Sesame Green Beans | さやいんげんのごまおえ
Adapted from ぜひ覚えたいおかず
Makes 2 servings

2 oz. green beans, washed and ends trimmed
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 Tbsp. shoyu

Place the toasted sesame seeds in a Japanese mortar and grind. Add the sugar and shoyu and grind. Set aside.

Boil the green beans over moderately high heat in 3/4 cups of water for 2 minutes. Strain, then put the green beans in a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Strain again and cut the green beans in half, roughly into 2 inch pieces. It’s better to cut the green beans after cooking so they don’t get watery. Put them in the mortar with the ground sesame and mix well.

What I love about this recipe is the addition of katakuriko (potato starch) at the end to thicken the sauce—perfect for spooning over hot rice. If daikon is not available in your area, try using a different kind of radish.

I also want to thank everyone who has purchased the recipe booklet to benefit the victims of the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster! I was surprised to find out I have readers in Canada, Australia, and the UK. I still have a few left, so will keep them up on my Etsy shop until they all sell. A special thanks to Mary, The Food Librarian for mentioning it on her blog. If you haven’t visited her site yet, please do. She is amazing and my personal blogger role model!

Braised Daikon with Beef | 大根とひき肉のとろみ炒め
Adapted from ラクラクおかずレシピ（2001年冬）
Makes 4 servings

1 Tbsp. canola oil
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 clove garlic, minced
1 green onion, chopped with light and dark green parts separated
1/2 large daikon, cut into quarters lengthwise, then into 1.5 inch pieces
4 Tbsp. sake
1 Tbsp. sugar
4 Tbsp. shoyu
pinch ground white pepper
1 Tbsp. katakuriko (potato starch)
2 tsp. sesame oil

In a wok or large pan with lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and break up into pieces as it cooks. When the meat is no longer pink, add the garlic, white parts of the green onion, and daikon. Stir well to make sure the daikon is coated in oil. Next, add the sake and a scant 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.

Add sugar, shoyu, and white pepper and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover again, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes more. Meanwhile dissolve the katakuriko in 2 Tbsp. of water.

Drizzle the katakuriko mixture to the daikon and quickly stir until the sauce will thickens. Turn off the heat, add the sesame oil, toss, top with green onions and serve.

What’s interesting about this recipe is the seasoning is added to the batter so you don’t have to make the tsuyu, or tempura sauce, to accompany it. Once you get through making the gobo shavings (illustrated in this video here), the rest is a breeze.

As the video shows, the easiest way to cut the gobo is to make 3 to 4 vertical incisions lengthwise, being careful not to cut all the way through. Then, like sharpening a pencil with a knife, you shave off the gobo while rotating it. The easiest way to do this is with a vegetable peeler. You will get thin and even pieces and it will go much quicker.

Is burdock root difficult to get in your area? You could also use carrots and onions and make a more traditional kakiage. Have this with a bowl of rice and a side of miso soup and pickles for a simple, delicious meal. Or, make small batches and serve as an appetizer.

Burdock Root Tempura | ごぼうのかき揚
Adapted from みんなのきょうのお料理
Makes 4 servings

7 oz. burdock root (about 1-2 pieces)
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. shoyu
oil for frying (I used canola)
shichimi (optional)

Peel the skin of the burdock root. I use the back of a kitchen knife and scrape off the skin under running water. Fill a medium bowl with water and set aside. Make 3 or 4 long incisions lengthwise, but do not cut through (video here). Shave the gobo into a sharp point with a knife or vegetable peeler (like sharpening a pencil with a blade), letting the shavings fly off into the water. Soak for 5 minutes and drain.

Meanwhile, fill your fryer/pan with 1.5 inches of oil and place over medium heat. You will want to start frying when the temperature level reaches between 325–350 degrees, so keep an eye on it.

In a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, water, and shoyu and whisk with broad strokes. It’s fine if some of the flour isn’t incorporated. Next, briefly dry off with a paper towel any excess moisture from the burdock root and add to the flour mixture. Mix to incorporate.

