C.Motoko Alexander

Cooking time: 45mins

Ingredients (Serving for 1)
150g Bracken Flour (Warabi ko)
650cc Water
20g Soybean Powder (Kinako)
20g Sugar
A pinch of salt

1. Put bracken flour and water in a pot and mix well
2. Put 2 in a medium heat and keep  mixing until its get sticky
3. Turn down to low heat and mix them again until its colour become clear
4. Put it in a container and cover with plastic wrap
5. Put the container in the cold water to cool it down and coagulates
6. Take it out from container, cut it into preferable size
7. Mix all Kinako Soybean powder, sugar and salt and sprinkle over 6

Method

1. Put all ingredients in a bowl and add some water little by little and whisk until it gets smooth

2. Strain.

3. Replace all the ingredients into the heat-resistance bowl

4. Leave 1cm on each side of the boal and cover with cling film 

5. Put the bowl in the microwave for 7mins30seconds with 500W

6. Leave until it gets cooler

7. Cut it into any shapes

2 bags of Hiyashi Chuka Noodles
2 eggs
1/3 cucumber
1/2 tomato
1/2 bag of bean sprouts
2 slices of Ham

（A）
- Vinegar Soy Sauce -
50cc Soy Sauce
60cc Vinegar
70cc Water
20g Sugar
A pinch of salt
A pinch of Ajinomoto (MSG seasoning)
1 teaspoon Sesame Oil

Method

1.  Boil water in a pot, and boil noodles for 2-3 minutes. When the noodles boiled, rinse with cold water, drain in a sieve. Transfer noodles in to bowl and add sesame oil and salad oil. Mix well.

2. Cut vegetables and ham in stripes. Boil bean sprouts. Make Kinshi Tamago (shredded egg crepes) and cut in thin stripes.

How to make Kinshi-Tamago : Place the eggs in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and whisk strongly. Place a pan on medium heat. When the pan is hot, pour a small quantity of egg and tilt the pan around to spread the egg evenly. Wait for one minute and when the egg surface became dry, turn the crepe over to cook the other side. Repeat this step few times to make 4-5 paper thin crepes.

3.  Prepare special sauce : Place all the (A) ingredients in a pot and turn heat to medium and bring to a boil. Remove from heat as soon as sugar dissolved properly.

Transfer noodles into plates, put vegetables, egg and ham on top and pour special sauce. Hiyashi Chuka is ready for serving.

120g thinly sliced pork loin
150g daikon radish
50g  carrot
2  potatoes
1/3   burdock root
1/2 cake kon-nyaku (a hard jelly made from the starch of devil's tongue)
5 cups  dashi soup stock
80g red miso (bean paste)
1-2  Japanese leeks finely chopped

Directions:

1. Cut pork into bite size pieces. Cut daikon radish, carrot and potato into about 3mm rectangular pieces.
2. Wash and scrub burdock, and shave. Immediately soak in water, and drain. Blanch kon-nyaku in boiling water.
3. Boil dashi soup stock and place sliced pork meat, skimming occasionally. Place daikon radish, carrot, potatoes, burdock root and kon-nyaku in a soup pot, and boil until vegetables become tender. Soften miso with soup, and mix in the pot and simmer.
4. Turn off heat and serve in soup bowls. Sprinkle chopped Japanese leeks on top, and now ready to serve.

Ingredients (serving for 4) 

■　 500g  boiled bamboo shoot
■  100g  wakame seaweed (soak dried seaweed in water and reconstitute)
■  2 cups dashi broth ; use katuodashi powder (fish base broth) or boil soaked dried kombu (kelp) and katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and simmer for 10-15 minutes, and strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer.
■  buds of Japanese pepper (kinome or sansho)
（A）
■  2 tablespoons  sake  
■  2 tablespoons  sugar 
■  2 tablespoons  lighter-colored soy sauce 

Directions

1. Cut bamboo shoot into two parts - upper and lower parts. Slice the upper part along fiber in bite pieces and the lower part in pieces about 1cm thick.
2. Soak dried seaweed in water and reconstitute. Wash and cut into 3-4cm pieces.
3. Put dashi broth and bamboo shoots in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add ingredients (A) and cover the pan with a paper drop lid *. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove the paper lid and add soaked seaweed and bring to a boil just for a minute and remove from heat.
* Note: Drop lids are traditionally made out of wood. Paper drop lid can be bought in a store or can be created at home by cutting out of parchment paper.
4. Serve bamboo shoots and seaweeds in a dish and place a leaf of Japanese pepper (kinome or sansho) on top. Wakatakeni is ready for serving !

