Tag: soy sauce

Bamboo Shoot, Chicken and Fried Tofu Mixed Rice Recipe
We know spring is here when fresh bamboo shoots start popping up from the ground. In keeping with the traditional Japanese concept of enjoying food during its peak season, why not try this tasty and easy version of bamboo rice to celebrate spring, the season of renewal. I know I am ready for spring….aren’t you?!

My very first blog posting two years ago was a bamboo shoot recipe, and so is today’s. This is one of my favorite mixed rice recipes. And if you can’t buy fresh bamboo shoots, this can still be delicious using precooked peeled and or canned bamboo shoots.
Bamboo Shoot, Chicken, and Fried Tofu Rice

Lucy Seligman

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1 piece of abura-age (fried tofu)
7 ozs. fresh*, precooked peeled or canned bamboo shoots, thinly sliced
3 ½ ozs. chicken breast, skinned and cubed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup dashi (fish stock)
3 tablespoons low-salt soy sauce, or to taste
4 tablespoons sake
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups Japanese white rice, washed and drained
1 piece of kelp, wiped with a damp cloth
To garnish:
Dried seaweed, cut into thin strips

Instructions

Before starting, immerse the fried tofu in hot water for 10 minutes to get rid of the oil. Squeeze out excess water and slice into strips. If using canned bamboo shoots, boil for a minute or two and then rinse.
Sauté the cubed chicken and fried tofu in oil. Add the sliced bamboo shoots, dashi stock, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of sake. Cook until all the liquid evaporates, roughly 10 minutes. Set aside.
Place the rice in an electric rice cooker or large saucepan. Add the remaining soy sauce and sake, and salt. Place the piece of kelp on top. Add water and cook according to rice cooker directions or, if using a saucepan, until the water is fully absorbed. When the rice is done, remove kelp, add the chicken and vegetables and stir well. Cover and let sit a further 10 minutes before serving.
Place in rice bowls and top with a generous amount of dried seaweed. Serve immediately. Clam soup makes a nice accompaniment.

Notes
*If using canned or precooked peeled bamboo shoots, drain and rinse them thoroughly in cold water before preparation. If the shoots are fresh, cut off the hard bottom part and boil them in their husks – water left over from washing rice or rice bran is best for this – with a dried red pepper for about one and a half hours to remove bitterness. Let cool, then peel off the husks. Wash well in cold water and continue with recipe preparation.

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Salad Dressing Recipes
I love salads and of course, Japanese salad dressings!

Salad dressings play a large role in any Japanese culinary repertoire. The composition of salads and dressings are an area of great versatility and creativity in Japanese cuisine. If your pantry is equipped with a couple of Japanese standards, you too can whip up or pound up in a mortar and pestle a tasty dressing very quickly.

Japanese Salad Dressing Recipes

Japanese dressings come in various guises – basic, aemono (dressed) and sunomono (vinegared). Generally, aemono dressings tend to be thicker, often including miso, egg yolks, pounded sesame seeds, nuts and even tofu. Have all ingredients cooled before combining for any Japanese style dressing.

Aemono – Dressed Salads can be used for raw or cooked, and then cooled vegetables, poultry or fish that are mixed with dressing and served in small individual portions. It is also good with parboiled green vegetables, including cabbage, green beans or spinach.

Goma-ae (Sesame Dressing) Recipe
Goma-ae (Sesame dressing)

Lucy Seligman

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Course Salad
Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

4 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white sugar or mirin (sweet sake)
1 to 2 tablespoons dashi fish stock, cooled*
Garnish: Optional, Choose one
toasted white sesame seeds, to taste
katsuobushi, to taste

Instructions

Grind sesame seeds until flaky.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Combine with preferred salad ingredients and serve in individual portions. If desired, garnish with additional toasted white sesame seeds and or katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).

Notes
*Follow directions on dashi container for how to make stock.

