Memories in the Cooking

Here is a recipe for a simple Chicken Yakitori.  Ingredients: - 3 large boneless chicken thigh, cut into bite-size  - Spring Onions/Leek  - 2 tablespoons of mirin  - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce  - 2 tablespoons of sake  - 1 tablespoon of sugar  - some grated ginger  Procedures: 1) Marinate chicken meat and light soya sauce, sake, sugar, mirin and ginger overnight.  2) Skewer 2 pieces of chicken with one piece of leek in between. 3) Add vegetable oil to frying pan. Panfry chicken meat until brown.  4) Pour all marinates into the pan and let it reduce into a sticky glaze. Serve. 

Here is another simple Japanese Izakaya dish - Potato Salad.  Ingredients: - 3 large potatoes, cut into chunks  - 1 carrot, diced  - 1 cucumber, diced - 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise  - black pepper - a pinch salt - a pinch of sugar  - 1 tablespoon of sushi vinegar  - 50g of Ebiko  Procedures: 1) Boil 3 potatoes until soft. Add diced carrot to soften during the last few minutes of boiling.  2) Mash the potatoes. Add diced carrot and cucumber to it.  3) Add sushi vinegar, mayonnaise, salt, sugar, black pepper and half of the Ebiko and mix well.  4) Place in serving bowl and top up with more Ebiko. 

This is a simple, comforting and delicious Japanese Izakaya dish - Shogayaki.  Ingredients:  - 500g of Shabu Pork Belly  - 1 tablespoon of mirin  - 1 tablespoon of sake  - 1 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 1 teaspoon of sugar  - 1 large piece of ginger, grated - 1 dash of dark soya sauce  Procedures: 1) Marinate Shabu Pork Belly in mirin, sake, light soya sauce, sugar and grated ginger.  2) In a frying pan, add vegetable oil. Fry Shabu Pork until brown.  3) Add the leftover marinate and dark soya sauce for colour. Adjust taste if needed with salt/sugar/pepper. Garnish with chopped spring onion. 

This is a sauteed mushrooms with a Japanese twist.  Ingredients  - mixed mushrooms (shitake, enoki, king mushrooms etc)  - vegetable oil  - butter  - light soya sauce  - black pepper  Procedures: 1) Add vegetable oil to frying pan. Add mushrooms and fry until soft.  2) Add butter, soya sauce and black pepper. Mix well. Serve. 

This Japanese Sesame Sauce goes with everything. It makes a simple vegetable so yummy!  Ingredients  - Vegetables (for example, spinach) - mayonnaise  - sushi vinegar  - crushed sesame (can cheat with peanut butter or almond butter)  - light soya sauce  - sesame oil  - sugar  - white sesame seeds  Procedures: 1) Blanch vegetables and set aside on a serving plate.  2) In a mixing bowl, mix mayonnaise, sesame oil, sushi vinegar, light soya sauce, crushed sesame and sugar.  3) Mix well with the vegetables. Sprinkle white sesame seeds on top. 

This is another Japanese side dish - Beansprouts with Sesame Sauce.  Ingredients: - beansprouts  - sesame oil  - light soya sauce  - black pepper  Procedures: 1) Blanch the beansprouts.  2) In a bowl, mix sesame oil, light soya sauce and black pepper.  3) Mix the beansprouts with the seasoning. Serve. 

This is Japanese Chilled Tofu which requires no cooking.  Ingredients: - soft silky tofu  - grated ginger  - one stalk of spring onion, chopped  - light soya sauce  - truffle oil  - mirin  Procedures: - Cut tofu into 4 pieces. Place on individual plates.  - Top tofu with spring onions and grated ginger.  - Drizzle with light soya sauce, mirin and truffle oil. 

I am planning to make an Izakaya dinner. This dish is my first attempt - a simple Miso Pickled Cucumber.  Ingredients: - 2 Japanese cucumber, sliced thinly  - 1 tablespoon of white miso paste  - 1-2 tablespoons of sushi vinegar  - 1 tablespoon of sugar  Procedures:  1) Mix all ingredients and seasoning together.  2) Let it sit in the fridge for few hours or overnight. Serve with other dishes.