Japanese | Saveur

Grilled Scallops with Yuzu Kosho Vinaigrette

Tadashi Ono — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:43:11 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang

One night, on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, I ordered a bowl of ramen and watched the cook serve a paste alongside the noodle soup that I’d never seen before. It was yuzu kosho. It only has three ingredients: salt, hot pepper, and yuzu, the Japanese citrus, but it’s fascinating. It has spice, fragrance, aroma—everything. There are two types: red, made from ripe yuzu and red chiles, and green, from unripe fruit with green chiles. I use the sharper green version to cut through rich meats, and the milder red in seafood dishes, like these grilled scallops.

Pairing note: Earthy Sumiyoshi Tokubetsu Junmai sake from Japan’s Yamagata prefecture stands up to yuzu kosho’s spice.

Yield: 4

3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh or bottled yuzu juice
1 Tbsp. finely chopped scallions, white parts only
1 Tbsp. red yuzu kosho
2 tsp. soy sauce
16 large sea scallops
1 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Kosher salt

Instructions

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil, yuzu juice, scallions, yuzu kosho, and soy sauce. To a medium bowl, add the scallops and one-third of the yuzu vinaigrette, then toss to coat.
Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high. Alternatively, heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the scallops and grill, turning once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and drizzle the remaining yuzu vinaigrette over the scallops. Garnish with the parsley, season to taste with salt, and serve hot.

The post Grilled Scallops with Yuzu Kosho Vinaigrette appeared first on Saveur.

Grilled Porterhouse Steaks with Garlic and Miso

Tadashi Ono — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:42:44 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Tyna Hoang

A marinade of red miso, ginger, and garlic gives these steaks a crisp, flavorful crust and a juicy interior. Serve them with chef and cookbook author Tadashi Ono’s Grilled Tomatoes with Soy Sauce and Yuzu Kosho.

Featured in “The Japanese Grill.”

Yield: 4

Time: 35 minutes

Two 1½-in.-thick bone-in porterhouse steaks (3½ lb.)
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup red miso
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
8 garlic cloves, grated
One 2-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Instructions

Place the steaks in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soy sauce, miso, oils, black pepper, garlic, and ginger. Pour three-quarters of the marinade over the steaks, reserving the remaining marinade, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes.
Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high, then bank the coals or turn off the burner on one side. Add the steaks to the hottest part of the grill and cook without flipping until browned, about 1 minute. Move the steaks to the cooler part of the grill and cook until juices appear on top of the steaks, about 4 minutes. Flip the steaks, return to the hottest part of grill, and, using a brush, baste with the reserved marinade. Continue grilling, flipping and brushing every few minutes, until the meat is caramelized and begins to shrink away from the bone, 10–12 minutes for medium rare or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the steaks reads 125°F. (If the outside of the steaks begins to burn before the inside is cooked, move them to the cooler section of the grill and continue grilling until cooked to desired doneness.) Remove the steaks from the grill and set aside to rest for 5 minutes. To serve, slice against the grain along the bone.

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Grilled Tomatoes with Soy Sauce and Yuzu Kosho

Tadashi Ono — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:28:15 +0000

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Ripe tomatoes develop umami-rich flavor when grilled with a garlic, soy sauce, and yuzu kosho marinade. This recipe calls for red yuzu kosho, which is made from the Japanese citrus yuzu, red chiles, and salt—just a spoonful adds subtle heat and bright fragrance to the marinade. Mitsuba, a Japanese relative of parsley, lends a mild cilantro-like freshness. Serve this simple summer side dish alongside a juicy steak, such as chef and cookbook author Tadashi Ono’s Grilled Porterhouse with Garlic and Miso.

Featured in “The Japanese Grill.”

Yield: 6–8

Time: 30 minutes

¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. red yuzu kosho
1 tsp. ground sansho pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, cored and halved crosswise
1 cup coarsely chopped mitsuba, parsley, or cilantro

Instructions

In a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, yuzu kosho, sansho pepper, salt, and garlic. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat, then arrange cut side down in the dish. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high, then bank the coals or turn off the burner on one side. Add the tomatoes cut side down to the hottest part of the grill, reserving the marinade, and cook until slightly charred, 2–4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the tomatoes, then spoon the reserved marinade over the tops and continue grilling without flipping until the tomatoes are slightly caramelized, 6–8 minutes. Garnish with mitsuba and serve.

