Takuan

This is fermented daikon radish. It is a form of tsukemono, which are served as side dishes or snacks. Takuan in particular is often served at the end of meal to help digestion. The name “Takuan” is often attributed to Takuan Soho, a 17th century Zen Buddhist figure. Korean cuisine has a similar pickled daikon radish dish, called Danmuji. The daikon radish itself made its way to Japan from China about 2,000 years ago. Today, more land in Japan is used to grow daikon than any other vegetable. Takuan sold in many stores today is dyed yellow with food coloring, you can achieve the same thing by using a touch of turmeric while pickling the radishes.

2 large daikon radishes, approx 2 lbs.
3 cups water
1/4 cup sea salt
1/4 cup organic raw sugar
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 tsp ground turmeric

Boil one cup of the water, then mix in the salt, sugar, and turmeric. Stir together until dissolved, then add the rest of the water and let it cool to room temperature. If the turmeric doesn't completely dissolve don't worry about it.
As the water cools, peel your radishes and cut them into half-moons, about 1/4 inch thick.
Fill up a half-gallon jar or two quart-sized jars with the sliced veggies.
Once the water is cool, add the rice vinegar and pour everything into the jar. Add additional water if needed, until there’s about 1/2 inch of air at the top of the jar. Seal and leave in a dark part of your house for four or five days. You may want to release the seal after a few
days to let the pressurized air escape. Gently mix the jar every couple days to make sure the turmeric colors everything evenly. Place in the fridge and enjoy within a month.

Shichimi Togarashi Fries with Sriracha-Miso Mayo Sauce

Definately a hybrid dish, but surprisingly damn good and rather moreish. This recipe is to bake the potato planks, or fries. Of course, you could fry them. You could also use pre-bagged frozen french fries for this with minimal adjustments.

1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thin planks
1 tbsp. olive oil, and perhaps a touch of sesame seed oil - but that is optional
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. shichimi togarashi
2 tbsp. roughly chopped cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. roughly chopped green onions

To make the oven fries, preheat the oven to 450. Combine the olive oil, salt and 1 to 2 teaspoon of shichimi togarashi  in a large bowl. Add the thinly sliced potatoes to the bowl and toss with the seasoning until coated. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick foil and spread the seasoned potatoes out flat, avoid crowding or layering them if possible. Bake for 15 minutes, then flip and bake for another 10-15 minutes until browned and slightly firm. Remove the fries from the oven and transfer to a bowl or plate, garnish with 1/4 teaspoon shichimi togarashi, chopped green onion and cilantro. Serve with one of the dipping sauces below.

Sriracha-Miso Mayo

2 tbsp. miso paste
1/2 to 1 tbsp. Sriracha Hot Sauce, to your own tastes
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped green onions

In a medium bowl mix together miso paste, sriracha, and mayonnaise. Rinse scallions, trim and discard roots and dark greens, and thinly slice white and light green parts.

Karashi Miso Mayo Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk or regular milk, as you prefer
2 tsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. prepared Japanese karashi or mustard, or Chinese mustard
Or, if you don't have that on hand you can use:
1/4 tsp. mild dijon mustard, preferably Grey Poupon
2 tsp. miso paste
3/4 tsp. shichimi togarashi
1/2 tsp. honey
6 tbsp. oil

To make the sauce, place all of the ingredients except the oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until the ingredients are full incorporated. Pause to scrape the sides of the container. Continue blending and slowly add the oil until preferred mayo consistency is achieved. If you need to stop and stir the mixture, do not leave it standing too long or your mayo may begin to separate or break. Transfer the sauce to a glass container with a lid and refrigerate for an hour prior to using, allowing the flavors to meld and the mixture to thicken.

Fukuro no Shiro Soba

This is a dish, sort of made up. Its yakisoba, basically or "hibachi-style" noodles. The name comes from a favorite ninja movie of mine, Castle of Owls. No real reason, I just kind of like the name, and noodle dishes go with ninja and jidageki movies for me.
You can use chuka soba or soba noodles, but curiously I find I like this best after trying it with different noodles, with linguine noodles. Their flat shape seems to hold the sauce better.
This is the "basic" recipe. There are other variations of the preparation of course.
The most common variation is to use pre-made Chinese sesame paste or tahini, which is sesame seed paste. You can make it spicy, add sauteed or grilled vegetables or meat.

The primary trick with this dish, and yakisoba fried noodle dishes in general is to rinse the pasta after it is cooked, to get as much of the excess starch off as possible, and to drain the noodles really well. Best way to do this, is to cook the linguine to al dente, drain, rinse - and then add a drop of sesame seed oil or other oil to them, and let them set in the colander for 20 minute up to an hour or more, even overnight. What you want to avoid is sticky, gummy starchy, noodle-gloop. Pat them as dry as possible with a paper towel. It not only stops them from getting gummy or sticky, but it helps them absorb the sauce and flavor like little noodle 'sponges' when they are dry, so to speak.

1 lb. linguine, chuka soba or noodles of your choice, cooked al dente
3 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
3 tbsp. sugar
4 tbsp. shoyu or tamari, and I prefer tamari for this.
1 tbsp. teriyaki sauce, this would be the thicker variety of sauce, but it is optional.
Salt and pepper to taste, I would use a pinch of white pepper as well.
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 or 2 chopped green onions, just the green tops.

