Day: March 22, 2015
Negima Yakitori
It has long been a dream of mine to go to Japan. In fact when planning this trip, Japan was one of only five “must-visit” countries on my list. Something about the country takes me back to my childhood, when I used to watch documentaries about miraculous robots, seemingly-impossible gadgetry and toilets with myriad bum-cleaning settings. Ostensibly, to my young eyes, it looked like a glimpse into the future. Sadly, times have changed and as technology companies have upped the stakes, that seemingly-impossible gadgetry I once saw on Blue Peter and the like, looks pretty mundane by comparison. 10 year old me would be more dazzled by the now ubiquitous iPhone than by a toilet with a built in bidet and heated seat. But there is still much to marvel at in Tokyo and nowadays I find myself more drawn to the ancient rituals, shrines and dazzling architecture.
To my suprise I was most struck, not by all the things that make Japan so different from the UK, but instead the overwhelming parallels. Depite the obvious geographical similarities (we’re both island nations etc.), I was amazed by how similar we are culturally. A country steeped in heritage and history, sitting merrily beside modern convenience. The importance of manners. How their seemingly controlled exteriors bely a wicked sense of humour and a prediliction for dirty jokes. They drive on the left hand side of the road. They queue. For everything. And they do so with grace and patience. Did you know most North Americans I’ve met don’t even know what the word queue means?
But one key difference was the food. To western palettes some of the things I tasted could be challenging. Even simple confections are turned on their head, with wasabi flavoured jellies, red bean flavoured kitkats and fish-shaped waffles (known as Taiyaki) filled with purple sweet potato among them. I did however seek out the more recognisable aspects of Japanese cuisine. In Shinjuku I visited a decades old restaurant that specialises in the art of tempura making. The chefs work in an open kitchen opposite a diner-like bench of seating. The tempura itself: feather light, with a melt-in-the-mouth quality that I have yet failed to reproduce. But in the district of Asakusa, I tasted one of the ultimate street foods – Yakitori. Nothing is more gloriously simple or simply portable than meat on a stick.
The term Yakitori sometimes gets misused here on restaurant menus. Yakitori is comprised of two characters, Yaki (焼き) meaning to grill and Tori (鳥) meaning chicken. Simple in concept but difficult to master, this style of cooking is extremely economical as it uses all the parts of the chicken, from typical cuts like breast and thigh, to more adventurous options like liver and heart. The cuts of meat are prepared, marinated and grilled on skewers over hardwood charcoal. When other foods are used, like beef, pork, fish or seafood, they are called Kushiyaki (串焼き) meaning “grilled skewers”. The marinade for Yakitori is often extremely simple, utilising fundamental Japanese condiments. Here I have used the marinade to create a glaze for basting, which is infused with some aromatics.
Level: low
Methods: marinating, grilling
Time: 30 minutes (+ 2 hours marinating time minimum)
Makes: 12 skewers
Ingredients
460g skinless, boneless chicken thighs
6tbsp soy sauce
4tbsp sake
4tbsp mirin
1tbsp caster sugar
6-8 spring onions, root and loose leaves removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed with the heel of your hand
1tsp black peppercorns
12 bamboo skewers soaked in water
Method
1. Open out the chicken thigh fillets and cut into small cubes (around 1-inch/2cm). Place in a bowl.
2. Combine the soy sauce, sake and mirin in a jug. Pour the sauce over the chicken and allow to marinate for a few hours.
3. When ready, chop the spring onions into quarters.
4. Thread the skewers alternatively with pieces of chicken thigh and the spring onion.
5. Pour the remaining marinade into a small pan. Add the remaining spring onions, the sugar, garlic cloves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil and allow to reduce by half to make a shiny glaze.
6. Preheat the grill to medium and place the skewers under the heat for 5-6 minutes, turning frequently. Baste with the reduced glaze after each turn.
7. When the glaze has started to burnish and the chicken is cooked through, remove from the grill and serve.
Destination #37 / Tokyo, Japan (Shinjuku & Asakusa)
Tahitian Prawn Curry
The time I spent in Tahiti and Moorea, was enchanting. Its easy to see why this is such a popular Honeymoon destination. The beaches are beautiful, with crystal clear inviting water. The history is equally enthralling and the tiki statues dotted around the island lend a magical touch. Most important though is the lush vegetation. The peaked centres of each island (formed from underwater volcanic eruptions) are covered with beautiful swathes of verdant flora. And it is these trees, both indigenous and otherwise, the form the basis for Polynesian cuisine.
On a tour of the island I discovered that owning landis regarded as one of the most important things to Polynesian families, with plots being handed down from generation to generation. On each families plot you can find a combination of the five trees that bear the staple foods for their diet – breadfruit, banana, coconut, lime and papaya. Protein comes in the form of freshly caught seafood and organically reared chicken. The roots of this diet (which is surpringly high in fat and carbs) come from a time when locals were hunters, gatherers and fishers, and could easily burn off their consumed calories through their activities. However my guide informed me that modern islanders tend to buy their meat from a supermarket nowadays and have adopted a westernised sedentary lifestyle. Along with a distinctly relaxed attitude to life in general, this has meant that obesity is on the rise. Even in some of the most isolated places on earth, globalisation and commerciaism are having an impact.
Regardless of its calorific content, traditional Polynesian food is quite delicious. Poisson Cru, the national dish, is similar to south american cerviche but is augmented with coconut milk and served with local fruits. French influences are also understandably strong and I sampled a fresh seafood carppacio and white fish cooked en papillote (with banana leaves standing in for the usual baking parchment.) My favourite dish however, was an especially interesting fusion of flavours which I sampled at one of the many Rolloutes or food vans, dotted around Papeete: a Tahitian Chevrette Curry. Thats prawns to me and you. The dish is made using traditional south asian curry spices, but is made uniquely polynesian with the addition of coconut, lime, papaya and the delicate scent of Tahitian vanilla seeds. The idea of fruit and vanilla in a curry may sound challenging, especially when paired with seafood, but it really is quite delicious. Besides, there is only one way to find out…
Level: medium
Methods: tempering spices
Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Makes: feeds 4
Ingredients
2tbsp vegetable oil
3 small sweet potatoes, peeled
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 mild red chilli, halved and deseeded
1 inch ginger, peeled
1tsp coriander
1tsp paprika
1/2tsp turmeric
1/2tsp cumin
1/2tsp fenugreek
1 cinnamon stick, broken
2 cloves
200 ml coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla seeds
500g prawns (frozen is fine)
1 pinches black pepper
3 papaya, peeled and cubed
juice of 1 lime
Method
1. Chop the sweet potato into large chunks, and boil in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for around 10 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Place the onion, garlic, chilli and ginger in a small food processor and blitz to make a paste.
3. Heat the oil in a clean wok and gently fry the dry spices for 30 seconds or until they release their aroma. Then add the onion paste and fry for a further 3-4 minutes.
4. When softened, add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
5. Stir in the vanilla seeds and prawns. Simmer together for 4-5 minutes and season.
6. Add the cooked sweet potato and cook for a further few minutes.
7. Stir in the papaya and lime juice. Remove the clove and cinnamon.
8. Garnish with spring onion or chopped coriander and serve with plain boiled rice.
Mastication / Destination 