Another year on….and a second trip to Japan.

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Hello everyone. How are you all? It’s been a while. My blog has taken a bit of a backseat since my cookbook was launched back in 2021 as all my attention has been focused on PR related to that and book tours across the UK. An invite to the Sharjah Book Fair last November for 5 days was a highlight as I was able to demo my recipes each day to a Middle East audience, as well as do some live radio and TV related slots.

Getting ready to go LIVE with 95 Pulse (96.1fm) in Sharjah in the Middle East

An incredible opportunity that I am forever grateful for and some lasting friendships with other book authors from around the world who were also invited.

With the fantastic team which made my demonstrations possible

Sales have been going well so a BIG THANK YOU to those kind folks who have been buying it, gifting it to friends, reviewing it and of course cooking from it. It gives me the greatest joy to hear you are loving the recipes and that they are easy to follow. After the first year the first print run sold out so it is already on its second. It is available at all good bookshops – if you local bookshop does not have a copy stocked, they can order it in from the wholesaler within a couple of days. It continues to be in Waterstones, Hatchards,  Foyles, Harrods, Selfridges in the UK as well as many place across Europe, US, Australia and online in New Zealand. You can also order direct from me here too if you want it signed to a particular person.

With my lovely translator Hend Saeed

Since July, I have been taking time off from my Indian cooking classes and spice tours – they resume in September – and then it is full steam ahead with some exciting collaborations and events in the run up to Christmas. I’m also researching book 2, which I am excited about. It will continue to be on Indian food – but from a totally different perspective from book 1. I am excited to share more about this with you next year.

Morning prayers in Koyasan

As daughter number 2 and I adored Japan so much last summer we decided to return with the rest of the family this summer. So for much  of July I was in Japan. We returned to Tokyo, Kyoto, Koyasan (the temple mountain which I loved so much  last year) and Osaka for a night. In addition, we also visited Kanazawa, Takayama and Shirakawa-go in the Japanese Alps, which were really interesting and less crowded (other than Shirakawa-go  which has a lot of day trippers – we stayed overnight and it was deserted) than well known cities such as Kyoto, which is overrun with  tourists – maybe to its detriment.

The beautiful village of Shirakawago in the Japanese Alps

I thought it might be helpful to outline 14 observations from my two trips to Japan.

  1. Eating out in Japan is reasonable and totally affordable. I know crazy right!!! I was always led to believe the opposite. For example: a ‘kitsune udon’ – a Japanese noodle soup in a umami-rich dashi broth topped with seasoned fried tofu in Koyasan came to £3.50.

A bowl of udon kitsune for £3.50 in Koyasan

Typically though you don’t need to spend more than £10 per person max on a meal – unless of course you want to eat fine dining, which is obviously completely different. One of the most flavoursome bowls of ramen I have ever eaten was Kanazawa and was a mere 980 yen, which is just over £5.

BEST RAMEN EVER at Menya Taiga in Kanazawa. The fresh ginger and lemon rind lifted it to new heights of deliciousness

2. Getting around Japan is SO DARN EASY. The train and bus system both within the cities and across the country is amazing. The subway is also relatively easy to navigate too, with the help of ‘google maps’. It literally feels they are a few decades ahead of us. We crossed the width of the country on the Shinkansen aka the bullet train in around 3 hours.

The famous bullet train (Shinkansen)

3. The bento boxes at the train stations are incredible. Normally no more than £10 a box they include a substantial meal that it really fresh and tasty. They offer everything from hot and cold food, salads, dumplings and sushi – deciding which to opt for takes time, so get to the station early to browse the possibilities.

4. The large train stations have a myriad of restaurant opportunities that the locals eat in and the quality of the food is really good.  Under cities like Osaka and Tokyo there are are huge walkways to keep cool from the humidity above ground and along these passages are numerous eateries, cafes and shops.

5. We found the Japanese so helpful and friendly.

The oldest sushi chef in Ishikawa Prefecture. Restaurant is called Sushi Tora and the experience is definitely memorable

Whilst perhaps a little guarded initially, when I asked locals if I was going the right way to X they invariable opened up, smiled and communicated with sign language or google translate. Speaking English is not a given.

I was overcome by how friendly and kind they were when I sat next to a lovely Japanese lady on the subway in Tokyo. She did speak a little English and told me she lived in Singapore with her family so was visiting. We chatted for a few minutes and I gave her a rough itinerary about our trip. Our next destination was Kanazawa, which was coincidentally her home town and where she was heading. I mentioned the little inn we were heading to in passing. We said our goodbyes after a couple of minutes and that was that. Fast forward a few days we arrive in Kanazawa in the evening at the Inn and the receptionist mentioned that I had a message from a friend. When she gave me the person’s name I remembered it must have been the lady from the train in Tokyo. Next thing I know this lovely lady is coming over to see me at the hotel (in the pouring rain) – I was wondering where this was going but was intrigued. Anyway she turns up and presents me with this beautiful box of cakes that she has had specially made for me from a patisserie in Kanazawa.

They take a while to make so she had put in the order the day before. I was so taken back by her kindness and sweet gesture. After chatting with her we exchanged numbers and she wished our family a happy stay in her hometown. The kindness of strangers. I don’t think I could ever imagine anything like this happening in the UK, after having spoken to someone for simply a few minutes. I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life.

