Sushi Secrets - Recipes and Instructions

General Recipe Information: When you're making a recipe that calls for chopped up fish, the size you're going for is "nibble-sized" which is about 1/4 in diameter. When a recipe calls for cucumber, I always recommend English or Hot House types. These cucumbers are thin skinned and nearly seedless, which is most like the Japanese cucumber. If you can't find Burdock, a regular carrot will suffice, but keep in mind the sweetness of the carrot will affect the taste. I do not recommend using American radish instead of Daikon. A recipe that calls for Dashi is meant to be the previously made dashi stock, not just the granuales. Fish items that I note can be purchased frozenand they really are fine to use :-)

I will list only the fish instructions for particular Nigiri Sushi and I will be adding a lot more soon.
Please go to Instructions if you need to learn more.

Kaibashira (raw scallop w/mayonnaise) - Scallops (1 ounce per piece); Dynamite Sauce;
masago; sushi rice; nori
Use the small scallops (frozen is fine - let thaw to room temperature) and chop them into 1/4 inch (nibble-sized) pieces, mix with Dynamite Sauce. Cut or tear the nori into 1 1/2 by 4 inch strips. Form a little ball out of 2 tablespoons of rice and flatten it out a little bit. Wrap the nori around the rice standing up to make a "boat" shape using a bit of water to seal the sides together. Put the scallops inside the "boat" and top with masago, or you can mix the masago in with the scallops first. This type of Nigiri sushi is called Gunkan or battleship.

Seared Scallop - Slice the scallop horizontally in half, but not all the way through. Gently open each scallop to make a butterfly shape. Use a culinary torch and carefully sear the top of the scallop before you put it on the rice. For the plain version, place the scallop cut side down on the bed of rice and serve.

Gunkan (Battleship) - This is the perfect type of sushi to make for any ingredient that needs to be "contained" or has numerous small pieces such as; uni, scallops, quail egg, fish eggs, spicy tuna or salmon. Use 1 ounce per piece; nori; sushi rice
Cut or tear the nori into 1 1/2 by 4 inch strips. Form a little ball out of 2 tablespoons of rice and flatten it out a little bit. Wrap the nori around the rice standing up to make a "boat" shape using a bit of water to seal the sides together. Add your ingredients and enjoy!

Momiji Oroshi - This is an interesting "spicy pulp" to be added to your shoyu saucer. You'll need a whole fresh daikon and whole dried red peppers. Carefully seed 4 of the peppers and cut a 2 1/2 inch length of the daikon and peel it. Use chopsticks to poke 4 holes in the daikon and then stuff the peppers into them. You can allow it to seep overnight, or just wait 5 minutes, then grate it. Put a small amount into the saucers and enjoy!

Spicy Tuna - Tuna (4 ounces per roll); cucumber; burdock; shiso leaf or kiware (radish sprouts)
Cut tuna, mix with Spicy Sauce and assemble.

Spicy Salmon - Salmon (4 ounces per roll); cucumber; kaiware (radish sprouts); burdock
Cut salmon, mix with Dynamite Sauce and assemble.

Spicy Garlic Tuna - Cut 4 ounces of tuna into nibble-sized pieces and mix with this recipe: 1/4 tsp sesame chili oil; 1 tsp masago; 1/2 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tbl yellow onion (minced); *jalepeno pepper pieces or slices. Serve as sushi, temaki or sashimi. * optional, but if you go for it, my preferance is to serve it as sashimi with a jalepeno slice on top.

Spicy Scallop - Scallops (4 ounces per roll); 1 cucumber; 1 avocado; 2 asparagus* stalks per roll;
sushi rice; nori; kaiware (radish sprouts); masago * optional
Cut scallops and mix with Dynamite Sauce. Blanch the asparagus (or omit) and while putting the roll together, allow the flowered ends to stick out the sides of the roll. Add cucumber and sprouts, Roll and Cut. Put slice of avocado and dollops of masago on top of individual pieces. Or if you're making Temaki, add everything to the handroll.

California Roll - *Imitation crab; 1 cucumber; 1 avocado; sushi rice; nori; Sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or spoon on masago (optional). *Real crab meat will cost more and takes more work to get the meat. Imitation is fine. If you use real crab, mix with a little kewpie mayonnaise to bind it together.

Salmon Skin - Thin salmon fillet with skin on; burdock root; cucumber; sesame seeds; masago
Broil the salmon until crispy, chop into small pieces. Add a small thin pieces of burdock, cucumber and the chopped salmon skin into the center of your roll. Sprinkle sesame seeds on the outside of roll and garnish with masago. Or you can use Katsuo Fumi Furikake Rice Seasoning on top instead of sesame seeds and masago.

