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 g (¼ cup) dried bonito flakes
5 cm (2 in) fresh ginger, grated
1 Stack shiso leaves and cut into shreds lengthwise, about 3-mm (1/8-in) thick.
2 Cut tofu into 4 equal pieces and place in a serving platter.
3 Pour soy sauce into small bowl for dipping.
4 Sprinkle shiso leaves, spring onions, and dried bonito flakes over the tofu. Place a small mound of ginger on the side, and serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
Serves 4
Preparation time: 5 mins
Assembling time: 3 mins
Stir-fried Tofu with Chicken, Egg and Vegetables
4 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms
300 g (10 oz ) firm tofu
1 tablespoon oil
250 g (8 oz) lean minced chicken
2½ cm (1 in) fresh ginger, grated
3 tablespoons sake
1 carrot, shaved into thin, wide strips
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 large egg, beaten
4 spring onions, cut in 1-cm (½-in) lengths
1 Remove and discard the mushroom stems. Slice the caps thinly crosswise. If using dried mushrooms, soak in hot water for about 15 minutes, then drain and squeeze out any excess water before cutting.
2 Break tofu coarsely with a fork, and set aside to drain.
3 Heat oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and stir-fry the minced chicken for about 2 minutes, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
4 Add the ginger and mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes.