Tokyo Cooking Class

When I went to Tokyo with the bf last year he had to work for a couple of days so on one of the mornings I had to myself I had pre-booked a cooking class with a local instructor named Mari Nameshida. I honestly can’t remember how I had first found about Mari but what attracted me to her class was that it would be carried out in her home: so not only would I be learning to cook some traditional dishes in Japan but I would also have the chance to immerse myself, albeit briefly, in local culture.

The classes are also small and intimate (in mine there were 2 Australian ladies and an English, living in Netherlands couple, as well as myself and Mari) and fairly hands on with a lunch of what you have cooked to follow. Mari contacted me in advance to let me know what we would be cooking: Chicken Teriyaki, Gyoza, Sunomono (Japanese pickled salad), Dashi and Miso Soup. In fact two of the dishes - the chicken and gyoza - I had already attempted at home but I was looking forward to learning both, and in particular gyoza technique, properly.

It was lovely and relaxed: really nice to get the opportunity to chat with my fellow instructees and to get a real feel of local culture from Mari. I learnt some fascinating things that day and also got some excellent knife shopping tips and a little lesson in kanji.

I’ll have some further posts at some point with a) recipes for some of the dishes from when I cooked them at home for the bf and b) a postcard from Tokyo. Here though are some photos from the class itself - if you ever get the chance to visit Tokyo, take it and make sure you book in on a cooking class with Mari! 

Gyoza filling ingredients ready for some mixing

Getting stuck in: lightning fast!

Mixed & ready to wrap

Slicing cucumber thinly for the pickle salad

I wanted to be sure I would know what
bonito to buy to bring home for dashi
stock

Mari demonstrating how to cook the chicken teriyaki

Group effort gyoza wrapping

Pretty pleased with my technique!

A couple of batches ready (we made a lot).

Chicken teriyaki on the left and miso with tofu puffs on the right

The chicken teriyaki is nearly done so the gyoza go on

A happy (and hungry) group

My lunch in full:  and traditionally set out

Further details about Mari's classes can be found here: http://www.japanese-cooking-class-tokyo-mari.com/index.html

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Beef & Pea Tagine

I do love tagines: not least of all as I love the fact that you chuck it all in, forget about it and come back to something deliciously fragrant and warming. It’s just a shame that I don’t have my tagine at the moment (as naturally it is still in storage somewhere or other) but a cast iron lidded casserole can work just as well.

I’ve used culinary Argan oil here as I picked some up (as well as saffron) on our trip earlier last year to Marrakech but feel free to use olive oil. And on the subject of saffron, a tip I read somewhere on the interweb was to carefully warm it up in a dry frying pan over a fairly low heat before crumbling it with your fingers. Apparently this method will help to release the best fragrance and flavour.

To be honest you could use any veg you wanted - or meat for that matter. I’d actually wanted to get sweet potatoes but the rubbish little Sainsbury near work didn’t have any so normal spuds it had to be. I’d love to try fresh artichoke and peas as although it would undoubtedly be a bit of a faff I bet it would be luscious.


Beef & Pea Tagine
Serves 3-4

1 tbsp Argan oil
400g stewing beef, cut into 1.5 in chunks
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
20g knob ginger, finely shredded
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp ground coriander
¾ tsp cumin
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tsp ras el hanout
¼ tsp saffron threads, lightly toasted & crumbled
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
Peel of ½ orange
200g peas
2 tomatoes, roughly chopped
1½ tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
handful of coriander leaves, chopped

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Pour a good splash of oil into a heavy based casserole dish, heat it then add the beef and brown on all sides.

Add the onion, ginger and garlic to the meat (add a little more oil if you need to) and cook for 10 minutes or so until the onion is softened then stir in the spices (bar the saffron).

Cook for about 30 seconds before chucking the potatoes, orange peel, and tomatoes into the pot.

Season well then pour over enough water to just cover everything, giving it a gentle stir before bringing to the boil.

Take off the heat, cover with a lid and pop in the oven.

After about 1½ hours both the meat and potatoes should be tender so add the peas and saffron (and top up the water if necessary) and cook for 30 minutes longer.