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Kaminari Dofu aka Thunder Tofu
Let’s face it, tofu can be bland, but also quite versatile in any number of Japanese dishes. That’s why I am always looking for innovative ways to make it more tasty and interesting. Used as a foundation for a recipe, it can take on very assertive flavors. Kaminari Dofu (aka Thunder Tofu) is no exception. This is one of my all-time favorite tofu recipes.

It is my adaptation of a recipe from the Edo Period (1603-1868), adapted from a recipe of Kyoiku-shashin-sho’s “Tofu Hyakuchin.” Kaminari (translated as thunder) Dofu is called that because of the PARI PARI sound when you saute tofu in oil, as tofu contains a lot of water. When you make this dish, listen for this!

What is tofu (bean curd) made of?

It is pressed soybean milk and which is then fermented so that they coagulate into curds, similar to cheese. The curds are pressed into molds which are then allowed to drain, encouraging the curds to stick together. It has a high protein content.

There are number of Japanese tofu varieties, based on its level of firmness.

Soft Tofu (Kinudofu):
Soft (or silken) tofu is fresh tofu with a smooth, custard-like consistency.

Regular (Firm) Tofu:
Firm tofu has a much sturdier, drier texture than soft tofu. As a result, it stands up better to cooking. It is available in a number of varieties, ranging from soft to extra firm. Momentofu – The second firmest tofu has a medium consistency. It can also be known as regular, coarse, spongy, cotton, or wool tofu. Yakitofu is lightly grilled and as a result is the firmest.

Deep Fried Tofu (Aburaage and Atsuage):
There are several varieties of deep fried tofu common to Japanese cuisine: Aburaage and Atsuage are the most common.

Freeze Dried Tofu (Koyadofu):
Koyadofu is freeze dried tofu. It has a spongy texture that absorbs whatever sauce, nabe or soup it is placed in.

When I lived in Tokyo, I took a cooking class where we made fresh tofu. I can remember the taste to this day. I’ve noticed that in recent years at many high-end Japanese restaurants here in the States, house made tofu is often offered. Try it! I have loved it every time it has been available. You can often find fresh tofu at Japanese markets as well and well worth the search. Add some freshly made Japanese rice, a bowl of miso soup, and you have a very tasty, easy, quick and delicious meat-free meal!

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Kaminari Dofu

Lucy Seligman

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 blocks momen (cotton) tofu
4 tablespoons Japanese sesame oil
4 tablespoons Soy sauce or to taste
grated Daikon radish to taste, drain off excess water
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
Togarashi (dried red pepper) or cayenne pepper to taste
Wasabi horseradish to taste

Instructions

Place the tofu between 2 plates and leave for 20 to 30 minutes. Drain off the excess water, and mash the tofu between your fingers. Wrap in a clean towel (or cheesecloth) and firmly press out as much remaining water as you can.
Heat the oil in a wok. Add the unwrapped tofu and stir quickly. Add soy sauce and continue cooking over high heat for a few minutes.
To serve, place the tofu mixture in bowls, topped with grated daikon, sprinkle with green onions and togarashi. Put a dab of wasabi in the center and serve piping hot. You can also serve this family style, in a large bowl.

Notes
Have all your ingredients prepped and prepared as this dish needs to be served piping hot.

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Uosuki: Fish Sukiyaki
Ask anyone about sukiyaki, and most will nod knowledgeably and say, “Ah, yes, a famous Japanese dish.” Mention Uosuki, though, and even most Japanese will react with a blank look. Uosuki is a form of fish sukiyaki, a famous regional dish from the Osaka area that originated on fishing boats in the Inland Sea. Fresh catch was quickly cut up and added to a nabe (iron pot) of simmering stock that was sweet and salty (amakara); the stock was said to hide the fishy smell. Vegetables were also thrown in the pot, and a beaten egg was used as a dipping sauce. At the very end, udon noodles were added instead of rice.

