Japanese

April 17, 2015 Book Review

Nanban, by Tim Anderson

Focusing on a subset of Japanese cuisine, Tim has delivered a detailed, authentic and accessible guide to ramen, and the dishes found intheizakaya (Japanese bar). The context of eachdishis explained,andregionality explored – variations and Britishsubstitutionsare listed where possible. Being bar food, there’s also a recommendation for which drinks to have with particular dishes – perfect! The food photography (courtesy of Mr Winch-Furness)isunfussy and appealing, and the openspineis laminated, a nice and unusual touch. Therecipesare broken down as follows:Introduction | IngredientsFundamentals: including kimchi; braised kombu; ume-shiso cucumber; dashi; vegetarian dashi; how to cook Japanese rice

Small Dishes: baked sweet potato with yuzu butter; karashi mentaiko (chili cured pollock roe); mackerel kake-ae (vinegar cured mackerel); onsen tamago (hot spring eggs); buta kakuni manjū (pork belly buns); tonpi (Okinawa-style pork scratchings); gyozo (prawn, pork, vegetable); kara-age (Japanese fried chicken); Satsuma-age (fried fishcakes); mackerel scotch egg, obi-ten style; nadōfu (tofu set with vegetables); hitomoji guru-quru (spring onion bundles); karashi renkon (lotus root stuffed with hot mustard); basashi (horse sashimi); hiyajiru (shilled miso soup); tonjiru (pulled pork miso soup); kanimeshi (crab rice)

Large Dishes: mentaiko pasta; gōyā champloo (bitter melon, tofu and spam stir-fry); yaki-curry (curry rice gratin); sara udon (crispy noodles with vegetables and seafood); yaki-udon (stir-fried udon noodles); tempura; toriten (chicken tempura); chicken nanban (fried marinated chicken with vinegar sauce and tartar sauce); tonkotsu (sweet pork rib stew); nanban-zuke (Japanese escabeche); mizutaki (chicken hotpot); motsu nabe (offal hotpot); tonkatsu (pork schnitzel); simmered sole; taco rice; rice yaki (fried rice and cabbage pancake); Sasebo burger

Grilled Items: kushiyaki (stuff on a stick ;0); pork belly; bacon-wrapped scallops; bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed padron peppers; bacon-wrapped vegetables; beef with hot mustard; chicken livers with umboshi; tsukune (chicken patties); chicken skin; buttered garlic; mushrooms with spicy miso butter; iwashi mentai (fish, stuffed with fish eggs); Miyazaki-style grilled chicken; yaki-onigiri (grilled rice balls)

Ramen: broth; tonkotsu broth (pork bone); torigara broth (chicken bone); gyokai broth (seafood); broth seasoning: alkaline noodles; toppings; tea-pickled eggs; chāsu (cola-braised pork belly); namool (spicy bean sprouts); takana-zuke (spicy pickled mustard greens); flavour bombs; yuzu-koshō pork fat; shiitake seaweed butter; spicy miso butter; complete ramen recipes – hiakata-style ramen (pork broth ramen); Kurume-style ramen (rich and rustic pork broth ramen); kumamoto-style ramen (pork broth ramen with fried garlic); Nagasaki-style chanson (seafood, chicken and pork broth with stir-fried seafood); Kagoshima-style ramen (lighter pork broth ramen with extra pork); Miyazaki-style ramen (chicken, port and soy sauce ramen); sōki soba (Okinowan pork rib ramen with a light dash-pork broth); Grand Champion ramen (porcini and tonkatsu broth with truffled lobster gyoza); hunter ramen; reimen (Korean-style chilled ramen); hiyashi chūka (ramen salad)

Desserts: Nagasaki castella; sātā andagī (Okinawan doughnuts); kuromitsu (black sugar syrup); mojiko roll cake; strawberry daifuku (strawberry and red bean paste mochi dumplings); matcha marubōlo; matcha buttercream; Whippy-san (Japanese Mr Whippy); Whippy-san base; sweet-potato Whippy-san; shichimi chocolate Whippy-san; miso caramel Whippy-san; hōjicha Whippy-san; white peach Whippy-san; kinako Whippy-san (soybean flour Mr Whippy)

Drinks: beer; shochu; tea; sake; awamori; whisky; wine; liqueurs; cocktails; nanhattan; miyazaki mai tai; sakurajima sunrise; kyushu libre; Go! Go! Gimlet; Satsuma sour; chu-hi; white peach cordial; grapefruit and honey cordial; apple cinnamon cordial; rhubarb and custard cordial

Useful Information: how to eat in Japan; suppliers

Like Tim, I’ve been an obsessed Japanophile for a long, long time! My childhood was filled with books on the dynastic influences on porcelain production <yup, geek=”” alert=””>, Shogun in the early ’80’s, and lots of representations on film and TV – it’s been a drum to which I’ve long marched. I’ve pored over the descriptions of the Tokyo fish market, and watched ‘Jiro Dreams of Sushi’ – I’ve even worked for a Japanese bank! And yet, in terms of Japanese food culture, my influences have been very firmly embedded in more formal dishes, and especially in sashimi and sushi.