Double check seasoning and adjust carefully as necessary. The amount of sauce at this point should be fine but again, if necessary, reduce the liquids until a rich sauce has formed.

Serve with steamed couscous with the almonds and chopped coriander sprinkled over.

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Slow Roast Lamb, Spiced Cauliflower & Creamy Potato Gratin

I’ve mentioned before the half lambs purchased from bf’s boss, well we were onto half lamb number 2 and at this point all we had left was shoulder. As the bf’s offspring was with us for the weekend it seemed a good time as any to have it. Well, that and the fact that for once we actually remembered to take the lamb out of the oven to defrost ready for use for a Sunday lunch feast.

Slow-cooking is the only way to go really with shoulder: which means that I can get it ready, bung it in and then get on with prepping and worrying about the rest. One thing to worry about with anything slow cooked and ergo at a low temperature is that choosing sides to accompany is a bit of a pain in the arse. Unless you have a double oven (one day, one day..) you are stuck at the one temperature for the duration of the roasting: roast potatoes for instance are out as they need a high temperature for at least 45 minutes.

So I decided on a couple of things that could be semi-cooked at a reasonably low temp, or on the hob and then blasted for 15 minutes at a higher temperature while the lamb was rested and subsequently shredded and the gravy / sauce made.

My advice here therefore is to get the lamb in and then a couple of hours later prep the ingredients for the cauliflower, gratin and sauce.

Half an hour before the lamb is due to come out (so about 3.5 hours in) get the potato slice, milk, cream combo going on the hob and chuck the cauliflower in the oven. Keep an eye on the latter and take out again once it starts to brown.

When the lamb comes out, whack the oven temperature back up to 240C, tip the potato mixture into a dish and grate over the cheese, dot with butter and put that on the top shelf with the cauliflower on the bottom. Get on with sauce and then shred the lamb. 15 minutes later everything should have come together beautifully.


Slow Roasted Lamb

2.5 kg shoulder of lamb
2 onions, sliced thickly
3-4 carrots, halved lengthways
4 -6 large sprigs rosemary
4-6 large springs of mint
1 bulb of garlic, broken into cloves (unpeeled)
olive oil
za’atar
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
200ml white wine
200ml chicken or vegetable stock

Preheat the oven at its highest temperature (usually about 250C).

Lay the onion slices over the bottom of a high sided roasting tin then lay half of the garlic cloves on top along with half of the rosemary and half of the mint.

Score the skin side of the lamb by using diagonal cuts about 1-2 cms apart, no deeper than about an inch.

Rub all over with oil and za'atar and a generous amount of salt and black pepper. Place skin side up on top of the garlic and herbs and then add the rest of the herbs and garlic on top of the lamb.

Tip in the wine and stock and tuck the carrots alongside the lamb.

Cover as tightly as possible with foil then place in oven and turn down to 150C/340F.

Roast for four hours by which time the lamb should be very tender and falling off the bone.

Remove the lamb and carrots to a plate, set aside on top of a wooden chopping board and cover tightly with foil and a tea towel on top of that. Leave to rest for 15 minutes before shredding or pulling the meat off in chunks.

Piquant Gravy 

½ tbsp flour
the liquid from the lamb roasting tin
1 heaped tbsp capers, soaked, drained and finely chopped
½ large bunch fresh mint, leaves picked, finely chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Discard any bits of rosemary & mint stalk from the tray. Pick out the garlic cloves and about half of the onion and set aside.

Tip the liquid into a measuring jug, let it settle and then spoon off and discard most of the fat from the top. Spoon 1-2 tbsp of the fat back into the roasting tin.

Using a stick blender whizz up the contents of the jug very carefully.

Put the roasting tin on the hob over a medium heat and mix in the flour, scraping up any stuck on bits from the bottom as you go. Add about ⅔ of the cooking liquid from the jug, stirring all the time.

Leave to simmer for a couple of minutes before adding the capers, turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes more.

Just before serving add the mint & red wine vinegar to the sauce, give it a stir and pour into a jug.

