Hiyashi Chuka

So, I didn't make an authentic Hiyashi Chuka, I used somen noodles instead of ramen. For my toppings I went with leftover turkey, cucumber, carrot, tomato and a plain omelette. It was really tasty and reminded me how much I love Asian food.

Hiyashi Chuka (Cold Ramen Noodles) (from Little Japan Mama)
(Serves 4)

250g noodles
Your choice of cucumber, egg, chicken, bean sprouts, carrot, ham, tomato, prawns, pickled ginger

For the sauce
100ml soy sauce
120ml rice vinegar
120ml cold water
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Drain, then run under the cold tap to cool.

Meanwhile, add all the sauce ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake well to combine.

Divide the noodles between 4 bowls and top with your choice of toppings. Then pour over the sauce and serve.

Udon Noodles with Miso, Smoked Mackerel and Cabbage

This was delicious, really different but fantastically flavourful. I didn't have any udon noodles so used wholewheat ones instead.

Udon Noodles with Miso, Smoked Mackerel and Cabbage (from The Guardian)
(Serves 2)

2 tsp oil
1 tsp grated ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated
5 tbsp soy sauce, plus extra, to serve
4 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp sesame oil
2 smoked mackerel fillets, skin off
1 egg
150g udon noodles (or any other noodle)
5 tbsp miso paste, or to taste
¼ savoy cabbage, very finely shredded
4 spring onions, finely sliced on the diagonal
Chilli oil or sauce, to serve

Gently heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the ginger and garlic. After a minute of sizzling, take off the heat and add the soy, mirin, honey and sesame oil. Return the pan to the heat for just a second, to make sure it’s hot – don’t let it bubble – then add the mackerel in large flakes, tossing it gently in the sauce and trying not to break it up too much, then set aside.

Boil the egg gently for six mins, then peel under cold running water – this helps to stop it cooking further. Add the egg to the warm mackerel pan, and spoon the sauce over it – the longer you leave it there, the better.

Meanwhile, bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the noodles according to the instructions, and drain. At the same time, in another pan, bring 750ml water to the boil and stir in the miso paste until it dissolves. Drop in the cabbage and spring onions, and cook just until they wilt, then stir in the drained noodles. Transfer to bowls, then spoon the mackerel and its sauce on top. Set half the egg on top of each bowl, and serve with a little soy and some chilli oil or sauce at the table.

Baked Mackerel with Ginger and Spring Onion

At very short notice I discovered that I was cooking dinner for a friend so I had a quick raid of the freezer and garden and came up with this. The original recipe is for sea bass but the mackerel worked just as well and I got that dose of oily fish! I served it with sticky rice and steamed green veg from the garden.

Baked Mackerel with Ginger and Spring Onion (adapted from Itsu The Cookbook)

(Serves 2)

2 mackerel fillets

2 spring onions, sliced

2cm fresh root ginger, sliced

2 tbsp soy sauce

pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Cut two A4 sized sheets of foil and lay a mackerel fillet on each one. Scatter over the spring onions, ginger and pepper, then fold up the foil, scrunching the edges together but leaving a small gap in the top of each parcel. Pour the soy sauce into the gap, then seal the parcels completely.

Bake for 8-10 mins, then carefully unwrap the parcels and transfer the fish to plates, pouring the sauce over the top. Serve with rice and steamed veg.

Miso Roast Salmon

I saw the beautiful picture of this in the cookbook and knew that I had to make it. It was very tasty with lovely Asian style flavours. I went a bit overheard with the sesame seeds! The original recipe used edamame beans but I swapped them out for mangetout. I served it with 100g new potatoes for an extra 2 ProPoints.

Miso Roast Salmon (WeightWatchers Cooking for One)

(Serves 1)

(8 WW ProPoints per serving)

1 tbsp miso paste

2 tsp mirin

pinch sugar

1 salmon fillet

cooking spray

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

2 tsp soy sauce

For the salad

1/2 cucumber

1 tsp rice vinegar

pinch sugar

7-8 mangetout

Mix together the miso paste, mirin and sugar. Put the salmon fillet on a plate and spread the paste over the top. Put in the fridge for at least 30 mins or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Spray a non stick tray with cooking spray. Using kitchen roll, wipe off the marinade. Transfer the fish to the baking tray, skin side downs cook for 12-15 mins until th fish is golden.

