Sweet and Sour Salmon, Marrow and broad beans soup (Dinner 21 Aug)

Straight after pan-fried, salmon is marinated with other veggies. This is a very summery salad with fish. 

Ingredients for two

<pan-fried salmon>

1-2 slices of Salmon (400g)

1 clove of garlic

1 teaspoon of grated ginger

1 tablespoon of mirin/sake

1 tablespoon of soy/oyster sauce

2 tablespoons of cornflour

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

<Marinating sauce>

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon of say sauce

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

1/4 thin sliced round onion

1/4 thin sliced paprila

Directions

1. cut salmon into large bite sized pieces and season the pieces with mirin, grated garlic and ginger and soy sauce (or oyster sauce). Leave it for 5-6 mins.

2. Take out the salmon pieces over paper towel to remove extra moisture, dust them with corn flour. 

3. Heat up a large frying pan at midium-high temperature and pour vegetable oil then fry the salmon for 2-3 minutes in both sides

4. Add the deep-fried salmon pieces into the marine sauce. Mix well and top with chopped dill to serve.

Marrow soup

Ingredients

200g of marrow, peeled and cut into small bite sized

1-2 pieces of chicken thigh 

a hand ful of broad beans without skin

400cc of cold water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoon of mirin

2 teaspoon of soy sauce

1 teaspoon of grated ginger

1 tablespoon of cornflour

Directions

1. Chop the chicken thigh into pieces and beat it with a knife to make them rough minced

2. Put water, salt, mirin, soy sauce, ginger, chicken, marrow into a deep pan and bring them gently boiled for 5 mins till the marrow gets tender

3. Dissolve cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water and add into the pan. Bring it boil to make the soup thick and add the broad beans. Keep gently boiling for 2-3 mins till the beans are nicely done.

Total time to prepare: 45 minutes
Total cost: 6 pounds (2.50 for salmon, 1.5 for chicken, 2 for all veggies)

Japanese hamburger steak with soy and mushroom sauce

Hamburger steak or Salisbury steak is one of a popular menus in Japan. It is called "Hambagu". Same as curry and omelette (Omu-rice), Hanbagu was introduced after Great Wars and populated thorough the country's Americanisation. 

At home or outside, hanbagu is often served with rice and miso soup

Ingredients

<Hanbagu>

Minced meat (beef and pork)  400g 

Large round onion  1/2

Breadcrumb  1 cup
Milk 1/2 cup

Egg 1

Chicken stock 1/2 cube

Paprika or nutmeg  1/2 teaspoon

Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil

<Mushroom sauce>

Mushrooms (I used shimeji this time)  1 handful

Water 200cc

Soy sauce 1 tablespoon

Sugar 1 teaspoon

Salt 1 pinch

Directions

1. Put the breadcrumb and milk into a large bowl

2. Chop the onion as small as possible and fry in a large pan with 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil until getting translucent and gold. Allow it cool down

3. Add the onion, minced meat, egg, chicken stock, salt and pepper into the breadcrumb. Knead them well to mix all the contents with a hand

4. Divide the meat mix into 6-8 portions or as large as you wish. Grease both hands and throw a piece from one hand to the other and repeat it several times to remove the air inside. Then make a flat oval shape

I stored some pieces to freeze

5.  Heat up a large frying pan at high temperature and spread 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and fry hanbagu pieces for 3-4 mins

6. Turn over to the other side and fry them for 3-4 mins and then turn the heat at low temperature. Cook them for about 2-3 mins until translucent juice came out from the middle of the piece

7. Put all the ingredients of mushroom sauce (except cornflour) into a small pan and cook them till the mushroom become tender (about for 4-5 mins)

8. Dissolve cornflour with 3 tablespoons of water and add it into the pan to make the sauce thick

9. Serve hanbagu topped with the sauce and thin sliced spring onion with veggies (tomatoes, lettuce).

A Japanese Housewife Style Fish&Chips

Got very beautiful large pieces of plaice. I like meuniere of white fish with soy and butter sauce. If it is served with potato, Mr. Husband calls "Fish and Chips". 
In this recipe, I use only two tablespoons of olive oil and tiny amount of butter. This Fish and Chips is quite healthy though it is rich enough to satisfy male stomach. 

Got nice seasonal broad beans so I added them to the sides!

 Ingredients

• 1-2 pieces of Plaice
• 1 baking potato
• 6-7 pods of broad beans
• 1 teaspoon of Caper
• 1 clove of garlic
• salt and pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons of cornflour
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Directions

1. Season plaices with salt and pepper (I stored tale parts to freeze. Too much portion is not visually good, also it is unhealthy!)

 2. Boil potato in a big deep pan for 6-7 mins until it is cooked into halfway. Take them out using a net and remain the pan boiled

 3. Boil broad beans in the same pan for 2-3 mins

 4. Heat up a large frying pan at small temperature, add olive oil and fry the potato slowly such as for 10 mins. In the last 2 mins, raise the heat at high temperature to make them crispy. Once they are done, place on the kitchen paper to oil

 5. Cut caper and garlic into small. Fry broad beans, caper and garlic together in the same pan used for potato for 1-2 mins. Take them out and wipe the pan roughly with kitchen paper

 6. Dust plaices with corn flour. Heat up the pan at high temperature and load the plaices in the way that the skin side is facing down. Cook the side for 3-4 mins

 7. Turn plaices over to the other side and cook them for 3-4 mins

8. Serve the plaice topped with butter and soy sauce together with potato, beans and a slice of lemon.

I also made green salad while boiling potato. 

Nicely goes with chilled white wine.

Total time to prepare: 35 mins

Total cost: 4.6 pounds (3.4 for plaices, 0.2 for potato, 1 for other veggies)

Meaty-potato "Nikujaga", a traditional Japanese potato dish

Nikujaga, miso-seasoned black cod, tofu with sesame oil, rice and miso soup

Nikujaga is a typical potato dish in Japanese home dining. Potato is simmered with sliced meat (usually beef but this time pork) and veggies such as round onion and carrot seasoned with soy sauce and mirin (sweetened sake).  

Ingredients

• 2 baking potato
• 1 caroot
• 1/2 large round onion
• 70g konnyaku (a gummi-cake made of yam potato)
• 100g Pork belly 
• handful beans (long or flat)
• 1.5 tablespoons of sugar
• 1.5 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1.5 tablespoons of mirin
• 1 cup of Dashi (japanese soup stock if not, just water)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

konnyaku is very light calorie with plenty of fiber. Very healthy ingredient.

Directions

1. Slice konnyaku into 7mm thick and boil in water for 2 mins to remove the lime

2. Make a 4-5 cm line in the middle with a knife

3. Put one edge through the cut to make a ribbon shaped konnyaku. Konnyaku is sloppy to pick up and eat and this shape makes the way much easier

4. Cut potato and carrot into the large bite size. Slice the meat thin and cut into 5-6 cm length

5. Heat up the pressur cooker and fry the pork with sugar and sesame oil

6. Once the meat is halfway done, add all the veggies except the beans. Add soysauce, mirin, dashi-water and close the lid. Allow it to boil in medium heat then gently boil with small heat for 4 mins. 

Turn off the heat and wait until the lid is ready to open

7. Open the pressur lid and start to simmer with small heat for 5-6 mins. Add salt

8. Add the green and close the lid (regular, not pressur) and leave for 3 mins before serving.

Sesame-salt tofu is the very simple, easy to prepare but tasty menu. Just top 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil.

Total cost: 8.52 pounds (5.32 for seasoned cod, 0.7 for potato, 1.5 for pork, 2 for the rest of veggies)
Total time to prepare: 50 mins