Recipe - Sake Steamed Clams 酒蒸し貝類

Sake Steamed Clams

Rinse clams in salt water rid of any grit.
In a pot steam the clams with a bit of sake and salt.

That is it. So easy and great with some sake or shochu.

In Japan we are spoiled with lots of shellfish. At our home for breakfast we like to put the shellfish into miso soup. For dinner, we often steam it in sake with just a bit of salt. We also will take the steamed clams and toss it into pasta.

Some of the shellfish are amazing for sashimi including the following:
awabi - abalone
mirugai - surf clam
taiagai - pen shell
akagai - ark shell
hokkigai - surf clam
sazae - turban wreath shell
hotate - scallops
horagai - trumpet shell
bakagai - surf clam
tsubugai - whelk


And, of course raw kaki (oysters).

For miso soup we love:
shijimi - corbicula clams
asari -

For steaming (also some good for grilling):
mategai - razor clam
hamaguri - cherry stone clam
bateira - bateira
nishi - spiral shellfish
torigai - egg cockle
danbeikisago - danbeikisago
saragai - saragai

Recipe - Ikameshi (Squid Stuffed with Sticky Rice)

While Shinji and I love ika (squid) as sashimi for its silky texture, it is also lovely when cooked. One popular dish is ikameshi, literally, "squid rice". The texture of the squid becomes tender and the rice inside is perfumed with the aroma of the squid. The tip to making this dish well is not to overstuff the squid as the rice will expand as it cooks.

4 squid
1 cup mochi rice (sticky rice)
1 cup sake
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. mirin
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups water

Clean the squid, saving the legs to stuff with the rice. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Cut up the squid legs and add to rice in a bowl. Stuff the squid and close the ends with a toothpick.

In a pot, place the squid in and then top with sake, soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the rice is cooked, about 40 minutes (but check to make sure it is cooked).

Japanese Cuisine - Green Tea

From the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, a video on Japanese green tea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKD7AOglHkw

Green Tea

Video - Japanese Cuisine (Wagyu)

While we love eating seafood while in Japan, we do splurge every now and then for the marbled beef, wagyu. This video from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries goes into detail on what makes wagyu so special.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94HhDl1Fk6w

Kobe Beef

Video - Japanese Cuisine (Gifts from the Forest)

This video, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries highlights the bounty of the mountains (yama no sachi).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zHdtxZiXpU

Video - Japanese Cuisine (Fruit)

The photos of these Japanese fruit are from the website of Sembikiya.

The video below, by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries includes a recipe of apples and persimmons tossed in a sesame dressing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc3YcvPJUvY

Video - Japanese Cuisine (Vegetables)

This video by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is on Japanese vegetables.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PhLmoxi56A

Video - Japanese Cuisine (Seafood)

The seafood in Japan is amazing. I am fortunate to know more than I need to as my husband, Shinji, is a Japanese fishmonger and passionate about Japanese seafood. The variety, quality, and most importantly, the many different ways to eat seafood in Japan is impressive. Since we have moved to NYC we rarely eat seafood at home (unless it comes out of a can - seriously). First of all, it is too expensive here, especially when compare to how cheap meat is in America. But, even when we do go to nice seafood shops in the city, Shinji is most of the time disappointed with the quality of seafood in America. He is not a snob, just accustomed to a higher standard. I look forward to when we move back to Japan and can indulge in Japanese seafood once more.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has a great video on Japanese seafood. Watch it and weep!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkNI6KtA_rk

Recipe - Simmered Hijiki ひじきの煮物

Cooking with sea vegetables is a wonderful way to add minerals and nutrients to any diet. Low in calories and rich in fiber, I always feel better after eating some sea vegetables. In our kitchen we use kombu, wakame, nori, aosa, aonori, kanten, and hijiki.

This simmered hijiki dish is relatively easy to prepare and will keep for several days in the fridge. It has a prominent place in Shinji's bento box, adding both black and orange to a colorful bento.

Simmered Hijiki
1/4 cup hijiki (dried)
2 pieces deep-fried tofu (abura-age)
1 small carrot
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup dashi
2 Tablespoons mirin
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Rehydrate the hijiki in water until tender (follow instructions on package). Boil some water and pour over the deep-fried tofu to rid of excess oil. Julienne carrot. Cut deep-fried tofu into small pieces. After the hijiki is rehydrated, drain of excess water.

In a saute pan saute the carrots until color changes or until the texture changes. Add to the pan the hijki and deep-fried tofu and saute for about 2 minutes.

Add dashi, mirin, sugar, and soy sauce.

Simmer until most of the liquid dissipates. As it is simmering taste the broth and adjust flavors as you like.

Allow to cool to room temperature before storing in the fridge. Can be eaten at room temperature.


Note on bento contents:
Salmon rice in top half.
Bottom half from left to right: simmered hijiki, tamagoyaki, kinpira gobo, pickled cucumbers, carrots, and turnips, and some grilled fish (not sure which one).

Hijiki

Aburage

Hijiki Nimono

Japanese Cuisine Basics - Rice

This great video by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries discusses Japanese rice, the base to many meals in Japan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJbeesSWvc4

Japanese Rice

Japanese Cuisine Basics

This video sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries covers the basics of Japanese cuisine. A very informative and interesting video.

Delicious Nippon #1 (Japanese Cuisine)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAHD9N9xqXk

Nagaimo

Recently at the French Culinary Institute in NYC there was a presentation on nagaimo at a four day conference promoting Japanese ingredients.

It is said that nagaimo has been eaten by the Japanese and other Asian cultures since 2000 BC. Nagaimo is rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin B1.

Nagaimo is also rich in mucin (the sticky and slippery texture). Mucin helps promote metabolism. Also, rich in deoscoran, polyphenol, lectin, peroxidase, and dietary fiber.

There is a very informational website for more details on nagaimo and some great recipes by chef Marcus Yip of 148 Hiroo.

www.nagaimo-aomori.com

Recipe - Nagaimo Omelette

Nagaimo is a long stocky potato that when grated becomes a thick slurry that is slippery and dare I say slimy. I love it simply grated and poured over a bowl of hot rice. My friend, chef and cookbook author, Yumiko Kano, has several cookbooks on cooking with vegetables. The cover of one of her cookbooks has a nagaimo omelette. Basically the nagaimo potato is grated and cooked in a saute pan until the outside becomes crispy and the inside remains juicy. This is simply seasoned with soy sauce when served. I make the same dish, but very thin so there is more crispy bits to it.

Buri Daikon ぶり大根

Buri, Japanese amberjack, is a rich and fatty fish. When fresh it is best as sashimi. After a few days, we love to marinate it in a sweet teriyaki sauce and grill it, or simply salted and grilled.

Another great dish in the cold winter months is to simmer it with daikon radish in a sweet soy broth. Buri daikon is an easy dish to make and anyone could master this dish.

2 filets of buri (Japanese amberjack)
1/2 daikon radish
4 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sake

Peel the daikon (save the strips to stir-fry or to julienne and saute with soy sauce and sugar). Cut the daikon into bite size pieces. Cut the buri into bite size pieces.

In a medium size soup pan combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Then reduce to medium heat and simmer until the radish is tender. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings as you like (more sugar or soy as needed). If the fish is very fishy you can add julienned ginger.

Daikon Radish