The post Grilled Tomatoes with Soy Sauce and Yuzu Kosho appeared first on Saveur.

18 Essential Japanese Recipes to Cook Right Now

SAVEUR Editors — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 18:01:00 +0000

Andrea Fazzari. Andrea Fazzari

Japan boasts one of the world’s richest culinary cultures, historically emphasizing seasonal, vegetable-heavy ingredients. There’s also a plethora of seafood offerings, with fish prepared every way from grilled and tempura-fried to raw. Then there’s the meat: who could forget about Japanese barbecue, or yakitori? On the starch side, noodles like udon, soba, and ramen are standouts. Delicate flavors from ingredients like white miso and dashi are layered expertly throughout the cuisine, from clam chowder to chawanmushi. We’ve rounded up our best essential Japanese recipes to try today, from traditional dishes to modern takes on classics.

Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Aya Mishima Brackett Aya Mishima Brackett

Comfort food at its finest, this dish incorporates the rich flavors of homemade dashi with tender chicken, onions, and soft-cooked eggs over rice. It’s a staple dish at Rintaro, chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett’s San Francisco izakaya. Get the recipe >

White Miso Clam Chowder

Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

White miso adds nutty, funky notes to this clam chowder recipe from Osamu Yoshikawa, the sixth-generation owner of bean-to-bottle soy sauce company Inoue Honten in Nara, Japan. Combined with fragrant dashi, it creates a rich, umami-filled take on a typical New England-style dish. Get the recipe >

Leftover Green Tea Leaf Salad

Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

After green tea leaves have been steeped, Junichi Uekubo, a seventh-generation tea farmer in Nara, Japan, uses them in his version of ohitashi, a blanched-greens dish often made with spinach. Serve the subtly bitter leaves over steamed rice drizzled with mayonnaise for a simple meal. Get the recipe >

Inarizushi (Rice-Filled Tofu Pockets)

Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Deep-fried bean curd pouches are simmered in a sweet-savory dashi-soy sauce broth before they’re stuffed with tangy vinegared rice in this beloved Japanese comfort dish. Nara, Japan-based tofu maker Masahiro Kondo, who helms the food company Miki Tofu, suggests making his inarizushi recipe for a filling snack or component in a lunchtime bento box. Get the recipe >

Summer-Vegetable Tempura

Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh Ted + Chelsea Cavanaugh

Give shishito peppers, eggplants, and kabocha squash the tempura treatment, then turn green beans and corn into lacy fritters known as kakiage. Get the recipe >

Tentsuyu (Tempura Dipping Broth)

A dip in this traditional dashi-based broth is the only seasoning tempura needs. Get the recipe >

Dashi-Maki Tamago (Japanese Rolled Omelet)

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

This Japanese egg dish can be served on its own with grated radish and soy sauce, sliced and incorporated into sushi, or as a sweet bite at the end of a meal. Kimiko Barber, author of “Cook Japanese at Home,” uses a traditional square tamago pan to make this Tokyo-style rolled omelet, which is often sweetened with mirin, a Japanese sweet rice wine. Dashi-maki tamago can be served on its own with grated radish and soy sauce, sliced and incorporated into sushi, or as a sweet bite at the end of a meal. Get the recipe >

Home-Style Chicken Ramen

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

The broth is a relatively simple but deeply flavored chicken base layered with fresh ramen noodles, poached chicken breast, soft soy eggs, and a delicate fennel oil. Get the recipe >

Hanetsuki Gyoza (Dumplings with “Wings”)

Aya Mishima Brackett Aya Mishima Brackett

Gyoza bound with crispy, lacy “wings” is a memorable start to an at-home Japanese izakaya feast. Filled with savory pork and cabbage, the gyoza are pan-fried with a cornstarch slurry until they’re bound together with a golden brown crust. Get the recipe >

Omurice (Japanese Omelet Fried Rice)

Max Falkowitz Max Falkowitz

Omurice combines Japanese fried rice, French omelet-making, and American ketchup, gravy, or demi-glace. It’s one of the most popular dishes that falls into the category of yōshoku—literally “Western food”—a subset of Japanese cooking that originated at the turn of the 20th century, when Western ingredients and cooking techniques became fashionable. Get the recipe >

