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Japanese roasted Pumpkin salad Here's another recipe featuring Japanese pumpkin, AKA kabocha. Roasted foods are not very common in Japan mostly because until recent times the typical Japanese kitchen didn't contain an oven for cooking! (Most Japanese home cooked food is done over a hob or under a grill/microwave). On the other hand, this is quick, easy and very good for you, so what's not to like? I've used some more k abocha from my garden, but you can of course use other varieties of pumpkin in this dish. Follow the tutorial on youtube by clicking Japanese roasted Pumpkin salad and/or go to the written recipe is as below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. ingredients: 2 servings 230g deseeded & peeled japanese pumpkin (kabocha) 150g courgette 70g red pepper 70g green pepper 1.5tbsp oil from sun-dried tomato jar 8 slices sun-dried tomato 150g butter beans 50g red onion 6 lettuce leaves 2 tbsp walnuts, roughly crushed 2tbsp hulled pumpkin seeds salt and pepper how to: cut the pumpkin, red and green peppers into bite sized chunks slice the courgette into 1 cm pieces halve the sun-dried tomatoes thinly slice the red onion and soak in a bowl of water for 10 mins before draining heat your oven to 190 C / 375 F oil the pumpkin, peppers & courgette in a bowl, spreading them on a tray and roast for 15 mins lay the lettuce leaves on a plate and assemble the rest of the vegetables on the top your roasted pumpkin salad is ready to serve - just sprinkle with the walnut,  pumpkin seeds, salt and pepper Japanese roasted Pumpkin salad

Japanese style Chahan with Chicken Here's a recipe that is an ideal use for any rice you happen to have leftover in the fridge - you know, the stuff that goes a bit dry and isn't that nice to reheat 'n ' eat (but you don't want to throw away). So here is my Japanese style Chahan with Chicken, which means "fried rice". People say this dish originally came from China when Japan opened its doors to trade and Chinese merchant seamen introduced it to the port of Kobe. I don't know how true that story is but I'm pretty sure this dish is Chinese in origin. What is beyond doubt is that is regularly consumed at breakfast, lunch and dinner in homes the length and breadth of Japan (it's so popular in our house that one of my sons may be the first known case of chahan addiction!) I use Thai long grain rice in this recipe but you can use any rice you have to hand - if it's leftover, even better, as it makes this a really quick one pan meal - just throw in some chopped chicken, carrot and onion, a handful of peas and an egg - stir fry and hey, presto! you have yourself a pan of chahan with chicken! You can find the written recipe just below and for the Youtube tutorial click Chaha n or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want something similar but with a little more nutrition and calories, try my Tenshindon recipe here. Japanese style Chahan with Chicken ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 320g cooked rice 30g frozen peas 180g chicken breast 40g carrot, peeled 2 spring onions 80g onion, peeled 2 eggs 1 clove of garlic 1 slice of ginger 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 pepper 1/2 tsp chicken or vegetable stock granules 1/2 tsp soy sauce 1/2 tsp oyster sauce 2 tbsp veg oil for frying how to: finely chop the garlic, ginger, carrot, spring onion & onion slice the chicken, then dice heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add and stir fry the garlic, ginger & chicken for 2 - 3 mins add and stir fry the carrot & onion for 1 - 2 mins add the peas and stir some more push the mixture to one side of the pan, heat 1 tbsp of oil, then stir in the eggs before the eggs start to set, add the rice and mix together well season with the salt, pepper, stock granules, soy sauce & oyster sauce and stir again add the spring onions and stir one final time your chahan is ready. for an attractive way to serve, spoon 1 portion of chahan into a bowl then invert onto a plate. repeat for the second portion Japanese style Chahan with Chicken Chahan

