Japanese Rice Balls Recipe - Onigiri

Now that the children are back to school I started to think about the challenge that faces parents to pack a healthy and appetizing school lunch for their children. In recent years, schools have started to play a role in encouraging parents to pack healthy lunches by not allowing children to have sugar filled snacks as part of their lunch. My sister actually mentioned in passing the other day that her son's school gives awards for the best packed lunch!

Japanese rice balls called onigiri in Japanese are a popular lunchbox filler in Japan. So if you're stuck for ideas when packing your children's lunch or your own lunch for work then try these easy to make and very healthy rice balls! Since Japanese rice is very sticky the rice balls won't fall apart so it's easy to eat these with your hands. You can wrap them in cling film in your lunchbox so that they keep their shape and stay fresh.  

The recipe below is very basic using only rice and seaweed with some seasoning on top but you can add whatever fillings you like in the middle or mix the filling with the rice and then shape the rice ball. Tuna mayo is a popular filling for rice balls and generally liked by most people.

Ingredients:
Japanese sushi rice (320g uncooked)
Pinch of salt  
1 Nori sheet (roasted seaweed)
Dried shiso leaf (optional for seasoning)
Roasted sesame seeds (optional for seasoning)

Makes 6-8 rice balls

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

2. Fill a small bowl with cold water and then add the salt. Use this water bowl to coat your hands before you start making the rice balls. I tend to use sushi rice seasoning to coat my hands if I have the ingredients and time, click here to see how to make sushi rice seasoning.

3. Coat your hands in the seasoned water and take a handful of warm rice. Start to shape the rice into a oval or triangular shape. Make sure you hands are firm when shaping the rice to ensure that the rice ball won't fall apart.

4. Place a sheet of nori on a chopping board. Cut off a small piece of nori and wrap it around the bottom of the rice ball as shown in the picture above. 

5. Sprinkle dried shiso leaf or sesame seeds over the rice ball.

How to eat:
Eat with your hands like a sandwich.

Tips:
1. Don't try to shape the rice ball when the rice is hot as you'll burn your hand!

2. Don't put the nori on the rice until you're ready to eat it if you like the nori crispy.

3. Only use Japanese sushi rice as the rice has to be sticky to make rice balls.

Why not:
Cover the rice ball completely in nori if you like the taste of nori.

Japanese Style Fried Rice Recipe

Although fried rice is traditionally a Chinese dish it is extremely popular in Japan. If you want to use leftovers in the fridge this is a great way to do just that. This is a basic fried rice recipe adding just egg and spring onion, however you can add a cup of your favourite seafood, meat or vegetables cut into small pieces.

Prep time 5mins
Cooking time 5mins
Serves 4 

Ingredients: 
Japanese rice 320g (uncooked)
Rapeseed oil (for frying)
2 eggs (beaten) 
Spring onion (two stalks cut finely)
Salt (to taste)
Soya sauce (to taste)
Sesame oil (to taste)

Instructions: 
Most of the time I use leftover rice to prepare this recipe. Please click here to see my post on how to cook Japanese rice if you need to make the rice from scratch. You can use other types of rice apart from Japanese rice for this recipe. However, my instructions on how to cook rice apply to Japanese rice only.
1. Add rapeseed oil to a heavy based saucepan on medium heat. To check if the oil is hot enough scrap a thin line of beaten egg across the saucepan using chopsticks or a spatula. If the egg cooks straightaway then the saucepan is hot enough.
2. Pour the beaten egg into the saucepan and using a spatula cook in the same way as scrambled egg. Once the egg is cooked (try not to overcook the egg) remove from the saucepan and transfer to a small clean bowl. If there is some egg stuck to the saucepan then wash or wipe clean.
3. Pour more rapeseed oil into the saucepan and return the heat to medium. Once the oil is hot add the spring onion and cook quickly for a minute and then add the rice. Use a spatula to turn the rice getting rid of any lumps.
4. Toss the cooked egg into the saucepan and mix with the rice and spring onion.
5. Season with salt and soya sauce and continue to stir for less than a minute.
6. Finally, sprinkle sesame oil over the dish and stir again for a minute or less making sure not to overcook as this can easily happen. 

How to serve: 
The rice is now ready to serve as a main dish or as a side dish with other dishes. 

Tips:
Add a cup of your favourite seafood, meat or vegetables cut into small pieces to
turn this dish into a main course.

Why not:
Cook this dish when you have leftover rice to avoid waste!