Natto Gohan

Photo: Julia Gartland • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen Photo: Julia Gartland • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Natto gohan—sticky, stringy fermented soybeans served over rice with different garnishes—is a common breakfast for many Japanese. The dish is often topped with scallion and raw egg yolks, though well grated nagaimo (mountain yam), katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), and tsukemono (a type of Japanese pickles) are popular and equally delicious adornments. Get the recipe >

Sweet Potatoes with Miso Butter and Chives

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Shockingly simple but packed with flavor, sweet potatoes are boiled or roasted then thickly slathered with a butter emulsified with bold red miso and chives. Get the recipe >

Chagayu (Tea Porridge)

Photo: Julia Gartland • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen Photo: Julia Gartland • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Tea porridge is the perfect use for leftover rice. Simmer the cooked grains in brewed green tea for an earthy, toasty dish. Serve with flavorful side dishes like kyurizuke (pickled cucumbers), umeboshi (bracingly acidic pickled plums), and kombu tsukudani (seaweed simmered with sake and mirin). Get the recipe >

Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls)

Andrea Fazzari Andrea Fazzari

Onigiri are either warm rice balls stuffed with items like umboshi (pickled plums) and salmon, then wrapped in nori, or they are rice balls seasoned with blends like red shiso powder and black sesame seeds, and shaped into balls, triangles, or cylinders. Get the recipe >

Tega No Karaage (Fried Chicken Wings)

Nicole Franzen Nicole Franzen

To achieve a crispy crust on his Japanese fried chicken, Sylvan Mishima Brackett, chef-owner of San Francisco izakaya Rintaro, uses potato starch before the meat is coated in sweet-salty soy-and-mirin sauce. Get the recipe >

Tsukune (Japanese Chicken Meatballs)

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

Dressed with a sweet-and-salty glaze, this yakitori favorite is the ideal pairing for cold beer. Get the recipe >

Soba Salad with Lemon-Miso Vinaigrette

Dylan + Jeni Dylan + Jeni

Fresh soba noodles are tossed gently with a salad of greens, like arugula, endive, and chicory, plus herbs such as dill. Combined with lemon it’s a bright, refreshing noodle dish for a hot day. Get the recipe >

Chawanmushi (Japanese Egg Custard)

Matt Taylor-Gross Matt Taylor-Gross

A versatile hero of the Japanese kitchen, chawanmushi is the dish for all meals and all kitchens: a simple savory egg custard that’s easier to make than an omelet and just as customizable. Get the recipe >

The post 18 Essential Japanese Recipes to Cook Right Now appeared first on Saveur.

Inarizushi (Rice-Filled Tofu Pockets)

Masahiro Kondo — Thu, 09 May 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Inarizushi is widely popular throughout Japan among children and adults alike. Aburaage—deep-fried tofu pockets—are simmered in a sweet-savory dashi-soy sauce broth, then stuffed with tart vinegared rice. Nara, Japan-based tofu maker Masahiro Kondo, who helms the food company Miki Tofu, suggests making his inarizushi recipe for a filling snack or component in a lunchtime bento box. Look for the pockets fresh or frozen in a Japanese grocer, or online.

Featured in “Meet the Makers Preserving the Past in Nara” by Megan Zhang.

Yield: 6

Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

2 cups Japanese short-grain rice, washed
One 4-in. kombu square
6 aburaage (fried tofu pockets)
1½ cups dashi
3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
1 Tbsp. mirin
¼ cup rice vinegar
2 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
Black and white sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

