RECIPES & TUTORIALS

DASHI – BONITO FISH STOCK

INGREDIENTS:

4 Cups COLD WATER

4 X 4 inch piece DASHI KONBU (kelp)

1 Cup KATSUOBUSHI (dried bonito/saba fish flakes)

METHOD:

Wipe konbu lightly with a damp cloth. Place the cold water and konbu into a small pot and bring to a boil over a medium fire. Immediately after water begins to boil, shut off heat. Remove the konbu but don’t discard. Add the katsuobushi and allow to steep for 10 – 15 minutes. Strain the dashi through a cheesecloth lined sieve or an ordinary fine sieve. It is ready to use.

The first extraction is called ICHIBAN DASHI . It is used in clear soups and sauces which require a strong flavour.

Repeat the above process but instead place the konbu and the strained katsuobushi into the pot with the same amount of cold water. Allow it to boil and remove from the heat. Do not remove the konbu but add another handful of the katsuobushi. Allow to steep and strain in the same manner.

This second extraction is called NIBAN DASHI. It is used in miso soup and sauces which you would add a strong seasoning to it.

Clear Soup: Combine enough Ichiban Dashi for the required amount of servings and add salt and light colored soy sauce to taste. Heat but do not let it boil.

Miso Soup: Combine enough Ichiban Dashi or Niban Dashi for the required amount of servings and wisk in enough Shiro (White) Miso or Aka (Red) Miso to taste. Heat but do not let it boil.

Tempura Sauce: In a pot, combine in a ratio of 4:1:1 of Ichiban Dashi, Mirin (Japanese Cooking/Seasoning Wine) and Soy Sauce. Heat but do not let it boil.

MISO and CLEAR SOUP & DASHI (Bonito Fish Stock)

INGREDIENTS:

4 Cups COLD WATER

4 X 4 inch piece DASHI KONBU (kelp)

1 Cup KATSUOBUSHI (dried bonito/saba fish flakes)

METHOD:

Wipe konbu lightly with a damp cloth. Place the cold water and konbu into a small pot and bring to a boil over a medium fire. Immediately after water begins to boil, shut off heat. Remove the konbu but don’t discard. Add the katsuobushi and allow to steep for 10 – 15 minutes. Strain the dashi through a cheesecloth lined sieve or an ordinary fine sieve. It is ready to use.

The first extraction is called ICHIBAN DASHI . It is used in clear soups and sauces which require a strong flavour.

Repeat the above process but instead place the konbu and the strained katsuobushi into the pot with the same amount of cold water. Allow it to boil and remove from the heat. Do not remove the konbu but add another handful of the katsuobushi. Allow to steep and strain in the same manner.

This second extraction is called NIBAN DASHI. It is used in miso soup and sauces which you would add a strong seasoning to it.

Clear Soup: Combine enough Ichiban Dashi for the required amount of servings and add salt and light colored soy sauce to taste. Heat but do not let it boil.

Miso Soup: Combine enough Ichiban Dashi or Niban Dashi for the required amount of servings and wisk in enough Shiro (White) Miso or Aka (Red) Miso to taste. Heat but do not let it boil.

LOBSTER MARTINI

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb Fresh Cooked Lobster

1 English/Japanese Cucumber (Thinly Sliced)

4 pcs Grape Tomatoes

1 pkg Enoki Mushrooms

1 Fresh Mango

2 tbsp Wakame (Dried Kelp Flakes re-hydrated in water)

1 tsp Fresh Wasabi paste

2 Lemons

Tosazu Sauce (see recipe below)

Optional: 4 Fresh Wasabi Leaf or 16 Japanese Shiso Leaf (Mint Leaf)

METHOD:

Place the cucumber slices in a medium size bowl, and salt lightly while tossing the cucumber. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes or until liquid starts to come out of the cucumber. Squeeze the excess liquid from the cucumber and discard. If the cucumbers are too salty, rinse in water and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Square off both ends of the lemon and slice the remaining very thinly. Place the slices so they overlap each other until you have circled the martini glass.Place the end of the lemon in the bottom of the glass to create a platform.

• Optionally, you can use fresh shiso leaf in place of the lemon or form a cup with the wasabi leaf in the glass.

Form a small flat rectangle of cucumber on you work surface. Place enoki mushrooms in the center and roll the cucumber around it. Put it in the center back of the glass. Place sliced grape tomatoes and wakame surrounding the cucumber. Rest a Lobster claw on the cucumber and garnish with cubed fresh mango. Fill the glass with enough Tosazu sauce. Add freshly grated wasabi.

