Teriyaki

TERIYAKI; let's break it down..."Teri" refers to the lusterous glaze that the sauce forms as it reduces. "Yaki" is the grilling or pan frying method used to cook the ingredients.

                                     Teriyaki chicken strips garnished with sesame

 Super simple to make, teriyaki sauce is basically soy sauce, sake or mirin (Japanese cooking wine) and sugar. Sometimes grated ginger is added to the mix.

                               Start with sake (or Mirin), soy sauce and sugar

Due in part to it's versatility, teriyaki sauce is one of Japan's most popular culinary exports. It pairs well with pretty much any protein. Chicken, beef or tofu are all delicious options.

                  Donburi are Japanese rice bowls. This one is topped with teriyaki beef

Seafood lover? Try salmon, tuna or even squid...

                                           Stuffed squid with teriyaki sauce

It's pretty hard to go wrong with chicken wings! Teriyaki sauce puts a Far-East spin on a Western classic.

                               Green onion is an excellent garnish for teriyaki dishes

Many companies offer premade sauces. Mori Mori Grocery sells prepared teriyaki but also has everything you need to make it yourself.

 Premium sliced beef, pork and sustainably sourced salmon and tuna are in our freezers.

                                             Sockeye salmon with homemade teriyaki

 At Sanbiki Japanese Kitchen, our teriyaki sauce is (of course!) homemade. We also have a wheat free version made with Tamari soy sauce. The choice is yours!

Eat eel? Unagi and Anago

BBQ freshwater eel is know as "unagi" in Japan. "Anago" is a sea eel that is often grilled in a similar fashion. Both unagi and anago are cooked and seasoned, often with a slightly sweet sauce called "kabayaki"

                             Unagi (left) and anago (right) nigiri sushi

The popularity of unagi has meant nowadays most freshwater eel is farmed. Japanese eels are small and slender, spending time in both fresh and saltwater.

                                                       Unagi before the BBQ......

Anago are larger than unagi but are also frequently farmed in ocean pens.

                    Farmed Conger eels (anago) are used in Chinese and other cuisines

  Anago is less fatty and rich than unagi. The flesh has a delicate, slightly sweet flavour. It is served as sushi, with rice or on it's own.

                        Anago is also lighter in colour than unagi but served in a similar fashion

                                  Nothing goes to waste! Deep fried eel bones....

Europeans have their own recipes for eel. Jellied or "potted eel" can be found in the United Kingdom. Smoked eel is popular in Scandinavia as well as mainland Europe. Sadly the popularity of European eel has led to its classification as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Amazingly, eels can live over 70 years!

                                        Smoked eel is a European delicacy

Unagi is a summertime favourite in Japan. High in protein, calcium and vitamins A and B; unagi is thought to to provide energy and replenish the body in hot and humid weather.

                                               UNADON is an unagi rice bowl

That's all for this time...Sanbiki has unagi on the menu and Mori Mori sells frozen unagi fillets that are cooked and seasoned. Easy for DIY sushi/rice bowl!

Thai Time!

                               FREE coconut ice cream with dishes on our new Thai menu!

Have you tried our Thai? Spring is in the air and it's inspired our Chefs to conduct delicious experiments with the flavours of South East Asia.....

 Thai food can seem spicy to the uninitiated. We've kept the heat on medium for our dishes. We've always got extra chili available on request; it's easier to add spice to your dish than it is to take it away!

                                            Pad Thai enjoys global popularity

Pad Thai involves rice noodles stirfried with seafood, meat, egg and bean sprouts or other veggies. Fish sauce, chilis and fresh herbs are used for seasoning. Cilantro (coriander) is particularly popular in Thai cusine. Peanuts or cashews can be added for crunch. Lime, tamarind and sugar "balance" each other out and give pad thai a complexity that is appreciated by Thai people.

"Gaeng" is Thai for curry. Garlic, ginger, fish sauce and coconut milk are usually found in all Thai currys. They may be served with steamed long grain rice; sticky rice in northern Thailand or roti style flat breads in the south.