Squid spaghetti with Ishiri sauce Here's a recipe I've made using my new kitchen friend, Ishiri sauce (if you haven't done so already, you can check it out on Youtube at Interesting Japanese Foods ) or just do a search for the blog post. Basically, Ishiri sauce is made of (ok, prepare yourself) squid intestines and salt which are fermented together and matured for 2 - 3 years to produce a dark, salty sauce. If you think of Thailand's "nam pla" but super concentrated, you'll get the idea of what Ishiri sauce is like. It's used very sparingly, mostly in fish dishes, to create what the Japanese call "kakushi aji" or hidden flavour. Health-wise, although Ishiri sauce has high levels of salt, it also contains high levels of natural amino acids and antioxidants so it is generally considered to be a healthy, natural food flavouring. In the recipe above, I've used it to add an umami boost to my squid spaghetti recipe. Personally, I love this flavour and I hope you do too! You can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Squid spaghetti with Ishiri sauce or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. You might also want to take a look at another recipe Pan fried Cod with Ishiri sauce for more Ishiri inspiration! Squid spaghetti with Ishiri sauce ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1/2 medium size peeled onion 2 large mushrooms, stalks removed 3 cloves of garlic 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil 150g squid rings 150g spaghetti 30g salted butter 1 tbsp ishiri sauce how to: slice the onion, mushrooms & garlic thinly cook the spaghetti in the boiling water for 10 mins or according to the packet heat the oil in a frying pan and saute the garlic for 30 seconds add the onion and saute for 1 minute add the mushrooms and saute for 1-2 mins add the butter, then the squid and stir for 2-3 mins add the ishiri sauce & stir another 30 seconds add the cooked spaghetti and mix well your dish is now ready to plate up and serve. drizzle any sauce that remains in the pan over the spaghetti once its on the plate Squid spaghetti with Ishiri sauce

Japanese Chicken Doria Here's my Japanese chicken doria recipe - just the ticket for a gloomy, soggy evening when you get home wanting some warming, comfort food. If you looked at my seafood doria recipe, you'll know that a doria consists of cooked rice, typically mixed with either seafood or chicken & flavoured with tomato ketchup. That's covered in a white, bechamel style, sauce, which is then baked in the oven. It's a very popular dish in Japan both at home and in restaurants and takeaways. Incidentally, doria dishes make for a great way to use up any leftover rice you have hanging around in the fridge. If you'd like to try my recipe, you can find the written recipe by clicking Chicken Doria . For the Youtube tutorial, click Japanese Chicken Doria or scroll to the bottom of the page. Alternatively, my Seafood Doria tutorial is here . You can find the Seafood Doria recipe here . happy cooking! kurumi XXXX. Chicken Doria ingredients: (makes 2 portions) for the rice filling: 1/2 veg oil 60g onion, minced 200g chicken breast, sliced into bite size chunks 60g carrot, minced 50g frozen or fresh peas 20ml white wine 1/2 tsp bouillon powder salt & pepper 310g cooked rice* for the white sauce: 40g butter 4 tbsp plain flour 300ml milk salt & pepper for the topping: 40g grated cheddar cheese, 1 tsp, dried or fresh parsley how to: first make the stir-fried rice, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and chicken and stir fry for 2 mins add the carrot & peas and fry for 2-3 mins add the wine & bouillon powder and fry for 1-2 mins season with the salt & pepper add the rice, stir well and check/adjust the seasoning spoon the rice filling into an oven proof dish and set aside next to make the white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan add the flour and mix well add the milk a little at a time to incorporate it and make a smooth white sauce over medium heat heat the oven to 210’C pour the white sauce over the rice in the dish and sprinkle over the cheese bake for 15-18 mins or until the top is golden brown your chicken doria is ready - just garnish with the parsley and serve Japanese Chicken Doria

Takikomi Gohan with Chicken - Kashiwa Meshi In Japanese, this Takikomi Gohan with Chicken is known as "kashiwa meshi". It hails from the city of Fukuoka which is on the island of Kyushu. In the local dialect, "kashiwa' means chicken and "meshi" means rice, so the direct English translation - chicken rice - although it seems quite prosaic is 100% accurate! But "kashiwa" is also used to describe the leaf of the local species of oak tree. So how did it come about that the word also means "chicken"? Well, the background to the dish "kashiwa meshi" is quite interesting and forms a small part of Japanese history in the 1,000 + years when the eating of meat was prohibited for various reasons including the beliefs of the Buddhist religon and the scarcity of food resources in Japan. Like all prohibitions, the ban on eating meat in Japan was not universally observed. In order to hide their illegal consumption of meat, it is said that the locals developed a coded language where meats were known by the names of flora to fool the authorities into thinking that the dishes being eaten contained