■ 1 cup (225g)  glutinous rice
■ a pinch of salt (for glutinous rice)
■ 50~60g  sweet red bean paste (ready-made : slightly mashed type)

["kinako" soybean powder mix]
■ 3 tablespoons  "kinako" soybean powder
■ 1.5 tablespoons  sugar
■ a pinch of salt

[Sweet red bean paste]
■ 200~250g  sweet red bean paste (ready-made : slightly mashed type)

1. Wash glutinous rice, and put into an electric rice cooker with 270ml water. Cook commonly and steam for 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt while sticky rice is hot.
2. Wet a wooden pestle and mash cooked sticky rice until some grains still remain.
3. Wet your hands with salt water and put the mashed sticky rice on your palm and make eight balls (egg size) while it's hot.
4. Mix all the "kinako" soybean powder ingredients.
5. Mash sweet red beans slightly and make four balls.
6. Wrap a sweet red beans ball with mashed sticky rice. Make four balls. Cover with "kinako" soybean powder.
7. In a wet cotton dish towel or tea cloth, flatten and spread a sweet red beans ball. Wrap a plain mashed sticky rice ball with sweet red beans paste. Make four balls.
8. Form each ball in a round or oval shape before serving.

  ※Picture is for illustraive purpose only.

Cooking time: 90mins
Ingredients (serving for 4) 

■ 2 cups or approx 170gr Japanese rice
■ 1 tablespoon Japanese sake
■ 1 square (5 x 5cm) konbu (dried kelp) for soup stock
■ 5-6 saya-endo peas (china peas)
■ 2 abura-age (fried tofu pouches - tofu skin) 
■ 1 small carrot (approx. 3cm)
■ 2-3 dried shiitake mushrooms
■ 2 eggs
■ pinch of salt
■ 2 teaspoons sugar
■ 1 tablespoon roasted sesame
■ 4-5 marinated ginger (marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar)
■(A) vinegar mix
・1 teaspoon salt
・2 tablespoon sugar
・3 tablespoon vinegar
■(B) soy　sauce mix
・1 1/2 tablespoon Japanese sake
・1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
・1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce

1. Wash the rice half an hour before cooking. Add 2 1/2 cups of water, sake and konbu 　(dried kelp).Cook the rice not too soft but rather hard.

2. Mix all the ingredients in (A), and make vinegar mix.

3. (1)Boil abura-age (fried tofu-skin) for 3-4 minutes to remove excess oil, squeeze and drain and cut in stripes. (2)Cut the carrot in a fine julienne.(3)Drain  shiitake mushrooms and reserve the water. Squeeze the mushrooms to remove most of  the water.Cut the mushrooms in fine strips.

4. Transfer to a saucepan the age', shiitake mushrooms, 3/4 mushrooms soaking water and turn heat and bring to a boil. Add (B) soy sauce mix and cook further until the ingredients become soft. Add carrot, cover the pan with a drop lid, cook for 1-2 minutes, and drain the vegetables.

5. To prepare Kinshi Tamago (shredded egg crepes), crack the eggs in a small bowl with a pinch of salt and sugar, whisk vigorously, and stain. Stick clear wrap on a flat dish, pour half of the egg mix and cook in a microwave for one minute to make an egg crepe. Repeat the same process and cook remaining egg mix.Cut the egg crepes to a very fine julienne.

6. Remove kombu from the rice and transfer to a bowl. Add the vinegar mix to the rice,not stirring but mixing with a "cutting" motion.Gather the rice and leave it for 1-2 minutes to settle taste.Spread the rice and use a fan to cool the rice.

