Japanese Cuisine

The cuisine of Japan is world-renowned for its highly skilled preparation methods and unique presentation. Each ingredient is carefully selected to keep in harmony with its own individual flavor. The Japanese diet has a high fiber content, and is low in calorie and cholesterol. The main starch is rice and is present in almost every meal. Noodles (hot or cold) usually come with many different types of accompaniments and dressings. Other ingredients include fish, soy bean products, beans, seaweed, vegetables and fruit. Teriyaki, Tempura and Yakitori (steamed, deep-fried, broiled and one-pot dishes) fill out a large part of the Japanese cuisine.

The size and shape of the dish must perfectly suit the food that is about to be served on it along with chopsticks. Sushi can be defined as a dish containing sushi rice and cooked rice that is prepared with sushi vinegar. It may contain cooked or uncooked fish. Sashimi consists of fine cuts of fish and seafood (usually raw) except in cases of eel and sometimes octopus which is prepared combining a lightly vinegared rice accompanied by daikon (and East Asian radish). Both are dipped in a wasabi (green Japanese horseradish), pickled ginger and soy sauce combined or left separate. Sake (brewed rice wine) goes well with each sushi meal and is generally served warm. And of course, no Japanese meal is complete unless it comes with a cup of green tea.

Zensai is a Japanese term for appetizers. Tempura is seafood, vegetables, mushrooms and other pieces of food coated with tempura batter and deep-fried. It was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the 16th century and has internationally become one of Japan's most famous dishes. Gyoza dumplings are made with a filling of minced vegetables and ground meat. They were introduced to Japan by the Chinese. In Japan gyoza are usually fried.

Appetizers:

Cucumber stuffed with Crab and Ginger:
The ends are cut off a large cucumber. It is slice lengthwise and pried open. The rind underneath must not be broken. The seeds are scooped out and it is filled with a mixture of sushi rice, lump crabmeat or salad shrimp, wakamie seaweed and pickled red ginger. This mixture is pressed into the cucumber and the two sides of the cucumber are pressed together and it is cut into rounds.

Japanese Eggplants with Garlic, Olive Oil and Tomatoes:
The eggplants are halved and placed in a lightly oiled roasting pan. Drizzled with olive oil, garlic, thyme and salt then covered with tin foil and baked for 45 minutes. Afterwards the temperature is increased and the eggplants are baked for 15 more minutes without the foil until golden brown. They are then served with tomatoes and drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice and sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Japanese Pickled Daikon and Carrot Salad:
Peel and shred daikon radishes and carrots. Put in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and let sit for 30 minutes. Water is then squeezed from the vegetables. In a bowl is combined vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and sugar stirring till the sugar dissolves. The add vegetables and refrigerate for 8 hours.

Sauteed Zucchini: Cut the zucchini and onions into small pieces and saut in olive oil with sesame seeds, butter, soy sauce and salt and pepper. Cook until the zucchini and onions are tender and browned.

Shiromuno:It is a term which may apply to any soup but is commonly used to describe thick soup. Suimono refers to thin soups and literally means "something to sip".

Soups:
Egg Drop Soup (Tamago Toji) - Heat chicken or vegetable stock and stir in salt and soy sauce. Mushrooms are optional but if using slice thinly and add to stock. Simmer and bring to a boil. Stir the soup clockwise. Then pour in one whole beaten egg, remove soup from the heat and stir counterclockwise. Then add coriander chopped or chives and cover the pot for 30 - 40 seconds. Uncover and add Szechwan pepper or regular black pepper. Serve immediately.

Japanese Chicken and Mushroom Soup - Make stock from chicken wings. Put wings to boil adding water, green onions, ginger-root and salt. When done strain the soup to make a clear broth. For the soup itself cut a chicken breast into long slivers and place in a bowl. Pour on sake and marinate 30 to 40 minutes. Cut mushrooms into quarters. Drain the chicken reserving the sake. Roll chicken pieces in rice flour or cornstarch. Drop into boiling water and poach 10 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Bring chicken stock to a boil, add reserved sake and salt to taste. Add mushrooms and simmer 5 minutes. Add chicken pieces. To serve place chicken and some mushrooms in individual bowls and fill with broth.

Aemono or Sunomono mean salad. The sauce is usually made of vinegar and soy sauce and mixed with ingredients like tofu and dashed with sesame seeds. Sunomono literally means "things with vinegar". Aemono means "dressed and harmonized" and may include ingredients such as fish, shellfish, seaweed and cooked vegetables.

