JAPANESE DISHES sushi is a very delicate and decorative dish which allows a wide extent of imaginative preparation. This recipe will make about 10 rolls. They do not keep very well so scale down the quantities if you will not use all 10 in the next few days. One roll cut into 8 pieces is generally sufficient entree for 2 people. The un-used nori sheets should be packed in an air tight container to prevent moisture destroying the flavour and crispness.
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300 gm white rice (brown rice will do but it will over-power some of the nori flavour)
1 medium red capsicum, cut in thin strips
1 t/s salt
700 ml water
1 packet Japanese nori (10 sheets)
3-4 d/s vegetable oil for cooking
Soy sauce with pin-hole bottle top .
W
ash the rice in running water then drain. Bring the water and salt to the boil then add the rice. Stir and when boiling, stir again and then lower heat to allow a very slow simmer with covered pan. While this is simmering, fry the capsicum strips in the oil until they are soft. Be careful not to burn the capsicum as the subtle flavour of the nori will be destroyed. When the rice is soft and has absorbed all the water, add the fried capsicum. Mix well and fry for a few minutes. The red capsicum should be evenly distributed throughout the rice.I
f you cannot get pre-toasted sheets, toast the raw nori sheets one by one under a griller or over a flame until they are an even green colour. Sprinkle each sheet with soy sauce or tamari through the pin-hole. Use a Japanese soy sauce as these are naturally fermented and have a remarkably superior quality to other sauces. This will soften the sheets in a few minutes. You will notice that one side of the nori is shiny and the other side is dull. Sprinkle and load the rice on the dull side.A
n alternative to toasting the nori sheets is to purchase a pre-toasted variety. In this case you will need only to sprinkle the sheets with soy sauce.P
lace each sheet with the dull side up and the long edge leading away from you. At the nearest end spread 2 heaped d/s of the rice mixture evenly to about 1/3 of the length up the sheet. Pack it neatly to follow the edges of the nori. Lift up the sheet end near the rice and tightly roll the rice into the sheet. Do this while the rice is still hot and gluggy. Place the rolls on grease-proof paper and allow them to cool in which time the nori will shrink a little and make the roll bouncy and firm. Cover with a plastic sheet and store in this way until ready to serve.S
erve by cutting the rolls into bite-size cylinders. Each roll should cut into 8 even pieces, but you will need a very sharp knife to prevent ripping the nori. Present in an upright position on a lettuce leaf so that the colour of the rice and capsicum are seen. Decorate with unused toasted nori which has been cut into small squares or rectangles.
92. NORI-CUCUMBER-WASABI ROLL
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T
his is an alternative to the lprevious sushi recipe but it is definitely an adult taste. Wasabi is a very pungent Japanese horseradish. It is usually available from Japanese or Asian stores in paste form, otherwise it comes in powdered form. In this case make a paste with it according to the directions on the container. Usually this is simply made with water.Rice and sushi as above
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 medium cucumber
1/2 stem spring onion cut into thin strips
thinly grated carrot (optiomal)
wasabi paste
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ut the avocado and cucumber into long slivers. If you are not using a 'continental' cucumber, peel it first. Prepare the rice and sushi as in the above recipe. When the rice is cooked and the nori sheets are soft, spread the plain rice as above. Now place a line of avocado, cucumber, carrot and spring onion slivers across the rice. Pour or squeeze the wasabi over the avocado and cucumber then roll the sushi as in the above recipe. Allow to set for about 15 minutes while covered to prevent drying.S
erve as above or with a dipping sauce made from an even proportion mixture of wasabi paste, soy sauce and water. This sauce can be used for the above recipe also. These rolls will only keep for a day or so.
93. HIZIKI
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T
his is a very tasty sea vegetable which is eaten in large quantities in Japan and other Asian countries. If you find hijiki too powerful in taste, a milder form of it is available under the name of "Arame". You will be able to find both vegetables in dried form at most health or Asian shops. There is a great variation in the quality of Hijiki available from Asian stores. Although most expensive, the variety found in health shops is usually of the highest quality.2 cups (about) of dried hijiki
2 cups water or white wine
1/2 cup soy beans soaked overnight.