7. Sprinkle roasted sesame on the hot sushi rice, and combine the vegetable mix Transfer to a serving dish and top the rice with kinshi-tamago (shredded egg crepes),shredded marinated gingers and saya-endo peas (china peas).Chirashi sushi is ready for serving.
 

※Picture is for illustrative purpose only.

Cooking time: 30mins

Ingredients (serving for 2)
 
1 whole Crab
1 pack/cluster  Maitake mushroom 
1 bag or 5-6 Shiitake mushroom
half  Chinese cabbage  
half bunch  Crown daisy (Shungiku) 
2   Spring Onion 
1 bag  Kudzu (arrowroot) noodle 
1 pack  Tofu (bean curd)

7-8 cups Japanese (kelp/fish base) soup stock   
3 tablespoon Soy sauce  

1. Pluck or cut crab claws and legs at joints, and cut a notch on each piece.
2. Cut Maitake mushroom into small florets.
    Remove stems from Shiitake mushrooms.
3. Chop Chinese cabbage into big pieces in bias.
    Chop crown daisy into halves.
    Cut spring onion into 4cm pieces.
    Cut tofu into 3cm cube blocks (bite size).
4. Boil Kudzu noodle in a big pan until become soft.
5. Boil Japanese soup stock in a clay pot (donabe pot), and add some soy sauce for taste.
6. Place crab claws, legs and whole shell into the pot and boil.
   Add some vegetables, tofu and noodles into a pot and boil until all the ingredients nicely cooked.

 

※Picture is for illustraive purpose only.

Cooking time: 30mins

Ingredients (serving for 2)
1 packet fresh oysters (about 10 pieces)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup bread crumbs    
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg (lightly whisked)    
Fresh vegetables for dish up (cabbages, tomatoes, etc.)

Tartar sauce
2 eggs　(boil about 10 minutes)
1/2 onions
one bunch of parsley
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Fried Oysters
1. Wash fresh oysters with water mixed with a pinch of salt, change water few times until remove dirt.
2. Drain oysters on kitchen/absorbent paper, and sprinkle salt and pepper.
3. Dip oysters into cornstarch, and into lightly-whisked eggs, and then into bread crumbles.
4. Deep-fry oysters in hot oil (180 degrees) for about one minute.
5. Pour tartar sauce on the fried oysters and serve with fresh vegetables (cabbages and tomatoes etc.)

Tartar sauce : Chop hard-boiled eggs in tiny pieces, and mix with finely chopped onions and seasonings.
　　　　　　　

※Picture is for illustrative purpose only.

Cooking time: 60 mins

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 cups rice
150 g chestnuts
370 cc soup stock

Seasonings:
2 tbsp + 1 tsp sake
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
A pinch salt

1. Soak the chestnuts in water for approximately 30 minutes to soften the shells for easy peeling. Wash the rice and leave it in a strainer for approximately 30 minutes.

2. Make a small cut on the bottom of each chestnut and peel off the hard outer shell and the bitter inner skin using a knife. Cut them in half and soak in water for 10 minutes.

3. Add the rice, soup stock, all the seasonings and the chestnuts to a rice cooker and stir lightly. Cook in the same manner as normal rice.

4. When the rice is cooked, leave it to steam for 10 minutes. Mix lightly and serve.

 ※Picture is for illustrative purpose only.

Cooking time: 60 mins

Ingredients (Serving 2)

1 or 2 Matsutake mushrooms
2 cups (360 ml) of Rice
1 cup (90 ml) of Mochi sticky rice
1 pc Kombu kelp
300 ml of Water
1/4 Carrot
1 pc Fried bean curd

Seasonings:
2 tbsp of Sake
2 tsp of Mirin (sweet sake)
1/2 tsp of Salt
1 tbsp of Soy sauce
Appropriate amount of chopped Mitsuba (Japanese parsley)

1. Wash the rice and mochi sticky rice together and leave it in a strainer.

2. Soak the kombu in 300 ml of water.

3. Scrape off the skin of the matsutake mushrooms at the bottom 2 cm with a knife in the same manner as sharpening a pencil. Remove any soil with a moist, tightly wrung out paper towel.

