Daikon in Awase Dashi Consommé

(serves 4)
Dashi is the quintessential Japanese seafood consomme. As it is made using desiccated ingredients, there is no frothing or oil patches, and thus no need for repeated skimming, making it much less labour-intensive to prepare than its Western equivalents. In addition, using no fresh seafood means a seafood consomme without the smell of seafood. Daikon is a mild tasting root vegetable that absorbs the taste of whatever it is simmered in. Together Dashi and Daikon form the ultimate combination. The recipe is essentially two recipes, one to boil the Dashi itself, and a second to make a soup by infusing the Dashi into the Daikon. The result is a delicate, yet intense and flavourful consomme.  

Ingredients

1. Daikon (400g)
2. Konbu (20g)
3. Sakura  (1/2 Cup)
4. Small Mushrooms (1 Cup)
5. Hon Dashi
6. Sake
7. Raw Rice
8. Spring Onion

Glossary

1. Daikon = Japanese Radish
2. Konbu = Dried Kelp
3. Sakura = Dried Shrimp
4. Hon Dashi = Bonito (Tuna) Stock Granules

Preparation

       

1. Cut out a six inch long section of the Daikon (Japanese Radish). As the outer layer of the Daikon is deceptively fibrous, you will need to remove more than just the skin. Drag the peeler lengthwise along the daikon three times, over the same area.  Rotate a bit and repeat until you end up with a sort of octagonal cross section. Now peel down the ‘corners’ of the octagon until you end up with a roundish cross section.
2. Cut the Daikon cylinder into 4 equally sized discs. If you want you can bevel the edges (which I didn’t bother to) for a more professional appearance.
3. Add 1 heaped T of raw rice into a pot containing 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the Daikon pieces to the rice water and simmer for 15 minutes. (This will leech out the distinct grassy taste of the radish)
5. Rinse the Daikon in water and set aside for the time being.
6. After cleaning the pot, add 6 cups of cold boiled water to it. Place 20g of Konbu (Dried Kelp) in the water and very slowly heat up the water. Use the Konbu as is, do not wipe or rinse it, even if you notice some white specks.
7. When you see small bubbles forming at the bottom of the pot, remove and discard the Konbu immediately. (If the water gets any hotter, the stronger undesired tastes of the Kelp will be extracted into the stock as well)
8. Bring the stock to a boil and add 2 flat T of Hon Dashi granules, 1t of sugar and 1 cup of Sakura (Dried Shrimp).
9. Place the Daikon back in the pot and simmer under a low flame for one hour. Replenish the water as neccessary. Leave the Daikon to soak in the pot until you are ready to serve the consomme, for several hours if possible to maximize flavour infusion. If it’s overnight, you’ll need to refrigerate.
10. Slice enough mushrooms to get one cup of bite sized mushroom pieces.
11. When it’s time to serve the soup, bring the pot back to a simmer. Add the mushrooms and 1T of sake and simmer for five minutes. Garnish with finely julienned spring onion stalks.

Notes

• Type of Konbu
  There are a few varieties of dried kelp, and the one I typically use is called Hidaka Konbu (日高昆布). It is an affordable multipurpose kelp and the most commonly used variety. 20g is three blades cut in two. There are more expensive varieties such as Ma Konbu (真昆布) and Rishiri Konbu (利尻昆布) but Hidaka is good enough for home cooking. Don’t confuse Konbu with the edible Seaweed Sheets (Nori) used in sushi. I’ve included a photo so you know what Konbu looks like.  
• Type of Mushroom
  I usually use a mushroom called Hen of the Wood (a.k.a Maitake) which has a nice earth flavour, or Beech Mushroom (a.k.a. Shimeji). Morels would be suitable as well. Small mushrooms with a little bit of the stalk are the way to go. Mushrooms to avoid are the dark ones like portobello, which will make your consomme black and the less delicate varieties like abalone mushrooms.
• A more traditional alternative to using Hon Dashi granules is to use skipjack tuna shavings (a.k.a. bonito) instead. If you choose to go this route, you will have to boil a cup of bonito shavings in the stock for one minute and then wait for the shavings to sink (about 10 minutes). Then you have to pour the pot’s contents through a metal mesh. I don’t bother with this as Hon Dashi granules can achieve the same taste in a few seconds.
• Daikon is a Japanese word and it may be labelled under a different name wherever you are. Some other names for Daikon are White Radish, Oriental Radish, Winter Radish and Icicle Radish. Korean Radish is not the exactly the same but can be used as a substitute. What you should not substitute for Daikon are red radish or horse radish.
• If you can’t find any Sakura dried shrimp, what else can you use? Dried Anchovies would be a good substitute, but you have to remove them before you add the mushrooms. You can also use mini clams, but add these together with the mushrooms. Do not use Chinese type dried shrimp which are vastly inferior in quality and in any case unsuitable for soup. Again, for the avoidance of doubt I’ve included a photo of Sakura for your reference.
• If you happen to have some lying around in the fridge, you can also use cooked rice instead of raw rice. Increase the amount to 2 heaped T but reduce the boiling time from 10 minutes to 1 minute.
• FYI: Stock made from Konbu alone is called Konbu Dashi. Stock made from Bonito shavings (and therefore from Hon Dashi granules too) alone is called Katsuo Dashi. Stock made from a combination of both Konbu and Bonito is called Awase Dashi. If someone mentions Dashi without specifying what type, he means Awase Dashi.  

