Potatoes of all shapes, sizes and hues – collectively referred to as imo in Japanese – characteristic prominently within the nation’s delicacies. There are naga-imo, lengthy, pale yams which can be eaten uncooked or grated right into a sticky mass to be slurped up with udon; sato-imo, or eddoes, which change into deliciously fudgy and wealthy when simmered in dashi; murasaki-imo, hanging purple candy potatoes generally utilized in sweets; and, after all, jaga-imo, or what we all know merely as potatoes. These are generally baked, sure, however ovens are unusual in Japanese dwelling kitchens, so potatoes are sometimes cooked in additional artistic (and admittedly extra scrumptious) methods, taking over a task extra like a vegetable facet than the designated carb. (Rice will all the time reign supreme in Japan, in spite of everything.)
Baked potatoes with butter and salmon roe
Some time in the past, my pal and fellow Japanophile MiMi Aye, the creator of the great Burmese cookbook Mandalay, posted a photograph on Instagram of one among her favorite indulgent consolation meals, a baked potato topped with butter, spring onions and copious quantities of salmon roe. All through the day, I saved returning to this picture simply to marvel at it (and drool a bit): it was directly rustic and splendid, comforting but thrilling. The Ainu, an indigenous ethnic group from Hokkaido, make the same dish referred to as chiporo imo, a easy preparation of mashed potato studded with pearls of salmon roe and nothing else. There’s something so satisfying concerning the mixture, and I like how the 2 elements steadiness and complement one another: the little orange eggs season the tasteless potato with their salinity and add a stunning, textural “pop”, whereas the potato takes the sting off the roe’s fishy depth. I do know it’s simply potato and fish eggs, however there’s one thing actually lovely about it.
Prep 5 min
Cook dinner 1 hr+
Serves 2-4
2 baking potatoes, washed and dried
1 tsp oil
2 tsp soy sauce
50g salmon roe
½ tsp mirin
20g butter
1 small handful chives, finely sliced, to garnish
Warmth the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/fuel 6. Rub the potatoes throughout with the oil and half the soy sauce, then wrap them in kitchen foil and bake for 20 minutes. Flip down the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/fuel 4 and cook dinner for one more 40 minutes to an hour, till they’re comfortable all through (take a look at them with a chopstick or butter knife).
In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine the remaining soy sauce with the salmon roe and mirin, and put within the fridge to marinate whereas the potatoes bake.
Take away the potatoes from the oven, depart to chill barely, then unwrap and break up open in giant chunks. Soften the butter over the potatoes, spoon over the salmon roe combine and garnish with the chives.
Cheese dakgalbi
Cheese dakgalbi is an indulgent Korean dish that’s extremely well-liked in Japan. Its enchantment is self-evident: rooster and greens sauteed in an intoxicatingly tasty chilli sauce, then pushed to the edges of the pan to make manner for a lake of liquefied cheese. It’s like Korean barbecue meets fondue, and if that mixture doesn’t instantly ring your bells, then I’m unsure we could be buddies. To show this right into a full meal, serve with parboiled tteok (Korean rice truffles), or plain rice or noodles, with a beer or soju alongside.
Prep 15 min
Cook dinner 20 min
Serves 2-4
For the sauce
3 tbsp gochujang
2 tbsp sake
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
1cm piece recent ginger, peeled and finely grated
1 tsp Korean chilli powder (non-obligatory)
2 boned, skin-on rooster thighs, lower into bite-size items
1 tbsp oil
½ small candy potato (about 100g), peeled and lower into 5mm-thick slices
1 small carrot, lower into 5mm-thick slices
1 small onion, peeled and finely sliced
½ sweetheart (hispi) cabbage, cored and roughly chopped
30g edam or comparable gentle cheese, grated
2 slices processed cheese, torn up
1 spring onion, trimmed and finely sliced
In a big bowl, mix all of the elements for the sauce, then toss by way of the rooster items and depart to marinate whilst you put together the remainder of the dish.
Set a nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron frying pan over a medium warmth, then add the oil, candy potato, carrot and onion, and saute for about 5 minutes till the greens have softened a bit and browned barely. Add the cabbage and cook dinner for one more three minutes, till it has softened and wilted. Add the rooster and all the sauce, and cook dinner, stirring often, for eight to 10 minutes, till the rooster is cooked by way of and the sauce has decreased to a pleasant, thick glaze.
Push the contents of the pan off to the edges to make a effectively within the centre, scale back the warmth to as little as attainable, then add the grated cheese adopted by the processed cheese on high. As soon as the cheese has melted, garnish with the spring onion, then eat straight from the pan by dragging the rooster and greens by way of the molten cheese.
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Tim Anderson is chef/proprietor of Nanban, London SW9. Recipes extracted from Your House Izakaya: Enjoyable and Easy Recipes Impressed by the Ingesting-and-Eating Dens of Japan, printed by Hardie Grant (£25). To order a duplicate go to guardianbookshop.com
