Ingredients

Step 1

Prepare the seaweed by soaking it in a little cold water until softened, then draining well.

Step 2

Add the dashi stock and a table spoon of sake to 4 cups of boiling water. Then mix in the miso paste through a sieve as shown. This will ensure your soup is as smooth as possible. Add the seaweed and reduce the heat. If you can find it, I like to sprinkle some Japanese Yuzu pepper (yuzu kosho) on top too, but it’s not essential if you can’t find it.

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Iri dofu sometimes contains pork, but I have gone for a semi vegetarian recipe this time with tuna.

Ingredients

1 block of firm or silk tofu (I chose silk since it is smoother)
1/2 carrot, julienned
1 tin of tuna
4 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 eggs
1 spring onion
Frozen veggies (corn, green peas)
Sesame oil
Sesame seeds (optional)

Sauce

3tbs sake
1.5tbs sugar
1.5tbs mirin
2tbs soy sauce

Step 1

Remove the tofu from the pack and wrap with a few sheets of kitchen paper until you have a paper brick. Put something heavy like a couple of plates on top, then put it in the microwave on high power for 3 minutes. This will remove all the water.

Step 2

Tip away the oil or brine from the tuna tin. Meanwhile, soak the shiitake in a small cup of hot water.

Step 3

Put a little sesame oil in a pan and heat on medium, then fry the carrot, tuna, spring onion , shiitake mushrooms (without the water used to soak them) and frozen veggies together.

Step 4

Crumble the tofu and mix together well. Then mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and add to the frying pan. Fry and stir until all the sauce has gone (see 4th photo above). Finally, beat the 2 eggs and pour in and mix well. I finished by sprinkling some sesame seeds on top.

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Ingredients

(For optional home made chicken stock)

1 packet chicken necks (I found these in the dog food section of the supermarket!)
1 thumb ginger
Chopped carrots, onions, leeks, radish – any root vegetables without strong smell (so no celery)
Handful dried shiitake mushrooms
3tbs sake

1 tin of creamed corn
1 egg
400 ml of the above chicken stock OR 400ml hot water and 1tsp chinese chicken stock powder
1tbs sake
1tsp sugar
salt & pepper
2tsp potato starch
4tsp water
sesame oil

Step 1 (optional)

Wash the chicken necks under cold running water, then place in a sauce pan with the ginger and fill with water to cover. Add the chopped veggies and dried shiitake and bring to the boil. Skim all the scum from the soup, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, skimming off the scum as necessary. Finally use a sieve to separate the soup and throw away the solids.

Step 2

Empty the can in a sauce pan and pour the chicken stock  (home made or otherwise) over it and stir well. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the sake, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the potato starch with 4 tea spoons of water, then when dissolved completely, add to the pan and stir in. Finally beat an egg and stir in, together with a drizzle of sesame oil.

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Zōni has been eaten in Japan since samurai times, thought to have been the meal cooked during field battles and served exclusively to the samurai before eventually becoming the staple food of the common people .

In my recipe, I prepare my own chicken stock for added flavour, but to save time you can substitute with packaged chicken stock – just make sure it is the Chinese powder variety. This chicken stock is very easy to make and can be frozen to be used in many other recipes, (such as Chinese corn soup) so I do recommend making some when you have time. Since this is the most important meal of the year for Japanese, I didn’t mind that it took me over 3 hours to prepare!

Ingredients

(For optional home made chicken stock)

1 packet chicken necks (I found these in the dog food section of the supermarket!)
1 thumb ginger
Chopped carrots, onions, leeks, radish – any root vegetables without strong smell (so no celery)
Handful dried shiitake mushrooms
3 tbs sake

For  Zōni

2-3 chicken thighs
3 tbs sake
2 tbs soy sauce
1 carrot
1/2 daikon radish
5 fresh shiitake mushrooms
5 Mochi rice cakes
1/2 tbs fish stock
1 tbs mirin
1 tbs light soy sauce
Salt

Step 1 (optional)


Wash the chicken necks under cold running water, then place in a sauce pan with the ginger and fill with water to cover. Add the chopped veggies and dried shiitake and bring to the boil. Skim all the scum from the soup, then reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, skimming off the scum as necessary. Finally use a sieve to separate the soup and throw away the solids.