Spiced Cauliflower

I’d bought a little selection pack of Halen Mon salts when we were in Wales (and on Anglesey specifically) earlier this year but if you’re not lucky enough to have any at your disposal use some spices such as cumin & turmeric as well as some smoked or normal Maldon sea salt.

1 small/medium cauliflower, broken into small florets
Halen Mon sea salt with spices
Halen Mon sea salt smoked over Welsh Oak
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil spray

Preheat the oven to 240C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place the florets on the baking tray and spray with olive oil a few times, toss the tray around a little and spray again.

Sprinkle over the sea salts and freshly ground black pepper and toss around again so that the florets are evenly coated in oil and spices.

Shake the tray so the florets are in as evenly a single layer as possible then place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning the tray every now and again (NB see note at top).

Creamy Cheesy Potato Gratin
Serves: 3-4

1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into slices 1 cm thick
250ml full fat milk
250ml double cream
1 small banana shallot, peeled and halved
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt flakes
25g unsalted butter
50-60g jarlsberg cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 240°C.

Put the potato slices into a large saucepan with the milk, cream, onion, minced garlic and salt.

Bring to the boil and cook at a robust simmer until the potato slices are tender but not dissolving into mush (this is a fairly tough call to be fair!). Discard the shallot.

Use a little of the butter to grease a medium sized tin or lasagne dish and then pour the milk, cream & potato mixture into it.

Sprinkle over the grated cheese then dot with the remaining butter.

Cook in the oven for 15 minutes or until the potato is bubbly and browned on top. Remove and let stand for 5 minutes or so before serving.

Finally, serve everything up on to the middle of your dining table and let everyone serve themselves!

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Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Broccoli with Orzo

Basically what we have here is a “there are chicken thighs & chopped tomatoes in the fridge to use up and I fancy something cheesy.. oh and how about orzo - haven’t had that in a while” recipe. No word of lie, that was pretty much the thought process. I popped into the supermarket on the way home and came out with bacon and broccoli so in they went too. And the bf was away for the night which meant I could be somewhat experimental (after this effort the words “I’m being experimental” strike fear into his heart. And it wasn’t that bad. And I’m pretty sure my experimenting actually made it better than it would otherwise have been).

But I digress. This is a pretty quick, simple supper - for one or two and makes for a very good tv dinner (The Walking Dead, I thank you). In fairness this may be even better with a cheese sauce stirred through rather than just bunging in grated cheese but frankly I always have enough to wash up after cooking as it is without a cheesy sauce saucepan to deal with too. And I couldn’t be bothered, truthfully. I’d give it a go though as I suspect it would make this really great.


Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Broccoli with Orzo
serves 2

4 slices smoked bacon, chopped
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
200ml chicken stock
⅓ tin chopped tomatoes (as that was what I had - ½ a tin would be better)
125g grated cheddar
1-2 tbsp chopped poblano chilli (or to taste but they’re very mild)
200g chicken thighs, chopped into 1-2cm pieces & seasoned with S&P
75-100g broccoli, cut into small florets
150g orzo

Cook the orzo in a large pan of salted boiling water for about ten minutes then drain and set aside.

Meanwhile fry the bacon in a large sauté pan for about 10 minutes until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside in a small bowl.

Add the chicken bits to the bacon fat in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until browned on all sides. Again, set aside, in the bowl with the bacon.

Turn the heat down fairly low and add the spring onion, garlic and broccoli to the pan. Cook for a further 5 minutes or so until the broccoli is tender.

Add the chopped tomatoes & chilli and cook for a few minutes more.

Add the orzo, chicken stock, bacon & chicken (along with any juices from the bowl they were in) and give it all a good stir. Leave to simmer for a few minutes before stirring in ⅔ of the grated cheese.

Leave to simmer for a few more minutes. Then top with the rest of the cheese and pop under the grill for a couple of minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately.

A green salad on the side is probably a good idea at this point but I scoffed it as it.

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Black Bean Chicken & Dry-Fried Green Beans

Once again some Fuchsia Dunlop recipes here: slightly adapted in both cases and from “Every Grain of Rice” rather than Sichuan Cookery.

