Here is the fourth of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 persons

-Minced pork: 200 g
-Thin green leeks: 4~5
-Ginger, grated: 1 piece, 5×5 cm
-Japanese sake: 2 tablespoons
-Soy sauce: 3 tablespoons
-Naga imo/glutinous Japanese yam/Chinese yam, grated: 2 tablespoons
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon

Tare/Sauce
-Soy sauce: 2~3 tablespoons
-Sugar: 2 teaspoons
-Mirin/sweet sake: 3 tablespoons

-Japanese sake: 2 tablespoons (for steam/fry)
-Onsen Tamago/Japanese-style poached eggs (normal poached eggs are great!)

RECIPE:

-Chop the thin leeks coarsely.
In a bowl mix minced pork, Japanese sake, soy sauce and grated ginger until smooth.

-Add grated Chinese yam and mix until smooth. It will take some time as the yam will tend to separate at first. Add cornstarch and mix until smooth.

-Add chopped leeks and mix well.

-Heat a frypan. Pour in a little oil. Make 6~7 round patties/tsukune by hand or with a mold.
Fry both sides on a medium fire.

-When “eyes” have appeared on both sides, reduce fire to small. Add sake, cover with glass lid and steam fry.

-When you are sure that the tsukune are well cooked, add soy sauce, mirin and sugar and let simmer until sauce has “caramelized” the tsukune.

-Serve with a poached egg in a separate ramequin for each person who will choose either to break it directly over the tsukune or use it as a dip (the former will be probably easier!LOL)

NOTE:
-You can increase the amount of leeks and gingeraccording to your taste.
-You may replace leeks with parsley.
-Any soy sauce is fine, although a sweet variety is recommended. Otherwise you may increase the amount of mirin.

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow
Bread + Butter
5 Star Foodie
Elinluv Tidbit Corner
Think Twice

Please check the new postings at:
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Here is the fourth of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

INGREDIENTS: For 3~4 persons

-Minced Chicken (breast or thigh): 250 g
-Leek, lon and thin type: 1
-Fresh ginger, grated, to taste
-Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
-Salt and pepper: a little to taste
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
-Sesame oil: a little to taste
-Yama Imo/Japanese glutinous yam, grated: 2 tablespoons

Tare/Sauce
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Mirin/sweet sake: 2 tablespoons
-Water: 1 teaspoon
-Seven spices, to taste

Decoration/presentation:

-Kaiwaredaikon/Daikon sprouts: to taste
-White sesame seeds: to taste
-Grated fresh daikon: to taste

RECIPE:

-Chop leek finely. Grate the ginger. Grate the yama imo.

-In a large bowl drop the the minced chicken, soy sauce, salt & pepper, seame oil and mix quickly by hand.

-Add leek, ginger, yama imo and the cornstarch. Mix well. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

-During that time prepare the kaiwaredaikon, freshly grated daikon and sesame sesame seeds.
Prepare the tare/sauce ingredients.

-Fry the tsukune/patties after having shaped them into 3 or 4 equal sized circles with salad oil on both sides over a medium fire until they are a light brown.

-Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover with lid and steam/simmer for a while. Check if tsukune are well cooked with a thin wooden stick.

-Add the tare/sauce ingredients and cook until the tare has “caramelized”.
Serve on a plate with kaiware daikon, grated fresh daikon and white seasme seeds for the final touch.

NOTE:
Do not fry tsukune over a strong fire or they will get hard.

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow
Bread + Butter
5 Star Foodie
Think Twice

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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Here is the third of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!
The difference is that this time it is made with tofu as well!

INGREDIENTS: For 2~3 persons

-Tofu: 100 g
-Minced chicen: 300 g
-Onion, finely chopped, 1/2
-Grated fresh ginger, 3~3cm cube
-Egg: 1
-Black pepper: a pinch or two
-Cornstarch: 2 teaspoons
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Japanese sake: 2 tablepoons
-Sugar: 2+1/2 tablespoons
-Salad oil

RECIPE:

-In a bowl mix tofu, chicken, onion, ginger, egg, pepper and cornstarch. Make patties/tsukune.

-Pour some oil in a frypan. On medium high fire fry both sides of tsukune until they have reached a nice colour. Add some water. Cover with lid and steam/cook on low fire.

-Mix soy sauce, Japanese sake and sugar in a bowl.

-Take off lid from tsukune. Turn to medium fire. Pour in the sauce and simmer until ready for serving.

NOTE:

Great served wrapped in shiso leaves!

Please check the new postings at:
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Here is the second of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

INGREDIENTS:
-Minced Chicken: 400 g+
-Large shiso/perilla leaves (can be replaced with basil or other green tasty leaves): 15~20
-Salt, pepper: 1 pinc each
-Black sesame: 1 teaspoon
-Grated fresh ginger: 5×5 cm cube
-Japanese Sake: 1 teaspoon
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
-Egg yolk: 1 large

-For seasoning:
Lemon juice
Yuzu koshio/lime and pepper paste

RECIPE:

-Chop the leaves fine as shown on above picture.

-In a large bowl, drop in the minced chicken, salt, pepper and black sesame seeds. Mix well until it becomes a smooth paste.

-Add egg yolk, Japanese Sake, Cornstarch and grated ginger.
Mix well.

-Add chopped shiso (leaves9 and mix well.

-make tsukune/patties in size of your liking around a wooden stick.

-Pour a little oil in a non-stick frypan and place tsukune as shown on picture.
Start frying.

-When one side has reached the right colour, turn over and fry until both sides have reached the proper colour.
You may add a little more Japanese sake for seasoning.

-Cover with large piece of foil paper and stema/fry on a small fire for a while.

-That’s how the should look when ready!

-Serve a little lemon juice and lime and peppr paste, and plenty of beer!

NOTE:
Naturally, youi may use a sauce of your choice as well, or ponzu, or soy sauce, etc.

Please check the new postings at:
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Apparently, yakitori and especially tsukune are very popular not only in Japan but almost everywhere in the world as they share similarities with many other countries’ specialties! After all a hamburger is nothing less than a big tsukune!LOL

Here is the first of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

Tsukune Recipe 1:

INGREDIENTS: For 4 people

-High quality chicken (breast or thigh): 250 g
-Leek (long narrow one): 1
-Soy sauce + Japanese sake + mirin/sweet sake: 4 tablespoons each
-Honey: 2 teaspoons
-Fresh ginger juice (also available over the counter in Asian stores): 10 ml
-Water: 2 tablespoons
-Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons
-Salad oil: 2 tablespoons

RECIPE:

-Cut chicken and leek into rough pieces and drop them into a food processor. Add one half of the cornstarch, water, soy sauce, sake and mirin each.

-Process well until you obtain a smooth paste. Stop the food processor from time to time to move chicken from the centre with a spatula.

-Make/shape “patties”/tsukune.
Fry in oil on a frypan over a low fire on both side until you obtain a light brown colour (“foxy” in Japanese)

-Pour the rest of the soy sauce, sake, mirin, ginger juice, and cornstarch dissolved in water over the tsukune and cook until the sauce has caramelized.
Serve immediately!

NOTE:
By dividing the seasoning in two halves, the chicken will be thoroughly impregnated with the taste.
make sure you cook over a low fire all the time!

Please check the new postings at:
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