My Japanese Table. Debra Samuels
mini cucumbers or half English cucumber, skin on, and cut into 1 x 1/4 in logs (2.5 cm x 6 mm)
6 radishes, cut into 8 wedges
1-1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or sea salt
1 Have on hand a very large bowl.
2 Place the Chinese cabbage in a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain and place in the large bowl.
3 Add the carrots, cucumbers, and radishes to the bowl.
4 Sprinkle on the salt and toss together to thoroughly coat the vegetables.
5 Set a piece of plastic wrap on top of the vegetables and place another bowl that fits just inside the larger bowl on top of the vegetables. Take two 1 pound (500 g) cans of food from your pantry and set them into the bowl to use as weights.
6 Set the mixture aside for about 2 hours. Remove the weights. Take a handful of vegetables and in the sink squeeze the excess water from the vegetables. Place the vegetables in a clean dry bowl. Repeat with the remaining vegetables.
7 Store the vegetables in an airtight container for one day before using. They will last for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator. Serve in small bowls.
NOTE To vary the taste of the pickles just before serving drizzle on
1) Lemon juice and mirin
2) Sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds
Preparing Japanese Rice
Japanese rice (japonica) is a short or medium grain rice and an accompaniment to most meals. I first learned how to make rice properly from my neighbor, Kai-san. With her baby, Keiko, strapped to her back and with Brad strapped to mine, she showed me how to properly rinse, drain, and soak the rice. She taught me to measure the water and rice by placing my hand flat atop the rice. There was enough water when it was just over the knuckles on the back of my hand. Today’s directions on packages of Japanese rice in the United States tell us not to rinse the rice. all my Japanese friends still rinse their rice before cooking.
Soak the rice for at least 20 minutes until the grains plump up and turn white. Depending on the age of the rice, this can take anywhere from 25-45 minutes. After soaking, I drain my rice for 20 minutes before starting the cooking process. When using a rice cooker this step is often eliminated. The newer, and very expensive, “smart” rice cookers have sensors and will time the soaking and cooking with a push of a button. When using the simpler (and more widely available) rice cookers, you have to presoak the rice. In 30 minutes, including steaming time, you will have perfect rice. You can make one pot rice casseroles in the rice cooker by adding vegetables, chicken or salmon. If you don’t have a rice cooker, here is a stovetop recipe that yields excellent results. The rice should be toothsome and sticky, but not mushy. When making rice for sushi, use a little less liquid, as you will be adding a dressing to the hot rice.
If you are in a hurry you can eliminate the soaking, but the rice will be harder. Instead, make more rice than you need and freeze it in plastic wrap while it is still hot. I was taught this by my friend (and coauthor of The Korean Table), Taekyung Chung. Heat them in the microwave for 2 minutes and you have hot steamed rice. Japanese rice cookers come with a measuring cup, a special measure just for rice (1 go) with a volume of 3/4 cup (160 g) (an American cup is 200 grams). The recipes in this book use the standard American measure. For example: 3 cups (600 g) raw rice equals just over 4 Japanese rice cups. If you have a Japanese rice cooker and measuring cup, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Makes 4 cups (approximately 800 g)
2 cups (400 g) short-grain white rice
Water for soaking the rice
2 cups (500 ml) water
1 Put the rice into a large mixing bowl and set in the sink. Run cold water into the bowl, and with your hand, swish the rice around, and then carefully drain the water into the sink. Repeat this about 3 times until the water runs clear. Fill the bowl of rice with water to cover—about 3 cups. Set aside for 20 minutes; the rice will become white and plump. Pour the rice through a sieve and set it aside again for 10 minutes.
2 Combine the rice and the 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Cover with a lid. Cook the rice over medium heat for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until the rice is tender (total cooking time is 20 minutes).
3 Turn the heat off and let the rice sit for 20 minutes more.
Homemade Rice Seasoning Sprinkles
Furikake
We always dress up our plain rice bowl with a sprinkling of this condiment. These savory sprinkles are made from crispy flakes of bonito flakes, seaweed, sesame seeds, dried egg, and teeny white bait. They come in jars or plastic pouches in the condiment section in Asian markets. You can make your own. It is good to have a package of tiny, whole, boiled, and dried fish, chirimen-jako or shirasu on hand. They freeze well and add calcium to a bowl of rice.
Makes 1 cup (40 g)
1 cup (40 g) white bait (dried shirasu/Japanese anchovy or dried, fried white bait simmered in soy sauce, sake and mirin (chirimen-jako)
1/2 cup (125 g) white sesame seeds
Put the dried fish and sesame seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat. With a wooden spoon, gently mix the fish and seeds around the skillet as they brown. This will take about 8 minutes. The fish will turn light brown and become crispy. Store in an airtight container on a shelf. This will last for about 2 months.
Teriyaki Sauce
Teriyaki sauce is the Swiss Army knife of Japanese sauces. It combines many of the elements that, when combined, makes this sauce and anything on which it is used as identifiably Japanese. Once the sauce cooks, it thickens slightly to a glossy mixture. Brush this sauce on chicken, beef, fish, vegetables, and tofu for a lustrous glaze. I often use Teriyaki Sauce as a marinade before grilling meat (although pork is one of the few meats it doesn’t enhance).
Makes 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 40 minutes
2 cups (500 ml) mirin
2 cups (500 ml) sake
6 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup (250 ml) soy sauce
6 slices ginger, smashed
1 Combine the mirin and sake in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Continue boiling for 2 minutes. This will cook off the alcohol.
2 Add the sugar and cook until dissolved.
3 Add the soy sauce and ginger and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Turn the heat to medium and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will begin to thicken. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 25 minutes until the sauce thickens to a light syrupy texture.
4 Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will keep for several months.
Tempura Dipping Sauce
Tensu
This is the classic dipping sauce for tempura. It is sweet and salty, perfect for tempura on its own, and for drizzling over tempura-topped rice bowls. It is mixed with grated daikon for a spicy punch. The daikon also aids in breaking up the oil from the deep-frying and helps with digestion.
Makes 3/4 cups (190 ml)
1/2 cup (125 ml) Dashi (Fish Stock) (p. 35)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin Salt to taste
Add the Dashi (Fish Stock), soy sauce, and mirin to a medium pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, add salt to taste. Remove from the heat and cool before storing in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. This will keep for 2 weeks.
Sweet Miso Sauce Dengaku
This