1 medium onion, cut into thin half circles
1 " carrot cut into match sticks
3 d/s vegetable oil for cooking
4 d/s soy sauce or tamari, or to taste
1 t/s sugar
1/2 d/s tamarind concentrate or 1/2 lemon juice
D
rain the soy beans, dry off excess water with a table cloth and either deep fry until they are brown or shallow-fry them in the cooking oil before adding the onion. Add the onion and fry until soft.D
rain the hijiki but do not discard any remaining water. It will be added to the cooking later. Add hijiki to the onion and bean mixture and fry for a few minutes. Add the carrot, mix then add the sugar and soy sauce. Add the soaking water and bring to boil then simmer with regular stirring. Add more water if the mixture is becoming too dry. Ideally there should be no free juice left at the end of cooking, so be careful not to include too much water. If you have some Sake (Japanese rice wine), make it with this instead of the white wine. When the carrot and hijiki are soft, stir in the tamarind which as been diluted with a little water or remaining cooking juice. Alternatively add the lemon juice. Stir well at this stage so that all the strands of hijiki are evenly coated. Transfer to a storage jar and allow to cool or serve immediately on rice.
94. HIZIKI ROLL
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O
pen a pita bread like in the falafel roll recipe. Spread some "Nuttilex" margarine (milk-free) on the spongy side, then spread some of the hijiki preparation. Spread some fresh sliced mushroom, white onion rings, thin slivers of red capsicum and chopped spring onion on top of the hijiki then roll this tightly into the pita bread. Place this into a toaster or under a griller and toast all sides until crusty. Remove from heat and when slightly cooled, cut into short cylinders for serving. This may be eaten hot or cold. Excellent with the wasabi dipping sauce above.
95. GOMASIO
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T
his is a traditional Japanese seasoning which can enhance the flavour of numerous dishes without the usual quantities of salt.D
ry roast a cup of sesame seeds in a wok or skillet. Make sure you stir constantly and vigorously to prevent burning. Roast until the seeds are beginning to show an obvious yellow colour.A
llow the seeds to cool then add about a 1/10 portion of salt and place into a blender or a surabachi ( a striated mortar and pestle). Blend or crush the seeds and salt until about 3/4 of the seeds are crushed. This will take only a few seconds in the blender. Mix well and store in a very air-tight jar. Serve in place of salt or as an extra garnish with salads etc.
96. MISO-TAHINI SPREAD
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iso and tahini are both very nutritious foods. It is worth knowing that a variety of spreads can be made from them. Kids will acquire a taste for them very quickly.One simple spread is an equal mixture of tahini and miso. Mix well and store in a dry jar. Try different ratios of this mixture. This is stable and does not need refrigeration so it is something you can take on travels. Use it on bread, on rice, on pieces of celery or carrot.
Y
ou can make all kinds of variations such as adding some chopped chives, or some crushed garlic,If you want a richer spread add an equal portion of olive oil. Olive oil, miso and garlic make a delicious spread or rice topping.
Try experimenting with small amounts of these ingredients and keep notes on what tastes you find appealing.
97. TEMPURA
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T
his is a favourite Japanese dish but apparently has its origin in Portugal. Almost any vegetable can be prepared this way but fresh button mushrooms, cauliflower , parsley, capsicum and silverbeet leaves are amongst the nicest.Batter
: This will keep well in the dry form so make more than you need for future use.1 kg plain flour
250 gm gluten flour or glutinous rice flour
200 gm corn flour
4 d/s salt
2 d/s baking powder
2 shredded sheets of nori (optional)
Mix these and store in a clean dry container.
H
eat deep-frying oil the usual temperature for falafel etc. Take about 2 heaped d/s of the prepared dry batter and add just enough water to make a thick sloppy batter. Drop in the button mushrooms and other thinly cut vegetables and mix them around in the batter until they are all covered.D
rop them one by one into the hot oil, again being careful not to over-load it so that the batter does not soak up oil. It should only take about 1 minute to fry each batch to a crispy batter. Reheat oil between batches. Drain the cooked tempura in a basket or on absorbent paper, place on a white dish and sprinkle with a little tamari or soy sauce. Serve immediately.
