Hiyayakko (Chilled Tofu with Soy and Ginger)

Hiyayakko (cold silken tofu with ginger & scallions)

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

This is a very popular and classic Japanese side dish that is very simple to make as there is no cooking involved. It's one I personally often crave because it's so light, healthy and clean in flavors. The key is finding good silken tofu; Do not make this recipe if you cannot find any. 

(serves 2-3 people)

Ingredients

• 1 package (12 oz) silken tofu
• 1 scallion, finely chopped
• 1 small thumb size ginger, peeled and grated
• bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
• light soy sauce

Cooking Directions

Take tofu out of the package and drain.

Cut the tofu in 1/2 or 1/3 (depending on the serving size you wish to have). Plate the tofu and add some scallions, a little freshly grated ginger and sprinkle some bonito flakes. 

Pour a little soy (too much will over power the delicate flavor of the tofu) and serve.

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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).

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Chawanmushi (Japanese egg custard)

Chawan Mushi

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

This light and delicate egg custard is a wonderful appetizer to prepare if you're looking to wow your partner or dinner guests. It's both beautiful and fun to eat, is extremely simple and easy to make, and require few ingredients. This Japanese dish is often served in omakase meals and in traditional Japanese restaurants. The flavors are mild, eggy and earthy, with a texture very similar to silken tofu.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken or beef broth (room temperature)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped mushrooms
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• Sauce:
• 4 tbsp low sodium chicken or beef broth
• 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

Cooking Directions:

Bring the water in your  steamer to boil, cover and lower the heat to simmer.

In a large pan, add the oil and cook the mushroom for a few minutes until they become slightly caramelized. Set aside and let them cool down to room temperature.Your chicken or beef broth should also be room temperature. 

Whisk the eggs and add broth. In 4 small separate bowls, equally divide the mushrooms and pour the egg stock on top. Add a few scallions in each cup and briefly stir. Put the cups in the  steamer, cover and steam for 12-14 minutes. 

Meanwhile mix all the ingredients of the sauce together and set aside. When the custard cups are ready, take them out of the steamer, pour a little sauce on top and garnish with scallions.

Agedashi Tofu

Agedashi Tofu (Deep-Fried Tofu with Bonito Soy Broth)

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

When prepared properly, agedashi tofu is one of the best things you can have. The outside is lightly fried while the the tofu inside almost melts in your mouth. The warm broth added to the dish is full of umami and a little sweet, while the grated ginger on top brings freshness, rounding up all the flavors beautifully. This recipe is taken from Harumi Kurihara's Harumi's Japanese cooking. 

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 2 - 12.3 oz boxes soft silken tofu
• potato starch or cornstarch for dusting the tofu pieces
• oil - enough to deep-fry the tofu
• 1 cup dashi stock or fish stock
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• a little superfine sugar (about 1/2 tsp)
• a little salt (1/4 tsp)
• grated daikon
• grated ginger to taste
• shiso leaves, chopped into thin strips or a mix of fresh basil and mint (optional)
• myoga (optional) minced
• green onion or chives, minced

Cooking Directions

Drain the tofu and then wrap it in paper towels and place in a strainer for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture. Cut the tofu into four pieces, dry again with paper towels, the coat with the potato starch. 

Heat the oil to a suitable temperature for deep-frying (around 340 degrees). Carefully put the tofu pieces in to fry and when they turn golden, remove and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. In a small pan heat up the dashi stock, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Bring to the boil, ensuring that the sugar has dissolved. 

Divide the tofu among four bowls. Pour a little of the hot sauce into each bowl and garnish with the grated daikon, a dab of grated ginger, shiso, myoga, and green onion to taste.