When the oil has reached the appropriate temperature, slide a flat wood paddle or stainless spatula in the oil to coat. Then, place a small amount of the burdock root mixture onto your spatula and flatten out for even cooking. Carefully lower the spatula into the oil and slide the burdock off. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, flip, and fry for another 1-2 minutes. It’s easy to over cook, so be sure to check and see if the burdock root has turned a nice golden color.

Place on paper towels to drain and serve with a small sprinkle of shichimi.

Hijiki is a good source of fiber, iron, calcium, and magnesium. Seems like it should be eaten in moderation, though, since some scientists say it contains quantities of inorganic arsenic. This is meant as an accompaniment to other side dishes, so I’ve never worried about over consumption.

I’ve married two recipes here (adding more ingredients to the dish), but if you don’t have access to some of them, using what you have on hand will work just fine. I love the mild mineral flavor, the slight sweetness from the mirin and sugar, the distinctive crunch of the lotus root, and the soft chikuwa. Perfect with a bowl of steaming hot rice.

Stewed Hijiki | Hijiki no Nimono
Makes 6 to 8 servings

1 oz. dried hijiki
2 dried shiitake
1 carrot
6 green beans
1 chikuwa
1 aburaage
3.5 oz. lotus root
1 1/2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 1/4 cups dashi
2 Tbsp. sake
1 Tbsp. mirin
3 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. shoyu

Let hijiki sit in a bowl of ample water for 20 minutes. In a separate bowl, reconstitute the shiitake in water and set aside. Meanwhile, blanch the aburaage. Let cool, then cut in half and slice into narrow strips crosswise. Blanch the green beans, then slice diagonally into 2 to 3 pieces, depending on the length. Peel the lotus root, cut in quarters lengthwise. Then, slice the lotus root thinly and let sit in water. Peel the carrot and cut into a fine julienne. Slice the chikuwa in half lengthwise, then slice on the diagonal into 6 to 8 pieces each.

Strain the hijiki and quickly blanch and strain again. Take the shiitake out of the water and lightly squeeze the water out of it. Slice the shiitake in half, then slice thinly crosswise. Strain the lotus root and set aside.

In a medium pot over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add the carrots, lotus root, and shiitake and stir to coat evenly with oil. Add the aburaage and hijiki and mix well. Add the dashi, then the sake and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat. Next, add the shoyu and mirin and boil until there is only some liquid left, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the chikuwa and green beans and let cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Cool to room temperature to let the flavors meld and serve with rice.

Kinoko Gohan | Mushroom Rice
Adapted from 今日の料理（2008年10月号）
Makes 4 servings

1 3/4 cups of Japanese short-grain rice
1 pack (3.5 oz.) shimeji mushrooms
6 shiitake mushrooms
5.25 oz. eringi mushrooms
1 piece aburaage
1-inch piece ginger, julienned as thin as you can
3/4 cups dashi
2 Tbsp. shoyu
1 Tbsp. sake
1 Tbsp. mirin
2 tsp. sugar
pinch of salt

Wash the rice well and drain in a sieve. Trim the ends of the shimeji and separate. Cut the stem off the shiitake at the cap and slice into 1/3 inch pieces. Cut the end of the eringi and slice into 1/3 inch pieces until you reach the cap. Slice the cap in 1/3 inch pieces.

Blanch the aburaage to remove excess oil and drain. Cut in half, then slice cross-wise in small pieces.

In a medium pot, bring the dashi, shoyu, sake, mirin, sugar, ginger, mushrooms, and aburaage to a boil and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Separate the mushroom mixture from the sauce by straining in a sieve and set aside.

Add the uncooked rice to a rice cooker or pot and add the previously separated dashi. Add water to the cooker to the appropriate amount (for every 1 cup of rice, I use 1 1/4 cups water). Add a pinch of salt and stir to combine. Cook the rice.

When the rice is cooked, add the mushroom mixture to the cooker and cover. Let sit for 7 to 8 minutes, then fold the mushrooms into the rice until incorporated.