no meat. As the local variety of chicken sported feathers that had an auburn tint to them, chicken meat became known by the name of the brown leaves of the oak tree, ie "kashiwa." Thus, the dish "kashiwa meshi" was born. Other meats were also given coded names too - pork became "botan" which is the local dialect for the peony flower. Deer meat was known by the moniker " momiji" which is the Japanese name for the acer shrub. Likewise, horse meat became known as "sakura" meaning cherry tree. Nowadays, there is no need to disguise the meat content of any dish in Japan. But still the name Kashiwa Meshi lives on and has certainly stood the test of time. It continues to be a big favourite especially so in the form of an "eki ben" or station lunch - the kind of thing travellers buy from the railway station during their travels. This particular recipe was supplied by my good friend and collaborator Yumiko Nikaido who lives in Tokyo. It features - yes, you guessed it - chicken and rice - along with carrot, burdock root (what the Japanese call "gobo") with a topping of spring onion, a little crished walnut and a sprinkle of white sesame seeds. Flavour wise, the mix combines soy sauce, mirin, Japanese sake and a little sugar. The chicken and vegetables are stir fried in sesame oil to give a lovely, slightly nutty flavour. Once the chicken and vegetables are ready, the whole lot is gently stirred into a pot of freshly steam Japanese rice, infusing it with lovely, rich umami and nutty flavours. As dishes go, it's easy to prepare and provides a filling and nutricious meal - what's not to like about that! If you want to learn more about how to make Takikomi Gohan with Chicken / Kashiwa Meshi, you can find the Youtube video by clicking Takikomi Gohan with Chicken or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. ingredients: makes 2 generous servings: 2 cups, fresh Japanese rice (150g x 2 dry weight)* 60g / 2.1oz burdock root 60g / 2.1oz carrot, peeled 200g / 7oz skinless and boneless chicken thighs (or chicken breast if preferred) 2 spring onions, rinsed 2 tbsp walnuts 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp Japanese sake 1/2 tbsp sugar 50ml / 1.7floz soy sauce 50ml / 1.7floz mirin toasted white sesame seeds * this equates to approx 600g / 21oz cooked Japanese rice if you already have some prepared how to: Rinse or rice well and cook using your preferred method. I used my rice cooker for this recipe but it also works well if you cook your rice in a saucepan. To prepare the vegetables, scrape off a thin layer of the skin of the burdock root. I use the back of my kitchen knife to do this. Next, cut the root into about 3cm / 1 inch pieces. Set each piece on its end and cut into slices then cut the slices into matchsticks. Burdock root can taste a little bitter and to reduce this, put the matchsticks into a bowl of water for 5 - 10 minutes, then drain. Next, cut the peeled carrot into 2 or 3 pieces depending on the length of the carrot, then slice thinly and cut into matchstickes like you did with the burdock root. Finely slice the rinsed spring onion. Set this aside for a topping. Next, remove any fat from the chicken thighs. Cut into small bite size pieces. Heat the sesame oil in a medium frying pan. Add the chicken, burdock root and carrot. Fry over a medium heat until the chicken has coloured. Meanwhile, lightly crush the walnuts. Returning to the frying pan, add the Japanese sake, sugar, soy sauce and mirin to the chicken and vegetables. Simmer over a low / medium heat for 7 - 8 minutes or until the liquid has almost evaporated. Add the crushed walnuts and stir well, before turning off the heat. Add the fried chicken and vegetable mixture to the rice. Gently mix everything together until the rice has coloured. To serve, heap generously into serving bowls, top with sliced spring onion and sprinkle the sesame. Takikomi Gohan with Chicken - Kashiwa meshi

Natto California Inside Out sushi rolls Here's my latest inside out California sushi roll dish. This time, I've made Natto California rolls - so, natto and cucumber with some black sesame sprinkled on the rice. Preparation to make this California sushi roll is minimal - just chop up your natto and cut some cucumber ribbons and you're ready to go. I know natto isn't everyone's proverbial cup of green tea but I think this is the ideal way to introduce it to people who haven't tried it or tasted it before - it's chopped up and wrapped with sushi rice - I tend to get people complimenting the interesting flavour when they try these so I think I'm on the right track anyway! At the risk of sounding preachy - I'm going to repeat again how good natto is for you. It's high in fibre, contains high levels of vitamins