Read Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional Online

Authors: Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner

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Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional (24 page)

Rice Bowl Topped with Tempura

Tendon

For each Donburi (bowl):

Fill each bowl about three-quarters full with hot rice. Place several pieces of hot tempura and tempura pieces with 3 to 4 tablespoons of slightly concentrated
ten-tsuyu
(tempura sauce), page

90. (To concentrate tempura sauce, boil rapidly for a few minutes.) The sauce will seep through the tempura pieces and drip down into the rice, seasoning it along with the tempura. Serve immediately.

The simple act of piling tempura on a bowl of steaming rice and dousing it with ten-tsuyu (tempura sauce) transforms tempura into a different dish. The rice becomes delectably seasoned, and with each bite you can enjoy that perfect marriage of components that donburi dishes promise. This is the answer to any leftover tempura you might have. (Leftovers should be reheated in an oven to regain their crispy coating; microwaving will render them soft and mushy.)

Natto-Donburi

5 to 6 ounces natto (2 regular or 3 small packs)

1 tablespoon oil

¼ to

head small cabbage, diced into ½-inch pieces (about 4 to 5 cups)

1 carrot, cut in half and thinly sliced

4 to 5 shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted and thinly sliced (optional)

1 piece
abura-age
(fried tofu pouch), thinly sliced

1 cup
dashi
(stock)

3 tablespoons mirin

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

¼ cup more
dashi
(stock) or water

1 bunch scallions

1 teaspoon sesame oil

6 cups hot rice, either brown or white

Karashi
(little packets of mustard that may come with the natto) (optional)

This may be a good introduction to those who have not yet tried natto, since the slightly slimy beans become quite savory here.

Yield: 3 servings

Place the natto in a small colander, and rinse under running water, stirring with a pair of chopsticks to rid it of most of its sliminess. Drain. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet or wok. Saute the cabbage, carrot, and shiitake until crisp-tender. Add the abura-age, natto, 1 cup of dashi, mirin, and soy sauce, and simmer gently for a few minutes to heat through. Dissolve the cornstarch in the additional ¼ cup of dashi or water, and add to the mixture in the pan. Stir until it thickens into a thin glaze. Add the scallions, stir for a minute to combine, then add the teaspoon of sesame oil. Turn off the heat. Divide the rice into 3
donburis
(large, deep bowls. Top with the mixture and serve immediately. If desired, you can add a little karashi to your bowl.

Rice Bowl with “Thicken” and “Egg”

Oyako Donburi

1½ to 2 cups
dashi
(stock)

4 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons mirin

1 tablespoon sweetener of your choice, such as evaporated cane juice, FruitSource, maple syrup, or brown rice syrup

1 onion, sliced

8 ounces seitan “chicken” pieces

8 ounces silken tofu

5 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot Dash of turmeric for color (optional)

5 to 6 cups cooked hot rice

Place the dashi (stock), soy sauce, mirin, sweetener, and onion in a skillet, and simmer gently over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the seitan pieces and continue to simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very tender. There should still be enough liquid in the pan to come up part way on the seitan. Purée the tofu, cornstarch, and turmeric in a blender until smooth. Pour into the simmering mixture, but do not stir. Swish the pan around a bit to allow some of the liquid to come over the tofu.

The direct translation of this dish, “Rice Bowl of Parent and Child, ”does not sound particularly appetizing, in my book. It refers to a dish where chicken pieces have been scrambled with eggs and served on top of rice. This description doesn’t do it for me, but it happens to be a favorite dish of the Japanese, as well as one of mine once many, many moons ago. Recently, I was able to replicate it with chicken-flavored seitan and pureed tofu. It is simple to make and quite tasty.

Yield: 3 servings

Cover the pan and simmer until the tofu is firm to the touch, about 7 minutes. There should still be sauce in the pan.

Divide the rice into 3
donburi
(large, deep bowls). Lift out the mixture with a spatula and top each bowl with some. Pour any additional sauce on top.