Thanks for the Meal

Category: Chicken

  • Unusual Edo Tastes: The use of Black Pepper and Garlic

    Unusual Edo Tastes: The use of Black Pepper and Garlic

    Japan may have been cut off from the rest of civilization during the Edo period (1603-1867), they sure didn’t suffer when it came to food and  had a surprisingly rich food culture. They had a vast and plentiful diet, that included many western imports. Over 300 cookbooks were written during the Edo Era. The following recipes, which are adaptations from Kyoikusha-shinsho’s fabulous Ryori no koten series, employ and highlight two fairly unusual ingredients for Japanese dishes of that era: black pepper and garlic.

    Unusual Edo Tastes

    There is an interesting story behind the black pepper. In 1609, a government official at the port of Hirado, southwest Japan, bought a large quantity of pepper from the Dutch. The Dutch were the only Westerners allowed to remain in the country after the Tokugawa government sealed Japan off from outside influence. Although pepper was a luxury item in those days, perhaps the official entertained the idea of promoting good ties or having a better import-export relationship with Holland. At any rate, this purchase might have been what led to the increasing availability and popularity of pepper during the Edo period.

    These recipes originally caught my eye because I love all types of pepper and garlic!

    I had some left-over black pepper rice, and fried it in a little oil the next day so that it was browned and crispy. Delicious! Whether you are on team rice cooker (my daughter), or team stove-top (me), this rice dish will come out perfectly either way.

    BLACK PEPPER RICE

    black pepper rice

    Serves 4-6

    • 2 cups Japanese white rice, washed and drained
    • ½ teaspoon fresh black peppercorns, coarsely cracked
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sake (rice wine)
    • 1 piece of konbu (kelp), 2 in by 2 in, wiped lightly with a damp cloth

    Garnish:

    • Shredded nori (seaweed)

    Soak rice in water for up to 30 minutes before cooking. Rinse and drain. Mix the rice, black pepper, soy sauce, and sake in an electric rice cooker or large saucepan. Place the konbu on top and add enough water to cook the rice. Follow instructions if using an electric rice cooker, otherwise cook covered for 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Turn heat off. Let cooked rice rest for 10 minutes with cover on. Discard konbu. Serve in rice bowls, top generously with shredded nori, and eat immediately.

    SHREDDED CHICKEN WITH JAPANESE RADISH

    shredded chicken japanese radish

    Serves 4-6

    • 1 lb daikon (Japanese radish), peeled and cut into thick rounds
    • ¾ lb boneless chicken breast with the skin, cut into chunks
    • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon sake
    • Pinch of salt
    • 1-½ tablespoons cornstarch

    Garnishes:

    • 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced, or to taste
    • ½ cup green onions, finely chopped

    Place the cut daikon in a soup pot and lay the chicken on top. Cover with water. Bring to the boil, remove scum if necessary and cook, covered, for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, take out the chicken, and discard the skin. Cool chicken briefly and shred it.

    Add soy sauce to the soup pot and cook for a further 10-15 minutes with the lid off, or until softened. Take out the daikon and place in 4 or 6 serving bowls. To finish the sauce, turn heat down to low and add in the sake and salt. Combine the cornstarch with a little cold water to make a smooth paste and add to sauce to thicken it slightly, stirring until combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

    Place the shredded chicken into the prepared sauce for a few minutes to reheat and then remove. Place the chicken on top of the daikon, pour a little sauce over it, and sprinkle with the garlic and green onions. Serve immediately.

  • Tori no Hikizuri: A Chicken-based Precursor of Sukiyaki

    Tori no Hikizuri: A Chicken-based Precursor of Sukiyaki

    Like many cultures, Japan first used chickens as living alarm clocks. The first record of this dates back to the Kojiki, the country’s first official history book, written in 712. The chicken was considered a sacred bird back then because it told people when morning had come, and apparently no one considered consuming the source of their wake-up calls!