6. I booked all our accomodation either through Airbnb or Bookings.com – both were excellent and very straightforward.

I opted for old inns and traditional houses and then we stayed in temple accomodation in Koyasan – a different temple this time – Sojiin – which was equally wonderful, but different, to last year’s temple.

7. Getting to Japan is costly and long. We travelled on BA direct. The flight back took around 14 hours as they can no longer fly over Russia, so instead go over Greenland and the Arctic.

8. To really appreciate Japan I would not travel with children under teenage years. July was a good month in that it is less busy than August but it is incredibly hot and humid. We walked around 20k steps per day and must have sweated a huge amount. Take an umbrella to shade yourself from the sun. Everyone carries one at all times – rain or shine.

9. Japan is really trying to encourage tourists to visit less well known places and I really think this is the way to go due to the deluge of tourists in some places really putting a strain on the local community and spirit. Kanazawa for example is only visited by 2% or all tourists and because of this it was really lovely to wander around and visit the temples and the geisha districts. I would have liked to have stayed for another day or so – we stayed 2 nights – 3 would have been perfect.

Kanazawa Castle Park

10. Don’t bother with a JR rail pass. The first time we got one of these for the period we were travelling around. This time we didn’t as they have gone up in price so exponentially it doesn’t make sense. Also some of the trains you will want to go on are not covered by JR Rail. It is easy to purchase whilst you go. When you are arrive in Tokyo buy a SUICA and PASMO  card. They are prepaid IC (stored-value) cards. They can be used for travel on JR, subways, buses and private railways in Tokyo as well as neighbouring areas. SUICA is issued by JR East and PASMO by private transport companies however they can be used interchangeably. They are available on Apple Wallet on your iPhone or Apple Watch so that may even be the easiest.

Mount Fuji as we whizz past on the bullet train

11. If you travel in the summer months, I would recommend only taking hand-luggage. We all carried one carry-on each for the trip. Most places we stayed had washing machines and tumble dryers, so we washed our clothes as we went along. Also when you stay at inns they give you yukatas and pyjamas to wear.

You can easily pick up another suitcase if you end up buying gifts along the way. Equally there is a ‘luggage forwarding’ option in Japan that is  highly convenient, reliable, secure, and very economical. Companies that offer the service, including Kuroneko Yamato, but normally your hotel or inn can sort this out for you.

a relatively short queue by Japanese standards

12. Invariably when you go to a restaurant there is a queue. This is totally normally so don’t be put off as they do go down pretty fast. People don’t loiter at restaurants – they eat their meal and leave. Obviously there are ones that you can go slower but a lot of the ramen joints operate in this way.

Watermelon cubes and pyramids

13. Fruit is expensive. As they rarely import it is down to what they are able to grow. Individual fruit  are wrapped with care and prices for fruit that is reasonable in the UK is relatively expensive in Japan. One of the most interesting observations were the watermelon cubes and pyramids. They are more for decorative purposes than to eat  I hear – costing around £100+. The regular round watermelons that we are all familiar with are expensive to what we have in the UK.

14. I adored all the food we ate in Japan but for me the vegan food given at the temples in Koyasan is standout. The flavours, textures and appearance are exceptional and it was a joy to have half board for the 2 nights when we were there.

Have you been to Japan or plan to go? What observations would you add?

Comments below please for all subscribers and readers to see.

I’ll be back soon with a recipe.

 

Staying in a temple in Koyasan – Japan

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If, and when, you visit Japan may I strongly urge you to leave the bright lights of the cities for a few days and head into the countryside.  Make your way to the peaceful and sacred mountain temple complex, nestled on top of Mount Koya, known as ‘Koyasan’. Here the air is cooler and the smell of fresh pine lingers softly on the breeze.  It is considered the birth place of Shingon esoteric Buddhism. In 816, after years of study in Japan, the non-conformist priest Kobo Daishi was given special permission from the Emperor Saga to establish an isolated retreat. You will also find Japan’s largest cemetery. It is believed that Kobo Daishi never died, but instead is in eternal meditation  – you can visit his mausoleum, known as Okunoin (奥の院)  deep in the forest. It is one of the most sacred places in Japan and a popular pilgrimage site.

Getting there we took the train, cable car and bus, but it was so worth all the changes. You need to take the Nankai train heading to Koyasan, the final stop is Gokurakubashi Station. There you will need to transfer to the cable car – actually a funicular more than your typical cable car, which will then take you to Koyasan station. You then board the Nankai Rinkan Bus Line which takes around 10-15 minutes to get to Koyasan itself, stopping off at all the temple lodgings.

Deciding which temple to stay in was hard as there are so many to choose from (around 52) and to be honest they all looked really good.  Some however, only cater to Japanese pilgrims to so you do need to do a little homework first. We opted for Koyasan Shukubo Daimyououin as it was near to the entrance to the cemetery and I had pre-booked months before a night tour of the cemetery with one of the monks. I also loved the fact that it had an inner courtyard overlooking a koi carp pond with beautiful trees.  At all the lodging temples you are given an elaborate vegan breakfast and dinner, which looked almost too beautiful to eat. It tasted delicious and was surprisingly filling.