 

Easy Tamagoyaki (Stacking Method)

(serves 4)
Tamagoyaki is the sweet omelette in the shape of a brick that you find on a Sushi platter. At home you can serve it as an amuse-bouche or a side dish. Tamagoyaki only requires a few simple ingredients but the typical method of making them can be technically demanding, requiring the rolling of multiple omelettes into a square Swiss roll on a hot pan before they fully cook. This takes lots of practice to get right as you have to work deftly. Fortunately there is an easier way for the novice that results in a perfect Tamagoyaki the first time and every time, the Stacking Method.      

Ingredients

1. Eggs (4)
2. Mirin
3. Hon Dashi
4. Sugar
5. Nori (Dried Seaweed Sheet) – optional

see notes below for alternatives to
Hon Dashi and Mirin

Preparation 

1. In a large bowl, dissolve 1T of sugar and 1 flat t of Hon Dashi granules in 1/4 cup of warm water.
2. Add 4 eggs and 2T of Mirin to the bowl and beat the mixture until it becomes a fairly uniform yellow colour.
3. Use a small pan, a pan that has a flat bottom. Place it on very low heat. Add a few drops of oil and spread it around the pan.
4. Ladle into the pan enough egg mixture to cover the whole pan without you having to tilt it. If the egg bubbles, splutters or gets cooked instantly, then pan is too hot. When the egg is almost cooked, flip the slice over to cook the other side. Next, flip the omelette sheet onto a plate and leave the pan off the fire for the time being. The omelette should be of the same thickness throughout, which is why the pan needs to be flat.
5. Add a new ladle of egg mixture to the pan and put it back atop the flame. When the egg is almost fully cooked and only a thin film of raw egg is left on top, remove the pan from the fire. Using the back of a spoon spread the remaining raw egg evenly over the entire surface of the omelette sheet.
6. Stack the first omelette sheet onto the one in the pan and return the pan to the fire. Press down with a flat spatula to ensure the raw egg is evenly distributed and after about ten seconds when the two sheets have fused into one, flip them back onto the plate.
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 adding more layers until almost all the raw egg mixture is used up and you end up with a block of Tamagoyaki as shown here. During the whole process add oil as required.
8. Cut the block exactly into two halves. Smear a thin film of the remaining raw egg mixture on the top of one half-block and place the other half-block back in the pan, again on low heat. Next, position the hot block onto the other block with the cut ends on the same side and press down firmly. The idea is to let the hot egg cook the film of raw egg to cement the two blocks together.
9. Allow the new tall block to cool and then wrap it in cling film. Sandwich it between two plates in the fridge. When the Tamagoyaki is cold, pad it dry with some kitchen towels, trim away the uneven bits at the edges and then cut the block into mini-bricks.
10. Wrap each brick with a strip of dried Nori seaweed. The Nori should overlap at the bottom and a dab of water will suffice to join the two ends. This allows your guests to eat their Tamagoyaki with their bare hands if they wish.