Eat then drink the Martini . . . Enjoy!

TOSAZU SAUCE:

1 cup Dashi

3 tbsp Japanese Rice Vinegar

3 tbsp Mirin

3 tbsp Japanese Soy Sauce

Bonito Flakes

Place the Dashi into a small pot and add the Mirin, Soy and Vinegar. Heat till boiling.
Remove from heat and add a handful of Bonito flakes. Waite 10 minutes and strain through towel lined strainer.

Chill. Will keep up to a week in the cooler.

THE GOLDEN MARTINI

INGREDIENTS:

1 English/Japanese cucumber, sliced thinly across

2 Oranges

3oz Enoki mushrooms, trim off the bottom 1/3

4oz Marinated Zen Komochi Konbu, with marinade (see recipe)

Dashi Jelly (see recipe)

4 Cherry or Grape tomatoes, sliced across to form discs

4 Cooked, Dungeness Crab Leg Meat

1 Fresh Kiwi, peeled and cubed

Tosazu Sauce (see recipe)

Ama Ponzu Sauce (see recipe)

Salt

METHOD:

Place the cucumber slices in a medium size bowl, and salt lightly while tossing the cucumber. Let rest for 10 to 15 minutes or until liquid starts to come out of the cucumber. Squeeze the excess liquid from the cucumber and discard. If the cucumbers are too salty, rinse in water and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Square off both ends of the oranges and slice the remaining orange very thinly. Place these slices around the inside of each martini glass so that they overlap each other and have completely encircled the glass. Place one end of each orange in the bottom of each glass to create a platform.

Place a small amount of cucumber slices, with the liquid squeezed out, onto a cutting board and shape into a flat rectangle. Place a few stocks of Enoki mushrooms in the center and roll the cucumber around it. Make 3 more rolls. Place one roll in the center back of each glass. Combine the Komochi Konbu and cubed Dashi Jelly. Place the slices of one grape tomato, and about one heaping teaspoon of the Komochi Konbu mixture around the cucumber in each glass. Rest one dungeness crab leg meat on each of the cucumber rolls and garnish with cubed fresh kiwi. Fill each glass with enough Tosazu Sauce so that ingredients are slightly submerged, drizzle some Ama Ponzu sauce over the Komochi Konbu.

Eat then drink The Golden Martini . . . Kampai!

Zen Komochi Konbu

1 lb Komochi Konbu

2 cups Cold water

1 piece Dashi konbu (2″x2″)

1/4 cup Mirin

1/4 cup Sake

1/4 cup Light coloured Soy Sauce

1 handful Bonito Flakes (Katsuo Bushi)

Komochi Konbu is stored in a 100% brine solution. When ready to use, place the pieces into a bowl and rinse under cool running water for at least 15 minutes or until the desired salinity is reached.

Heat the cold water and dashi konbu in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat just before it begins to boil. Add mirin, sake, light soya sauce and a good handful of bonito flakes. Set aside to cool.

Cut the Komochi Konbu into cubes and pat dry with paper towels. Strain the dashi with a towel or cheese cloth lined strainer into an airtight container. Place the cut Komochi Konbu into the sauce and refrigerate overnight. Reserve the dashi marinade for use in the Dashi Jelly recipe.

Tosazu Sauce

1 cup Dashi

3 tbsp Mirin

3 tbsp light coloured Soy Sauce

1 handful Bonito flakes

3 tbsp Japanese Rice Vinegar

Place the dashi into a small pot and add the mirin and soya sauce. Cook over medium-high heat until boiling. Remove from heat and add a handful of bonito flakes and the vinegar. Wait 10 minutes and then strain through a towel lined strainer. Chill. The sauce will keep for up to a week in the cooler.

Dashi Jelly

1 pkg Unflavoured Gelatine Powder

2 cups Reserved marinade for the Komochi Konbu

Prepare the gelatine according to the instructions on the package but substitute the water with the Komochi Konbu marinade. Add the prepared gelatine mixture to 1_ cups of the remaining marinade. Pour into a plastic lined shallow pan and refrigerate for a few hours or until the mixture has hardened to the consistency of jelly. Slice the mixture into small cubes. Lift the plastic and scoop out the cubed Dashi Jelly. Set aside.

Ama Ponzu Sauce

1 cup Ponzu Sauce

3 tbsp Grapeseed Oil

3 tbsp Sugar

1 pinch Black Pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved.

