Basic Teriyaki Sauce
Yield: 1 servings
Ingredients
- 1 c Mirin wine
- 1 c Sake
- 1 c Japanese soy sauce
- 1 c Dashi
- 1 tb Sugar
Directions
WARM THE MIRIN and sake in a saucepan over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the burner. Carefully, ignite the mixture and shake back and forth until the flame dies. Return pan to the burner and add the soy sauce, dashi and sugar; bring to a boil. Cool to room temperature. Set aside in a saucepan 1/2 cup of the teriyaki sauce. Dip pieces of meat (chicken, sliced beef, etc.) into remaining sauce to marinate. Grill meats. Reduce the sauce in the saucepan over high heat into a thickened glaze.
Makes 1 Quart
Cucumber Relish
From the “Japanese Country Cookbook, ” by Russ Rudsinski.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 md Cucumber
- 2 ts Salt
- 2 tb Vinegar
- 1 tb Sugar
Directions
Peel cucumber and slice as thinly as possible. Salt and let macerate for 15 to 30 minutes. Drain and squeeze dry in a kitchen towel. Combine with vinegar and sugar in serving bowl.
Daikon Sauce
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 c Japanese soy sauce
- 1/4 c Vinegar
- 1/4 c Grated daikon
- 1 ds Togarashi (see note)
- Water as needed
Directions
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, daikon and togarashi. Add enough water to achieve a light sauce consistency.
Place sauce in small dishes for each diner.
Note: Togarashi is a Japanese seasoning made of crushed red pepper and other condiments, blended into a powder. Red or black pepper may be substituted.
Salad Dressings
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Here are some simple recipes:
Oil and Vinegar
Ingredients
- 1 tbs rice vinegar
- 2 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper
Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 tbs rice vinegar
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1 tbs sesame oil
- 1 tbs grated fresh ginger
- 1 tsp soy sauce
Amazu Shoga
(Pickled Pink Ginger)
- 1/3 lb Ginger, fresh young — large -pieces, scraped–look for -pieces with a pinkish skin
- 1/3 c Rice vinegar
- 1/4 c Sugar
- 1/4 ts Salt
Directions
Using a sharp knife or a Beriner cutter, shave the ginger into paper-thin slices. In a small, airtight container, combine the vinegar, sugar and salt. Blanch the ginger for 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain ginger; cool. If desired, reserve the liquid for cooking purposes.
Add the cooled ginger to the vinegar mixture; mix well. Store marinating ginger in the refrigerator. Pickled ginger can be eaten after 24 hours of marinating. It will keep several weeks. Good with either sushi or noodles. Add marinade to salads or sauces.
Ichiban Dashi
Yield: 1 Servings
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 qt Water
- 3 Inch square piece kelp
- 1 c Preflaked katsuobushi
Directions
Take 3.5 quarts water and bring to a boil. When boiling add a 3″ square piece of kelp. Return to heat, and when it boils remove the kelp. Add 1 c preflaked katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), and turn off heat Allow to sit for two minutes and then strain through cheesecloth More authentic, but more troublesome than the prepackaged
Chirizu
(Spicy Dipping Sauce for Sashimi)
Yield: 1 servings
Ingredients
- 5 ts Sake
- 2 Spring Onions
- 3 tb Lemon juice
- 1/8 ts Hichimi Togarashi
- 4 oz Daikon
- 3 tb Japanese soy sauce
- 1 pn MSG (optional)
Directions
Warm the sake in a small sucepan. Ignite with a match, off the heat, and shake tha pan gently until the flame dies out. Pour the sake into a dish and cool. Put the sake with the grated daikon, onions, soy sauce, lemon juice, MSG, and the 7 pepper spice into a mixing bowl. Mix well. To serve, place in small individual dishes and serve with sea bass, sea bream, or sashimi.
Donburi Ni Shiru
(Dipping Sauce for Donburi)
Yield: 1 .5 cups
Ingredients
- 1/3 c Mirin
- 1/3 c Shoyu
- 1 c Niban dashi
Directions
Over moderate heat, bring the mirin to a boil in a 1 quart saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat and set the mirin alight with a match. Shake the pan gently until the flame dies out, then stir in the soy sauce and dashi, and sprinkle lightly with MSG. bring to a boil over high heat, then cool to room temperature.
Serve with oyako domburi, tendon domburi and tanin domburi.