This is a typical Japanese dish and one that exhibits qualities that define me as a cook. At first glance, it seems rather simple—a small fist full of rice tucked into a pocket of sweet fried tofu. But what you don’t know are the many little things that make a dish really sing: the time it takes to let the bonito flakes sink in a batch of dashi, the small amount of sake added to cook the rice, the timing of adding the shoyu to the aburaage so as not to overcook, the slow simmer of the shiitake and kanpyo. It’s the details (i.e. love) that matter. I enjoy eating a nice fancy meal once in a while, but that’s not who I am as a cook. I’m a home cook that likes to feed my family with dishes that are humble, but soothe the soul. I like to cook food that’s approachable, even if that means it lacks the wow-factor or it isn’t pushing any boundaries. In particular, my goal for this blog is to show the joy and pleasure I get from Japanese food—the stuff I grew up on.

So here we have inari zushi—a seemingly easy, but in fact labor-intensive recipe. I admit I was a little intimidated at first, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me because I had an eye on my friend Hama’s Inari Army. She topped her inari with nori, egg, and shiso and it looked so appetizing—more so than presenting it the traditional way with the seam side down—that I had to make some of my own.

The vinegared rice is housed in that sweet, moist fried tofu that’s been simmering in sugar, sake, and shoyu. The egg rounds the flavors out and the pickled ginger gives it a nice kick. It’s the kind of dish that can be made in advance and kept at room temperature, so it’s perfect for parties and potlucks. If you have any left over, don’t stick it in the refrigerator. The rice will turn hard and unappetizing. I just keep it out if it’s not a particularly hot day and eat it as a snack, or even for breakfast.

You can double the recipe for the filling and freeze half the batch. Use this the next time you make inari zushi, or if you want to make a simple chirashi, mix the filling with cooled vinegared rice, top with egg, blanched and julienned sugar peas, and nori.

Inari Zushi
Adapted from ぜひ覚えたいおかず
Makes 4 servings

Rice
1 1/2 cups rice
1/2 Tbsp. sake

Vinegar mixture
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Aburaage
6 pieces aburaage (for inari zushi use)
1/2 cup water
4 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. sake
3 Tbsp. shoyu

Filling
4 dried shiitake
1 small carrot
0.5 oz. kanpyo (dried gourd)
1/2 cup dashi
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. mirin
3 Tbsp. shoyu

Toppings
nori
egg
pickled ginger

Wash the rice until the water is clean and let drain in a colander for 30 minutes. In a rice cooker add 1 3/4 cup water and sake. Cook and steam for an additional 10 minutes after rice is done.

Cut the aburaage rectangle in half so you have 2 squares and rinse with hot water to rid of excess oil. This will improve the taste and let the seasoning soak better. In a medium pot over medium heat, add the aburaage, water, sugar, and sake. Cook with an drop lid for 4 to 5 minutes. Add shoyu and cook for a minutes or so and set aside. Let cool in the juices.

Rehydrate the shiitake and cut in half, then julienne. Cut carrot into 3/4 inch pieces, then julienne. Wet the kanpyo and massage a bit of salt into it. Rinse, then boil for 10 minutes. Chop into small pieces.

In a medium saucepan, add the dashi, sugar, mirin, kanpyo, and shiitake. Cook with a drop lid for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the shoyu and cook over low heat until most, but not all, of the liquid is cooked off. Add the carrots and cook for another minute.

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the vinegar mixture and pour evenly over the hot rice. Mix well in a cutting/folding motion, being careful not smash the rice grains. Set aside and let cool.

Add the filling with liquid to the cooled rice until evenly incorporated. With wet hands, divide the rice into 12 parts and lightly squeeze each portion. Gently ease open the aburaage, then carefully insert rice into the aburaage pocket, making sure not to break the pouch. Top with seaweed, egg, and ginger.

But reading about Sukiyaki Don in Harumi Kurihara’s Your Japanese Kitchen 1, I was surprised how quickly and easily this comes together. The eating experience is different of course, but the recipe is great for a fast but hearty and satisfying one-bowl meal.

I love the bitterness of shungiku (garland chrysanthemum) in hot pots and dishes like this sukiyaki. The market didn’t carry it, so I had to make due with napa cabbage and chard. If you find it, use it and you’ll see how great it tastes alongside a piece of sweet meat. I know people have a strong dislike for beni shoga, but if you use it in moderation, I think it punctuates the dish nicely, making the flavors more layered. Also, I cooked this in two batches because it didn’t all fit in my 12″ skillet.