Kappa - Cucumber; burdock; kaiware; avocado - Assemble and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Rainbow Roll - California Roll topped with thin slices of salmon, tuna, shrimp, yellowtail. You can choose your own toppings and alternate to give the rainbow effect. After you've placed your fish slices on top of the roll, use saran wrap (plastic wrap) to help form the roll and stick the fish to the top of the roll. Garnish with negi and/or masago, or leave as is.

Sushi Sets and serving pieces can be found in the Marketplace, but Cookware has some very nice upscale serving pieces you might want to check out. To serve sushi with style, arrange artfully on dinnerware! Serve with wasabi, shoyu, gari and enjoy!

Dynamite Sauce - 1/4 tsp of Kewpie Mayonnaise; 1 tsp masago; 1/2 tsp Sriracha Hot Sauce
Mix all of this together. The Kewpie will absorb some of the heat so adjust to taste. If you're mixing this with fish, cut the fish into nibble-sized pieces first, about 1/4 inch.

Spicy Sauce - Make the Dynamite Sauce above and add 1/4 tsp sesame seed oil; 1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes; a sprinkle of sesame seeds. If you want HOT, here are some ideas... add tiny bits of jalepeno peppers; use sesame chili oil instead of the regular type; add Tabasco sauce; Use your imagination! Remember - "Hot" will not necessarily change the flavor of the fish - it will enhance it - so using anything that makes things "hot" will be ok. Experiment... with a fire extinguisher next to you?

I found the easiest sushi rice to make at home is in a pot on the stove - Lundberg's Sushi Rice. But if you want to make it from scratch the traditional way, here's the recipe:

Start with short grain white rice, regular (unflavored) rice vinegar along with sugar and salt (this is called tezu). If you're in a hurry and want to save a little bit of preparation time, seasoned sushi vinegar (su) is also available. When you make the vinegar mixture yourself, though, you have more control over how much sugar or salt to add. You can also add kombu, shiitake mushrooms or shrimp to get a different taste.

2 cups uncooked short grain white rice; 4 tablespoons rice vinegar; 2 cups + 2 tbl water; 2 tbl + 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; optional: Hangiri (Rice Tub)

First thing, prepare the tezu. This mixture will be used to coat the bowl you set the cooked rice in later. Mix together 1 cup of water, 2 tbsp of rice vinegar and 1 tsp of salt. Set aside.
Rinse the rice several times until the water is clear. Put rice in a colander and drain for an hour. Then put the rice in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid or electric rice cooker, add 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons of water and bring to a boil. After it's boiled, cover the pot and set to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid quickly only to stretch a clean tea towel over the pot and replace the lid. Without heat, let it steam for another 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix the rice vinegar, sugar and salt together in a small saucepan. Stirring constantly, heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Set it aside to cool to room temperature. After the rice has been steamed, use a wooden spatula or spoon to cut and fold the rice. Take care not to smash the grains of rice.
Use a cloth dipped in the tezu and rub the insides of a large bowl. A wooden bowl (sushi oke or hangiri) is best to absorb excess moisture, and the large surface of the traditional hangiri allows the rice to cool more quickly and evenly. Put the hot rice into the bowl and quickly add the seasoned rice vinegar solution. Mix with the same cutting/folding motion. After mixing, fan the hot rice mixture to remove moisture and to cool it. This should take about 10 minutes. The rice will have a nice sheen and be slightly chewy with just a touch of stickiness.
Important: The rice is not to be refrigerated and should be used within an hour after preparation. Keep the rice covered with a clean cloth and at room temperature until you are ready to make your rolls. Makes enough rice for about 4 rolls.

Low Carb Sushi Rolls &
Carbohydrate Count for Sushi and California Roll Ingredients:

Sushi Rice: Roll 29 grams; Nigiri (2 pcs) 14.5 grams
Crab 0; Tuna 0; Salmon 0; Avocado 1.5 grams; Cream Cheese .4 grams; Kewpie Mayo 0;
Sriracha 0; Cucumber .5 grams; Nori (seaweed) 0; California Roll: appox. 31.5 grams

Want to make Low Carb Sushi Rolls? Just omit the rice! Nori is a vegetable, so no carbs. Add extra fish and vegetables to take the place of the rice. Or use Cucumber instead of the rice and nori to wrap the roll! It can be challanging to cut the cucumber, but well worth the effort! You need a thin sashimi knife (one that is long enough to cover the length of the cucumber and has an evenly thin blade. Have you ever seen someone use a knife to skin an apple to get the skin off in one piece? That's what I'm referring to. You have to skoochy the knife under the skin evenly and keep it going around and around until you have a wide enough piece to make a roll. (I hope that made sense! If not, email me and I'll get into as much detail as I can!) A cucumber roll like this is best served with ponzu sauce. The cucumber enhances the flavors of the ingredients making it very light and refreshing! You can also use the Soy Wraps instead of the nori or cucumber.