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Yasai Itame (Vegetable Stir-Fry)

Vegetable Stir-Fry (Yasai Itame)

Recipe by Caroline Phelps

Yasai itame is Japanese for vegetable stir fry. It's a relatively healthy dish that's simple and quick to prepare. Yasai itame is usually made with thinly sliced pork but since my husband loves spicy sausages, I made this one using small Berkshire links. There's very little cooking and seasoning involved other than chopping, stir frying the veggies and adding a little soy, and black pepper. This easy recipe pairs really well with a hot bowl of freshly cooked Japanese rice.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings


Ingredients

• 1 medium size carrot, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped bite size
• 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• about 2 cups, sprouts
• 2 Berkshire sausages (optional. The traditional recipe is usually made with pork), thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (or other neutral oil)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Ajinomoto (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. In a large pan over high heat, add the sausages and cook for 2 minutes. Add cabbage, carrots and both green and red bell peppers. Cook for about 5 minutes, until cabbage has soften and charred just a little bit. Add sprouts and cook for a minute. 
2. Add soy, a sprinkle of Ajinomoto and cook for another minute. 
3. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Japanese caramelized soy fish

The way fish is prepared in Japanese cuisine is

one of my favorites. The balance between savory and

sweet of this preparation is easy to achieve. Use any

white fish as long as it's not too flaky or flat like trout or sole.

I serve it with a little bit of arugula ( for its peppery flavor) and

some grated daikon.

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

- 3/4 lb white fish

- 1 tsp white sugar

- 2 tsp soy sauce

- 1 tbsp neutral oil (canola, grapeseed)

- freshly ground black pepper

- handful of arugula (optional)

- grated daikon (optional)

- Japanese rice (optional)

Directions:

Put a pan over medium/high heat and wait until it's hot. Add oil and fish, cook for 2 minutes (depending on its thickness, you may have to cook it for less or more). Add soy sauce and sugar, lower the heat and flip the fish over. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and is caramelizing/sticking on the fish. Sprinkle freshly ground black pepper and serve.

Oshitashi (boiled spinach with soy and sesame seeds)

This is a very common side dish you will find in most Japanese 

restaurants and few ingredients are needed for its preparation.

You can have it as a side or eat it with a bowl of rice with pickles,

umeboshi, mentaiko, bonito flakes, etc... The options are endless!

 The flavors are delicate, clean and perfectly balanced.

Ingredients:

- 1 bag pre-washed spinach

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 1 tsp sesame seeds

- 1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

Bring a pot or large pan of water to boil, with a little salt added. 

Add spinach to boiling water and cook for a minute. Take the spinach out as soon as it starts to wilt a little (don't wait until it's completely wilted). Shock it in a bowl of cold water and ice (this stops it from cooking). 

Remove the spinach from ice water and squeeze out as much water as you can without pressing too hard on the spinach. You'll end up with a ball about the size of your hand. Roughly chop it, squeeze out a bit more water and gently separate the leaves. 

Put the spinach in a bowl and add soy, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Mix well and serve!

Vegetables 'oden' style

When I am in Japan in the fall or winter,

I often go to a convenience store for Oden. Oden is a very

simple dish consisting of vegetables, eggs, 'konyaku', cooked

in a light soy based or kombu based broth. I've added some

garlic and ginger to mine to give it a bit of a twist.

(serves 2)

Ingredients:

- 4 carrots, roughly chopped

- 1/2 lb daikon, roughly chopped

- 1 onion, roughly chopped

- 1 shallot, finely chopped

- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

- 1 tbsp ginger, finely grated

- 2 cup water

- 2 tsp granulated sugar

- 5 tbsp soy

- 1 tsp powdered dashi

- 1 tbsp cooking sake 

- 2 tbsp mirin

- 2 tbsp neutral oil (canola, grapeseed)

Directions:

Do your prep first, have all of your vegetables ready.In a pot over medium heat, add oil, ginger, garlic and shallot. Cook for 2 minutes and add onions. Cook for about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.

Add carrots and daikon, and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, stir, add dashi, sake, mirin, sugar and soy, stir well. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes (until daikon and carrots are soft). 

Serve in small bowls with rice.