Japanese-European Kaiseki Dinner!

In one of my recent posts, I must have told you my respect for Japanese cuisine, due to its simplistic approach towards cooking, treatment to each ingredients of cooking and putting all the puzzles together in one plate. Be it a prized sushi or a bowl of steaming hot ramen or how to assimilate Western influences in their cooking--tempura, hamburger or curry!

I also bought a couple of ingredients from Narita when I visited in the beginning of this month, like miso paste, cooking sake, mirin, red bean paste to make a Japanese dinner with touches of Europe.
And here was the proposed Menu

An evening appreciating Japanese classics with twist with Sake

Steamed Edamame, Eel Kabayaki, Shrimp Tempura

Tensuyu dipping

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Smoked Bacon “Tonjiru”

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Tau Kwa Teriyaki

Sunomono, Spinach “Ohitashi”

-

Miso Salmon

Soba, scallop, chillies

-

Braised Beef Donburi

Red wine braised shortribs, pan seared foie gras

-

Homemade Matcha Ice cream

Mizu Yokan

*I had to replace Spinach Ohitashi with Broccolini Gomae!

Set up for Sake in Tokkuri, Ochoko, chopsticks for dinner !

Steamed Edamame, Eel Kabayaki, Shrimp Tempura

Tensuyu dipping

This is a very simple appetiser plate--Steamed Edamame(It is in the season now!), some shrimp tempura(another bar food) and some Unagi, barbecued Eel. There is also tentsuyu dipping of for the Tempura. Edamame is only tossed with some seasalt!

Smoked Bacon “Tonjiru”

Smoked Bacon Tonjiru
Almost like a miso soup made with smoked bacon bits, miniscule onions, carrots, tofu and spring onion with a scoop of Miso paste. Soup base? Dashi stock without Bonito!

Tau Kwa Teriyaki

Sunomono, Broccolini Gomae

Tau Kwa Teriyaki
I had some Tau Kwa lying in my fridge. Tau Kwa is a firmed tofu perfect for barbecue or deep frying without the fear of crumbling it. Simply cooked with teriyaki sauce and served with a side of Broccolini Gomae(instead of Spinach Ohitashi) and cucumber sunomono.

Miso Salmon

Soba, scallop, chillies

Miso Salmon
I couldn't find black cod or "sablefish" around but why not try with Salmon with success. Equal parts of sake and mirin and double part of Miso paste (some will vouch that you can use only Saikyo Miso or White miso!). It was marinated for about 4-5 days before it was baked in the oven. To serve alongwith with salmon, I tossed some Soba noodles with Scallops and some prized XO sauce!

Braised Beef Donburi

Red wine braised shortribs, pan seared foie gras

Braised Beef Donburi
When I braising beef about a month ago, I didnt know that I will be using it for donburi. Beef short ribs were marinated in Red wine for about 4-5 days and then braised for 3 hours to get some real tender short ribs. Here served with Japanese rice and topped with a pan seared foie gras.

Homemade Matcha Ice cream

Mizu Yokan

Homemade Matcha Ice cream
Last month I found a packet of "Matcha Ice-cream Mix" and very simple instructions to follow! Mix with milk and blend for a couple of minutes and straight in ice-cream churner. Voila! In 25 minutes it is done! You know I love Green Tea aka Matcha ice-cream! To go alongwith it, I prepared Mizu Yokan, a red bean jelly--red bean paste cooked with agar and cooled down. Set and cut into cubes. Simple. Green Tea Kit Kat is very simple to procure from Narita.






Hope you enjoyed the pictures...
Sayonara!

Finally I made Sushi :D

Don't dunk your nigiri in the soy sauce. Don't mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. If the rice is good, complement your sushi chef on the rice.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/sushi.html

 "Don't dunk your nigiri in the soy sauce. Don't mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. If the rice is good, complement your sushi chef on the rice."--Anthony Bourdain

Don't dunk your nigiri in the soy sauce. Don't mix your wasabi in the soy sauce. If the rice is good, complement your sushi chef on the rice.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/sushi.htmlD

The table is set for a Sushi Dinner

Ever since I watched the videos of Sushi Chef Jiro Ono, I had been craving to make Sushi at home. I bought the raw ingredients from Narita and Melbourne---sushi rice,sake, mirin, kombu or kelp, nori sheet, salmon, scallop, grilled eel, trevally fish, flounder, sushi vinegar, clam. But I wasn't sure when to make with a tight schedule. My chillers are filled with veggies and they are to be consumed asap otherwise, they might spoil. The freezer is filled with meats, fishes and many sauces. August 11th, I am planning to make my exquisite Japanese style European menu--perhaps today was the day, August 10th.

I started by cooking the rice in the afternoon. I started by washing the Koshihikari rice for at least  5-6 times until the water ran clear and then soak for at least 1 hour. Strain out the water and cook rice with kombu in the stovetop for 10 mins and then let it cook in its own steam for another 15 mins. Added the Sushi Vinegar till I let the cooked rice come down to room temperature---just perfect!

In the evening made the nikiri sauce--a dressing or sauce you'll see only in high end Japanese Sushi restaurants where the chef will apply a mysteriously looking black coloured sauce against the fish before serving you the nigiri. In simple words, 1 part of Mirin is reduced and then 2 parts of Soy Sauce are added and then reduced further until you get a syrup.