4. Finely chop the carrot.

5. Place the fried bean curd in between two pieces of paper towel to remove any excess grease and finely chop.

6. Separate the caps of the matsutake mushrooms from the stems by cutting them. Cut the stem into 3 cm lengths, halve them lengthwise and thinly slice them lengthwise along the fibers. Cut the cap radially.

7. Put the washed rice into a rice cooker. Add the sake, mirin, salt, soy sauce and kombu stock up to the 3 cup (540 ml) mark. Add the carrot, fried bean curd and matsutake mushrooms and lightly mix them before turning on the cooker in the normal manner.

8. When the rice is cooked, leave it to steam for 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle on the chopped mitsuba and lightly fold it into the rice.

※Picture is for illustrative purpose only.

Ingredients

1 pack grilled tofu
1 onion
1 leek
1 pack kikuna leaves (or seri)
1 pack enoki mushrooms
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms
(Option: 1-2 packs udon noodles)

Sukiyaki sauce
Appropriate amount of sake
Appropriate amount of sugar
Appropriate amount of soy sauce

2-4 eggs
Appropriate amount of beef fat

Preparation
1. Cut the onion, enoki mushrooms and tofu into bite-size pieces.

2. Remove the hard parts of the shiitake stems. Slice the leek diagonally.

3. Cut beef slices in half lengthwise. Lightly cook the shirataki noodles in boiling water and drain.

4. Place the beef fat in a heated skillet and coat the surface with the rendered oil. Spread and place beef slices in the skillet. Stir in appropriate amounts of sugar, sake and soy sauce and sauté. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook. (Option: Add water to the skillet to thin the sauce and simmer the udon noodles in the skillet.)

5. Serve in individual bowls with a side dip of beaten raw egg.

※Picture is for illustrative purpose only.

Cooking time: 15 mins

Ingredients (serving 2)
2 packages of Unagi-no-Kabayaki
2 tsp sake rice wine
4-6 tbsp kabayaki sauce
Japanese pepper                        

1.Place unagi the skin side down on a large skillet.
2.Pour 1 tbsp of sake rice wine over unagi. Cover the skillet with a lid
  and steam cook for a couple minutes on low heat.
3.Serve hot steamed rice into two large rice bowls.
4.Pour some kabayaki sauce over the rice. Top with heated unagi pieces.
5.Pour more kabayaki sauce and Japanese pepper over unagi.

※Picture is for illustrative purpose only.

Cooking time: 30mins

Ingredients (serving 2 people)

50g chicken breast,cut into 1cm-cubes
1/4 onion,finely chopped
2 mashrooms,finely chopped
4 eggs
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tsp oil
200g rice,cooked  

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken.
   Add onions and mashrooms after the meat turns brown.
2. Add tomato ketchup and rice. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the rice into half.
4. Heat a 1 tsp oil in a frying pan and pour egg.
   Spread it evenly and place 3) when the egg becomes half-cooked.
5. Wrap the rice over with the egg sliding it to a plate.
6. Add tomato ketchup on the top.

※Picture is for illustrative purpose only.

Cooking time: 50mins

Ingredients (serving 2 people)

1 tbsp oil, plus extra for greasing hands
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
250g minced beef
25g fresh white bread crumbles
1 egg
1 tsp salt
black pepper

A)for gravy
2 tbsp red wine
2 tbsp Tomato ketchup
2/3 tbsp worcester sauce

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and fry the onion gently
    until soft but not browned.Leave to cool.
2. Put the minced beef in a large bowl with the fried onion,
    bread crumbs and egg.Season with the salt and pepper.
    Knead well by hand untill the ingredients are thoroughly
    combined and the mixture becomes sticky. It is important to keep
    the meat soft and juicy for this recipe. Diveide the mixture into two.
3. Put a little oil on your hands.Take a portion of the mixture
    and throw it from one hand to the other 5 to 6 times to remove any air.
    Then shape the mixture into a 2cm/3 thick burger.
    Repeat with the remaining mixture.
4. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and add the burgers.
    Fry over a high heat untill browned on one side, then turn over.
    Take out from the pan.
6. Put A) and 2 tbsp water into the pan.Stir well with
    remaining meat juice in the pan till thick. 
5. Serve the burgers topped with the gravy.