Japanese Food Report. August 2019
Welcome, friends, to the inaugural edition of the Japanese Food Report collaborative newsletter! Every month I’ll share recipes, ideas, links and other Japanese cooking-related goodness that I dig up. 

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Summer miso soup… and more

My pal Isao Yamada is an accomplished Japanese chef, and also he’s my neighbor—a little fact we discovered only after living nearby for five years! Typical New York story. He dropped by the other day and we got to talking about miso soup. 

I love miso soup because in that one humble dish everyone from chefs to home cooks can express all the beautiful sides of Japanese food, its seasonality, respect for ingredients, endless variety, playfulness, and more. There are so many delicious varieties of miso soup beyond the typical wakame seaweed and cubed tofu we usually encounter in America. When we spoke, Yamada san described the soup below, and a tasty variation using somen noodles. I’ve turned his thoughts into recipes. Thanks, Yamada san!

Wakame and Okra Miso Soup
Yuzu kosho is an amazing fiery condiment from Yamada-san’s hometown of Hakata, cured from yuzu citrus peel, chilies and salt. One of my favorite Japanese ingredients, it adds fragrance, heat and pop to this soup. (And check out another use for grilling, below!) If you can’t find yuzu kosho, substitute with freshly grated ginger, that’ll work great too. 

Serves four

1/2 pound okra, trimmed
1/2 ounce or so of dried wakame (generous fingerful)
4 cups dashi (or use this all-natural instant variety you can find at Japanese markets or H Mart)
1/4 cup red miso (like this one from rice, or barley (mugi) miso is great for this, too)
1 teaspoon green yuzu kosho (or freshly grated ginger)
1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions for garnish

First step, blanching and shocking the okra, which cook off its raw taste and turn it bright green. Ready an ice bath and set aside. Place a pot of salted water on high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the water boils, drop in the okra. Cook for about 2 minutes, strain and transfer the okra to the ice bath. When the okra cools, remove it from the bath. Slice the okra and set aside.

Now soak the wakame in warm water for about five minutes, until it becomes hydrated and pliant. Drain and squeeze out excess water, and set aside. 

Ready four soup bowls. Divide the okra and wakame seaweed between the bowls. 

Pour the dashi into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. As soon as the dashi boils, turn off the heat. Add the miso and yuzu kosho to a strainer that fits inside the saucepan. Dunk the strainer into the dashi and use a spoon to dissolve the miso and yuzu kosho. Taste and adjust the broth as you see fit. 

Pour the miso broth over the okra and wakame and garnish with the scallions. Serve immediately. 

Bonus Recipe: Cold Somen with Wakame and Okra
Somen is the go-to Japanese noodle in the summer — super fast to prepare and so tasty eaten cold. In this dish, Yamada-san extends his miso soup to create a full-on delicious and refreshing meal.

Serves four

Dashi, miso, yuzu kosho to make a miso broth following recipe above
Okra as in recipe above
Wakame as in recipe above
2 small Japanese or Persian cucumbers, chopped and set aside
8 ounces dried somen noodles  
1 tablespoon thin sliced scallions
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds

To prepare the somen noodles: Place a large pot of water on high heat. When the water boils, add the somen and cook until the noodles are soft but firm in the center, about one minute (you don’t want to cook them into mush, basically). Drain into a colander and rinse the noodles under cold running water until they cool. You can also place them in an ice bath to cool. 

To assemble the dish, ready four bowls. Divide the noodles between each bowl, then add the okra, wakame and cucumber. Pour the cold miso broth over the ingredients. Garnish with the scallions and sesame seeds and serve. 

Second Bonus Recipe: Yuzu Kosho Marinade for Grilling
This marinade comes from my cookbook The Japanese Grill, which I wrote with Tadashi Ono, who is also an incredible chef (and one hell of a 🏄‍♂️!) Tadashi first introduced me to yuzu kosho which he uses extensively for grilling, whether in one of his restaurants or with his family in the backyard. Here’s his all-purpose yuzu kosho marinade for white-fleshed fish, pork and chicken. I love this marinade with sea scallops as well as chicken legs, both on the grill or in a skillet. 

