temaki by taking the bottom left corner of the nori and fold it over towards the top right corner of the rice. Continue to fold as shown in the photos below. Place a few grains of cooked rice on the last corner of the nori (to stop the roll unfolding) and finish folding. 
 

 7. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of the temaki. 

  
HOW TO EAT:
Serve as soon as possible so that the nori is still crispy. Dip into a little soya sauce and eat with your hand. 

TIPS:
You can roll the temaki by laying the nori on the palm of your hand but I find it easier to roll the temaki on a solid surface. 

Temaki is a perfect finger food to serve at a party. 

SPINACH, BEANSPROUT AND TOFU DONBURI

Donburi means bowl in Japanese but when referring to food it can mean a Japanese rice bowl dish. So when a dish is served sitting on a bowl of rice the name of the dish often ends with don (the abbreviation for donburi)!

Oyako-don (chicken and egg dish) and katsu-don (pork cutlet, egg and onion dish) are two of the most popular donburi dishes in Japan.

I made my own donburi dish one evening using leftovers in the fridge and was delighted to find that spinach and beansprouts go really well with tofu in a stir-fry. You can use whatever leftover vegetables you have at home for this dish once you have the rice and the seasoning. 

Serves 4
Prep time 10 mins
Cooking time 30 mins

Ingredients
Bowl of cooked rice per person serving
Vegetable oil or rapeseed oil (for frying)
Sesame oil (for frying)
150g tofu, preferably GM free (carefully cut into bite size rectangular pieces)
2 large garlic cloves (peeled and finely grated)
Thumbsize piece of ginger (peeled and finely grated)
150g Spinach/ Pak choi
150g Beansprouts

Seasoning:
2 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine)
3 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar

Roasted sesame seeds or nanami togarashi (optional to garnish)

Instructions:
1. Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium to high heat. 
2. Gently place the tofu pieces on the pan and fry both sides of the tofu until slightly browned.
3. Carefully place the fried tofu pieces on a plate and set aside.
4. Heat 1 tsp of vegetable oil and 1 tsp of sesame oil in a heavy based saucepan.
5. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for less than one minute (do not brown).
6. Toss in the beansprouts, spinach and finally add the fried tofu pieces.
7. Pour the sake evenly over the veg and tofu followed by soya sauce and sugar. Then gently stir.
8. Fry for a few minutes until the seasoning has absorbed into the vegetables and tofu.
9. Serve on top of a bowl of white rice.
10. Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds or nanami togarashi over the dish.

How to eat:
This dish can be served immediately with rice. It can also be eaten cold like a salad and tastes great the next day!

Tips:
1. Freeze leftover rice in the freezer in portion sizes wrapped in cling film.
2. Try not to overcook the vegetables.

Notes:
Please see my posts on Basic Japanese Ingredients to understand the basic ingredients used for Japanese cooking.
Basic Japanese Ingredients Part I
Basic Japanese Ingredients Part II

Japanese hearty breakfast - miso soup with poached egg

Japanese people consider breakfast to be one of the most important meals of the day. A traditional Japanese breakfast includes a bowl of rice, miso soup and side dishes which are usually leftover from the previous day's dinner.

It's not always practical to prepare a full traditional Japanese breakfast but this hearty miso soup is a nice compromise!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 litre homemade dashi stock or 1 litre water and 1 tbsp instant dashi granules

300g tofu, preferably GM free (cut into bite size cubes)
1 tbsp dried wakame 
1 poached egg (preferably organic or free range) per each bowl serving
2-3 tbsp miso paste (you can add more if you like a stronger taste) 
Scallions/ Spring onion (finely diced to garnish)
Sesame seeds or nanami togarashi (optional to garnish)

*Click here to see miso and dashi explained on my "Basic Japanese ingredients - what they are and where you can find them" post
*Click here to see my recipe for homemade dashi (fish stock) 

Instructions:

1. If you're using homemade dashi then click here to see how to make homemade dashi. Once the homemade dashi is ready put it in a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. If you're using instant dashi granules then put 1 litre of cold water into a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Then add 1 tbsp of instant dashi granules to the water and stir.
3. Once the dashi is boiling add the wakame seaweed and reduce the heat so that the water isn't boiling but simmering.
4. Gently toss the tofu pieces into the saucepan.
5. Dilute the miso paste in a cup of dashi taken from the saucepan. Then, add to the saucepan and gently mix all the ingredients. 
6. Pour the miso soup into a bowl.
7. Place the poached egg on top of the miso soup.
8. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds/nanami togarashi 

How to eat:
Serve in a bowl with chopsticks or a spoon. Japanese people hold the bowl to their mouth to drink the soup. They use chopsticks to eat the bite size ingredients in the soup.
 
Tips:  
Never boil the miso soup only allow to simmer.

Why not: 

Put udon noodles or one large spoon of boiled rice in the bottom of the bowl before pouring the miso soup. 

PUMPKIN (KABOCHA) & PEA RICE

Prep time 15 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS:

320g Japanese rice (or other type of rice), uncooked
Sesame oil, for frying
Thumb size piece of fresh ginger, finely diced
2 x garlic cloves, finely diced

200g pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1/2cm cubes

100g fresh or frozen peas

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Cook rice (please click here to see my post on how to cook Japanese rice).

2. Pour 1-2 tsp of sesame oil on a frying pan and turn the heat to medium. When the oil is hot add the garlic and ginger. Slowly cook for a few minutes on low/ medium heat.

3. Add the pumpkin cubes and continue to cook for another few minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper. 

5. Turn the heat to medium/ high and add a few tbsp of water to allow the pumpkin to cook faster. When the water has almost reduced turn the heat to low/medium.

6. Add the peas, stir and continue to fry for a few more minutes.

7. In a large saucepan mix the hot cooked rice and pumpkin mix together and drizzle 1-2 tbsp of soya sauce evenly over the rice.

HOW TO EAT:

You can eat this dish as a main course or a side dish served with other dishes.

TIPS:

Try not to add too much soya sauce as it will over power the rest of the flavours.

WHY NOT:

Add king prawn or shrimp to this dish.