C and K, it's protein rich and contains micronutrients such as manganese, iron thiamin and riboflavin. It really should be in everyone's diet even if only occasionally. (OK - the preaching is now over.) If you want to try your hand at Natto California rolls, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Natto California inside out Sushi Rolls or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. As always with sushi rolls, I recommend you take a look at the Youtube tutorial, if you are a first timer as it will give you a good visual idea of how it's done. You can buy natto at Japanese and asian food stores and online. Or, if you want to go the whole hog and make natto from scratch yourself, why not check out my youtube tutorial Make your own Natto or scroll to the bottom of the page? The written recipe for making your own natto is here . Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. Natto California rolls ingredients: (makes 2 rolls / 14 - 16 pieces) 220g natto a few long cucumber matchsticks 1/2 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds 220g cooked sushi rice 1 spring onion, finely chopped 1 sheet of nori, halved longways 1 sushi mat some clingfilm how to: first, unroll your mat and wrap it tightly in 2 - 3 layers of clingfilm (this will prevent the rice sticking to the mat) wet your hands or a spatula & spread 1/2 the sushi rice over one of the 1/2 nori sheets in a thin layer, try to fill in any gaps so you finish with a uniform covering of rice but do it gently so that the nori doesn't tear next, sprinkle 1 tsp of sesame seeds over the rice now, take the nori sheet by the bottom edge and turn it over on the mat so that the sesame and rice are downward facing and the nori upward facing. place 2 strips of cucumber lengthways across the nori sheet about 1.5cm (1/2 inch) from the bottom edge. next, spoon the natto over the cucumber now to roll your uramaki sushi roll: hold the lower edge of the sushi mat with your thumbs and raise and roll the lower edge of the mat over the contents to form the sushi roll give the roll a little, light squeeze with your fingers to make sure it is well formed, then unroll the mat revealing your uramaki sushi roll cut the sushi into 6 - 7 pieces, wiping & wetting your knife between cuts to stop the knife sticking repeat again for the second roll Natto California Inside Out sushi rolls Natto

Teriyaki chicken in a large maki sushi roll Are you a sushi lover? Or does the thought of raw fish make you feel a little queasy? (I hope its the former not the latter!) But if raw fish just isn't your bag, you can still enjoy your sushi made with non-fishy contents. I like to think my teriyaki chicken in a large maki roll is one of the best out there. The teriyaki chicken is quite simple to make and you'll be happy to hear that all the fillings will probably be in your larder already - pepper, lettuce and an avocado. In case the thought hadn't already occurred to you, making these yourself will cost you a fraction of the cost of a takeaway or eat in dining (and they'll be fresher and tastier than a takeaway too!) If you're interested in how to make this, you can find the recipe below. If you want to take a look at the video tutorial, (and I would recommend you take a look to understand the rolling technique), click on the the youtube link is Teriyaki chicken in a large maki sushi roll or just scroll down to the bottom of the page. ingredients: (makes approx. 20 - 24 rolls) 600g cooked Japanese rice (from 320g dry rice) 3 tbsp sushi vinegar 9cm piece cucumber 1/4 red pepper 1/2 medium avocado 1 large / 2 small lettuce leaves 1 boneless chicken breast 2 tsp veg oil 1 1/2 tbsp mirin 1/2 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tbps soy sauce 3 sheets of dried nori a sushi rolling mat Teriyaki chicken in a large maki sushi roll how to: gently mix the cooked rice with the sushi vinegar taing care not to mash to rice, then set aside cut the cucumber longways into 4 quarters. remove the seeds and julienne into matchsticks remove any seeds or white flesh from the pepper and then slice it into thin strips slice the avocado and the lettuce into thin strips slice the chicken breast laterally to creat 2 fillets then cut into thin strips heat 2 tsp of veg oil and stir fry the chicken for 4 mins add the soy sauce, sugar and mirin, adjust the heat and fry until the sauce thickens now, place a sheet of nori on your sushi mat (with the shorter sides of the nori sheet to the top and bottom of the mat). spread over 200g of rice leaving a 2cm strip at the top of the sheet without rice place chicken strips in two lines near the bottom of the rice. then place 8 strips of cucmber above the chicken and then4 strips of red pepper. then place some strips of avocado above the pepper and finally sone of the shredded lettuce. now, hold the sushi mat at the bottom, bring it up and roll it over the rice, using your index and middle fingers to keep the filling in place. finish the roll by tucking the bottom of the nori sheet into the rice at the top. now use gentle pressue and squeeze the mat to better form the sushi roll inside. roll the mat back to see your completed large sushi roll. repeat to make your 2nd and 3rd rolls. finally, use your sharpest knife to cut the rolls into 7 or 8 pieces. keep some cold water nearby to wet the blade to stop the rice sticking to it. Teriyaki chicken in a large maki sushi roll