Salads:
Cold Sesame Noodle Salad - Sesame seeds are toasted until lightly brown then processed with oil until blended. Soy sauce, mirin (a rice wine similar to sake but with a lower alcohol content) and vinegar are added and processed. The dressing is set aside. Soba noodles are boiled al dente and drained. Add cold water and swish noodles about. Noodles are transferred to a mixing bowl and tossed with the dressing. Add radishes, scallions, sprouts and unprocessed sesame seed. Toss and serve.

Japanese Cabbage Salad- A dressing is prepared from sugar, oil, salt, pepper and rice vinegar. Sesame seeds, slivered almonds and crumbled ramen noodles are browned then drained and a steamed chicken breast cut in small pieces, chopped cabbage and green onions are added and mixed together. Toss with dressing and let stand overnight.

Su-No-Mo-No Salad - Cook sushi rice. Meanwhile cut up red, yellow and orange peppers into pieces. Cut unpeeled cucumbers into slices and grate carrot. Add rice vinegar to the rice and mix then add all the vegetables. Put soy sauce into a closed container with wasabi and shake until the wasabi (Japanese horseradish. Its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavor) has dissolved. The soywasabi sauce is then mixed into the rice. Crunch up sushi seaweed paper on top of salad and serve.

Meat has been eaten in Japan in larger amounts only since the second half of the 19th century. Now there is a variety of meat dishes and many dozens of kinds of fish.

Meat dishes:
Beef Misoyaki - Boneless rib eye steaks are sliced very thin. Sesame seeds are toasted and ground fine then placed in a bowl and mixed with miso, soy sauce, sugar and sake to the consistency of runny peanut butter. The mixture is added to the meat as a marinade. Marinade for up to 1 hour. Then the beef is cooked in a skillet and served with steamed rice.

Beef Teriyaki with Cucumber Salsa - Beef is marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sherry wine, crushed garlic, grated ginger and sugar. A salsa is made from peeled and seeded cucumber cut into cubes, sliced bell pepper, spring onions and combined in a salad bowl. In a saucepan sugar, vinegar and a small amount of water is set to boil stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Squeeze in lemon juice. Allowed to cool and poured over salsa. Meat is cooked to ones liking then sliced into strips. The marinade used for the steak is boiled and kept warm until serving. Serve steak on a bed of rice, top with marinade and salsa and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Japanese Mum's Chicken - Chicken drumsticks skin on are placed in a saucepan with water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic and chili pepper. Boiled for 20 minutes and then cooked until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze. Arrange chicken on a platter remove garlic and chili and spoon over glaze.

Katsudon - Prepare basmati rice and keep warm. Simmer onions, chicken broth, mirin, soy and seasonings for 15 minutes. Meanwhile beat six eggs in a bowl. On another plate mix flour, salt and pepper and pour panko (a variety of breadcrumb used in Japanese cooking) in another plate. Dredge pork or chicken cutlets in flour, dip in eggs, dip in panko, eggs and again panko. The double dipping makes a nice crust. Cook in oil until browned and drain on paper towels. Dip cutlets into broth, warm for 1 minute, slice and serve over rice, ladle over onion broth and sprinkle with scallions.

Sake or tea are the usual beverages accompanying a meal. Sake is served from porcelain carafes and drunk in little decorative cups. Green tea has its own special pot. Sake is often heated and served warm. Green tea is drunk daily before, after and during a meal.

Japanese Pickled Daikon and Carrot Salad

Ingredients:
1 medium carrot
1 (3 inches) piece daikon radishes
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Japanese soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons Sugar

Directions:
Peel and finely shred carrot and daikon.
Put vegetables into large bowl; sprinkle with salt and let stand for 30 minutes.
Gently squeeze out as much water as possible from vegetables.
In a bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and Sugar, stirring until Sugar dissolves.
Add vegetables and refrigerate for 8 hours.
Salad will keep for up to 1 week in sealed container in refrigerator.

Japanese Mum's Chicken

Ingredients:
8 Chicken drumsticks, skin on (the skin is important for flavor, and is so tasty to eat!)
1 cup water
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
1 clove garlic, peeled and bruised
1 small hot chili pepper, slit open, seeds removed

Directions:
Place all the ingredients in a saucepan over a high heat.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove any scum that rises to the surface.
Increase the heat, turning the drumsticks frequently in the sauce, and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze.
Arrange the Chicken on a serving platter, remove the garlic clove and chili from the liquid, and spoon the glaze over.