Homestyle Japanese Cooking (3 page)

1 tablespoon oil

½ lemon, sliced

1
Combine sake, soy sauce, ginger juice and salt in a shallow baking dish. Coat the fish well with this mixture and set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving marinade.

2
Heat oven to 160˚C (325°F). Place one fillet in the center of each aluminum foil square, brush with oil, and sprinkle with carrot, onion, bell pepper and remaining marinade. To seal the packet, bring the two sides of foil over fish and crimp closed. Fold up each end of the foil and place each packet on a baking sheet.

3
Bake for about 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Place foil packets on serving plate or carefully remove fish and vegetables from the foil, pouring any remaining juices over top. Garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
15 mins

Cooking time:
20 mins

Tempura

60 g (2 oz) all-purpose flour for dredging

1 eggplant, cut diagonally into long, thick slices

120 g (1 cup) pumpkin or sweet potato, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

100 g (¾ cup) green beans, trimmed

1 small onion, cut in crescents

4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

90 g (
²
/
₃
cup) fresh or frozen green peas

8–10 prawns, peeled and deveined, with tails intact

4 whitebait, about 60 g (2 oz) each, or white fish fillets, sliced

4 scallops, cleaned and sliced in half horizontally

Oil for deep-frying

Tempura Dipping Sauce (page
3
)

Batter

2 egg yolks

500 ml (2 cups) iced water

250 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour

1
Put flour for dredging in mixing bowl and set aside.

2
Heat oil in wok or deep-fryer to 160˚C (325°F).

3
To prepare first batch batter, beat 1 egg yolk with 1 cup ice water in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add 1 cup flour all at once, and stir briefly with chopsticks or a fork until just combined. The batter may be lumpy but should be quite thin. Do not overmix.

4
Dredge the eggplant, pumpkin, green beans and onion pieces in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip a slice of vegetable into the batter and gently shake off any excess.

5
Carefully slip vegetables, 5 to 6 pieces at a time, into the hot oil, and cook, turning once, until crisp, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack or paper towels.

6
To cook mushrooms, spoon batter on the underside of the mushrooms, shaking off any excess. Place mushrooms in oil, batter side down, and fry, turning once, until tender, about 1 minute. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling.

7
Sprinkle green peas lightly with flour. Scoop about 1 tablespoon peas into a slotted spoon and coat the peas in batter. Let excess batter from peas drip from spoon. Carefully place peas into the oil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until batter is crisp. Remove from oil and drain on paper toweling.

8
Heat oil to 180˚C (350°F). Meanwhile, prepare second batch batter. Dredge the seafood with flour and dip into batter. Cook seafood until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. (Prawns may take 1 minute more, depending on size.) Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling.

9
Pour about 3 tablespoons warm Tempura Dipping Sauce into small sauce bowls and serve with a selection of tempura.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
20 mins

Cooking time:
30 mins

Salmon Teriyaki

500 g (1lb) fresh salmon fillet, quartered

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon
mirin

2 teaspoons sake

1 tablespoon oil

90 g (
²
/
₃
cup) daikon, peeled and grated

1
Place salmon fillets in large baking pan. Combine soy sauce,
mirin,
and sake in a small bowl and pour over salmon pieces to marinate for 10 minutes. Drain salmon, reserving marinade.

2
Heat the broiler and brush rack lightly with oil. Place fish on rack, skin side up, and brush pieces lightly with marinade. Grill until skin is lightly browned and crispy, about 4 minutes.

3
Turn salmon pieces and brush again lightly with the marinade. Grill until the salmon is just cooked through and the flesh flakes easily with a fork, about 4 minutes.

4
Remove fish to serving plates and spoon remaining marinade over top. Serve immediately with grated daikon and rice.

For equally delicious Scallop Teriyaki, substitute 500 g (1 lb) trimmed large scallops. For Grilled Teriyaki Vegetables, use assorted vegetables such as asparagus, eggplants, red bell peppers, and shiitake mushrooms.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
15 mins

Cooking time:
10 mins

Grilled Skewered Chicken
(Yakitori)

1 tablespoon sugar

60 ml (¼ cup)
mirin

125 ml (½ cup) soy sauce

125 ml (½ cup) sake

500 g (1 lb) chicken meat

200 g (7 oz) chicken liver

4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

2 bell peppers, cut in 3-cm (1¼-in) squares

1 leek, cut into 2½-cm (1-in) pieces

16–20 skewers, 20 cm (8 in) long

Seven-spice chilli powder (page
3
)

Lemon wedges for garnish

1
To prepare sauce, combine sugar,
mirin
, soy sauce, and sake in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes, reducing the sauce to 1 cup.

2
Dice the chicken meat and liver, then thread onto skewers, alternating with pieces of leek and bell pepper. If bamboo skewers are used, soak in water at least 10 minutes before use.

3
Heat the broiler. Baste the ingredients with the sauce.

4
Broil the skewers for about 2 to 3 minutes, turning three or four times and basting each time, until the chicken and livers are just cooked. Do not overcook.

5
Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the skewers with seven-spice Chilli Powder and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
30 mins

Cooking time:
5 mins

Crispy Fried Chicken Chunks

2 teaspoons fresh ginger juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sake

500g (1 lb) chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks

90 g (
²
/
₃
cup) cornstarch

Oil for deep-frying

Lemon wedges for garnish

1
Combine the ginger juice, garlic, soy sauce and sake in a mixing bowl. Marinate chicken pieces with mixture in the mixing bowl and let stand for 20 minutes.

2
Drain chicken and toss lightly in cornstarch, shaking off any excess.

3
Meanwhile, heat oil to 160˚C (325°F). Fry the chicken, about 4 to 5 pieces at a time, until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes.

4
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper toweling. When oil returns to 160˚C (325°F), add more chicken pieces and repeat until all the chunks are cooked. Keep chicken pieces warm until serving. Arrange on individual plates and garnish with lemon wedges.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
30 mins

Cooking time:
10 mins