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Miso Soup with Kabocha and Green beans Looking out of the window this morning, it's misty and the leaves on the trees are turning into a chequerboard of faded greens and browns - I think autumn has arrived! I still have some of the Japanese pumpkins I grew (that most autumnal of vegetables), so I thought iId put one of them to good use in a warming miso soup paired with some green beans. I know there's a fashion for cooks now to blend the pumpkin flesh into the soup but I prefer the "old school" way of preparing this dish, leaving the kabocha in chunks to enjoy its texture. Other than that, it's very a simple dish to prepare - dashi stock, miso and green beans - and very quick - your soup will be ready in 15 mins from the get go. This soup could make a quick, nutricious lunch with a bowl of rice or you could combine it with other dishes for a more substantial dinner. You can find the simple video tutorial is below or click Miso soup with Kabocha and Green beans. ingredients: 2 servings 500ml japanese dashi stock (500ml water + 1.5tsp japanese dashi granule) 250g japanese pumpkin, deseeded & peeled 10 green beans 1.5 tbsp miso how to: cut the pumpkin into small bite sized pieces trim and halve the green beans pour the dashi stock into a pan, add the pumpkin and simmer for 7 mins add the green beans and simmer for a further 3 mins put the miso in a ladle and carefully place the ladle in the soup. use a sppon to dissolve the miso in the lade (this prevents you breaking up the pumpkin while stirring in the miso) once the miso has dissolved, your soup is ready. serve immediately with bowls of Japanese rice. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. Miso Soup with Kabocha and Green beans

Sweet and Sour Fried Tofu Sweet and Sour Fried Tofu is a variant on the ubiquitous Chinese recipe, sweet and sour pork. Using tofu makes the dish more healthy and, of course, it's vegetarian and vegan friendly too. You could simply put firm tofu into this dish but I think using fried tofu has two things going for it - first, you enhance the flavour of the tofu and give it a great "crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside" texture. Second, you avoid the possible/probable break up of the pieces of tofu when you mix it into the dish. If you've ever eaten a sweet and sour dish in a restaurant, you might have winced at the sweetness and lack of any sour tang. I like to think my sweet and sour sauce gets the balance right (but, of course, you can be the judge of that!) - it's a mixture of sugar, ketchup, vinegar and soy sauce. To get the crunchy texture of the tofu, I do two things - I wrap the tofu in kitchen paper for 10 - 15 mins to absorb some of the water content. Then, I give each piece of tofu a coating of potato flour before I fry. You can use corn flour at this stage as a substitute although I always think that potato flour give a better result in terms of texture and crunch. That apart, this is an easy meal to prepare. I serve it as a main course with a bowl of rice but it suits noodles very well too! If you'd like to give this recipe a whirl, you can find the written recipe for Sweet and Sour Fried Tofu below. The youtube tutorial is here Sweet and Sour Fried Tofu or just scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. Sweet and Sour Fried Tofu ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 200g / 7 oz firm tofu some kitchen paper 3-4 tbsp of potato flour (or corn flour) to coat the tofu 1 tsp grated ginger or 1 slice of fresh ginger 1 clove garlic 1/2 onion 3 baby corn 1/4-1/3 green bell pepper (depending on the size) 1/4-1/3 red bell pepper (depending on the size) 2 slices canned or fresh pineapple some oil for shallow frying for the sweet & sour sauce: 2 tbsp sugar 3 tbsp tomato ketchup 2 tbsp vinegar 2 tsp soy sauce 60ml / 2 fl oz pineapple juice 1/2 tbsp of potato flour (or corn flour) some vegetable oil for shallow frying how to: wrap the tofu in a sheet of kitchen paper to absorb some of the water while you prepare the other ingredients mince the garlic halve the baby corn lengthways and then cut in half cut the bell peppers into bite sized pieces cut the onion into 4 quarters to make sweet & sour sauce: combine the sugar, tomato ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, pineapple juice and 1/2 tbsp of potato flour (or corn flour) in a bowl and mix well. set aside cut the pineapple slices into bite sized pieces now unwrap your tofu. cut the block into bite sized pieces and coat each piece in potato flour put about 1cm of veg oil in a frying pan and heat to 170 C / 350F shallow fry the coated tofu. (when you add the tofu to the pan, try to keep the pieces apart so that they don't stick together. when the tofu is light golden brown, turn over and fry again until the whole pieces are golden heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a second frying pan. stir fry the garlic, ginger and vegetables for 2 mins stir in the sweet & sour sauce. add the fried tofu & pineapple and stir again your Sweet and Sour fried Tofu is now ready. serve with some white rice. Sweet and Sour Fried Tofu

