#jpnese

It’s too difficult/expensive to find thinly sliced pork from Japanese store. So I just cook pork and eggplant separately (not as a roll). The sauce is delicious so it still taste great.

The only thing is unrolled eggplant absorb a lot of oil so I needed to use a bit more sesame oil compared to the original recipe.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/ginger-pork-rolls-with-eggplant/

2 japanese eggplant - or 1 giant aubergine

200g thinly sliced pork

2tbsp corn starch

Sauce:

- 1/2 tsp grated ginger

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp mirin

- 1 tbsp sake (or water)

- 1 tsp sugar

For cooking:

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

For garnish:

- 4 shiso leaves (perilla leaves)

Instructions:

- Peel eggplant then cut into sticks; remove moisture with paper towel

- Wrap eggplant sticks with thinly sliced pork (or just slice pork into bite size piece)

- Coat the rolls with cornstarch / sprinkle over separate pork & eggplant

- Fry on medium heat, when golden brown, cover the pan with a lid and cook until eggplant tender (2-3 minutes)

- Combine all sauce ingredient then pour into the pan

- Garnish with shiso leaves on top - I don’t like eggplant skin so I skip that step from the recipe

From the book ‘Tokyo cult recipes’

Pumpkin salad 200g pumpkin 1 tbsp black raisins 4 mint leaves, chopped 1 tsp olive oil Squeeze of lemon juice 1 pinch salt 1 small pinch curry powder 1 small pinch sugar 1 tbsp mayonnaise

Cut pumpkin into 2 cm chunks, place in saucepan with 100ml water and low-medium and steam Combine with the rest of the ingredients except mayonnaise while hot Stir in mayonnaise once cooled

Baked pumpkin 4 x 5mm slices peeled pumpkin 1 tsp sunflower oil 1 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp honey 1 pinch salt 1 tbsp panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 180oC Combine oil, soy sauce, honey and salt - add pumpkin and mix to coat Lay the slices on baking tray and sprinkle panko, bake for 8-10 minutes

Pickled cucumber 3cm cucumber, thinly sliced 1 tsp salt 1 cm kombu 1 thin slice ginger, cut into matchsticks

Sauteed eggplant with miso 1 tbsp sesame oil 1/4 eggplant cut into 2 cm cubes 3 tbsp water 1 tbsp miso 1 tbsp mirin 1 tsp demerara sugar 1/4 green pepper cut into 2 cm cubes

From the book ‘tokyo cult recipes’

Prawns with coriander 12 large raw prawns cooked in salted water, drain well

½ bunch coriander, chopped 1 small thumb of ginger ½ garlic clove 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 pinch demerara sugar 80ml sesame oil Juice of ¼ lime

From the book ‘Tokyo cult recipes’

5-6 dried shiitake mushrooms - soaked in water for 3 hours, drained and sliced (reserve the liquid) 200g lotus root - soaked in water with 1 tbsp vinegar 1 carrot cut into matchsticks

Mix together and simmer with veg after sauteed 100ml dashi 2 tbsp mirin 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp rice vinegar 100ml shiitake liquid

4 eggs + 1 tbsp soy sauce + 1 tbsp sugar - fried thinly and sliced

From the book ‘Tokyo cult recipes’

Niku udon 2 packets pre-cooked udon

200g beef ideally well-marbled, sliced thin 1 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tbsp demerara sugar 1 tbsp mirin 100ml dashi (to simmer beef in after sauteed)

From ‘tokyo cult recipes’ book

Hiyayakko Fresh tofu with 2 sauces

Cucumber - shichimi sauce: 1 block silken tofu, cut into 4 ½ cucumber cut into cubes + 1 pinch of salt, squeezed 1 cm ginger finely chopped

2 tsp unrefined salt 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp demerara sugar 3 tbsp toasted sesame oil 2 tbsp rice vinegar 1 pinch shichimi

Katsuo - shiso sauce: 1 block silken tofu, cut into 4 2 shiso leaves cut into thin stripes 4 pinches of katsuobushi 4 tbsp soy sauce - 1 for each tofu block

Agedashi tofu 250g tofu drained dry + 50g plain flour to coat before frying 2 cm white radish, grated 2 cm ginger, grated

Rice:

1 Japanese (J) rice cup = 180mls 1 US cup = 240mls

2 rice cups should be enough for 2 people (makes 6 hosomaki/uramaki rolls) 2 J cups uncooked rice + 2 J cups water --> about 2 US cups cooked rice + 1/2 J cups sushi vinegar

Needs to be short grain rice (Japanese or Korean) Rinse rice lightly (do not rub) to get rid of starch; may need 3-4 wash until water turns clear Transfer rice into sieve and let water drip out - about 15 minutes Transfer to rice cooker; add water with ratio 1:1 & cook rice

Transfer cooked rice to a flat container; add sushi vinegar with ratio 4:1 (4 cups uncooked rice + 1 cup sushi vinegar) Fan to cool and mix rice in cut and flip motions - be gentle, do not smash; the goal is to have intact rice grain and not too sticky (need enough vinegar)

Nitsume sauce:

I am aware sushi traditionally should be enjoyed without soy sauce - however I like it with soy sauce, specifically slightly sweetened soy sauce. Nitsume sauce is the shiny glaze you see brushed over nigiris or drizzled over grilled eel (e.g. unagi don or sushi roll).

I like this sauce so much I usually make a batch, keep in the fridge and have it with anything (sushi/sashimi/chirashi don,... even over steak/egg... literally everything). Traditionally (way back in Edo era) it was made with actual eels but we’re definitely not doing that here.

1/2 cup (120mls) of white sugar 4tbsp (60mls) of dashi stock (katsuobushi i.e. tuna flakes added into boiled water and let soak before drain) - or 4 tsp powdered dashi 1 cup mirin 1/2 cup cooking sake 1 cup soy sauce 1tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp cold water (optional - and I prefer it without)

Niku udon:

Amani beef: 400g thinly sliced beef simmered in (2tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp demerara sugar, 2 tbsp mirin, 200ml dashi)

Soup: 1L dashi + 3tbsp mirin, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp salt, 2tbsp sake

Shogayaki - Stired-fried pork with ginger sauce:

600g pork belly cut into thick slices 1/4 white cabbage, mandolined Quarter lemon

2tbsp sake, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin, 2.5 tbsp soy sauce 3cm ginger grated

Marinate, drained and fry then simmer in marinade

Japanese style steak:

600g well-marbled steak at room temperature, lightly seasoned with salt Sake Dipping sauce: 5tbsp soy sauce, 2tbsp rice vinegar, 1/2 lemon, 1 garlic clove