Japanese beef bowl AKA Gyudon My recipe this week is a Japanese classic - Japanese beef bowl AKA Gyudon - which translates rather simply as "beef bowl". I'll be the first to admit that doesn't sound like it's going to get your taste buds chirping, but Gyudon is about quite a bit more than a simple "bowl of beef." What goes into a Gyudon? First, you have a base of Japanese rice - about 200 -225g per person (cooked weight). Then you have your beef and onion topping which has been cooked in a liquor of dashi stock, soy sauce, Japanese cooking sake (or regular sake if you have some) and sugar. The sauce is reduced by more than half during cooking so that the beef and the onion suck up all the lovely flavours. To finish, I garnish my Gyudon with a little salad cress and red pickled ginger (Japanese shoga ) ,the latter giving another taste dimension (a little palate refreshing tang) to the bowl. The history of Gyudon is quite interesting and not a little ironic looking back from the 21st century. During the centuries when Japan was a closed society, the eating of meat was banned by Imperial edict. This prohibition ended in the late 19th century when the then emperor, Meiji, having seen his country forced to open its doors to the outside world (and probably having seen the physical size of foreigners,) decided he had to (literally) beef up his population. Thus the prohibition on meat consumption ended. One of the first businessmen to take advantage of this action was Eikichi Matsuda who founded a chain of restaurants "Yoshinoya" serving the dish that Matsuda-san himself named; Gyudon. The Yoshinoya chain is still around today (as well as its two main competitors - Sukiya and Matsuya - which were both founded in the same era as Yoshinoya) proving that the dish remains as popular with the Japanese as it has ever been. Guydon Gyudon served at restaurants like Yoshinoya use beef that has been sliced wafer thin and some people imagine that this is a feature of the dish - in fact, wafer thin beef serves two purposes for a fast food chain - it reduces cost and speeds cooking time. In Japan, you can buy very thinly sliced beef for dishes like gyudon and sukiyaki but I prefer to buy a cut of rump steak and cut it myself - I don't worry too much about getting the beef cut wafer thin - it really needs to be frozen and cut with a machine to achieve that kind of wafer thinness. In fact, I like the fact that the beef retains some body and texture after cooking. From countertop to kitchen table you can have bowls of Gyudon ready in 25 - 30 mins. Gyudon is substantial enough to make a good one bowl dinner or a very satisfying lunch. I garnished my dish with cress and some pickled ginger ("shoga" in Japanese), neither are obligatory but I like the extra layer of flavour they provide. If you like the sound of this recipe, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Japanese beef Bowl AKA Gyudon or simply scroll to the bottom of the page. You can find the written recipe just below. happy cooking! kurumi XXXX Gyudon ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1 medium onion 1 beef rump steak (250g) 90ml water 1 tsp Japanese dashi stock granules 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp Japanese cooking sake 3 tbsp soy sauce 450g cooked rice topping (optional) some cress some red pickled ginger how to: cut the onion into 5mm slices slice the beef steak as thinly as you can put the water and dashi stock granules in a jar or small measuring jug, then add to a frying pan add the sugar, sake, soy sauce & onion to the pan and cook for 4-5 mins over a medium heat add the sliced beef and simmer for approx. 4 mins or until the sauce has largely been evaporated and absorbed into the beef and onions to assemble, fill your bowls with the cooked rice, pile 1/2 of the beef and onion onto the rice in each bowl and pour over the sauce left in the pan top with the cress and red ginger Japanese beef bowl AKA Gyudon

