Shishito peppers stuffed with tsukune (ground chicken)

Shishito Tsukune

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

I discovered this yummy dish at Yakitori Totto, one of my top 3 Japanese spots (Izakaya) in the city. Skewered and grilled on a brazier, and served with a raw quail egg that's broken and used as a dipping sauce, it's a beautiful and fun dish to eat. Since I don't own a grill I've instead used an oven and skipped the quail egg, though I highly recommend you try it if you come across some. Shishito peppers can be spicy with the seeds attached but aren't when you remove them. They're sweet and pair well with the teriyaki like flavor of the chicken meatballs. (makes a large plate, enough to serve 4-6 people)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsps vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 lb ground chicken
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 thumb size ginger, grated
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp sake
• 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
• Shishito peppers (about 20-25), cut in half, seeded and membranes removed
• For the Dipping/Brushing Sauce:
• 1 tbsp sake
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

In a pan over medium/high heat, add oil, ginger, garlic and onions. Cook until onions are transparent (about 3 minutes). Transfer mixture into a bowl and let cool (put in fridge or freezer to speed up the process.) When the mixture is room temperature, add ground chicken, sake, soy and salt . Mix well with your fingers (not for too long.) 

With a knife, spread a generous amount of the mixture on each piece of shishito pepper. Discard the rest or save for later (if I have any left, I'll usually make mini burger patties or eat it on top of Japanese rice with ichimi and soy sauce). Lay each piece on a tray covered with aluminum foil (or parchment paper). Bake for 15-17 minutes, until chicken has cooked through. While shisihitos are cooking, make your sauce. 

Mix all the ingredients and microwave for 20-30 (to melt the sugar). Take shishitos out of the oven and with a basting brush, dab the sauce over each piece. Put leftover sauce in a small bowl and serve next to shishito tsukune (people can use is as a dip).

Print this recipe!

10 Japanese Izakaya Dishes for Beginners

Japanese fried chicken (tori no kara age)

Japanese food can be intimidating if all you know about the cuisine is sushi

and miso soup. Take a trip there and you'lI quickly see that more Americans

eat sushi on a regular basis than Japanese people. True traditional Japanese

food is so much more than that and unlike popular belief, not everyone over 

there likes raw fish (in fact, I have 3 cousins in Japan who are so repulsed by 

the thought of raw fish, they refuse to try it even just once). A good way to 

discover the many different facets of Japanese cuisine is to visit an Izakaya 

(Japanese drinking establishment where they serve a myriad of appetizer size

dishes) and try as many different plates as you can. This is a great way to get 

your feet wet into one of the world's most colorful and complex cuisines. 15 

years ago you would've had to have been in Japan to find Izakayas but thing

have changed; nowadays Izakayas are becoming more popular in the western

world and can be found in big cities like New York, Chicago, L.A, Toronto and 

Montreal. 

Izakaya menus are great because they're filled with pictures which makes it easy to

understand and see what you're about to order.

A typical Izakaya menu looks like this

 But this can still be a challenge if you're not familiar with this type of food and can quickly get confusing as Izakaya menus are large and incredibly varied, offering everything from a simple tomato

salad, to oddities like fermented firefly squid.

I love the fact that more and more people are interested in Japanese food and

wanted to help by giving a list of 10 basic can't go wrong dishes to order for

beginners. Nothing too out there in texture or taste, popular dishes I've seen

groups of friends and English teachers ordering frequently in Tokyo and all over

Japan. This list is for all of you out there (including the lovely couple at Sake bar

Hagi who so eagerly wanted to expand their knowledge of Japanese food and

were brave enough to ask for our help) who want to discover what the world has

to offer, who want to become more adventurous and add new notches to your

culinary belt.  

Okonomkiyaki

1 - Okonomiyaki

(also known as Japanese Pizza)  meaning "what you like" or "what you want", this is a classic savory pancake made with flour and eggs, and mixed with veggies such as cabbage, onions, carrots, meats like pork, bacon, or seafood like squid or shrimp. It's topped with bonito flakes, mayonnaise and tonkatsu sauce (sweet sauce, similar to worcestershire without the smokiness).

