🥣 Miso Shiru- 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 dried and 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 

• 350ml dashi stock 

• 1 spring onion, sliced thinly

• 20g 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 mesh strainer and suspend the base of the strainer in the top of the shiitake/kombu stock and mix the miso with chopsticks until it dissolves into the broth. Either discard or dump the remaining bits of soybean from the miso into the soup, depending on whether you prefer a completely smooth or hearty texture. Ladle the soup gently into the soup bowls and serve immediately. 

🍄 Shojin Dashi- Kombu and Shiitake Mushroom Stock 

This stock is a foundational element of Japanese Buddhist cuisine. This is the most simple version of the stock, but it sometimes also contains other ingredients like dried or fresh daikon radish, or dried eggplant. Compounds contained within shiitake mushrooms are known to boost immunity, fight cancer and improve heart help. Kombu Kelp is a nutrient dense food which contains lots of magnesium and numerous anti-oxidants.

Active time: 5 minutes

Total time:1 hour 

Serves: makes scant 1L 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1L cold water

• 6g dried shiitake mushrooms 

• 2g kombu 

METHOD 

Either: place all of the ingredients in a container and refrigerate overnight. The next day, discard the kombu, and squeeze out the mushrooms to yield as much stock as possible. The mushrooms can be reserved for another use. 

OR: Place all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring the water to around 70C. Simmer the ingredients at around 70C for 1 hour. Discard the kombu, and squeeze out the mushrooms to yield as much stock as possible. The mushrooms can be reserved for another use. 

🥟Jiaozi Dumpling Dough

These are Northern Chinese style dumplings. In this recipe, we use hot water, which helps give the dumplings a more creamy and sturdy texture. 

Serves: makes 16-18 dumplings

Preparation time: 1 hour

Execution time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 180g plain flour (or substitute Tipo 00 flour)

• 95ml boiling water

METHOD 

1. Using a chopstick, mix the flour and hot water in a mixing bowl until the dough starts to come together.

2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it for 5-8 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth and lighter in colour.

3. Rest the dough for 30 minutes or overnight. 

4. Divide the dough into 24 pieces. 

5. Dusting the surface of the table with a little flour, use a rolling pin, pushing forward only to roll the dumpling dough out. After every push with the rolling pin, rotate the dough 45 degrees and continue until the dumpling dough is thinner than 1mm. 

To cook steam the dumplings: 

1. Prepare a steamer, and heat the water until it is at a steady simmer. Steam the dumplings for 8-10 minutes. 

To pan-fry the dumplings: 

1. Heat a heavy–bottom skillet over medium-low heat. Add in 2 tsp of vegetable oil. Add in the dumplings and fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Add in 50ml of water to the pan and place a lid on it. Reduce the heat to low. Cook the dumplings, covered, for 7-8 minutes. Remove the lid. Continue cooking the dumplings for another 1-2 minutes or until all of the remaining liquid has evaporated, and the dumplings are crispy. 

🥩 Jiaozi Filling 

This simple filling is flavoured with a little touch of sesame oil and chinese rice wine. 

INGREDIENTS

• 200g pork mince (or beef, or chicken mince)

• 1 (30g) leaf of wombok, chopped finely 

• 1 spring onion, minced

• 1 clove of garlic, minced 

• 1 clove of ginger, minced 

Seasoning

• 2 tsp soy sauce 

• 1 tsp shaoxing (Chinese rice wine) 

• 1 tsp vegetable oil

• 1 tsp sesame oil

• ¼ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp sugar 

METHOD

 1.) Mix all ingredients of the dumpling filling together in a bowl.

🍛Hong You- Dipping Sauce

Serves: 1 

Preparation time: 2 minutes

Execution time: 1 minute 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp black vinegar 

• ½ tsp chilli oil 

METHOD

 1.) Mix all ingredients of the dumpling filling together in a bowl.

🥟Gluten Free Dumpling Dough

These dumplings are from Northern China. In this recipe, we use boiling water, which helps give the dumplings a more creamy and sturdy texture. Feel free to substitute the GF flour blend of your preference, although note that this might change the water quantity a bit. 

