Free Cooking & Recipes

Nigirizushi

Ingredients:

• 15-20g sushi rice (a ball about the size of a ping-pong ball) per piece
• WasabiSome wasabi

INGREDIENTS for TEZU (vinegared water for dipping hands):

• Vinegar3 tbsp. sushi vinegar
• Water240ml water

Preparation:

1. Wet your hands thoroughly with tezu (vinegared water).
2. Place the topping over the fingers of your left hand.
3. Pick up the correct amount of sushi rice using your right hand, and hold it in the palm of your hand.
4. NoteIt takes practice to be able to pick up the correct amount of sushi rice each time – professional sushi chefs are able to pick up almost the same number of grains each time!
5. Holding the rice with your other three fingers, use the index finger of your right hand to smear a small amount of wasabi on the topping.
6. Place the ball of rice on the topping.
7. Press the rice lightly with the thumb of your left hand.
8. Still holding the sushi with the thumb of your left hand, press together the two sides of the sushi, using the thumb and index finger of your right hand.
9. Cupping the sushi in the fingers of your left hand, use the first two fingers if your right hand to flatten the base.
10. Flip the sushi over carefully in your left hand, so that the topping is uppermost.
11. Use the fingers of your right hand to give the sushi a final shaping.

Tara no Miso Teriyaki

Tara no Miso Teriyaki

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces cod
• [A] 100g miso (preferably white miso)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sake

Preparation:

1. Mix the ingredients of the marinade [A] well then spread half in a casserole dish evenly.
2. Cover with damp tea towel or thin cloth and place on top the pieces of cod, side by side. Fold the edges of the towel to cover the cod as if wrapping, and spread the other half of marinade over the top. Leave overnight in a fridge.
3. Grill both sides of the cod until golden brown.

Dashi

Dashi

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet of kombu (drid kelp: 10cm x 10cm)
• 1 litre water
• 15g katsuobushi (bonito flakes)

*for vegetarians, use twice as much kombu and omit the katsuobushi.

Preparation:

1. Make a few slits in the kombu, and cook in water on a medium heat. Remove just before boiling.
2. Add the katsuobushi to the pan, bring to the boil, and strain.

Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki

Hiroshima-style Okonomiyaki

Ingredients:

[Batter]

• 100g self-rising flour (or plain flour+baking powder)
• 150ml water

[Filling]

• 200g yakisoba (wheat or egg noodles)
• Yakisoba sauce (or worcester sauce)
• a cup of shredded cabbage
• 2eggs
• any other meat/seafood/vegetables from the list above
• vegetable oil to stir-fry sauce and garnishes -See above

Preparation:

1. Mix the flour and water well, place a quarter of it onto the heated frying pan to make a thin pancake. Cook for 1-2 minutes on a low-medium heat.
2. Place half the fillings (exept for the yakisoba) on top of the pancake.
3. Pour another quarter of the batter over the ingredients.
4. Pour the flour mixture over the toppings in the pan. (Make one big pancake or two small ones.)
5. Fry the yakisoba noodles with yakisoba sauce on one side.
6. Flip the pancake over with a spatula.
7. Put the okonomiyaki on top of yakisoba noodles and push down firmly.
8. Fry egg on one side and put the okonomiyaki on top. Top with sauce and the egg. Place the okonomi-yaki on a plate with the egg side up.
9. Make another cake in the same way and garnish.

Sakana no Miso Nin-niku Sauce

Sakana no Miso Nin-niku Sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces fish (Ideally sword fish but halibut is also nice)
• 40g white miso
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 3 tbsp mirin
• vegetable oil
• 1 tsp chopped parsley
• 2 pieces wedge-cut lemon

Preparation:

1. Mix the miso, garlic and mirin well, spread it all over the fish and leave for one hour.
2. Remove the excess miso mixture from the fish. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook both sides of the fish until browned.
3. Place the fish on individual plates, sprinkle on the chopped parsley and serve with lemon.

