We often eat Japanese food at home, but I very rarely blog about it because it's usually snaffled the minute it's cooked! Today though, before Southern Chap could get his hands on the grub, I took a quick snap. It's not the best picture, but it'll have to do!
What I love about Japanese food is that it is healthy, extremely delicious and actually quite simple to make, especially the kind of food that the Japanese eat at home (case in point, Japanese people don't make their own sushi, it's usually bought in, or eaten at a restaurant). There are basic Japanese ingredients that I always have in the house so that I can cook up some "nihon ryori" when the urge takes me. These are:
Soy Sauce
It has to be Kikkoman soy sauce! Most of the ones available in the supermarkets are Chinese soy sauces, that are not totally pure and often coloured using caramel. If you go to a Japanese shop you'll find that there are a few different Kikkoman soy sauces, but I find the most common one, that's in quite a recognizable bottle works well for most things.
Sake
I like to have a little bottle of sake in the fridge. I like it small because it gets used up quickly and doesn't really have time to start tasting funny (though being no kind of sake expert, I probably wouldn't know when it was tasting funny anyway).
Mirin
Mirin is often called Cooking Sake, as it is a kind of rice wine, but one that has a high sugar content, though still contains alcohol. This is used a lot in marinades for fish and to add sweetness to savoury dishes.
Rice Vinegar
Not only is this one of the main components of rice for sushi, but it's also a lovely light vinegar to use in salad dressings.
Miso
Currently my fridge contains a tub of red miso and some stronger darker hatcho miso, which looks much like marmite and has as similar strong salty taste. I think miso is really interesting, as the different colours have different flavours and uses and Japan is divided regionally by miso preferences. There, I've said it, I'm a miso nerd. Miso is not just for soups either!
Japanese Rice
If you're in a supermarket this will be called Sushi rice. It's similar to the fat rounded rices used in Europe for risotto and paella and a bit like pudding rice. I think it has a nice nutty flavour all of its own and if you want a true taste of Japan buy your rice from a Japanese supermarket, where they have real Japanese rice from Japan.
Wasabi
This comes either in a tube or powdered. The powdered kind that you make up into a paste with water is supposed to be the best, but I much prefer the convenience of the tube wasabi. I like this in salad dressings too and it can't half liven up some tuna mayo.
Nori sheets, sesame seeds and sesame oil can also come in handy, but are not quite as essential. If you're in London everything is a available at both the Japan Centre in Piccadilly, or Arigato in Soho. If you're not in London though, the Japan Centre has a website for your convenience: http://www.japancentre.com/ Anyway, back to Sunday's dinner!
The apple mint sauce is a Japanesey take on traditional mint sauce. I thought the savoury lamb would be good with just a little extra zing.
Hatcho Miso Marinated Lamb with Apple Mint Sauce
2 heaped tbsp hatcho miso, or red miso
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
knob ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely grated
2 tbsp vegetable oil
About 450g lamb, cut into chunks (I cut my pieces from a shoulder, but any cut would work)
Apple Mint Sauce
1 apple (I used a Cox's), grated
large bunch mint, leaves picked and chopped
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
1/2 tsp wasabi paste (or to taste)
In a small bowl mix together the miso, sake, soy sauce and mirin, making sure the miso is completely dissolved (you might need a small whisk for this). Stir in the ginger, garlic and oil. Place the lamb in a re-sealable bag, or a bowl and cover with the miso marinade. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 2 - 3 hours.
Make the Apple Mint sauce, by mixing all the ingredients together. Taste and add extra wasabi if you like a little more heat!
To cook the lamb, heat a griddle pan until very hot. Place the marinated lamb pieces on the grill and cook for about 2 minutes each side (this will depend on the size of your chunks, if they're thick you may want to cook then for a minute or so longer, ditto if you don't like your lamb pink). Serve the lamb on rice and top with some apple mint dressing. I made leek and shitake mushroom rice, but plain rice is just as nice. You could even served this in a more Korean style, with a spicy dipping sauce and small lettuce leaves to wrap the tasty lamb up in.
The little green sparkles you can see on the picture were a random addition; wasabi tobiko (wasabi flavoured fish eggs), that a friend gave me on Saturday. Quite a way out ingredient, but since I had them I though I should use them up, because I love them!
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