Maruman Honke, an Osaka restaurant that opened in 1862, claims to be the only establishment to offer authentic uosuki. Located in the theater district until World War II, Maruman Honke became a favorite post-performance hangout for theatergoers. The restaurant’s huge communal room was raucous, convivial place where friends and strangers alike shared the large tables.

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Today the restaurant is in a different area, and has the standard setup of a counter, tables, and small rooms for private parties. The uosuki hasn’t changed, though.

Here is my version of uosuki. I use a variety of ultrafresh fish and other seafood – oysters and squid, for example – for a more complex taste. Vary the vegetables as desired: Chinese cabbage, shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves), daikon radish, and various Japanese mushrooms all blend in well. The addition of sansho pepper into the marinade for the fish also adds an elegant and additional subtle layer of flavor to this dish.

For extra authenticity, try making Uosuki or Beef Sukiyaki (recipe) in a cast-iron sukiyaki pan.

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Uosuki: Fish Sukiyaki

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

2 lb to 2 ¼ lb assorted white-meat fish fillets, such as sea bream, yellowtail, or cod, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium or large shrimp, shelled and deveined, with tail left intact
4 hamaguri clams, soaked in cold water for about an hour to cleanse them, then drained and rinsed
3 cups cold dashi fish stock
1/2 teaspoon sansho pepper
1 ½ blocks grilled tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and a crisscross incision made on the caps
7 oz. negi (Japanese leeks), cut diagonally into 1-inch slices* Use white part only
1 large bunch of mitsuba, trefoil, slightly stemmed, washed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
½ lb shirataki (noodles made from devil’s tongue jelly), parboiled for 2 to 3 minutes, then drained and cut into thirds
10 ½ oz dried udon noodles, slightly undercooked, drained and then rinsed in cold water
Cold water as needed
Sauce:
¾ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup white sugar
½ cup sake
½ cup mirin (sweet sake)
¾ cup cold dashi stock
Dipping sauce:
4 to 8 eggs

Instructions

Marinate the fish and shellfish in the cold dashi-sansho mixture in a shallow container for one hour in the refrigerator before cooking. Drain and place the marinated seafood in a serving bowl.
Arrange the rest of the ingredients on a serving platter and place the platter on the dining table. Put all the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves and it’s hot. Adjust the taste as desired, adding more sugar or mirin for a sweeter taste, or more soy sauce for a saltier taste.
Pour half the sauce into the sukiyaki pan (or cast-iron pan), and then place the pan over a heating source and bring to a boil. Start adding a little of each ingredient to the pot and let cook over high heat until done. Dip each morsel into beaten egg and eat immediately. Continue adding the ingredients and sauce as needed. Add noodles to the pot toward the end of the meal, cooking only to reheat and eat.
If the sauce becomes too thick, add cold water as needed to thin it out.

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Falling for the Subtle Taste of Chestnut Rice (Kurigohan)
Making rice the proper way is an art in Japan, one that often takes many years to perfect. The importance of this is reflected by the overwhelming number of Japanese meals that end with a bowl of pearlescent, impeccably cooked short-grain white rice, pickles, and miso soup. Rice’s versatility doesn’t stop there, of course. One common variation is the vinegared rice used for sushi; another is the glutinous rice used to make sekihan (red rice) for celebrations.

Then there is the whole spectrum of mixed rice dishes. In Japan, the idea of mixing or cooking rice with other ingredients dates from the Heian era (794-1185). Rice in those days was so scarce and expensive that even for aristocrats combining rice with other foods was commonplace. Until the 1950s, people continued to prepare these kinds of dishes to supplement their rice – still a costly commodity – and to use up leftovers. Now it has become practically a fad to mix rice with such diverse ingredients as bamboo shoots, beans, chestnuts, and so on.

There are two main categories of mixed rice dishes: takikomi-gohan, which is rice cooked with something else; and maze-gohan, which is rice mixed with something else. The differences between the two involve how and when the other ingredients are added to the rice. To make takikomi-gohan, for instance, uncooked or precooked ingredients are either combined with the raw rice or added during the cooking process. Maze-gohan dishes involve blending in precooked and often flavored ingredients with cooked rice during the interval just before serving. The flavoring for both these forms of mixed rice is either salt or soy sauce-based.

