Japanese Cooking Master Class

Jan Mar May Jul  Sep Nov
Makizushi- Sushi Rolls with Seasonal Fish and Vegetables 
Miso Shiru - Seasonal Miso Soup 
Seasonal Tempura - Mixed, Fried Vegetables, Prawn, and Soba Noodles  
Okonomiyaki- Pork and Cabbage Pancake

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🍣Makizushi- Sushi Rolls

These sushi rolls can be made with any type of seasonal raw fish, and vegetables. A refreshing, light and non-obtrusive vegetable like cucumber, blanched asparagus, carrot, or sprouts.

Serves: Makes 2 rolls 

Total time: 2 hours

Active time: 45 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 200g of sushi-grade salmon, or kingfish, sliced into 1x1x20cm batons

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced thinly, seeds removed 

• ½ avocado, sliced

• 10g gari - pickled ginger

• ½ tsp wasabi

• 6 sheets of nori seaweed, cut in half 

• 1 tbsp Tosajoyu (for dipping) 

METHOD 

1.  To prepare the salmon, remove the skin and slice it thinly. Try to make sure the salmon stays cold the whole time so that the fat doesn’t come out of the fish. 

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🍶Sushi Su- Rice Vinegar Seasoning

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Execution time: 5 minutes 

Serves: makes 1 batch of sushi rice 

INGREDIENTS 

• 110g rice wine vinegar

• 60g sugar

• 25g mirin

• 16g salt 

• 4g kombu

METHOD

1. In a small saucepot, heat all ingredients except the kombu, stirring constantly until all the sugar and salt dissolve.

2. Add in the kombu and let steep for 1 hour. Discard the kombu. 

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🍚 Shari- Sushi Rice

Preparation time: 30 minutes 

Execution time: 10 minutes 

Makes: 12 rolls 

INGREDIENTS 

• 600g koshihikari- Japanese short grain rice 

• 675g water

• 180ml sushi su 

METHOD

1. Place the rice in a mixing bowl and rinse it under cold water, swishing it around with your hands. Dump out the cloudy, starchy water and fill the bowl up again. Rinse and repeat 2 times until the water runs semi-clear. 

2. Pour enough cold water over the rice to submerge it by at least 4cm and let it rest for 30 minutes. Drain the rice in a colander suspended above a bowl and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.4.) 

3. Place the rice in a rice cooker with 675g of water or place it into a covered sauce pot with 675g of water. 

4. Cook the rice in the rice cooker for 35 minutes. Alternatively, place a saucepan over medium heat and bring it up to a boil. When the liquid starts to boil, place the lid on, turn down the heat to low and simmer the rice for 13-14 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to rest for 10 minutes with the heat off. 

5. Remove the rice cooker pot from the rice cooker and turn the rice out into a large mixing bowl. Season the rice with the sushi su, pouring it over the rice and using a wooden spatula to disperse it, by sprinkling it all over. Mix the sushi rice, using the side of the wooden spatula to ‘cut’ the rice. Once the rice has cooled to around 40c. Cover it with a damp towel and keep it in an insulated container like an esky. 

6. Prepare a bowl of water for dipping your hands. To form the maki sushi, place 1 sheet of the nori seaweed on a cutting board, rough side facing up. Wet your hands in the water and grab 85g of the seasoned sushi rice. Spread the rice all over the surface of the the nori, leaving a 1cm gap at the top. 

7. Flip the nori over so that the rice is touching the cutting board. Add a smear of wasabi on the nori. 

8. Layer your salmon and fillings in an even row in the centre of the nori. Use a maki su, or bamboo matt to roll up the contents of the sushi, and cut the roll into 6 pieces. 

🐟 Tosajoyu - House Soy Sauce blend  

Most high-end sushi counters make their own special blend of soy sauce Here’s our recipe. 

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Execution time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 90 ml tamari 

• 25 ml soy sauce 

• 50 ml water

• 68ml mirin 

• 12g sugar 

• 6g katsuobushi (bonito flakes) 

METHOD 

1. Heat up the liquid ingredients until the mixture almost comes to a boil. 

2. Add in the katsuo and steep for 1 hour or overnight if possible.

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🍘 Okonomiyaki - Pork and Cabbage Pancake

Okonomiyaki means ‘however you like it, grilled’ in Japanese which means that in Japan you can find okonomiyaki in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and with every imaginable garnish and topping underneath the sun. We use a little bacon and cabbage as a base for this recipe but feel free to experiment with different combinations of vegetables, and try substitution other protein for the bacon: thin slices of tofu, beef or seafood, for instance. 

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Execution time: 7 minutes 

INGREDIENTS

• 30g flour 

• 50g dashi stock

• 1 egg 

• 2 slices thinly sliced pork belly (50g)

• 50g wombok or cabbage, cut into small chunks

• 1 tbsp tenkatsu (substitute rice bubbles)

• 1 tsp vegetable oil 

• ½ tbsp beni shoga (red pickled ginger)

• ¼ tsp baking powder

•  1 pinch salt

Garnishes:

• 2 tbsp katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

• 1 spring onion, sliced thinly

• 1.5 tbsp kewpie  (Japanese mayonnaise)

• 1.5 tbsp Okonomi sauce 

• 1 tsp ao noriko (green seaweed powder) 

METHOD

1. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. 