Sukiyaki Don (Sukiyaki on Rice)
Adapted from Your Japanese Kitchen
Makes 4 servings

canola oil
200 g. thinly sliced beef
2 Japanese leeks (I used 2 small American leeks)
200 g. konnyaku noodles
1 package grilled tofu
1 package enoki
1/3 bunch shungiku (I used 1/4 napa cabbage and a couple of leaves of chard)
100 ml mirin
100 ml sake
100 ml shoyu
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 eggs
beni shoga

Bring a small pot of water to boil. Meanwhile, cut leeks into 1/2 inch pieces diagonally. Drain the tofu and cut into 8 pieces. Cut the shungiku (or napa cabbage and chard) into bite-sized pieces. When the water comes to a boil, blanch the konnyaku noodles and drain. When the noodles are cooled, cut into bite-sized pieces.

Make the sauce by combining the mirin, sake, shoyu, and sugar in a bowl and whisk.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add a small amount of oil and fry the leeks (and the thick parts of the napa cabbage, if using), and beef until browned. Add the noodles, tofu, and enoki (and leafy parts of the napa cabbage and chard, if using). Immediately pour the sauce mixture over the entire pan and let simmer for a couple of minutes. Turn pieces of tofu and other ingredients, lower the heat, cover and continue to simmer until the vegetables are cooked, about 5 minutes. In the sukiyaki pot, add the shungiku and cook until heated through. In a separate pot, poach the eggs.

Put rice in a serving bowl and top with sukiyaki, poached egg, and garnish with shoga.

But before I get into that, I have to mention I’ve fallen into a slump. I was home alone, which means I usually revert to eating like a college student. Mac and cheese with a squeeze of sriracha, instant ramen topped with kimchee, and rice with fried egg drizzled with shoyu… you get the idea. Since the most rewarding part of cooking is sharing the meal with others, the process of cooking now felt laborious. Without mouths to feed, my motivation dissipated.

But I decided to cook at least one meal for myself during this time alone. I’d been eyeing this curry for a long time, and now that the weather demanded something hearty and warm I made up my mind to make it. I could freeze a portion for later and still the remainder would feed me for days.

The kabocha, green beans, renkon, and eggplant are deep fried before going into the pot. The recipe called for a small portion of sliced beef and a bouillon cube so it’s not a vegetarian recipe, but it could be very easily adapted. The key is to taste along the way and modify as you see fit. I tend to like my curry very spicy and on the watery side. I could’ve used more heat, so I’ll have to remember that for next time.

Vegetable Curry
Adapted from きょうの料理 (June 2000)
Makes 6 generous servings

Like many dishes of this kind, the flavors are better on the second day. The eggplant and tomato will have melted into the curry by this time, so add more to the pot, if you like.

7 oz. kabocha, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 renkon (lotus root), peeled then cut into bite-sized pieces
2 Japanese eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
10 green beans, cut in half crosswise
1 large tomato, cut into large bite-sized pieces
1 package shimeji mushrooms, trimmed
1/4 lb. beef, sliced thin
1 tsp. ground cumin
ginger, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup red wine
bouillon cube
3 1/2 cups water
6.5 oz. curry flakes
2 Tbsp. tonkatsu sauce
canola oil

Start by deep frying the kabocha, eggplant, renkon, and green beans. Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Fry until light brown (the eggplant is quick, so keep a watchful eye!) and drain on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Next, heat 1 Tbsp. of oil in a large pot over low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ginger, garlic, and cumin. Cook until fragrant, about a minute. Turn the heat to medium low and add the onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the sliced beef into the pot and cook until no longer red. Add the wine, bouillon cube, and water to the pot and stir. Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Carefully ladle out any impurities.

Turn off the heat and add the curry flakes, fried vegetables, tomatoes, shimeji, tonkatsu sauce, and 1 cup of hot water. You could add 1/2 cup at a time, if you like, to get the desired consistency. I tend to add more than enough water, then cook down. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve with steamed rice, fukujinzuke, and hard boiled egg.