    Tori no Hikizuri japanese recipe

    Tori no Hikizuri Recipe – One Pot Chicken Dish

    Where did Japan’s first chicken come from? We know that during the Heian era (794 – 1190) Chinese chickens were used in Japan for fortune telling (reportedly by guessing the cock’s song) in addition to announcing the dawn. From the end of the Muromachi era (1338 – 1573) to the early Edo era (1603 – 1867), trading among other Asian countries involved using chickens as currency; they were also sold as pets and matched in cockfights. But eating them (and such animals as horses, monkeys, cows, and boars) was prohibited by Buddhist strictures.

    The taboo of eating chicken

    This taboo was lifted by the 1600s, due largely to a lack of food and occasional periods of true famine. Chickens were also being raised on a small scale domestically. As to which was consumed first, the chicken or the egg, in Japan’s case it was undeniably the egg.

    Cookbooks from the Edo era show a variety of egg dishes, but no chicken dishes. In 1643, however, the book Ryori monogatari (The Story of Cooking) contained a small section of preparing chicken, but it wasn’t until the end of the Edo era that chicken became a common comestible. In those days, chicken cuisine probably meant Nanban ryori (Western cuisine that originated in Nagasaki) and Shippoku ryori (derived from Chinese cuisine). Both used chicken in their dishes, although it still wasn’t popular among the common people.

    One area renowned for chicken production, breeding, and cuisine is central Japan, specifically Aichi and Gifu prefectures. In Aichi, the Owari samurai of Nagoya castle raised chickens as a side business to selling the eggs, they also sold the chickens as pets.

    One of the clans was the Kaifu family, who eventually produced Toshiki Kaifu, one of Japan’s prime ministers. During the early Meiji era (1868 – 1912), the Kaifus created a new chicken by cross breeding a Chinese chicken and a regional chicken called Nagoya cochin that had better – tasting meat and could produce more eggs.

    Tori no Hikizuri Origin

    The origins of this dish, tori no hikizuri, are a bit mysterious. It was first mentioned in 1806 in a book entitled Ukare suzume yugi jima (which translates as “Merry Sparrows Dancing Island”) by Junrei Gohosha. Hikizuri comes from the word “hikizuru,” a verb meaning “to pull or drag,” and was applied because people “pulled” the ingredients from inside the pot. Although many people think this dish is an imitation of sukiyaki, the latter actually mimicked tori no hikizuri.

    This is total and yummy comfort food cooked at the dining table! I love to serve this to family and friends. Everyone gets a kick out of it being cooked in front of them and serving themselves! It is also easy, something we can all appreciate, especially now.

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    Tori no Hikizuri japanese recipe

    Tori no Hikizuri: A Chicken-based Precursor of Sukiyaki

    Lucy Seligman
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    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 600 grams (21 ozs) free-range boned chicken, (use breast and or thigh), cut into medium-sized chunks or thick slices
    • 200 grams (7 ozs) chicken liver and gizzards, cut into pieces
    • 1-1/2 blocks yakidofu (grilled tofu), drained and cut into 1-inch slices
    • 200 grams (7 ozs) negi, (Japanese leeks), cut diagonally on the bias into thin slices
    • 225 grams (8 ozs) shirataki (devil's tongue noodles), parboiled for 2 to 3 minutes, drained and cut in half

    Broth (Warishita)

    • 2/3 cup 100 % pure mirin (sweet rice wine), or as needed
    • 1/3 cup tamari soy sauce, or as needed
    • 1 cup water, or as needed

    Dipping Sauce

    • 4 fresh eggs, optional

    Instructions
     

    • Pour the mirin into a sukiyaki pan, cast–iron pan, or pot, but do not oil it first as you would for sukiyaki. Bring to a rolling boil for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the tamari and the chicken, vegetables, and other prepared ingredients a little at a time, and cook until done. Thin out the sauce with water as needed.
    • To serve, use a beaten egg as your dipping sauce if you want.
       

    Notes

    Optional ingredients to add if you want:
    1. Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut in half
    2. One or two bunches of mitsuba (trefoil), cut off ends, and cut into 2-inch pieces
    Keyword chicken
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
  • Tebasaki: Nagoya-style Fried Chicken Wings

    Tebasaki: Nagoya-style Fried Chicken Wings

    tebasaki fried chickenThis recipe is a favorite in beer gardens and beer halls in Nagoya, where I happily lived for a number of years.