Step 2

Slice the carrots, daikon and fresh shiitake and put in a sauce pan and cover with chicken stock. Then add the fish stock and bring to the boil. Skim the scum and reduce the heat to a simmer for 10-15 mins. Meanwhile, dice the chicken and boil it in the soy sauce and sake until all the liquid is absorbed. Be careful not to burn the chicken. Then add the chicken to the stock and vegetables plan, and add the light soy sauce. Add salt to taste if necessary.

Step 2

There are 2 ways to cook the mochi which provide different textures and taste. The first (above) is to dry fry it over a high heat until mildly browned.

The second is to microwave it – pour a few spoons of water over it first and zap it for 15-30 seconds. You’ll see it balloon up in the microwave then deflate when you take it out. This will make the mochi gooey like chewing gum!

I normally serve the zōni with mistuba (a Japanese herb similar to parsley), but have used spinach here just to give the dish some colour.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu!

(Happy New Year!)

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At the start of the dish when we heat the soy milk, a skin on the top is eventually formed which is called yuba. This is considered a delicacy in Japan, packed with goodness and expensive to buy. If you like tofu, you are sure to like yuba, so give it a taste to reward yourself half way through cooking this dish!

I also used left over meat balls from the renkon hasami yaki.

Ingredients

500ml soy milk
500ml water
1tsp fish stock
1tsp sake
salt
1tsp Asian chicken stock (or 1tsp fish stock)
2tsp soy sauce
3-500g pork slices or chicken thigh
Any vegetables – I like Chinese cabbage, shiitake or enoki mushrooms, carrots, leeks, shallots, tofu
Ponzu (citrus soy sauce)
1 packet abura age (fried tofu)

Step 1

Heat the soy milk gently and remove the skin that will form on top – this is the yuba, and should be eaten as if it is sashimi – with soy sauce and wasabi. If you’re not a fan of tofu, you probably won’t like the yuba so just throw it away!

Step 2

In another pot, heat up the 500ml water, 1tsp fish stock, 1tsp sake, pinch of salt, 1tsp Asian chicken stock (or 2tsp fish stock)  and 2tsp soy sauce and add to the soy milk. This is your soup completed To prepare the abura age (fried tofu), place them in a sieve and pour boiling water over them to remove any excess oil. Then cut into slices.

Step 3

Prepare all your vegetables and meat, then place the soup into a frying pan. Ideally you’ll have a table top gas stove, but if you don’t, you have to simmer the soup in your kitchen and add all the ingredients there. I like to simmer the veggies first, then add the meat which should be quicker to cook. When you’re ready to eat, take the meat and vegetables out with your chopsticks and dip into a separate dipping bowl full of the ponzu and devour! If the ponzu flavour is too strong for you, add some of the soup to it to dilute. If you don’t have ponzu, just have the soup as is.

When you have eaten all the meat and veggies, we normally add fresh udon at the end. Whether your udon is dried or fresh, cook it first in water then add it to the soup. The udon will soak up all the flavours and nutrients left in the soup and will be absolutely delicious eaten with the remaining ponzu/soup in your dipping bowl. It’s a great way to end an amazing dish! Have fun

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This is a traditional dish usually made with chicken mince, but here in Sydney chicken mince is a bit expensive and a little dry, so I prefer cooking with pork mince.

Ingredients

16 slices of lotus root
400g minced pork or chicken
1 thumb ginger (minced)
5-10 shiso leaves (optional)
1tsp salt
1tbs sake
1tsp soy sauce
1tbs sesame seeds (optional)
1/2 bunch spring onions or 1 leek
Flour
1tsp sesame oil

Sauce

3tbs mirin
3tbs soy sauce
1tbs sugar
1tsp potato starch
2tsp water

Step 1

Slice the lotus root into 1/2 cm slices and soak them in water with a little vinegar for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, mince the ginger and chop the shiso leaves and spring onion. Add the to a bowl with the minced meat.

Step 2

Shake any excess water off the lotus roots and then lay to dry on some kitchen paper. Place some more kitchen paper on the top of the roots to soak as much as the water as possible. Then sieve a thin layer of flour over them. In the bowl, add the soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, sesame seeds if you have them and a good pinch of salt. Then mix well with your hands until the mixture becomes sticky.

Step 3

Take one of the lotus roots (floured side up) and put some of the meat mixture on top. Then sandwich another of the roots (floured side down), and press down quite firmly, so some of the meat enters the holes of the lotus root and some mixture spills out the side. The flour will ensure the meat sticks well. Round off the edge by trimming any of the mixture if necessary to make a cleanish line. Meanwhile, heat some cooking oil in a frying pan on medium/high heat and fry when ready. You will probably have some meat left over, so just roll it into balls and you can either fry them together with the lotus roots or use them in another recipe.