Meanwhile toast the sesame seeds and then make the salad. Use a veg peeler, shave the cucumber into long thin ribbons. Whisk together the vinegar and sugar. Toss with the cucumber and mange tout then transfer to a plate. Serve with the salmon sprinkled with the toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of soy sauce.

Teriyaki Portobello Mushroom Burgers

So I'm backfilling as I forgot to set up my scheduled post for yesterday. I went on training about book groups to try and get more ideas about sessions and things I can do with my book groups. It was really interesting and I came away with lots of ideas and a Winnie the Witch bag!! I ate this burger earlier in the summer and it was delicious, lovely and juicy and I loved the Asian flavours. My choice of accompaniments was avocado, cherry tomato and radish.

Teriyaki Portbello Mushroom Burgers (from Food to Glow)
(Serves 4)

4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
4 portobello mushrooms, wiped cleaned

4 tbsp mayonnaise
1-2 tsp wasabi paste

Whisk together the marinade. Place the mushrooms into a large dish and pour over most of the marinade. Toss the mushrooms and marinade. Brush the rest of the marinade over the onion slices and place the slices in the dish. Cover and leave for 15 minutes to one hour

Meanwhile,  mix the mayonnaise with the wasabi paste.

When you are ready to cook, put the griddle pan on the stove on a medium heat, brushing with a little oil.

Shake off and save the excess marinade from the veggies and place the mushroom on the griddle. Cook over a medium heat for about 5-8 minutes on one side, then turn down the heat a little, add the onions and cook for a further 7-10 minutes, turning the onions half way through. Baste with the leftover marinade or a little oil if the vegetables look a bit dry.

Assemble the burgers and serve.

Chicken Yakitori Kebabs

This is one of my standby meals and I can't believe I've never posted it before. Its really quick to make and if you don't have time for all the marinating, just do it for 20 mins and it'll be fine. I served it with stir fried bean sprouts and pak choi and egg fried rice.

Chicken Yakitori Kebabs (Waitrose Recipe Card)
(Serves 4)

4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp honey
1 in piece root ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
400g chicken breast, cut into chunks
4 spring onions, each cut into 3-4 pieces
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1 in pieces

In a large bowl, mix together the soy sauce, mirin, honey, ginger and garlic. Add the chicken and stir well. Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for 1-2 hours or overnight.

Preheat the grill to high. Thread the chicken, spring onions and pepper pieces alternately, dividing them between 4 metal skewers, reserving the marinade.

Place the kebabs on the grill rack and brush liberally with the marinade. Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally and basting with the marinade. The chicken should be cooked until the juices run clear and the vegetables should be lightly charred. Serve.

Japanese Beef Casserole with Miso Wasabi Mash

I had been wanting to make this recipe for ages but never quite got round to it, and I am so glad I finally did. The dish is really flavourful and the meat is so tender. It is probably a Japanese recipe for those who don't much go in for noodles/stir fries etc as it's basically a traditional English casserole but with added Japanese flavours. The mash was fantastic too, I loved the hit of the horseradish. I served it with asparagus and spring greens.

Japanese Beef Casserole with Miso Wasabi Mash (adapted from Fuss Free Flavours)
(Serves 4)

2 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 leek, sliced
800g stewing beef, cut into cubes
2 tbsp flour
1 mug beef stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp sake
1 tbsp miso
1 star anise

600g potatoes
1 tbsp miso
couple of squeezes of wasabi

Pour the sesame oil into a large frying pan and fry the onions, garlic, celery and leek for a few minutes until softened, transfer to the slow cooker pot or casserole dish.

Fry off the cubed beef in batches – there should be space around each piece so it browns properly. Once browned add to your cooking pot. When frying off the last batch of beef add the flour, this should absorb all the remaining fat. Cook for a few minutes and transfer to your cooking pot.

If necessary deglaze the pan with some of the stock. Pour the stock, soy sauce and sake over the beef and vegetables. Add the miso and star anise and stir well. If necessary add a little water so the beef is almost covered.