And whilst I do pore over (or should that be paw over?) each new post on the Ramen Adventures blog, ramen remains entrenched in that ‘other’ world. Indeed, when it comes to cookbooks, I’ve bought lots focusing on that fine-dining, sashimi / sushi end of the market* for the last two decades…

As my first foray into Ramen cookbooks, Tim’s detailing of the regional variations, difference in ingredients, and descriptions of what the dishes mean to him, has successfully lured me into that ‘other’. It definitely makes me want to make Ramen myself, to play with the complexities, and to immerse myself in the regional variations of Japanese cuisine. It’s a fascinating book, but much more importantly, it’s a book that makes me want to eat the dishes!

* Most of these are great, though few contain any ramen recipes!
– Japanese Food and Cooking: rice; noodles; vegetables; beans; tofu; mushrooms; seaweeds; herbs; fruit; shellfish; fish; fish roe; fish paste; meat & chicken; sauces; vinegar & mirin; pickles; bread & buns; cakes & sweets; tea
– Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art: a strong ingredients and techniques section, followed by soups; sashimi; grilled & pan-fried dishes; simmered; deep-fried dishes; salads; one-pot dishes; rice dishes; sushi; noodles; sweets
– Japanese Farm Food: the Japanese farmhouse kitchen; small bites with drinks; pickles and soups; soya beans and eggs; noodles and rice; vegetables; fish and seafood; meat; dressings and sauces; desserts and sweets
– Nobu the Cookbook: ingredients; shellfish; shrimp, lobster, crab; octopus and squid; fish; salads, vegetables and soba; sushi; sauces; desserts
– Nobu West: cold and hot appetisers; salads; sashimi; soup; fry; bake; steam; sauté; grill; rice, sushi and noodles; desserts; cocktails; sauces
– Nobu Now: appetisers; sashimi; salad; soup; fry; steam; sauté; grill; sushi; soba; rice; dessert; sauce
– Nobu Miami: finger foods; luncheons; intimate dinners; Nobu classics; desserts (essentially a party book)
– Nobu Vegetarian
– Sushi and Beyond: a great travel diary, as Michael Booth travels the length and breadth of Japan with his family
– Tetsuya: (no formal contents, but) cold starters (incl. shellfish and fish); salads; pasta; soba; cooked fish, meat and poultry; desserts and basics
– The Japanese Kitchen: rice & beans; noodles; vegetables; mushrooms; tofu and tofu products; seaweed; fish & shellfish; fish roe & pastes; meat & poultry; sauces & seasonings; drinks & confectionary
– Japanese Kitchen Knives: a great break down of knives, and how to use them to fillet fish, prepare vegetables etc
– Everyday Harumi: sauces; beef; chicken; pork; fish; shellfish; rice; noodles; eggs; tofu; miso; ginger; sesame; watercress; spinach; cucumber; asparagus; aubergine; tomato; potato; carrots; cauliflower; cabbage; mixed vegetables
– Harumi’s Japanese Cooking: appetisers and entrées; soup and noodles; rice; tofu; seafood; chicken & egg; beef & pork; sushi, vegetables; desserts
– Hashi: basics; beginners; home cooks; gourmet dishes; sushi; dessert (those then broken into soups and starters; salads and side dishes; fish and seafood; meat and poultry; rice and noodles; tofu)
– Dashi and Umami: as it suggests, focuses on dashi
– Morimoto: sashimi and sushi; rice, noodles, bread and soups; fish and shellfish; poultry and meat; vegetables, tofu, egg; desserts
– YO! Sushi: the basics; sauces, dressings and marinades; novice; apprentice; samurai (possible the closest comparison)

February 15, 2013 Restaurant

Sumosan, Piccadilly

Mayfair’s Sumosan is one of three restaurants worldwide run by the Wolkow family. It’s one of the trendier Japanese restaurants, with groovy music, dimmed lighting and excellent cocktails.

We’ve been to it several times with friends, and have always enjoyed the extensive menu. On this occasion we found some of the combinations less successful (toro stuffed with foie gras was definitely a textural challenge) – but if you stick with the various excellent sashimi combinations, you’ll be on safe ground. Yellowtail truffle tiradito was a very welcome variation on the usual hamachi with jalapeño – the strong truffle oil scent giving way to a crisp and citrus dressing. The sashimi selection was also very good, particularly the scallop and sweet shrimp.