Bulldog Sauce
From Carol (Damsel in dis dress)
Ingredients
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 4 tsp hot water
- 4 tsps sake
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 tsp sugar
- 4 tsp distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 tsp ground allspice
- 1 dash ground cloves
- 1 tsp molasses
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup applesauce
Directions
Put the dry mustard in a small bowl. Add 4 tsp hot water and mix throughly. Add all the remaining ingredients and mix.
Serves 6 to 8.
Wasabi Sesame Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons wasabi powder
- 1/8 cup water
- 1 tablespoon low salt soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon puree sesame oil
- 3/4 cup peanut oil
- 1/4 egg — beaten
- 1 tablespoon black and white sesame seeds
Directions
In a bowl, mix wasabi and water, cover and let stand five minutes. Place in a blender with all other ingredients, except sesame seeds. Blend to a creamy consistency.
Pour into a container and fold in sesame seeds. Refrigerate until needed.
Dressing may be stored in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Japanese Barbecue Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. soy sauce
- 3/4 c. white sugar
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tbsp. catsup
- 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
- 1 tsp. dry mustard
- 3 to 4 lb. ribs or chicken
Directions
Combine all ingredients, except ribs or chicken. Boil until sugar dissolves. Parboil meat for at least one hour to tenderize. Add meat to sauce and cook on burner at low for 30 minutes. This can be marinated overnight or cooked the same day. Put meat on the grill or slow bake in the oven until glazed.
Katsuo Dashi
(Basic Dashi Stock)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 x 1 1/2 in. (6 x 4 cm) dried kelp (konbu)
- 7 cups (1 3/4 liters) water
- 4 cups (50g) dried bonito flakes
Directions
Wipe the kelp with a damp cloth, then put it in a saucepan with the water. Bring to a boil uncovered; just before the water comes to a boil, remove and discard the kelp. Sprinkle in the bonito flakes and remove saucepan from heat. As soon as the bonito flakes start to sink, strain stock and discard bonito flakes. This stock, which is the basis of many sauces and soups, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Helpful hint: Instant dashi granules (dashi-no-moto) make a quick alternative if small amounts of the stock are needed; however, for soups and stock for simmered dishes, it is preferable to make your own dashi.
Dengaku Miso
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (500g) red or white miso
- 1/3 cup (100ml) sake
- 1/3 cup (100ml) mirin
- 3 tablespoons (50g) sugar
Directions
Put all ingredients into a saucepan, preferably nonstick, and heat slowly, stirring from time to time. When it has come to a boil, reduce heat to a minimum and cook, stirring from time to time, for 20 minutes. Cool and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Ponzu
(Citrus sauce)
Ingredients
- 3 x 2 1/2 in. (8×6 cm) dried kelp (konbu)
- 1 3/4 cups (450ml) musk lime (ponzu or kala-mansi) juice, or lemon juice
- 1 3/4 cups (450ml) dark soy sauce
- 1/3 cup (90ml) mirin
- 1/4 cup (70ml) tamari soy sauce
- 4 cups (40g) dried bonito flakes
Directions
Heat the dried kelp over a gas flame or under a broiler (grill), then put into a bowl with all other ingredients. Refrigerate for 3 days, then strain. Can be stored for up to 1 year. (Bottled ponzu can be purchased in Japanese stores.)
Amazu
(Sweet Vinegar)
Ingredients
- 2 cups (500ml) water
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (275ml) rice vinegar
- 10 tablespoons (150g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
Directions
Bring water and vinegar to a boil in a saucepan, then add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat. Cool and use as a dipping sauce for vegetables. Keeps refrigerated up to 10 days.
Red Bean Paste (An)
Ingredients
- 220 g/7 oz/1 cup adzuki beans
- 250 g/8 oz/1 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Place beans in a pan with water to cover. Bring to boil. Turn off heat and soak for 1 hour. Drain, cover with fresh water then simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are soft and most of the water has evaporated. Add sugar and stir with a wooden spoon to roughly mash the beans (tsubushi-an). If a smooth paste is required, push cooked beans through sieve, add sugar and cook, stirring, until sugar is dissolved and the paste is thick.
The last stage of cooking, after adding sugar, may be done in a microwave oven without having to stir. Mix sugar into puréed beans and cook on full power for 5 minutes or until mixture no longer looks wet (check it after 3 minutes). Allow to rest for a couple of minutes before mixing. Use as required to flavour sweet soup or jellies. This paste will keep about a week refrigerated.
Chinese red bean paste uses a little less sugar and has 1/3 cup of peanut oil or lard incorporated after sugar is added and mixture has thickened.