Notes

• Ideally you should use a Makiyakinabe pan. This is a pan that has three vertical sides and is rectangular in shape, as shown here. Modern ones are now made of non-stick material. Your next best alternative is one of those small pans for frying one egg at a time.
• You definitely want to avoid burning the egg. A slightly browned patches are ok, but no more than that. You can notice in the top picture there is a brown line running along my Tamagoyaki, which is what will happen if your fire is too strong. Using a low flame may not be enough. Move the pan away from the fire often and make frequent use of the residual heat to cook the egg. Also, only pour in the raw egg mixture after removing the pan from the fire. Patience wins the day.
• You also want to cook the egg evenly. To do this move the pan around so the fire is not concentrated on one spot for too long. This also prevents the egg from getting burnt.
• You can skip step 8 depending on how big your pan is, how many Tamagoyaki bricks you want to end up with and how tall you’d like them to be.
• If you have no Hon Dashi, you can substitute in 1/4 cup of any kind of (salted) stock you fancy.
• If you have no Mirin you can boil 4T Sake with a dab of maple syrup down to 2T to make your own substitute.
• If you are into Japanese egg recipes, two others I have on this site are: Steamed Chawanmushi and Runny Yolk Eggs for Ramen.

 

Braised Dried Abalone with Mushroom

(serves 6)
Dried Abalone is one of the most exquisite of all Chinese delicacies and is served without fail at any respectable banquet. In Chinese cuisine, dried foodstuff when cooked properly is often preferred to the fresh original and Dried Abalone is considered to be the King of Dried Seafood. That’s why people take the effort to cook Dried Abalone over up to a weeks time. Compared to fresh abalone, Dried Abalone has a more intense flavour as well as a nicer tender texture to the bite.     

Ingredients

1. Dried Abalone (6 of 30g each)
2. Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (6)
3. Chicken Feet (12)
4. Crushed Ginger (1T)
5. Mini Chinese Cabbage (Bok Choy)
6. Hon Dashi
7. Chinese Wine
8. Light Soya Sauce
9. Oyster Sauce
10. Brown sugar

Preparation 

1. warning: this requires about a week of preparation.
2. Soak the dried abalone in cold water. Keep in the fridge for 2 days changing the water every 12 hours or so. You can soak for a shorter period of time if you are using small abalone.
3. The day after you put the abalone in the fridge start making the stock. Blanch the chicken feet in boiling water in a pot for a minute and then discard the water. Add 4 cups of fresh boiling water and bring to a simmer. Add 1T of Hon Dashi pellets. Simmer the stock for 20 minutes and allow to cool. Repeat the 20 minute simmer several times over a 24 hour period adding water as needed. If chicken feet make you squeamish or are hard to find, see my notes below for alternatives.
4. After the long soak, you will notice you abalone have grown in size. Snip off the bits protruding from the round part of the abalone with scissors. It’s circled in red in the picture. This part contains the entrails of the abalone, so dig out any black bits you see as well. Then rinse well under running water.
5. Place the abalone in a pot of cold water containing 1T of crushed ginger and 1T of Chinese wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. This step removes some of the abalone’s seafood odour. Allow to cool and then discard the water.
6. Pour the chicken stock through a strainer into the pot with the abalone. Add 1T soya sauce, 1T oyster sauce and 2T Chinese wine. Simmer for 20 minutes and allow to cool with the cover on. Do this 4 to 5 times a day for the next 4 to 5 days. Add more water as needed to ensure the abalone are submerged the entire time or else the exposed part will become dark and hard. At first you will notice a strong smell of dried seafood but do not be alarmed, this will diminish to a nice aroma before you are done. The danger of sticking to the pot’s bottom is greatest when you begin reheating, so check often until you see bubbling.
7. On the third day of simmering, soak 6 shiitake mushrooms in cold water with 1t of brown cane sugar for an hour. Snip off the stems and add the mushroom caps together with the mushroom soaking liquid to the pot. Continue simmering as before.
8. When the abalone is done it will be bigger yet again as the gelatin from the stock will have bloated it further. The circular bottom of the abalone is the hardest part so your abalone is done if that part has softened as much as the surrounding flesh.  When you cut the abalone in half the core should be of the same colour as the rest of the abalone.
9. After the abalone is nice and soft, remove all the solids and boil down the liquid until it thickens into a light sauce. It is normal to serve the abalone with some baby bok choy or broccoli so add this to the sauce as you are boiling it down if you wish.
10. 