Over medium high heat in a skillet or wok, melt the butter. Toss in garlic and saute until fragrant. Toss in noodles and stir to mix. Add sugar, shoyu or tamari, teriyaki sauce and combine. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and drizzle in sesame oil, tossing to mix. Dish and serve hot sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Sushi Bowl

A good way to use up vegetables left in your fridge. Or perhaps an interesting though less fiddly way to get your usual sushi fix at home. Try adding smoked salmon, imitation crab legs or even canned tuna if you’re in the mood for a slightly more filling non-veggie version.
The frozen pea addition is meant to symbolize the wasabi that is served with sushi. What gives it a nice kick is to add some wasabi paste to the pea puree.
This is quite surprisingly good, and it is an excellent lunch for work. It is easily adaptable to what you have on hand, and what you like.
Technically speaking this would be classified as "chirashizushi" meaning scattered sushi, which is very popular in its own right in Japan.
Don't worry if you aren't down with the whole seaweed thing - just substitute spinach.

Sushi rice, rinsed - follow the directions on the bag for quantity.
2 tbsp. of rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. of water
1 tbsp. of brown sugar
1/2 bunch of spring onions
2 carrots, grated
Seaweed, dried, sliced and soaked in water - konbu or wakame is most common, but you could substitute frozen spinach, boiled and then well drained.
You might even just use some furikake rice seasoning sprinkled on the top
2 tbsp. of sesame oil
1/2 cucumber, finely sliced
1 handful of alfalfa or mung bean sprouts
2 tbsp. of sesame seeds, toasted
1 cup of frozen peas
2 tbsp. of milk, dashi or water.
1 tsp. wasabi paste
For a spicier bowl - add some dribbles of Sriracha Hot Sauce.
Shredded, toasted nori for topping - optional.

Begin by cooking the sushimeshi or sushi rice. Place the rice in a medium-sized pan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes Meanwhile, place the vinegar, 2 tbsp. water and sugar in a small pan and cook over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved. Place the cooked rice in a bowl and combine with the vinegar mixture and spring onions. Season to taste and set aside.

In a small bowl, toss together the seaweed, sesame oil and half the toasted sesame seeds. Set aside until ready to assemble.
To make the pea puree, bring a medium-sized pan of salted water to the boil. Add the peas, lower the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes

Strain and blend the mixture with a handheld or stand-alone blender until you have a smooth puree. Adjust the consistency with the milk until a slightly loose, consistency. Stir through the wasabi and season to taste. Keep warm

In two bowls or bento boxes, spoon in the rice and top with the grated carrot, seaweed, cucumber and the alfalfa or mung bean sprouts, and of course any proteins if you are using them. Add a dollop of pea puree, sprinkle over any remaining sesame seeds and serve.

Tori no kara-age

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized cubes

Marinade:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
A chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Coating:
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. plain flour
Vegetable oil, for deep frying
2 slices lemon, to garnish

Marinate the chicken with the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
Mix the cornstarch with the plain flour. Take each piece of chicken from the marinade and roll in the flour mixture until completely coated. Heat the oil to 350 and deep-fry the chicken pieces for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Garnish with the sliced lemon and serve.

Wasabi Potato Salad and Nori

An excellent pairing with Tori no kara-age.

3 lbs potatoes, any kind
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. rice vinegar or more to taste
1/2 tsp. pure wasabi powder mixed with about 1 tbsp. water and stirred (or substitute with about 1 teaspoon prepared wasabi paste.
3 green onions, chopped
1 tsp. Asian sesame oil
salt and ground white pepper to taste
Crumbled nori, roasted seaweed sheets) for garnish
You can also add very thinly sliced cucumber to this as well.

Halve the potatoes or cut to similar-sized, large pieces if some are small enough, keep intact. Place in a pot and fill with water to cover. Add about 1 teaspoon salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 10 minutes, or until potatoes are just tender when poked with a fork. Drain and let cool. Once cool, cut the potatoes to cubes or wedges.
In a separate bowl, combine the mayonnaise, wasabi paste mixture, rice vinegar, sesame oil and scallions. Taste and add salt and white pepper as desired. Fold in the potatoes and stir to coat well. Taste again and add any seasonings as desired. Cover and chill preferably 30 minutes before serving, or up to 2 days. Crush the nori sheets and sprinkle on the bowl just before serving.

Lobster Miso Soup

Admittedly not an everyday dish. Another similar dish would be to use snow crab or king crab. Typically, in thrifty Japanese fashion a whole lobster would not be used, as such - more typically what is done is lobster or crab is served as sashimi, and/or is lightly grilled and seared served as a course, and then the remaining shells, claws and and any leftover meat go into a miso soup afterwards. Another way it is used, is to make gyoza dumplings from crab or lobster meat and then add that to the miso soup.

2 lobsters - see above.
3 tbsp. miso
3 tbsp. finely sliced green onions
1/3 ounce konbu/kelp, about 3 inches
6 cups water
3 tbsp. of wakame
1/2 cup katsuobushi, dried bonito flakes - see below
Shoyu, use something good quality or omit.

Soak 3 inch of kelp in a saucepan with 6 cups of cold water for 30 min. Set the saucepan over medium heat. Just before the water comes to a boil, about 10 min, remove kelp.
Bring to a boil and add 1 cup of bonito flakes. Simmer for a few minutes but do not boil. Pour the soup through fine strainer, you can discard bonito shavings, or I recommend reserving them - see below.
Return the dashi to the saucepan over low heat. Add the wakame and continue to simmer for a couple minutes until it opens up and increases in size, which it will do.  Remove wakame using a fine strainer.  Set aside. Bring the dashi to boil.  Add the miso paste and stir until dissolved. Add the reserved lobsters to the dashi and cook for 10 to 20 minutes. Stir in green onions and the reserved wakame.  Serve immediately.