I'm so happy to share with you my new venture, my new company Fused by Fiona Uyema Ltd. I launched “Fused by Fiona Uyema Ltd” to share my passion for Japanese cooking and flavours and to inspire people across Ireland and further afield. I've travelled to Japan and Dubai as an Ambassador for Japanese food and culture.
“Fused by Fiona Uyema Ltd” inspires Japanese flavours through my profile as a TV cook and cookbook author, Fused range of healthy and tasty flavoured soy sauces and Fused Japanese Street Food Pop-Up Roadshow.
Fused launched its first products last year, a range of healthy and tasty flavoured soy sauces with no added sugar, preservatives or additives and using non-GMO soy beans.
Fused Japanese Street Food Pop-Up Roadshow has appeared at Ireland's largest food festivals and events and also caters for private hire.
I want to share another favourite recipe from my Japanese cookbook "Japanese Food Made Easy". I recently tried this recipe with Irish Wild Garlic instead of kale and it was so refreshing and delicious!
I was lucky to learn the secret to a light and crispy tempura batter while living in Japan and it’s simple – don’t overmix the batter and use ice-cold water. Overmixing the batter will activate the gluten, leaving the batter heavy and doughy, so lumps are OK.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
vegetable oil for deep-frying lemon wedges to serve freshly ground sea salt to serve (optional) For the vegetable mix 80g sweet potato, cut into matchsticks with the skin still on 80g carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks 50g kale, stalk removed and roughly chopped 100g onion, peeled and cut into thin strips 2 tablespoons cornflour For the batter 1 egg yolk 200ml ice-cold water a few ice cubes 150g flour, sieved 50g cornflour, sieved For the dipping sauce 100ml dashi stock (home-made dashi stock (pp. 52–54) or 100ml water and a sprinkle of dashi instant granules) 20ml mirin 20ml soy sauce grated ginger/daikon (optional)
Method:
1. Put all the ingredients for the dipping sauce into a saucepan and let them simmer for a few minutes, then set aside and let cool. 2. Mix all the vegetables in a large bowl and, using your hands, evenly coat them in cornflour, then set aside. 3. Beat the egg yolk and ice-cold water in a large bowl. Toss in a few ice cubes to keep the water cold. 4. Gradually add the flour and cornflour to the water/egg mix and then lightly mix. It’s OK to leave lumps in the batter. 5. Toss all the vegetables into the batter mix and ensure they are all equally coated. 6. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan to 170ºC (medium/high heat). Drop a bit of batter in the oil to check the temperature. If the batter rises slowly to the top of the oil, starts to sizzle and slowly turns a golden-brown colour, then the temperature is right. 7. Put a large tablespoon of the tempura vegetable 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 slide the tempura mix off the wooden spoon and into the oil. Remove the wooden spoon slowly once the tempura mix is secure and firmly bound together. 8. Deep-fry the tempura until it is golden brown, turning a few times. 9. Drain on kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil. 10. Serve with either the dipping sauce or lemon wedges and a sprinkle of freshly ground sea salt.
Tips For vegetarians use a vegetarian-based dashi stock using seaweed and/or shiitake mushrooms (see page 54). Make sure none of the ice cubes are caught in the kakiage before you place it in the hot oil.
Photo courtesy of thetaste.ie I'm delighted to be joining the fabulous team at TheTaste.ie (Ireland's fastest growing online food magazine) as a food writer. My articles & writing will focus on Japanese food and my foodie adventures across Ireland and further afield. You can read my first article now live on the website "don't diet, change your lifestyle - 7 Japanese secrets". I hope you enjoy it and let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like me to write about :) http://thetaste.ie/wp/dont-diet-change-your-lifestyle-7-japanese-secrets/
I thought it would be nice to post this article on my blog in case you live outside Ireland. This article was published in the Sunday Independent around the time of my book launch for my first cookbook "Japanese Food Made Easy". There are some nice photos of my kitchen and home so have a look. By the way my house is NEVER this clean!!! Fiona :)
I want to share one of the most popular recipes from my cookbook SALMON TERIYAKI. The homemade teriyaki sauce works really well with other meats too including steak and chicken. If you are vegetarian it works beautifully drizzled over steamed vegetables or added to a tofu and vegetable stir fry. This is the perfect dish (Japanese recipe) to bring Japanese cooking into your home! Without exception, everyone loves this salmon teriyaki recipe – it’s one of the most talked about recipes at my cooking classes. The perfect combination of flavours in the salmon and the sweet teriyaki sauce make this an all-time favourite in households across the world and on menus in both Asian and non-Asian restaurants.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- vegetable oil - 2 fillets salmon - handful of sesame seeds to garnish
1. Combine all the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce, mix well and set aside. 2. Pour a little vegetable oil into a non-stick frying pan on a medium to high heat. 3. Place the salmon fillets (skin-side down) on the frying pan and sear both sides of the fish. 4. When the fish is nearly cooked (place the salmon fillets skin-side down at this point) pour the teriyaki sauce over it. 5. Use a large spoon to continually pour the sauce over the fish fillets while continuing to fry. 6. Fry until the teriyaki sauce is reduced to the consistency of a syrup. 7. Garnish with sesame seeds.