    Beer halls and beer gardens are popular summer retreats in japan. Just like overseas drinkers, the Japanese enjoy a variety of highly addictive and tasty snacks that inevitably inspired thirst for another draught. One typical favorite is tebasaki – flavored fried chicken wings.

    But first, a bit about beer. As far as we know, beer was introduced to Japan during the mid-Edo era (1603-1867) by Dutch merchants. The Dutch were allowed to land at Dejima island near Nagasaki during the long period of Japan’s national isolation, and among their wares was lager beer. The first Japanese to actually make beer for personal consumption was Dr. Komin Kawamoto, who acted as an interpreter for the Tokugawa military government in 1853 and was served beer while on Commodore Perry’s ship. Dr. Kawamoto became so enthusiastic about this new beverage that he obtained the recipe from Commodore Perry himself and then went home and started brewing. The first non-Japanese brewery was started in 1870 by an American named William Copeland, who built the Spring Valley Brewery in Yokohama to satisfy the thirsts of an increasing number of foreigners who converged on Japan after it opened its doors to the rest of world. We also have Copeland to thank for the first beer hall in Japan, situated right next to his brewery. Although these beers were not produced on a large scale, they were popular enough to be called maho mizu (magic water) by the Japanese.

    In 1872, the first Japanese brewery opened in Osaka and began producing Shibuya beer. In March 1875, the first advertisement about beer appeared in Tokyo Nichi Shimbun (now the Mainichi Shimbun). It was a simple newspaper ad, but since beer was somewhat unknown, it caused a big commotion. Kiyobe Nakagawa, often called the father of beer, started what would later become Sapporo Beer in Sapporo the following year. By the mid-Meiji era (1868-1912) there more than 100 breweries scattered around Japan, including Kirin, which also had its origin in Yokohama.

    Beer gardens first opened in 1896. Asahi Beer, based in Osaka, put up a tent and served a draft brew called Sakura Beer. In 1899, Ebisu Beer Hall was opened in Tokyo by Nihon Beer Corporation. Beer was sold by the glass with Western snacks such as sandwiches. After this, many popular beer halls opened in the city. Shimbashi Beer Hall, for example, catered to people waiting for trains and to foreigners. It was a large, typically noisy place. On opening day, it sold 225 liters of beer-due in no small part to the American navy men who had heard of it.

    For the sake of recipe testing, I won’t mention how many chicken wings and mini-drumsticks were consumed, along with various bottles of Japanese beer……..in pursuit of the perfect recipe!

    tebasaki fried chicken

    Tebasaki: Nagoya-style Fried Chicken Wings

    Lucy Seligman
    4 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Appetizer
    Cuisine Japanese
    Servings 4

    Ingredients
      

    • 8-12 chicken wings or mini-drum sticks
    • vegetable oil for frying
    • 1/2+ cup unagi-tare sauce, a thick, sweet, soy-based sauce often used for grilled eel
    • ground white pepper to taste
    • sansho pepper to taste

    Garnish:

    • shredded cabbage

    Instructions
     

    • Deep-fry the wings and or drumsticks in the oil until golden brown and fully cooked. Drain briefly.
    • Generously brush both sides of the chicken with the unagi sauce and dust generously all over with both of the peppers.
    • Place the chicken against a mound of cabbage and serve immediately.

    Notes

    There are endless seasoning variations to try and taste, and that’s part of the fun. Everyone has their own favorite. Remember to balance out a sweet base with a spicy topping as my recipe does.
    Here are some other flavor ideas to try:
    Make your own favorite soy-based marinade for the chicken: Some ingredients to add in could be minced garlic, wasabi, mustard, curry powder, sesame oil, paprika, white sesame seeds, vinegar, and so on.
    Sprinkle cooked chicken with white sesame seeds,  shichimi togarashi (7 taste pepper including red pepper), or coarsely cracked black pepper.
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

     

    If you like this, check out other regional Japanese recipes >>

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