Egg Sushi Rolls Here's my latest uramaki "inside-out" sushi roll. This is my version of an uramaki that my son makes at the sushi bar where he currently works - uramaki, or California roll as they are also known, is a rather clever ploy - with the nori on the inside, you can prepare an uramaki earlier without worrying about the nori discolouring or splitting - so a longer shelf like (next time you pass the sushi counter in a supermarket, take a look at what is on the shelf and my guess is, it will mostly be uramaki rolls. Anyway, back to the recipe - the filling is simple: Japanese sweet omelette and shiso leaves. It's a great taste combination and it's become one of my favourite types of sushi roll - easy to make, easy on the pocket and no worries about raw fish! Apart from the omelette and shiso, the only other ingredients are the nori seaweed, sushi rice and sesame seeds. Personally, I don't like too much sesame on these rolls - just enough so that you can taste the sesame - too much sesame and it tends to overpower the quite delicate shiso flavour. You could serve this with, perhaps, some miso soup and a vegetable dish - a roll cut into 6 pieces each for a lunch for two, or two rolls each for a dinner set will satisfy most appetites. As with all sushi roll recipes, if you haven't tried this before, I encourage you to to a look at the Youtube video to get a visual impression of how to roll your sushi. If you want to try this out, you can find the Youtube tutorial Egg Sushi Rolls or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy rolling! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to try out a different uramaki sushi roll recipe, why not try my Salmon and Avocado California sushi rolls ? Tamagoyaki and Shiso Uramaki rolls. ingredients: (makes 2 rolls) 1 sheet of nori, cut in half longways 200g cooked sushi rice (wet weight - see my recipe, “how to make sushi rice”) 4 egg japanese egg omelette (see my recipe, “how to make Japanese sweet omelette”) 1 heaped tbsp toasted white sesame seeds 1 sushi mat wrapped with cling film 2 tbsp rice vinegar in 100ml water 3 shiso leaves, rinsed how to: place the shiso leaves one on top of another, trim off the stalks, then slice the leaves in half place a 1/2 sheet of nori on your rolling mat, take up 1/2 the sushi rice in your hand & gently spread the sushi rice over the nori (you can use a spatula to do this if you prefer - just be careful not to split the nori). fill in any little spaces to get a uniform bed of rice sprinkle 1/2 the sesame seeds over the rice, then turn the nori sheet over so that the rice is on the mat and the nori uppermost place 3 shiso 1/2 leaves on the nori in a line toward the bottom of the sheet cut the egg into index finger width strips then place the strips on the shiso leaves to roll, steady the egg with your middle and ring fingers,. using your thumbs and index fingers, roll the mat over to form your roll. squeeze the mat gently with your fingers to compact the shape to cut the sushi roll, dip a sharp knife into the vinegar water, remove the edges of the roll, wet your knife again to stop it sticking and cut the roll into 6 pieces Egg Sushi Rolls

Daikon (or mouli or white radish, as you may know it) is one of my favourite vegetables. Daikon plantlets at one week old. You can eat the whole plant, not just the white root but also the leaves. Daikon root can be eaten raw, simmered, stewed, baked or roasted - it's also a great source of fibre, vitamin c and copper. You can cut up the leaves and eat them in a stir fry or a stew - just think of them as a substitute for spinach or kale - like those two leaves, daikon leaves are full of iron as well! Daikon plants at 3 months - ready to harvest. Not only is daikon good for you, it is also easy to grow, even for the most amateur of gardeners like me (just remember to keep them well watered). I bought my seeds from a reputable supplier and planted them in mid-april. Even with the rotten spring weather we had this year (yes, it's easy to forget spring was a washout, isnt it), they were pushing their stems out of the compost in a week and already 5cm tall by the following week. To grow nice, straight daikon (and let's face it, nobody likes a wonky daikon, do they) , you need a good, deep bed to plant them in so this year I invested in a raised planting bed to give them more space to grow. They went out after 3 weeks inside in pots into a bed filled with fresh compost mixed with poorer soil from another part of the garden. One week later, they were shooting up in the sunshine and - great news - not being bothered by slugs, snails or anything else. Mature and immature daikon. After another 3 weeks, I chose the best 6 seedlings and planted them in a raised container and within a fortnight, they were doing really well, putting