Tip Keep a close eye on the teriyaki sauce as it can quickly reduce on a high heat and start to burn.
I launched my first cookbook "Japanese Food Made Easy" two weeks ago in Arnotts Department Store in Dublin. Smiles! Photography captured all the special moments with her beautiful photography (I'm sharing some of them in this post).
I want to say a big THANKS to everyone who came I was honestly overwhelmed by the amount of support I received on the night.
Before the book signing I gave a short demonstration of some of the recipes from my cookbook.
Everyone got to taste a bit of everything to give them a flavour for the type of food in my cookbook!
I couldn't believe some people queued for 1 hour or so to get a signed copy of my cookbook, thanks for your patience and support. I really hope you'll think it was worth the wait.
Now start sharing pictures of your Japanese cooking with me!! Fiona xxxx
You are invited to an exclusive event with author and Japanese cook Fiona Uyema, on Wednesday 23 September from 10.00 until 12.00 in our VIP Lounge. Fiona will discuss 'The 5 Elements of the Japanese Diet' to live a longer, healthier life. Enjoy light bites and refreshments, the chance to win Fiona's book Japanese Food Made Easy and 10% off in your favourite boutiques.
It's such an exciting time for me as I'm doing the final edits of my cookbook "Japanese Food Made Easy". I've been working on this for the past year and the recipes are inspired by the three years I lived in Japan and also by the ingredients available to me here in Ireland. I can't wait to share this with you and hope you like it!
My book is now available to pre-order from my publisher Mercier Press at a discounted price so be sure to check that out, here's the link:
I will officially launch my cookbook in mid September 2015. I'll be giving cooking classes, demos and book signings around the country so be sure to keep an eye on my website to see an upcoming events that might be close to you - www.fionauyema.com. My book will be available in most bookstores across Ireland however for people living outside Ireland you can buy my book on Amazon or www.mercierpress.ie.
Here's my winter miso soup recipe which I demonstrated on TV3's Late Lunch Live today. Click here to see the video.
Japanese people have one of the longest life expectacies in the world and one of the reasons for this is their consumption of miso. Miso is a fermented paste made from soy beans, rice or barley, salt and
koji (a fermentation starter). It’s known for its undeniable health benefits
including anti-cancerous properties and aiding digestion. It’s also one of the
richest sources of protein and vitamin B12.
You can find miso paste in health stores, large supermarkets and Asian speciality stores. One packet of miso paste costs between €4 and €7. It should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge once opened.
Irish Kelp Seaweed & Shiitake Mushroom Stock
Ingredients
1 litre water
Few thin strips of dried kelp seaweed (about 20g)
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
Instructions
1. Put 1 litre of cold water in a large saucepan.
2. Add the kelp seaweed and shiitake mushrooms to the water and leave soaking for at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat the water until it comes to the boil. Then remove the kelp and mushrooms immediately.
Tip
This can be stored in the fridge for about 3 days or you can freeze it.
Salmon & Spinach Miso Soup
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
1 litre Irish kelp seaweed and shiitake mushroom stock (see recipe above)
1 fillet of salmon (cut into bite sized cubes)
Handful of spinach leaves (washed)
1 medium carrot (peeled and cut into thin strips)
2-3 tablespoons miso paste (depending on your own taste)
Cayenne pepper or Japanese seven spice (shichimi togarashi), to season
Instructions
1. Heat the stock in a saucepan.
2. Once the stock is boiling add the salmon pieces and carrot strips. When it comes back to the boil reduce to a simmer for about 3 -4 minutes.
3. Using a whisk or fork dilute the miso paste in a small cup of stock taken from the saucepan. Then, add to the saucepan and gently stir into the soup until mixed through.
