Motsunabe (モツ鍋/もつ鍋) Motsunabe is a Japanese stew or hotpot made from pork intestines that originated in Fukuoka and is an example of Northern Kyushu cuisine. Now easily available throughout Japan, the base of the soup comes in many different styles such as soy sauce or miso. The word “motsu/もつ”in Japanese refers to the edible internal…
Category: Japanese Recipes
Okinawa Black Sugar Umeshu (沖縄の黒糖梅酒)
Umeshu (梅酒), or Japanese plum wine is a liquor made by steeping unripe Japanese plums (ume/梅) in fruit liquor or shochu (焼酎), kind of Japanese distilled spirit. Although called plum wine, it is technically not a wine but a flavoured liquor, as the plums do not undergo alcoholic fermentation by yeast. Umeshu is typically…
Kombujime 昆布締め
Kombujime (昆布〆/昆布締め) is a technique used to enhance the taste of sashimi fish through ageing the fish between two sheets of kelp (Kombu/昆布). This technique is typically applied to white flesh fish (Shiromi/しるみ／白身) such as sea bream, snapper or flounder. This is because white flesh fish tends to have a more subtle flavour and has…
How to Grow Koji 麹
The word koji (Kouji/麹) in Japanese is a general term of a grain that has been inoculated with a species of fungus known as Aspergillus oryzae. In a way, the complex and savoury flavours that koji provides is what makes the food at Noma different as it no longer needed to make animal stocks the…
On Ageing Maguro (鮪) Tuna and Various Information
Maguro (鮪) Tuna Information and How to Dry Age Tuna. Maguro, or Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is the species of tuna that is consumed in Japan, most famously as sashimi. Formerly sold at low prices, the price of Maguro started to skyrocket after World War 2, with it sometimes being attributed to the increase…
Introduction to the science of ageing fish
One of the main misconceptions when it comes to sushi served at high end sushi establishments is that the quality of the fish is dependent on how fresh it is. In reality, only certain fishes served at these sushi establishments (sushiya/寿司屋/ 鮨屋) are prized based on their freshness whilst the majority of the fish are…
Anago sweet sauce Recipe (Anago Tare/アナゴ たれ)
Reserved eel broth Remaining eel bones and heads 50ml Soy sauce 20ml Sake 20g Sugar 50ml Mirin Clean the eel heads by removing the gills and wash off any blood in the head and bones. Dry on a paper towel before placing on a metal tray. Blowtorch the head and bones until nicely charred….