To a rice cooker, add the rice and fill with water to the indicated line. Place the kombu on top, set aside to soak for 20–60 minutes, then set the machine to cook.
Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Cut each tofu pocket in half, and insert your thumb into the opening of the cut side to separate the skin and create a pouch. Boil the tofu pockets, stirring occasionally, until softened and pliable, about 10 minutes. Strain and transfer to a plate.
In the empty pot, bring the dashi, soy sauce, and mirin to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low and return the tofu pockets to the pot, arranging them in a flat layer on the bottom. Simmer, flipping occasionally, until the liquid has nearly evaporated, 15–20 minutes. Pour the tofu pockets and remaining liquid into a bowl, cover, and set aside to cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, whisk together the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Remove the kombu from the cooked rice (reserve it for another use, such as simmered kombu, if desired). Stir the vinegar mixture into the rice until just incorporated and set aside to cool to room temperature.
With wet hands, form about 1⁄4 cup of rice into an oblong ball, pressing lightly so the grains hold together (don’t squeeze). Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining rice.
Working with one tofu pocket at a time, open the slit and stuff a rice ball inside, pressing to fill, then fold over the excess tofu skin to loosely seal. Transfer the inarizushi seam-side down to a plate, then sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

The post Inarizushi (Rice-Filled Tofu Pockets) appeared first on Saveur.

Amazake, Apple, and Pineapple Smoothie

Osamu Yoshikawa — Thu, 09 May 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Photo: Andrew Bui • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Andrew Bui • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

When warm weather arrives, Osamu Yoshikawa—the sixth-generation owner of bean-to-bottle soy sauce company Inoue Honten in Nara, Japan—likes to whip up this amazake, apple, and pineapple smoothie recipe. Made by combining cooked rice with either rice koji (rice inoculated with the microorganism Aspergillus oryzae) or sake kasu (solids left over from sake production), amazake has a thick, porridge-like texture and lends creaminess and tang to this fruity shake. Look for the ingredient in a Japanese grocer, or online.

Featured in “Meet the Makers Preserving the Past in Nara” by Megan Zhang.

Yield: 1

Time: 2 minutes

1 cup frozen pineapple chunks
½ cup apple, cut into 2-in. pieces
¼ cup amazake
Fresh pineapple slice, for garnish

Instructions

To a blender, add the pineapple, apple, amazake, and 1/4¼ cup of water and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass, garnish with a pineapple slice, and serve immediately.

The post Amazake, Apple, and Pineapple Smoothie appeared first on Saveur.

Miso Clam Chowder

Osamu Yoshikawa — Thu, 09 May 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen. Photo: Heami Lee • Food Styling: Jessie YuChen

Miso, the Japanese fermented soybean paste, boosts countless recipes with its nutty, funky umami—and a little goes a long way. In this miso clam chowder recipe from Osamu Yoshikawa, the sixth-generation owner of bean-to-bottle soy sauce company Inoue Honten in Nara, Japan, white miso’s concentrated and complex saltiness beautifully balances the richness of the milky broth.

Featured in “Meet the Makers Preserving the Past in Nara” by Megan Zhang.

Yield: 6

Time: 40 minutes

One 10-oz. can whole clams
½ cup white wine
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 thick bacon slices, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 russet potato, cut into ½-in. cubes
1 cup dashi
1 cup whole milk
2 Tbsp. white miso
Freshly ground black pepper
Finely chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Instructions

To a medium pot set over medium heat, add the clams with their juices and the white wine. Cover and cook until the clams shrink slightly, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the clams to a small bowl. Pour the liquid into another small bowl and set aside. Wipe out the pot and return it to the stove.
In the empty pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned and the fat has mostly rendered, about 6 minutes. Add the carrot, onion, and potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the dashi and reserved clam broth and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the carrots and potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, 5–10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and miso, then add to the chowder along with the reserved clams and stir to combine. Season with black pepper, then ladle into serving bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve hot.

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Oyakodon (Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Sylvan Mishima Brackett — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 17:43:09 +0000

Aya Mishima Brackett. Aya Mishima Brackett

This recipe is brought to you by the SAVEUR Cookbook Club, our passionate community of food-loving readers from around the globe celebrating our favorite authors and recipes. Join us as we cook through a new book every month, and share your food pics and vids on social media with the hashtags #SAVEURCookbookClub and #EatTheWorld.

The Japanese “don” family of dishes demonstrates the warming power of a good bowl of rice, and this recipe for oyakodon is no exception. Rice is also an essential final dish, or “shime,” at Rintaro, the San Francisco izakaya run by chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett. Though oyakodon may seem simple compared to some of the restaurant’s more elegant dishes, Brackett takes particular pride in making each rice dish its own work of art.

