Japanese Fusion Hits a High Note on My Table

Let me be honest with you. There are times, as a cook, when you know you’ve dropped the bomb. You’ve hit that magical place of gastronomical heaven. If you’re lucky, it’s a dish. If you’re really lucky, it’s an entire meal. I was really lucky last night.

This is a long one, so stay focused.

First, a snapshot of the warzone. Not too crazy, considering the end result.

Now the full deal.

This is Japanese fusion. Why? Because it’s not 100% Japanese…it’s a fusion of tastes and presentations from elsewhere. The focus is, of course, Japanese. An interesting component to Japanese food is the general simplicity. Minimalistic. I paid homage to the simplicity, but added some ideas of my own.

Now some play-by-play shots (recipes follow)...

Seasoned Carrots with Spring Onion Bows

2 Carrots – julienne

2 TSP Mirin

1 ½ TSP caster sugar (powdered sugar works)

6 Spring onion tops (5 inch green parts)

Mix first three ingredients well and marinate for at least 3 hours. Cut green part of onion at least 5 inches long. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds; let cool.

Line up carrots like a matchstick bundle. Tie a bow around with the spring onion top.

Citrus Miso Sauce

2 TSP miso paste

1 TSP shoyu

1 TSP Mirin

½ juice from lemon

Mix ingredients well.

Peanut Sauce

1/3 Cup crushed peanuts

2 tsp Shoyu

1 TSP dashi stock

1 TSP sugar

Mix ingredients well.

Inari Pockets with Four Ingredients

3 – 4 Large spring onions, chopped

4 – 5 garlic cloves, minced

1 TSP shoyu

½ TSP toasted sesame seeds

6 Inari

Drain Inari well (if using canned ones used for making sushi). Mix the first four ingredients; set aside. Open tofu pockets and stuff with spoonfuls of the mix. Place on foil and in a broiler for 4 minutes. Flip and broil for another 5 minutes.

Pan Fried Taiwanese Sea Bass

1 Taiwanese sea bass steak

2 TSP shoyu

1 TSP sugar

½ TSP sesame oil

1 TSP fresh sliced ginger

Marinate fish in zip-lock bag with all ingredients for 1 hour. Lightly oil frying pan and fry on medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn and fry 4 -5 minutes. Top with sliced green onion.

Daikon Pedistals with Shrimp and Carrots in Bows

1 daikon, peeled

6 ram shrimp, tail on

6 Seasoned Carrots with Spring Onion Bows

4 cups Dashi stock

Cut daikon into 6- 1 ½ inch pieces and drop into boiling dashi stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, make your carrots with bows (see recipe). When you have 10 minutes left with the daikon, make your shrimp. For shrimp, salt, pepper and garlic the shrimp, then fry up with 1 tsp of oil.

Arrange diakon on plate. Set 1 bundle of carrots on each daikon. Surround by shrimp. Drizzle Citrus Miso Sauce (see recipe) over. Shake toasted sesame seeds over plate.

Spinach with Peanut Sauce

1 grip of spinach

Peanut sauce

Blanch spinach for 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain and swirl onto plate. Drizzle peanut sauce (see recipe) about.