EASY TO MAKE ROLLED SUSHI - MAKI ROLL/ MAKIZUSHI

The thoughts of making sushi at home sounds daunting but once you make sushi a few times you'll realise it's not as difficult as it looks. There are many different types of sushi but today I'm going to focus on maki rolls. A maki roll is a sheet of nori (roasted seaweed) rolled in sushi rice and different fillings. There is such a wide selection of fillings that I decided to make 3 different types of fillings that work well together and are reasonably easy to get in the shops. You can change these and replace them with your favourite ingredients or simply add what you happen to have in the cupboard or fridge at home. 

WHERE TO FIND THE INGREDIENTS: 
Nowadays, all the basic ingredients that you need to make sushi can be found in larger supermarkets, health stores and Asian supermarkets. Most larger supermarkets in Ireland like Tesco and Superquinn have a designated Asian/ Japanese food corner. The most well know Asian supermarkets in Dublin include The Asian Market (Drury St Co. Dublin and Merrywell Business park, Ballymount Dublin 22) and Oriental Emporium (Jervis St. Co. Dublin, George's St. Co. Dublin and Unit C, Aerodrome Business Park, Collegeland, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin). Click here to see my post on "Basic Japanese Ingredients - what they are and where you can find them".

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO MAKE SUSHI AT HOME? 
Sushi has developed a reputation for being an expensive food to eat and this can be true when you eat sushi in sushi bars or restaurants. However, it is relatively cheap to make sushi at home. In the last few years all the ingredients to make sushi have become readily available in our supermarkets and ever-growing selection of health stores and Asian supermarkets. I've listed the individual prices from Tesco and Superquinn of the items to make sushi (this price was collected in July 2012 and may change). Once you invest in these ingredients you'll be able to reuse them to make different sushi recipes making it even cheaper to make sushi at home!

TESCO	Price1	SUPERQUINN	Price2
Sushi Bamboo Mat	€1.79	Sushi Bamboo Mat	€1.61
Sushi Nori (roasted seaweed sheets)	€1.79	Sushi Nori (roasted seaweed sheets)	€1.99
Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)	€1.79	Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)	€2.19
Japanese Sushi Rice (500g)	€1.79	Shinode Japanese Rice (1 kilogram)	€3.19
Japanese Sushi White Rice Vinegar (150ml)	€1.79	Japanese Sushi White Rice Vinegar (150ml)	€2.99
Pickled Ginger	€1.79	Pickled Ginger	€3.19

INGREDIENTS: 

Sushi rolling mat
4 x Sushi Nori Sheets (roasted seaweed sheets)
Japanese Sushi Rice 320g (uncooked)

Sushi rice seasoning 
Japanese Sushi White Rice Vinegar 100ml
Sugar 2 tbsp
Salt half tsp

Serve with the sushi 
Wasabi (Japanese horseradish)
Pickled Ginger
Japanese soya sauce (Kikkoman preferably)

- Type 1 Sushi Filling
Cooked prawns (pull to straighten)
Avocado (cut into long strips)
Pickled Ginger 
- Type 2 Sushi Filling
Tinned tuna mixed with mayonnaise
Cucumber (cut into long strips)
- Type 3 Sushi Filling
Carrot (cooked and cut into long strips)
Egg (omelet style cooked egg cut into long strips)
Cucumber (cut into long strips)
Pickled Ginger

STEPS TO MAKE SUSHI:

1. Click here to see how to prepare sushi rice

2. Putting the sushi rice on the nori 
Place a sheet of nori shiny-side down and the lines in the nori running vertical on a rolling mat. Cut off the top piece of the nori as shown in the picture below to get the perfect sized maki roll. Put a few drops of vinegar in a bowl of water and use this to wet your hands when applying the rice to the nori to avoid the rice sticking to your hands. Using the spatula divide the rice in the tray into four quarters using one quarter for each nori sheet. Gently spread the rice over the nori sheet trying not to press on the rice too hard. Spread the rice to the edges of the nori and leave a 2 cm gap at the top of the seaweed as shown in the picture below.





 3. Put the fillings on the rice as shown in the pictures below.

 

4. Start to roll

Using both hands hold the filling in place with your fingers then use your index fingers and thumbs to start to roll the mat forward and bring the nori over the filling. Now, press down firmly but gently to create a roll shape. To form the complete maki roll pull the end of the mat with one hand and continue to push the roll forward with the other hand (if some ingredients fall out the sides just push them back in and don't worry if the edges of the roll look untidy as this is ok). Remove the mat from the roll.

