Ingredients

• 1 large burdock roots, cut into shavings
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp sake
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper

Method

1. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and throw in the vegetable.
2. Stir fry for 3 minutes.
3. Add sake, soy sauce and sugar.
4. Cook until the liquid evaporates.
5. Mix the five spice powder with crushed red pepper and add to the vegetable mixture.
6. Serve hot.

Ingredients

• 8 small slender Japanese sweet potatoes
• 1½ sticks unsalted butter, well softened
• 1½ tbsp miso paste
• 3 tbsp scallion, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 450degree F with rack in upper third.
2. Prick potatoes all over with a fork and put on a foil-lined large baking sheet. Bake until very soft when squeezed, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
3. While potatoes bake, stir together butter, miso and scallion until combined.
4. Slit hot potatoes lengthwise and, using oven mitts, push in sides to puff up potato.
5. Serve with some scallion butter in center of each and with additional scallion butter on the side.

Ingredients

• 1¼  lbs Asian eggplants, halved lengthwise, and cut diagonally into 1½-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp finely grated peeled ginger
• 1/8 tsp Japanese seven-spice powder
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp finely chopped chives
• Salt to taste

Method

1. Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt and drain in a colander, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes.
2. Rinse eggplant under cold water and dry well, pressing out any excess moisture.
3. Stir together mirin, soy sauce, ginger, and seven-spice powder.
4. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté eggplant until browned, for about 8 minutes.
5. Stir in mirin mixture and cook, gently stirring and turning frequently, until sauce becomes a glaze and eggplant is browned and tender, in about 1 minute.
6. Serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with chives.

Ingredients

• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons dashinomoto
• ½ cup miso
• ½ cup cubed tofu
• 2 scallions chopped for garnish

Method

1. In a saucepan, bring water to a boil and stir in dashinomoto and miso.
2. Add tofu and bring mixture to a boil again.
3. Remove from heat, pour into 4 small bowls and garnish with chopped scallions.

Ingredients

For the yolk mixture (kimian)

• 6 small hard-boiled eggs
• ¼ cup sugar

For the pea mixture (endoan)

• 1¾ cup frozen peas
• 3 tbsp sugar

Method

1. To make the kimian, shell the eggs, cut them into half and scoop the yolks.
2. Using a wooden spoon, press the yolks through a sieve into a bowl. Add the sugar and mix well.
3. To make the endoan, cook the peas in a lightly salted boiling water for about 3-4 minutes.
4. Drain and then crush the peas with a pestle and mortar.
5. Transfer the paste into a saucepan, add the sugar and cook over a low heat until thick.
6. Spread out the pea paste in a shallow dish so that it cools quickly.
7. Divide both mixtures into six portions.
8. Place a portion of the pea mixture on a wet muslin cloth and put a similar amount of the yolk mixture on top.
9. Wrap the mixture up and twist the top of the cloth to join the mixtures together and mark a spiral pattern on top.
10. Unwrap and place on a plate. Make the five other dessert cakes similarly.
11. Serve cold.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb kabocha pumpkin, seeds removed
• ½ onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
• 2 cups water
• 1 2/3 cup milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Place kabocha in a plate and heat in microwave for a minute.
2. Cut kabocha into bite-size pieces.
3. Saute onion slices with butter in a medium pot until soften.
4. Add kabocha and saute together.
5. Pour water and add chicken bouillon powder in the pot.
6. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes, or until soften.
7. Add milk and stir the soup, mashing kabocha.
8. Season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 package Japanese udon noodles
• 1tsp vegetable oil
• 1medium red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 1medium carrot, diagonally sliced
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 cans beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• ½ tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 cups thinly sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
• 4 ounces daikon (Japanese radish), peeled and cut into thin strips
• 4 ounces tofu, drained and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Method

1. Cook noodles according to package directions, omitting salt.
2. Drain. Rinse and set aside.
3. Heat oil in large saucepan until hot.
4. Add red bell pepper, carrot and green onions; cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly softened.
5. Stir in beef broth, water, soy sauce, ginger and black pepper; bring to a boil.
6. Add mushrooms, daikon and tofu, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Place noodles in soup mixture and ladle soup over noodles.

Ingredients

• 6½ cups dashi
• 16 ounces assorted wild mushrooms (enoki, shiitake, crimini)
• 2 ounces butter
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 3 green onions, sliced into rings
• 1 pinch sea salt

Method

1. Clean the mushrooms with a dry brush or a cloth to remove dirt.
2. Roughly chop the mushrooms.
3. Melt the butter in a large saute pan on medium to high heat.
4. Add the mushrooms.
5. Cook until mushrooms are 1/3 of their original size.
6. Add the dashi and simmer for 15 minutes.
7. Season with soy sauce and salt.
8. Ladle into bowls, garnish with green onion and serve hot.

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups short-grain rice
• 2 cups water
• 4 pork cutlets, breaded by dipping each in one beaten egg, then fresh bread crumbs
• 1 small leek, sliced in ½-inch pieces
• 2 cups dashi stock
• 2/3 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 4 eggs

Method

1. Pour the rice into a big bowl of water and scrub the grains against each other to remove all starch.
2. Strain the rice, then wash and rinse it well.
3. Drain.
4. Bring the rice and 2 cups of water to a boil, give it a quick stir, then cover, reduce to simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and let it steam for another 15 minutes.
6. Bring the dashi, mirin, and soy sauce to a boil, add the sliced leek, and simmer till soft.
7. Deep fry the pork cutlets till golden and tender.
8. Drain on paper towels.
9. Half fill four large bowls with the hot rice.
10. Slice each pork cutlet diagonally into ½-inch strips, and arrange each intact cutlet on the rice.
11. Whisk the eggs with chopsticks, then pour slowly into one spot over the onion into the dashi.
12. When the egg is nearly set, stir once.
13. Ladle a quarter of the egg mass on top of the four bowls, one by one.

Ingredients

• 1 cup diced shrimp
• 3 water chestnuts, diced
• 6 mushrooms, diced
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 tbsp sherry wine
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups beef broth
• 12 leaves of spinach

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Combine shrimp, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and scallions.
3. Divide evenly in 6 oven-safe custard cups.
4. Whisk eggs, salt, sherry and broth.
5. Divide broth mixture evenly between the cups.
6. Cover the broth in each custard cup with two leaves spinach.
7. Fill a large baking pan with 2-3 inches of boiling water.
8. Place the custard cups in the pan and cover with tin foil.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until the mixture is set.