Serves: makes 16-18 dumplings

Preparation time: 1 hour

Execution time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 50g tapioca flour

• 150g rice flour 

• 170g boiling water 

• 1g xanthan gum (optional) 

METHOD 

1. Using a chopstick, mix the flour and boiling water in a mixing bowl until the dough starts to come together.

2. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead it for 5-8 minutes or until the dough becomes smooth a lighter in colour.

3. Rest the dough for 30 minutes or overnight. 

4. Divide the dough into 24 pieces. 

5. Dusting the surface of the table with a little flour, use a rolling pin, pushing forward only to roll the dumpling dough out. After every push with the rolling pin, rotate the dough 45 degrees and continue until the dumpling dough is thinner than 1mm. 

🍃 Jiaozi Filling - Vegetarian 

This simple filling is rich in flavour from the dried mushrooms and has a rich and meaty texture from the fried tofu. 

INGREDIENTS

• 40g packet dried vermicelli noodles, soaked overnight 

• 20g wood-ear mushrooms, soaked overnight, chopped

• 3 pcs (7g) shiitake mushrooms, soaked overnight stems removed, chopped

• 100g fried tofu puffs, minced in a food processor 

METHOD

 1.)  Place all ingredients in a food processor, and pulse until the mixture has a texture similar to mince. 

Ponzu sauce: 

• 800 shiro shouyu (white soy sauce) 

• 600g yuzu juice 

• 300g freshly squeezed orange juice 

• 150ml mirin 

• 75g sugar

• 5g kombu

METHOD 

1. Place all ingredients together in a container and allow to steep for 7 days. Strain the kombu and katsuobushi out afterwards through a fine sieve. 

🍶 Goma Dare Sauce: 

INGREDIENTS

• 120g nerigoma (hulled white sesame paste)

• 70g water

• 20g miso 

• 15g soy sauce 

• 30g sugar 

• 25g rice wine vinegar 

• 10g sesame oil 

• 10g vegetable oil 

• 2g ajinomoto 

METHOD 

1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  

🍶 Yuzu Ponzu Sauce: 

• 800ml shir shouyu (white soy sauce) 

• 550ml yuzu juice 

• 350ml orange juice

• 200ml mirin

• 5g kombu 

METHOD 

1. Whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  

🌶 Hong You- Chilli Oil 

Hong You is a fundamental component of Sichuan cuisine. The oil itself is not overly spicy, but yet it is infused with the fragrant aroma of many different spices and flavorful ingredients. After making it, store it in the fridge in an oil olive oil container for easy pouring. 

Serves: 12 

Preparation Time: 15 minutes 

Active Time: 15 minutes 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1000ml vegetable oil 

• 2 spring onions (25g) 

• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 20g (2x2x2cm knob of ginger, sliced) 

• 4pc star anise 

• ½ stick, cinnamon 

• 1 pod black cardamom

• 40g Sichuan green peppercorns 

• 30g Sichuan red peppercorns 

• 20g Sichuan black peppercorns 

• 20g Sichaun black peppercorns, ground

• 60g kochukaru- Korean chilli flakes 

• 60g kochukaru- Korean chilli flakes 

• 30g kochu karu- Korean chilli flakes 

METHOD 

1. Place the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat the oil over medium-low heat to 160C. 

2. Add the star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom, 40g of green Sichuan peppercorns, 30g of red Sichuan peppercorns, and 20 g of black Sichuan peppercorns and fry for 1 minute.

3. Next, when the oil reaches 150C, add in the 60g of kochukaru.

4. When the oil reaches 130C, add in the next 60g of kochukaru.

5. When the oil reaches 110C, add in the remaining 30g of kochukaru, as well as the ground black Sichuan peppercorns. Allow everything to infuse for a minimum of 1 hour, or overnight for best results before straining through a fine-mesh screen. 

🍘 Okonomiyaki - Bacon 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.