TEMPURA SAUCE & DASHI (Bonito Stock)

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups COLD WATER

4 x 4 inch piece DASHI KONBU (kelp)

1 cup KATSUOBUSHI (dried bonito/saba fish flakes)

1 cup Mirin (Japanese Cooking wine)

1 cup Soy Sauce

METHOD:

Wipe Konbu lightly with a damp cloth. Place the cold water and Konbu into a small pot and bring to a boil over a medium heat. Immediately after water begins to boil, shut off heat. Remove the Konbu but don’t discard. Add the Katsuobushi and allow to steep for 10 – 15 minutes. Strain the Dashi through a cheesecloth lined sieve or an ordinary fine sieve • Ready to use.

The first extraction is called Ichiban Dashi. It is used in clear soups and sauces which require a strong flavour.

Repeat the above process but instead place the Konbu and the strained Katsuobushi (from the Ichiban Dashi) into the pot with the same amount of cold water. Allow it to boil and remove from the heat. Do not remove the Konbu but add another cup of the Katsuobushi. Allow to steep and strain in the same manner.

This second extraction is called Niban Dashi. It is used in Miso Soup and Sauces which you would add a strong seasoning to it.

TEMPURA SAUCE: In a pot, combine in a ratio of 4:1:1 of Ichiban Dashi, Mirin (Japanese Cooking/Seasoning Wine) and Soy Sauce. Heat but do not let it boil. Will keep in refrigerator for up to a week.

HOW TO MAKE SUSHI RICE

INGREDIENTS:

4 Cups (1 L) JAPANESE SHORT – GRAIN RICE

4 1/4 Cups (1.125 L) COLD WATER

1/2 Cup (125 ml) JAPANESE RICE VINEGAR

1 tbsp (15 ml) SALT

3 tbsp (45 ml) SUGAR

2 x 2 inch Piece (5 cm) DASHI KONBU (kelp)

METHOD:

Combine vinegar, salt and sugar. Stir the mixture until all the sugar and salt has disolved. Add the kelp, cover and store indefinitely in cool place in an airtight container. It is best to make the sushi vinegar at least one day prior to use to allow all the ingredients to infuse.

To cook rice for sushi, rinse rice three times in cold water until water runs clear. When cooking the rice for sushi, the water to rice ratio is very important. Measure the water equal parts rice to water plus 10 percent. Cook the rice and then allow to steep for 10 minutes after cooking. Remove rice from the pot into a shallow, flat container (not plastic or steel). In Japan, a round wooden box called a Hangiri is used.

Taste the rice before adding the sushi vinegar. If the rice is hard, the sushi rice will become even harder when you add the sushi vinegar. Pour prepared vinegar mixture over hot rice, and mix in using a wooden spatula (shamoji ) in a slicing motion. Allow the rice to sit until steaming stops. Flip the rice over and repeat the slicing technique several times until rice has cooled (usually 3 times).

Place rice in a container and cover with a damp towel. Rice is ready to use. It will keep up to about 3 – 4 hours.

VELVETY 5 SECOND SALMON

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:

Fresh Wild Sockeye Salmon Skinless Fillet

Green Shiso Leaf

Sweet Ponzu Dressing (see recipe)

Pan Roasted Garlic Chips (see recipe)

SALAD INGREDIENTS: (All cut into matchstick/julienned)

Daikon Radish

Carrots

Cucumbers

Kaiware Radish Sprouts

• Four round plates

METHOD:

Pour the Sweet Ponzu into a medium mixing bowl. Crush some garlic chips into the Ponzu. Allow it to infuse for few minutes. Place all the salad ingredients into the sauce and mix. Set aside to marinate.

Slice the salmon lengthwise to form 1″ wide strips. Pour oil to coat the bottom of a medium fry pan and place on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, sprinkle some salt into the pan. Sear the salmon for only a few seconds and then repeat on the other side. Chill in an ice bath. Pat dry with paper towels. Fry the Shiso leaf in hot oil until crisp. Place on paper towels to absorb the oil.

Place your serving dishes around your cutting board to begin plating. Tilt the knife on a 45 degree angle and slice the salmon very thinly from left to right. Discard the first slice which should be wedged shaped.

Since the slices are very delicate, plate as you slice. Place the slice of salmon from the center out and overlap as you go around until you have circled the plate. Repeat for the other servings.

Grasp a small handful of the salad and squeeze out the marinade. Stack the salad onto the middle of the plated salmon. Spoon the marinade onto the salmon and allow it to form a small puddle around the salmon. Top off with the crispy shiso leaf.

