Ooooooooh! What do we have here? Udon noodles in soy broth! Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this dish as the soy broth is devine. I”m no expert on Japanese food having just started eating the stuff, but I’d say I did a pretty good job of this. Topped with my now perfected teriyaki chicken and you have a quick, tasty, filling, satisfying, healthy and cheap dinner. Have I missed any adjectives? No, I believe that will suffice for now.

This will definitely go on my regular recipies list from this point forth, as it should yours! Enough babbling - on with the recipe!!!

Preparation time: 1 minute
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4 light servings

Ingredients

• 1.5 litres dashi
• 3 spring onions, two cut into 4cm lenghts, 1slice thinly
• 60ml (1/4 cup) mirin
• 60ml (1/4 cup) Japanese soya sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 400 udon noodles
• shichimi togarashi (seven spice mix), optional

Method

1. Bring dashi to a boil in a pot, reduce to a simmer and add the 4cm lengths of spring onion, mirin, soya sauce and sugar. Stir to combine and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. While the broth is simmering away, prepare the udon noodles according to the instructions on the packet. Divide among the four bowls.
3. Ladle the liquid into the bowl. Top the noodles with the sliced spring onions and some teriyaki chicken if you like (this man needs meat with his dinner). I added some pre-prepared dried shitake mushrooms because I really like my ’shrooms. Sprinkle a bit of shichimi togarashi over the top (optional).

1 comment

One of my favourite Asian vegetables paired with one of my favourite stir-fry sauces: kang kung (water spinach) and hoi sin. It’s not the tastiest vegetable but the best thing about it is that it only takes a minute or two to stir fry which gives it extra points in my kitchen. This dish will have the vegetarians lining up outside your door begging for handouts and possibly convert many carnivores. I should know, I used to be one in my wild untamed youth.

Preparation time: 1 minute
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Serves: 2 (I ate both servings tonight….)

Ingredients

• kang kung/water spinach, enough for 2 serves. Chop off the thick end bits. Bok choy and chineses broccoli work nicely too, as do most other asian vegetables. Wash well because you don’t want to be eating bits of dirt later on.
• scallions/green onions/spring onions (optional), cut into 6cm lengths
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• sesame oil

Sauce

• 2 1/2 tablespoons hoi sin sauce
• 1 tablespoon vegetable stock
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons sweet chilli sauce

Method

1. Heat sesame oil in a medium to medium-high heat wok, fry garlic until fragrant.
2. Add vegetables and stir fry for about 30 seconds. Add some water to assist in the cooking process (the waterwill evaporate and steam the vegetables).
3. Add sauce and fry until the vegetables are wilted. I like them well done, but you should vary the cooking time according to your likes. Use more sauce if you like as it goes well with rice.

2 comments

I was given a Japanese cook book ages ago but never had the required ingredients to make most of the recipes. Until now that is. Earlier this week I ran around between shops like a made goose gathering common items in Japanese cooking and today marks the beginning of my foray into Japanese cuisine.

First dish I decided to make was teriyaki chicken. The recipe looked very simple and result was fantastic. With this recipe at your disposal, you’ll never need to buy the crappy premade bottled stuff at the shop ever again.

Do your partner and their stomach a favour and impress them with this tasty and classic Japanese dish.

Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Makes 4 small servings

Ingredients

• 60ml Japanese soya sauce (sweeter than the regular stuff, supposedly)
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 chicken thigh fillets, with or without skin
• vegetable oil for frying

Method

1. Combine the soya sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat then add chicken, skin sidedown and cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Turn over and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until golden and almost cooked through. Remove from pan
3. Discard any excess fat and oil from the pan and then pour in the soya mixture, increase the heat to high and bring to the boil. Cook for a minute or until the liquid has slightly reduced and has a nice sexy gloss to it.
4. Return chicken to pan and coat well with the mixture until heated through. Remove from the pan and slice into 1.5cm wide strips. Serve.

5 comments