Japanese risotto with mushrooms & scallions

For ➋

80 cl water

1 tbs miso* 

1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil 

100 g sushi or other short-grain rice 

10 cl sake 

salt & freshly ground black pepper 

150 g enoki or shimeji mushrooms 

50 g chopped scallions 

25-50 g kaiware daikon sprouts**

2 tbs olive oil

Combine 1 tbs miso with the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the stock. 

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the rice, stirring constantly in one direction, until well coated. Remove the pan from the heat and add the sake. Return to the heat and stir constantly in one direction until all of the liquid is absorbed. 

Add the stock in 10 cl increments, stirring constantly until the liquid is absorbed with each addition (about 12-15 m)***.   Season with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile stir-fry the mushrooms and scallions in 1 tbs of oil. (about 5 m). Add some mirin if you want. The last 2 m add the sprouts.

Spoon into serving bowls. Garnish with the mushrooms, scallions, and sprouts and serve.

*or vegetal stock

**or sliced daikon

***or pour the warm miso stock on the rice, bring to a boil, cover with a lid and let cook on moderate heat for 12-15 m.

Read tip on risotto making.

Vegetables terrine

For ➋
1 big black or white radish or daikon
600 g vegetables (leek, carrot, radish, okra, cauliflower, yellow pepper, green asparagus)
salt
15 g agaragar flakes

Cut large slices of the radish with a peeler. Cut the rest of the vegetables into thick strips.
Bring 2 liters of salted water to the boil. Blanch the vegetables type by species briefly in the boiling water. Let them cool on a piece of kitchen paper. Keep approximately 24 cl of the cooking water apart.
Line a terrine (or several smaller shapes) with the slices of radish ash and keep a few slices on the side. Arrange the vegetables in the terrine.
Heat the stored water to the boiling point and stir in agar agar flakes until they are completely dissolved. Simmer for 10 m. Allow to cool slightly and pour the water into the vegetables. Close the terrine with the remaining slices of radish and press everything. Allow the whole to set for at least 6 h in the refrigerator.
Remove the terrine from the mold and cut into thick slices, if the smaller molds are just in two bite-sized pieces.

Ginger salmon

For ➋
250 g daikon radish
15 g (½ tbs) ginger, grated
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs soy sauce
2 ts sugar
¼ ts salt
450 g salmon
1 tbs potato starch
½ tbs toasted sesame seeds
sprouts, for garnish

Grate the daikon into a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the grated daikon to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Set the daikon aside.
To make the dressing, whisk together the ginger, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and salt.
Bring a pot a pot filled with about 3 quarts of water to a boil. Prepare a bowl of ice water.
Remove the skin and any bones from the salmon and cut into bite-size pieces.
Put the salmon in a tray in a single layer and then add half the potato starch into a small fine mesh sieve (such as a tea strainer). Tap to dust the salmon evenly with potato starch. Flip the salmon over and repeat with the remaining starch.
When the water comes to a boil, add the salmon all at once and then give it a quick stir. Boil for 20 s and then turn off the heat. Let the salmon poach for about 2 m or until it flakes easily.
Transfer the salmon to the ice water using a slotted spoon and chill.
When the salmon has chilled transfer the salmon to a wire rack lined with a few sheets of paper towels.
Add the salmon to the dressing along with the sesame seeds. Toss to coat evenly.
Plate the salmon and then add the grated daikon to the remaining dressing in the bowl and stir to evenly combine. Mound the seasoned daikon atop the salmon and then garnish with chopped scallions or fresh sprouts, like broccoli sprouts, and some extra toasted sesame seeds.

Raw shaved asparagus salad

For ➍
350 g large very fresh asparagus, tough ends trimmed
1 daikon or white raddish, peeled
2 carrots, peeled
12 fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced
2 tbs freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbs white-wine vinegar
½ ts mustard
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper

Using a vegetable peeler, peel long, thin slices of asparagus into a bowl. Cut ends of both the carrots and radish on a slight bias, and peel thin strips of each into the bowl with the asparagus. Toss together. Sprinkle with mint.
In another bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar and mustard. While continuing to whisk, drizzle oil into the bowl until well combined; season with salt and pepper.

Drizzle vinaigrette over the vegetables and gently toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Try another shaved asparagus salad.  Read tip on cooking asparagus.

Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet)

For ➋-➍
4 large eggs
1 tbs sugar (slightly more for cold tamagoyaki)
1 ts mirin
¼ ts salt
½ ts light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu)* or regular soy sauce
oil for cooking
(halve the quantities for a 2-egg tamagoyaki**)
extra:
20 cm non-stick frying pan
a heat resistant brush or kitchen paper, for spreading the oil
1 or 2 forks, or 1 fork and a pair of chopsticks
sushi rolling mat
a fine-meshed sieve***

Heat up the pan on medium-low heat. Make ready a small bowl of oil, and the brush or kitchen paper.
In another bowl, beat all the ingredients together with a fork or chopsticks. Don’t use a whisk since because it would foam the eggs. (Strain the egg mixture through a sieve to even it out, making a finer and more even egg mix.)***
Brush the heated pan with a little oil. Put in about 2 to 3 tbs of egg mixture in the pan. Cook gently (lower the heat if necessary) until it’s not quite set on top, but not runny. Roll it up with a fork or chopsticks to one side of the pan.
Brush the exposed part of the pan with a little oil.
Put another couple of tbs of egg mixture in the pan. Spread it around, lifting the cooked egg so that the uncooked egg flows below it.
Cook until this layer is almost set, then roll the whole egg to the opposite side of where it is.
Brush the pan again with oil. Add another couple of tbs of egg mixture in the pan, and spread around the pan and under the cooked egg.
Keep repeating this procedure until the egg mixture is used up.
Put the tamagoyaki on a moistened sushi rolling mat, seam side down.
Roll it up tightly.
Take it out, slice with a sharp knife and serve immediately with some grated daikon radish, with a tiny bit of soy sauce.
When making it for a bento box, leave the whole roll in the mat over a raised rim plate or bowl until it’s cooled to room temperature. This allows air to pass under and over it, cooling it faster. Slice into even pieces. Cut off the ends for nice cuts.