Cook in the oven for two and a half hours at 150°C.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. Mash with the miso and wasabi and serve with the casserole.

Miso Prawns with Veggie Rice Salad

Today I am off on a jolly to Paris! I'm going with my father to two exhibitions and we are also going out for lunch, I'm so excited! It's ages since I've been to Paris.

This is a really simple but flavourful rice salad. It's nice with the prawns served hot or cold. I had them cold as I took it to work in a lunchbox but I've had them hot too and both were really tasty.

Miso Prawns with Veggie Rice Salad (from Good Food Magazine August 2012)
(Serves 4)

200g brown basmati rice
175g asparagus tips, cut into inch chunks
200g frozen edamame
1½ tbsp sesame oil
4 spring onions, finely sliced
large handful coriander, roughly chopped
1 green chilli, finely diced

For the prawns
400g raw large peeled prawns
3 tbsp sweet miso paste
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp Japanese rice vinegar
2 tsp soft brown sugar
black pepper

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the rice and cook according to packet instructions. Add the edamame to the rice for the final 5 mins and the asparagus for the final 3 mins of cooking. Rinse under cold water, draining thoroughly.

Toss the rice with the sesame oil and mix in a large bowl with the spring onions, coriander, chilli and seasoning.

Heat the grill. Place the prawns in a bowl with the miso, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and pepper. Give everything a good stir, making sure the prawns are well coated. Thread prawns onto skewers and lay on a grill pan. Grill for a couple of mins each side, turning, until prawns are cooked through.

Serve with the rice salad and drizzle over any of the cooking juices.

Miso Brown Rice and Chicken Salad

I still love anything Japanese, I just don't get around to making too much Japanese food any more. This was a revival of the miso and it was delicious, it's healthy with the brown rice and broccoli and very tasty too.

Miso Brown Rice and Chicken Salad (from Good Food Magazine August 2010)
(Serves 2)

120g brown basmati rice
2 skinless chicken breasts, cooked
140g sprouting broccoli
4 spring onions, cut into diagonal slices
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

For the dressing
2 tsp miso paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp grated ginger

Cook the rice following the pack instructions, adding the broccoli for the last 3 mins, then drain and cool under running water.

For the dressing, mix the miso, rice vinegar, mirin and ginger together.

Divide the rice  and broccoli between two plates and scatter over the spring onions and sesame seeds. Slice the chicken breast and place the chicken slices on top. To finish, drizzle over the dressing.

Broccoli, Chicken and Noodle Salad

Can I do Wordless Sundays? It's a noodle salad!

Broccoli, Chicken and Noodle Salad
(adapted from Olive Magazine February 2011)
(Serves 2)

125g purple sprouting broccoli
50g ramen noodles
100g edamame, fresh or frozen
1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2 tbsp mirin
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
½ tsp grated ginger
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 small cooked chicken breasts, shredded

Boil the broccoli stems until tender, then rinse and drain in very cold water. If the stems are large, cut them in half lengthways.

Cook the noodles following packet instructions, adding the edamame for the last 3 mins of cooking. Rinse well in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Make a dressing by mixing the tamari, mirin, sesame oil, ginger and spring onion. Put the broccoli, noodles, edamame and chicken in a bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss together, adding some extra seasoning if you like. Serve.

Sesame Seared Tuna

This is a very simple but delicious dish. I've only shared the recipe for the tuna but I served it with noodles and a large amount of veg with oyster sauce.

















Sesame Seared Tuna (from Dining Alone)
(Serves 1)

1 tablespoon soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon mirin
3/4 teaspoon honey
1-1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1  tuna steak
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
wasabi paste
3/4 teaspoon olive oil

In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, mirin, honey and sesame oil. Divide into two equal parts. Stir the rice vinegar into one part and set aside as a dipping sauce.

Spread the sesame seeds out on a plate. Coat the tuna steaks with the remaining soy sauce mixture, then press into the sesame seeds to coat.

Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Place steaks in the pan, and sear for about 30 seconds on each side. Serve with the dipping sauce and wasabi paste.