Japanese Torokeru Egg and Lentil Curry As you know, I'm a big fan of Japanese curries - they're quick and easy to make and the flavours are fruity and spicy and not too hot - of course, they can be as hot as you like with the addition of some curry powder and I do often adjust the taste with some additional spices. This is a curry that's perfect if you want a nutritional meat free dinner. Although a lot of people's first reaction is, "eggs in a curry?" mixing boiled eggs with curry isn't that unusual - you can find quite a few regional Indian curry dishes using boiled eggs. Anyway, back to this dish - I used S&B brand Torokuru curry cubes. These come in three grades - low, medium & hot. I used the medium grade which makes for quite a mild, fruity taste. I spiced it up a little more with some garlic, ginger and soy sauce. I halve and pop the eggs in at the last minute before serving (because I think they look nicer that way) but you could add them earlier to soak up some Torokeru Curry Roux flavour although the yolks might break up if you do that. Anyway, I think this makes a nutricious, fruity curry and the eggs and lentil make a nice, non-meat alternative. I should add that my recipe used blocks from a domestic use 250g pack of cubes. If you buy the 1 kg catering pack (like in the picture on the right) the cubes are quite a lot bigger so you'll have to adjust the amount of cube you put in or you'll end up with a very thick curry! If you want to give this recipe a try, you can find the written recipe is below and the Youtube tutorial clcik here Japanese Torokeru Egg and Lentil curry. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you find like Torokeru curry to your liking, why not also try my Torokeru Chicken & Coconut Curry as well? ingredients: 2 servings 3 boiled eggs, halved 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 slice of ginger, minced 1 onion (120g), chopped finely 120g sweet potato, peeled & cut into bite pieces 80g green beans, topped, tailed & halved 50g lentils, rinsed 3 cubes, S&B torokeru curry (75g) 400ml water 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp tomato ketchup a little salt & pepper how to: heat the oil in a pan, add the onion, garlic, ginger and salt & pepper and fry for 1-2 min add the lentils, sweet potato & green beans and stir well, add the water and bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes add the curry cubes, ketchup & soy sauce and cook over a low-medium heat for 15 mins stirring occasionally to prevent the lentils sticking add the eggs just before serving with white rice Torokeru Egg and Lentil Curry

cheese and sundried tomato scones if i ever go back to live in japan, one thing i shall surely miss from my life in the uk is the cheese. you see, japan doesn't really do cheese - of course, you can buy cheese in japan but it tends to be the rather bland, waxy processed sort that comes in slices. since i came to the uk 30 years ago, i have become a lover of all sorts of cheese. in fact, most japanese people who live abroad for any time in a "cheesy place" tend to fall in love with the stuff. i think it's the "almost umami" flavour that good cheese develops that explains why it suits the japanese palate. i put cheese in all sorts of cooking - my english husband is very fond of cheese in Chinese gyoza and we are both partial to cheese curry (no, really - and they are very good!) on a more conservative note, i really like cheese scones and this recipe pairs them with sundried tomatoes. i like to eat these with a salad for lunch but i've found people also like them with a good stew in place of dumplings. anyway, however you choose to eat them, i think you'll enjoy them! so, if you're up for a little baking, you can find the recipe below. For the youtube tutorial click Cheese and Sundried Tomato scones. (PS: this recipe uses yoghurt rather than cream to make the scones a little lighter and softer) happy cooking! kurumi XXXX. Cheese and Sundried Tomato scones ingredients: (makes 10 scones) 60g strong cheddar cheese 2 sundried tomatoes 5g fresh parsley 225g plain flour 1 tbsp baking powder a little salt 1 tbsp sugar 50g unsalted butter 1 egg, beaten 3 tbsp plain yoghurt 60ml milk a little extra flour for dusting a little milk for brushing 1 small ring cutter 1 baking tray how to: cut the cheese into small cubes, chop the sundried tomatoes into small pieces and finely chop the parsley heat your oven to 180 C / 350 F (fan) put the plain flour, baking powder & sugar in a bowl, add the butter and cut into small pieces (or you can cut the butter into small pieces in advance if you prefer) rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until you get a crumby consistency, then add the beaten egg, yoghurt & milk and mix everything together add the cheese, sundried tomatoes & parsley to the dough, mix together and lightly knead for 1 min dust a work surface with extra plain flour, form the dough into a 3cm thick roundel use a small cookie cutter to make 10 scones, place them on a baking tray and brush with a little extra milk bake in the preheated oven (fan, 180 C / 350 F) for 15mins or until lightly browned cheese and sundried tomato scones