 

We slept on comfortable futons on tatami floors and each afternoon when we came back from our touring of the temples, one of the friendly monks would come and bring us some chilled green tea in our room to sip.

The walls are thin – as they are paper sliding doors – and on the first night it was a little frustrating that the family in the next door room had the TV on, which kind of spoilt the whole zen of the place. Thankfully the they left the following day and peace resumed. To be honest they really don’t even need to have TV’s at the temple. It is relaxing just to soak it all in, read a book and take a long hot bath (communal – women only/men only).

The temple operates to a schedule when it comes to morning prayer and eating. You can choose to join the morning prayers in the temple at 7am for 30 minutes. Breakfast is then at 8am and dinner is at 6pm. Our temple was small and intimate with perhaps no more than 15 or so guests. I only saw 3 monks living in the temple over the duration of our two nights stay. They were friendly and polite and kept themselves to themselves. Each guest is given a yakata robe to wear around the temple and little slippers. The yakata is a cotton summer kimono, typically worn in casual settings and to nearby bathhouses. They are very comfortable and cooling in the summer heat. I even bought a few home as gifts .

(one of my daughters – takes in her zen surroundings)

I also spent a little time at the temple next door, which was a lot bigger, with many more guests and monks who spoke really good English. That temple was called Eko-in and it offered meditation, free to guests, and a small amount to those staying in other temples. It was also from this temple that we started our night tour of the graveyard. You MUST  book months in advance as they are popular. There were a few people who turned up hoping to tag along and they were turned away as they like to keep the group to no more than perhaps 15-20 people, which is more than enough. The cemetery is surprisingly not at all spooky. Ancient trees line stone paths that weave through the forest. More than 10,000 lanterns are kept eternally lit to shine a light to those who enter the forest. After the tour we walked back alone with our new Belgian friends to the temples at the other end of the forest. You are welcome to catch the bus, but we felt it was more atmospheric to return on foot.

Eko-in also performs the  ‘fire ceremony’ (goma-taki, Shingon Buddhism’s fire ritual) every morning in a little shrine at the entrance to the temple. It was absolutely mesmerising and you feel very immersed in the ceremony as the beating of the drum increases in intensity as the fire climbs higher and higher. This all takes place after the first morning prayers  at 7.30am when you are still in a heady slumber from sleep. It is definitely otherworldly and something worth witnessing no matter where you sit on the religious spectrum.

During the day there are so many temples to visit around Koyasan that you can do them all on foot or jump on and off the bus that snakes its way through the town.

We enjoyed visiting the Kongobujo Temple, which is the headquarters of Koyasan Shingon-shu Buddhism. Within it you will find the largest rock garden in Japan – 2349 square metres. The design is of a pair of dragons emerging from a sea of clouds to protect the Okuden. The dragons are made of 140 pieces of granite brought from Shikoku and the white sand is from Kyoto.

It is also worth visiting the cemetery in the day time and exploring yourself. It is free to wander around, although to enter the temples there is a small fee. There are places to eat if you are feeling peckish, but to be honest after our breakfast and walking around in the heat, albeit less humid than back in the cities, we just fancied something cooling – think ice cream and a chilled drink.

If you have time on your hands, I think it would be great to explore the ancient hiking trails, known as the Kumano Kodo Hiking Trails that have been used as pilgrimage trails for over 1000 years and are now designated UNESCO World Heritage. They are mean’t to be challenging, but a great way to see the country. You need to book inns to stay in advance.  When I return to Japan I will definitely spend some days hiking. Read more about the hiking trails here.

Does Koyasan sound like a place YOU might like to visit on your trip to Japan?

 

 

 

 

 

Eating out in Japan

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I had been told for years that eating out in Japan was really expensive, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not really the case at all. Let me be totally transparent here though. I was not eating out at Michelin starred restaurants, instead opting to mainly dine in the type of eating establishments that regular Japanese folks eat at.  This involves queuing for a table and not lingering over the meal. You eat and go. On a couple of occasions we chanced our luck by turning up at a couple of restaurants recommended in our guide book. Big mistake as we were turned away both times, one we had needed to book 3 months advance (the guidebook didn’t mention that part unfortunately).

The sushi restaurant we went to in Kyoto – Pontocho Kappa Zushi, (160 Matsumotocho, Nakagyo-ku) our ryokan kindly helped secure the table, which can be tricky at short notice, so I guess we lucked out in that instance. Sushi restaurants tend to be more expensive than your average restaurant, which is understandable looking at the product it is selling – namely fish – and whilst you can eat at ones which are £100-200 a head, the one above came to not much more than £20 a head  for a tasty sushi experience that was freshly prepared before you as you sat at the counter.

At many restaurants the dishes within are presented in the window for customers to see what they are getting, which is really helpful. The food looks so life like (see photo above), but in fact is made of plastic or wax and made to emulate the texture, form and look of the meals. The term for this ‘fake food’ is ‘shokuhin sampuru’ 食品サンプル. It is a huge industry in Japan.

Most places you eat at – including street food, you need to queue, but whilst the length of them can sometimes look intimidating they tend to move relatively quickly. Equally you can aim to eat early to  miss the rush of lunch/supper diners.