2. To make the batter, combine the sliced cabbage, egg, dashi stock, salt, baking powder, beni shoga, rice bubbles, and flour in a mixing bowl and lightly stir to combine. 

3. Add in 1 tsp of vegetable oil and one slice of bacon. 

4. Gently fry the bacon on both sides until it is lightly golden brown. Be careful not to over fry it. 

5. Pour the batter on top of the bacon. Gently shape the batter into a pancake that’s about 12cm in diameter and a little less than a centimetre in height. 

6. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the pancake starts to feel firm enough to flip, and has a light brown colour on the surface. Flip the pancake and cook it for 1-2 minutes on the other side. 

7. Transfer the pancake to a serving dish. Drizzle an even zig-zag of okonomi sauce over the surface of the pancake. Follow the same with the okonomi sauce. Sprinkle an even layer of the ao noriko over the surface of the pancake, then with the katsuobushi and thinly sliced spring onion. Finally, place a tuft of the kizami nori in the centre of the pancake. 

🌿Ten-Soba - Seasonal Fried Vegetables and Soba Noodles 

Tempura is a light and delicate preparation of vegetables or seafood coated in a light batter and then fried. Each vegetable is cut in a specific way that allows it to cook evenly, and a perfect balance of batter lets each ingredient shine. 

Preparation: 20 minutes

Execution: 15 minutes 

Serves: 2 

INGREDIENTS 

Seasonal Vegetables: 

• 30g shimeji mushrooms, base removed, separated into clusters of 3 

• 2 prawns, belly side scored, dried well 

• 4 slices lotus root  

• 800ml  vegetable oil 

Batter 

• 140g ice cold water

• 100g tempura flour

Ten-dashi 

• 120ml dashi stock 

• 2.5 tbsp shouyu

• 1 tbsp sugar 

To serve: 

• 80g of dried soba noodles, boiled 
• 3 tbsp of grated daikon radish
• 1 tsp Spiral organic wasabi
• ½ spring onion, sliced 

METHOD

1. To make the ten-dashi, mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl until dissolved.

2. To prepare the prawns, score the belly side of the prawns by making consecutive slices about a third of the way into the flesh. This will straighten out the prawn a little so when it fries it stays straight. After scoring, place the prawn onto its belly and gently press on top of it. You should feel a light snapping action as the joints split a little, yielding a straight prawn. 

3. For the tempura: fill a heavy-bottomed pot with 800ml vegetable oil, and place it over medium-low heat until it reaches 165-170C. 

4. Gently mix the ingredients of the tempura batter together, taking care not to overmix the batter. 

5. Fry the vegetables in and prawns in batches, checking the temperature of the batter by sprinkling a little of the batter into the oil (it should sink to the bottom of the pot then promptly rise back up to the surface). If it lingers at the bottom of the pot for a moment, then it is too cold. If it immediately floats to the surface, it is too hot. 

6. Drain on a paper towel and season with a little salt.

7. Serve the tempura on top of the soba noodles. Garnish it with a little spring onion and grated daikon radish. Serve the dipping sauce on the side. 

🥣 Kinoko Miso Shiru- Mushroom Miso Soup 

Miso soup is a fundamental aspect of Japanese cuisine. It’s traditionally eaten as an accompaniment with any meal of the day. This particular version has deep earthy notes from a blend of fresh mushrooms. Miso paste, a fermentation of soybeans, wheat and rice, has a high concentration of various B vitamins, E vitamins, as well as both pro and pre-biotics.

Serves 2

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Execution Time: 30 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 400ml dashi stock 

• 40g enoki mushrooms sliced

• 1 spring onion, sliced thinly

• 20g tofu or abura-age (fried tofu) chopped into 1x1cm cubes 

• 1 tbsp aka or genmai miso

METHOD

1. Place the cut tofu and spring onion into miso soup bowls. 

2. Place the dashi stock into a small saucepan gently heat the stock over medium-low heat until it reaches a simmer. Place the sliced mushrooms in the broth and simmer for 2-3 minutes until the mushrooms are tender. 

3. Place the miso in a small bowl. Add a little spoon of the dashi stock and mix the miso with chopsticks until it dissolves and the paste loosens up a little. Pour the loosened up paste into the soup, add enough miso as necessary. 

🐟 Dashi Stock 

Dashi stock is a fundamental component of Japanese cuisine. It has a light, smokey flavour from a mixture of deep-sea kelp, and katsuobushi, or dried and smoked skipjack tuna flakes. 

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Execution time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1L water

• 15g katsuobushi (bonito flakes) 

• 10g kombu 

METHOD 

1. Place the water and kombu in a large saucepot and set it over medium-low heat. 

2. Heat the water slowly over the course of 5-10 minutes until small bubbles appear around the side of the pot, or when the water reaches around 60-65C. 

3. Steep the kombu for 40-60minutes.

4. Remove to kombu from the pot and discard. 

5. Bring the liquid to just before a boil and immediately shut off the heat. 

6. Add in the katsuobushi and steep for 10 minutes off the heat. 

7. Strain out the katsuobushi through a cheesecloth.