Archive for » December 5th, 2007«
Here is a very yummy Japanese chicken dish, it is very easy and quick recipe to do. If you can’t get instant dashi, it will take a little longer to make, as you will have the boiling time for the dashi to add on.
Ingredients
Olive oil
120g Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, sliced
1 Cup secondary dashi (see recipe below if you
can’t get instant.)
3 Tablespoons Mirin (If using non alcoholic, this tends to be quite sweet only use 2 tablespoons.)
2 Teaspoons sugar
50ml Japanese soy sauce
800g Chicken breasts, sliced thinly
1 Leek, sliced
6 large eggs or 8 medium eggs, lightly beaten
11/2 Cups koshihikari rice (If you can’t get koshihikari rice, white medium-grain can be used instead.)
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
Method
1. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, cook chicken in batches until browned, remove and set to one side, wipe pan clean.
2. Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in pan, add leek and mushrooms cook a few Min’s until leeks soften.
3. Add dashi, sauce, mirin, sugar and bring to boil, return chicken to pan, reduce heat to medium low, simmer about 15 Min’s until chicken is cooked through.
4. Boil rice while chicken is simmering, drain rice.
5. Pour egg over chicken mixture, cook covered, for about 5 Min’s extra, until egg just sets.
To serve: Divide rice among serving bowls, top with chicken, sprinkle with chives
Here is a recipe for primary dashi I posted earlier, to turn this into secondary dashi, Add the 41/4 cups of water all at once, add kelp and bonito flakes, along with 10g extra bonito flakes and boil for about 20-25 min’s to allow flavour to really come through, strain as per primary dashi once it has been boiled. Secondary dashi is just a heavier version of this stock.
If you can’t get instant dashi here is a recipe for primary dashi. The recipe makes quite a lot but if you make Japanese often it will keep in the fridge for a few days and last in the freezer for a month but it will lose some of it’s delicate flavour and aroma.
15g dried kelp (konbu)
1 litre cold water (4 cups)
15g large smoked dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi)
1. Wipe kelp with a damp cloth, cut into 3-4 large pieces. Place kelp in a large saucepan with water, cook uncovered, about 10 Min’s or until just about to come to a boil.
2. Remove kelp, bring liquid to boil and add another 1/4 cup cold water along with bonito flakes, return just to a boil, remove from heat immediately.
3. Strain dashi through a muslin-lined sieve into another pan.
All photo’s taken by me unless otherwise stated.
This is another recipe I tried from recipezaar, it was very good, although I added more ingredients for the glaze, as what is listed did not cover the bottom of my pan. You will notice, it is listed, to boil veg first, I didn’t bother with this, I find the veg will cook fine, from start to finish in a wok, without being boiled first. Other than those small points it is a very tasty dish with a lovely aroma and wonderful flavours. If you enjoyed this recipe and would like to see other recipes by this chef click here.
Ingredients
2 ounces green beans, trimmed
1/2 ounces carrots, peeled
1/2 red pepper, seeded
1 zucchini, trimmed
2 ounces snow peas
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 small garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot, grated
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the duck
2 (6 ounce) duck breasts, weighing 6oz each, with skin
1/2 teaspoon Chinese five spice powder
1 tablespoon clear honey
2 tablespoons ketjap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 medium red chili, seeded and finely chopped
Method
1. Cut all the vegetables into to thin sticks, about the same size as the green beans. Drop the beans into a pan of boiling water and bring back to the boil.
2. Add the carrots and the red pepper and cook for 1 minute. Drain, rinse under cold water, and then dry on kitchen paper.
3. Lightly score the skin of each duck breast into a diamond pattern with the tip of a sharp knife, taking care that you don’t cut through the meat.
4. Heat a dry frying pan until it is quite hot. Add the duck breasts, skin-side down, reduce the heat to medium and cook them for about three to four minutes until the skin is crisp and golden brown.
5. Turn the breasts over and cook them for another five minutes, or a little longer if you don’t like your duck too pink. Meanwhile, mix together the five-spice powder, honey, sweet soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and chili.
6. Pour away all of the excess fat from the pan. Add the honey mixture and leave it to bubble away, turning the duck breasts now and then, until they are nicely glazed.
7. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or another frying pan, add the garlic, ginger and vegetables and stir-fry for one to two minutes until they are cooked but still crunchy. Season with some salt and pepper.
8. Pile the vegetable sticks into the centre of two warmed plates. Slice each duck breast on the diagonal and carefully sit it on top of the vegetables. Spoon over any remaining glaze and serve immediately.
All photo’s taken by me unless otherwise stated.