In Tokyo, one evening we headed to atmostpheric Omoide Yokocho area (‘yokocho’ loosly translates as ‘nostalgia’), which is in stark contrast to the futuristic Shinjuku neighbourhood that it is nestled in. It’s a rabbit warren of narrow alleyways crammed with eateries seating no more than 10 diners  around a small bar serving ramen, sushi and yakitori.

Paper lanterns hang overhead as steam and smoke wafts from the open kitchens. It is reminiscence of an old Japan, a bygone age, that is only just clinging on as the high rises climb ever further towards the nights sky.

We sat and dined at the Izakaya (above). They are similar to a European tavern or pub, but instead you all sit at a bar and face the kitchen. Everything was in Japanese so I just pointed to what my neighbour was having and said I’d have the same. Before long my neighbour was ordering extra food for us to try and we were conversing via our my portable translator I’d rented for the trip. It was fun and atmospheric and definitely hit the spot after a days sightseeing and being on our feet. Below are silken chilled tofu (perfect in the sweltering heat of summer) with bonito flakes,  wood ear mushroom mixed veg medley and gyoza – oh and a chilled cold beer!

At some restaurants (the one below), you have to put your order into a machine instead of giving it to a human.  At first it seems a little intimidating, especially if others are waiting, but it doesn’t take long to get the hang of it. For the whole trip I was determined to find a great place to eat katsu curry.  Katsu curry is one of my childhood memory foods -click here to find out why. In Osaka, we headed to Oretachino No Curry Ya (14-13 Nanbasennichimae, Chuo Ward) that had come highly recommended.

We arrived early and were first in the restaurant as luck would have it – I think it was around 5.30pm. Not long after we were seated, others joined and before long the whole restaurant was full – it only sits around 12 people.

For the katsu option (you could also have ramen here) you choose between pork or chicken and a whole range for toppings. I opted for the chicken with a flurry of spring onion topping that did not disappoint.

Street food was plentiful and varied and each day we tried all manner of interesting looking delights. Near to our hotel in Tokyo was the tastiest deep fried pork mince and onion cutlet,  I have ever eaten. Juicy and succulent, they oozed with deliciousness from the first bite.  Head to  Asakusa Menchi – 2 Chome-3-3 Asakusa, Taito City, Tokyo they are open from 10am-7pm.

You’ll find it easily as everyone makes a bee line to this place. I popped a short reel on instagram about them and bizarrely it reached almost 50k views which baffles me if I’m honest as it was such a quick unedited reel – go take a look if you are on instagram.

When it came to sweet treats my favourite street food was Taiyaki (鯛焼き, lit. ‘baked sea bream’)  a Japanese fish-shaped cake, that imitates the shape of tai (鯛, red sea bream), which it is named after. They are filled with either pipping hot custard, red bean paste made from sweetened adzuki beans, chocolate, cheese or sweet potato.

I discovered I loved the texture of mochi pronouced (Moechee). It is Japanese dessert crafted from sugary glutinous rice flour. It is very chewwwwwwwy and squishy and probably best not eaten in one go. It comes in so many forms and flavours. Also known as Daifuku (大福餅) it can be plain or stuffed with red or white bean paste. Strawberry mochi were ever so delicious.

Mealtimes in the temple lodgings in the mountain town of Koyasan were a highlight of the trip. I can’t honestly tell you what we ate exactly, as I am not too sure myself, but each little bowl contained artistically arranged food that was almost too beautiful to eat. We sat on the tatami floor and small tables were brought in and placed in front of us. Miso soup, tempura and rice were always served and each meal varied from the last.

The monks provided us with breakfast and supper and during the day we ate a light snack, followed of course, by an  ice cream  to cool us down.

Black sesame for me and macha for my daughter.

Another tip when travelling around Japan is to consider eating food either in, or having take-out, from the large department stores food halls. One evening we decided to eat in our hotel room and bought all manner of goodies from the food hall of Takashimaya in Kyoto. Think Harrods Food Hall vibes – although on a slightly smaller scale, but you get the gist.  If you go in the last hour before closing time all the food is massively marked down.

Yes we did get some of this tasty strawberry cake below.

 

In Tokyo the place to head is Mitsukoshi .

I’m conscious that this post is becoming rather long, and I’m guessing few will get this far, so I will hold off mentioning a few other places just now and will absorb them in my future posts about Japan.

I will leave you with this Japanese proverb (a proverb in Japanese is called  Kotowaza) to ponder. 

“Eat it raw before all else, then grill it, and boil it last of all.”
Translation: Let no aspect of Japanese cuisine get overlooked. Consider everything – flavours, textures, colours, overall composition and presentation.

…..until the next instalment

 

Japan through my eyes – part 1 – a brief overview

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For a couple of weeks this summer we headed off to Japan, a country that has always been up at the TOP of my list of places to visit. It did not disappoint. From the moment we stepped off the plane it was an exhilarating adventure 24/7. Wherever we went we found the Japanese extremely kind and helpful, even though many did not speak English. To truly explore and understand the country I think it would take more than a lifetime, but in our 15 days we crammed so much in we felt we had gone away for much longer.

A lot of friends have been keen to find out more about my adventure so I thought I would do a few posts to share my observations and help you  plan your adventure there in the future.

