Homestyle Japanese Cooking (9 page)

BOOK: Homestyle Japanese Cooking
13.46Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

5
Serve in individual heated serving bowls and sprinkle sesame salt over the top. This dish can also be served at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6
Preparation time:
45 mins + overnight soaking
Cooking time:
35–50 mins

 

Deep-fried Tofu and Noodles in Clear Soup
(Kitsune Udon)

4 slices deep-fried tofu, (
abura-age
)
2 liters (8 cups) water
400 g (12 oz) dried udon noodles
1½ liters (6 cups) Basic Dashi Stock (page
4
)
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons
mirin
½ teaspoon salt
1 small leek, rinsed and thinly sliced
Seven-spice chilli powder (page
3
), for garnish

1
Blanch deep-fried tofu by placing it in a sieve and pouring boiling water over it. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut each piece of tofu into quarters to yield 16 pieces.

2
Bring the water to a boil and add the noodles, stirring gently to keep them separate. Cook at a vigorous boil for 5 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked but still firm. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well and cover with a damp kitchen towel until completely cool.

3
Place 250 ml (1 cup) of the Basic Dashi Stock and the sugar and tofu in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat.

4
Combine the remaining Basic Dashi Stock and soy sauce,
mirin
and salt in a pot and place over high heat. When boiling, add the leek slices and remove from the heat.

5
Divide the noodles among individual serving bowls. Top with tofu and ladle broth over the tofu, making sure each bowl has some leek. Serve immediately with the seven-spice chilli powder.

Serves 4
Preparation time:
10 mins
Cooking time:
20 mins

 

Cold Soba Noodles
(Zaru Soba)

2 liters (8 cups) water
10 oz (300 g)
soba
noodles
350 ml (1
1
/
3
cups) Basic Dashi Stock (page
4
)
5 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons
mirin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 sheet
nori
, toasted and cut in thin strips
4 teaspoons wasabi
2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat and add noodles, stirring gently to keep them separate. Cook at a vigorous boil until the noodles are cooked and still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well and cover with a damp kitchen towel until completely cool.

2
Combine Basic Dashi Stock, soy sauce,
mirin
and sugar in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Just before boiling, remove from heat and set aside.

3
Divide cold noodles among four individual serving bowls and top each bowl with one-quarter of the
nori
.

4
Pour dipping sauce into four small bowls and stir in some wasabi and spring onions. Dip the noodles into the sauce before eating.

Serves 4
Preparation time:
10 mins
Cooking time:
15 mins

 

Chilled Noodles with Prawns and Tomato

375 ml (1½ cups) Basic Dashi Stock (page
4
)
90 ml (
1
/
3
cup)
mirin
90 ml (
1
/
3
cup) soy sauce
2½ liters (10 cups) water
350 g (12 oz ) dried
somen
noodles
12–15 prawns
Iced water plus ice cubes
2–3 ripe tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
1 baby cucumber, thinly sliced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1
To make dipping sauce, combine the Basic Dashi Stock, mirin and soy sauce and cook until boiling.

2
Bring 2 liters (8 cups) water to a boil in a large saucepan and add noodles, stirring gently to keep them separate. Cook at a vigorous boil until the noodles cooked but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well and cover with a damp kitchen towel until completely cool.

3
Peel and devein the prawns. Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil in a saucepan, and poach prawns until they turn pink and opaque, about 1 minute. Drain and cool.

4
Divide noodles equally among four serving bowls and cover noodles with iced water. Add three ice cubes to each bowl and arrange the prawns, tomatoes and cucumber on top.

5
Place spring onions and grated ginger into 4 small dishes and pour dipping sauce over the top, adjusting to taste. Dip the noodles, prawns, and vegetables into the dipping sauce before eating.

Serves 4
Preparation time:
30 mins
Cooking time:
5 mins

 

Japanese Sponge Cake
(Kasutera)

5 large eggs
150 g (5 oz) Caster sugar
60 ml (¼ cup) honey
¾ teaspoon baking powder
90 g (3 oz) all-purpose flour
Caster sugar for dusting

1
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 22½-cm (9-in) square baking pan.

2
Break the eggs in a bowl and beat until frothy. Beat in the sugar and honey gradually. Continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale and the beaters leave a thin ribbon, about 12 minutes.

3
Sift the baking powder and flour together into the bowl with the egg mixture.

4
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined, and carefully pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan.

5
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool on a wire rack.

6
Dust with caster sugar and cut into squares before serving.

Serves 6 to 8
Preparation time:
10 mins
Cooking time:
30 mins

Beat the egg mixture for about 12 minutes until it leaves a ribbon trail.

Cool the cake on a wire rack and dust with caster sugar.

Other books

Raising Blaze by Debra Ginsberg
Rise (Roam Series, Book Three) by Stedronsky, Kimberly
Bite Me by Christopher Moore
The Stolen Voice by Pat Mcintosh
XXX - 136 Office Slave by J. W. McKenna
No River Too Wide by Emilie Richards
A Christmas Escape by Anne Perry
Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets by Kasey Lansdale, Glen Mehn, Guy Adams
Winter Hawk Star by Sigmund Brouwer