Japanese Cooking Master Class

• 
• Servings
  2
• Prep
  120 m
• Cook
  120 m

Recipe By: Otao kitchen

Japanese Cooking Master Class I

Feb Apr Jun Aug Oct Dec

Tataki Ponzu- Seasonal Fish with Citrus Soy Sauce 
Ramen- Alkaline Noodle
Dashi- Seafood Stock
Kara-age - Fried Chicken 
Nasu Age Bitashi- Fried and Marinated Eggplant 

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🐟 Tataki Ponzu - Salmon with Citrus Soy Sauce

This light and refreshing entree uses ponzu sauce - a citrus-flavoured soy sauce that is enhanced with kelp and smoky dashi stock. The daikon radish can be ground in a food processor with equal parts water until it is fluffy. Strain out the water afterwards. 

Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Execution time: 20 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 150g salmon or kingfish 

• 1/2 spring onion, sliced thinly 

• 50g grated daikon radish

• ¼ tsp yuzu kosho, heaped 

Ponzu sauce: 

• 2 tbsp tamari 

• 1 tbsp yuzu juice

• 1 tbsp orange juice 

• 1 tsp mirin 

• ¼ tsp katsuo (bonito) dashi powder (or 2g katsuobushi)

• 1 tsp shio kombu- salted kelp (or 4g kombu)

METHOD 

1. If you’re making the quick version: mix all of the ingredients for the ponzu sauce together. 

2. If you are doing the slow steep method: replace the katsuo dashi powder with katsuobushi flakes, and the shio kombu with regular kombu. Place all ingredients together in a container and allow to steep for 2 days. Strain the kombu and katsuobushi out afterwards through a fine sieve.
   
   

3. Prepare an icebath.  Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat until it starts to smoke a little. 

4. Sear the fish on each side for 8 seconds or so until the surface changes colour, and maybe caramelises a little bit, but be very careful not to overcook the fish. 

5. Once each side has been seared, plunge the fish into the icebath and allow to cool for 2 minutes or until the fish feels completely cold.

6. Remove the fish from the icebath and pat it dry really well. Slice the fish into about 8 thin slices. Arrange the slices of fish on a plate. Sprinkle a generous 3 tbsp of the ponzu sauce over top of the fish. Garnish each slice of fish with a little bit of grated daikon radish, yuzu kosho, and spring onion. 

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🍜 Ramen- Noodles

Ramen is a Japanese noodle soup. It normally consists wheat noodles with a selection of toppings. This variation uses a chicken stock, shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) seasoning liquid called tare. 

Serves: 2

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Execution Time: 20 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

• 120g plain flour

• 40g water 

• 1 tsp kansui (alkaline water) 

• 1 egg yolk 

For garnish: 

• 1 slice of chashu

• 1 tsp sliced spring onion 

• 1 half-boiled egg 

METHOD

1. Combine all of the liquid ingredients in a small mixing bowl.

2. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the mixture in. 

3. Using a finger, slowly begin to incorporate the liquid mixture into the flour until it forms a single mass.

4. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth.

5. Let the dough rest for 20-30 minutes, wrapped so it doesn’t dry out.

6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough until it is about 2-3mm in thickness. Sliced the dough to the thickness of your desire using a very sharp knife. Dust with a little flour so the noodles don’t stick together. Cook the noodles for 1 minute, 30 seconds. 

7. To serve, combine 240ml of tonkotsu dashi, 60ml of shouyu or shio tare in a pot and warm over low heat. Once hot, ladle the broth into a noodle bowl. Place the cooked noodles into the bowl. Top with a slice or 1 of slices chashu, a soft boiled egg cooked for 6 minutes, 30 seconds (optionally marinated in shouyu tare for 15 minutes, and a sprinkle of sliced spring onions. 

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🐔Paitan Dashi - Chicken Stock

This is a simple chicken stock used as a base for ramen broth. Unlike a western stock, the bones aren’t roasted, instead, they are boiled briefly in water to clean them before simmering on low heat for 4 hours.  

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 chicken carcass

• 8L water

Aromatics

• ½ carrot, peeled, cut into 3cm chunks

• 1 bunch of spring onion, white parts only, cut into 4cm batons 

• 1/2  white onion, charred 

• 4x4 cm ginger, sliced thinly

• 30g katsuobushi (bonito flakes) 

• 10g  kombu

• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled

METHOD

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

2. Blanch chicken bones in water until the water returns to a boil. 

3. Rinse well in a colander with cold water. 

4. Return to pot and simmer for 4-5 hours, maintaining the temperature between 82-90C, skimming occasionally. 

5. Add vegetables, and aromatics, turn off the heat and infuse for 45 minutes.

6. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer.