We went in August for just over two weeks and my goodness it was HOT and HUMID. We travelled light as we knew we would not need layers and jackets. We took only carry-on luggage for this trip (note* we did buy one extra carry-on a few days before the end as I bought so many vintage haori jackets, which I adore).

We decided to go to the following places: Tokyo, Kyoto, Koyasan, Osaka, Hiroshima, Nara. I booked it all through Booking.com, which was ridiculously easy. These places gave us a snap shot of Japan, but when I return I would like to see more of the countryside, stay at more ryokans with onsens attached – especially if we go in autumn, winter or spring when the days are less hot. Ryokans are traditional inns with onsens (hot springs) attached to them where you can bath. At the ryokans you are given a yakata to wear around the communal areas and you typically sleep in tatami-matted rooms (see a few photos below with me wearing a yakata beside my futon bed) and have communal baths.

Instead of going to Hakone – a mountainous region not too far from Tokyo, which is known for its hot springs, and Miyajima – an island near to Hiroshima, which again has a number of traditional ryokans, we went to Koyasan – which I have always wanted to visit. Hakone and Miyajama can wait for another visit but I do want to visit both places in the future.

Koyasan itself is a picturesque, secluded temple town, reached by cable car high in the mountains where the air is cooler and the smell of Japanese pine perfumes the air.

It is a very auspicious place being the centre of Shingon Buddhism, which was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi, one of Japan’s most important religious figures.  At one time there were close to 2000 temples, but today there are 200 and over 50 of those offer simple temple lodgings to travellers.

 

I will write a separate post all about this special place as it deserves more than a cursory mention.

Getting around Japan was far easier than I had imagined. Within Tokyo and Osaka we used mainly the tube/subway (occasionally the bus in Tokyo) which at first glance looks very confusing but as it is all colour co-ordinated and in English script, as well as Japanese, it is not too difficult to figure out. You can get day tickets or buy individually tickets. Please be aware that different companies operate different lines so you need to buy different tickets for those lines if you opt for buying tickets separately! Their carriages are air-conditioned, super clean and a little wider than than most of the lines in London.

There is even women only carriages too (although I didn’t realise this until someone pointed it out to me when I had returned home).

Getting to and from the major cities we used the bullet train, which was as efficient, streamlined and as fast as I had imagined. It made travelling huge distances very straightforward, until, that is, a typhoon hits, which in that case all trains in the whole of Japan are cancelled. We discovered this slight hicup on our penultimate day when we were in Hiroshima and needed to get back to Tokyo for our flight home. We ended up having to buy tickets on Nippon Air to fly back to Tokyo as the plane can go above the typhoon. Surprisingly the flight was smooth with no turbulence!

The JR ticket for two weeks unlimited travel is about £250 per person, which you need to purchase before leaving the UK. We found that on some journeys – for example a day trip to Nara from Osaka, we used a different line as it worked out more convenient and didn’t cost too much. In October 2023 the price of the JR pass is going to increase by 70% which makes me think that it probably is not worth getting. You’ll have to do the maths before you go but my sense is to buy tickets as and when you need them when you are there.

Posts to follow:

The Food

Staying in a Temple

Tokyo

Kyoto

Osaka, Hiroshima and Nara

I’ll try and do them weekly for some continuity. Have you been to Japan? What were your experiences? Would you recommend any particular places that stood out to you? Any observations worth sharing here?

 

 

 

Book Review of Nikkei Cuisine – Japanese Food the South American Way by Luiz Hara

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Luiz Hara has been on my culinary radar for a couple of years now. Word has it that he runs THE most exquisite supper clubs from his town house in Islington focusing primarily on Japanese, Nikkei and French cuisine. I’ve been procrastinating for far too long so I will definitely get my skates on in 2016 and give Luiz’s supper clubs a go. He is also the man behind the successful food blog, ‘The London Foodie’, which focuses on food, wine and travel. Most recently however he has published his very first cookbook called ‘Nikkei Cuisine – Japanese Food the South American Way’. It sounds intriguing right?

Nikkei Cuisine £25

‘Above Image from Nikkei Cuisine: Japanese Food the South American Way by Luiz Hara. Photography by Lisa Linder. Published by Jacqui Small (£25).’

Nikkei cuisine is the cooking of the Japanese diaspora. Japanese immigrants often found themselves in countries that had very different cooking techniques and ingredients to what they were used to. They had to adapt to their new surroundings but at the same time wanted to continue using Japanese techniques and traditions. The resulting cuisine is called Nikkei. To say ‘fusion’ would be wrong and Luiz goes to great lengths in his introduction to explain Nikkei cuisine and how it is a very distinct cuisine in its own right. He explains “Nikkei cuisine is a byproduct of migration and adaption, created over 100 years ago in South America. It was a cuisine created out of necessity”.

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Outside Japan the highest contentration of Japanese live in South America, namely Brazil and Peru. It was in Brazil that Luiz’s family finally settled and became part of the Nikkei community. The cuisine has been part of his family history and is certainly no food fad. Luiz himself moved to London for university after which he worked in Finance in the city.  Much like myself he created his blog ‘The London Foodie’ as a creative outpost for this food thoughts and exploration. It was love of food and cuisine that they led him to quit his day job and embark on a new chapter in food. He trained at Le Cordon Bleu, where he graduated with the Grande Diplome in 2012. It was following his training and some time spent in Japan learning from the masters, that he then opened up his own home to friends and strangers by hosting his supper club. As well as continuing to this day with his supper club, he teaches cooking and writes in many national and overseas publications on the topic of food and travel.