The black bean chicken is of Hunanese origin and employs two of its most distinctive seasonings: fermented black beans and chillies. On the other hand the dryfried green beans are from the Sichuan province and one that I have cooked many times before although from the aforementioned Sichuan Cookery. This is the vegetarian version from Every Grain of Rice where ya cai or preserved vegetable are used in place of minced pork for a savoury kick.


Black Bean Chicken
serves 2 with one other dish & rice

2 boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-2cm cubes
1 small green pepper, cut into 1-2cm squares (to match the chicken)
2 tbsp groundnut oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled & sliced
20g ginger, peeled & sliced
2 tbsp fermented black beans, rinsed & drained
1 tsp ground chillies
salt
2 spring onions, green parts only, finely sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
For the marinade
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
¼ tsp salt
1½ tsp potato flour
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce

Put the chicken pieces in a bowl with the marinade ingredients, mix well and set aside.

Heat a wok over a high flame and add ½ tbsp oil. Add the peppers and stir-fry until slightly cooked but still crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reheat the wok over a high flame and add the remaining groundnut oil. Swirl it around to coat the sides of the wok then add the marinated chicken and stir-fry until the pieces have separated.

Add the garlic and ginger and continue to stir-fry until they smell fragrant.

Add the black beans and stir around a few times.

Add the ground chillies and also return the peppers to the wok.

Continue to stir-fry until the chicken is just cooked through. Season to taste if necessary with a little salt then stir in the spring onion greens. Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil before serving.

Sichuanese Dry-Fried Green Beans
serves 2 with one other dish & rice

300g green beans, trimmed & halved
4 dried Facing Heaven (or other red chilli), snipped in half and seeds discarded
2 spring onions, white parts only, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
20g ginger, peeled & finely sliced
2 tbsp Sichuan preserved vegetable, rinsed, drained & chopped (optional)
salt
1½ tbsp groundnut oil
½ tsp Sichuan pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

Blanch the beans until just tender in a pan of salted, boiling water. Drain thoroughly.

Heat a wok over a high flame and add the groundnut oil then the chillies and Sichuan pepper. Let them sizzle until the chillies have darkened (be very careful not to let them burn) and it all smells very fragrant.

Add the spring onion, garlic & ginger and stir-fry for a minute then add the preserved vegetable and stir a few times.

Add the blanched beans and stir-fry for a few minutes more over a fairly high heat until they are coated in the fragrant oil and puckered and browning in places.

Add salt to taste then stir in the sesame oil and serve.

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Korean Keema

I’ve mentioned gochujang (Korean spicy red pepper paste) in a couple of previous posts (namely here and here) but I’m honestly extremely surprised that I’ve never posted this recipe before as it is one that falls into my stable , so to speak, of things oft cooked.

This is adapted from Nigella’s Kitchen, not to be confused with the more traditional, although also very good keema found in Feast.


Korean Keema
serves 2

250g turkey mince
3 fat spring onions, finely chopped
125g frozen petis pois
1 tsp groundnut oil
2 tbsp shaoxing wine
2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
150g sushi rice
For the sauce

3 tbsps gochujang
1 ½ tbsp honey
1 ½ tbsp shaoxing wine
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, crushed

In a bowl whisk together the sauce ingredients.

Stir in the turkey mince and set aside to marinate while you get on with the rest of the preparation.

Rinse the rice in a colander until the water runs clear then place in a medium saucepan with the same volume of water plus about 10%. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for around 20 minutes on the lowest heat possible (a simmer mat may be handy here although sadly mine doesn’t work too well).

After the rice has been simmering for about 10 minutes, heat a wok over a high heat. While it's heating up pour boiling water over the peas in a colander. When the wok is hot, add the oil and stir in the onions and peas (be aware that it may spit a bit because of the wet peas). Stir fry for 3-4 minutes.

Add the turkey and sauce and stir fry until the mince is coloured and no longer pink. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons rice wine with 4 tbsp water to the marinating bowl, swirl around to get all the residue and add to the wok. Continue to cook for a couple of minutes.

Serve the rice in a bowl with the sauce spooned over and top with some chopped coriander.

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