on lots of leaf. One month later, and I was harvesting my first, fat, white daikon roots! I planted a second batch about 6 weeks after the first. The picture on the right shows how much growth daikon puts on once it has established. You can watch my Youtube tutorial by clicking How to grow Daikon or scroll to the bottom of the page. So, what have I been making with this manna from the garden? For starters, here's a simple recipe for a lovely raw vegetable dish in a marinade. Raw daikon marinated in rice vinegar and mirin. ingredients: 200g raw daikon (white radish) 1 tbsp rice wine 1 tsp mirin 2 tsps white sugar 1 tsp salt 1 spring onion how to: cut the daikon into matchstick sized lengths, sprinkle with the salt and set aside. put the rice vinegar, mirin and sugar in a saucepan and simmer gently while stirring until the sugar has dissolved pour the liquid over the daikon and refridgerate for at least 1 hour serve with some chopped spring onions (s hiso makes a nice alternative as well) as a garnish. eat as a side dish along with some white rice. the daikon will last 3 to 4 days in the fridge. once you've finished it, you can use any leftover marinade as a salad dressing. I'll be posting some more daikon recipes soon, so keep your eyes peeled. (Sorry, awful pun!) Happy growing, Kurumi XXXX. How to grow your own Daikon

I hope you caught my recent post about growing the delicious Japanese leaf, shiso , in Fresh cut Japanese mizuna pt 1 of my leaf garden posts. Here in pt 2, I'm going to take a look at another great Japanese leaf vegetable , mizuna . (Depending on where you live, you might know this as California peppergrass or Shui Cai.) This leaf is easy to grow with attractive, serrated leaves and a peppery flavour - it's great in salads (especially if you find rocket too strongly flavoured for your taste) - you can also use mizuna in soups and stews. Nutrition-wise, it's also rich in vitamins A, C & K, so it's good for you. But the best thing about mizuna is that just about anyone can grow it, anywhere - in Japan, mizuna grows the length and breadth of the country which shows it's pretty hardy. Like anything you plant from seed, it's important to buy seed from an established supplier - that way you can be sure you really are getting mizuna and not something else. After planting in potting compost (just push the seeds about 3mm into the soil) and watering, the seedlings should appear after 5- 7 days. Mine were shooting up in a week and growing vigourously. I repotted the seedlings so they didn't crowd each other out (be careful not to damage the roots at this stage). After three weeks the mizuna had grown enough to put them outside under cover. Mizuna plantlets at about 3 weeks They didn't need much help apart from water and the disposal of the occasional snail. Two weeks later and they were ready for planting out but i kept them in their pots a few days longer, hoping that early may might prove a little warmer than late April. In fact, I ended up waiting until May to plant the mizuna out in a raised bed but they took to it well and never looked back. 3 weeks later and I was able to take my first cuttings - mizuna is a "cut and come again" leaf, so cut them down to the base and they will happily grow again. Japanese Miso soup with Mizuna I put my first leaves into a simple miso soup lunch. I planted some more seeds today, so with any luck, I shall have a good supply of this healthy, flavoursome leaf into the autumn months right outside my back door. Pt 3 of my leaf garden posts will be on mibuna but unlike my shiso and mizuna which grew very quickly, my mibuna is struggling a little at the moment - not sure why but with a little tender loving care, I'm sure we'll end up with some more good leaves to eat! If you'd like to know how to grow mizuna, you can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Grow your own Mizuna of just scroll down to the bottom of the page. The written "how to" is just below. Happy growing, Kurumi. Grow your own Mizuna what you’ll need: 1 packet mizuna seeds 1 seed tray filled with potting compost extra potting compost water how to: plant 3 - 4 seeds into each plug 3 - 4mm deep cover with a little extra compost give the tray a good misting with water keep indoors or in a greenhouse until germinated (7 - 10 days) keep the compost moist and when the seedlings are 3 -4cm high, repot into separate, larger pots with fresh compost keep under cover and after 3 - 4 weeks, the plants should be around 10cm tall and developing a leaf system plant out in beds or in larger pots after 3 - 4weeks, leaves should be ready to harvest cutting mizuna leaves will stimulate regrowth so you’ll be able to harvest leaves several times mizuna is a robust and fast growing plant, just keep it well watered especially during hot periods Grow your own Mizuna