*Using light soy sauce will keep the colour pale yellow. Cook over low heat to avoid browning.
**A 2 eggs variant will be thinner.
***Optional.

'Tamagoyaki' or 'atsuyaki tamago' means fried egg in Japanese. A slightly sweeter (with some more sugar) variation is used cold in bento boxes and on sushi rolls. Vary the flavor by adding finely chopped green onion or garlic chives, or small bits of nori seaweed. Achieve a black-and-yellow spiral effect by putting torn pieces of nori over each almost-set egg layer before rolling. In Japan, a square pan would be used to make perfect rolls.
If the tamagoyaki seems a bit too runny, firm it in the microwave for about 1 m.

tip: steaming vegetables

approximate steaming times

• Artichokes Steam whole artichokes 25-40 m Season with extra virgin olive oil and lemon zest
• Asparagus Whole spears, thick spears peeled lightly 7-13 m Serve with quince jam, cranberry jam, olive oil combined with lemon zest, or olive oil combined with sesame seeds
• Asparagus Cut into 2-inch pieces 4-7 m Season with olive oil combined with lemon zest or sesame seeds
• Green beans, Whole beans 6-10 m Season with garlic
• Wax beans, wax Whole beans 6-10 m Season with garlic
• Beetroot, small or medium-sized Whole, unpeeled beets scrubbed clean; peel off the skins after steaming 35-50 m Season with fresh thyme
• Beet greens Cleaned and coarsely chopped 7-9 m Drizzle with olive oil
• Broccoli Trimmed stalks 8-12 m Season with olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lemon juice, lime juice, or balsamic vinegar
• Broccoli Trimmed stalks split in half or florets 5-7 m Extra-virgin olive oil, pumpkin seed oil, lemon juice, lime juice, or balsamic vinegar
• Brussels sprouts Whole, trimmed 8-15 m Season with fresh thyme
• Brussels sprouts Trimmed and halved 6-8 m Season with fresh thyme
• Cabbage Cut in wedges 6-10 m Lemon or lime juice
• Carrots Cut into 0.5 cm thick slices 7-10 m Season with honey combined with cinnamon or ginger
• Carrots, baby Whole baby carrots 10-12 m Season with honey combined with cinnamon or ginger
• Cauliflower Florets 5-10 m Lemon or lime juice
• Celeriac Cut into 0.5 cm thick matchsticks 5-7 m
• Celery stalks Cut into 1,2 cm thick slices 4-9 m Season with seeds
• Corn on the cob Whole, husks removed 7-10 m Homemade chicken or vegetable stock
• Daikon radishes Peeled and cut into chunks 8-12 m Season with fresh herbs
• Endives Cut in half lengthwise 5-10 m Drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice
• Fennel bulbs Cut crosswise into 1,2 cm slices 8-10 m Season with olive oil and basil (or lemon)
• Jerusalem artichokes Peeled or scrubbed; sliced 5-8 m Serve with arugula or fresh herbs such as chives or parsley
• Jerusalem artichokes Whole tubers, peeled or scrubbed 20-25 m Serve with arugula or fresh herbs such as chives or parsley
• Kale Trimmed 4-7 m Drizzle with olive oil and crushed garlic
• Kohlrabi Peeled and cut into 1,2 cm cubes 5-8 m Toss with parsley and olive oil
• Leeks Trimmed, cut in half 5-8 m Season with your favorite vinaigrette
• Okra Fresh whole okra, trimmed 6-8 m Season with lemon/lime juice and parsley, or with sauteed scallions
• Onions, pearl Whole onions, peeled 8-12 m
• Parsnips Peeled and cut into 1,2 cm slices 7-10 m Season with fresh herbs such as oregano or parsley
• Peas, green Fresh, shelled peas 2-4 m Season with fresh herbs (such as mt) or lemon juice
• Peas, sugar snap Whole pea pods, trimmed 5-6 m Season with fresh herbs (such as mt) or lemon juice
• Potatoes, all Peeled or scrubbed clean, cut into 1,2 cm slices 8-12 m Toss with fresh parsley, rosemary or dill
• Potatoes, new Whole, scrubbed clean 15-20 m Toss with fresh parsley, rosemary or dill, or with chopped red onions
• Radishes Whole radishes, trimmed 7-14 m Season with chopped scallions or chives
• Scallions Cut into ½-inch slices 3-5 m
• Spinach Cleaned, whole leaves 3-5 m Season with olive oil and garlic, or sesame seeds
• Squash, butternut Peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes 7-10 m Season with honey, lemon juice, and rosemary
• Turnips Cut into 1/2-inch cubes 8-12 m Season with olive oil and fresh herbs
• Turnip greens Cleaned and coarsely chopped 4-6 m Season with olive oil and garlic
• Sweet potatoes Cut into large chunks 8-12 m Season with honey and lemon juice
• Swiss chard Coarsely chopped leaves 3-5 m Serve with chopped fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, olive oil and pepper
• Zucchini Cut into 2.5 cm slices 5-8 m Season with olive oil, lemon/lime juice, and fresh herbs (such as thyme or rosemary)

It is also possible to steam bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomatillos, and garlic; however, other cooking methods, such as roasting, may be better suited to retain their texture and/or bring out their flavor.