5. Cut the roll

Place the roll on a chopping board and using a sharp knife cut in half (try to only cut in one direction). Then, using a damp clean cloth wipe the knife clean and continue to cut the two halves into four pieces and then cut the four pieces in half leaving you with eight pieces altogether.

Place on a plate and serve with pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce.

Japanese Style Fish & Chips Recipe

A few weeks ago I had traditional fish and chips in the Waterloo Restaurant and Bar on Baggot Street in Dublin. I just happened to be in the area around lunchtime and was looking for somewhere nice to have a quick lunch. The restaurant looked modern and clean and the menu choice was excellent so I thought I'd give it a try. I ordered fish and chips and I have to say it's one of the best fish and chips I've ever eaten! The dish was beautifully presented with the chips in a mini metal bucket, the fish on a wooden chopping board and a lemon wedge cleverly wrapped in cheesecloth.

After eating this lunch I got thinking about how popular fish and chips is in Ireland and around the world. In Ireland we even have a National Fish and Chips Day! The funny thing about fish and chips is that you can order this dish in the local chipper or in a Michelin star restaurant and sometimes the chipper is just as good!

I've added a Japanese twist to the traditional fish and chips to create this recipe. It's a healthier option compared to traditional fish and chips, just as tasty and nice to try for a change.

 

Serves 2

Prep time 15 minutes

Cooking time 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS: 

Sweet potato chips 
2 medium sized sweet potatoes (cut into chips)

2 tbsp rapeseed oil and 1 tsp sesame oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper for seasoning 

Fish

300g white fish (including cod, pollock, haddock etc)
2 tbsp sake (Japanese rice wine) 
Freshly ground salt and pepper for seasoning 

Plain white flour (for coating the fish pieces)

2 eggs, beaten
Panko (Japanese flaky breadcrumbs)
Vegetable or rapeseed oil for frying

Wasabi mayonnaise 
Wasabi is made from the root of the wasabi plant. It has a similar taste to hot mustard and is regularly used in Japan. It is best known for being served on the side with sushi. If you can't find wasabi for this recipe (big supermarkets like Tesco and Superquinn stock wasabi) then Hellman's recently launched Hellmann's wasabi mayonnaise.  

1 tsp wasabi
3 tsp mayonnaise

Japanese seaweed seasoning 
Half a sheet of nori (type of seaweed used to make sushi)
1 tsp sesame seeds (ground using pestle and mortar)
Freshly ground salt and pepper for seasoning

   
INSTRUCTIONS:

Sweet potato chips 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Place the roasting tin in the preheated oven for 5 or 10 minutes until it's red hot. Put the sweet potato chips in a bowl and add the oil and freshly ground salt and pepper. Take the hot roasting tin out of the oven and put the seasoned sweet potato chips on the roasting tin. Cook for 30 minutes or less in the oven until the chips are golden and cooked through.

Fish

1. Quickly wash the fish under a cold tap and then dry with kitchen towel (you can leave the skin on the fish or remove it. I prefer to leave the skin on the fish). 
2. Cut the fish into a little larger than bite-size strips. 
3. Place the fish in a bowl and season with sake (Japanese rice wine), freshly ground salt and pepper and mix together. 
4. Coat the fish pieces in flour (shaking off any excess flour).
5. Dip the fish pieces in the beaten egg. 
6. Finally coat in panko (rub the panko gently onto the fish pieces).
7. Heat the oil in a heavy base saucepan or wok 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 fish pieces into the oil. Fry for a few minutes until the panko turns a nice golden brown colour and then turn and fry for a few more minutes.
10. Remove the fish pieces from the oil and place on kitchen towel

Wasabi mayo

Mix the mayonnaise and wasabi together until you get a nice green mayonnaise. Add more or less wasabi depending on your liking. Serve on the side with the fish and chips. 

Japanese seasoning

Crush the nori seaweed sheet into small pieces and mix with the freshly ground roasted sesame seeds and freshly ground salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the fish and chips and serve the rest on the side with the fish and chips. 

Tips:

1. To save time prepare the sweet potato chips first and while they're cooking in the oven prepare the fish, wasabi mayo and Japanese seasoning. 
2. To get nice crispy chips do not overcrowd the roasting tin. Place the chips on the roasting tin in a single layer. 

Why not:
Try Japanese style chicken goujons and sweet potato chips instead of fish!