Berkshire Sausages

2 - Berkshire Sausages 

Yes sausages! What makes these sausages special is the casing;

thicker to bite into, the sausage pops into your mouth and lets all the juices out. Served with a little Japanese hot mustard, these sausages are available regular or spicy. Once again the Japanese have taken something that wasn't theirs and made it better.

Spaghetti Naporitan

3 - Spaghetti Naporitan (Napolitan)

So simple; It's spaghetti made with ketchup, tabasco and butter, and it tastes GOOD! This easy pasta dish is topped with sliced onions, green peppers and ham (or sausage).

Yakisoba

4 - Yakisoba

Similar to ramen noodles but stir fried, yakisoba comes with pork, cabbage, onions and carrots. The yakisoba sauce is mainly made of soy, rice wine vinegar and a dash of worcestershire. It's topped with seaweed powder and pickled ginger. 

Cream Croquettes

5 - Cream Croquettes (korokke) 

Deep fried balls of creamy potatoes and white sauce mixed with chopped meat, seafood or vegetables, these are incredible! The

outside is made of crispy deep fried breadcrumbs, while the inside

oozes out fluffy creamy deliciousness as you break your chopsticks

into it. Croquettes are often served with tonkatsu sauce and shredded cabbage. 

Agedashi Tofu

6 - Agedashi Tofu

Deep fried silken tofu cubes (dusted with potato starch or cornstarch) served in a hot tentsuyu broth (mirin, soy sauce and dashi) which tastes a little sweet but more on the savory side. It's topped with grated daikon (radish), bonito flakes and scallions. One my absolute favorites.

Onigiri 

7 - Onigiri (click for recipe)

Triangular or round shaped rice balls with the middle filled with salmon, pickled plum, kombu, mentaiko (spicy cod roe), or okaka (bonito flakes with soy sauce), wrapped with nori (dried seaweed sheet). 

Ika Geso Age

8 - Deep Fried Squid (Ika geso age)

Simple and delicious; deep fried squid served with lemon wedges. Japanese people use potato starch or cornstarch to fry the squid, giving it a much lighter texture than the typical deep fried squid you'd find in a pub or greek restaurant.

Tori no kara age

9 - Fried chicken (Tori no kara age) (click for recipe)

This is Japan's version of fried chicken. Prepared the same way as deep fried squid and also served with lemon wedges and fresh grated daikon, you'll want some more.

10 - Tsukune Yakitori (click for recipe)

Tsukune

Skewers of grilled chicken patties (ground chicken mixed with onions, sake, ginger, garlic) brushed with a sweet soy sauce, it's a classic yakitori (grilled chicken) dish not to be missed. I don't know one person who doesn't like this!

I know I said I'd give 10 recommendations but I had to add one last that should never be skipped!

Homemade Tofu

11 - Tofu (NOT TO BE MISSED ONLY IF IT'S HOME MADE)

I've always said "you don't know what real tofu tastes like until you've had fresh home made one". This statement still holds true as I've converted many of my friends into tofu lovers after taking them to the best tofu spots in NYC. Believe me, it's worth it, fresh home made tofu melts in your mouth and almost tastes like soy milk. 

Chicken Katsu Don

Chicken Katsu

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

Packed with sweetness and umami, chicken katsu is a very traditional and popular dish. Easy to prepare, it's the perfect comforting dish to share with your family. Another great dish men love to eat as well!

(4 servings)

Ingredients

• 3/4 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut in half in thickness and in size
• all purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• panko breadcrumbs
• oil for deep-frying
• 1/2 medium size onion, thinly sliced in half moons
• handful fresh basil (or flat leaf parsley)
• 1 cup dashi stock
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• cooked Japanese rice

Cooking Directions

1. Dip the chicken pieces in the following order: flour, egg (use one egg) and panko.
2. Heat oil in a large pan to 350 degrees (180c).
3. In another large pan, put the sliced onions, dashi, sugar, sake, soy sauce and mirin, and simmer until onions are tender and translucent (about 5 minutes).
4. In a small bowl, whisk the remaining 2 eggs.
5. Fry chicken pieces until golden brown. Add the chicken to the onions, pour the eggs around the chicken, over the onions, and cook for a minute or two. Sprinkle basil or parsley on top, turn the heat off when eggs are cooked through.
6. Serve with rice.