Free Homestyle Japanese Cooking by Susie Donald Page A

powder ( shichimi togarashi ) is a potent blend of ground chilli with other seasonings such as mustard, sansho , black sesame and poppy seeds. It is often sprinkled on noodles, grilled items and one-pot dishes. It is widely available in food stores and is packaged ready-mixed in bottles.
    Shiitake is the most commonly used mushroomin Japanese cooking. It is readilyavailable fresh or dried. The dried versions are the same as the dried black Chinesemushrooms that can be used as a substitute.
    Shirataki noodles are thin strings of konnyaku , a glutinous starch obtained from the elephant foot plant. Eaten in sukiyakiand other hotpots, it may be replaced withmung bean vermicelli (glass or bean threadtransparent noodles), if not available.
    Shiso is an attractive dark green or red leaf that is widely used in Japanese cooking either as an ingredient or a garnish. It is a member of the mint family, and the leaves have a hint of basil and spearmint flavor. It is usually minced and added to rice served with sashimi, crisp-fried as tempura, and used to garnish sushi.
    Soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour and have a distinctive taste and are sometimes flavored with green tea, in which their normal beige-brown color is replaced by green. They are sold as dried sticks in packets.
    Somen are very fine wheat noodles generally white in color and are sold as dried sticks in packets.
    Tempura dipping sauce is made by blending 250 ml (1 cup) Basic Dashi Stock (page 4 ), 4 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons mirin, 3 tablespoons shredded daikon and 3 teaspoons shredded fresh ginger. Stir well to mix.
    Udon wheat noodles come in various shapes and sizes and are whiteish-beige in color. They can be substituted with ramen or Chinese wheat noodles.
    Wakame is a type of seaweed that is available in dried strips. As it can withstand long period of boiling, it is commonly used in one-pot dishes both as a flavorer as well as an ingredient. It must be soaked in water for 5 to 10 minutes before using.
    Wasabi is one of the best known of all Japanese condiments. It is a very spicy Japanese horseradish that is sold in powdered form or as a prepared paste.

Basic Dashi Stock (Bonito Flake Stock)
10-cm (4-in) square piece konbu , wiped clean
1 liter (4 cups ) water
60 ml (¼ cup) cold water
90 g (3 oz) bonito flakes
    1 Cut konbu square into 4 narrow strips. Place in a saucepan with 4 cups water and cook over medium heat. Heat until just about to boil, then quickly remove pan from the heat, remove and discard konbu .
    2 Add the cold water and bonito flakes to the konbu broth. Bring to a boil then remove immediately from heat, and set aside to cool.
    3 When all the bonito flakes have sunk to the bottom, pour the liquid over a strain and discard the flakes.
Makes 1 liter (4 cups)
Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins
     

Steamed Egg Custard (Chawan Mushi)
250 g (8 oz) chicken breast, diced
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
8 fresh medium prawns, peeled and deveined
4–6 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and discarded, caps sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and thinly sliced, each slice quartered
120 g (4 oz) spinach, rinsed, stems removed
Peel of ¼ lemon, finely grated, for garnish
Dashi Custard
625 ml (2½ cups) Basic Dashi Stock (above)
1 tablespoon sake
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
    1 Marinate the chicken in the sake and soy sauce for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
    2 To prepare the Dashi Custard, break the eggs into a large bowl and stir them gently with chopsticks or a fork. Do not beat or allow bubbles to form in the eggs. Combine the Basic Dashi Stock or instant dashi mixture with the sake, soy sauce and salt in a saucepan and place over medium heat, stirring slowly to dissolve the salt. Heat until just before boiling, then quickly remove. Do not allow dashi mixture to boil.
    3 Pour the dashi mixture while still hot in a slow, steady stream into the eggs, stirring gently to blend. Strain the resulting