World Foodie Guide

As part of my plan to learn more about cooking and food in general, I attended Kimiko Barber’s Japanese Kitchen workshop at cookery bookshop Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, London. I managed to get the very last place (there are twenty places on each workshop) even though I reserved nearly two months before the event. Based in London, Kimiko Barber has written several Japanese cookery books and teaches home cooking.

She taught us how to make dashi stock, leek and shitake mushroom miso soup, baked aubergine miso, seared beef salad with watercress and grapefruit, teriyaki salmon, fine beans with sesame and miso dressing, and shimeji mushrooms and chicken rice (Click on links for the full recipes). It wasn’t the most organised cookery demonstration, as Kimiko seemed a little nervous and occasionally lost track of what she was doing.

However, she was trying to demonstrate seven different items in just over two hours, and the food was delicious. She also inspired me to do more cooking, as the dishes were much simpler than I thought they would be. In fact, I came straight home and made teriyaki salmon. Considering how rarely I’m in the kitchen, I was very pleased with the result (the above photo shows the salmon with noodles). So a big thank you to you, Kimiko.

I also picked up some useful tips and snippets about Japanese ingredients, which I thought I’d share with World Foodie Guide readers.

• konbu (kelp) is one of around 50 varieties of seaweed used in Japanese cooking. It grows up to 10 metres long. The thicker and darker it is, the better the quality. It grows in the cold waters of northern Hokkaido, Japan, where it is harvested, dried and used in stock. When using it, make some slits in each sheet with a knife to encourage infusion, then add to water. Konbu is apparently also great as chewing gum. The more you chew, the more flavour you get

• bonito fish flakes are made from the bonito fish (katsuo in Japanese), part of the mackerel family. They can be stored for up to six months, in an airtight container, in a cool, dark cupboard. Some inferior fish flakes are made from mackerel. In the old days, people used to buy chunks of dried, hardened bonito and shave the fish by hand to use at home. Seasonality is very important in Japanese cuisine, and people will pay a fortune to eat the first food of the season, for example, the bonito fish that migrates north in the summer (‘going up’ signifies success in business)

• dried shitake mushrooms – the larger the caps, the better the flavour. I’ll be writing a post on dried mushrooms soon

• miso is made from fermented bean curd. There are different types and colours, from a light ivory to very dark brown. Some even come lumpy. Each has its own taste. The Japanese buy different ones for different uses, but if you only buy one, then choose a medium-coloured one. The colour of miso is a good indication of what level of saltiness to expect. Darker ones are also harder in texture and generally served more in the evenings than for breakfast, although it really comes down to personal taste. One dark miso that Kimiko showed us had been fermented for three years. If you have a few types of miso, then you can make blends to create more interesting flavours. Store miso paste in an airtight container. It doesn’t go off, as it’s fermented, but it’s best to keep it in the fridge

• soy sauce is made from fermented soya bean, salt and water, plus a little bit of wheat. There are three Japanese varieties, dark, light and tamari. Tamari is wheat-free, but sometimes manufacturers do use wheat, so check the label. It is thicker and sweeter, so it is used mostly for dipping, eg sushi and sashimi. Japanese people tend not to cook with it. Light soy sauce is used when cooks do not want their food to be discoloured eg delicately simmered ingredients or clear soups. But light soy sauce is saltier than dark soy sauce. Soy sauce lasts forever, but it will lose some of its aroma, so don’t buy it in large quantities. Wipe off any crystals around the opening of the bottle and continue to use it. Japanese soy sauce is very different to the Chinese varieties

• use drinking sake or rice wine to cook with, rather than special cooking sake, which doesn’t taste quite as good. Kimiko was using a large bottle of Ozeki, which cost just £4.87

• mirin is the sister of sake. It is like a sweet cooking sake, but glossier. If you can’t find mirin, add sugar or honey to the sake instead. Mirin gives food a nice gloss as well as a sweeter taste. It’s a bit thicker than sake and smells different too

• sesame seeds can be dry toasted in a pan, with no oil. White or black sesame seeds can be used, or a mixture of the two. Grinding sesame seeds is a Japanese euphemism for being sycophantic…

Kimiko’s Tips On Preparing Japanese Rice – there are two types of rice – short grain japonica and long grain indica. Short grain rice has the capacity to absorb more moisture. It must be rinsed really well, in cold water, until the water is clear. Ideally, do this 30 minutes to an hour before boiling it. Otherwise, let the rice stand in the cooking water for 10 minutes beforehand.

To boil Japanese rice, one needs 20% more water to the amount of rice. Bring to the boil on a medium heat, then turn up for 3 minutes, before turning the heat off completely. Let it stand for 10 minutes. Resist the temptation to lift the lid at all times.

For rice that is to be made into sushi, less water is used, because rice vinegar is added to the rice after it is boiled. Before serving rice, wet the rice spatula with water, so that the rice doesn’t stick to it.

Where to buy Japanese ingredients – in London, Kimiko recommends Atari-ya – there are various branches, but you can also order online. Atari-ya is essentially a fishmonger, and supplies fish to restaurants like Zuma and Nobu. They will also cut the fish for you, depending on whether you are making sushi or sashimi. It’s open on Sundays (because it is closed on Mondays), which is a good day to buy fish. Otherwise, try the Japan Centre in Piccadilly Circus, which has expanded its floor space.

Here are the links to all the recipes:

• How To Make Japanese Beef Tataki Salad

• How To Make Japanese Chicken & Shimeji Mushroom Rice

• How To Make Japanese Baked Aubergine Miso

• How To Make Japanese Beans with Sesame & Miso Dressing

• How To Make Japanese Leek and Shiitake Mushroom Miso Soup

• How To Make Japanese Dashi Stock

• How To Make Japanese Teriyaki Salmon

If you want to learn more about Japanese food, Kimiko’s book The Japanese Kitchen is worth buying. 100 ingredients are presented, each with two authentic recipes, ranging from classic to modern. I own very few cookbooks but I would probably buy this, if only to read about the ingredients.

Helen Yuet Ling Pang @ World Foodie Guide

Tags: cookery, cooking, food, food & travel, Japanese, London, recipe, traveleating