Torched Salmon Belly Nigiri

I started my first one-- Torched Salmon belly nigiri!
Delicious. By the way, the pickled ginger is home made!

Raw Salmon Nigiri

Scallops-- Torched and Raw, Nigiristyle Sushi

Raw Trevally --Nigiristyle

Raw Clams

The one for the brave--Unagi(barbecued Eel) Nigiristyle sushi

It was a great experience to have some homemade Sushi. Jiro Ono in making?? :P

See yaa later :)

Respect for Japan

"All four elements were happening in equal measure - the cuisine, the wine, the service, and the overall ambience. It taught me that dining could happen at a spiritual level", Charlie Trotter.

I completely agree with what Charlie Trotter said.If there is any nation which takes its food seriously or even "food" in general seriously, it is Japan. A small country (more of an archipelago to me), nestled in the easternmost part of the world, experienced and still experiencing natural and man-made calamities (read: Earthquakes, tsunami and what happened on August 6th and August 9th, 1945), is still making major breakthroughs in terms of technology, culture and cuisine!

One should learn from Japan how to nurture a particular product, it can be a square shaped watermelon (which can go upto USD800 for a piece, but a small price for a place where one must learn to utilise every bit of space!) to a pair of Yubari King Melon (can cost upto USD26,000 for a pair--not going to pay for a hybrid cantaloupe!). Or it can be how to treat (holy)cow for future consumption---the happy bovines listen to music, eat hay and grains, drink beer and provide  world-class marbled cuts around the world. Or a Japanese strawberry which can weigh upto 100gms or sometimes even more and each can cost upto USD500 each! Make white strawberries by crossbred and manmade varieties and through controlled sunlight (just piece can pinch you for USD10!)
Crazy?? May be they put it as "how to make it just perfect"! Be it whiskey (errr...Whisky as in Japan) which can give toughtime to its Scottish elder brothers or some fine knives, to some it is an art. Even for that matter, how to cook rice (for sushi). I was told it takes about three years to cook the rice perfectly for making sushi, before you can qualify yourself as a "Sushi chef". So the guy in the restaurants of the Tokyo may not be a new kid in the block.

Those little garnishes, served or put on the table are at their peak of taste! Be it very young ginger pickled to go along with your meal or some preserved cherry blossom or the perfectly cooked "Miso Cod" and you just cry that you have never tasted something better than this (and probably you'll never be).You eat green tea ice-cream or green tea latte(be it at Starbucks or anywhere else) and makes you wonder, "How the hell did they think about this?". Or something simple as some boiled salted Edamame to go along with Sapporo or Asahi! I must say, Japanese are (probably)much connected to nature than the rest of the world.

I was initiated to Japanese Cuisine back in the days when I was called "Escoffier" in my college, especially the final years. All I knew that Japanese cuisine comprises of Sushi, Sashimi, Miso soup, red beans (azuki beans). Period. I also developed some ethics in those days! Some of them can be
1)Will not eat anything raw as raw fish and raw meat (which went away eventually)
2)Will not eat beef(this one also went away in due course)

I have had Sushi/Sashimi when I was in Dubai, especially from Friday Brunch(while at work), though my favorite was California Roll but I wasn't a big fan of nigiri. Miyako was one of my favorites in Hyatt Regency Dubai, especially for the quick saturday lunch. But everything faded away until I had Sushi in places like Hong Kong,San Francisco, Sydney and of course in Narita(not in Tokyo!). It is an art which can never be replicated but learnt from scratch. I was a "make shift Sushi Chef" in Ritz Carlton Dubai when our Sushi Chef was on leave. Job was to make Sushi everyday and also "Italian style Sushi"(who would even make that??) for Friday Brunch. I was being chastised everyday by those who had knowledge about Sushi or knew it more than I knew.

Eating Sushi in Japan made my dream come true, partially. If I am asked my favorites, it will definitely be a platter of Sashimi (except Tuna--I dont like it in any form!), some salmon nigiri especially with the fatty part--last time I ate in a Sushi restaurant in Narita, where you have to option to ask for less rice for the Sushi. I am a big fan of Uni. I love Miso Soup. A trip to East Asia wont be complete if I dont get to have Matcha Icecream and Matcha Latte. Prawn tempura? Oh yes, bring it on. Chawamushi? I am game for it.

Last night, I returned from Narita. I also brought a number of raw ingredients from there to utilise them in Abu Dhabi. Be it Miso paste, Mirin, cooking sake or sesame. For the last few days I had been designing a menu, a (con)fusion Menu! Japanese ingredients and classics, done the European way!

An evening appreciating Japanese classics with twist with Sake

Steamed Edamame, Eel Kabayaki, Shrimp Tempura

Tensuyu dipping

-

Smoked Bacon “Tonjiru”

-

Tau Kwa Teriyaki

Sunomono, Spinach “Ohitashi”

-

Miso Salmon

Soba, scallop, chillies

-

Braised Beef Donburi

Red wine braised shortribs, pan seared foie gras

-

Homemade Matcha Ice cream

Mizu Yokan

I would love to know what do you think about this menu.Once I make them, I will definitely post pictures in the blog and may be share a recipe or two.
For now..."Sayonara".
P.S.- I said my dream came true partially. It will become true completely when I will visit Tokyo as a tourist, eat a multiple sushi course in Jiro Ono's restaurant and a fantastic Kaiseki experience in Kyoto.