🍶Shio Tare- Salt-based Seasoning Sauce (Light) 

Shoyu Tare is a seasoning liquid made with Japanese soy sauce (shouyu) and some other Japanese alcohols: mirin and sake. The sauce can be used to simmer pork belly in or to marinate half-boiled eggs in for ramen. A little of this ramen seasoning liquid goes into each bowl of soup to ensure that every bowl comes out consistently. 

INGREDIENTS  

• 350ml water

• 100ml mirin

• 25g salt

• 20g aji (optional) 

• 15ml rice wine vinegar

• 10 ml soy sauce 

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to a pot. When the mixture comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and mix all of the ingredients together until everything has dissolved.

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   🥩Chicken Chashu- Braised Chicken Thigh 

    

This braised pork dish makes a rich and luscious topping for ramen or even simply as a topping for rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg chicken thigh, skin on

• 800ml water (optional) 

• 80g cooking sake

• 80g soy sauce

• 40g sugar

• 40g knob ginger, crushed

METHOD 

1. Spread the chicken thigh out on a cutting. Use string or plastic wrap to roll the chicken into a tight roll. Allow the chicken to rest in the fridge for a couple hours to set its shape. 

2. Place all of the ingredients in a pressure cooker, and cook at pressure #2 for 10 minutes. OR place all of the ingredients into a sauce pan and simmer over low heat, partially covered for 1 hour or until the pork is just tender.

3. Depressurize. Place the pot over medium-low heat. Reduce the liquid until it becomes as thick as honey, basting the pork belly continuously. 

4. Allow to cool in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing.

5. Alternatively, you can sous vide the chicken thigh along with all of the marinade ingredients, minus the water at 68C for 4 hours. 

Bowl Assembly: 

• 250ml paitan dashi

• 60ml shoyu tare or shio tare

• 2 slices of chicken chashu

• Sliced spring onion for garnish 

• ½ egg

🐔 Kara-age - Marinated and Fried Chicken 

This simple fried chicken recipe uses a light marinade of sake and soy sauce to tenderise and brine the chicken. 

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Execution time: 20 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 200g skin-on chicken thigh, diced into 3x3cm cubes 

• 2 tbsp shio koji 

• 1 tsp soy sauce 

• 2x2cm knob of ginger, crushed 

• 3 tbsp katakuriko (Japanese potato starch) 

• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 700ml vegetable oil for frying 

To serve:

• 2 tbsp kewpie (Japanese mayonnaise) 

• 1 lemon wedge 

• 1 pinch schichimi togarashi (Japanese 7-spice) 

METHOD 

1. Place the chicken thigh, soy sauce, miring, cooking sake and ginger in a mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes. 

2. In another mixing bowl, place the plain flour and katakuriko and mix well to combine. 

3. Place the vegetable oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and preheat the oil to 170C. 

4. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure to shake off any excess flour. Place the dredged chicken into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes or until the batter is just set. Remove from the oil. 

5. After all of the chicken has fried the first time, begin placing the chicken back into the pan to fry it a second time for another 3-4 minutes, or until the skin turns golden brown.

6. Drain the chicken well on a paper towel. Season with a little touch of salt, and serve immediately with a dollop of mayo, a sprinkle of the schichimi togarshi, and a lemon wedge. 

🍆 Nasu Dengaku- Eggplant with Miso Sauce 

The creamy softness of eggplant paired with dark-aged miso makes a rich and subtle dish, that makes a great entree. 

Serves: 2 

Total time: 20 minutes

Active time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 (250g) eggplant, cut in half, and scored

• 20ml vegetable oil

Dengaku Sauce

• 50g miso (mugi, genmai or hacho) 

• 30ml mirin 

• 2 tbsp sugar

To garnish:

½ spring onion, sliced thinly

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds 

METHOD 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. 

2. To make the sauce, mix together the miso and sugar. Gradually whisk in the liquid ingredients until it reaches a smooth paste consistency. 

3. Score the flesh of the eggplant with the tip of the knife in 1cm cross hatches. Be careful not to peirce the skin. On the flesh side, spoon a tablespoon of oil and allow it to soak into the flesh. Bake the eggplant for 15 minutes skin side up. Then flip the eggplant over and bake it for another 10-15 minutes skin side down, or until the flesh feels soft when pierced with a fork. 

4. Spoon a tablespoon of the sauce over 1 half of the eggplant. Bake it for another 5 minutes, or torch it with a butane torch until the miso caramelises a little bit. 

5. Garnish the eggplant with a pinch of spring onion and sesame seeds. 

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Printed From otaokitchen.com.au 12/22/2024