Notes

• The best quality dried abalone is from Japan, they are the ones that soften most easily with braising. The medium sized ones are from Yoshihama while the large ones are from Amidori. They also happen to be the most expensive. For home cooking the ones from Dalian China are a good compromise in terms of price and quality. Abalone from South Africa is the cheapest, but they don’t tend to get as soft.
• The size of dried abalone is measured in ‘heads’. This is the number of abalone in a catty (600g) and ranges from 6-30. The smaller the number, the bigger the abalone. The ones I used are about 20 head.
• Dried abalone must be aged to draw out the correct taste. This is done (by the wholesaler) by alternately sunning the abalone and storing it in a jar over a few years, after which it will darken and develop a white dusty look. Beware of clean looking dried abalone of a light colour if you are buying through the internet, as they are un-aged.
• The golden rule of rehydration is to use cold water. Do not use hot water as it makes rehydrated foodstuff tough and rubbery. 
• The number of times you need to simmer depends on the size of your abalone. This recipe assumes size 20 head abalone. Smaller ones require less simmering and larger ones more simmering.
• The best pot to simmer abalone in is one made of clay, as pictured. They spread and keep heat well. You can still use a metal pot if you don’t have one. 
• Chicken feet is ideal for this recipe because of the gelatine it produces when boiled. They have very little fat but a lot of skin and connective tissue. Gelatine is the secret to the nice texture of rehydrated abalone. Pork tail also give off gelatine, but unlike chicken the taste of pork does not blend that well with seafood so you need to use pork that is not ‘porky’. I’ve also tried oxtail, taste-wise its not a bad alternative but oxtail leaves a lot of floaty bits and oil which you have to remove.
• I have found hon dashi to be the easiest way to flavour the stock properly but a more traditional alternative would be to use dried scallops or conpoy.
• A common use for any left over abalone sauce is to toss it with egg noodles, like a pasta sauce.
• Don’t use fresh mushrooms as they have the wrong flavour and they would disintegrate with so much boiling anyway.
• Here are some reference pages to Shiitake Mushrooms, Chinese Wine and Hon Dashi.

 

Tuna Tartare with Scallion

(serves 3, or 6 mini portions, or 9 canapes)
This tartare recipe using raw tuna and scallion is a nice fusion cuisine appetizer of my own creation. It merges the Western concept of marinated chopped raw meat with Japanese sushi where raw fish is sometimes served with scallion. I have 2 secrets to making raw tuna delicious.  Firstly, adding cooked tuna to your tartare gives it the right bite and texture. Secondly, a creamy frosting made with caramelized scallion and turmeric provides the right balance for the dish. 

Ingredients

1. Fresh Tuna Fillet (160g)
2. Chopped Scallion (1/3 cup)
3. Mascarpone (60g)
4. White Bread (2 slices)
5. Turmeric 
6. Hon Dashi Pellets
7. Sesame Oil
8. Port
9. French Mustard

Preparation 

1. Dissolve 0/5t of Hon Dashi Pellets in 5T of hot water to make some concentrated tuna stock. Allow to cool.
2. Julienne your scallion (aka spring onion) into very fine rings. You are only using the bottom quarter of each scallion stalk, which is the fleshy light green to white part, so keep this in mind when you are buying the scallion. You can keep the leafy part for decoration if you like.
3. Cut the tuna into small cubes and then proceed to chop it into a coarse mince. You want to get it down to the level where there are no large chunks but you can still make out individual pieces of fish instead of just mush. At this point reserve 1/4 of the tuna for cooking. Add 1/3 of the julienned scallion to the remaining tuna and finish off with one last round of chopping to mix them properly.
4. In a bowl, stir together 2T sesame oil with 1t mustard, 1t port, 0.5t fined ground black pepper and a pinch of salt. Marinate the tuna scallion mince in this and then keep it covered with cling film in the fridge.
5. Stir the reserved portion of the tuna into the cold tuna stock. This will stop it from clumping together when it is cooked.
6. Fire up a frying pan with a few T of oil. Use a high flame. When the pan is hot, add the ‘wet’ tuna and stir fry. Press down with a spatula to break up the clumps as much as possible. When all the liquid has dried up and the tuna starts to brown, scoop out the tuna and allow it to cool. Mix the cooked tuna into the raw tuna after it has cooled.
7. In the same pan, fry the remaining scallion on low heat in a few T of oil. When the scallion starts to caramelize a bit, turn off the heat but leave the scallion in the pan for a further 3 minutes so it can continue to brown. Finally, add 60g of mascarpone (1/4 of a small tub) followed by 0.5t turmeric and a pinch of salt. Stir till everything is evenly mixed and allow to cool in the fridge, also covered with cling film.
8. Cut each slice of bread into 3 pieces and grill them in the toaster oven till they are somewhat burnt. Use a knife to scrape away the burnt layer and corners. This will give you a thin hard toast that can support the wet tuna. The scrapings can also be used for decoration if you like.
9. Plate the tartare, the scallion cream at the last possible moment so everything remains cold. You can either arrange everything on the toast as I have done above, or leave that to your guests. 

