Shabu-Shabu Recipe (Braised Beef and Vegatable Steamboat)

Ingredients :
750g 15 3 400g 1/2 150g 1 cup 8 cups	Scotch fillet, partially frozen Spring onions Carrots Button mushrooms Chinese cabbage Firm tofu Short-grain rice, cooked Chicken stock Sesame seed sauce or ready made shabu-shabu sauce to serve
Method : Cut the steak into very thin slices and set aside. Cut the firm section of the spring onions into 4 cm lengths and discard the dark green tops. Slice the carrots very thinly. Slice the mushrooms. Chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces, discarding any though parts. Cut the tofu into bite-sized cubes. Arrange the prepared vegetables, tofu and meat in separate piles on a serving platter; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until about 30 minutes before cooking time. Set the table with individual place setting, each with a serving bowl, a bowl of sesame seed sauce, a bowl of rice, chopsticks, soup spoons and napkins. Position the serving platter and cooking vessel so they are within easy reach of each diner. When all the diners are seated, pour the stock into the cooking vessel, cover and bring to a simmer. Each diner then picks up an ingredient or two with their chopsticks, and places it in the simmering stock for about a minute, or until just cooked (do not overcook - the vegetables should be just tender and the steak still pink in the center). The food is then dipped into the sesame seed sauce and eaten with the rice. The remaining stock can be served as soup at the end of the meal. Note : Dashi, made from dashi granules, can be substituted for the chicken stock. Use an electric wok, a frying pan or casserole on a burner, or a steamboat to cook this dish.

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Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura Recipe

Ingredients :
20 2 cups 2 cups 2 1 1 1	Large raw shrimps Tempura flour Iced water Egg yolks Large zucchini (courgette), cut into strips Red pepper (capsicum), cut into strips Onion, cut into rings Oil for deep frying Plain or tempura flour, for coating Japanese sauce to serve.
Method : Peel and devein the shrimps, leaving the tails intact. Cut 4 incisions in the under-section of each shrimp and straighten them out. Coat the shrimps lightly with flour, leaving the tail uncoated, and shake off the excess. In a bowl, gently mix the tempura flour, water and egg yolks and use at once (the batter will b e lumpy, don't over mix). Heat the oil in a deep pan or wok to moderately hot. Working with a few at a time, dip each shrimp into the batter, still leaving the tail uncoated. Fry briefly in the hot oil until lightly golden; remove from the pan and drain well o n paper towels. Repeat this process with the vegetable pieces, doing about 2 to 3 pieces at a time. Serve immediately with soy sauce. Add strips of fresh ginger to the soy sauce if you like. Note : Tempura flour is available from specialty Asian shops, and makes the lightest tempura batter. Plain flour can be used but the batter will be slightly heavier.

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Steamed Sake Chicken Recipe

Ingredients :
500g 1 teaspoon 1/3 cup 2 tablespoons 4 cm Sauce : 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon 1 Garnish : 2 1/2 small	Chicken breast fillets with skin on Salt Sake Lemon juice Fresh ginger, cut into very fine matchsticks Japanese soy sauce Mirin Sesame oil Spring onion, sliced Spring onions Red pepper (capsicum)
Method : Use a fock to prick the skin on the chicken in several places. Place t he chicken, skin-side up, in a shallow dish; sprinkle with the salt. Combine sake, lemon juice and ginger in a bowl; pour over chicken, cover and marinade in the refrigerator for 30 to 40 minutes. To make sauce : Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil and spring onion in a small bowl. To make garnish : Peel the outside layer from the spring onions, then cut finely into diagonal pieces. Lay the red pepper flat on a board, skin-side down. Holding a knife in a horizontal position, cut just under the membrane surface to remove the top layer; discard top layer. Cut the pepper into very fine 3 cm strips. Line the base of a bamboo or metal steamer with baking paper. Arrange the chicken, skin-side up, in the steamer. Fill a wok or frying pan with 2 cups of water; sit the steamer in the pan. Cover, cook over gently boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces (remove the skin if you prefer); arrange in the centre of a serving plate and drizzle over the sauce. Arrange pepper strips in a bundle on the side of the serving dish, scatter spring onion over chicken. Serve warm or cold, with rice if desired.

