Whip up some Japanese food that looks good on the gram and feels good in your belly.
Recipe by Frank Shen, manager of 510 Sake Bar
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
½ cup rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 cups warm Japanese rice
240g sliced salmon sashimi
4 tbsp ikura (salmon roe)*
1 tbsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp pickled ginger*
3 tbsp thinly sliced nori (Japanese seaweed sheets)
1 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp wasabi
*Available from sushi counters at major supermarkets.
DIRECTIONS
1 In a large bowl, mix rice vinegar, salt and sugar into warm rice. Leave to cool to room temperature, then divide into 4 bowls.
2 Arrange salmon sashimi over the rice until the slices cover the top.
3 Sprinkle ikura over the salmon, followed by sesame seeds.
4 Add pickled ginger, then garnish with nori. Serve with soya sauce and wasabi on the side.
Coordination Mia Chenyze Photography Winston Chuang and Zaphs Zhang Art Direction & Styling Clare Chan
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Recipe by Frank Shen, manager of 510 Sake Bar
Serves 5
INGREDIENTS
½ cup rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 cups warm Japanese rice
5 sheets nori
1 avocado, cut into 1cm-thick strips
100g crab sticks
1 zucchini, cut into strips
1 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
100g tobiko (flying fish roe)*
2 tbsp light soya sauce
1 tbsp wasabi
*Available from sushi counters at major supermarkets.
DIRECTIONS
1 In a large bowl, mix rice vinegar, salt and sugar into warm rice. Leave to cool to room temperature.
2 Cover both sides of a sushi rolling mat with cling wrap, and set aside a bowl of clean water.
3 Place a sheet of nori on a flat, clean surface. With dampened fingers, spread a thin, even layer of rice over the nori. Put the sushi mat on top of the rice, then flip everything over, such that the sushi mat is now underneath.
4 Line avocado strips along the width of the nori. Line a row of crab sticks beside the avocado, followed by zucchini strips. Spread a thin layer of mayonnaise on top, then sprinkle with tobiko, saving a little to coat the maki in later.
5 Using the sushi mat, roll the sushi into a tight log. Once the rolling edge of the sushi mat hits the nori, peel it back downwards. Continue rolling into a log.
6 Spread remaining tobiko onto a plate. Coat maki rolls in it, then cut each roll into 6 pieces with a damp knife. Serve with soya sauce and wasabi on the side.
Coordination Mia Chenyze Photography Winston Chuang and Zaphs Zhang Art Direction & Styling Clare Chan
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Recipe by Frank Shen, manager of 510 Sake Bar
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, grated
2 tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp sake
2 tsp sugar
450g skin-on chicken thighs, deboned and cut into 5cm-long pieces
For the batter:
1 cup plain flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp ground black pepper
1½ cups stout
For the wasabi mayonnaise:
²/³ tbsp wasabi powder*
1 tsp water
4 tbsp mayonnaise
Cooking oil, for deep-frying
1 lemon, cut into wedges
*Available from Japanese supermarkets like Isetan Scotts and Meidi-ya.
DIRECTIONS
1 In a large bowl, whisk ginger, garlic, soya sauce, sake and sugar together. Marinate chicken in this mixture for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
2 To make the batter, whisk flour, egg, garlic powder and black pepper together, then stir in the stout. Set aside.
3 In a small bowl, combine wasabi powder with water to form a paste, and let sit for 1min. Stir in mayonnaise to make wasabi mayonnaise.
4 Heat the cooking oil in a pot. Evenly coat the chicken pieces with batter and deep-fry until golden brown. Transfer onto kitchen towels to soak up excess oil. Serve with wasabi mayonnaise and lemon wedges.
Coordination Mia Chenyze Photography Winston Chuang and Zaphs Zhang Art Direction & Styling Clare Chan
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Recipe by Lee Yin San, chef at The Line, Shangri-La Hotel
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
500g chicken thighs, bone, skin and fats removed, and cubed
A pinch of salt
For the pumpkin base:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil
300g white onion, sliced
500g pumpkin, sliced
700ml chicken stock
For the apple puree:
1½ green apples, peeled and cored
300ml chicken stock
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and cubed
1 large white onion, cubed
2 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed and soaked in water to remove excess starch
150g instant Japanese curry roux*, medium spicy
4 tbsp evaporated milk
Salt to taste
1 tsp black pepper, crushed
*Japanese curry roux comes in bars that dissolve in water or stock and is available at the Japanese food section of major supermarkets.
DIRECTIONS
1 Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and set aside.
2 To make the pumpkin base, heat the butter and oil in a medium pot. Add the onions, and sweat for 5min over medium heat.
3 Add the pumpkin slices and cook for another 5min. Add the chicken stock, and simmer until the slices are tender. Leave to cool for 15-20min.
4 Transfer the pumpkin mixture into a blender, and blend until it becomes smooth. Pour the mixture back into the pot, and set aside. Wash the blender.
5 To make the apple puree, blend the apples and chicken stock together until smooth. Set aside.
6 Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Add the carrot and onion cubes, and stir-fry for 3min. Transfer them into the pot with the pumpkin base.
7 Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, and sear the chicken on all sides. Transfer the chicken to the pot with the pumpkin base.