Hiroshima-fu Okonomiyaki

Hiroshima-fu Okonomiyaki

Ingredients:

[Batter]

• 100g self-rising flour (or plain flour+baking powder)
• 150ml water

[Filling]

• 200g yakisoba (wheat or egg noodles)
• Yakisoba sauce (or worcester sauce)
• a cup of shredded cabbage
• 2eggs
• any other meat/seafood/vegetables from the list above
• vegetable oil to stir-fry sauce and garnishes -See above

Preparation:

1. Mix the flour and water well, place a quarter of it onto the heated frying pan to make a thin pancake. Cook for 1-2 minutes on a low-medium heat.
2. Place half the fillings (exept for the yakisoba) on top of the pancake.
3. Pour another quarter of the batter over the ingredients.
4. Pour the flour mixture over the toppings in the pan. (Make one big pancake or two small ones.)
5. Fry the yakisoba noodles with yakisoba sauce on one side.
6. Flip the pancake over with a spatula.
7. Put the okonomiyaki on top of yakisoba noodles and push down firmly.
8. Fry egg on one side and put the okonomiyaki on top. Top with sauce and the egg. Place the okonomi-yaki on a plate with the egg side up.
9. Make another cake in the same way and garnish.

Gunkanmaki

Gunkanmaki

Ingredients:

• 15-20g sushi rice (a ball about the size of a ping-pong ball) per piece
• WasabiSome wasabi

TOPPPINGS:

The most common topping for gunkanmaki is ikura (salmon roe) although many others may be used. These include kazunoko (salted herring roe), uni (sea urchin) and tobiko. If using kazunoko, it should be soaked in water for at least two hours in order to reduce its saltiness.
NoteGunkanmaki can be decorated with some thin slices of cucumber, arranged in a fan shape. To make, simply cut a few long, flat, wedge-shaped slices of cucumber, and arrange in a fan shape at one end of the sushi

Preparation:

1. Wet your right hand thoroughly with tezu (vinegared water).
2. Lay a strip of nori across your left hand.
3. Pick up the required amount of sushi rice with your right hand, and shape it gently in your hand to form a slightly elongated ball of rice.
4. Place the rice ball lengthwise in the middle of the nori strip so that the edge of the rice ball is level with one edge of the nori, with a spare strip of nori at the other side.
5. Roll the nori strip around the rice, and use a grain or two grains of rice to secure the overlapping nori together. The roll should now have a flat bottom, and a ‘deck’ surrounded by nori to hold the topping.
6. Using your thumb, press lightly on the ‘deck’ to make a slight hollow.
7. Place the gunkanmaki on a flat surface, and scoop about a teaspoonful of the topping onto the ‘deck’.

Saba no Karaage

Saba no Karaage

Ingredients:

• 200g mackerel (boned)[A]
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp sake
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tbsp corn or potato flour
• 2 spring onions
• Vegetable oil for deep-flying

Preparation:

1. Cut the mackerel into bite-size pieces. Mix the ingredients of the marinade [A] and marinade the mackerel in it for 15 minutes. Drain the marinade thoroughly to make the fish crispy.
2. Drain well and coat each piece with the corn flour then leave for a few minutes for the starch to settle.
3. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 170˚C then deep-fry the mackerel until golden brown.

Renkon no Hasami Age

Renkon no Hasami Age

Ingredients:

• 100g lotus root
• 60g prawns
• 2 tsp plain flour
• A pinch of salt
• 3-4 tbsp cornflour
• Vegetable oil for deep frying

Preparation:

1. Peel the lotus root, slice 4-5mm in width and soak in water for 5-10 minutes.
2. Chop the prawns finely and mix with the plain flour and salt.
3. Drain the lotus root, cover thinly with the cornflower. Place 2-3 tsp of prawn on each piece of lotus root and place another piece on top.
4. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan and deep-fry the lotus root until browned.

Renkon no Hasami Age

Renkon no Hasami Age

Ingredients:

• *  4 prawns
• * 4 mangetout
• * 4 shiitake mushrooms
• * 800ml dashi (soup stock)
• * 1 tsp salt
• * 1 tbsp sake
• * 2 tsp soy sauce (ideally a light coloured one)
• * some vegetable oil for stir-frying

Preparation:

1. De-vein the prawns, parboil in salted water for 40-60 seconds, then remove the shells.
2. Remove the stems of the shiitake and trim the mangetout, then parboil them.
3. Heat up the soup stock, salt and sake, add the prawns, shiitake, and then soy sauce. Bring to the boil and remove from the heat. Garnish with the mangetout when serving.