This recipe gets its rich flavor from homemade tsuyu, a sauce built on a base of katsuobushi niban dashi. Niban dashi, or “second steep” dashi, is a delicate stock made from the katsuobushi (bonito flakes) and konbu (kelp) that were previously used to prepare an ichiban (“first steep”) dashi. The hidden bonus of this dish is that it leaves you with a quart of homemade ichiban dashi to use in another recipe.

In Japan, the traditional way to prepare oyakodon is with a small saucer-shaped lidded pan with sloped edges that help slide the chicken and egg mixture out onto the rice for each serving. (To reproduce the izakaya experience at home, you can find a similar pan from the Japanese manufacturer Korin.)

If you can’t find mitsuba, a delicate herb that offers flavors of cedar and celery to the finished dish, substitute thinly sliced scallions. Usukuchi shoyu (soy sauce) and white shoyu are both lighter in color and taste than regular shoyu. They are not equivalent to American light soy sauce, which is lower in sodium.

Adapted with permission from Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California by Sylvan Mishima Brackett with Jessica Battilana. Published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing, October 2023.

Featured in “This Cookbook Will Help You Create Your Own Japanese Izakaya Experience” by Jessica Carbone.

Yield: 4

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the niban dashi:

One 2-in. square konbu
4 tightly packed cups (40 g) katsuobushi

For the sauce:

¼ cup mirin
¼ cup usukuchi or white shoyu (see headnote)
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tightly packed cups (20 g) katsuobushi

For the oyakodon:

¼ cup vegetable oil
1½ lb. boneless, skin-on chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
Fine salt
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
8 large eggs
20 mitsuba sprigs, leaves separated and stems cut into 1-in. pieces (see headnote)
Cooked sushi rice and ground sansho powder, for serving

Instructions

Make the niban dashi: To a large pot over low heat, add the konbu and 4¼ cups water. Heat until an instant-read thermometer reaches 150°F when inserted into the water, 10–15 minutes (do not let simmer). Transfer the konbu to a plate and set aside. Turn the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil. Using chopsticks, stir in the katsuobushi until submerged. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and set aside to steep for 5 minutes. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl, line it with damp paper towels, and strain the dashi. Reserve for another use. (You should have about 3½ cups of ichiban dashi. It can be stored for up to 24 hours in an airtight container in the fridge.) Transfer the katsuobushi to the plate with the konbu and set aside.
Clean the pot, then add the reserved konbu and katsuobushi and 2½ cups of water. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat, then cook until the dashi is a pale golden color, about 20 minutes. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl, line it with damp paper towels, and strain the dashi. Set aside (discard the solids). (You should have about 2 cups of niban dashi.)
Make the sauce: To a small pot over medium-high heat, add the mirin, shoyu, sugar, and 1¼ cups of the niban dashi (reserve the remaining for another use). Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the katsuobushi. Let the katsuobushi settle to the bottom of the pot, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl, line it with paper towels, and strain the sauce. Set aside (discard the solids).
Make the oyakodon: To a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add the oil. Once hot, add the chicken skin-side down, and season to taste with salt. Cook until the chicken skin is brown and crisp, about 6 minutes, then turn. Push the chicken to the sides of the skillet and add the onion to the center. Cook, stirring the onion occasionally, until softened, 3–4 minutes. Stir together the chicken and onion, pour the reserved sauce over the top, and bring to a low boil. Turn the heat to medium-low.
Into a small bowl, crack the eggs and use a fork to prick the yolks (but do not beat). Pour the eggs over the chicken and onion mixture, and garnish with the mitsuba leaves and stems. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until the egg whites are set but the yolks are still runny, 4–5 minutes. Using a spatula, divide the oyakodon into four sections.
Divide the rice among four bowls and top each with a section of oyakodon. Serve immediately with sansho on the side.

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Hanetsuki Gyoza (Dumplings with “Wings”)

Sylvan Mishima Brackett — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 17:43:09 +0000

Aya Mishima Brackett. Aya Mishima Brackett

Gyoza is one of chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett’s all-time favorite foods—and one of the most beloved dishes at Rintaro, his San Francisco-based izakaya. From a young age, Brackett helped his mother Toshiko make gyoza at home, starting with filling and wetting the edges of each gyoza wrapper, then eventually graduating to pleating the gyoza closed as needed.