T
empura does not keep in its crisp form for more than about 10 minutes after cooking although this time can be extended a little by keeping the cooked tempura in a low pre-heated oven.SERVE hot with ginger sauce and water for dipping
98. GINGER SAUCE T
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S
lice some fresh ginger into thin sheets. Cut these sheets into long match sticks and place these into a jar or bottle and cover liberally with soy sauce. In a few hours this will become a delicious sauce for tempura and other dishes. Simply remove a few spoon-fulls of sauce from the jar and dilute about tenfold with water. Serve as a dip with tempura or sushi etc. Try a mixture of this sauce with wasabi paste as described in the sushi recipe. This is an excellent alternative dipping sauce for tempura.A
few of the thin strips of ginger can be used to garnish the sushi plate.
99. TEMPEH
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T
his is a rich source of B vitamins supposedly including B12. You can feel your body soaking it up as you eat it. It has been proclaimed a true meat substitute in that its nutritional qualities equal or exceed that of meats. It is available at most health shops and a variety of Asian stores. Manufacturing instructions are found in this book. Possibly the easiest and nicest way to try tempeh is to fry thin strips of it fried in nuttelex margarine and a little salt. Tempeh has established itself in the U.S.A. where it has been marketed longer than Australia. It is possibly only a matter of time before it is widely available in Australia.T
he tempeh curry on page 82 has been very successful. People who normally do not like tempeh have found it appealing with this recipe.A
nother simple and quick recipe is to marinate strips of tempeh in a mixture of water, salt, coriander powder, crushed garlic and fresh coriander.A
llow to stand for about 10 or 15 minutes, drain off excess liquid and fry gently in a little oil.
100. KOMBU SOUP
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K
ombu is a deep sea kelp which besides other uses makes a delicious soup.2.5L water
1 medium bunch spring onions or shallots
1/2 metre kombu strips
50 gm buckwheat noodles
120 ml tamari or soy sauce
1/2 lemon juice (optional)
2 d/s vegetable oil
C
hop the spring onions very fine and saut in the oil until they are soft.S
oak the kombu in the 2.5 l of preferably pre-warmed water. The kombu will swell to about 4 times its size. Remove and drain the kombu but replace the drained water to the cooking pot. With scissors or a sharp knife cut the kombu into small bits about the size of 1 cent pieces and return them to the cooking pot. Pressure cook for at about 30 minutes so that the kombu softens sufficiently. It has to become soft like jelly. Keep water level even if simmeringW
hen the cooking is complete add the onions, soy sauce and the noodles and cook until they are soft - about 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and when boiling again turn off heat and transfer to containers.Serve with a sprinkle of gomasio page 128. As an extra, garnish with finely cut strips of pre-toasted nori.
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egan quality desserts are becoming more easily available in supermarkets. Soy icecreams are more recent additions. Although kosher standards do not eliminate animal products from food as a whole, desserts especially will usually be free of milk and animal emulsifiers. They may however contain egg products.
101. TAHINI ICECREAM
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T
his recipe will make a small batch of ice-cream. The following recipe is to make a large batch, but for that one you will need a commercial size blender or an insertion blender such as a Barmix.
2-3 powdered granules of mastihi or gum Arabic #
3 d/s malt powder
1 d/s agar agar
3 d/s vanilla essence
4 d/s cocoa powder (optional or add more to taste)
5 heaped d/s golden syrup or equivalent sugar
100 gm tahini
50 gm melted coconut oil (or corn oil)*
H
eat 200 ml of water to about boil and add the first group of ingredients and while simmering, stir until all the granules are dissolved. When dissolved, make up the volume of water to 500 ml with cold water. This should get the temperature down to about 45 degree C. In another pot, melt the coconut oil. If you are using another liquid oil, by-pass this step. Begin to blend the remainder of the ingredients one at a time in the order listed. Add the oil last.A
fter blending for a few minutes, pour the mixture into the desired container and allow it to cool. There might be some separation of the oil and water components. Do not re-blend but instead mix by hand. Place in freezer and just before it is solid, mix it again to re suspend the emulsion. If you have an ice-cream maker, add the mixture to it after it has cooled. Tahini ice-cream is very nice made by this method.# Mastihi (mastic)is not an essential to this ice-cream but it is worth the effort of getting. Most oriental or Greek stores should stock small containers of it.