My grandmother is big on kabocha, saying it prevents cancer. She’s from Hiroshima, which means she calls kabocha “nankin” and says other endearing words in the Hiroshima dialect like “houjyaken no” and “sou desu waine.” She practically lived in the kitchen and made real down-home Japanese food. She cooked for us daily, but she always ate yesterday’s leftovers. My grandmother’s generation, having lived through the difficult post-war years, didn’t waste a thing. She’s the kind of person who put everyone else first as she scraped the cold rice to eat for herself.

I was young and not yet interested in cooking, but I wish I had stuck by her side to watch her work her magic. I still learned a lot from her by way of eating and this is one dish I cannot make without thinking of her.

Stewed Kabocha
Adapted from ぜひ覚えたいおかず
Makes 4 servings

21.25 oz. kabocha
1 cup dashi
2 Tbsp. oil
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. mirin
1 Tbsp. shoyu

Wash and seed the kabocha and cut into large bite-sized pieces. With a vegetable peeler, swipe the edge off the corners where the skin meets the flesh, on all 4 sides (if your kabocha is cut roughly into cubes). With a knife, peel off parts of the skin—not completely, just in some places so the skin isn’t too tough when cooked.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the kabocha and mix to coat with the oil. The kabocha will begin to change color, becoming a brighter orange. At this point, add the dashi, bring to a boil and carefully remove any impurities that rise to the surface. Since pot sizes vary, be sure there’s enough dashi so the kabocha barely peek out and adjust the other seasonings accordingly. Add the sugar and mirin and fit a plate inside the pot—upside down on top of the kabocha—and let cook for 4–5 minutes. Add shoyu, lower the heat, and cook for another 10 minutes. Occasionally swirl the pot around so the dashi mixture coats the kabocha. Taste the dashi and add more shoyu or mirin if necessary. Insert a toothpick into a piece of kabocha and if it slides easily, it’s done!

This will keep for a few of days and the flavors will meld nicely. The stewed kabocha is also delicious eaten cold.

The preparation is a little obsessive, but I guess you learn to expect that with Japanese cooking. After peeling the skin of the daikon and cutting it into thick discs, you take your knife and trim around the edge to dull the corners. Cooking with my mom when I was young, I remember her telling me when vegetables are simmering, they bump into each other and the edges will break off, muddying the stew. Rounding the edges prevents this from happening. Also, there’s the additional step of boiling the daikon first with rice, before adding the kombu to the pot with fresh water and simmering for an hour. This is to maintain its white color. Such consideration!

I wasn’t able to get my hands on yuzu but the zest is absolutely essential to this dish, so I used a lemon as a substitute. The miso sauce might seem too salty at first, but as you cut into the daikon, the water will spill out and thin the sauce.

Furofuki Daikon
Adapted from 和風の基本
Makes 4 servings.

daikon, 8 inches in length
2 Tbsp. uncooked rice
2 pieces kombu, each 4 inches in length
6 oz. white miso
1 oz. red miso
1/2 cup dashi
2 Tbsp. mirin
2 Tbsp. sugar
grated yuzu zest (I used lemon)

Cut the daikon crosswise, into 4 pieces. Peel the skin and, with your knife, go around the diameter of the daikon to trim the sharp corners off the edges. With the daikon laying flat on the cutting board, cut an “X” into the face, only cutting half way through. This will ensure the seasonings in the broth will reach the center. The side with the “X” will be the side that faces down when you serve.

Put the rice in an empty tea bag or other type of tea strainer. A small square of cheesecloth will work too, but be sure to allow enough space before tying for the rice to expand. Put the daikon and rice in a large pot (the daikon should lay flat and not overlap) and fill with water until just covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat slightly for 15 minutes. This preliminary boil gets rid of the daikon’s bitter flavor and keeps the color white.

Drain and add cold water to the pot again, covering the daikon. Add the kombu and bring to a boil over high heat. Leaving the kombu in the pot will turn the daikon yellow, so take it out once the flavor is infused in the cooking water, about 5-6 minutes. Simmer for an hour longer.

Meanwhile, in a small pot over medium heat, combine the white and red miso, dashi, mirin, and sugar. Stirring constantly, lower heat once the sauce is heated through. With the pot off the heat, add the egg yolk and stir until combined.

In a small dish, place a piece of daikon, ladle some miso sauce over the side, and sprinkle with the yuzu zest.