Japanese Pork Ginger - Shogayaki If you are looking for possibly the easiest way to make a delicious meal out of a couple of pork loin steaks, you just found it! Japanese Pork Ginger - Shogayaki as it is called in Japanese - is made in just about every home in Japan and there are some good reasons for that - it's easy to make, it's quick and everyone seems to love it. So what do you need to create this shogayaki dish? Along with some pork loin steaks, the key ingredient is fresh root ginger. I don't know about you, but I always have a decent sized piece of root ginger in the cool box of my fridge - I use it in cooking but also as a pick me up / remedy when I feel a cold coming on. Fresh ginger really works for this recipe but if you don't have any to hand, some ginger paste from a jar will work as a reasonable stand in. Don't try this recipe with ginger powder though as you won't get the same tasty result. Other than root ginger you'll need a couple of cloves of garlic, some soy sauce, a little sugar and some cooking sake to create your marinade. Again, if you don't have any cooking sake to hand, you can use the same amount of dry sherry as a subsititute - the alcohol will soften the pork and, in the case of the cooking sake, add a little umami depth to the dish. The final ingredient is a small onion that you cook sliced along with the pork. Once you've made your marinade, you'll need to marinate the pork loin steaks. If you watch my Youtube tutorial, you'll see I advise marinading for 15 minutes but you should regard this as a minimum with 30 minutes to 1 hour being preferable to allow the pork to soak up some of the flavours from the marinade. On the subject of the pork, I tenderise the loin steaks by giving them a few whacks with the back of a large kitchen knife. I do this on both sides just to loosen the fibre up prior to marinading. Once your pork loins are marinaded to your satisfaction, then it only remains to cook them. I fry the loin steaks for 3 minutes on each side, adding the sliced onion to the pan when I turn the steaks. Once the meat is done, I tip in the marinade and cook for another minute or two. Depending on the thickness of your loin steaks, you may need to leave the pork in the pan a little longer - just remember to test that they are cooked through before you turn off the heat. As you can see from the picture above, I serve my Japanese Pork Ginger with rice and some salad leaves. Another neat way to serve would be as a "donburi" dish with the slices of pork and marinade served on top of a bed of rice but the choice is yours.... If you'd like to try out this recipe, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Japanese Pork Ginger - Shogayaki or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX ingredients: (makes 2 servings) for the ginger marinade: 2 cm / 1 inch piece of fresh root ginger 2 cloves of garlic 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp Japanese cooking sake/rice wine or dry sherry 1 tsp sugar 2 pork loin steaks 1 small onion black pepper 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 portions of cooked rice some salad leaves of your choice some cling film how to: peel and grate the ginger into a small bowl. grate the cloves of garlic into the bowl with the ginger add the soy sauce, Japanese cooking sake/dry sherry and the sugar to the bowl. mix everything together well cut the onion into slices cover the pork with a sheet of cling film. using the back of a large kitchen knife, tenderise the pork by hitting it firmly in a criss cross pattern give both side of the pork steaks a generous sprinkle of black pepper place the pork steaks in a shallow dish and add the ginger marinade. place in the fridge to marinate for at least 15 mins but preferably 30 minutes to 1 hour heat the tbsp of oil in a medium frying pan. once the oil is hot, fry the pork steaks for 3 minutes on one side. turn the steaks over and add the sliced onion. cook for another 3 minutes. (remember you may need to cook longer depending on the thickness of your pork steaks) add the remaining marinade to the pan and cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes more remove the steaks from the pan and slice each into 5-6 pieces. place the steaks on serving plates and spoon over the marinade serve with freshly cooked rice and a side salad Japanese Pork Ginger - Shogayaki