2 tablespoons red yuzu kosho
2 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce (I’m a fan of this brand, organic and made from whole soybeans)
1/2 cup olive oil

(Remember this ratio: 1 yuzu kosho: 1 soy sauce: 4 olive oil)

Whisk together the ingredients and you’re ready. This marinade will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, just whisk again before using it. 

What are your favorite miso soups for the summer? Somen dishes? Other Japanese dishes you love in the summer season? Questions I can answer?

Third Bonus Recipe(s): More Summer Cooking
Here are links to more terrific recipes for summer—
  • Finally, I want to mention shio koji, one of my favorite Japanese ingredients. 
  • First, what is it? Rice is inoculated with koji, a beneficial mold that is the building block of Japanese fermented seasonings (shoyu, sake, mirin). Mixed with salt (“shio”) this live culture becomes an incredibly flavorful fermented seasoning that breaks down proteins to tease out deep umami flavors. 
  • Now, how do you use shio koji? So simple: Cure boneless chicken legs, mackerel or salmon in shio koji overnight. Wipe off excess shio koji and grill or pan saute—the flavor is phenomenal. Or, mix a little shio koji with fresh tomatoes or onions (farmers market or better yet, pulled from your garden) to make an instant pickle that’s perfect with freshly steamed rice. 

Kitchen Knives and Cutting Boards

A question I get asked a lot is, what kind of knife to buy? I’m a practical dude, so my answer is straightforward: You need one good all-purpose chef’s knife and one utility knife. And a great cutting board and a shaping stone. That’s it. And your blade doesn’t have to be hand-forged by blind monks living on a barren island in the Sea of Japan… you know what I mean. 

I’m a believer in Japanese kitchen knives, which are more precise instruments, in my opinion, than their European brethren. Which one to buy? There are tons of options and lots of details to consider, if that’s your thing. If you’re visiting Japan soon, I love the chefs knives at Aritsugu in Kyoto, knife dealers since 1540! (Their collection of traditional Japanese knives is beyond awesome, too. ) The staff at the store is wonderful, and there’s always someone who speaks English and can help you. Here at home, I found MAC chef’s knives, like this model, to be affordable, solid and a great purchase. Don’t forget a decent wet stone like this all purpose King. Finally, when it comes to cutting boards, I made an investment about 15 years ago in an expensive Hi Soft cutting board — and I thank myself every day. This board keeps my blade sharp, is easy to clean and keep hygienic, and is incredibly durable. I mean, I’m using it now for a decade and a half. And I’ll use it another couple of decades, spirits and gods-willing… 

Alright, now you’ve got the gear, how do you keep it in shape? Shape—key word. Shape your knives regularly. Store your knife separately to protect the blade. Don’t put it in the dishwasher. Wash it after you use it, dry it, and store. There are tons of knife shaping videos online, this one is a good start. 

What’s your favorite Japanese chefs knife? Shaping stone? Shaping videos? Tips on taking care of your knives? Questions I can answer?
 

Final thought… 

It’s north of ninety degrees on this magnificent summer day here in New York City. So naturally, my thoughts turn to Japan’s snow country. 😀 I wrote about snow country once for the late, great Gourmet magazine after visiting in the middle of winter. I stayed at a magnificent “hidden” onsen (natural hot spring) lodge deep in the Akita mountains called Tsurunoyu, which dates back to the 1600s. One of the very best places I’ve ever visited in Japan. Soaking in thermal waters outdoors while a raging storm is dumping piles of snow on your head is indescribable. I feel cooler and revitalized just thinking about it!

What’s your favorite onsen in Japan? Where, and why do you love it? 

Thanks for reading, Harris