Notes

• The most important thing to ensure is you have sushi grade tuna, you are after all eating this raw. The translucent bright red cut (Maguro) is sufficient, there is no need to splurge on the fatty belly fillet (Toro).
• The proper way to hand-mince tuna: use a heavy un-serrated knife. Repeatedly hammer down lightly on the tuna with the blade from left to right and then fold the tuna over on itself. Repeat, but at right angles to the first round of chopping. Repeat a couple of times.
• Bread does not cut well after it is toasted so you won’t be able to use a regular toaster. Use the grill in your regular oven if you don’t have a toaster oven. You could also use commercially sold Melba toast I suppose.
• You may also consider layering the tatare and scallion cream in a small glass, with the toast plunged in like a straw.
• If you don’t have Hon Dashi, just make the stock the hard way, by boiling tuna and the left over leafy part of the scallion in salted water.    

 

What is Hon Dashi?

Hon Dashi is a perfect example of a fantastic flavouring ingredient that few people (outside of Japan) ever use, or even know exists. It’s high time we changed that. Hon Dashi granules are a very versatile ingredient that makes whatever you’re cooking, be it a soup, stew or risotto taste better without distracting the palate from the primary flavours of your recipe. If you’ve ever had miso soup and wondered what makes it taste so good, its not the miso, but the dashi stock that the soup is made from.

Hon Dashi (original flavour) is made primarily from Skipjack Tuna (also known as Bonito) that is dried into blocks and used like Parmesan Cheese. Anyone can make a beautiful clear fish stock by simply adding Hon-Dashi granules to hot water. In addition to having a salty taste as one would expect from stock, Hon Dashi boasts a slightly sweet and uniquely smoky undertone. You can practically use it in any recipe which calls for stock since Hon Dashi stock isn’t fishy. In fact it doesn’t even taste of fish. 

In my humble opinion, stock made from Hon Dashi is superior to any other type of instant stock that I have come across. Why does Hon Dashi have such a wonderful taste? I think it’s because of the double desiccation used in its manufacture which removes all the unwanted smells. I’m no expert but this is roughly how it’s made: The Tuna is first cured with salt over a long period of time until it is bone dry, then rehydrated and boiled in water to form a bullion. The solids are then strained away while the liquid is put through an evaporator and flash frozen. It is then crushed into granules and the granules are then thawed in a vacuum in a second dehydration where the ice sublimates directly into gas. Its a lot more technologically advanced than making your run of the mill stock cubes, sort of like replicating the conditions of outer space if you think about it. The complicated process extracts and removes the fishy odours that set in quickly when seafood is harvested, leaving a natural sweetness that is otherwise elusive.

Hon Dashi granules dissolve to create a basic bouillon called Katsuo Dashi, which is great as a cooking ingredient, but seldom consumed directly. When we refer to the Dashi that one drinks like a consomme, what is called Awase Dashi, some dried kelp (also known as Konbu) is used an second key ingredient to provide additional umami. To make some of this traditional consomme type Dashi you can follow this link to my recipe for Awase Dashi. Although it is not available everywhere, Hon Dashi also comes in a ‘with Konbu’ format (pictured on right) but this is a less flexible option as you then can’t make a bouillon without the kelp flavour. Most Japanese housewives will prefer to stock the classic Hon Dashi granules at home and add infuse the konbu flavour themselves whenever desired.

There is also a variety of Hon Dashi made from dried scallops (also known as Conpoy) instead of Tuna and it merits mention here.This scallop version has an intense shellfish flavour which is perfect for enhancing seafood dishes like Bouillabaisse and Seafood Risotto. This variety is also perfect for making Chinese soups (check out my Consommé page). 

If you have the opportunity, do try using Hon Dashi stock in your cooking. You can actually use it even if no stock is called for, as they come in granules instead of cubes. Try sprinkling on some in place of salt. However you use it, you will be adding that special hint of a flavour that will keep your dinner guests guessing as to what your secret ingredient is.

 

Notes

• No, I do not own any Ajinomoto shares (manufacturer of Hon Dashi) or have any other ulterior motive for recommending this stock – pun unintended.
• If you can’t find Hon Dashi, I have been told it is available at Amazon.com, in the grocery section.
• Keep your opened Hon Dashi sachets in the fridge, I just fold the lip of the sachets over and secure them with a paper clip. They can last for years this way.