Fried Mackerel with Rocket and Onion How may times have you been to eat out and ordered something that left you thinking, "I think I'll try to make that myself." Here's a recipe for a dish that is most often found in Japanese pubs (known as "Izakaya") although it's also popular in Japanese homes these days as well. The fish is mackerel, which despite its well known health benefits, gets a bit of a bad wrap for the fact that it has a reptilian-looking skin and is, well, perhaps a little bit oily on the palate. I think this recipe raises mackerel to a level where even the biggest doubting Thomas would happily tuck into it. First, shallow frying your mackerel fillets in potato flour gives the fish fillets a lovely crunch bite (as well as covering up the skin in an attractive, puffy brown coating). Second, pairing the fish with rocket and onion also balances the oily flavour with something a little more astringent. As I explained earlier, this recipe is a big favorite at "izakaya", so it must have a lot going for it! The key is to keep the cooking time short so that the fish doesn't overcook but the coating develops some crunch. You could pair this with a vegetable dish or two and some rice for a health lunch or dinner. I f you want to jump in and try this recipe, you can watch the Youtube tutorial by clicking Fried Mackerel with Rocket and Onion or just scroll to the bottom of the page. You can find the written recipe just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. For an ultra traditional Japanese mackerel dish, why not try my Grilled Salted Mackerel recipe? Fried Mackerel with Rocket and Onion ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 2 fillets of mackerel,* for the marinade: 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp mirin 3-4 tbsp potato flour 1/2 red onion 30g rocket, rinsed 1/4 lemon some vegetable oil some kitchen paper *or buy a large mackerel and prepare & fillet by yourself if you prefer how to: remove any bones from the mackerel fillets using tweezers, then slice each fillet into 3 pieces put the mackerel in a tupperware, drizzle with the soy sauce & mirin and marinade for at least 20 mins, turning once or twice to ensure the marinade is absorbed well slice the onion very thinly, then soak in water in a bowl for ten mins. rinse well and squeeze out any excess water coat each mackerel fillet well with potato flour put 1 cm of vegetable oil in a frying pan and shallow fry for 1-2 mins each side until golden brown drain on kitchen paper to assemble, put some rocket on each plate, pile up 3 pieces of mackerel fillet, add the onion on the top and squeeze over the lemon juice your dish is ready to eat. Fried Mackerel with Rocket and Onion

Stir fried Beefsteak with Miso and Sesame This recipe comes hot off the press from my good friend Yumiko Nikaido, who always has her finger on the pulse of new recipes coming out of Japan. This dish is a simple stir fry using either rump or sirloin steak. I'm sure you know that rump and sirloin can sometimes be a little tough - this recipe uses Japanese sake in the marinade to soften the beef fibres. The meat is also sliced quite finely -Yumiko recommends putting the meat in the freezer until it's quite firm so that you get finer slices more easily when you cut it - so you end up with nice, soft, tasty beefsteak on your plate. Along with the meat, there's plenty of vegetables - onion, carrot, bell pepper, garlic and ginger along with some sesame and spring onions for a garnish. So, all in all, this dish provides you with plenty of protein, vitamins and fibre to keep you in good shape. There's a little heat as well from a sprinkling of chilli flakes. I pair this dish with steamed white rice but you could make it even more healthy by using brown rice instead. Time-wise, you can have this dish on your table in 40 minutes. The prep is fairly minimal, some slicing and a little grating and it's done. The beef (I used rump) and most of the vegetables are steeped in a marinade for at least 30 minutes - obviously, the longer you leave the beef in the marinade, the softer it will become - the stir frying takes only around 5 minutes and you're ready to serve. If you like the sound of this recipe, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Stir fried Beefsteak with Miso and Sesame or by scrolling to the bottom of the page, The written recipe is just below. Happy frying! Kurumi XXXX. ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1 clove of garlic 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp Japanese sake 2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp miso 250g / 9oz rump or sirloin beef steak 1 onion 90g / 3oz carrot 1 red bell pepper 1cm / 1/2 inch slice of ginger 2 spring onions 1/2 tsp chilli flakes 1 tbsp vegetable oil how to: to prepare the marinade, grate 1 clove of garlic and put it in a small bowl. add the soy sauce, sake, sugar, sesame oil & miso and mix well before setting aside cut the beefsteak in half lengthways, then slice thinly into bite sized strips about 3 -4 mms wide halve a medium onion. cut one half into chunks and the other half into thin slices peel and slice the carrot thinly, then julienne into matchsticks deseed and halve the bell pepper. cut into quarters then slice into matchsticks. put the chopped onion into a blender and blend into a pulp put the sliced beef into a bowl. add the marinade & the blended onion and mix well. add the sliced onion, carrot & bell pepper. mix well and set asde to marinate for 30 minutes meanwhile, grate the ginger and set aside grind the toasted sesame seeds and set that aside also finely chop the spring onions and set aside. heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan. add the marinated beef and vegetables. stir fry over a high heat until the beef & onion are cooked turn down the heat to medium add the ginger, crushed sesame seed & chilli flakes and stir once again garnish with the chopped spring onion. serve with bowls of white or brown rice Stir fried Beefsteak with Miso and Sesame

Tofu Katsu If there's one complaint I hear about tofu, it's about the taste, or rather the lack of it. But I think that's the great thing about tofu - it is a blank canvas that will absorb any flavours you care to paint upon it! So here's a guaranteed delicious way to prepare tofu for you. You might have checked out some of my other Katsu recipes (Tonkatsu, Chicken, Menchi etc) and this one follows the same basic method - prepare and season your Katsu (in this case firm tofu), dip into your batter and deep fry. Garnish with brown sauce, sesame (or lemon juice) and you've got a healthy and hearty meal that's meat free but full of protein and easily digested. All the mainstream supermarkets stock tofu nowadays - just make sure you buy "firm" or "cotton" tofu which will stand up better to being handled and prepped. Another advantage of using tofu in a katsu dish is that it doesn't need much deep frying so once you start, just keep an eye on the colour of the panko breadcrumb crust and once that's a nice golden brown all over, remove your Tofu Katsu from the pan. If you are planning a meal for family or friends and you need a non-meat alternative for one or more of your diners, try this with some of my other Katsu recipes - meat for the meat eaters, tofu for those who prefer vegetable protein - you'll make everyone happy! (BTW: my batter for this recipe doesn't use egg so it's vegan friendly and lighter to the taste.) This is one you must try! You can find the written recipe for this dish just below and for the Youtube tutorial click Tofu Katsu or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. For a vegetable katsu recipe to partner this, why not try out my Aubergine Katsu recipe here. Tofu Katsu ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 400g firm tofu some salt & pepper 80ml water 40g plain flour 70g “panko” breadcrumbs 1 tsp toasted black sesame seeds Bull-Dog sauce veg oil for deep frying some kitchen papers how to: wrap the tofu in some kitchen paper and leave for 30 mins to absorb excess water cut the tofu into 4 “steaks” sprinkle over the salt & pepper mix the flour & water into a paste coat the tofu pieces in the flour mixture, then roll in the breadcrumbs fill a saucepan with 2-3 cm of veg oil and heat to 180’C deep fry the tofu, turning once until the panko breadcrumb crust is golden in colour drain the tofu on sheets of kitchen paper your tofu katsu are ready - garnish with the Bull-Dog sauce & sesame seeds before serving Tofu Katsu

ZAKU Knives, Kappabashi I recently visited ZAKU Knives in Kappabashi, Tokyo’s famous kitchenware district, just west of Asakusa and near by Ueno, in Tokyo. If you are interested in buying a Japanese kitchen knife, Kappabashi is the best place to visit and browse. So I was invited to come to the ZAKU Knives store. The company has two stores in Tokyo, one in Kappabashi and one in Asakusa. Their shops are a nirvana for chefs or if you just love the quality and craftmanships of a Japanese kitchen knife. The types of Japanese Knives you'll find at ZAKU 4 varieties of Japanese knife ZAKU Knives offers a wide range of knives - Petty knives, Santoku knives, Yanagiba knives, Deba knives, Bunka knives and Nakiri knives - if it's a Japanese kitchen knife, then Zaku Knives will stock it. The knives are suitable for both professional chefs and enthusiasts. There are a variety of styles, with handles ranging from the traditional riveted tang handle to altogether more modern, quirky designs. An impressive display of Japanese knives at ZAKU Gyuto: The Japanese equivalent of a chef’s knife - versatile and meant for slicing, dicing, and chopping. Santoku: A multipurpose knife with a shorter blade, perfect for home cooks. Yanagiba: A long, slender knife used mainly for slicing raw fish in sushi preparation. Deba: A thick, heavy knife designed for filleting fish and cutting through small bones. Nakiri: A thin, straight edged and rectangular blade to cut vegetables. (Not to be used for cutting hard skin vegetables like squash.) An experience of Japanese knife craftsmanship ZAKU Knives