Japanese Recipes to Try This Week!

Mochi (4 servings)

Ingredients

Mochi Ice Cream

• 1 cup of rice flour (preferably mochiko rice flour)

• 2 cups of sugar

• ¾ cup of water

• Cornstarch for dusting the dough

• Optional: ice cream, strawberries

How to do it

1. Mix the flour and water together until it reaches a soft dough-like consistency. Slowly add more water if needed.

2. Steam the mochi for about 20 minutes.

3. Transfer the mochi to a pot. Over low to medium heat, add in a third of the sugar and mix it into the mochi until it’s completely dissolved. Add another third and do the same until all of the sugar is dissolved into the mochi. While this may seem like a lot of sugar, it’s key to keeping the mochi soft and chewy.

4. Once the mochiko is soft, sticky, and shiny, transfer it to a tray layered with cornstarch. Do be careful as the dough is very hot. You can dust your hands with some cornstarch to help prevent burns.

5. The mochi is now ready to be shaped and served. You can wrap ice cream with it to make mochi ice cream. Also, you can try wrapping strawberries with mochi or other fruits.

Video: https://youtu.be/rWjdBDe9dS8

Yakitori (4 servings)

Ingredients

For the chicken:

• 1 1/4 pounds chicken thighs (cut into bite-sized pieces)

• salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

• 1 tablespoon green onions

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 teaspoons minced ginger

• 1 tablespoon honey

• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• ½ tablespoon cornstarch

How to make it

Sauce:

1. Place the soy sauce, water, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, honey, sesame oil, and rice vinegar in a small pot over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil.

2. Mix the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cold water until dissolved. Add the cornstarch mixture to the sauce and boil for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Chicken:

1. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste or any other spice you feel necessary, then brush the vegetable oil over the skewers.

2. Preheat a grill to medium heat.

3. Cook the chicken for 4 minutes per side. Brush the sauce over the chicken and cook for an additional 2 minutes per side.

4. Brush more sauce over the chicken, then cook for another minute per side.

5. Brush a final layer of sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle it with sesame seeds and green onions, then serve.

Recipe: https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/yakitori-recipe/

Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Ingredients (12 servings)

For the steamed rice:

• 2 cups uncooked rice (preferably Japanese short-grain rice)

• 2 ½ cups water

For making Onigiri:

• Sea salt

• 4 sheets nori (seaweed)

• 3 umeboshi

• seasoned kombu

• White and black sesame seeds

For the salted salmon:

• 1 fillet salmon

• Sea salt

For the tuna mayo:

• 1 canned tuna

• 2 tbsp mayonnaise

• ½ tbsp soy sauce

Salmon-filled Onigiri

How to make it

To prepare steamed rice:

1. Put the rice in a large bowl and gently wash the rice in a circular motion and discard the water. Repeat this process about 3-4 times.

2. Let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes. Transfer the rice into a sieve and drain completely for at least 15 minutes.

3. Combine the rice and water in a heavy-bottom pot. A heavy-bottom pot with a tight-fitting lid is recommended as it is thicker at the base so it absorbs and distributes heat better. Cover the lid and bring it to a boil over medium heat.

4. Once water is boiling, turn the heat to the lowest setting and continue to cook covered for 12 to 13 minutes, or until the water is completely absorbed. At the 12-13 minute mark, take a quick peek and if you see there is any water left, close the lid and continue cooking for another minute or so.

5. Remove the pot (with the lid on) from the heat and let it steam for another 10 minutes. Then transfer the rice to a large plate or baking sheet lined with parchment paper (I use Sushi Oke). Fluff the rice with a rice scooper. Let the cooked rice cool a little bit until you can hold rice without burning your hands. However, do not let the rice completely cool down.

To prepare the fillings:

1. Salted salmon filling: Sprinkle kosher salt on both sides of the salmon fillet. Bake at 218ºC in a toaster oven or oven for 10-20 minutes. Japanese salted salmon is cooked till well done (more dry and flaky). Break the cooked salmon into flakes and set aside.

2. Tuna mayo filling: Put drained canned tuna in a bowl and add 2 Tbsp Japanese mayonnaise and ½ Tbsp soy sauce. Mix to combine.

To make Onigiri:

1. Cut the nori sheets in thirds (⅓)

2. First, wet both of your hands with water in order to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands.

3. Then put some salt in your hands and rub to spread all around your palms. Dip 3 fingertips in kosher salt shown in the picture below. If you are using table salt, use half amount as it’s saltier than kosher salt.

4. Scoop out a handful of warm rice (about ⅓ cup) into one hand. Create a small well (indentation) in the center of the rice. Put one kind of filling (about 1-2 tsp) inside. Then mold the rice with your hands around the well to cover your filling completely.

5. Press the rice around the filling to gently form the rice into a triangle. Your hands should be just firm enough so the onigiri doesn’t fall apart. You don’t want to squeeze the rice too tight.

6. Wrap the onigiri with nori seaweed.

7. You can place a little bit of each filling on top of onigiri so we know which kind it is.

Recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/onigiri-rice-balls/#wprm-recipe-container-59372

Sushi

Ingredients (makes 6 rolls)

• 6 sheets sushi seaweed

• 1 batch of prepared sushi rice

• 1/2 lb sushi-grade raw salmon (or desired raw fish of choice)

• 4 oz cream cheese

• 1 avocado

• soy sauce

How to make it

1. Place the seaweed on a bamboo mat, then cover the sheet of seaweed with an even layer of prepared sushi rice. Smooth gently with the rice paddle.

2. Layer salmon, cream cheese, and avocado on the rice, and roll it up tightly. Slice with a sharp knife, and enjoy with soy sauce.

Recipe: https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/homemade-sushi/

Soba

Ingredients (2 to 4 servings)

• Salt

• 1 cup dashi or chicken stock

• ¼ cup soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon honey mixed with 1 tablespoon water

• 8 ounces soba noodles

• Finely grated or minced ginger, minced scallions, or toasted sesame seeds for garnish

How to make it

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil, and add salt. Cook noodles until tender but not mushy. Drain, and quickly rinse under cold running water until cold.

2. Combine dashi or stock, soy sauce, and honey. Taste, and add a little more soy if the flavor is not strong enough. Serve noodles with garnishes, with sauce on the side for dipping.

Recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/10549-cold-soba-noodles-with-dipping-sauce

Bibliography

Bittman, M. (n.d.) Cold Soba Noodles With Dipping Sauce. The New York Times Cooking. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/10549-cold-soba-noodles-with-dipping-sauce

Chen, N. (2012, September 5th) Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls). Just One Cookbook. https://www.justonecookbook.com/onigiri-rice-balls/#wprm-recipe-container-59372

JapaneseCooking101 (2013, December 29th) Sweet Mochi Recipe - Japanese Cooking 101 [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/rWjdBDe9dS8

"Kirbie" (2016, September 1st). Mochi Ice Cream [Photograph]. Kirbie's Cravings. https://kirbiecravings.com/mochi-ice-cream/

Larsen, H. (n.d.) Sesame Soba Noodles [Photograph]. FoodieCrush. https://www.foodiecrush.com/sesame-soba-noodles/

Ozug, J. (2016, June 9th) Homemade Sushi. Fifteen Spatulas. https://www.fifteenspatulas.com/homemade-sushi/

Welch, S. (2020, April 8th) Yakitori Recipe. Dinner At the Zoo. https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/yakitori-recipe/

Yen, D. (2020, September 13th) Onigiri Three Ways [Photograph]. Bon Apetit. https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/onigiri-three-ways