There’s no doubting the quality of the raw ingredients, and there’s an extensive range of options available. There’s also a decent variety of sake to suit a variety of budgets. If you’d prefer a more intimate option than the monolithic options close by, it’s definitely worth a spin.

Rock shrimp tempura, with a creamy spicy sauce

Yellowtail truffle tiradito

Sashimi selection, including salmon, scallop, yellowtail, sweet shrimp and sea bass

Toro stuffed with foie gras

Beef medallion, with a wasabi miso sauce and artichoke

Sumosan
26b Albemarle Street,
London W1S 4HY

January 4, 2012 Japanese

Tsumami, Clapham

As much as I love my dear Michelin chefs, the place I eat the most in London is undoubtedly Tsunami. There is something terribly comforting about finding a good local restaurant, who always greet you with warmth, and where you trust the chef implicitly.

I don’t say the latter lightly – if you’re going to eat raw scallops or sashimi, you need to be confident of the kitchen’s sourcing. I’m often frustrated by diners who complain about the prices at their local Japanese restaurants – sushi grade fish and shellfish does not come at a knockdown price.

We eat in Tsunami so often that the staff know exactly what we’re going to order, which water each of us have, and which wine we’re likely to prefer. As a result, it’s very easy to become complacent about what’s being put in front of you. This week as I was taking the 10yo too, I thought I ought to pay attention and attempt to write it up!

So, to begin with, it being a Japanese restaurant, there’s always edamami (the soya bean in it’s pod). This were crisp, hot, and had a good sprinkling of salt.

We moved immediately to our yellowtail sashimi with chilli’s and coriander, in a ponzu dressing. Several different fish are commonly called yellowtail, though in sashimi terms it usually refers to Japanese Amberjack. There are also two stages of yellowtail development, the young yellowtail is called Hamichi, but the older version is called Buri. Buri with a darker strip along the belly (which is the fattier bit of the fish) is called Buri Toro and is favoured by the Japanese. I’ve had all three served as this dish, and they work equally well.

We followed that with three different kinds of tempura : salt and chilli pepper squid; shrimp tempura; and king crab tempura with yuzu butter and creamy garlic sauce. The squid is savoury, salted and topped with shards of chilli, and by contrast the shrimp is delicate, almost sweet. The king crab could honestly be anything, as it’s almost like little scampi, but with sauce is so addictive I could spread it on bread! The sauce is so difficult to describe, but it’s tangy hot and spicy, creamy, citrussy… I know – how can it be all of those things? But anyone who’s eaten at Nobu will know the sauce well.

Next we had truffle rib-eye with exotic mushrooms and truffle sauce. The rib-eye is ordered to your taste, and comes on a bed of creamy moreish leeks. The mushrooms are cooked in a heady reduction spiked with truffle oil… The whole dish is then topped with a pile of what looks like saffron, but is actually shredded chilli’s. This isn’t perhaps what you’d expect in a Japanese restaurant, but actually with all your umami bells ringing already, it fits right in, the rich earthy depth packing a punch after the delicate fish.

Our final absolute essential is the roast duck and foie gras nigiri. You can have this as eel (unagi) too, but the duck is like eating a Chinese duck pancake. The roast duck strips are placed on top of a piece of handshaped rice and tied with a strip of spring onion, the foie gras is then pan fried and placed on top of each piece of nigiri.

As a precaution against the 10yo rejecting the sashimi (sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn’t) we had ordered a couple of other safer dishes for her. There was snowcrab shumai – steamed dumplings filled with snowcrab and prawns – and sizzling chicken teriyaki. All of these were good – the teriyaki unctuous and the dumplings soft and dense.

I love Tsunami, I must do, I eat in there all the time. Okay, it’s not Nobu, but it’s not trying to be… Therein lies the problem. Some diners feel it should be Nobu at these prices, but it’s the food you’re paying for, not the location! Ultra fresh fish and ingredients cost the same, no matter your post code. It’s a bit like my review of the Hand & Flowers – would I recommend you cross town to come here? Perhaps not (though the sister restaurant in Charlotte Street may be closer to you). If you’re local, and want to eat consistently good Japanese, absolutely. It’s not the sea urchin wielding kind of Japanese some like, but it’s lip smacking good, I really look forward to eating it, and I know exactly what I’m having next time!

Other dishes which are equally good:
Chicken gyoza – deep fried chicken parcels
Gin dara – blackened cod in miso sauce
Shrimp tempura roll

All of the sashimi (!)

Grilled scallops with masago & creamy spicy sauce, which is flambéed and brought to the table – very pretty with high blue flames! (Masago is capelin roe, similar to tomago (flying fish roe), but slightly larger in size).

Tsunami Restaurant
5-7 Voltaire Road
Clapham
London
SW4 6DQ

T. 020 7978 1610

E. clapham@tsunamirestaurant.co.uk