Mixed rice dishes are known by many different names according to their region of origin and their ingredients. Further complicating the situation is the frequent substitution of the word “meshi” for “gohan” to mean rice. Some are popular nationwide and in all seasons. There are also special mixes with a seasonal connection, including bamboo-shoot rice (takenoko-gohan) in the spring and broad-bean rice (soramame-gohan) in the summer.

Kurigohan (chestnut rice) is another of these seasonal treats, a beloved favorite during the autumn months, and one of my favorites. There are two rice dishes, in fact, that typify autumn in Japan. One is made using matsutake mushrooms, often called “the truffles of the East”, real specimens of which are almost prohibitively expensive and virtually impossible to obtain outside of Japan. The other, of course, is chestnut rice, which uses inexpensive ingredients and can be enjoyed and savored almost everywhere.
Chestnut Rice

Lucy Seligman

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1 ¾ cups short-grain white rice washed and drained
½ cup mochi-gome glutinous rice, washed and drained
10 oz. 300g peeled fresh chestnuts*, whole, halved, or quartered
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake
2 ¾ cups water
3- inch square of dried konbu kelp, wiped with a damp cloth and lightly slashed to release its flavour

Instructions

Put the washed rice in an electric rice cooker or large saucepan. Blend the salt, soy sauce, sake, and water until the salt dissolves. Pour over the rice and stir lightly. Top with the kelp and cook. For the last 15 minutes of cooking, remove the kelp and place the chestnuts on top of the rice. When the rice is done, let it rest for 15 minutes, then gently mix in the chestnuts. Serve hot.

Notes
*Soak the chestnuts overnight in cold water (or soak in boiling water for 5 to 10 minutes) to make them easier to peel. Cut off the rounded end with a sharp paring knife, then remove the hard outer shell and the thin inner skin. Wash the peeled chestnuts lightly in cold water to get rid of their starch. To prevent discoloration, keep the chestnuts in a bowl of cold water until it is time to add them to the rice, then drain them and proceed with the recipe.

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Nanbanzuke: Marinated Fried Fish from Nagasaki
Portuguese and Spanish missionaries started trickling into Japan to spread the teachings of Christianity near the end of the Muromachi era (1392-1567), and their first foothold in Japan was Nagasaki. The Japanese took to referring to all Europeans as Nanbanjin or “Southern barbarians,” and gradually the term “nanban” came to mean anything related to European civilization; even the ship that brought the missionaries to the shores of Japan was referred to as nanbansen.

In addition to importing a different religion and culture, the priests also sparked a culinary revolution of sorts. Nanban ryori (“Southern barbarian cuisine”) was a style of cooking characterized by deep-frying and the use of dried hot red peppers and onions, both of which the newcomers employed liberally in their cuisine. However, since the onion didn’t come to Japan until the seventeenth century and wasn’t popular until the Meiji era (1868-1912), Western cooks took to using Japanese leeks instead. The Japanese liked what they tasted and began creating dishes that used these two ingredients.

One example is kamo nanban – soba with wild duck and leeks. By the Edo era (1603-1867) many cookbooks referred to any dish using leeks as nanban-style cooking. The preferred method of cooking in this Nagasaki regional cuisine was deep-frying. The frying of food, including tempura, can be traced back to the meatless Fridays the devoutly Catholic Europeans observed for religious reasons.

Nanbanzuke (aka Nanban-zuke) is one facet of Nagasaki’s regional cooking style, and among its most enduring variations is Aji no Nanbanzuke. To make this dish, small horse mackerel are deep-fried and then marinated in a vinegar-based sauce that includes red peppers and leeks. Summer is considered the best season for horse mackerel, which is often served as sashimi, salt-grilled, boiled, or deep-fried. Many people think the latter is the best of all.

