Kaiseke Dinner Recipes: A Tasting Menu - Part 3

Yakimono- Broiled Fish or Tofu

Most people have a reliable roasted fish recipe. You can use any one that you like. The kaiseke meal is designed to exhibit the beauty of the season through dining. It’s somewhere between haute cuisine and farm to table. A miso grilled cod would be perfect. We’ve included 2 different recipes for that in the past. Today we’ll do tofu.

Honey Ginger Tofu

This recipe is delicious. If you are including it in a kaiseke dinner, place one or two small pieces on each dish. Just a couple of bites is enough. The guests have a lot of plates coming their way and they’ll love this one. You can’t allow them to fill up too soon.

If you want to serve this for dinner as an entree, serve it with rice and steamed broccoli tossed in extra marinade.

honey ginger tofu

Ingredients

1 pkg firm tofu
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
Sliced scallions and toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400
Set tofu on paper towels and flip it occasionally to drain excess water
Cut the tofu into 1 inch pieces for kaiseke, 1/2 inch for an entree
Toss the cubes with cornstarch
Bake till golden about 35- 40 min. Flip them over half way through
Heat honey, soy and garlic until it’s thick and bubbly
Toss with tofu and serve, garnished with thin strips of scallion and sesame seeds

Su- Zakana- palate cleansing salad in vinegar

This is a small taste to allow the taste buds to reset. That way the guests can truly taste and enjoy the next course. This is a great side dish with any Japanese meal.

cucumber

Ingredients

Lightly Pickled cucumbers
3 Japanese cucumbers
1/4 c rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation

Peel the cucumbers leaving thin strips of skin for colors
Sprinkle with salt
Set on paper towels to leach the water from them for about 20 min
Rinse and pat dry
Combine all ingredients in a Tupperware container and refrigerate for 48 hrs
Serve cold in small dishes

Hiyahi-bachi- vegetables (traditionally served only in summer)

Tradition is very important in Japanese culture. That doesn’t mean that you aren’t entitled to make some accommodations. Plus, the chances are pretty good that your guests will be none the wiser if you use a fall vegetable. If you are providing them with a printed explanation of the menu, which by the way, guests really love, just write a seasonal vegetable dish, usually served only during the summer.

Braised Taro with dried shrimp

This is a terrific recipe. It’s almost like a version of mashed potatoes in texture but there’s a uniquely Asian flavor. If you’re going to add a vegetable dish, this one is great.

Braised Taro with dried shrimp

Ingredients

1 lb taro. Peeled and diced
2 1/2 c dried shrimp rinsed, soaked in 2 1/2 c water and drained. Save the water
3 cloves garlic chopped
3 shallots chopped
2 Tbsp oil
1 scallion diced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chicken bouillon powder