JAPANESE STYLE OMLETTE IN 10 MINUTES

Omu-raisu is a Japanese omlette with fried rice in the middle served with tomato ketchup. It is one of the many modern Japanese dishes brought into Japan from abroad. This is my version of the Japanese omlette with mixed vegetables instead of rice.

 

INGREDIENTS:
3 eggs (free range/ organic)
Half tsp soya sauce
1 tsp caster sugar
Few handfuls of spinach leaves
3 shitake mushrooms lightly fried 
Boiled edamame (soya beans) optional
Tomato ketchup to garnish 

Vegetable oil for frying 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Lightly mix 3 eggs, soya sauce and caster sugar in a bowl using a fork or chopsticks. 
2. Put on a non-stick frying pan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.
3. Add the egg mixture to the frying pan and move around so the egg is evenly spread on the pan (cook the omlette slowly). 
4. When the egg starts to cook around the edges use the side of a spatula or chopsticks to draw the edge of the egg into the centre allowing the uncooked egg sitting on top to cook. 
5. Continue to do this a few times until there is a little liquid left sitting on top. 
6. Take the omlette off the heat. 
7. Place all the ingredients including the spinach leaves, mushrooms and edamame in a line down the centre of the omlette.
8. Fold the omlette like a wrap. 
9. Carefully put the wrapped omlette on a plate as shown in the picture. 
10. Drizzle tomato ketchup over the omlette.

 

TIPS:

1. Remember that the egg will continue to cook when it is folded so leave a little liquid on top before taking off the heat. 

2. You can eat this omlette without fillings or use another type of filling.

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

BENTO - JAPANESE STYLE LUNCHBOX

Japanese people take great pride in preparing bento for their families. Many Japanese mothers get up quite early in the morning to make bento. They put a lot of effort and time into creating a bento that is nutritionally balanced, tastes great and looks appealing. In Japan, the appearance of the food is just as important as the taste! Generally, the bento will have rice, fish or meat and some kind of vegetable or fruit. Since the bento box is divided into different compartments various dishes can be stored in the box together.

It is surprising how quickly you can become immersed in this bento culture. When I lived in Japan the thoughts of bringing my bento to work every day seemed like a chore but it didn't take long before I was looking forward to making my bento every night.

Here is a bento that I made for my family at the weekend. It is served in a bento box used by Japanese restaurants and can be used to serve a Japanese meal at home. I bought this online from Amazon! The bento box used for work/ school lunches is smaller and more compact.

BENTO BOX MENU

1. Japanese rice - click here to see my post on how to cook Japanese rice. You can use any type of rice of this meal.

2. Japanese style pan fried cod fillet 
Ingredients:
1 tbsp vegetable oil or rapeseed oil (for frying)
Cod fillet
2 tbsp sake

Pinch of salt

Thumb size piece of ginger root (peeled and finely grated) 
2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce

Instructions:
Marinate the cod in sake and salt. Leave for about 10 minutes before frying.
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium to high heat. 
Place the cod on the pan and seal one side by frying for a minute or so. Then turn the cod over and seal the other side. 
Reduce the heat and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or less. 
Mix the ginger and soy sauce together in a small bowl and then pour over the fish when ready to eat. 

3. Japanese style stir fried spinach/pak choi with beansprouts

Ingredients: 
1 tbsp vegetable oil or rapeseed oil (for frying)
2 large garlic cloves (peeled and finely grated)
Thumbsize piece of ginger (peeled and finely grated)
200g Spinach/ Pak choi
200g Beansprouts

Seasoning (mix all in a bowl together):
2 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine)
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
2 tsp caster sugar

Roasted sesame seeds (optional to garnish)

Instructions:
Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan on medium to high heat. 
Add the garlic and fry for about 10 seconds. The quickly add the ginger and fry for another 10 seconds.
Toss in the beansprouts and stir. 
After less than one minute add the spinach. 
Pour the seasoning evenly over the vegetables. 
Fry for a few minutes until the seasoning has absorbed into the vegetables.
When ready to serve sprinkle roasted sesame seeds over the vegetables. 

4. Sliced melon and mango sprinkled with pomegranate (Japanese people often eat fruit as dessert)
Ingredients:
Honeydew melon 
Mango
Handful of pomegranate seeds

Instructions:
Peel and cut the chilled melon and mango into small bite size cubes.
Toss a handful of pomegranate seeds over the fruit salad.

How to eat:
Bento goes well with miso soup if you're eating it at home or in a restaurant.

Tips:
Pack a smaller version of this bento into a lunch box by using cupcake cases or tinfoil to separate the dishes.
Be adventurous by swapping the dishes in this bento with your favourite Japanese dishes.

Why not:
You can get takeaway bentos in a few places in Dublin including Kokoro on Lower Liffey Street in Dublin http://kokorosushibento.com/
Musashi noodle and sushi bar and Michie sushi in Dublin, Ireland have a reasonably priced bento lunch deal 

Healthy Japanese Spinach Salad Recipe: Ohitashi Horenso

A traditional Japanese meal consists of rice, fish or meat, soup and then side dishes called okazu. These delicious okazus take little time to prepare once you have the basic ingredients. I find this recipe a great way to use leftover vegetables in the fridge. One of my favourite toppings for this side dish is sesame seeds but I also love garlic and ginger fried in sesame oil. I'd love if you'd share your favourite topping with me once you've tried this recipe!

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 1 minute

Ingredients:
Bunch of fresh spinach, washed 
Salt (pinch of salt)
Soya sauce
Sesame seeds (optional for topping)
Bonito flakes (optional for topping)

Instructions:

1. Blanch the spinach in salted boiling water for less than 1 minute.

2. Remove from the water and drain in a colander. Use your hands to gently squeeze any excess water.

3. Place the spinach leaves in a serving bowl as they are, or alternatively shape the leaves with your hands into a roll and cut as shown in the picture above.

 

4. Lightly drizzle soya sauce over the spinach.

5. Sprinkle sesame seeds or bonito flakes over the spinach.

How to serve:

Goes really well as a side dish with boiled rice.

Tips:
- Depending on the type of spinach it may take less or more time to cook.

- To make perfectly rolled spinach rolls use a sushi mat to form a nice firm spinach roll.

Why not:

Finely chop garlic or ginger, fry with sesame oil and use as the topping.