Savory Japan Blog

Today, as I was working on an upcoming article featuring Kyubei, a Michelin-starred sushiya in Tokyo, I was overcome with hunger. While editing the photos and remembering our fabulous meal, I HAD to have seafood, and I had to have it right away.

But what to do? My neighborhood is not known for great sushi joints, and all my fish was frozen solid.

Luckily, I remembered that I had a nice chunk of salted and grilled Norwegian salmon that was left over from last night. I had been a little overzealous with the salt, but it would be a perfect filling for onigiri. But even that was too much trouble, as I didn’t want to stop working, so I flaked it up, mixed it with preserved sansho pods and reheated white rice. (I  don’t like using the microwave, but it’s actually perfect for warming up Japanese rice.)

It amounted to a quick homemade furikake, a kitchen staple used by moms across Japan to add some sweet and salty flavor to rice, especially for kids. They usually include dried seaweed, roasted rice, salt and flavoring of some kind, as well as dried fish. It’s the kind of fall-back condiment that makes a quick snack, much like Westerners have come to rely on cold cereal with milk for a quick bite on the go: Perhaps not nutritious, but not too bad for you.

The trick to keeping leftover fish for several days is that it must be quite salty. The salt preserves the fish, and the intense flavor works well for furikake, onigiri or ochazuke (rice with tea) because rice predominates.

I marinated the salmon (2 small fillets) overnight in 1 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and a splash of vodka. (The sugar and vodka are my own additions; I find they add a nice flavor.) Sprinkle all sides with salt and place them, skin side out, in a plastic bag, removing all the air so the salmon is properly coated. You can then grill or broil them. Follow these instructions for cooking any kind of fish.

Oh, the sansho (peppercorn) pods are a great addition, as they provide a nice zesty kick and tongue-numbing spiciness. They are in season in May, and can be found preserved in salt or simmered in soy sauce and made into tsukudani, usually with kombu. I always pick some up when I’m in Japan. If you can find them in the West, try them!

We’ve had a heat wave across the U.S., and the past few days have been particularly hot and humid in Chicago. When I don’t feel like eating a heavy meal, hiyashi chuka (Chinese-style cold noodles) really hit the spot. This dish is served in ramen shops across Japan, but is only available during warm weather. In preparation for an article for the August issue of Kyoto Visitors Guide, I prepared a BIG platter (enough for two, on a late Edo blue & white imari charger) of this light but flavorful dish; a perfect combination of noodles, egg, vegetables and meat. (In this case, deli-sliced chicken & imitation crab legs, but ham or shredded chicken is the norm). As you can see, the noodles are hidden under the mound of toppings, which is the way I like to prepare it. The sauce is a combination of savory, sweet, sour and hot, with the heat provided by a generous dollop of neri karashi (hot yellow mustard). I’m not sure if such a dish exists in Chinese cuisine, and if it IS served in China today, I wonder if it’s called “Japanese noodles”?

Check out the noodles page for more information. The article will be on Savory Kyoto on August 1.

For your convenience, and because of the blog’s search capabilities, I’m posting all new recipes here, as well as on the site.

INGREDIENTS
2 packages of ramen

TOPPINGS:
1 chicken breast, shredded, or 4 slices of ham or chicken
1/2 cucumber
1 carrot
thin omelete

SAUCE:
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
½ tsp sesame oil

GARNISH:
Sesame seeds, gari and neri karashi

DIRECTIONS:
Although there are several brands of Japanese ready-made hiyashi chuka packaged noodles, complete with sauce and either dried, refrigerated or frozen, it is the sauce that gives this dish its flavor, and home made is better. You can use whatever vegetables and meat that you have on hand, although cucumber lends a nice crunch. I personally like to prepare this dish with ample vegetables so the ratio of toppings to noodles is 1 to 1. Shredded romaine lettuce is also good in this dish.

Make thin omelette. Slice meat, cucumber and other vegetables into sengiri (fine julienne). Set aside in the fridge while making the noodles.

Make sauce by simply mixing all ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Prepare the ramen according the the package directions, drain and quickly cool with ample running water. Drain thoroughly.

Arrange ramen noodles and toppings on a large serving platter, or on individual plates. Top with a dollop of neri-karashi (Chinese-style yellow mustard). If desired, also top with gari (pickled sliced ginger.) Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

For a vegetarian version, try sliced mushrooms such as shiitake. You can also just skip the meat altogether.

Serves 2