The staff at ZAKU Knives are very friendly and also multilingual - they'll be happy to explain the different Japanese knives and their uses to you. You'll even be able to handle and test the knives before buying - it really is a great service! I tested out a Santoku knife by cutting a piece of daikon - the knife was beautifully balanced in the hand and the cut was razor sharp. ZAKU Knives ZAKU will even machine engrave your name onto the blade of your purchased knife while you wait. I'm looking forward to using my new knife to make some more delicious Japanese recipes! Just remember that to keep a Japanese knife keen, you need to sharpen it on a regular basis.. Selecting a Japanese knife depends on your cooking style and food preferences. Here are some tips I gathered from ZAKU's Knives' experts: Handle comfort matters: Try holding different handles to find what fits your grip. Decide on a steel type: Carbon steel knives sharpen easily but require more care to avoid rust. Stainless steel is low maintenance but may not hold a keen edge as long as carbon steel. ZAKU Knives' staff are very helpful in guiding customers through these choices, making the experience personal and educational. ZAKU Knives also have an online shop which you can buy a knife from where you are. Link - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101827467-17245291

Fried Udon noodles with Pork I sometimes wonder why people order takeaways when can they make the same meal more quickly, healthier and cheaper with a minimum of fuss effort. Here's a great example that makes a super lunch or supper - stir fried Udon with Pork. I am not going to lay claim to this as a Japanese dish - you can find it served all over East and South East Asia. It's ready in under twenty minutes (and I'm sure it'll be wolfed down at the table in less than half the time it takes to make it!) I used pointed cabbage, mangetoute and carrot for veg in this dish but there's nothing to stop you throwing in any veg you happen to have lying around in the cool drawer of your fridge - just choose things that stir fry well - remember, the way to get everything to cook at roughly the same speed is to cut the harder vegetables thinner and the soft ones fatter - then slightly stagger the cooking times, putting the harder vegetables (and the pork) in first, the softer vegetables last - that way, everything will cook in around the same time. The flavouring of this dish combines a little dashi, mirin and soy sauce and I threw in some bonito flakes for a little more umami flavour. If you'd like to find out more, you can view the written recipe below and for the Youtube tutorial click Fried udon noodles with Pork or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. For an alternative noodle recipe, take a look at my Yakisoba recipe here. Fried udon noodles with Pork ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 170g pork chop 4 large pointed cabbage leaves 70g mange toute 100g carrot 2 packs of udon 1 tbsp veg oil 1 tbsp mirin 1 tsp japanese dashi granules 1.5 tbsp soy sauce 1 sachet of bonito flakes how to: remove the strings from the mange toute & cut in half peel & halve the carrot lengthways, and thinly slice diagonally remove the stalks from the cabbage leaves and cut into 1cm slices thinly slice the pork chop diagonally heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add and fry the pork for 2-3 mins add the carrot, mange toute and cabbage and fry for 2 mins rinse the udon with hot water and add to the pan, then fry, separating the udon noodles gently add the mirin, dashi & soy sauce and stir-fry for another 2-3 mins your fried udon noodles ith pork dish is ready. garnish with the bonito flakes and serve Fried Udon noodles with Pork

Shallow fried Chicken Gyoza As you probably know, Gyoza have their origins in China where they are a deeply embedded part of the food culture going back many centuries, some say over two thousand years. Gyoza are also very popular in Japan although it might surprise you to learn that in Japan, gyoza are really a post-World War Two phenomenon. Why so? Well, here's a bite of history for you - during the 1930's, Japan colonised Manchuria (modern day Mongolia) and many thousands of Japanese went there to become farmers. At the end of World War II, those Japanese were expelled from the country and most of them returned to Japan. Among other things, they brought with them a love of gyoza acquired from living on the mainland next door to China. This liking for gyoza was apparently helped to spread by the lack of cooking pots in Japan in the post war period (I guess they had been donated to help the war effort). Being a food that can be pan fried in minutes (without a cooking pot), gyoza were quickly established as a firm favourite among the local population. Gyoza come with all sorts of fillings although the classic gyoza filling is a mixture of pork and spring onions. But, the gyoza I prepare here have a chicken