In this recipe, a gelatin-rich stock is used to bind well-seasoned ground pork and steamed cabbage, which is then stuffed into handmade wrappers before steaming. If you have a truly nonstick skillet at your disposal, Brackett includes the option of making crispy starch-based “wings” to bind the dumplings just before serving. But the dumplings will be just as good without this dramatic presentation.

Though some chefs might claim gyoza isn’t a true Japanese dish, it is one of those foods, alongside ramen, that has been thoroughly incorporated into many beloved izakayas across the country. At Rintaro, Brackett delegates the making of the restaurant’s dumplings to his gyoza “section chief” Tomoko Tokumaru, a chef from Fukuoka who has led a team of Japanese women in perfecting Toshiko’s recipe—and turning out nearly a quarter of a million gyoza in the process.

This recipe walks through all of the steps for preparing gyoza, from making the wrappers and filling from scratch to assembling them into way more dumplings than you could eat in one sitting. Luckily these dumplings freeze very well: shape all the dumplings, then line them on a rimmed baking sheet lightly dusted with potato starch, taking care not to let them touch. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze overnight. Once frozen solid, transfer them to airtight containers or freezer storage bags. They will keep, frozen, for up to 1 month.

Adapted with permission from Rintaro: Japanese Food from an Izakaya in California by Sylvan Mishima Brackett with Jessica Battilana. Published by ‎Hardie Grant Publishing, October 2023.

Featured in “This Cookbook Will Help You Create Your Own Japanese Izakaya Experience” by Jessica Carbone.

Yield: Makes 60 gyoza

Time: 2 hours

Ingredients

For the wrappers:

4¼ cups plus 3 Tbsp. (525 g) all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. fine salt
Potato starch, for dusting

For the filling:

¾ lb. green cabbage, cored
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. chicken stock
1 tsp. powdered gelatin
1¾ lb. ground pork
2 Tbsp. plus ¾ tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. sake
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. sugar
1½ tsp. fine salt
5 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
One 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

For cooking 12 gyoza:

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1½ tsp. potato starch
½ tsp. all-purpose flour

For serving:

2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
Chile oil

Instructions

Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the flour, sesame oil, salt, and 1 cup of warm water on low speed until a dough forms. Continue mixing until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. (If the dough isn’t coming together, add more water as necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time. The dough should be hydrated but still dry to the touch.) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Make the filling: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the cabbage and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water until cool enough to handle. Finely chop the cabbage, wrap it in a clean kitchen towel, and squeeze over the sink to remove as much water as possible. Set aside.
To a small bowl, add the chicken stock and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside until the gelatin has dissolved and the mixture is firm and jiggly, about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl, use your hands to mix together the pork, soy sauce, sake, sesame oil, sugar, salt, and reserved chicken stock. Stir in the scallions, garlic, ginger, black pepper, and reserved cabbage. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the wrappers: Divide the reserved dough into four equal pieces. Using your hands, roll each piece into a 1-inch-thick log. Cut the logs into 15–20 coin-sized pieces (about ⅓ oz. each). Place your thumbs side by side and flatten each coin into a disk, then dust lightly with potato starch. Using a small rolling pin, roll each disk into a 3-inch round. (Alternatively, using a hand-crank pasta machine, pass each disk of dough through the rollers twice to create a 3-inch round.) Cover the dough and finished wrappers with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out between batches.
Form the gyoza: Working with one wrapper at a time, add 1 teaspoon (or up to 1 tablespoon) of filling to the center of each wrapper and spread it into a disk, leaving a ¼-inch border. Using a finger dipped in water, moisten the outer edge of the wrapper. Fold the dumpling in half like a taco (but don’t press together to seal) and hold in your dominant hand. Using the thumb and index fingers of your dominant hand, pinch the edge closest to you to seal. Then use the thumb and forefinger of your non-dominant hand to pleat one edge of the dough, enclosing the filling without squeezing any out. Continue crimping the seam until you reach the end, making about five pleats, squeezing out any excess air as you go. Set aside on a baking sheet and dust lightly with potato starch. (See headnote for gyoza storage instructions.)
Cook a batch of 12 gyoza: To a 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add 12 gyoza in a pinwheel formation. In a small bowl, whisk together the potato starch, flour, and 1 cup of water, then pour the mixture over the gyoza. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook until most of the water has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Turn the heat to low, remove the lid, and continue cooking until the water has completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Using a thin silicone spatula, carefully release the gyoza and “wings” from the skillet, then cover with a serving platter and invert to serve the gyoza crispy-side up. Repeat this process with the remaining gyoza, adding more oil and flour slurry for each batch.
In a small bowl, stir together the rice vinegar and soy sauce. Serve the gyoza with the dipping sauce and the chile oil.