                            Colourful curry pastes and powders on sale at a Thai market 
 Sanbiki's beef curry is the green kind. Other popular varieties are red curry (with shrimp and pineapple or even duck) and yellow curry. Chicken is commonly used but vegetarian and even vegan curries can be made with tofu, veggies and soy sauce instead of fish sauce. Coconut milk makes Thai curries rich and creamy.

                             Sanbiki's new Green Curry with beef and bamboo shoots

"Woon sen" are a clear noodle made from mung beans. We use it to make our version of "yam woon sen" a refreshing noodle salad with fresh herbs, baby shrimp, chili and garlic. It's perfect summer fare; and like most Thai dishes can be easily shared.

                                                  Summer salad, Thai-style!

Lemon grass is another central ingredient in Thai cuisine. We've made sure to include a healthy dose in our "kai yang" (grilled chicken)

                               "Kai Yang" is a specialty of Isaan in northern Thailand

We are always eager to get your feedback and favourite recipe ideas! Please try the dishes on our new spring menu and let us know what you think....

                      

MANEKINEKO: The Good Luck Cat

                                   Come in, come in!

MANEKINEKO is the "good luck cat" frequently seen near the entrances to Asian stores, businesses and homes. Often referred to as the "waving cat" outside of Japan, manekineko are actually believed to be beckoning people to come in. The gesture used to wave goodbye in many western countries is very similar to the way Asians gesture to call or summon someone.

The right or left paw may be raised. It's generally held that the higher the paw is raised the "luckier" the figure as more people are drawn from further away. Some say that a beckoning left paw brings customers; a right one brings happiness. Others believe a left paw brings money while a right one protects it. Some greedy little guys want it all.....

                                                  Both paws up...luck? Bring it!

Manekineko are popular throughout Asia, but originated in Japan. The figures may be seen in all colours, but traditionally a Japanese bobtail is depicted, and calico is believed to be the luckiest colour.

                             A calico Japanese bobtail. Black cats are also considered lucky

Feng shui is the ancient Chinese art of positioning structures in such a way that they attract good energy and luck and ward off "evil". Some solid colour manekineko are believed to unite the power of Japanese lucky cats with the principles of feng shui. A solid blue manekineko placed in the north of a house may bring good health and so on.

Could it be that kitty is not waving at you but she is washing instead? Some Japanese believe that when a cat washes her face with her paws guests (or customers?) will soon arrive. Some Chinese believe that cats bathe when they sense rain is coming. Rain on the streets is believed to send customers into the stores. Either way they're good for business!

Is bigger better? This cat has a whole bag of gold!

A "koban" is an oval gold coin that was in circulation in Edo era Japan. Many lucky cats are seen holding one.

Possibly the most common example of a manekineko

Several stories surround the good luck associated with cats in Japan. One tells of a swordsman who was visiting a lady friend. The woman's beloved cat began acting very strangely, violently clawing at her clothes. Believing the cat was possessed by a demon, the man chopped off the cat's head. The severed head flew towards the ceiling where a poisonous snake had been waiting to attack the woman. The cat's head snapped its jaws around the snake saving his owners life. The woman was inconsolable following the death of her heroic companion. Distraught that he had murdered the creature, the swordsman comissioned a famous sculptor to recreate the woman's cat.

                        A wooden Manekineko from the 19th century Edo period

Another legend tells of a poor monk who kept a cat named "Tama" at his temple in Tokyo. During a storm a wealthy nobleman had taken shelter under a tree when he noticed the cat was beckoning him into the temple. Curious, he went to the cat. Seconds later, lightening struck the tree under which he had been standing. The nobleman and the monk became friends and the temple prospered. When Tama died, figures were made in his honour. The tradition continues at the Goutokuji Temple in Tokyo today.

Goutokuji Temple in Tokyo houses hundreds of manekineko figurines

If you've got a kitty, we hope she/he brings you lots of luck! Ideas for new posts always welcome, have a great day...

