Japanese recipes and Japanese food

Japanese food is refined and elegant, its preparation and presentation honed over the centuries so that its flavours are pure and delicate. Like many of the world's highly developed cuisines, Japanese food celebrates and highlights the flavours, textures and colours of seasonal produce. Where possible, food is eaten in as natural a state as possible, as fresh as possible, as this is considered the ultimate way to eat.

Miso-grilled salmon with soba noodles

Instructions:

Marinating time 15 minutes

Combine the miso, mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil. Coat the salmon in the marinade and set aside for 15 minutes. 

Cook the soba noodles following the pack directions. Drain, reserving the water, and refresh in cold water. Drain again. Return the water to boil. 

To make the dressing, combine the mirin, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, sesame oil and shichimi togarashi (if using) in a small saucepan and bring a simmer. Remove from the heat, add the miso paste and stir until combined. Cut the top third off the spring onions and thinly slice lengthways. Set aside. Finely slice the remaining spring onions and add to the dressing. Return the pan to the heat, cover and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Miso-salmon with soba noodles

Preheat an oven grill to high. Place the salmon under the grill, skin side up, and cook for 5–7 minutes until golden and cooked most of the way through. Watch closely during the last two minutes of cooking as the skin can burn quickly. If colouring too fast turn the salmon over for the last minute. 

Blanch the soba noodles for 10 seconds in boiling water to reheat, drain. Toss the soba with the dressing and divide between shallow bowls. Top with salmon, sesame seeds, extra shichimi togarashi and finely sliced spring onions. Serve immediately.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp white miso paste (see Note)
• 2 tsp mirin (see Note)
• 1½ tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 x 160 g boneless salmon fillets
• 180 g soba noodles 
• 1 tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Miso ginger dressing:

• 60 ml (¼ cup) mirin
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tsp rice vinegar (see Note)
• 2 tsp finely grated ginger
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp white miso paste
• 6 spring onions

Note:

• Miso paste, mirin and rice vinegar are available from most supermarkets and Asian food stores.

• Shichimi togarashi, also known in Japanese seven spice, is spicy table seasoning commonly used to flavour noodle dishes. Available from Japanese and Asian food stores, substitute a pinch of cayenne pepper if unavailable.

Spinach in sesame dressing

Instructions:

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry saucepan over medium heat and transfer to a large mortar and pestle with the sugar. Grind to a rough paste then add the sake and soy sauce and continue to grind until quite smooth.

Spinach in sesame dressing

Wash the spinach well, keeping the roots intact. Bring a saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Place the spinach in the pot roots first and hold the roots and stems in the liquid for about 10 seconds, then lower the leaves into the water and cook for 30 seconds. Remove the spinach from the pot, drop it into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking, then squeeze out as much liquid as possible (use a sushi mat if you like, or your hands).

Place the spinach on a large plate and drizzle with a little soy sauce, then cut it into 5cm lengths and discard the roots. Transfer to the mortar. Mix with the sesame dressing but do not pound the spinach. Remove from the mortar and serve at room temperature.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp sake
• 1 tsp soy sauce, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 bunch (about 250g) spinach

Notes:

• A Japanese mortar (suribachi) has ridges inside the bowl and is used for grinding rather than pounding, but any mortar and pestle will work fine.

• I prefer toasting sesame seeds in a small saucepan rather than a frypan because it allows you to swirl the seeds rather than trying to toss them in a frypan. The swirling motion will toast the seeds more evenly.

Seared cod okonomiyaki

Seared cod okonomiyaki

“These savoury pancakes called okonomiyaki (okonomi meaning ‘as you like it’ and yaki meaning ‘grilled’) are a true signature dish of Osaka. Wheat flour pancakes are topped with whatever you like – usually cabbage and some kind of meat or seafood, sometimes even cheese, then finished with mayonnaise, a sweet brown sauce called okonomi, bonito flakes and seaweed. Watching the chefs making the pancakes right in front of you, you soon realise that in Japan there’s an art to cooking even the simplest of dishes.” Ainsley Harriott

Instructions:

Place the cabbage in a bowl and bruise it by gently squeezing it in your hands, which helps to soften it. Set aside until needed.

To make the pancake batter, combine the flour,dashi powder and celery salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add the egg and gradually whisk in enough water (about 450 ml) to make a smooth batter the consistency of pouring cream. Pour into a jug.

Preheat a large flat barbecue hotplate or heavy-based non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add a drizzle of oil, then pour a thin layer of batter to make a 23 cm round pancake. Pile one quarter of the cabbage and spring onions on top. Sprinkle with a little pickled ginger, then drizzle over a little more batter to help enclose the filling when turned. Cook for 5 minutes, then use a wide spatula to flip the pancake over and cook for another 3-5 minutes or until golden and crisp.

While the pancake is cooking, heat another large frying pan over high heat. Drizzle in a little oil and when hot, cook the fish, flesh-side down, for 1-2 minutes or until nearly cooked through. Turn and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until the skin in crisp, then remove from the pan and set aside.

Transfer the pancake to a serving plate, top with 3 pieces cooked fish, then scatter with a little kimchi. Drizzle with okonomi sauce, then drizzle generously with mayonnaise. Cut into slices and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 4 pancakes in total.

Ingredients:

• 350 g piece white cabbage, core removed and finely shredded
• sunflower oil, for frying
• 6 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
• 1½ tbsp pickled red ginger, finely chopped
• 300 g piece boneless cod, skin on, cut into 12 even slices
• 100g kimchi
• 100 ml okonomi sauce (see Note)
• 60 ml (¼ cup) kewpie (Japanese) mayonnaise

Pancake batter

• 300g self-raising flour
• 2 tsp dashi powder or granules
• 1 good pinch celery salt
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten

Note:

Okonomi sauce is a sweet thick brown sauce with a flavour similar to Worcestershire sauce and barbecue sauce combined. It is mostly used to spread over okonomiyaki but if you can’t find it, use tonkatsu sauce instead. Both are available from Asian supermarkets.