Japanese Hot Nabe - Holly & Ashley - October 2016

Sushi Hand Rolls

Sushi hand rolls are a fun and change from regular sushi, AND MUCH EASIER! You can make the hand rolls in advance, or simply lay out all the ingredients on a table and let your guests create their own rolls with their favorite fillings.

INGREDIENTS: Prepared sushi rice to serve 4 (Recipe below)

10 toasted nori sheets—cut in half *korean nori is a bit crunchier*

1 carrot, grated 1-2 cucumber-peeded, deseeded - cut into 3-inch strips Crab-fresh or canned 2 avocados-cut into slices

2 scallions, green part only—cut into 3-inch pieces  Tamago (Sushi omelette *See recipe below) Any other ingredients you would like!

Wasabi paste

Pickled ginger (gari)

Japanese soy sauce Sweet chili sauce Instructions: PREPARE the sushi rice and the filling ingredients. In this case we're using smoked salmon, shrimp, avocado, cucumber, scallions and grated carrot. For more filling ideas click here. LAY a halved nori sheet shiny side down on a large plate. Using moistened hands, place a ping pong ball sized amount of the rice on the right side of the nori sheet, then flatten down slightly. SMEAR a small amount of wasabi diagonally across the rice (be sparing with wasabi, it's hot!) and any sauces that you would like. PLACE your chosen filling ingredients diagonally on top of the rice so they point towards the bottom right corner of the nori. (Be sure not to overfill your roll.) FOLD the top right corner of the nori over the rice and filling ingredients. PICK the hand roll up and wrap the left side of the nori tightly around the rice and fillings to form a cone shape, leaving a small flap. MOISTEN the flap of nori with water & a few grains of sticky rice to seal the cone. Leave the rolls for a minute or two before eating to let the rice and fillings soften the nori. SERVE the sushi hand rolls with Japanese soy sauce (shoyu) for dipping. Cleanse your palate between hand rolls with a little gari (pickled ginger).

Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice:

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked Calrose rice (short-grain japanese rice)

½ cup rice vinegar

4 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Rinse the rice in a bowl and drain off the water. Repeat the process until the water is almost

clear. Add your measured water. Cook rice according to package directions, preferably in a rice cooker. While the rice is cooking mix together the rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and vegetable oil and simmer over low heat until sugar is dissolved and let mixture cool for 10 to 15 minutes.  Transfer cooked rice to a large missing bowl and add in the vinegar mixture and stir until it is thoroughly mixed in. Let cool to room temperature and it is ready for use.

Tamago Sushi omelette

4 large eggs

1 TBSP sugar

1 tsp white wine

½ tsp soy sauce

¼ tsp salt

Direction. Beat eggs and add sugar, soy sauce & salt to taste.

Sweet 5-Spice Edemame

Edemame

Brown sugar

Soy sauce

Olive oil

Oriental Special 5-spices blend (found at Oceanmart)

Directions: Prepare edemame as directed. Simmer equal parts soy sauce, brown sugar & olive oil on low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Add Oriental Special 5-spices blend to taste (a little bit goes a long way), pour over prepared edemame & gently mix. Serve hot.

Japanese Cabbage Salad

1/2 large head shredded cabbage

1 large shredded carrot

1 green onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Japanese Sesame-Ginger Dressing (available at Walmart)

Optional: Cilantro, chopped peanuts or slivered almonds

*Homemade Sesame-Ginger Dressing Option

3 tablespoons sesame oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced (optional)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root (optional)

1 tablespoon white sugar (optional)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Whisk together sesame oil, vinegar, garlic, ginger, sugar, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Toss the cabbage, green onions, carrots, and sesame seeds in a large bowl with the dressing until well coated. Top with cilantro and chopped nuts.

Miso Nabe

Miso Soup Recipe

½ cup miso

6 cups broth (shrimp, vegetable or chicken)

1 TBSP sugar

1 block medium tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 stalk green onion, chopped

Optional: 1 tsp ajinomoto seasoning, strips of nori

Instructions: Simmer stock for 5 minutes.  Mix the miso & sugar with a cup of broth prior to adding to the soup base. Add tofu and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle green onions on top of each other. Add strips of nori.

NABE INSTRUCTIONS

Typical ingredients:

Carrots, cabbage, enoki mushrooms, udon noodles, chicken, steak, pork, seafood, bok choy, spinach, daikon radish, napa cabbage, tofu, anything else you would like!

1. Prepare your ingredients. Cut everything into bite sized pieces.
2. Prepare your soup base. This can be one you made yourself or store bought. Mix the liquid ingredients and stir until any that need to be dissolved (miso, sugar etc.)  Arrange your ingredients and base in the donabe. The base should fill the nabe about 2/3rds full with the ingredients in it. You can add ingredients that take longer to cook first (like potatoes and carrots), and add the meat & leafy vegetables in last, since they cook quickly, etc…
3. Put the lid on & heat your nabe pot. (You could also use a wok or electric skillet or even just a pot on the stove. We got our electric nabe pot at Oceanmart).  You can also heat the nabe to boiling on the stove before taking it to the table. Carry the nabe to the table and place it on the portable gas burner. Continue heating until done (for about 10 minutes.
4. Everyone can scoop out their own delicious nabe bits using a ladle or big spoon.
5. Add more ingredients. If an ingredient starts running out, add more! This counts for everything, including the base.
6. When the broth has simmered down, add rice or noodles and cook them for a few minutes. They soak up all the flavor and it’s so good. Enjoy!  

Gyoza/Potstickers

www.damndelicious.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound ground pork

1 cup shredded green cabbage

3 ounces shiitake mushrooms, diced

2 cloves garlic, pressed

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon hoisin

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon Sriracha*, or more, to taste

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

36 won ton wrappers

2 tablespoons vegetable oil Soy sauce, for serving

Directions:

1.     In a large bowl, combine pork, cabbage, mushrooms, garlic, green onions, hoisin, ginger, sesame oil, Sriracha and white pepper.

2.     To assemble the dumplings, place wrappers on a work surface. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the pork mixture into the center of each wrapper. Using your finger, rub the edges of the wrappers with water. Fold the dough over the filling to create a half-moon shape, pinching the edges to seal.

3.     Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add potstickers in a single layer and cook until golden and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side.

4.     Serve immediately with soy sauce, if desired.