4. Place the spinach into the bowls before pouring the miso soup
5. To serve pour the miso soup and equal amounts of the ingredients into bowls. Garnish with cayenne pepper or shichimi togarashi.
I've created a short video to share with you some of my highlights from 2014. It was a really exciting year for me and I was lucky to learn so much and have so many new experiences in the foodie world. I can't wait to share some of my 2015 projects with you. Wishing you all a great 2015 and may all your dreams come true this year. Fiona x
It can be quite challenging to cook on live TV but my biggest cooking challenge yet was to cook with the biggest Irish sporting hero, Katie Taylor. I was glad Katie Taylor was cooking with me rather than against me!
This was at TV3 Late Lunch Live show earlier this month and I made a very simple yet tasty combination of chicken teriyaki served with seaweed salad and Japanese rice. See the footage here.
Lucy Kennedy and Martin King host the show. They always provide great laughs and entertainment to the viewers and guests!
Katie Taylor and Lucy Kennedy were a great help in putting the dishes together. They were open to the challenge of cooking something different and weren't phased by some slightly unusual ingredients.
Here's the result of the team effort! It was an honour to meet and cook with Katie Taylor, the best female boxer in the world! She is the reigning Irish, European, World and Olympic boxing Champion.
Watch this space as there will be more Japanese cooking at a TV screen near you!
You can find this chicken teriyaki recipe along with other Japanese recipes in this week#s RTE Guide magazine.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 chicken legs or
thighs
For the sauce
4 tablespoons soy
sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons water
Instructions: - Mix all the
ingredients for the sauce in a large bowl. Marinate the chicken pieces in the
sauce for at least 30 minutes. If you have time leave them in the fridge to
marinate for a few hours.
- Remove from the fridge
at least 15 minutes before putting them in a preheated oven set to 180 degrees
Celsius. - Cook for about 45
minutes or until cooked through. While cooking pour the sauce over the chicken
pieces 2 to 3 times to ensure the sauce is fully absorbed into the meat.
This is a really simple meat-free/ vegetarian recipe that can be served with a salad or on top of a bowl of rice (tofu donburi). Ingredients:
Block of firm tofu (500 - 700g), preferably GM free
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon nanami-togarashi (Japanese seven spice)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for frying)
Chopped spring onion and grated ginger (to garnish)
Instructions:
1. Remove the packaging and water from the block of tofu and place on a chopping board.
2. Cut into thick slices (about 1 inch thick).
3. To remove excess water wrap each slice in kitchen towel, place on a large plate and set aside for about 5 minutes. Remove the wet kitchen towel and wrap in kitchen towel again. Set aside for a further 5 minutes depending on the type of tofu (you may need to do this for 10 minutes each time).
4. Mix the flour and nanami-togarashi on a large plate.
5. Remove the kitchen towel from the tofu and coat each tofu slice in the flour mix.
6. Heat vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan on high heat.
7. Gently place the tofu slices on the pan and fry for a few minutes. Once nicely browned turn and fry on the other side for a few minutes.
8. Top with chopped spring onion and grated ginger then drizzle a little soy sauce over the tofu.
Tips:
- Put a heavy weight (e.g. book) on the tofu slices when wrapped in kitchen towel. This will help drain the water from the tofu in less time!
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.
This is a quick and easy way to add flavour to a
fish fillet dish without the hassle of following a
complicated recipe. Don't worry if you don't have some of these
Japanese ingredients at home as I've mentioned other ingredients which
can be used as an alternative.
INGREDIENTS:
Fish fillet (cod/ hake)
1 tbsp Japanese rice wine called SAKE (can use dry sherry or white wine instead)
Potato starch (can use corn starch or flour instead)
Nanami-togarashi (can use other seasoning such as salt & pepper instead)
Vegetable oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Pour sake over the fish fillet and using your hands make sure the whole fillet is covered in sake.
2. Set aside for 10 minutes or longer if you have the time.
3. Pat dry the fish fillet with kitchen towel.
4. Then, coat in potato starch.
5. Sprinkle nanami-togarashi over the fish fillet on both sides.
6. Heat vegetable oil in a heavy based frying pan on high heat and add the fish fillet.
7. Seal the fish fillet on both sides until there is a nice golden brown colour.
8. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked (depending on the size of the fish fillet).
This
spice mix includes chilli, orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame
seed, seaweed, Japanese pepper and ginger. It's often added to Japanese
dishes to add a little kick and extra taste to the dish.
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.
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
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.
