These are the final elements of your complete Kaiseke dinner
Nakachoko- Chilled Soup or Sorbet to cleanse the palate
Ingredients
- 2 lbs cucumbers,peeled and diced
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- 2/3 c sugar
- 2/3 c water
- 2 Tbsp chopped purple basil
Preparation
- Purée the cucumbers with the lime juice in a food processor
- Heat the water and the sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved
- Combine the cucumber purée with the sugar water
- Press the mixture through a strained to eliminate the seeds
- It will still be thick and pulpy
- Stir in the basil and chill overnight
- Freeze in your ice cream machine as directed
Shiizakana- Hot pot
Ingredients
- 1/2 head of napa cabbage, shredded
- 7oz tong hao or Garland chrysanthemum, chopped
- 1 leek, sliced
- 1 pkg enoki mushrooms, remove the ends
- 10 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
- 1 pkg firm tofu, cut into about 6-8 strips
- 7 oz cellophane noodles
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 1/2 lbs sukiyaki or shabu shabu sliced beef ( thinly sliced rib eye, well marbled)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 c dashi
Sauce
- 1 c sake
- 1 c mirin
- 1/4 c sugar
- 1 c soy sauce
Preparation
- Combine the ingredients of the sauce and bring to a boil
- Remove from heat and set aside
- Place the cellophane noodles in hot water until they are soft but not cooked
- Use either a hot pot at the table or a pot on the stove
- Heat the oil and add the beef and brown sugar
- Flip it and brown it
- Add 1 c sauce and 1/3 c dashi
- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil
- Simmer until ingredients are cooked
- Serve with extra sauce
- Traditionally a raw egg is served along side the extra sauce or cracked over the individual servings. It adds a terrific flavor and it is slightly warmed by the hot ingredients
- Just be advised that eating raw egg can be risky. Salmonella is no one’s friend We endured it in Japan one time and are hoping to avoid a repeat performance. As a result, we skip the raw egg
Ingredients
- 8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
- 2 c warm water
- 1 6 inch square piece of kombu
- 4 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 3 inch piece of carrot, peeled and sliced thin
- 2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 Tbsp mirin
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 c Japanese rice, rinsed and drained
- Cilantro to garnish
Preparation
- Soak the kombu in warm water for 30 min- 1 hr
- Remove the kombu and save the water
- In a medium sized pot, combine the water, mushrooms, ginger and carrots
- Bring to a simmer over med heat
- Add mirin and honey
- Cook for 1 min and add soy sauce
- Cook for 1 more min
- Strain
- Keep the liquid and the vegetables separate
- Place the rice and the solid ingredients in a rice cooker
- Add 2 c of liquid
- Place the kombu on top and cook as directed by rice cooker
- To serve, remove the kombu and fluff the rice
- Garnish with cilantro
Kou no mono- pickled vegetables
It’s easiest to just buy these at your local Asian market.
Tomewan- basic miso soup and rice
The recipe for miso soup can be found in the first post on kaiseke dinners
Mizumono- dessert or fruit
There are plenty of choices available for this sweet ending to your meal. 2 beautiful strawberries, garnished with a sprig of mint, presented on small dishes, make a lovely dessert. Mochi is popular too. You can find this dough covered ice cream treat in the freezer section of the Asian market.
Ingredients
- 4 oz mochiko fine rice flour
- 3 oz Rice flour ( glutinous rice flour)
- 3 1/2 oz water
Mitarashi Syrup
- 1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 2 oz water
- 1 tsp katakuriko
Preparation
- Combine the rice flour and mochiko in a bowl
- Slowly add water and knead until it becomes a soft dough
- Roll the dough into small balls, somewhere between a large marble and a ping pong ball
- Add the ingredients of the sauce in a microwave safe dish
- Heat in 30 second increments and stir
- Repeat until the sauce is transparent
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the balls of dough
- They are cooked when they float
- Give them an extra couple of seconds, then remove them and serve with sauce
Enjoy your Japanese meals
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