filling. (Compared to pork, chicken is healthier and a little lighter on the wallet.) The other ingredients in the filling are cabbage, garlic and spring onions, seasoned with black pepper and salt along with some oyster sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil. As a little twist, I add a little cube of cheddar cheese to each wrapper. Why? Because you get a deeper, richer flavour, which personally I adore in my gyoza. That said, by all means omit the cheese if you want less richness of flavour and more health. The only other thing you'll need is some gyoza wrappers. You can normally find these online or at Chinese and Asian stores frozen in packs of around 50 and they aren't at all expensive. The key in preparing the filling is to mince everything as finely as you can - this will ensure it cooks well within the gyoza wrapper. The gyoza cook in around 6 minutes, so you don't want to have any larger pieces of chicken or vegetable in the wrapper that might remain uncooked. I use a simple technique to create the gyoza, just "fill and fold" with no concertina effect. (Of course, if you've used my other gyoza recipes where I do use a concertina effect, you can do that if you prefer.). The two keys when wrapping your gyoza are - first, make sure you press out any air from the wrapper as you seal it. Any air left inside the gyoza will expand when the gyoza is cooked and possibly burst the gyoza wrapper. The second thing is to make the seal nice and tight which means getting the edge of the wrapper a little bit wet so that when you fold it over, the two sides stick together nicely. Once you've made your gyoza, you're ready to shallow fry them. This should take about 3 minutes each side to create a nice golden brown finish to the gyoza wrapper. You might want to top up the oil in the pan as you go along as the wrappers do absorb oil as they cook. Once the gyoza re cooked, eat them as soon as you can - they are really at their best eaten straight from the pan! If this has got you in the mood to try some pan fried gyoza at home, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Shallow fried Chicken Gyoza or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy frying! Kurumi XXXX. ingredients: (makes about 23 gyoza) 50g / 1.7oz cabbage leaves 1 large clove garlic 3 spring onions 150g / 5oz minced chicken salt and black pepper 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp oyster sauce 23 gyoza wrappers 1 tsp plain flour 23 small pieces (30g /1.2 oz) cheddar cheese a small bowl of water for your fingers vegetable oil for shallow frying a sweet chilli dipping sauce how to: First, slice the rinsed cabbage leaves in half longways and cut out the leaf stem. halve the leaves again and slice finely. then mince finely (including the leaf stems) and place in a bowl. take your time to get a nice, fine minced result slice and mince the garlic finely. add to the bowl slice and mince the spring onions finely. add to the bowl add the minced chicken to the minced vegetables. season generously with black pepper and salt. add the sesame oil, soy sauce & oyster sauce. mix everything together well to form your gyoza filling spread 1 tsp of plain flour over a large plate now to make your first gyoza. place a wrapper in the palm of your hand. with your other hand, take up 1 tsp of the gyoza filling and spoon it into the centre of the wrapper. add 1 of the little cubes of cheddar cheese, placing it in the centre of the gyoza filling next, dip the index finger of your free hand into the water. wet the edge of the wrapper with the water. fold the wrapper over the filling. push out any air from the gyoza ang press gently around the edge to create a tight seal pour and 4 - 5 tbsp of vegetable oil into a hot medium frying pan when the oil is hot, place your gyoza into the pan. shallow fry for about 3 minutes until the wrapper is golden brown. turn the gyoza and fry for a further 3 minutes. add a little more oil if the pan seems to be getting dry. once your gyoza are golden brown on each side, remove them to a couple of sheets kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil now cook your next batch, adding more oil if necessary once all your gyoza are cooked, serve immediately with the chilli dipping sauce Shallow fried Chicken Gyoza

