Japanese Cooking - Contemporary & Traditional by Miyoko Nishimoto Schinner Read Free Book Online Page A

takes a piece of nori, places a couple of tablespoons of rice on one end, applies wasabi lightly (if desired), then adds a filling of choice. The nori is then wrapped to form a cone (see illustrations). It is then dipped in the soy sauce and devoured with gusto! Serve icy cold Japanese beer and/or green tea along with it and have a vegan sushi feast.

     

Sushi Rice in Age Pouches
     

Jnari-Zushi (or) O-Jnori-San
     
    3 cups white or brown rice
    3 cups water for cooking white rice, or 4½ cups water for cooking brown rice
    cup sugar, rice syrup, or FruitSource
    1 tablespoon mirin
    1 tablespoon sea salt
    cup rice vinegar
    6 to 12 abura-age (fried tofu pouches), page 21 (depending on size; they should be about 2 x 3-inches ; if large, cut in half)
    1 cup Konbu Dashi (Konbu Stock), page 54
    2 tablespoons mirin
    2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce
    3 tablespoons FruitSource, or sugar, or 5 tablespoons rice syrup
    Cook the rice in the water according to the basic instructions on pages 38 and 39. Follow the sushi rice recipe on page 48 for making sushi vinegar with the 1 tablespoon mirin, the sea salt, and vinegar, and adding it to the rice.
    To make the seasoned abura-age (fried tofu pouches), place the age pouches along with the konbu stock, 2 tablespoons mirin, soy sauce, and sweetener in a pot with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the age pouches have absorbed the flavor. Let cool before handling. Remove the age pouches from the remaining liquid. Split open into pockets. Fill each pouch with sushi rice.

     
    This was a favorite food of mine as a child—sweet sushi rice wrapped in a tasty age pouch; great finger food for picnics or lunch boxes.
     
    Yield: 6 servings

Soups and Stews
     
    A lmost every Japanese meal is served with some type of soup. The most common is miso-shiru, or miso soup, a deceptively simple broth with a myriad possibilities for gu (the savory items that are cooked in the miso broth). Next to miso soup is suimono, literally water soup, a rather delicate and clear Japanese version of consommé. In addition, there are heartier stews and a famous custard soup made with eggs, for which I present vegan versions.
    All of these soups and stews derive their delicate flavor from the broth used. Although broths from bonito shavings (tiny dried fish) are commonly used, full-flavored vegetarian broths are also made from konbu, a thick sea vegetable, and dried shiitake.
    A visitor to Japan or a Japanese restaurant will find that soups, with the exception of chawan-mushi (egg-custard soup) are served without spoons. The small bowls are simply lifted to the lips and sipped without the aid of any utensils, except perhaps chopsticks to get at some of the gu.

Basic Miso Soup
     

O -Miso-Shiru (or) O -Mi- O -Tsuke
     
    This most simple and basic soup can be absolutely gratifying and satisfying. Although it is extremely simple in its preparation, it has endless possibilities due to the various types of miso available and the ingredients that can be added. Vegetables, tofu, or sea vegetables are simmered briefly in the stock, and the miso is added at the end. The whole process can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on what type of gu or savory ingredients you use. The most important rule to remember for preparing the tastiest, and in fact the most healthful, miso soup is to add the miso last after the heat has been turned off. This preserves the delicate flavor of the miso, and also the friendly bacteria in the miso that are killed by high heat. It is almost impossible to give exact proportions for the amount of miso to stock, since miso varies greatly in saltiness and flavor. Dark miso is generally saltier and heavier in flavor than light miso. Misos made with rice or barley are sometimes sweeter. There are also some misos with a reduced salt content or even added broth; all of this will affect the amount to be added. Thus, it is always better to start off with the lesser