Today we worked on making two kinds of wagashi, mizu-yokan (the jelly-like substance in the bamboo cups) and waka-ayu (the fish). The waka-ayu were hard to fold and wrap… But they somehow managed to come out nicely in the end!
Tag Archives: japanese food
練り切り – Nerikiri
Felt more like playing with clay/play-doh rather than “baking”.
RECIPE: 野菜の天ぷら – Vegetable Tempura
How to Make Vegetable Tempura
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Kaeshi
- 2 cup Dashi
- Tempura Flour
- Vegetables, Sliced or Cut into small pieces (can be whatever you like!) Here are some of my personal recommendations: Broccoli, Asparagus, Carrots, Zucchini, Mushrooms…
- Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil for Deep-Frying
Directions
- For the dipping sauce, heat the kaeshi and dashi over medium heat until it comes to a gentle simmer. Turn off the heat and divide the sauce into 4 small bowls.
- Heat the oil in a wok or a deep pot (about 4 inches deep) to 340 degrees Farenheit.
- Prepare the tempura batter by mixinh ½ cup flour with about 6 tablespoons cold water. The texture of the batter should be similar to crepe batter.
- Dredge the vegetables in (dry) tempura flour, then dip each into the tempura batter. Shake gently to remove excess batter and then drop into the heated oil. Vegetables should cover only half of the surface area of the oil. Wait for them to rise to the top of the oil and cook until lightly golden and crisp.
- When finished, take out of the oil and let it rest on a plate covered with paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Remove paper towel, and serve on plate with a bowl of dipping sauce on the side.
- Tempura is best eaten quickly before it gets soggy, so once prepared, make sure to enjoy it right away!
RECIPE: みたらし団子 – Mitarashi Dango
A popular Japanese sweet served in tea shops and in stalls for festivals, mitarashi dango is a kind of dango “dumpling” sweet skewered in groups of 3 to 5 pieces, covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze. It is characterized by its glaze and slightly burnt fragrance.
My version of mitarashi dango is a bit of a “cheat” and is designed to be easy to make. Unfortunately it is also pretty easy to screw up so it might take a few tries to get the hang of it and produce the desired result. But don’t give up, because these are extremely tasty!
How to Make Mitarashi Dango
Ingredients (Makes 8)
Dango:
- 1 cup Mochiko (Sweet Rice Flour)
- Water
Sauce:
- ½ cup Water
- 6 tablespoons Sugar
- 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Potato Starch
Directions
- In a microwaveable bowl, add the mochiko rice flour and slowly add water little by little to make a smooth dough. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO MAKE THE DOUGH TOO WATERY.
- Roll into a long cylinder and cut into 24 pieces. Roll into small balls or dango, about 1 inch in diameter.
- Boil water in a pot and add the dango. After they come up to the surface, let them cook 1 more minute, then scoop them out into a colander to drain and cool slightly.
- For the sauce, combine water, sugar, and soy sauce in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Make a slurry with the potato starch and 1 tablespoon of water, and drizzle into the sauce. Quickly whisk until it thickens. Feel free to adjust the proportions of soy sauce, sugar, etc. to your tastes. You can also make the sauce thicker or thinner by adjusting the water and potato starch.
- Twist and slide the dango onto skewers (3 for each skewer) and place them on a plate. Pour sauce over them and serve. ALTERNATIVELY, you can grill the skewered dango over a wire frame until they just start to burn a little on both sides, dip them in the sauce and serve.
RECIPE: 牛丼ぶり – Gyuu Donburi
You may often see family restaurants and fast food joints in Japan serving gyuu donburi, or gyuudon, but why not try making it for yourself?
Gyuudon is a form of donburi dish. Don literally means “rice bowl”, buri is the act of putting something on top. In other words, donburi is a rice bowl dish with something put on top of the rice. And gyuudon is an extremely popular type of donburi in Japan. The gyuu in gyuudon means “beef”.
How to Make Gyuu Donburi
Ingredients (Makes 3)
- 1 ½ cups Short Grain or Medium Grain White Rice
- 1 ¼ cups Dashi
- 2 tablespoons Sake (for cooking)
- 3 tablespoons Mirin
- 1 ½ tablespoons Sugar
- 1 Medium Onion, Cut into thin wedges
- 7 ounces Sirloin Beef, Cut into thin strips
- 3 tablespoons Soy Sauce
- 3 Eggs, Lightly beaten
Directions
- Rinse the rice. Soak the rice in cold water for 30 minutes to an hour (not required, but it does make the rice taste better).
- Drain the rice’s soaking water and add back 1 ¾ cups of cold water. Cook the rice in a rice cooker if available. If not, cook in a heavy-bottomed pot and follow the instructions written on the rice package.
- Meanwhile, combine the dashi, sake, and mirin in a medium skillet, and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Add the sugar, stir until it dissolves. Reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, and cook until it is soft, approximately 3-5 minutes.
- Add the beef, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and cook for 2-3 additional minutes.
- Pour the eggs over the beef and onion and cook, covered for 1-2 minutes.
- Divide the cooked rice among 3 individual large bowls and top with the beef, onion, and egg mixture.
- Pour a generous amount of the remaining cooking broth over each serving. Serve the dish while hot and enjoy!
大福餅 – Daifuku Mochi
Today we tried to make daifuku mochi. It’s a lot harder than I expected, mainly because the mochi part is so sticky and rips easily. The spotted ones have beans in them and the green ones are yomogi (Japanese mugwort) flavored, which sounds less appetizing, but it’s surprisingly tasty.
Panda Samurai 