Soba Noodles with Ham and Edamame

Today I am busy destroying a wardrobe! It has to come out before they can even test for damp in the wall and I am likely to be living in clothes chaos for the next few months as everything gets dumped in the living room!

This is a very simple but creative noodle salad, using Japanese elements but adding in the ham. It was a quick and easy noodle salad that I had for dinner one evening last week, whilst sat on the tube.

Soba Noodles with Ham and Edamame
(Serves 1)
(10 WW ProPoints per serving)

50g soba noodles
2 tbsp edamame, cut into thin slices
2 slices of ham
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp miso paste
1 tsp wasabi paste

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the soba noodles according to packet instructions, usually about 4-5 mins. Cook the edamame in the same pan for the same length of time. Drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Mix together the soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, miso and wasabi in a bowl. Toss the noodles in the sauce and top with the edamame and ham.

Nigella's Japanese Prawns

Easily one of the most versatile dishes I have made in a long time, as Nigella says you can serve it over salad for a light lunch or over noodles or rice for a heartier supper.

I went for the salad option as I wanted something for lunch and you really do need to use iceberg lettuce, any other sort of lettuce will wilt and go that yucky khaki colour when the hot sauce is poured over. It doesn't say that in the book, I have taken to sky plussing episodes of TV shows where I have the book to pick up handy hints like that and also which recipes are best served with each other, this is especially true with Nigella Kitchen and Nigella Express where the recipes put together in the book are different from the TV show and give me more options!

Japanese Prawns (from Nigella Kitchen)
(Serves 2)
(3 WW ProPoints if served with lettuce)

2 tbsp water
2 tbsp sake
1/2 tsp sea salt flakes
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp wasabi paste
2 tsp garlic oil
2 spring onions, finely sliced
200g raw king prawns, frozen
iceberg lettuce, rice or noodles to serve

In a bowl mix together the water, sake, salt, lime juice and wasabi.

Heat a wok or deep frying pan and, when warm, add the garlic oil and spring onions and stir fry for a min or so, then tip in the frozen prawns and cook for about 3 mins.

Add the liquid mixture to the pan, bring to a bubble and cook for another 2 mins, stirring the prawns about a bit in the sauce.

When the prawns are completely cooked through serve over salad, rice or noodles sprinkling with fresh coriander if you have some.

Miso Roast Salmon

I am off on holiday tomorrow to the South of France. I cannot wait for some sunshine! I am also looking forward to some good bread, a proper baguette, good wine and good cheese! I am leaving WeightWatchers back here for the week and I'm going to eat yummy stuff, not that I haven't been, just lots of cheese! I suspect that some of the philosophies of WeightWatchers will stay with me, including portion control hopefully, but I am looking forward to enjoying myself. There is also a pool at the villa so I will be swimming everyday as well as sightseeing and relaxing!

I loved this recipe, although you can see from the picture that I forgot the sesame seeds!! And I have a jar of ready toasted sesame seeds and everything!! I also served it with rice noodles which went really well.

Miso Roast Salmon (from WeightWatchers Cooking for One)
(Serves 1)
(8 WW ProPoints per Serving)

1 tbsp miso paste
2 tsp mirin
pinch of sugar
100g boneless salmon fillet
cooking spray
1/2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp soy sauce

for the cucumber and soya bean salad
1/2 cucumber
1 tsp rice vinegar
pinch of sugar
1 tbsp soy beans, defrosted if seasoned

Mix together the miso paste, mirin and sugar. Put the salmon fillet on a plate and spread with the miso mixture. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins or overnight if possible.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Spray a non stick baking spray and transfer the fish to the baking tray, skin side down. Cook for 15 mins, until the fish is golden, and flakes easily.

Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds and then make the cucumber and soya bean salad. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the cucumber into long, thin ribbons. Whisk together the sugar and vinegar. Toss with the cucumber ribbons and soya beans, then transfer to a plate. Serve with the salmon, sprinkled with the toasted sesame seeds and a drizzle of soy sauce.

