Simply delicious
Light enough for summer evenings yet packed with flavour, these easy recipes are a perfect intro to Japanese cuisine
BARLEY & SEAWEED SALAD WITH CUCUMBER & SESAME
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
80g pearl barley
30g dried wakame (see tips) 1 telegraph cucumber, roughly peeled, thinly sliced on a mandoline
1/2 tsp salt
Handful mizuna leaves (see tips)
GINGER-SOY DRESSING
100ml light soy sauce 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 3 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp finely grated ginger 1 Cook barley in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender (35-40 minutes). Drain well, cool on a tray, then transfer to a large bowl. 2 Meanwhile, pour boiling water over wakame in a bowl and stand until softened (4-5 minutes). Drain, squeeze out excess water and cool.
3 Toss cucumber with the salt in a bowl. Stand to draw out liquid (8-10 minutes), then drain and squeeze out excess liquid. Add to barley along with wakame and refrigerate to chill (30-40 minutes).
4 For dressing, whisk ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Add to salad along with mizuna, toss to combine and serve.
TIPS Dried wakame is available from Asian food stores. • If you can't find mizuna leaves, use any soft, frilled salad leaf.
BROWN-RICE CHIRASHI SUSHI
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
2 cups (400g) short-grain brown rice, rinsed
⅓ cup (80ml) rice vinegar
1½ tsp rice malt syrup
2 tsp finely grated ginger
400g skinless fresh fish (eg tuna, trevally, kingfish, snapper), sliced 2 radishes, julienned
1 plum, cut into thin wedges 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
¼ cup (50g) trout or salmon roe Few drops sesame oil
3 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
TO SERVE
Toasted nori, shiso leaves (optional; see tips), pickled ginger, wasabi and light soy sauce 1 Cook rice in a saucepan of boiling, salted water until tender (25-35 minutes; see tips), then drain well and transfer to a bowl. Add vinegar, rice malt syrup and ginger and stir rice gently until thoroughly mixed. Set rice aside, stirring occasionally, until cool (15-20 minutes).
2 Divide rice among bowls, top with sliced raw fish, radish, plum, spring onion, roe, sesame oil (to taste) and sesame seeds. Finish with toasted nori, shiso (if using) and pickled ginger, and serve with wasabi and soy sauce.
TIPS Brown rice cooking times vary greatly depending on the rice; check the packet for a guide. If you prefer, use sushi rice instead, which is the more typical choice for this dish, and adjust the cooking time to suit. • Shiso, a herb similar to mint, is available from some Asian food stores.
CHARRED MISO EGGPLANT WITH NORI & SESAME
SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS 3 eggplants (about 400g each), halved lengthways, flesh scored in a criss-cross pattern
Rice bran oil, for brushing
Spring onion, julienned
Toasted nori, toasted sesame seeds and tatsoi cress (optional; see tip), to serve
MISO GLAZE
¼ cup (75g) white miso paste 2 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp light soy sauce or shoyu soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
THREE-FLAVOUR DRESSING
2 tsp light soy sauce or shoyu soy sauce
1½ tsp brown rice vinegar 1 tsp sesame oil 1 For miso glaze, combine ingredients in a bowl.
2 Preheat oven grill to high heat and line a baking tray with baking paper. Brush eggplants with oil, season with salt and place on tray cut-side up. Grill until golden and just tender (8-10 minutes). Brush flesh liberally with glaze, then grill until charred and sticky (2-3 minutes). Or set up a barbecue for indirect grilling and grill flesh-side down over high heat.
3 Combine dressing ingredients.
4 Drizzle eggplants with dressing, top with spring onion, crumbled nori, sesame seeds and tatsoi cress (if using) and serve.
TIP Tatsoi cress is available from some Asian food stores.
SILKEN TOFU IN DASHI BROTH WITH MUSHROOMS & BROCCOLINI
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
35g bonito flakes (see tips)
2 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
15g finely grated ginger, juice squeezed out and reserved, solids discarded 1 Tbsp light soy sauce, or to taste
1 Tbsp sake, or to taste
1 small bunch broccolini, quartered 150g mixed Asian mushrooms (eg shiitake, enoki, shimeji and oyster), torn or sliced if large (see tips)
300g round silken tofu, thickly sliced, at room temperature
Sesame oil, to taste
1 spring onion, thinly sliced (optional) 1 To make dashi (fish stock), bring bonito flakes and the water to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stand (5-6 minutes). Strain, pressing all the liquid out of the flakes, then return liquid to pan with chicken stock.
2 Bring to a simmer over mediumhigh heat. Season to taste with ginger juice, soy sauce and sake. Add broccolini, simmer for 2 minutes, then add mushrooms and simmer for 1 minute until broccolini and mushrooms are tender.
3 Place tofu in serving bowls with a few drops of sesame oil. Ladle soup and vegetables on top. Scatter with spring onion (if desired) and serve.
TIPS Bonito flakes are available from Asian food stores. If unavailable, use instant dashi powder dissolved in 500ml boiling water. • Many supermarkets sell mixed mushroom packs, which are ideal for this recipe.
Dashi is a key ingredient in Japanese cooking and makes a wonderful base for soups. Here it’s combined with chicken stock for flavour, but you can use it on its own or with vegetable stock.
YAKITORI WITH JAPANESE SPICES
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
600g chicken thigh fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
Grapeseed oil, for brushing
Lemon wedges, to serve
TARE
½ cup (125ml) light soy sauce or shoyu soy sauce
3 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup (60ml) sake
1 Tbsp mirin
SPICE MIXTURE
1 sheet nori
1 Tbsp sea salt flakes
1 tsp ground chilli
Finely grated zest ½ orange
1 Preheat a barbecue (preferably charcoal-fired) to high heat. Collect your skewers; if using bamboo ones, soak in water for at least 30 minutes.
2 To make tare (sauce), combine ingredients in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring to dissolve honey, and simmer until reduced by half (8-10 minutes). Set aside.
3 For spice mixture, toast nori over the charcoal or a flame until crisp (1 minute). Set aside to cool, then crumble into a blender or spice grinder. Add remaining ingredients and blend to finely grind.
4 Thread chicken onto skewers, then brush with oil and grill on the barbecue, turning occasionally and brushing lightly with tare as they cook, until charred and cooked through (5-7 minutes). Serve with spice mixture for sprinkling and lemon wedges for squeezing.
CHILLED GREEN-TEA SOBA WITH DIPPING SAUCE
SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
200g dried green-tea soba noodles (see tips)
½ tsp grapeseed oil
½ tsp sesame oil
Shiso leaves (optional), finely grated daikon and thinly sliced spring onion, to serve (see tips)
DIPPING SAUCE
25g bonito flakes (see tips) 300ml water
2 Tbsp light soy sauce or shoyu soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
1/2 tsp finely grated ginger
1 For soba dipping sauce, bring bonito flakes and the water to a simmer, then remove from heat and stand to infuse for 5-6 minutes. Strain, pressing all the liquid out of the flakes, then add soy, mirin and ginger. Refrigerate to chill.
2 Cook soba in a saucepan of boiling water, arresting the boiling water twice during cooking by adding
½ cup cold water, until noodles are tender (3-4 minutes). Drain, refresh in iced water, then drain well. Toss with oils to coat and serve cold with shiso (if using), daikon, spring onion and chilled dipping sauce.
TIPS If you can’t find green-tea soba, use regular soba, preferably made from 100 percent buckwheat. • Shiso leaves, daikon and bonito flakes are available from Asian food stores. If bonito flakes are unavailable, dissolve dashi powder in 300ml boiling water.