Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional (25 page)
Read Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional Online
Authors: Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner
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BOOK: Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional
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This is an original vegan recipe created to replicate what was once one of my favorite dishes.
Yield: 4 servings
Place the shiitake and wakame in a food processor, and process until finely minced. Shred the yuba into small pieces. Mix the yuba with the wakame mixture, and season with the soy sauce and mirin. Mix in the
mochiko
(rice flour). Divide this mixture into fourths, and place a mound on each sheet of nori. Pat it out into a rectangle, and fold the nori over the mixture to form a packet, sealing the nori with water to make it stick. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and saute the “eel” on both sides until crispy. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the tare sauce to the pan, and flip the “eel” over a couple of times to allow the sauce to penetrate. Place hot rice in individual bowls, place a piece of “eel” on top of each, and pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of tare over each piece again, this time allowing the sauce to flavor the rice. Serve immediately.
mochiko
(rice flour). Divide this mixture into fourths, and place a mound on each sheet of nori. Pat it out into a rectangle, and fold the nori over the mixture to form a packet, sealing the nori with water to make it stick. Heat the oil in a frying pan, and saute the “eel” on both sides until crispy. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the tare sauce to the pan, and flip the “eel” over a couple of times to allow the sauce to penetrate. Place hot rice in individual bowls, place a piece of “eel” on top of each, and pour 2 to 3 tablespoons of tare over each piece again, this time allowing the sauce to flavor the rice. Serve immediately.
Tare Sauce for “Eel”
cup evaporated cane juice½ cup Konbu
Dashi
(Konbu Stock), page 54
Dashi
(Konbu Stock), page 54
½ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
Combine and simmer all the ingredients for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the mixture forms a thin syrup. This keeps well.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Everyday Favorites
T
he dishes in this chapter are familiar favorites in most homes. These are not centuries-old dishes, but rather more recent adaptations of Western-style dishes to suit the Japanese palate. They use ingredients and cooking techniques which were not used by the Japanese until the 20th century, and many reflect the recent practice of eating meat. (Of course, the recipes presented here are vegetarian versions, although you might not find such in Japan!) These are the everyday dishes that Japanese housewives stand by, since they are so popular with children; they are, in essence, the Japanese equivalents of American pizza or macaroni and cheese. But believe me, their homey flavors will be enjoyed by adults as well.
Savory Vegetable Pancakeshe dishes in this chapter are familiar favorites in most homes. These are not centuries-old dishes, but rather more recent adaptations of Western-style dishes to suit the Japanese palate. They use ingredients and cooking techniques which were not used by the Japanese until the 20th century, and many reflect the recent practice of eating meat. (Of course, the recipes presented here are vegetarian versions, although you might not find such in Japan!) These are the everyday dishes that Japanese housewives stand by, since they are so popular with children; they are, in essence, the Japanese equivalents of American pizza or macaroni and cheese. But believe me, their homey flavors will be enjoyed by adults as well.
2 cups water
¼ pound regular tofu
2½ cups whole wheat pastry or unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 to 5 cups thinly sliced or slivered vegetables: onions, carrot matchsticks, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, mushrooms, etc.
Purée the water and tofu in a blender until smooth. Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl, and mix well. Pour in the liquid mixture, and mix lightly. Add the vegetables and mix well to combine.
Cook large pancakes on a lightly oiled skillet or griddle over medium-low heat until browned on both sides. Serve while hot with soy sauce or
tonkatsu
sauce (see
sosu
page 32).
tonkatsu
sauce (see
sosu
page 32).
(“Sauce” is served with a variety of other foods, mostly fried. I find this more healthful vegan version is delicious with just soy sauce, although kids prefer the tasty “sauce.”)
This literally translates into “favorite grilled food.” In Japan, these huge, tempting pancakes filled with vegetables and seafood (usually octopus and squid) are sold at street fairs from stands as well as at specialty restaurants where they are grilled at your table in front of your very eyes. The restaurant may also provide the batter and “fixings”for you to grill them yourself on the built-in table grill. They are generally smothered in what the japanese refer to as “sauce
,
” a thick, brown concoction that tastes like Worcestershire sauce. By the way, this is another way I can get my little boy to devour his vegetables!
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Curry Rice2 tablespoons oil
2 large onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 6 tablespoons curry powder, depending on how hot you like it and the strength of the curry powder (Use the smaller amount if you are serving children.)
½ to
cup flour
cup flour3 cups hot, beef-style vegetarian stock (homemade or from cubes or powder)
1 apple, peeled and grated in a fine pulp
3 to 4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice, fruit juice concentrate, FruitSource, or 3 to 4 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate
2 cups cubed potatoes (preferably red)
2 carrots, cut into ¼-inch slices Meat substitute of your choice (optional), such as:
1 cup textured soy protein chunks or strips, reconstituted in boiling water to cover and drained,
1 cup chopped seitan One 12-ounce package extra-firm tofu, cut into cubes,
5 or 6 vegetarian hot dogs, sliced
½ cup rich soymilk
1 cup broccoli florets or string beans (Another green vegetable may be substituted.)
1 cup frozen corn (optional)
Curry rice is cult food in Japan. Typically, a housewife will procure a box of “curry roux” at the grocery store, a solid block of curry, flavorings, flour, and oil or fat, that cooks up into-a thick, creamy sauce when stewed with meat, vegetables, and water. I don’t know when curry was introduced into Japan, but it has worked its magic over the entire nation. Not only does almost every restaurant serve curry rice, but there are specialty restaurants that serve nothing else and magazine features on how to make the best curry.
Yield: 6 servings
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan. Add the onions and garlic, cover, and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and soft. Add the curry powder and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the flour (the greater amount for a thicker sauce), and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the stock and whisk or beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the apple, soy sauce, sweetener of choice, potatoes, carrots, and meat substitute of choice; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the soymilk, broccoli, and corn, and cook for another 10 minutes or so until tender. Add more soy sauce, curry, or vegetable broth powder to taste. To serve, pour next to a generous mound of rice on a plate. Let people eat with spoons if they want!
There are some restaurants that let you order the degree of hotness from 1 to 10 (and will not charge you for the meal if you can eat the 10 degree concoction!), but the most common version is rather mild and enjoyed greatly by children. I remember loving it as a child, as my children do now. Of course, the recipe presented here does not come from a box, but is a more healthful version made from scratch. “For a most authentic taste, use curry powder made by a japanese manufacturer. (It usually comes in a small can and can be found at Japanese grocery stores.)
¼ medium cabbage, shredded
1 cup textured soy protein granules
1 cup boiling water
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