During a recent trip back to Japan this summer, I not only enjoyed Aji no Nanbanzuke, but I helped cook a home-style version of this style of cooking using chicken and assorted vegetables. (I will post that recipe in the future.) What I like is that this is a pretty forgiving dish; an easy and delectable way to eat a lot of vegetables during hot and humid summer days, not to mention succulent fish and or chicken, and surprisingly light despite it being a fried dish!

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Aji no Nanbanzuke

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

8 small whole fresh aji (horse mackerel or sardines), cleaned, scaled, gutted, and deboned
1 ½ teaspoons coarse sea salt
All-purpose white flour as needed
Vegetable oil for deep-frying
Nanbansu (vinegar sauce)
7 tablespoons cold water
1 ½ tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons sake
2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
1 or 2 small dried red peppers, seeded & sliced thinly
3 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar, or to taste
½ Japanese leek, white part only, charred & quartered or replace with 1 small onion, peeled & thinly sliced
Garnish
Minced green onion to taste
Optional Additional Vegetables if desired:
1 or 2 piman (Japanese green pepper), seeded, cored and thinly sliced into strips
1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced into strips

Instructions

Wash the cleaned fish and sprinkle them with the sea salt. Let sit for 15 to 20 minutes, then wash the salt off in cold water and dry the fish well with paper towels. Dredge in flour. Deep-fry in the vegetable oil until the fish start to float and turn golden-brown. Drain quickly on paper towels, then place the still-hot fish in a shallow, nonaluminum container.
While the fish are being salted, make the sauce. Bring the water, sugar, sake, soy sauce, and red peppers to a boil. Turn the heat off and add the vinegar, leeks, and any other vegetables if using. Pour the sauce over the fish, let cool to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to two days, turning occasionally.
To server: Drain the fish and vegetables, and place on a serving plate. Sprinkle the fish generously with the minced green onions and drizzle a little of the sauce over them. Serve cold.

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Photo copyright: kandki / 123RF Stock Photo

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Real Eel: An Electrifying Dish from Nagoya
Once tasted, the delicate flavor of eel (unagi), prepared according to the special ways of Japanese cuisine, will linger in your memory forever. Since the Edo period (1603-1867), eel has traditionally been eaten in the height of midsummer on the Day of the Ox (July 23); popular custom has it that anyone who eats eel on this day will have extra stamina to cope with the summer heat. This is a custom I follow to this day! But the true gourmet’s season for eel consumption is late fall to winter (the time of spawning), when eel are at their best, even tastier than usual.

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There are many ways to serve unagi: the most popular is kabayaki, eel grilled in sauce, served separately from rice; if served on rice, it is called unaju. Or there is shirayaki, eel grilled without sauce, served with wasabi (horseradish) and soy sauce. A more unusual dish, unagi kamameshi, is the creation of Torisuzu, a chain of restaurants in Nagoya, where I lived for a number of years. It combines flavored rice and grilled eel with a tasty stock poured over the top, and wasabi and chopped green onions for an extra flourish. After tasting this dish just once, you’ll be a convert for life.

Be warned, this recipe needs constant attention – no running away from the stove while it’s cooking.

Buy the unagi sauce from a Japanese supermarket or supplier as it is virtually impossible for the home cook to make – in the kitchen at Torisuzu, a large vat of unagi bones, soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sweet sake) is kept specially heated and cooking for a full three months before use. It’s also advisable to buy ready-grilled kabayaki eel (frozen if necessary), as grilling fresh eel is an intricate art unto itself.
Unagi Kamameshi

Lucy Seligman

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

3 cups short-grain Japanese white rice
4 ½ cups water
¾ cup unagi sauce
14 oz. kabayaki (grilled eel, thickly sliced), Look in Japanese supermarkets, they are usually sold in vacuumed sealed packages in the frozen section.
For the stock:
3 cups water
1 ½ teaspoons dashi (fish stock granules)
1 ½ teaspoons low-salt soy sauce
1 ½ teaspoons sake
A pinch of salt
To garnish:
½ cup minced or finely chopped green onions
Wasabi horseradish to taste

Instructions

Wash the rice until the water runs clear. Drain and let sit for 30 minutes prior to cooking.
Place the rice and water in a heavy, deep, medium-sized saucepan with a well-fitting lid. Boil vigorously, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. To keep from boiling over, tap the top of the pan a number of times with a spoon. Most of the water should disappear – if it evaporates too quickly, turn down the heat during the last few minutes of cooking to avoid burning.
Pour in the unagi sauce and mix well, then turn heat down to medium-simmer, cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eel slices, cover again, and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the stock. Heat water and stir in the dashi until dissolved. Add soy sauce and sake and adjust seasoning.
To serve, mix the eel into the rice and serve in individual bowls. Pass the stock, green onion, and wasabi separately, allowing each person to mix in as they desire.

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Not only can you find a number of recipes from Nagoya on Thanks For the Meal, but we have a whole collection of regional Japanese recipes from across the country.

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Here’s the one I purchased at my local Asian mall. Leave a note in the comments section (see below) if you make this dish!
Yakitori: Skewered, Grilled, and Garnished (Part 2)
Walk out of almost any train station in Japan in the evening, look for a restaurant with an akachochin (red lantern) outside, and inside you’ll find groups of salaried workers talking, drinking, and consuming countless skewers of yakitori, this country’s version of shish kebab. There is something very seductive about the smell of meat grilling over charcoal, which may help to explain the nation’s enduring love of yakitori.

The forerunner of yakitori was a variety of small birds, such as quail or sparrow, split open, flattened and grilled. True yakitori, spitted on skewers, appears to have originated in yatai – food stalls – in Tokyo during the Meiji period (1868-1912). At that time chicken was prohibitively expensive, so beef and pork intestines were primarily used. The notion of grilling food caught on during this period, as Japan opened up to Western influences, including cuisine.

As the price of chicken decreased in Japan, particularly in the Sixties when “broiler” chickens were introduced, it became the most common yakitori ingredient. These days, yakitori usually consists of chicken parts and vegetables skewered on sticks, grilled, and either sprinkled with salt or brushed with a sweetened soy-based sauce.
Yakitori

Lucy Seligman

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Servings 4

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs boned chicken leg or thigh meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
8 washed & halved chicken livers (or chicken gizzards or rolled pieces of skin)
8 small chicken wings (salt grill only)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 or 2 large Japanese leeks (naganegi), white part only (or white onions), cut into 1-inch pieces
Yakitori Sauce:
3/4 cup mirin (sweet rice sake)
2 tbsps rock sugar, or 1 tbsp white sugar
3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 or 2 roasted or grilled chicken bones, optional
Garnish:
Ground Japanese pepper (sansho)
Seven-spice pepper mixture (shichimitogarashi)
Lemon wedges for salted skewers

Instructions

Put the mirin and sugar in a saucepan and warm, stirring well, over medium heat until the sugar melts. Add the soy sauce and chicken bones (if used), and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer, uncovered, for about twenty minutes. The sauce should reduce about 30 percent, and be thick but still pourable. Strain it and cool to room temperature.
Since the cooking time for each ingredient varies, each should be threaded on separate skewers – 8- or 10-inch bamboo skewers or short steel shish-kebab ones – except for chicken pieces alternated with leeks, a traditional combination. Four pieces per skewer is best.
Prepare a barbecue, grill, or broiler. For best results, use charcoal. Grill the skewers, unseasoned at first, turning every few minutes until the ingredients start to brown and the juices begin to trickle out. At this point, either salt both sides of each skewer or dip it into the sauce. Grill for a few more minutes, turning occasionally, then remove the salted skewers for immediate consumption; dip the other skewers into the sauce again and grill them twice more, the second time returning them to the fire only briefly. Serve the sauced skewers with garnishes and the salted ones with lemon wedges.

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Photo attribution: Copyright: npdstock / 123RF Stock Photo

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Oden: Japanese Hodgepodge Stew
When I was a college student in Tokyo, I would often pass mobile food stalls, called yatai, late on blustery winter nights and be completely overwhelmed by the powerful aroma of oden, or Japanese hodgepodge stew. Oden’s pungent smell and taste have made it a perennial favorite with drinkers, no matter the season. It is definitely a comfort food in Japan and can be enjoyed anytime by everyone.

The oden is derived from dengaku–grilled, skewered tofu topped with miso. The dish got its start in the late Edo era (1603-1867) when the people of old Edo (now Tokyo) began cooking many ingredients stuck on bamboo skewers in one pot. They used soy sauce as a base, which accounts for the murky darkness of the stock and the uniformly brownish color of the ingredients. Called Kanto-daki (Kanto-style oden), this dish was passed down to the Kansai area. There the people of Osaka changed the stock, taking out the soy sauce and substituting salt and kelp, or sometimes chicken stock or even white soy sauce, to create a clearer, more delicate broth. The variation, known as Kansai-daki, reached Tokyo and influenced the original oden. In fact, traditional soy sauce-based oden has become a rarity, even in Tokyo.

My version of Kanto-style Oden is slightly unorthodox, as it includes a relatively small amount of processed fish paste products. You are welcome to add as much as you like. The secret to making a great oden? Time (it definitely improves with age), a variety of ingredients, and the all-important condiment, karashi, spicy Japanese mustard. This Kanto-style recipe is just one of the collection of regional dishes featured on Thanks for the Meal.
Kanto-Style Oden

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4 persons

Ingredients

24 ounces (685 grams) daikon radish, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch (2-1/2 cm) rounds, simmered over low heat in water for one hour
5-1/4 ounces (150 grams) fresh shiitake mushrooms, washed, stemmed, and placed on bamboo skewers (three per skewer)
1-1/4 lb. (600 grams) white potato, peeled, and cut in half, simmered in water for 30 minutes and drained
To make Fukuro (stuffed, deep-fried tofu):
5 large pieces abura-age (deep-fried tofu), dipped in boiling water for 2 minutes to get rid of excess oil, squeezed to remove excess water, cut in half, then opened to create little sacks
3-1/2 ounces (100 grams) mochi (pounded rice cakes, cut into 3/4 ounce (approx. 20g) slices
8 ounces (225 grams) shirataki (devil’s tongue noodles), cut in half, parboiled, and drained
3 raw eggs
10 8-inch (20cm) long kampyo (dried gourd strips), washed and drained, to tie up the sacks
8 ounces (225 grams) konnyaku (devil’s tongue jelly) cut into triangles, parboiled, and drained
2 chikuwa (fish paste rolls) cut on the bias into thick slices
1 cake tofu, drained and cut into 8 thick squares
4-6 chicken drumsticks
Assorted cut-up fish paste products such as kamaboko and satsuma-age, optional
Dashi Fish Stock:
1 ounce (30 grams) konbu (kelp) wiped with a damp cloth and lightly slashed
8 cups water to soak the kelp in for 30 minutes; retain the water
2 small packets (1/5 ounce or 6g) katsuobushi (dried bonito shavings)
Prepared Dashi Stock:
2 tbsps sake
1/4 cup light soy sauce or to taste
2 tbsps mirin (sweet sake) or to taste
2 tsps salt or to taste
Condiment:
spicy Japanese mustard (karashi) to taste

Instructions

Place the kelp and water into a soup pot over medium heat. Just before it boils, take out the kelp (which can be cut up and added to the oden) and add the bonito shavings. Boil for a minute or two, then strain. Return the stock to a clean soup pot. Add the remaining stock ingredients, adding salt little by little until the flavor is to your liking. Keep the pot simmering.
To make fukuro, carefully stuff each pocket with either shirataki, pounded rice cake, or a shelled raw egg. Tie each pocket up with a dried gourd strip.
To make oden, place all the ingredients into the simmering prepared stock and cook for at least one hour. Bring the pot to the table and serve communally. Place a selection of the cooked ingredients in shallow bowls, serving the fiery mustard separately. If refrigerated, oden will be even tastier the second day. Reheat, adding more ingredients if desired, and serve.

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Photo © Pelican

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Delicious Tenpura Recipe (Tempura)
With a light, crispy, oil-free coating enveloping a perfectly cooked and succulent piece of seafood or vegetable, tenpura (also written tempura) is considered a quintessentially Japanese food. Both the word and the dish, however, are almost certainly of foreign origin. The source: Spanish and Portuguese missionaries called nanbanjin (southern barbarians) who came to Japan to convert the heathen masses toward the close of the sixteenth century. Prohibited from consuming meat on Fridays, they substituted batter-fried fish.

There are several theories on where the name came from. Templo, meaning temple or church in Spanish, and tempero, which in Portuguese means cooking, are two possible roots. The Chinese characters can also be read as follows: ten meaning up, pu for flour, and ra for thin silk, the latter most likely a reference to the thin coating of batter.

By the middle of the Edo era (1603-1867), tenpura, inexpensive and considered relatively low-class, was a popular offering at open-air food stalls. Only in recent years has the dish risen in both price and public esteem to its exalted culinary status in high-class establishments. With a little preparation and practice, it is surprisingly easy to make equally good tenpura at home. Keep the oil at a constant temperature; use ice-cold water to make the batter; and, perhaps most important of all, leave the batter lumpy.
Tenpura

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

8 medium or 4 large shrimp washed, shelled, and deveined, with tails slightly trimmed
4 small kisu Japanese whiting fillets (or other small white-fleshed fish), washed and with tails left intact
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms trimmed
4 thick rounds of sweet potato peeled
4 shiso perilla leaves, washed and patted dry
2 Japanese eggplants trimmed and halved lengthwise, with skin lightly scored for quicker frying
4 string beans trimmed and halved lengthwise
Sesame oil and vegetable oil for deep-frying half and half is best
Dipping Sauce:
1 cup dashi fish stock
¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup mirin sweet sake
¼ cup sake
Dash of salt
1 cup daikon radish peeled, grated, and drained
4 teaspoons fresh ginger peeled & grated
Lemon wedges & coarse salt optional
Batter: Double quantity if necessary
1 large egg
1 cup ice water
1 cup all-purpose white flour sifted

Instructions

Prepare the shrimp and other items as instructed above, then place them on a large plate. Bring the dipping sauce ingredients to a boil in a pan, stirring well; remove from heat and pour into four small serving bowls. Let cool. Put the daikon radish, ginger, and lemon (if used) in separate bowls. Prepare a rack for draining the tenpura, and line your serving plates with paper napkins.
While you are heating the oil in a wok or other large large, deep-sided pot, lightly mix the egg and ice water in a bowl. Add the flour all at once, stirring only briefly with chopsticks or a fork to create a lumpy, nonsticky batter. Place the bowl of batter in a large bowl filled with ice water near the stove. When a dab of batter is dropped into the oil and rises to the surface and sizzles, the oil is ready.
Fry the fish first. Dip them briefly in the batter and then drop into the oil, use
cooking chopsticks to turn them rapidly.
(To preserve their delicate flavor, the perilla leaves should be dipped on their "back" side only.) Then proceed with the other items. If space permits, fry all similar items together. The tenpura is ready when it turns golden brown and floats. I like to drain tenpura using a cooling rack placed over a cookie sheet for easy clean up.
Remove any excess fried batter with a slotted spoon.
Tenpura should be served immediately and eaten piping hot. It could also be made at the dining room table by the guests, using fondue pots. Dip into the sauce, add grated radish and ginger as desired, or sprinkle with lemon and dip lightly in salt.

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