Miso Glazed Tuna and Greens

I found bags of spring greens and cavolo nero reduced in the supermarket so bought a few to keep me going. I've never really eaten greens before but I thought I'd give it a go and this is one of the dishes I made with them. I ended up putting them in pretty much everything I cooked and they worked with everything. The combination of the greens, tuna and miso was delicious.



Miso Glazed Tuna and Greens (adapted from www.epicurious.com)
(Serves 4)

1 cup white miso (also called shiro miso)
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 pounds tuna steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
mix of cabbage, spring greens and cavolo nero

Heat miso, mirin, sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and whisk in mayonnaise, then cool to room temperature.

Put tuna in a sealable bag (or nonreactive shallow dish). Pour marinade over tuna and marinate, chilled, at least 1 hour.

Heat oil in a frying pan and add the tuna cubes. Stir fry for about 2 mins. Add in the greens and stir until just wilted. Serve with rice or just by itself.

Cha Han

I love Wagamama's, it's one of my favourite restaurants to eat at and I often have the Cha Han. It looks so easy to make, and so I thought I'd give it a try and it is really easy to make! There's lots of prep to start off with but the actual cooking is really quick and easy as with most Japanese food. The food is delicious, light and healthy and it doesn't make you feel overly full! I'd definitely recommend having it with pickles and miso soup. they go so well together.



Cha Han (from The Wagamama Cookbook)
(Serves 2)

200g boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat
2 tbsp yakitori sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
8 cooked, peeled prawns (shrimp)
2 tbsp canned sweetcorn, well drained
2 tbsp mangetout, finely sliced
4 button mushrooms, finely sliced
2 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 1 inch lengths
2 eggs, beaten
75g cooked Thai fragrant rice
salt as desired
2 tbsp light soy sauce

Yakitori Sauce
6 tbsp sake
6 oz light soy sauce
6 tbsp Mirin
1 tbsp sugar

Make the Yakitori Sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a small pan and gently heat to dissolve the sugar. Set aside to cool. It will keep indefinitely in the fridge.

Combine the chicken and the Yakitori sauce in a bowl. Work gently with your fingers for a few minutes, turning the meat in the sauce. Marinate for at least 30 mins (1 hour is even better). Remove the chicken, reserving the marinade, and cut the meat on the diagonal into thin slices.

Heat a wok over a medium heat for 1-2 mins or until completely hot and almost smoking and add the vegetable oil. Add the prawns, sweetcorn, mangetout, mushrooms and spring onions along with the chicken and stir-fry over a medium heat for about 5 mins until the vegetables just start to wilt and the chicken is cooked. Add the egg and continue to stir-fry until it is just scrambled.

Add the rice. Season with salt and soy sauce and continue stir frying until everything is mixed evenly and the rice heated through. Divide between 2 bowls and serve with miso soup and pickles.

Miso Rice and Chicken

I have finally completed the first draft of my dissertation and it has gone to my tutor and couple of friends for help with editing, so I'm having a few days off to relax and go see the exhibitions I've been wanting to see all summer and not been able to. This morning I went to the Museum of London Street Photography Exhibition, which was really interesting, although I always have a sneaking feeling that really the old photos, modern photos with people dressing up! Then I went to their Modern London galleries at the Museum of London which opened last year and chart the history of London from 1667-present. They have done an amazing job with the makeover, and you can now wander round Victorian London shops, see images from the Blitz and see fashion from the 60s, 70s and 80s as well as a whole lot more and the whole thing was free!

I have trying to create exciting dishes for lunch and supper whilst doing my dissertation and one of them was this really simple but delicious lunch with lovely Japanese flavours.



Miso Rice and Chicken (adapted from Good Food Magazine August 2010)
(Serves 1)

60g sushi rice
1 skinless chicken breasts
70g sprouting broccoli
2 spring onions , cut into diagonal slices
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

For the dressing
2 tsp miso paste
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp mirin
1 tsp grated ginger

Cook the rice using a rice cooker, then keep warm.

While the rice is cooking, cut the chicken breast into slices and stir fry until golden brown.

Boil the broccoli until tender.

Mix the miso, rice vinegar, mirin and ginger together to make the dressing.

Divide the rice between two plates and scatter over the spring onions and sesame seeds. Place the broccoli and chicken slices on top. To finish, drizzle over the dressing.