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Sunamono Recipe

Ingredients :
1 375g 1/4 cup 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon 1 tablespoon	Lebanese cucumber Raw prawns Rice vinegar Caster sugar Japanese soy sauce Finely grated fresh ginger Japanese white sesame seeds
Method : Peel the cucumber with a vegetable peeler, halve it lengthways and remove any seeds with a teaspoon. Cut the cucumber into thin slices, sprinkle thoroughly with salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Rinse to remove salt, and pat dry with paper towels. Place the prawns in a pan of lightly salted boiling water and simmer for 2 minutes, or until just cooked. Drain the prawns and plunge them into cold water. When the prawns are cool, peel and de-vein them, leaving the tails intact. Place the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and ginger in a large bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the prawns and cucumber, cover and marinade in the refrigerator for 1 hour. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking the pan gently, until the seeds are golden brown; remove the seeds from the pan at once to prevent burning. Drain the prawns and cucumber from the marinade. Arrange on serving plates, sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve.

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Sushi Recipe

Ingredients :
1 cup 2 cups 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoons 1 teaspoon 125g 1 small 1/2 small 4 sheets 3 tablespoons	Short-grain rice Water Rice vinegar Caster sugar Salt Very fresh salmon, tuna or trout Lebanese cucumber, peeled Avocado, optional Nori Wasabi, to taste Pickled ginger Japanese soy sauce, for dipping Wasabi, extra
Method : Wash the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain thoroughly. Place the rice in a pan with the water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and leave, covered, for about 10 minutes. Add the combined vinegar, sugar and salt to the rice, tossing with a wooden spoon until the rice is cool. Cut the fish into thin strips. Cut the cucumber and avocado into matchsticks about 5 cm in length. Place a sheet of nori on a piece of greaseproof paper or on a sushi mat on a flat surface, with the longest sides at the top and bottom; pat a quarter of the rice over about half of the nori sheet along one long side, leaving a 2 cm space around the sides. Spread a very small amount of wasabi down the centre of the rice. Arrange a quarter of the pieces of fish, cucumber, avocado, if using, and ginger along the top of the wasabi stripe. Using the paper or mat as a guide, roll the nori up firmly from the bottom, enclosing the rice around the centered ingredients. Press the nori edges together to seal the roll. Using a sharp flat-bladed or electric knife, cut the roll into 2.5 cm rounds. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve the Sushi on individual small plates with small bowls of sou sauce and extra wasabi to be mixed to taste to make a dipping sauce. Note : Make sure the fish for Sushi is extremely fresh. Sushi can be made up to 4 hours in advance and kept, covered, in the refrigerator. Slice the rolls just before serving. Sushi mats, available from Asian food stores, makes the rolling of the Sushi much easier.

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Teppanyaki Recipe

Ingredients :
350g 4 small 100g 100g 6 1 6 200g 1/4 cup	Scotch fillet, partially frozen Slender eggplants (aubergines) Fresh shiitake mushrooms Small green beans Baby yellow or green squash Red or green pepper (capsicum), seeded Spring onions, outside layer removed Can bamboo shoots, drained Cooking oil Sesame seed sauce, to serve
Method : Slice the steak into very thin pieces. Place the meat slices in a single layer on a large serving platter and season thoroughly with plenty of salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside. Trim the ends from the eggplants and cut the flesh into long, very thin diagonal slices. Trim any hard stems from the mushrooms. Top and tail the beans. if the beans are longer than about 7cm, cut them in half. Quarter, halve or leave the squash whole, depending on the size. Cut the pepper into thin strips and slice the spring onions into lengths about 7 cm long, discarding the tops. Arrange all the vegetables in a separate bundles on a plate. When the diners are seated, heat an electric grill or electric frying pan until very hot, and then lightly brush it with the oil. Quickly fry about a quarter of the meat, searing on both sides, and then push it over the edge of the pan. Add about a quarter of the vegetables and quickly stir-fry, adding a little more oil as needed. Serve a small portion of the meat and vegetables to the diners, who will dip the food into a sauce of their choice. Repeat the process with the remaining m eat and vegetables, cooking in bathes as extra helpings are required. Serve with steamed rice.

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Tofu Miso Soup Recipe

Ingredients :
250g 1 4 cups 1/2 cup 100g 1	Firm tofu Spring onion Water Dashi granules Miso Mirin
Method : Use a sharp knife to cut the tofu into 1 cm cubes. Slice the spring onion diagonally into 1 cm lengths. Using a wooden spoon, combine the water and dashi granules in a small pan, then bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium, add the miso and mirin and stir to combine, being careful the mixture does not boil (overheating will result in the loss of miso flavor). Add the tofu cubes to the hot stock and heat, without boiling, over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the tofu is warmed thorough. Serve in individual soup bowls, garnished with the spring onion.

