Homestyle Japanese Cooking (2 page)

1 green bell pepper, thinly shredded

1 red chilli, thinly shredded (optional)

1 small leek, rinsed and thinly shredded

1 egg white

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons sake

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt to taste

1
Halve both tofu cakes horizontally. Remove excess moisture by pressing tofu between sheets of paper toweling.

2
Remove and discard the mushroom stems. Slice the caps thinly. Combine the mushrooms, carrot, potato, bell pepper, red chilli, egg white, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and salt in a bowl. Sift 2 tablespoon of the cornstarch over the mixture and stir to mix well. Heat broiler.

3
Sift remaining cornstarch over tofu pieces, and pile the vegetable mixture on top of the tofu pieces. Using a spatula, lift tofu and vegetables onto broiler rack. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are lightly cooked. Serve hot.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
20 mins

Cooking time:
5 mins

Fresh Cold Tofu Appetizer

4
shiso
leaves, stems removed and discarded

500 g (1lb) silken tofu, drained on rack for 30 minutes or patted dry with paper toweling to remove moisture

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

20 g (¼ cup) dried bonito flakes

5 cm (2 in) fresh ginger, grated

1
Stack
shiso
leaves and cut into shreds lengthwise, about 3-mm (
¹
/
₈
-in) thick.

2
Cut tofu into 4 equal pieces and place in a serving platter.

3
Pour soy sauce into small bowl for dipping.

4
Sprinkle
shiso
leaves, spring onions, and dried bonito flakes over the tofu. Place a small mound of ginger on the side, and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
5 mins

Assembling time:
3 mins

Stir-fried Tofu with Chicken, Egg and Vegetables

4 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms

300 g (10 oz ) firm tofu

1 tablespoon oil

250 g (8 oz) lean minced chicken

2½ cm (1 in) fresh ginger, grated

3 tablespoons sake

1 carrot, shaved into thin, wide strips

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 large egg, beaten

4 spring onions, cut in 1-cm (½-in) lengths

1
Remove and discard the mushroom stems. Slice the caps thinly crosswise. If using dried mushrooms, soak in hot water for about 15 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess water before cutting.

2
Break tofu coarsely with a fork, and set aside to drain.

3
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir-fry the minced chicken for about 2 minutes, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.

4
Add the ginger and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.

5
Add the sake and carrots and cook over high heat, stirring, for 1 minute.

6
Reduce heat to medium and add the tofu, stirring for about 1 minute until heated through.

7
Dissolve the sugar in the soy sauce in a small bowl and add to the beaten egg. Add the egg mixture and stir until just cooked, about 2 minutes. Fold through the spring onions and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
10 mins

Cooking time:
10 mins

Marinated Deep-fried Baby Octopus

1 kg (2 lbs) fresh baby octopuses or squids

120 ml (½ cup) sake

2 tablespoons soy sauce

60 g (½ cup) all-purpose flour

Oil for deep-frying

4 lemon or lime wedges for garnish

Sauce

4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

4 tablespoons tomato ketchup

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1
Clean baby octopuses or squids by peeling off the outer layer of skin under cold running water.

2
Combine the sake and soy sauce in a bowl and coat the octopuses in the mixture. Set aside to marinate in a cool place for 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.

3
To make the Sauce, combine the Worcestershire sauce, tomato ketchup and lemon juice in a small serving bowl, and set aside.

4
Drain the octopuses and dredge each piece in flour.

5
Heat oil to 160˚C (325˚F) and cook 4 to 6 pieces at a time for about 2 minutes, or until crispy. Drain on a wire rack and repeat until all the octopuses are cooked.

6
Serve immediately with Sauce and lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
15 mins

Cooking time:
10 mins

Braised Flounder
(Karei No Nitsuke)

4 whole flounders, about 200–250 g (7 oz) each, cleaned, or 4 white fish fillets 150g (5 oz) each

750 ml (3 cups) water

1 teaspoon salt

125 ml (½ cup) sake

125 ml (½ cup) soy sauce

2 tablespoons
mirin

3 tablespoons sugar

2½ cm (1 in) fresh ginger, thinly sliced

120 g (4 oz) fresh spinach, washed, trimmed, and tied in small parcels

1
Using a sharp knife, score each fish on one side by making 2 parallel diagonal incisions about 3 cm (1¼ in) apart. Turn the fish over, and make 2 more parallel incisions on the diagonal. Make the cuts deep enough to almost touch the bone.

2
Combine the water, salt, sake, soy sauce,
mirin
and sugar and bring to a boil in a deep skillet. Add the fresh ginger and cook for 30 seconds.

3
Place fish in a single layer in the water, overlapping heads and tails as necessary. When liquid returns to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook fish for 2 minutes.

4
Spoon liquid over fish but do not turn fish over. Cook for another 3 minutes, continually basting, until the fish flakes easily with a fork.

5
Place spinach parcels alongside the fish and cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat.

6
Carefully lift fish and spinach onto serving plates, and spoon some cooking liquid over the top. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
20 mins

Cooking time:
10 mins

Baked Fish with Vegetables

2 tablespoons sake

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger juice

1 teaspoon salt

650 g (1½ lb) white fish fillets (such as flounder, sea bass or cod), cut in 4 equal pieces

4 pieces aluminum foil, each 25-cm (10-in) square

1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced