and used to garnish sushi.
Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and have a distinctive taste and are sometimes flavored with green tea, in which their normal beige-brown color is replaced by green. They are sold as dried sticks in packets.
Somen are very fine wheat noodles generally white in color and are sold as dried sticks in packets.
Tempura dipping sauce is made by blending 250 ml (1 cup) Basic Dashi Stock (page 4), 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons mirin, 3 tablespoons shredded daikon and 3 teaspoons shredded fresh ginger. Stir well to mix.
Udon wheat noodles come in various shapes and sizes and are whiteish-beige in color. They can be substituted with ramen or Chinese wheat noodles.
Wakame is a type of seaweed that is available in dried strips. As it can withstand long period of boiling, it is commonly used in one-pot dishes both as a flavorer as well as an ingredient. It must be soaked in water for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
Wasabi is one of the best known of all Japanese condiments. It is a very spicy Japanese horseradish that is sold in powdered form or as a prepared paste.
Basic Dashi Stock (Bonito Flake Stock)
10-cm (4-in) square piece konbu, wiped clean
1 liter (4 cups ) water
60 ml (¼ cup) cold water
90 g (3 oz) bonito flakes
1 Cut konbu square into 4 narrow strips. Place in a saucepan with 4 cups water and cook over medium heat. Heat until just about to boil, then quickly remove pan from the heat, remove and discard konbu.
2 Add the cold water and bonito flakes to the konbu broth. Bring to a boil then remove immediately from heat, and set aside to cool.
3 When all the bonito flakes have sunk to the bottom, pour the liquid over a strain and discard the flakes.
Makes 1 liter (4 cups)
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
Steamed Egg Custard (Chawan Mushi)
250 g (8 oz) chicken breast, diced
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
8 fresh medium prawns, peeled and deveined
4–6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced, each slice quartered
120 g (4 oz) spinach, rinsed, stems removed
Peel of ¼ lemon, finely grated, for garnish
Dashi Custard
625 ml (2½ cups) Basic Dashi Stock (above)
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 Marinate the chicken in the sake and soy sauce for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2 To prepare the Dashi Custard, break the eggs into a large bowl and stir them gently with chopsticks or a fork. Do not beat or allow bubbles to form in the eggs. Combine the Basic Dashi Stock or instant dashi mixture with the sake, soy sauce and salt in a saucepan and place over medium heat, stirring slowly to dissolve the salt. Heat until just before boiling, then quickly remove. Do not allow dashi mixture to boil.
3 Pour the dashi mixture while still hot in a slow, steady stream into the eggs, stirring gently to blend. Strain the resulting egg and dashi mixture through a fine sieve to remove any lumps.
4 Evenly divide the chicken, prawns, and vegetables among 4 small heatproof bowls. Pour the egg mixture over contents, leaving a ¾-in (2-cm) gap at the top of each bowl. Cover each bowl with foil or a lid.
5 Heat the water in a large saucepan with a steamer rack, and place the custard cups on the rack. Cover partially with a lid to allow steam to escape. Cook over medium high heat for 1 minute, then reduce heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes, until a knife comes out cleanly when inserted in the custard. Remove from the steamer, garnish with grated lemon peel, and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Grilled Tofu with Vegetables
2 cakes (about 500g or 1 lb) firm tofu, drained
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
1 small carrot, peeled and thinly shredded
1 small potato, peeled and thinly shredded
1 green bell pepper, thinly shredded
1 red chilli, thinly shredded (optional)
1 small leek, rinsed and thinly shredded
1 egg white
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sake
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ teaspoon salt to taste
1 Halve both tofu cakes horizontally. Remove excess moisture by pressing tofu between sheets of paper toweling.
2 Remove and discard the mushroom stems. Slice the caps thinly. Combine the mushrooms, carrot, potato, bell pepper, red chilli, egg white, 1 teaspoon soy sauce and salt in a bowl. Sift 2 tablespoon of the cornstarch over the mixture and stir to mix well. Heat broiler.
3 Sift remaining cornstarch over tofu pieces, and pile the vegetable mixture on top of the tofu pieces. Using a spatula, lift tofu and vegetables onto broiler rack. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are lightly cooked. Serve hot.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 5 mins
Fresh Cold Tofu Appetizer
4 shiso leaves, stems removed and discarded
500 g (1lb) silken tofu, drained on rack for 30 minutes or patted dry with paper toweling to remove moisture
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
20