Daring Cooks February 2011: Hiyashi Soba and Tempura

The February 2011 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by Lisa of Blueberry Girl. She challenged Daring Cooks to make Hiyashi Soba and Tempura. She has various sources for her challenge including japanesefood.about.com, pinkbites.com, and itsybitsyfoodies.com

I did it! I actually did it! I deep fried stuff! I asked for help and it was suggested that I could put 2 inches of oil in the bottom of a tall pan and do it that way, so that's what I did and it was much less scary than I thought it would be! The tempura was delicious, I did mushrooms, broccoli, courgette and sole and they were so good, especially the sole. I also finally got the tamagoyaki right to go with the noodles for the first time, usually I can't get the omelette to roll properly but it worked! So thank you, I will probably not be deep frying things every day but at least if I want to, I know I can!



Hiyashi Soba:
Recipes courtesy of Globetrotter Diaries and About.com-Japanese Food
Serves 4

Soba Noodles:

Ingredients
2 quarts (2 Liters) water + 1 cup cold water, separate
12 oz (340 g) dried soba (buckwheat) noodles (or any Asian thin noodle)

Directions:
Cooking the noodles:
Heat 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add the noodles a small bundle at a time, stirring gently to separate. When the water returns to a full boil, add 1 cup of cold water. Repeat this twice. When the water returns to a full boil, check the noodles for doneness. You want to cook them until they are firm-tender. Do not overcook them.



Drain the noodles in a colander and rinse well under cold running water until the noodles are cool. This not only stops the cooking process, but also removes the starch from the noodles. This is an essential part of soba noodle making. Once the noodles are cool, drain them and cover them with a damp kitchen towel and set them aside allowing them to cool completely.

Spicy Dipping Sauce:

Ingredients
¾ cup 70gm/2½ oz spring onions/green onions/scallions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce
2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice vinegar
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (4 ⅔ gm) (0.16 oz) granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon (1¼ ml) (1/8 gm) (0.005 oz) English mustard powder
1 tablespoon (15 ml) grape-seed oil or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon (15 ml) sesame oil (if you can’t find this just omit from recipe.)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste - roughly 1/3 a teaspoon of each

Directions:
1. Shake all the ingredients together in a covered container. Once the salt has dissolved, add and shake in 2 tablespoons of water and season again if needed.



Common Hiyashi Soba Toppings:
Thin omelet strips
Ham
Boiled chicken breasts
Cucumber
Boiled bean sprouts
Tomatoes
Toasted nori (Dried Seaweed)
Green onions
Wasabi powder
Finely grated daikon (Japanese radish)
Beni Shoga (Pickled Ginger)
All toppings should be julienne, finely diced or grated. Prepare and refrigerate covered until needed.



Serving:
Traditionally soba is served on a bamboo basket tray, but if you don’t have these, you can simply serve them on a plate or in a bowl. Divide up the noodles, laying them on your serving dishes. Sprinkle each one with nori. In small side bowl or cup, place 1/2 cup (120 ml) of dipping sauce into each. In separate small side dishes, serve each person a small amount of wasabi, grated daikon, and green onions.The noodles are eaten by sprinkling the desired garnishes into the dipping sauce and eating the noodles by first dipping them into the sauce. Feel free to slurp away! Oishii!

Tempura
Recipes courtesy of pink bites and itsy bitsy foodies
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 egg yolk from a large egg
1 cup (240 ml) iced water
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) plain (all purpose) flour, plus extra for dredging
½ cup (120 ml) (70 gm) (2½ oz) cornflour (also called cornstarch)
½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (2½ gm) (0.09 oz) baking powder
oil, for deep frying preferably vegetable
ice water bath, for the tempura batter (a larger bowl than what will be used for the tempura should be used. Fill the large bowl with ice and some water, set aside)

Very cold vegetables and seafood of your choice ie:
Sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced, blanched
Carrot, peeled, thinly sliced diagonally
Pumpkin, peeled, seeds removed, thinly sliced blanched
Green beans, trimmed
Green bell pepper/capsicum, seeds removed, cut into 2cm (¾ inch)-wide strips
Assorted fresh mushrooms
Eggplant cut into strips (traditionally it’s fanned)
Onions sliced