Kinpira Renkon - Sautéed Lotus Root and Carrot

I decided to post this recipe because I'd love to see more people eating lotus root. Lotus root is very popular in Asia however most Irish people are not familiar with this vegetable. Although it's relatively difficult to find in supermarkets in Ireland many Asian markets have started to stock fresh lotus root. I bought this one in the Asian Market on Drury St in Dublin. 

Lotus root (renkon in Japanese) is a vegetable that has amazing health benefits. It's low in calories, aids digestion, increases energy levels, helps treat lung related illnesses such as asthma and lots more! Lotus root like other vegetables can be cooked in a variety of ways. In Japan it's often added to salads, soups, stews, fried dishes, tempura etc.

If you can't find lotus root for this recipe then try to replace it with another vegetable or seaweed to go along with the carrots and use the same seasoning to enjoy a traditional Japanese sautéed vegetable dish. 

Prep time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients:
1 tsp vegetable or rapeseed oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
300g Lotus root (peeled and thinly sliced)
1 Carrot (peeled and thinly sliced into strips)
1 tbsp sake
1 tbsp soya sauce
11/2 tbsp mirin
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds (to garnish)

Instructions:

1. Place the lotus root in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes to get rid of the bitterness and the excess starch. 
2. Drain and dry in kitchen towel.
3. Heat the oils in a heavy-based saucepan or frying pan on high heat for a minute or so.
4. Turn the heat down to medium-high, add the lotus root and carrots and fry for about 10 minutes.
5. Pour the sake over the vegetables, stir and fry for about 1 minute.
6. Add the soya sauce and mirin, stir and fry for a few minutes.
7. Remove from the heat.

How to eat:

Serve as a side dish on a small plate with sesame seeds sprinkled over the dish.

Tips:

1. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it the next day or a few days later (it tastes even better!!).

2. Make homemade lotus root chips using any leftover lotus root.

Why not:

Use the same seasoning but different vegetables if you can't source lotus root.

 

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.

Basic Japanese Cooking: homemade fish stock - Dashi

Japanese homemade fish stock (dashi) is very easy to make compared to beef stock or chicken stock using only 2 ingredients and water. Dashi is used as a base in Japanese cooking for soups, sauces, stews and many other types of Japanese dishes so it's useful to know how to make dashi.

You can buy ready to use dashi powder called hondashi. I use it if I'm really stuck for time and my homemade dashi stock has run out! It's probably best to know that hondashi is not as healthy or tasty as homemade dashi and it contains MSG, salt and other ingredients that you'd prefer to avoid! Please click here to see a picture of hondashi so you'll be able to find it in the market.   

When I worked in Japan I lived in a small rural village so everyone in the community knew me as I was one of the few foreigners living in the area. Over time I got to know my neighbours and they became my friends. I rarely had to buy rice as my neighbour who harvested rice always called over with a bag of rice. He would get annoyed if he heard that I bought rice in the supermarket as he thought his rice was the best! I remember one of my elderly neighbours showing me how to make dashi. The only difference between her recipe and this one is that she used fish head and bones instead of katsuobushi (dried shaved bonito flakes). However, a lot of Japanese people also use katsuobushi as it's more convenient and the taste isn't as strong.

Ingredients:

1 litre water

20g of kombu (dried kelp) seaweed - the size of a postcard

20g katsuobushi (dried shaved bonito flakes)

Instructions:

1. Put 1 litre of cold water in a large saucepan.
2. Add the kombu to the water and leave it soaking for about 20 minutes. 
3. Heat the water until it comes to the boil and remove the kombu immediately.

5. Add the katsuobushi to the water and bring it to the boil again. Once the water starts to boil take it off the heat and let it sit until the katsuobushi sink to the bottom of the saucepan. 

3. Drain the dashi through a sieve lined with kitchen towel (you can store it in the fridge for about 3/ 4 days).

Tips:

1. Freeze any unused dashi in containers and ice-cube trays.
2. Wipe the kombu with a damp cloth before putting it in the water.
3. Make a weaker dashi which is called "niban dashi" with the used kombu and katsuobushi from the first dashi which is called "ichiban dashi". Simply put 1 litre of water in a large saucepan and add the used katsuobushi and kombu to the water. Heat the water and remove the kombu just before it comes to the boil. Leave the katsuobushi sitting in the water until the flakes sink to the bottom of the water. Then drain using a sieve lined with kitchen towel.  

Why not:

If you can't eat fish add shiitake mushrooms instead.