8 Reheat the pumpkin mixture, and simmer for 10min, stirring occasionally.
9 Add the potatoes and simmer for another 10min.
10 Stir in the curry roux and incorporate it into the mixture evenly.
11 Add the apple puree and simmer until the mixture thickens. Add the evaporated milk and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Coordination Cheryl Leong Photography Darren Chang Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
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Recipe by Hideki Miyazaki,sub-group leader of the Asia-Oceania research and development team at Chikaranomoto Global holdings, the founding company of Japanese restaurant Ippudo
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1.65 litres water
5 eggs, at room temperature
DIRECTIONS
1 Place 1.5 litres of water into a deep pot, and bring to the boil.
2 Turn the heat off, and add 150ml water.
3 Place the eggs in the pot, and leave for 7min. Stir occasionally in the same direction.
4 Remove the eggs from the pot, and cool in ice water.
5 When ready to eat, crack the egg, and serve.
Coordination Cheryl Leong Photography Frenchescar Lim Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
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Recipe by Kanazawa Homare, chef of Sushi Kou
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the dashi mixture:
360ml dashi stock
2 tbsp mirin
3 tsp sugar
4 tbsp Kikkoman Usukuchi Soy Sauce*
4 tbsp Kikkoman Premium Soy Sauce*
2 tsp salt
2 tsp mirin
200g diced chicken thigh
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 tsp chopped spring onions
4 eggs
4 bowls cooked Japanese rice
*Available from Japanese supermarkets like Isetan Scotts and Meidi-ya.
DIRECTIONS
1 In a pot, bring all the ingredients for the dashi mixture to the boil, then turn off the heat.
2 Bring another pot of water to a boil. Stir in salt and mirin. Blanch chicken for 15sec, then drain.
3 Divide the chicken and onions into four portions.
4 In a saucepan over medium heat, spread out one portion of chicken and onions, then pour in a quarter of the dashi mixture. Cover and simmer for 4min.
5 Add 1 tsp spring onions. Turn the heat to low, beat one egg lightly and pour over the chicken. Stir lightly, and turn to high heat for 5sec.
6 Turn off the heat and cover for 15sec. When the egg starts to set, slide out the chicken and egg mixture onto a bowl of rice. Repeat for the remaining portions.
Coordination Mia Chenyze Photography Winston Chuang and Zaphs Zhang Art Direction & Styling Clare Chan
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Recipe by Kanazawa Homare, chef of Sushi Kou
Makes 4
INGREDIENTS
4 pork loin chops, each about 120g and 1cm thick
2 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups tempura flour
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 cups cooking oil
DIRECTIONS
1 Use a sharp knife to make shallow slits on the surface of the pork chops.
2 Season pork chops with salt and pepper.
3 Place flour, egg and panko in separate shallow plates, then dredge the pork chops through each one in the same order. Press on them lightly to help the panko stick to the meat.
4 Heat cooking oil in a pot and deep-fry the pork chops, one at a time. Cook each side for 3min, until golden brown.
5 Transfer pork chops to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil, then slice into 2cm-thick strips.
Coordination Mia Chenyze Photography Winston Chuang and Zaphs Zhang Art Direction & Styling Clare Chan
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Recipe by Rosalind Lim, chef and co-founder of Onaka Healing Kitchen
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
30g edamame beans
30g borlotti beans*
30g lady’s fingers
30g baby corn
2 tbsp unrefined sugar
50ml mirin
100ml water or shiitake dashi
50ml brown rice vinegar
100ml Japanese shoyu
2 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 bundles of bincho-tan (white charcoal) noodles** or soba
A dash of sesame oil
½ Japanese cucumber, seeded, diced and chilled
½ tomato, seeded, diced and chilled
Black and white sesame seeds
Nori (dried seaweed) strips
A pinch of mustard powder
A pinch of grated ginger
DIRECTIONS
1 Boil the edamame beans and borlotti beans, separately, for about 4min each. Drain and set aside.
2 Boil the lady’s fingers for 5min, until soft but not mushy. Drain, slice and chill.
3 Boil the baby corn for about 4min. Drain and chill.
4 To make the dipping sauce, boil the sugar, mirin, and water or dashi. Remove from heat and stir in the brown rice vinegar, shoyu and lemon juice. Cool and chill.
5 Cook the noodles until al dente, about 15min. Drain and place in a bowl of ice-cold water for 10min.
6 Drain and place the noodles on a plate. Drizzle the sesame oil over the noodles and top with sesame seeds, nori, mustard powder and grated ginger. Place the edamame beans, lady’s fingers, baby corn, cucumber and tomatoes around the noodles.
*Available at Cold Storage
** Available at Fairprice Finest
Coordination Lim Tsiao Hui Photography Darren Chang Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
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Recipe by Ryan Shiu, executive chef of Peony Jade @ Keppel Club
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
6 frozen scallops, thawed
1 stalk asparagus, sliced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 egg yolks, beaten
4 bowls cooked rice
1 tsp garlic, chopped and fried
1 tsp onions, chopped
Salt, to taste
4 tsp tobiko (flying fish roe)
DIRECTIONS
1 Blanch the scallops and asparagus in boiling water for 10 seconds.
2 Heat the oil in a wok. Add the egg yolks and scramble-fry for 10 seconds until half-cooked.
3 Add the rice and mix well with the eggs. Stir-fry till fragrant and dry.
4 Add the garlic, onions and salt, and mix well.
5 Add the tobiko and stir-fry to mix well. Serve warm.
Coordination Lim Tsiao Hui Photography Wong Wei Liang, Justin Loh & Frenchescar Lim
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Recipe by Annette Tan
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
1 packet CP Pepper Kicks Mini Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce
150g cooked sushi rice
6 tbsp seaweed powder
DIRECTIONS
1 Microwave the chicken for 5 min. When cooled, dice finely and set aside.
2 Place the sushi rice in a bowl and mix with 4 tbsp seaweed powder till evenly distributed.
3 With dampened hands, take a handful of rice and roll into a ball. Then flatten the ball slightly.
4 Place a teaspoon of chopped chicken in the middle of the rice and roll it into a ball again.
5 Place the balls on a plate and sprinkle with seaweed powder. Serve.
Photography Wong Wei Liang Art Direction & Styling Nikki Ho
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