Japanese Salad Dressings

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"Oil and Vinegar"
Ingredients:
1 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

"Ginger Dressing"
Ingredients:
1 tbs rice vinegar
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tsp soy sauce

Basic Teriyaki Sauce

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Yield: 1 servings

Ingredients:
1 c Mirin wine
1 c Sake
1 c Japanese soy sauce
1 c Dashi
1 tb Sugar

Directions:
WARM THE MIRIN and sake in a saucepan over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the burner. Carefully, ignite the mixture and shake back and forth until the flame dies. Return pan to the burner and add the soy sauce, dashi and sugar; bring to a boil. Cool to room temperature. Set aside in a saucepan 1/2 cup of the teriyaki sauce. Dip pieces of meat (chicken, sliced beef, etc.) into remaining sauce to marinate. Grill meats. Reduce the sauce in the saucepan over high heat into a thickened glaze.

Okura No Nibitashi - Okra Stew

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Ingredients:
20 okra pods
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup shiitake-kombu dashi (see previous recipe)
1 teaspoon usukuchi (light) soy sauce
1/2 Tablespoon mirin (sweet vinegar)
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

Directions:
Wash the okra, then cut the stems off. Rub each pod with salt, taking off the okra fuzz on the skin with your fingers. Wash your hands after this operation. Drop the trimmed and cleaned okra into a large pot of boiling water until they soften slightly, about 3-5 minutes. Combine the dashi, usukuchi, and mirin in a 3-quart pot. Bring to a boil, add the okra and let them boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let the pot stand until it is cool. Arrange on a serving dish, then sprinkle dry roasted sesame seeds over the stewed okra.

Mushinasu - Steamed Eggplant

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Serves 4)
Any leftovers can be left in the sauce for one day.

Ingredients:
4 or 5 3/4 pound Oriental eggplants (the long, purplish ones) or 2 one-pound European-type eggplants
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon chopped onions
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 to 1 Tablespoon rice syrup

Directions:
Cut away the tops and bottoms of the eggplants. Steam them gently 5-7 minutes, or until soft. Test with a toothpick or bamboo skewer. When eggplants are done, let them cool. When they're cool, cut them into quarters, lengthwise. Refrigerate until ready to serve, then spread the cool eggplants around a flat plate to form an 8-pointed star. Combine the sauce ingredients and pour all over the eggplants. Serve with hot rice at room temperature.

Ninjin No Amani

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(Sweet Cooked Carrots)
(Serves 4) This carrot recipe makes use of the shiitake mushrooms from the shiitake-kombu dashi.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound peeled carrots
4-5 shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water 30 minutes, then sliced 1/4 inch thick, or from the shiitake-kombu prepared in the above recipe
1 cup shiitake-kombu dashi
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon rice syrup or other sweetener
1-2 teaspoons mirin (sweet vinegar available in Oriental groceries)

Directions:
Peel the carrots and cut in rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Combine all ingredients except carrots and mushrooms in a saucepan and cook together five minutes on low heat. Add the carrots and sliced mushrooms, and simmer 5-10 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed in the soft vegetables. Serve at room temperature.

Shiitake-Kombu Dashi

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(Mushroom and Seaweed Seasoning Broth)
(Serves 4)
A fresh vegetarian dashi that can be prepared in 3-4 hours from shiitake (mushrooms) and kombu (seaweed) blended together with seasonings such as sea salt. This broth is a base to which many other flavorings will be added. I have yet to see it for sale in any stores in the United States.

Ingredients:
4 x 4 inches of kombu seaweed (available in Oriental groceries and health food stores)
4-5 high-quality, dried shiitake mushrooms
4 cups water

Directions:
Wipe the kombu clean with a damp paper towel. Let the kombu soak in the water for at least 3 hours, then heat the water until it is just about boiling. Turn the flame off, remove the kombu, add the shiitake mushrooms, and let stand for 20 minutes. Remove the shiitakes (use them in a stir-fry dish fairly soon). You now have shiitake-kombu dashi. Store the liquid in the refrigerator in a closed container.

Shingjagaimo No Goma Fumiae

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(New Potatoes in Sesame Sauce) Serves 4

Ingredients:
11/2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Japanese rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon rice syrup
1/2 teaspoon karashi Japanese mustard
1 teaspoon Oriental sesame oil
2 medium-size new potatoes
2 small cucumbers

Directions:
Start a 3/4 full, 3-quart pot of boiling water on the stove. Mix the soy sauce, rice vinegar, rice syrup, mustard, and sesame oil together in a small bowl. Let this mixture stand. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/4 inch julienne strips, 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Rinse the julienne pieces, then drop them into the boiling water. Make sure all the potatoes are in the boiling water. When the water reboils, count to 10 slowly, then empty the potatoes into a bowl with cold tap water running into it. Wait until the potatoes are cool, then drain and let them sit in a colander. Peel and seed the cucumbers. Cut the trimmed cucumbers into julienne strips the same size as the potatoes. In a bowl, mix the potato and cucumber strips together, then gently pour the sesame sauce all over the vegetables. Let the dish marinate a few minutes. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Spicy Cold Soba Noodles

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Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb Japanese soba noodles
1/2 lg Red bell pepper, cut in -julienne strips
3 Ribs celery, sliced on a -bias
3 Green onions, sliced on a -bias
2 tb Vegetable off
2 tb Oriental sesame oil
2 tb Red wine vinegar
2 tb Plus 2 ts soy sauce
2 tb Plus 2 ts granulated sugar
2 tb Plus 2 ts Vietnamese chili -paste, or to taste

Directions:
Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and drain completely. Toss noodles in a large bowl with bell pepper, celery and green onions.
To prepare the dressing: Combine vegetable oil, sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and chili paste. Pour over noodle mixture and toss until evenly coated. Chill until ready to serve.

Agedashi-tofu - Fried tofu

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Ingredients:
1/2 tofu (momen or hard-type)
minced green onion
1 tsp. grated Japanese radish mixed with powdered red pepper
1 tsp. cornstarch
oil for deep-frying,
1 tsp. each of mirin and soy sauce,
4 tbsp dashi stock.

Directions:
(1)Quarter tofu and drain well.
(2)Cover tofu with cornstarch and fry in oil at medium heat until golden brown.
(3)Place tofu on plate and top with boiling-hot(A)sauce. Garnish with green onion and grated radish with red pepper.

Miso Soup

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Ingredients:
1/2 tofu
60 grams wakame
4 cups soup stock
60 grams miso paste.

Directions:
(1)Cut tofu into small cubes (1cm)and wakame into 2cm squares. (2)Bring soup stock to a boil in a pot. Dissolve miso paste in the stock. Add tofu cubes and wakame. Heatsoup to a slight boil. Remove from heat and pour into soup bowls.