Free Cooking & Recipes

Archive for August, 2009

Barazushi

Ingrediens:

• *  800g sushi rice
• * 200g grilled eel
• * 200g salmon roe
• * 12 shrimp
• * 3 eggs
• * 8 mangetout
• * some trefoil (to garnish)
• * 1 sheet dried seaweed (21cm x 19cm)
• * 4 tbsp toasted white
• * sesame seeds

Preparation:

1. Slice up the grilled eel into 2cm x 2cm strips whilst hot. Boil and shell the shrimps.
2. Beat the eggs gently, add a pinch of salt, and pour a small amount into a heated, lightly oiled frying pan to make a thin sheet of omelette. Make a few sheets, roll them on a chopping board and cut into very fine strips, 2mm. Boil the mangetout and trefoil only briefly (to retain their fresh colour), and slice into strips, 2cm. Cut the dried seaweed into thin strips.
3. Serve the sushi rice in a bowl and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Arrange the eel, salmon roe, omelette strips, moungetout, shrimp, dried seaweed and trefoil on the rice.

Chilled Okra Salad

Ingrediens:

• *  6 okra, thinly sliced widthways
• * 1 aubergine, julienned (3cm)
• * 2/3 cucumber, julienned (3cm)

For the dressing

• * 1.5tbsp mentsuyu
• * If you can’t get hold of this, use soy sauce instead.
• * If you can get your hands on them, a couple of bulbs of myoga, sliced, and five oba leaves, roughly chopped, will add fragrance to this salad.

Preparation:

1. Place the okra and cucumber on a chopping board, sprinkle with salt and gently roll around the board with your hands. Wash with cold water and pat dry.
2. Cut the aubergine in lengths of around 3cm, and then place in cold water for a few minutes. Remove, pat dry and julienne, along with the cucumber. Slice the okra widthways, as thinly as possible.
3. If you have them, thinly slice the myoga and julienne the oba leaves.
4. Combine the vegetables together, and set aside for a few moments until the okra starts to become slightly sticky.
5. Smother with the dressing, and put in the fridge for 30-60 mins.

Spicy Glazed Mushrooms (Shimeji Itame)

Ingrediens:

• 6 ounces tree oyster mushrooms (shimejitake), ends trimmed, separated
• 6 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, steammed and sliced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 sliced gingerroot, crushed
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tiny red chile, halved and seeded
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 2 teaspoons butter
• pinch of salt
• 2 teaspoons Japanese chives (nira) or regular chives

Preparation:

Briefly rinse mushrooms under cool water. Gently press out water; pat dry on paper towels. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add gingerroot, garlic and chile. Stir-fry 1 minute until aromatic; discard. Add mushrooms. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add soy sauce and mirin. Cook 1 minute or until liquid evaporates. Stir in butter, salt and chives. Serve on a warmed serving plate.

Raw Sliced Fish (Sashimi)

Ingrediens:

• 1 lb very fresh fish such as tuna, salmon, snapper, whiting, yellowtail, sea bass, halibut or sole
• Japanese soy sauce, to serve     wasabi, to serve
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 1 daikon, peeled

Preparation:

1. Use a very sharp, flat-bladed knife to remove any skin from the fish. Place the fish in the freezer. Chill until the fish is just firm enough to be cut thinly and evenly into slices, about 1/4 inch in width. Cut the fish with an even motion, taking care not to saw.
2. Arrange the sashimi pieces attractively on a platter and serve with Japanese soy sauce and wasabi.
3. Use a zester to scrape carrot and daikon into long fine strips or, alternatively, cut them into fine julienne strips. Garnish with the carrot and daikon.

Sesame Sauce (Goma Su)

Sesame Sauce (Goma Su)

Ingrediens:

• 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 garlic clove (optional), minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

Toast sesame seeds in a hot skillet, shaking constantly to prevent burning. In a grinding bowl or blender, grind toasted seeds to a paste. Blend in remaining ingredients until sauce is smooth. Pour into small individual bowls. Sauce can be made 1 to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.