MEATBALLS

Mingei-Ya specialized in rustic Japanese cooking, the humble but delicious meals you would find in the countryside. As with all Japanese cooking, simplicity is key, along with elegance and beauty. The flavors speak for themselves.

It is with fond memories of that meal I had in San Francisco that I decided to dip my chopsticks into Japanese cuisine. I used the Mingei-Ya cookbook, “Japanese Country Cookbook,” as my guide for all four recipes.

I chose not to recreate the however, because to do so properly requires a hot pot, which most Americans do not have. Even without the

I couldn’t have been more pleased with the four dishes I made.

I began with pickled fresh mushrooms. The Japanese are fond of pickling just about anything they can think of, and these mushrooms are a great example why. They take less than 20 minutes to make, and the speed helps keep them mild in flavor and not too vinegary.

Traditionally, they are made with shiitakes, and the unique earthiness of that variety takes particularly well to pickling. But in 1969, when the cookbook

was written, shiitakes were largely unknown in the United States, so the book suggests using cremini — baby portobellos — instead. I tried both, and the cremini were nearly as good as the shiitakes, and much cheaper.

For the true Japanese experience, however, go with the shiitakes.

Next, I made a simple egg meal in a bowl, Donburi Soboro. This is a prime example of Japanese cooking, in that it takes ingredients familiar to Americans (the cookbook is meant for American readers, so the ingredients it chooses are commonly available here) and uses them in ways that are, to us, wonderfully unexpected.

It begins with ground beef, which is sauteed with minced carrots and scallions. Tofu is added, along with spinach, sugar and soy sauce. Beaten eggs are then mixed in, resulting in a semicongealed, crumbly melange. It’s served on rice, of course, to make a light and delicately flavored meal. I added hot sauce — the Japanese would use togarashi, which is a powdered spice blend — and that made it even better.

Naturally, I had to make sukiyaki. Beef sukiyaki is most common in Japan, or at least it was in 1969, but I decided to make chicken because

I wasn’t inclined to employ the skills and precision required for the beef version. Chicken sukiyaki is more of a casual affair.

Sukiyaki is meat that is stewed in a broth with vegetables added later; the word means to grill on a hoe. This chicken version uses very little broth but a wealth of vegetables: onion, carrots, celery, spinach, mushrooms and bamboo shoots, plus soy sauce and sugar. It is a cross between a stew and a stir-fry — and tremendously satisfying.

Finally, I made my favorite dish in the entire cookbook: shrimp meatballs called Ebi Dango.

In this dish, the broth used to simmer the meatballs is seasoned with soy sauce and sugar. That adds flavor, but the real secret is the meatballs themselves. The shrimp is minced and then mixed with chopped scallions, cornstarch and a beaten egg. When dropped into the boiling stock, they cook up effervescently light and flavorful. Add napa cabbage and sliced mushrooms to the broth, and you have a meal worth remembering.

All recipes are adapted from “Japanese Country Cookbook,” by Russell Rudzinski.