Step 4

Mix all the sauce ingredients except the potato starch and water, then pour over the food and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer gently for five minutes. Then remove the food, turn off the heat and make a mix of potato starch and water. Pour it into the sauce remaining in the pan and stir to prevent it from congealing. It is important your pan is now off the heat and you continue to stir so the sauce thickens. Finally, pour this sauce over you hasami yaki and you’re ready to eat. These are usually served with plain white rice and accompanied by beer or sake.

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Ingredients

4-500g wagyu tataki beef (or rump steak)
100g soya sauce
100g worcester sauce
100g sake
2 garlic cloves
salt & pepper
string (optional – I didn’t have any but if you do, tie the beef before frying so it keeps its shape)

Step 1

Here you can see the nice, juicy wagyu steak I was lucky enough to find on sale for only $10 in Sydney! Season heavily on either side with salt and pepper and the minced garlic cloves.

Step 2

Drizzle some vegetable oil in a hot pan and fry the beef for 3 minutes on either side. Depending on the thickness of the steak, you may have to alter the timing. Fry all sides to make sure as many of the juices stay in the steak as possible. Then add the 3 x 100ml of the sake, soya sauce and worcester sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer. Turn the steak over and over while simmering for five minutes. Then turn off the heat and leave the steak to cool in the pan with the sauce.

When the steak has cooled, remove from the pan and slice thinly. The taste should be full enough, but I always like the use the remaining sauce in the pan as well – turn up the heat to high and simmer the sauce until it thickens and reduces. Delicious!

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Ingredients

3-4 potatoes
1/2 onion
1/2 carrot
200g pork mince
1tsp fish stock
2tsp sugar
1tbs sake
1tbs mirin
4tbs soya sauce
salt
2 eggs
panko
flour

Step 1

Boil the potatoes in heavily salted water until soft, then throw away the water and mash them up with a fork. Dice the onion and carrot, then brown the mince and add the diced carrot and onion.

Step 2

Add 2tbs sugar, 1tsp fish stock, 1 tbs sake, 1 tbs mirin and 4tbs soya sauce and simmer for 5 mins.
Step 3

Add the mince to the mashed potatoes and mix well. Then roll into oblong shapes, and roll in the flour, then the egg and finally the panko. Then prepare a pan with 2cm deep of vegetable oil at medium/high temperature and shallow fry the croquettes until the outside is golden. I like to serve with a little salad for garnish and tonkatsu sauce or ketchup.

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Ingredients

200g Pork strips or beef or chicken
2 packets of udon
1 leek or 1/2 bunch of shallots
200ml water
1tbs sugar
2tbs sake
2tbs mirin
3tbs soya sauce
1 thumb of ginger

Udon sauce

1tsp fish stock powder
800ml water
1tbs sake
1tbs mirin
2tbs light soy sauce

Step 1

Chop the pork and shallots and prepare the sauce using 200ml water, 1tbs sugar, 2tbs sake, 2tbs mirin, 3tbs soya sauce and the chopped ginger. Bring to a simmer, then add the pork.

Step 2

When the colour has browned, skim the scum from the soup. Simmer for 10-15 mins until the sauce has reduced. Then add the udon to another saucepan of boiling water and follow the packet instructions for the cooking time, but minus one minute so they’re still slightly hard. Then pour into a sieve and shake the water off.

Step 3

To prepare the soup, add the 1tsp fish stock powder, 800ml water, 1tbs sake, 1tbs mirin and 2tbs light soy sauce to a large sauce pan and bring to the boil. Then add the udon and simmer gently for a final minute. Then in the other saucepan, add the shallots and then pour everything into a bowl, adding the udon and some of the udon soup. Here you can also poach an egg and add on top, along with some shredded sea weed (nori).

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You can add whatever vegetables you like to this dish, but make sure you have at least cabbage and shiitake.

Ingredients

Yakisoba noodle set
Pork strips or chicken or bacon
Cabbage
1 Onion
1/2 carrot
Dried Shiiktake mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms

Step 1

Chop the veggies and pork, then put water over the dried shiitake to return to their soft state. Fry the pork in a little sesame oil, then add the veggies when the pork has browned slightly. Season with salt and pepper. Then add the noodles and the shiitake along with about 3 tbs of the liquid so the noodles can separate. Finally add the yakisoba powder and fry for a little longer. Easy!

I like to put Japanese mayonnaise on top before serving.

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