Directions:
Place the iced water into a mixing bowl. Lightly beat the egg yolk and gradually pour into the iced water, stirring (preferably with chopsticks) and blending well. Add flours and baking powder all at once, stroke a few times with chopsticks until the ingredients are loosely combined. The batter should be runny and lumpy. Place the bowl of batter in an ice water bath to keep it cold while you are frying the tempura. The batter as well as the vegetables and seafood have to be very cold. The temperature shock between the hot oil and the cold veggies help create a crispy tempura.



Heat the oil in a large pan or a wok. For vegetables, the oil should be 320°F/160°C; for seafood it should be 340°F/170°C. It is more difficult to maintain a steady temperature and produce consistent tempura if you don’t have a thermometer, but it can be done. You can test the oil by dropping a piece of batter into the hot oil. If it sinks a little bit and then immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready.

Start with the vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, that won’t leave a strong odor in the oil. Dip them in a shallow bowl of flour to lightly coat them and then dip them into the batter. Slide them into the hot oil, deep frying only a couple of pieces at a time so that the temperature of the oil does not drop.

Place finished tempura pieces on a wire rack so that excess oil can drip off. Continue frying the other items, frequently scooping out any bits of batter to keep the oil clean and prevent the oil (and the remaining tempura) from getting a burned flavor.

Serve immediately for the best flavor, but they can also be eaten cold.

Tuna Teriyaki with Noodles

I made dinner for a friend of mine on Friday night. She is lactose intolerant so Chinese or Japanese is always a good bet for avoiding dairy. This was really simple and quick to make, She has a salmon fillet and this worked just as well with the salmon. The original recipe didn't call for all the veg, but I needed to use it up so added it in.



Tuna Teriyaki with Noodles (adapted from http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk/)
(Serves 2)

3 tablespoon teriyaki sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon chilli powder, mild, or ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
350 g tuna steak
1 clove garlic, crushed
300 g straight to wok noodles
1 big flat mushroom, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 medium courgette sliced
1 tablespoon fresh coriander, chopped
1 portion stock cube, vegetable – made up to 300ml with hot water

Mix together the teriyaki sauce, lime juice and chilli powder or dried chilli flakes in a shallow, non-metallic dish. Add the tuna steaks and stir to coat, leave to marinate for about 30 mins, keep the marinating liquid

Heat some oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then add the mushroom, pepper and courgette. Stir-fry over a high heat for 2-3 mins.

Add the noodles to the pan with the coriander, reserved marinade and hot vegetable stock . Cook gently for another 2-3 minutes

Meanwhile, heat some oil in a another pan and cook the tuna for a couple of minutes on each side.
Share the noodle mixture between 2 warmed bowls, place the tuna on top and serve at once.

Seafood Noodle Soup

I love noodle soup! I think I've said this before, I love it on a cold day and on a hot day! It is such a versatile dish and works with most veg and any meat or fish. This year I've grown some stir fry mix salad leaves in my garden which according to the packet contain: Mizuna, Canton Pak Choy, Red Mustard, Texel Greens & Cavolo Nero. I wanted to try them out and what better way than in soup, and they were delicious and added some lovely extra flavours to the soup. I also added them to a noodle salad a couple of days later and they were really good in that too.



Seafood Noodle Soup
(Serves 1)

handful frozen cooked seafood mix, defrosted
handful sugar snap peas
handful stir fry mix salad leaves
handful spinach
1 tsp grated ginger
enough noodles for 1 person
2 tsp dashi no moto
500ml boiling water
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce


Cook the noodles according to packet instructions. Drain and run under cold water.

Mix the dashi no moto with the water in a pan and bring to the boil. Add in the ginger and sugar snap peas and cook for a minute or so, then add in the stir fry mix and spinach and cook for another minute.

Add in the seafood mix and cook until its warmed through. Then add in the fish sauce and soy sauce.

Place the noodles in a bowl and tip the broth mixture over the noodles. Serve sprinkled with chopped spring onions or sesame seeds.