I have a love/hate relationship with Japanese shiso (which you might know as green perilla) - you know, those large sweet mint leaves with serrated edges you get when you eat sushi and sashimi at a restaurant.) don't get me wrong - I love eating the leaves - not just with sushi but also in salad, or mixed with miso (a dish which is called shiso miso) on rice but I hate buying shiso leaves - they are sooo expensive! Shiso So, the ideal solution is to grow them myself which I now do every year. Shiso is actually very easy to grow. All it takes is a packet of seeds, some potting compost and a little tender loving care. Once the seeds have germinated and you have some little plantlets, they grow quite vigorously all through summer and well into autumn as long as you keep them watered every day or two. Shiso can also be brought indoors as long as it gets plenty of light - in fact, (and I agree with this) many Japanese people only grow shiso indoors because you get softer, sweeter leaves. Shiso seeds germinate after 7 - 10 days. First things first - buy your seeds from a reputable specialist. Why do I point this out? Well, all you are getting is a packet of tiny seeds, so you need to know you are actually getting shiso seeds and not something completely different! I have heard of people buying seeds from the internet which turned out to be weeds not shiso! This year, I planted my first seeds in late March in a seed tray in fresh potting compost (just tap them into the surface and sprinkle a little more compost on top) and kept them inside. I kept them damp and covered with a sheet of newspaper while they germinated. They took a little longer than usual, about 10 days, because of the cold weather but they all arrived in the end. Once they reached about 3cm tall, I thinned them out a little (see image left). Shiso is quite hardy - it grows just about everywhere in Japan - just beware of slugs and snails because they like the young leaves as much as I do! Shiso plants at 2 months. I waited until the seedlings were about 10cm high before planting some in a raised bed outside and some more in deep rose pots which I kept inside. I am happy to say that despite the on/off weather we've been having, my shiso has grown in leaps and bounds. I started harvesting the leaves just this weekend and with any luck, the plants should continue to provide me with a supply throughout the summer. So now I've got lots of delicious shiso leaves, what am i going to do with them? One of the most common ways of using shiso in Japan is as a salad dressing. It's easy to do - here's a recipe you might like to try: Shiso salad dressing ingredients 8-10 fresh large shiso leaves Shiso salad dressing 2 tbsps veg oil 2 tbsps soy sauce 2 tbsps rice vinegar 2 tsps sugar 1 tsp mirin Just chop up the leaves finely, then whizz everything together for 30 secs in a blender. Add a pinch of salt & pepper and it's ready to use! Tofu with Shiso topping There are lots of other ways you can use shiso. A simple way is to chop it finely and use it as a garnish for tofu (left). Here I combined it with some sesame seeds - just add a little soy sauce - add a bowl of fresh white rice and maybe a salad and you've got a healthy, low calorie lunch in not much more than 10 minutes! I'll be posting some more recipes for using shiso as I harvest it from the garden. If you are interested in how to grow shiso, you can watch my youtube tutorialby clicking Grow your own Shiso or just scroll down to the bottom of the page. There's also a written "how to" below. Give it a try, once you've gotten the shiso habit, you won't know how you ever lived without it! Grow your own shiso what you’ll need: 1 packet shiso seeds (these may be called green perilla where you live) 1 seed tray filled with potting compost extra potting compost water 1 sheet newspaper how to: put 3 - 4 seeds in each plug of the tray sprinkle a little more compost over the seeds so that they are covered mist well with water cover with the newspaper place indoors or under cover mist the newspaper daily until the seeds germinate then remove the newspaper once the seedlings are 3-4 cm high, repot into larger pots, mist well and keep inside or under cover keep the earth moist and with 3-4 weeks, the plants should be about 10cm tall and developing a leaf system plant outside in beds or large pots and keep well watered (you can keep shiso inside and it will still grow well as long as it receives enough light) harvest the leaves when they are about 5-7 cms wide. (shiso is a "cut and come again" plant, so regular harvesting of the leaves will encourage new growth.) How to grow Shiso