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Which brings us to the book itself. To say that it is a feast for the eyes as well as the belly is a massive understatement. It’s colourful, bold and exciting.  It’s the type of book that is perfect for confident homecooks or for those who like to be pushed in their abilities. I recall some people grumbling over the ingredients lists of the hallowed books from the Ottolenghi empire, but for me this was a revelation and not something that phased me in the slightest. Luiz’s book must be treated with the same respect. Yes, it requires a bit of thought and forward planning, but with the help of some wonderful Oriental supermarkets in the UK and online, it is not too difficult to create the dishes. Luiz even lists a ‘directory of suppliers’ in the back of the book to help you if you are unsure where to buy certain ingredients. He also lists all the ingredients you may be unfamiliar with and gives an overview about each one.

‘Above Images from Nikkei Cuisine: Japanese Food the South American Way by Luiz Hara. Photography by Lisa Linder. Published by Jacqui Small (£25).’

The sound of the dishes coupled with the stunning photographs in the book (see above photos) really inspire you to try cooking these yourself. How about duck breast robata with pickled pearl onions and sancho pepper vinaigrette or salmon and passion fruit tiradito with crispy butternut squash and espelette pepper or Nikkei hotpot of pork belly, cod and seafood? Mouthwatering hey. Word of warning, never read this book if you are feeling hungry as it will make matters a whole lot worse believe me.

I decided to trial one of his recipes. Deciding which to go for was a hard job as they all looked so good. In the end I chose the ‘Aubergine, Pork and Rice Noodle Salad’ as most of the ingredients I had in my kitchen – I’m also partial to little pork mince from time to time. I kept pretty to close to his recipe with the few alterations being:

  1. The amount of pork I used. He said 300g and I used the whole pack of 500g. Unless you go to the butcher, most packets of pork mince in the UK are 500g, hence I decided to use the lot.
  2. I also used vegetable bouillon instead of Asian chicken stock. I went to Korea Foods and when I asked for Asian chicken stock the guy showed me what looked like a regular chicken stock but with Chinese writing all over it. This was probably the Asian chicken stock that Luiz was referring to but the packet was so large I decided that I would replicate it with my regular vegetable stock.
  3. I would recommend you suggest cooking the aubergine for  nearer 7 minutes as opposed to 5-6 as you want to make sure that the aubergine is properly soft inside.
  4. For speed I opted for ginger paste instead of fresh ginger!
  5. I used reduced salt soy sauce.

The recipe was really very straightforward and I would most definitely cook it again. Flavoursome, with great balances of salty and sweet with only a hint of chilli.

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Aubergine, Pork & Rice Noodle Salad

Serves 4

for the pork soboro:

2 tbsp sesame oil

500g pork mince

50ml sake

50ml mirin

100ml reduced salt soy sauce

2tsp ginger paste

2 tsp caster sugar

****

for the dressing:

1/2 tsp of vegetable stock powder (Asian chicken stock if you have it)

4 tbsp boiling water

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp finely chopped red chilli

2 tsp ginger paste

****

100g dried rice vermicelli noodles

1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

sunflower oil for deep frying

2 aubergines

2 tsp toasted white sesame seeds

a sprinkle of shichimi pepper

  1. First start by making the pork soboro. Place the sesame oil in a pan and when it is hot add the pork mince and allow to brown in colour (this will take around 5 minutes) before adding all the rest of the ingredients in the list for the pork soboro. Cook on a medium heat for around 20 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated. Leave to cool on one side.
  2. Cook the dried rice vermicelli noodles according to the packet and when cooked through, drain allowing cold water to run through the noodles. Add the fresh coriander to the noodles and place to one side.
  3. Next you need to make the dressing by adding all the ingredients together in a mixing jug. Place to one side.
  4. Using a pan  bigger enough to hold both aubergines gently heat up some sunflower oil. You want to fill the pan up to half way with the sunflower oil. Clean the aubergines and make a few delicate incisions into each aubergine to prevent them from bursting in the pan. Gently place the aubergine into the hot oil.
  5. Gently turn the aubergines over every minute and allow them to cook for 7 minutes.
  6. Get a large bowl of cold water (pop in some ice if you have any). When the aubergines have cooked for 7 minutes, plunge them into the iced cold water. They will immediately shrivel up.
  7. Once the aubergines have cooled, peel their skin. It will come away really easily.
  8. Now cut the aubergine lengthways so that you have 4 pieces. Take one aubergine section and cut it lengthways on the diagonal. Place both sections onto a serving plate.
  9. Place a portion of the noodles across the centre of the aubergine on the diagonal. Layer the pork soboro on top and finish off with some of the dressing, sesame seeds and shichimi pepper.

Luiz suggests eating it at room temperature, which I did. All the elements of the dish can be prepared in advance, which is always a bonus if you are entertaining.

Please don’t be put off by the lengthy ingredient list. From start to finish this dish will not take longer to prepare than 30 minutes. It really is very tasty indeed.

