Natto love or hate?

Recently I became a Natto lover. It was not my favorite food when I lived in Japan because I generally don't like beans. In addition Natto has a distinguish smell and funny texture.

However most of Japanese people like this unique food. For the side dish of rice, we normally eat it after stirring hundreds times with soy sauce and some toppings.

My dad adds good amount of soy sauce, a raw egg and Japanese mustard. My brother is crazy about Natto. So I bought a pair of chopsticks specially made for stirring Natto for him. He has Natto one a day. His favorite toppings are a handful of bonito flakes, a hint of Japanese chili and loads of chopped spring onions.

Anyway the reason why I love Natto is I created the recipes to enhance the flavor but reduce the sticky texture. I am going to give you one of the recipes.

Heat the flying pan with sesame oil and cook Natto with pork or chicken, chopped spring onions, pine nuts and Korean chili paste. I wrap them with gem lettuce. I think Natto is versatile, nutritious and economical. I will create more recipes using Natto as I stock up Natto in my freezer!

The recipe is going to be published on Japanese magazine in London sometime soon!

Autumn is the season for gastronomy

In early autumn, Japanese people talk about and focus on autumnal pastimes such as gastronomy, sports and art. I am not gastronomic, however autumnal food is a real pleasure for me. Japanese people especially look for Matsutake mushroom, Sanma(mackerel pike) and chestnuts. As I live in London, I am excited to have game, wild mushrooms and oysters.

When I travel to France, I don't tend to choose simple food which I know I like from previous experience. I take a gamble on the chef's creativity. When I went to Paris last time, though I like oysters, I didn't order them. I wanted to try game and wild mushrooms which come out in the impressive recipes. Unluckily I had venison with overpowering sauce served with defrosted vegetables. The following day I was looking forward to some really good food though I had no specific plan or booking. I didn't know the best place to go. (I should have been more organised!)

It was 2:15, when I gave up looking for a restaurant. I had to rush in the end to get a table for lunch in a local restaurant. There was no game or wild mushrooms on the menu! However, I was happy to eat simple home cooking such as sauteed fish served with julienned vegetables in light butter sauce. It was comfort food for a exhausted and hungry girl! Never mind, an excuse to return to Paris for some autumnal food! That's a good reason in my mind!

Sushi workshop for professionals

I went to a sushi workshop last Sunday. It was great opportunity to see skillful 7 sushi samurai who have come from the other side of the world. The workshop is held only once a year so I was looking forward to attending.

In the morning, I had a lecture about the history of sushi, sushi ingredients and hygiene. After the lecture, I had lunch with the chef's delicious nigiri sushi. Unlike take away sushi, sushi rice fell apart in my mouth. The texture and flavor were perfect! Of course, fish were very fresh!

After the tasting, I started practicing my cooking with sushi expert tutor, Mr Ogata who is one of 7 sushi samurai. I was happy with the the quality of my sushi rice. However, he gave me some tips which will improve the taste of my sushi rice further. Filleting fish wasn't easy for me. I was untidy separating the fins and scales of sea bass. Finally, I enjoyed making sushi. I had excellent experience with 7 sushi samurai. All chefs were passionate about sushi. I thought about being proper sushi chef after this workshop. Is this good idea? Mr Ogata said he would like to have me in his sushi restaurant.(he is kind or he meant he wanted to hire me as a waitress?)

My tutor Mr Ogata won the sushi competition this year! Congratulation!

Tamago yaki

Who doesn't have personal preference for eggs? I love rightly cooked soft boiled egg, slightly runny poached egg, onsen tamgo which is slowly cooked in hot spa and tamago yaki.

You might have had a slice of tamago yaki on a small ball-shaped rice in sushi restaurants. Japanese people have tamago yaki as side dish, in bento boxes and of course accompanying sushi.

My tamago yaki has been popular for my friends since I was 10 years old! When I was a little school girl, I remember walking back home from school with my friends I was thinking what to cook for them. Both my parents had full time jobs so the kitchen was a kind of play room for me. One of my best friends loved my tamago yaki. She always asked me to cook it. I was adventurous about food at an early age, so I created numerous recipes such as julienned root vegetables tamago yaki, seaweed and dried prawn tamago yaki and fluffy sweet tamago yaki that was her favorite. My personal preference is moist and soft and with mentaiko. mentaiko is chilli cod raw. It's not easy to buy it in London. I am missing it...

I will give you a basic tamago yaki recipe to start.