Vegetable Miso Soup Miso soup is probably Japan's most frequently consumed dish. Many people still drink a bowl (or two) every single day and there was a time not so long ago when a bowl of miso soup was regarded as an essential part of any dinner - miso was and still is, to some degree, an important source of protein in Japan. Both miso and miso soup have a long history in Japan - history says that it was first brought from China by Buddhist monks more than 1500 years ago. But putting the history to one side, the main reason why people eat miso soup is because of the taste. And it isn't difficult to produce a really tasty bowl of miso soup. You really only need two things - some miso and a good stock base. Miso soup stock bases come in may shapes and sizes - powders, granules, ready made stock and, of course, you can make your own. For everyday purposes, I use stock granules - they make a perfectly good, tasty miso soup - you can find brands like Ajinimoto, Shimaya or Marutomo on line and they will all produce a good result. As for the miso itself, I have to admit I only buy brands that I could buy in Japan. For this recipe, I used a white miso by a brand called Hanamaruki - it's a big brand in Japan and available abroad - I bought the pot I'm currently using in London. Other brands such as Hikari are also widely available on line. If you take a look on line, you might wonder what the difference is between the "white" and "red" miso pastes that you will find. Basically, it come down to how much rice or soy beans are used to make the miso and how long it is fermented. White miso contains a higher percentage of rice and is usually fermented for a relatively short time of between 4 to 6 months. It has a milder, less salty flavour than the red variant. Red miso, on the other hand, contains a higher percentage of soya beans and is fermented for a longer period, up to 12 months and longer in some cases. It tends to have a richer, more salty flavour than it's white cousin. You can also find products that describe themselves as "yellow" (barley content) and even "black" miso (fermented for up to 36 months, very salty) but I'd advise you to try out the white and red variants first to establish which one suits your palate - personally, I like darker miso because I like the salty taste - my partner on the other hand by far prefers white miso for its milder, more delicate flavour. One important thing to be aware about when you use miso in cooking is not to cook it much at all. The more you cook miso, the more salty it becomes, so it's best to put it in - as I do in this recipe - right at the end of the cooking, so it can dissolve into the soup without actually being cooked. Traditionally, a miso soup might contain things like shiitake mushroom and daikon. For this Vegetable Miso Soup recipe, I take a more modern approach and use other vegetables - bell pepper, courgette / zucchini and aubergine / eggplant. I use a single shredded shiso / oba leaf as a garnish for the top of the dish. I think these vegetables really "fit" with the white miso I use, giving a lighter, almost fragrant taste. (Obviously if you want to experiment with other vegetables, then feel free to do so!) In terms of technique, there aren't any dark Zen arts involved here. The one things I would focus on is how to dissolve the miso into the soup at the end of cooking. Rather than just spooning the miso in and mixing (which might break up the vegetables), I place the miso in a ladle and dip that into the saucepan. That way, you can fill the ladle with stock and stir in the miso without breaking up any of the other ingredients. (This is a very handy technique to know when you are using a soft tofu in your miso soup.) So, if you like the idea of a bowl of warming, nutritious Vegetable Miso Soup, then you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Vegetable Miso Soup or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. You can find the written recipe just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. PS. If you're just starting your Japanese cooking journey, you can find all the ingredients you need at https://morueats.com/collections/online-japanese-supermarket (UK only) ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 2 X 1cm/ 1/2 in slices of aubergine/ eggplant 5cm / 2 in piece of courgette/zucchini 1/2 medium onion 2 baby sweetcorn 1/2 small red bell pepper 500ml/18 fl oz water 1 heaped tsp instant Japanese dashi granules (for this recipe, I used Ajinomoto's "Hondashi" brand but other Japanese brands will work equally well.) 1.5 tbsp miso 1 large oba/shiso leaf (or 1 spring onion or some toasted sesame seeds for your garnish how to: soak the aubergine/eggplant slices in water in a bowl for 10 mins to draw out the bitter flavour slice the courgette/zucchini into 1cm / 3/4 in pieces peel the onion, cut off the top & tail and cut into 5 or 6 slices halve the baby corn diagonally cut the bell pepper into 8 - 10 bite size pieces drain the water from the aubergine, then cut into 10 - 12 bite size pieces pour the water into a small saucepan. add the instant Japanese dashi granules and all the vegetables. bring to the boil and simmer for 5 - 6 minutes meanwhile, prepare your garnish. Seither shred an oba leaf or finely chop a spring onion. as an alternative, you could use a tsp of toasted white sesame seeds when the simmering is complete, add the miso to the saucepan. use a ladle and fork to dissolve the miso without breaking up the vegetables when the miso has dissolved, turn off the heat pour your vegetable miso soup into 2 bowls. add your chosen garnish and serve Vegetable Miso Soup