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Chicken, Ginger and Spring Onion Gyoza/Jiaozi/Pop Sticker

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Mention the worked ‘gyoza’ in my household and you will hear yelps of delight – and that’s not just from the children. These moreish savoury dumplings are incredibly addictive and are a great little starter or snack, although you can off course have them as a main meal along with some steamed greens with soy and garlic perhaps.

Japan and China both have their version of the dumpling, although these dumplings first originated from China and were then adopted by the Japanese. The Chinese dumplings are known as jiaozi if they are boiled or steamed and guo tie if they are fried, in Japan – gyoza and the US – pot sticker.

The Chinese variety have slightly thicker wrappers and have a far wider combination of fillings than their Japanese counterparts. They are often steamed, whereas the Japanese gyoza are fried for a few minutes and then steamed for a further few minutes. The fillings I typically use for the vegetarian are tofu and shiitake mushrooms, or the meat variety filled with pork, chicken or duck or the seafood version, which tends to be prawn. Whatever takes your fancy these little dainties will be forever cherished by those who sample them.

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Now the question is to lovingly prepare your own wrappers or to buy some from your local Asian grocers or online. Basically it will come down to time on your part. Making your own takes a little time, but its the perfect activity to do with a mate who comes over for coffee – just rope them in they’ll love the experience or even with the kids. Shop bought is pretty cheap, as you can see for the price sticker I left on above, and are likely to be more uniform in thickness, but I’ll leave it to you to decide which suits your lifestyle.

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For those who wish to make their own it is SO simple. Seriously you only need a couple of ingredients and then a bit of kneading.

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Homemade Gyoza Wrappers

Makes around 20

210g plain flour, seived

125ml warm water

 pinch of salt

1. Stir the salt into the warm water until it completely dissolves.

2. Place the sieved flour into a large bowl and add the warm water. Using a wooden spoon mix the flour and water together and then use your hands to create a ball.

3. Kneed the dough on a cold surface for around 10 minutes, when it will be soft and springy to touch. Sprinkle more flour onto the dough if it is getting too sticky.

4. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 mins.

5. Take small balls of the dough – about the size of apricot – and flatten it with your hand. Gently roll the dough into a round shape, turning it after every roll. Using a round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a saucer) cut out a round circle and cover gently with flour and place in a pile.

6. Continue until the dough has been used up. You should make around 20 dough wrappers with the proportions above. Whilst you prepare the filling place a damp cloth over the wrappers so they do not dry out.

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So now you have the wrappers ready to go you need to prepare the filling. Whether you want to use chicken, pork mince, prawn, duck or shiitake mushrooms and tofu the rest of the ingredients remain the same.

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Whilst using Chinese cabbage is the most authentic, use whatever green cabbage you have in your fridge. Place two large leaves in a pan of boiling water for 1 minute and then drain and pat completely dry with kitchen paper. You then want to slice and cut them up as small as you can. You can blitz everything in a blender but I tend to often take the slightly slower version of cutting by hand. Today I used chicken and as I tend to find minced chicken hard to source so I bought boneless chicken thighs and cut up them up into small pieces. I also added spring onions, chopped garlic, finely grated ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper and hey presto you have your filling. You can get creative and add any other ingredient you think might work – how about carrot, fresh chilli, five spice.

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Wrapping the dumplings is rather satisfying and you will begin to get into a rhyme with them. Don’t overfill the gyoza, instead putting a teaspoonful in the centre and then, using your finger tip, wet the low half rim of the circle. You then want to fold over the gyoza in half and then begin to pleat from left to right, making sure the filling is securely inside the parcel. It is definitely a case of the more you do the better you become. My 8 year old is a complete natural and can do multiple pleats across the top. You only pleat one side of the gyoza s0 do not turn over and attempt to do more on the other side.

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The above photo shows half of the gyoza pleated. I finished doing this row, but did not turn it over to attempt to do the other side. To pleat you simply use your thumb and forefinger to make small pleats going over the last. Make sure you press the top together so that it is firmly stuck together – you don’t want them opening up in the pan.

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So you can see some are neater than others above. They will still taste delicious even if you haven’t got the perfect symmetrical pleating!

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Dumpling Filling

to fill around 20 dumplings

2 large leaves from a green cabbage/Chinese leaf cabbage

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

20g ginger, peeled and finely grated

3 spring onions, finely sliced into small pieces

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp mirin rice wine

275g boneless chicken thighs/or chicken mince (or duck, pork mince, tofu and shiitake mushrooms)

100 ml water

************

Dumpling Dipping Sauce

3 tsp rice vinegar

6 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp chilli oil (optional)

1 tsp sesame seeds

**********

1. Finely chop all of the ingredients and then bind together using your hands.

2. Place a heaped teaspoon of the ingredients onto one of the wrappers in the centre.

3. Wet the rim of the lower half of the wrapper using your finger.

4. Fold the wrapper in two and then pleat from left to right across the top, making sure to firmly seal the top of the wrappers.

5. Bend the wrapper slightly so that it is in a crescent moon shape and so it can stand up unaided. Place to one side whilst you prepare the rest.

6. Using a large nonstick pan add a tablespoon of sesame oil and when hot add the dumplings so that they are standing up and not sticking to one another. Fry them for 3 minutes, by which time they will have bronzed underneath. If they have not bronzed sufficiently leave them to fry for a little longer.