Ingredients
5 Eggs
2 tbsp of mirin
1 tbsp of sugar
1 tsp of soy sauce
A pinch of sea salt to taste

Break the eggs into a bowl.
Beat the eggs well using chop sticks ensuring that they are mixed evenly, but also that no froth forms. Add the other ingredients into eggs and mix well.
Heat a square omelet pan thoroughly. Ensure that the pan is evenly coated with oil, right to the sides.
Heat the pan once more until the surface is very hot and then, add one third of the egg mixture.
When bubbles appear in the egg mixture, burst then using your chopsticks.
As the underside of the omelet begins to set, peel it back using your chopsticks.

Fold over the cooked omelet and roll it toward you, to complete the first roll of the omelet.
Spread the oil to the far side of the pan. Push the egg away from you and this time spread the oil toward you.
Add half the remaining mixture to the side of the pan nearest you slide your chopsticks under the first omelet you made until they touch the far side of the pan and allow the new egg mixture to run underneath the omelet. Then repeat to make the second roll and the third roll.
Remove the pan from the heat and press down on both sides of the omelet to fix the shape.

Sashimi Salad

Sashimi on a bed of salad is not a traditional dish but has been popular for long time in Japanese restaurants known as 'Izakaya'.

A crisp salad makes sashimi more interesting and gives crunchiness and flavor. I prefer the combination of lettuce, baby leaves, cherry tomatoes and radish topped with white fish, prawn, squid or scallop. When I prepare bonito, I accompany with onions, sprouts, shiso leaves and sliced garlic which is the seasonal dish in Autumn.

As I had fresh squid sashimi last evening, I used the left over squid to make squid sashimi salad. Obviously as the fish is combined with other flavors, the quality of the sashimi is not so important. This makes the most of the left overs from the fresh fish from the day before, as the fish starts to change the texture and flavor.

The subtle flavor of squid goes well with a ginger dressing.

Ingredients
12-16 pieces squids
200g edamame in pods, boiled and shelled
Handful spinach leaves, washed and dried
2 radish, thinly sliced
Pink pepper corns

For the ginger vinaigrette
2 tsp ginger minced
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
½ tsp sugar
2 tbsp grape seed oil
Sea salt
Black pepper

For the ginger vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a bowl except the grape seed oil.
Slowly whisk in grape seed oil. Cover and refrigerate until required.
Next, place the spinach, squid, edamame and radish on each plate.
Drizzle the vinaigrette around the plates. Sprinkle the pink pepper corns.

Tsukune

Tsukune is a type meatball. However, the taste is very different as it is not prepared in a tomato based sauce.

Char-grilled tukune is generally the most popular variety and is found in yakitori restaurants. It is the habit of Japanese business men to go to yakitori restaurants after work to treat themselves with tsukune and some sake or beers. It is growing in popularity for young girls, too. My friends and I used to meet for tsukune and a beer and we talked so much that we almost missed the last train!

My mum and I from time to time make this dish at home. We grill on a thick heavy flying pan or grill pan. The advantage of making tsukune at home is that you can add as many ingredients as you like to create your own variety of tsukune.

My mum generally adds yum potatoes, lotus root and sometimes tofu. Yum potatoes and tofu make tsukune softer. My favorite ingredients are shiso leaves and shitake mushrooms which have a strong flavor.
I will introduce a basic tsukune recipe to you. you can add your selection of ingredients to create interesting variation!

Ingredients
300g minced chicken
60g spring onion, chopped
1 ginger, minced
11/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp potato flower
Sea salt
Black pepper

Sesame oil for grilling

For the sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp sake
2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar

Direction
Mix together all the ingredients until the mixture is sticky.
Make small ball shapes on your hand.
Push 2 balls onto each bamboo skewer.
Heat a thick heavy grill pan or flying pan and add sesame oil.
Cook the tsukune until browned all over.
Pour sake and put lid on steam for 3 minutes.
Take the lid off and add soy sauce, mirin and sugar and cook until sticky.

Antony Worrall Thompson

I had some good luck today. I met celebrity chef Antony Worrall Thompson by pure chance! I went to Piccadilly circus to see my friend this afternoon. It was raining and I had some heavy bags after visiting wholefoods market. My friend and I ran into the cafe in Waterstone's book shop to escape the heavy rain. However, as i was leaving the cafe, I saw a familiar face near the entrance of the book store. It was Antony Worrall Thompson signing copies of 'The People's Cookbook'! I picked up a copy and he wrote a personalised message for me. I spoke to him for a minute and he wrote his message (above). He is a really nice gentleman. It has given me more motivation, so I will cook more to improve my cookery skills. Someday I would like to cook with him. It's my dream! I now have his book proudly on display in my kitchen.

Keep smiling!