Homestyle Japanese Cooking (9 page)

5
Serve in individual heated serving bowls and sprinkle sesame salt over the top. This dish can also be served at room temperature.

Serves 4 to 6

Preparation time:
45 mins + overnight soaking

Cooking time:
35–50 mins

Deep-fried Tofu and Noodles in Clear Soup
(Kitsune Udon)

4 slices deep-fried tofu, (
abura-age
)

2 liters (8 cups) water

400 g (12 oz) dried udon noodles

1½ liters (6 cups) Basic Dashi Stock (page
4
)

2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons
mirin

½ teaspoon salt

1 small leek, rinsed and thinly sliced

Seven-spice chilli powder (page
3
), for garnish

1
Blanch deep-fried tofu by placing it in a sieve and pouring boiling water over it. Drain and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut each piece of tofu into quarters to yield 16 pieces.

2
Bring the water to a boil and add the noodles, stirring gently to keep them separate. Cook at a vigorous boil for 5 minutes, or until the noodles are cooked but still firm. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well and cover with a damp kitchen towel until completely cool.

3
Place 250 ml (1 cup) of the Basic Dashi Stock and the sugar and tofu in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce and cook until almost all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat.

4
Combine the remaining Basic Dashi Stock and soy sauce,
mirin
and salt in a pot and place over high heat. When boiling, add the leek slices and remove from the heat.

5
Divide the noodles among individual serving bowls. Top with tofu and ladle broth over the tofu, making sure each bowl has some leek. Serve immediately with the seven-spice chilli powder.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
10 mins

Cooking time:
20 mins

Cold Soba Noodles
(Zaru Soba)

2 liters (8 cups) water

10 oz (300 g)
soba
noodles

350 ml (1
¹
/
₃
cups) Basic Dashi Stock (page
4
)

5 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons
mirin

1 tablespoon sugar

1 sheet
nori
, toasted and cut in thin strips

4 teaspoons wasabi

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

1
Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat and add noodles, stirring gently to keep them separate. Cook at a vigorous boil until the noodles are cooked and still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well and cover with a damp kitchen towel until completely cool.

2
Combine Basic Dashi Stock, soy sauce,
mirin
and sugar in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Just before boiling, remove from heat and set aside.

3
Divide cold noodles among four individual serving bowls and top each bowl with one-quarter of the
nori
.

4
Pour dipping sauce into four small bowls and stir in some wasabi and spring onions. Dip the noodles into the sauce before eating.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
10 mins

Cooking time:
15 mins

Chilled Noodles with Prawns and Tomato

375 ml (1½ cups) Basic Dashi Stock (page
4
)

90 ml (
¹
/
₃
cup)
mirin

90 ml (
¹
/
₃
cup) soy sauce

2½ liters (10 cups) water

350 g (12 oz ) dried
somen
noodles

12–15 prawns

Iced water plus ice cubes

2–3 ripe tomatoes, each cut into 6 wedges

1 baby cucumber, thinly sliced

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

1
To make dipping sauce, combine the Basic Dashi Stock, mirin and soy sauce and cook until boiling.

2
Bring 2 liters (8 cups) water to a boil in a large saucepan and add noodles, stirring gently to keep them separate. Cook at a vigorous boil until the noodles cooked but still firm, about 5 minutes. Drain in colander and rinse under cold water. Drain well and cover with a damp kitchen towel until completely cool.

3
Peel and devein the prawns. Bring 2 cups salted water to a boil in a saucepan, and poach prawns until they turn pink and opaque, about 1 minute. Drain and cool.

4
Divide noodles equally among four serving bowls and cover noodles with iced water. Add three ice cubes to each bowl and arrange the prawns, tomatoes and cucumber on top.

5
Place spring onions and grated ginger into 4 small dishes and pour dipping sauce over the top, adjusting to taste. Dip the noodles, prawns, and vegetables into the dipping sauce before eating.

Serves 4

Preparation time:
30 mins

Cooking time:
5 mins

Japanese Sponge Cake
(Kasutera)

5 large eggs

150 g (5 oz) Caster sugar

60 ml (¼ cup) honey

¾ teaspoon baking powder

90 g (3 oz) all-purpose flour

Caster sugar for dusting

1
Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour a 22½-cm (9-in) square baking pan.

2
Break the eggs in a bowl and beat until frothy. Beat in the sugar and honey gradually. Continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale and the beaters leave a thin ribbon, about 12 minutes.

3
Sift the baking powder and flour together into the bowl with the egg mixture.

4
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture until just combined, and carefully pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan.

5
Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool on a wire rack.

6
Dust with caster sugar and cut into squares before serving.

Serves 6 to 8

Preparation time:
10 mins

Cooking time:
30 mins

Beat the egg mixture for about 12 minutes until it leaves a ribbon trail.

Cool the cake on a wire rack and dust with caster sugar.