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

• 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

• 300g of thinly sliced beef
• 1 medium onion
• 4-5 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin.
• 1/2 tbsp dashi bonito.
• ¾ cup of boiling water
• 1 tbsp of sake
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 4 servings of steamed rice

Method

1. Take the boiling water and put the dashi bonito into a bowl and once mixed, put in all the other ingredients (except the beef, onions and rice) into it.
2. Chop the onions around ¼-inch thick.
3. Fry the onions until soft and put in the beef. Fry on high heat until beef is cooked, cool well, but not for too long because the beef will become tough.
4. Put in the combination of sauces into the pan. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Put the lid on and let it cook for another 5 minutes or so.
5. Put the rice servings in separate bowls and serve the beef and onions on top of each servings.

Ingredients

• 8 oz ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp raisins
• Olive or vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• Salt and pepper
• 5 cups cooked Japanese rice

Method

1. Heat a little oil in a pan. Saute the onions, garlic and ginger until the onion is translucent and a bit browned.
2. Add the meat, and brown. Push the meat and vegetables to one side of the pan. Put the curry powder in the empty part of the pan and stir-roast until darkened and fragrant.
3. Add ½ cup of water, raisins and tomato paste. Simmer rapidly over high heat until the moisture is almost gone.
4. Add the hot rice to the pan and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp bonito flakes
• ¼ cup sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 English cucumbers
• 1 tbsp coarse salt
• 1 tbsp sugar

Method

1. In a bowl stir together flakes, vinegar and soy sauce and let it stand for 1 hour.
2. Peel and seed cucumbers and diagonally cut into 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch thick slices.
3. In a colander set over a bowl toss cucumbers with salt and drain 30 minutes.
4. Rinse cucumbers well and pat dry.
5. Pour bonito mixture through a fine sieve into a large bowl and toss liquid with cucumbers and sugar.

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1½ tbsp of flour
• 1 pinch of baking powder
• 3 tbsp dashi
• 1 tbsp white miso
• 1 small handful of fresh bean sprouts
• 2 leaves of fresh cabbage, chopped fine
• 2 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and chopped fine
• 4 snow peas, chopped fine
• ½ small carrot, chopped or grated fine
• Vegetable oil

Method

1. Break the eggs into a bowl, add the dashi and miso and beat well.
2. Add the flour and baking powder and beat well to blend all the ingredients.
3. Heat a small frying pan, add a little bit of vegetable oil and fry the thicker vegetables first (cabbage and carrots).
4. When these vegetables are limp and translucent add the more delicate vegetables (bean sprouts, snow peas and mushrooms) and continue frying.
5. Pour the egg mixture over the frying vegetables and place a cover on the pan. Turn down the heat to low and allow to cook for two or three minutes. When the surface of the omelet has set, use a spatula to carefully flip the pancake over.
6. Fry for another minute of so until cooked and then serve!

Ingredients

• 2 cups Japanese rice
• ¼ cups glutinous rice
• 20 pieces small chestnuts
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sake
• 2 2/3 cup water

Method

1. Soak chestnuts in hot water for about 30 minutes.
2. Peel the chestnuts and soak in water for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the chestnuts in a strainer.
4. Wash rice well and set aside in a strainer.
5. Put rice, water, soy sauce, mirin, sake in a rice cooker and lightly mix them.
6. Place the chestnuts on the top and start the cooker.

Ingredients

• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp wasabi (Japanese horseradish) paste
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Mix soy sauce and vinegar in a bowl.
2. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
3. Add sesame oil and wasabi paste and whisk well.
4. Cool the dressing in the fridge until ready to serve.

Ingredients

• ½ lb udon noodles
• 1 tbsp olive Oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large hot chili pepper, seeded and chopped
• 14 ounces plum tomatoes, chopped
• ½ cup black olives, sliced
• Pepper to taste

For the pesto sauce

• ¼ lb spinach, trimmed
• 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp miso
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley

Method

1. Combine all the sauce ingredients in the food processor and make the puree.
2. Cook the noodles al dente, drain and toss with pesto and cover.
3. Saute the garlic and the pepper in olive oil.
4. Add tomatoes, olives and black pepper.
5. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir into noodle mixture and serve.

Ingredients

• 1 block cotton tofu
• ¼ lb carrots
• 4 shiitake mushrooms
• 1 bunch of spinach
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp roasted sesame
• 2 tbsp soy sauce

Method

1. Boil the block of tofu and cool.
2. Wrap the tofu with paper towels and place a cutting board on top of it to drain the moisture. Leave it for 30 minutes.
3. Cut the carrot and shiitake mushrooms into thin strips.
4. Boil the carrot and shiitake mushroom strips for a few minutes and drain.
5. Boil spinach and drain.
6. Cut the boiled spinach into bite size pieces.
7. Grind roasted sesame seeds and mix with soy sauce and sugar.
8. Add drained tofu and stir well to make tofu dressing.
9. Mix vegetables and mushrooms with the tofu dressing.