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Teba No Karaage (Fried Chicken Wings)

Sylvan Mishima Brackett — Mon, 18 Mar 2019 22:44:37 +0000

Nicole Franzen. Nicole Franzen

To achieve a crispy crust on his Japanese fried chicken, Sylvan Mishima Brackett, chef-owner of the San Francisco izakaya Rintaro, uses potato starch. Once the wings are out of the fryer, he coats them in a sweet-salty soy-and-mirin sauce and adds sansho, the Japanese equivalent of Sichuan pepper, for kick, and a squeeze of lemon juice for balance.

Featured in “Inside Chef Sylvan Mishima Brackett’s Curated Kitchen” by Daniel Duane.

Yield: 4–6

4 lb. chicken wings, separated at the joint, wing tips removed
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. mirin
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sake
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt
10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
One 6-in. piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup soy sauce
¹⁄₂ cup turbinado sugar
³⁄₄ cup potato starch
Canola oil, for frying
Ground sansho powder, for sprinkling
Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

In a large bowl, toss together the wings, 2 tablespoons of mirin, 2 tablespoons of sake, the sesame oil, sugar, salt, garlic, and ginger. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
To a medium pot over medium heat, add the soy sauce, turbinado sugar, and the remaining mirin and sake, and cook until reduced by half, about 1 hour. Transfer the sauce to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap; keep warm.
Into a large pot fitted with a deep-fry thermometer, pour the oil to a depth of 2 inches. Turn the heat to medium, and when the temperature reads 320°F, toss the wings with potato starch, shaking off the excess, and fry in batches until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Toss the wings with the reserved sauce, transfer to a platter, and sprinkle with sansho. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Miso-Glazed Salmon

Kathleen Brennan — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 04:21:15 +0000

Maura McEvoy

Given a choice between, say, a hot dog and a piece of tuna, most kids will take the hot dog, preferably smothered in ketchup. Writer Kathleen Brennan’s son, James, however, loved eating fish, even as a toddler. “I think my Japanese mother, who took care of him while I worked, had a lot to do with that,” Brennan recalls. “She taught me how to make miso-glazed salmon when I was little, and it was one of the first recipes James and I cooked together.” This slightly Americanized version, adapted from Brennan’s book Keepers, replaces sake and mirin with white wine and sugar, but the miso still caramelizes into a delectable salty-sweet coating when broiled. Though the dish is incredibly easy to prepare (literal child’s play), it’s best when the salmon marinates for at least 8 hours, so plan accordingly.

Featured In: “The Boy Who Ate the World,” by Kathleen Brennan.

Yield: 4

Time: 8 hours 20 minutes

¹⁄₂ cup white miso
2 Tbsp. dry white wine
3 Tbsp. sugar
Four 6-oz. skin-on salmon fillets, about 1 in. thick
Vegetable oil, for greasing

Instructions

Place a gallon-size resealable freezer bag inside a medium bowl to hold it steady. Pour the miso, wine, and sugar into the bag and, holding the bag upright, mash together until smooth by massaging the bag with your hands. Add the salmon fillets, then seal the bag, pressing out any excess air. Turn it over a few times to coat the fish, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 2 days.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and grease lightly with oil. Remove the fillets from the bag, letting any excess marinade drip off, and lay the fillets skin-side down on the baking sheet. Bake until very rare (the fish should be very squishy when prodded with a finger), 5–7 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and preheat the broiler. Flip the fillets over, and broil until the miso starts to char and the fish is nearly cooked through, about 2 minutes. (If you want to cook the fillets a bit longer without burning the miso, tent them loosely with foil.) Set aside to rest for 2–3 minutes before serving.

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