SWEET PONZU DRESSING

Ponzu sauce

Sugar

Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Pour Ponzu sauce into a mixing bowl. Using a whisk, incorporate the sugar and adjust the sweetness to your taste. Sprinkle a little black pepper and pour some olive oil to coat the top of the mixture. Allow it to infuse. Pour the mixture into a air tight jar. Shake when using. Will keep refrigerate up to a few weeks.

GARLIC CHIPS

Garlic cloves thinly sliced

Olive oil

Depending on how much garlic you have sliced, pour enough olive oil to cover them when frying. Heat the olive oil on medium heat until hot. Reduce the heat very low and cook the garlic slices stirring constantly to get an even coloured chips. Once the chips are golden coloured, remove the chips onto paper lined tray. Cool the oil and reserve for other uses.

NOTE: It is extremely important that you stir the chips around and don’t take your eyes off of it. It will burn within seconds.

AHI TUNA TERIYAKI

Sauteed Ahi Tuna in garlic butter served with Seasonal Vegetables with a Shiitake Mushroom jus.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:

4 pieces 4 oz. Sashimi Grade Ahi Tuna

4 pieces Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

2 cup Boiling Water

1/4 cup Sugar

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Sake

1/4 cup Mirin

2 Cloves Pressed Garlic

8 pieces Cherry/Grape Tomato

4 pieces Asparagus

4 pieces Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms

Finely Julienne Carrots

Seasonal Vegetables

METHOD:

In a small sauce pot, steep the dried shiitake mushrooms in boiling water for 30 min. After, add the sugar, soy, sake and the mirin and heat. Reduce this sauce to one third. Reserve the shiitake for other uses.

For the garnish, dredge the julienne carrots in flour and deep fry until crisp. Dry off on paper towels. Season with a sprinkle of salt.

Slice the seasonal vegetables and fresh shiitake mushrooms. In a large frying pan, saute the vegetables, the tomato and the asparagus in butter with freshly pressed garlic. When the vegetables are half way cooked, sear the Ahi tuna in the hottest part of the pan. When you have turned the Ahi onto its second side, drizzle some of the shiitake sauce into the pan. Don’t over cook the Ahi.

Plate the vegetables on the center of the plate. Slice the Ahi on the diagonal and fan out over the vegetables. Add some more shiitake sauce to the pan and reduce until the sauce becomes very thick. Add a little butter and stir.

Pour the shiitake sauce on the Ahi tuna and top off with the crispy carrots.

BROWN SUGAR SHORTBREAD COOKIE

Recipe by Lauren Fraser

INGREDIENTS:

12 tbsp Unsalted Butter

2 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar

2 tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla with seeds

1/4 tsp Salt

1 3/4 cups Flour

2 tsp Sugar for sprinkling

METHOD:

Melt Butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in all the sugar, vanilla and salt. Add the flour and mix until combined. Pat dough into a 9 inch Tart Pan and refridgerate overnight.

Place the pan on a brown paper bag lined cookie sheet and bake in 300 degree oven for 45 – 55 minutes until well browned. After removing from the oven, sprinkle with sugar and cut into wedges while itís still hot. Cool and store in an airtight container.

MATCHA CHERRY PARFAIT

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS:

30 pieces Fresh B.C. Cherries (some with stems)

250 ml Whipping Cream

4 pieces Matcha Shortbread Cookies

20 g Dark Chocolate (Chilled)

250 ml Ume-shu (Japanese Plum Wine)

Sugar

NOTE: You can substitute the Matcha Shortbread Cookie with any soft cookie or cake.

METHOD:

Reserve 4 Cherries with stems for garnish. Pit the remaining Cherries and place in a medium pot. Pour the Ume-shu and some of the sugar and poach on medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Pour half of the liquid from the poached cherries into a small pot and heat. Reduce by half and set aside to cool.

Pour the whipping cream into the mixer and whip until you obtain soft peaks. Remain mixing and slowly drizzle the cooled syrup from the previous step. Keep mixing until the whipping cream forms soft peaks again.

Remove the Chocolate from the refrigerator and slice with a sharp knife to get chocolate shavings. The more random size the better.

In a parfait or a large wine glass, place a good scoop of the whipping cream, then some poached cherries, some chocolate shavings, crumble some of the matcha shortbread cookies and repeat this process until the glass is full. Garnish with a stemmed cherry and sprinkle some chocolate shavings on top.