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Chawan Mushi Recipe (Japanese Custard)

Chawan Mushi - The much-loved Japanese savory custard. Tastes absolutely delicious, when served warm. In fact special China cups are made for preparing and serving the custard. The cups come with lids that are used to keep the custard warm for a while after it is served. Ingredients :
60 g 2 teaspoons 50 g 4 4 1 tablespoon 8 2 350 ml 3 teaspoons	Chicken breast (cut to bite-size pieces) Light soy sauce Baked ell (cut into 4 pieces) Fresh shiitake mushrooms (stem discarded) Large shrimps (peeled and de-vein) 3 cm lengths of mitsuba or parsley stalks Gingko nuts (peeled, blanched and thin skins removed) Large eggs Basic dashi stock (Japanese fish stock) Light soy sauce A little shredded yuzu orange or lemon peel to garnish
Method : Sprinkle the chicken with the soy sauce. Assemble the eel, mushrooms, shrimps, mitsuba or parsley stalks and gingko nuts. Break the eggs in a bowl and mix gently with chopsticks to avoid making bubbles. Add the dashi stock and soy sauce. Mix well and strain. Divide all the assembled ingredients among 4 individual china bowls or cups with lids and pour in the egg mixture. Steam for 10 minutes over medium heat. Served garnished with yuzu orange or lemon peel.

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Deep-Fried Chicken with Seaweed Recipe

Ingredients :
400g 1/4 cup 1/4 cup 4 cm 1 sheet 1/3 cup	Chicken breast fillets Japanese soy sauce Mirin Piece fresh ginger, very finely grated Nori, finely chopped or crumbled into very small pieces Cornflour oil for deep-frying Pickled ginger and thin cucumber slices, to serve
Method : Carefully trim any sinew from the chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and discard any thin ends so that the pieces will be even in size. Place the chicken pieces in a bowl. Combine the soy sauce, mirin and ginger in a small jug and pour the mixture over the chicken; toss until the chicken pieces are evenly coated with the marinade. Set aside for 15 minutes, then drain off any excess marinade. Mix the nori with the cornflour. Using your fingertips, lightly coat each piece of chicken in the cornflour mixture. Heat the oil in a pan until moderately hot; add the chicken, 6 to 7 pieces at a time, and fry until golden, turning regularly. Drain on paper towels. Serve with steamed rice, pickled ginger and sliced cucumber. Garnish with extra strips of nori, if desired.

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Egg Custard Recipe

Ingredients :
200 g 2 teaspoons 2 teaspoons 2 1 200g Custard 4 cups 1/2 cup 2 tablespoons 6	Chicken breast fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces Sake Japanese Soy sauce Leek, sliced Small carrot, sliced Spinach, chopped Boiling water Dashi granules Japanese soy sauce Eggs
Method : Place the chicken pieces into 6 heatproof bowls. Combine the sake and soy sauce, and pour the mixture over the chicken. Divide the vegetables between the 6 bowls. To make custard, combine the water and dashi granules in a heatproof bowl and stir to dissolve; cool completely. Combine the dashi, soy sauce and eggs, and strain equal amounts into the 6 bowls. Cover and bowls with foil, place them i n a steamer, and cook on high for 20 to 30 minutes. Test the custard by inserting a fine skewer into the center. It is cooked when the skewer comes out with no moisture clinging to it. Serve immemdiately.

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Rice Balls Recipe

Ingredients :
1 1/4 cups 1 1/3 cups 2 teaspoons 50g 2 tablespoons 2	Short-grain rice Water Black sesame seeds Smoked salmon, chopped Finely chopped pickled ginger Finely chopped onions
Method : Wash the rice thoroughly in a sieve under running water until the water runs clear. Place the rice in a heavy-based pan with the water and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat to very low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stand, with the lid on for 20 minutes. Dry-roast the sesame seeds in a frying pan over low heat, constantly shaking the pan, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the seeds begin to pop. Combine the salmon, ginger and spring onion in a small bowl. Using wet hands, form 1/3 cup rice into a ball; push 2 teaspoons of the salmon mixture into the center of the rice and reform the ball around it. Repeat with the remaining rice and salmon, keeping your hands wet to prevent the rice from becoming sticky. Arrange the balls on a serving platter and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

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Sashimi Recipe

Ingredients :
500g 1 1	Very fresh fish such as tuna, salmon or trout Carrot Daikon Japanese soy sauce, to serve Wasabi, to serve
Method : Use a very sharp, flat-bladed knife to remove any skin from the fish. Place the fish in the freezer and chill it until it is just firm enough to be cut thinly and evenly into slices, about 5 mm in width. Try to make each cut one motion in one direction, taking care not to saw the fish. Use a zester to scrape the carrot and daikon into long fine strips or cut them into fine julienne strips. Arrange the sashimi pieces on a platter. Garnish with the carrot and daikon and serve with the soy sauce and wasabi. Note : It is crucial that the fish used for making Sashimi is very fresh.

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