* Coconut oil may be difficult to obtain. It is certainly the nicest in this recipe but corn oil or another bland oil such as sunflower oil is also useable.
TAHINI ICECREAM
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(Large quantity)
T
his is a popular and easy to make milk-free ice-cream. This recipe makes a large batch so scale it down to your requirements. A bar-mix type of implement is required to make this quantity. It will not fit into the domestic size blender. If you do make this quantity, freeze it in small quantities as it sets very hard and cannot be scooped unless you have a proper ice-cream machine. In this case make up the mixture below and process through the ice-cream maker.
3L water warmed to about 45 o C.
50 gm lecithin
150 gm malt
1/4 t/s mastic granules
2 d/s agar agar
1 kg golden syrup or fruit concentrate
50 ml pure vanilla
600 gm tahini
200 gm coconut oil (or corn oil)
100 gm cocoa powder (if you want chocolate flavour)
T
ake about 300 ml of the warmed water into a saucepan and mix in the dry ingredients while you bring it to boil. Make sure you stir constantly until all the agar is dissolved otherwise it will burn.I
f you are using coconut oil melt it gently in another saucepan but do not get it hotter than about 60 o C.W
hen the dry ingredients are dissolved, add the mix to the bulk of the water and blend. Add the next set of ingredients in the order listed. Wait for each ingredient to be blended into the mixture before adding the next. Make sure the coconut oil or corn oil are blended in last.T
he agar agar is optional in this recipe but if it is not used the mixture may separate into a water and oil layer while cooling. If this happens, do not re- blend as this will 'butter' the oil out of solution. Instead, re-mix with a manual implement such as a whisk, then place in freezer immediately.I
f you want a few flavours divide the batch into as many flavours as you want. Add cocoa or carob powder, and / or small pieces of fruit. If you are adding fruit finish all the blending before you add it. Then stir it in so that there are whole pieces. You may need to re-mix the fruit just before the ice-cream sets.102. BANANNA CAKE A
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200 gm crude molasses
250 gm treacle
4 t/s baking powder
1/2 t/s salt
150 gm melted coconut oil
150 gm vegetable oil
or 300 gm nuttelex margarine
150 gm chopped dated & sultanas (mixture)
50 gm walnuts (or other nuts)
whole meal flour - enough to make a dough.
M
ash the bananas and mix with the first set of ingredients until even. Add the next group and stir well. Add and mix in the oils. This stage will be easier if you have an electric beater. Add the nuts and sultanas then begin to add flour a little at a time until the mixture forms a pasty dough. Pour into oiled trays to about 3/4 their depth and bake at 170 degrees C for about one and a half hours or until centre is no longer gluey. Test this with a thin knife or a wire.103. MARGARINE S
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200 ml carrot juice
50 gm tahini or 50 ml soy flour
2 d/s lecithin granules
1 t/s salt
300 gm coconut oil or palm oil such as 'copha'
125 gm olive oil
125 gm vegetable oil
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eat the carrot juice and add the other of the first ingredients. Stir constantly as the mixture come to simmer.M
elt the coconut or palm oil slowly and add the other oils. Add and mix the carrot juice mixture. Blend for a few minutes until very even then pour into a cooling bowl. There will probably be some separation on cooling. Allow to cool and place in the refrigerator. When it has set completely, mix until the separation is re-suspended, then transfer to smaller containers for storage. As there is no preservative in this preparation it will sour quickly unless kept under refrigeration. Store stock in small quantities in your freezer.
104. SOY T
CAROB OR COCOA NUT ROLL
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150 gm milk-free margarine
75 gm malt (powder or syrup)
125 gm golden syrup
75 gm carob powder or 50 gm cocoa powder
2 cups soy flour
3 t/s vanilla essence
desiccated coconut for coating
M
ix the first set of ingredients manually or with an electric beater until a caramel consistency.M
ix in the soy flour and then the vanilla. Form into a number of logs about 3 cm thick, roll in coconut, cover and store in refrigerator.Serve 2 or 3 thin slices with coffee or tea.