7. Add 100ml of water to the pan and place a lid on the top. Leave to steam for a further 3-4 minutes so that the water has completely dissolved.

8. Mix the ingredients of the dipping sauce together and then place to one side in a little bowl.

9. Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.

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Childhood memories – Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry

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This post is dedicated to my sister who has always adored Japanese Chicken Katsu Curry. That’s not to say that I don’t, because I certainly do, but not in the same way as my sister. A few years ago when I visited her in Vancouver she ordered it in a Japanese restaurant hoping that it would bring back the same happy childhood  memories of the dish. Sadly the disappointment on her face when she tried their offering was plain to see, so I made it my mission there and then to try and find the recipe of our youth.

You may be wondering why we were eating such cosmopolitan food at such a young age in 80’s rural England. Our blessing was that my family had close links with a Japanese boarding school called the Rikkyo School. Most half term holidays we would welcome a couple of Rikkyo students, who were the same age as ourselves, into our home, as their parents lived overseas. We always looked forward to the arrival of our new guests and spending time in their company. Reserved, with gentle, quiet manners, our home and food must have seemed so alien to what they were used to.

In return for our hospitality we were invited to their annual open day. We so looked forward to this day, in fact it was definitely up there as one of our favourite days of the year, along with the village fete, Christmas, Easter, bonfire night and halloween. It transported us to another world that was completely new to us. I think that it was these childhood experiences which gave my whole family a genuine fondness and fascination with all things Japanese. To this day I visit a Japanese hairdressers whenever I need a haircut, not least because it transports me to Japan without having to get on a plane and the service is exemplary.

Anyway back to the ‘open day’.

The day consisted of watching displays of jujitsu and kendo, visiting their classrooms and seeing all the work they had done over that year, going to a Japanese tea ceremony, visiting the haunted tunnel which they had put together, going to a music concert, but most of all we enjoyed having lunch and sampling their delicious food, especially the chicken katsu curry with Japanese sticky rice.

So you can see where this fondness for the dish began.

Happy memories.

Chicken Katsu Curry 

Serves 4

4, chicken breasts

200g panko breadcrumbs

plain flour, enough for coating

5 eggs, whisked

Curry

1 onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

50g butter

2 golden delicious apples, peeled and chopped

1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

1 pint of water

2 bananas, sliced

2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of curry powder

salt and pepper, a couple of pinches to suit tastes

100 ml cold water

4 tsp of cornflour

2 carrots, chopped into bite size chunks

1 very large  potato, chopped into bite size chunks

(optional – 1 onion, chopped into bite size quarters)

1. Place half the butter into a saucepan on a low heat and add the onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes add the apple and grated ginger. Stir regularly to prevent burning for another few minutes.

2. Now add 1 pint of water to the pan along with 2 bananas, honey, turmeric and curry powder. Bring to the boil and then simmer. To thicken the curry you need to now add the cornflour to 100 ml of cold water. Stir into the curry and then continue to simmer for a further 20 minutes. If you think it needs a little more water at this stage do not be afraid to add a little more. If you over water then just add a little more cornflour. Season with salt and pepper.

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3. Strain the contents of the pan through a sieve so that you are left with a smooth liquid. Set aside. (please note: another time I may try using my hand whisk to blend all of the mixture together so that I do not waste any ingredients – if you do this and it works then please let me know!)

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4. In the same pan you had been using for the curry mixture, add the remaining butter and warm on a low heat. Now add the chopped carrots and potato. At this stage you could also had an onion quartered into mouth sized segments! Continue to stir for a couple of minutes, making sure the vegetables do not burn. Now add the strained curry sauce that you have put to one side and gently simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potato and carrots are soft.

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5. In separate bowls place the flour, whisked eggs and Japanese panko bread crumbs. By all means use ordinary breadcrumbs but you will find that panko have a coarser texture to ordinary breadcrumbs, which give a certain edge to this dish. They are also more delicate and absorb less oil than western breadcrumbs. They can be found at Asian supermarkets, although I managed to get mine on line at Amazon.

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6. Flatten the chicken slightly using a rolling pin so that it is of even thickness and hence will cook evenly in the oil. Then place the chicken breast in the flour and coat both sides, then move it to the egg bowl and do the same procedure and then move on to the panko breadcrumbs. I like to have a good coating of breadcrumbs so I repeated this last procedure – egg -breadcrumbs-egg-breadcrumbs.

7. Warm a deep pan or wok with oil and so that it become very hot. Sprinkle a few panko breadcumbs into the pan and if they sizzle the oil is hot enough. Then gently place the breaded chicken into the oil moving it gently in the oil. Cook for up to three minutes and then turn over and repeat so that the chicken is thoroughly cooked through. Then take out and place on some kitchen roll. At this stage it is good to make some some incisions into the chicken to make sure it is properly cooked through. If need be you will have to place in the oil a little longer, but be careful not to over cook.

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8. Repeat the procedure with all four chicken breasts and place on a warm plate in a low oven whilst you are preparing the next chicken breast.

9. Evenly slice the chicken and pour the warm sauce on top with some Japanese sticky rice on the side. Red-dyed pickled daikon and shredded cabbage are also eaten with this dish, although I did not manage to source them this time.

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