TEMPURA

                                             A High End Tempura Restaurant in Japan

Portuguese? Or Japanese? Perhaps a bit of both....The Japanese have borrowed many cooking techniques and ingredients from abroad and adapted them to suit Japanese tastes. "Tempura" and the use of hot oil for cooking was introduced in the 1600s by the Portuguese.

                        Look familiar? Portuguese deep fried eel looks a lot like tempura!

Rice flour is not normally used for tempura, wheat flour is the norm. Vegetables and seafood are popular tempura items. "Ebi tempura" or jumbo prawns are a favourite in Japan as elsewhere. Shiitake mushrooms are good, as is "kabocha", a kind of Japanese squash.

                                 Tempura batter should be very light and never greasy 
Whole soft shell crabs are fried in tempura batter and often used for "Spider Rolls". The entire crab is edible after being fried. The whole crabs make for specatular presentation!

                         "Spider Rolls" are a popular new sushi roll using whole soft shell crabs

Amaebi are large sweet shrimp served raw as sashimi or nigiri sushi The heads are often fried in tempura and served alongside the raw body. They look strange but they are a crispy, crunchy calcium filled treat...

                                                         Yumm...deep fried head.....

A light dipping sauce may be served garnished with fresh grated daikon (radish). Some people prefer just a little salt and a squirt of lemon. Small fish in tempura aren't often seen in the West but they're a crispy, seasonal favourite in Japan...

Even sheets of dried seaweed and herbs can be used in tempura preparations. "Oba" or "shiso" is a Japanese minty basil. The leaves are crispy and delicious when served in a delicate tempura batter.

                                                           "Shiso" leaves
 Kakiage is a birds nest style tempura that can be made with onions, carrots, shrimp and sometimes "gobo" the root of the burdock tree. Pretty much any leftover veggies can be julienned and thrown together making kakiage popular tempura option to make at home. Served over rice and drizzled with a sweet and savoury sauce it becomes "tendon" (tempura rice bowl)

                             "Kakiage" style tempura served over rice as "tendon"
"Tempura udon" is a favourite at Sanbiki and traditional cold weather comfort food. Served with udon noodles in soup, it can be garnished with green onion or "shichimi", a Japanese chili powder.

                                   Sanbiki uses homemade stock for our tempura udon
When the Portuguese first introduced "tempura" in Japan, the consumption of animals was prohibited. The name "tempura" is thought to have come from the Latin "quottuor tempora" which refered to the times when Catholics also avoided eating meat. Even today, it is rare to see meat tempura in Japan. Outside Japan, anything pretty much goes; even whole sushi rolls are dunked in tempura and deep fried!

                            Deep fried sushi rolls? Yes, they're out there....

While the Japanese appeared enthusiastic about the cuisine of Portugal, they were perhaps more reserved about the Portuguese missionaries themselves! "The Barbarians Cookbook", as it was called, was published in the 17th Century and explores the use of not just hot oil, but also eggs and sugar for cooking. It is believed that this is the first time recipes for cookies appeared in Japan. Even today "boro" are crispy, biscotti-like sweet treats.....

                              These boro are made with buckwheat flour
PANKO is a breadcrumb batter somewhat similar to tempura...."Pan" from the Japanese word for bread (same pronounciation as "pain" in French) "Ko" is a Japanese term for powder or coating. so..."PANKO"=Bread crumb batter. Shrimp, oysters, pork cutlets and chicken can be served fried in panko.

                                Panko crusted pork, chicken and seafood are popular everywhere

Trying tempura at home? Be careful not to overmix the batter and use cold water. Use a vegetable oil that is clean and hot. Check your recipe carefully as different items should be fried at slightly different temperatures. Make sure the items are of uniform size and not too big or thick as they will not cook quickly and thoroughly. Never use "wet" items, pat them dry with paper towel to ensure they turn out crispy. Don't put too much in the pot at once! This lowers the temperature of the oil, the food absorbs more of it, and becomes greasy! Serve tempura quickly and don't be afraid to experiment!

                                             Not traditonal tempura but tasty!

Have a great week, more blogs to come!