Katsuo Tataki (Seared Ahi Tuna with Ponzu)
Sesame oil to grease pan; 3/4 pound Ahi fillet; 1/3 cup negi (very finely shredded lengthwise);
1 ounce (4-inch piece) ginger root (very finely shredded lengthwise); 1-2 cloves garlic (finely chopped); 1/2 lemon (thinly sliced); 1/3 cup Ponzu Sauce; 1/4 cup shredded daikon;
1 heaped tablespoon finely grated daikon mixed with shichimi togarashi (or cayenne) to taste

Heat a lighty greased nonstick frying pan. Put in the ahi fillet, skin side up, and sear just until the outside of the fish turns white. Flip and sear the other side, then soak in iced water for 10-15 seconds to chill. Wipe away any moisture and marinade the whole fillet with half of the negi, ginger, garlic, lemon and half of the ponzu sauce. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 10 minutes. Cut the marinated ahi in 1/2 inch slices. Arrange the ahi on a bed of daikon strips garnished with the remaining sliced green onion, ginger and garlic on a platter. Arrange the remaining lemon slices and the seasoned grated daikon on the side and serve either at room temperature or chilled.

2 eggs, beaten; 1 1/2 tbl of dashi stock OR 1 tsp of dashi no moto & 1 1/2 tbl of water; 2 tsp sake;
1/2 tsp salt; vegetable oil for frying; optional: Tamago Pan
Mix the eggs, dashi, sake and salt together in a bowl. Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium-low heat. Pour just enough of the mixture to thinly cover the bottom of the pan. As soon as it starts to "set", fold the omelette in half towards you and wipe the empty space in the pan with a little oil.

Keeping the first omelette in the pan, repeat this process of frying and folding. Each new one is laid onto the previous omelette creating a multi-layered omelette. When the mixture is all cooked, gently remove the omelette to a wood chopping board and let it cool. If your tamago comes out a little watery, you can gently absorb some of the liquid by pressing a paper towel over it. Tamago tastes wonderful warm or cold, but please keep any leftovers refrigerated.

Chirashi means "to scatter" and that's the secret to making this simple and fun dish. Choose your ingredients - whatever you feel like - shrimp, crab, tako, and vegetables are standard ingredients. Start by putting about a cup of sushi rice in your serving bowl, then simply add your ingredients on top. This is the perfect dish to serve guests with different tastes and preferences. You can even put the ingredients out for your guests to choose what they like best.

Chakinzushi is a traditional style of egg wrapped sushi resembling a lady's drawstring purse. It gets its name from a chakin which is a linen cloth for wiping wet instruments during the Japanese tea ceremony (sado), where it is frequently served. To form, wrap a thin omelet (crepe thin) around a small ball of shari, gather the omelet at the top and tie with a blanched strand of mitsuba (trefoil), parsley, cooked kampyo (bottleneck gourd strips) or a round, thin slice of green pepper. Decorate the top of the ruffled egg wrapper with a single green pea on a bed of pink fish powder (sakura, denbu), or a small boiled shrimp. A garnish of kuro goma (black sesame seeds) lends a final touch of elegance to an already exquisite presentation.

Another type of sushi that is traditionally served during the famous tea ceremony is fukusazushi. (A fukusa is a silk cloth used for wiping dry tea instruments.) To prepare, wrap a small cube of rice in a thin, square omelet, much like chakinzushi, fold the omelet neatly over the rice as you would wrap a birthday gift. The "package" should be about the size and shape of a thick folded handkerchief. Band with a thin strip of nori, soy paper or temaki katsu sheet and tie with a knot.

Stuffed Fried Soybean Curd Bags or Aburage - Aburage is the fried tofu; Inari is the fried tofu bag that is made from it.

To make Inari from scratch, you start with Tofu and deep fry it. It will then become "layered" within the fried block of tofu. Next, you cut it in thin slices which then become the "bean curd bag." From here, you follow the directions below.

You can buy this in a can or package and either should have directions on it. If it doesn't, try this: Prepare the fried bean curd by pouring boiling water over them to remove excess oil. A package is assumed to contain 10 sheets of the aburage. Cut into halves and pull open the center of the pieces, making bags. In a saucepan, combine 2/3 cup dashi broth, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon sake. Bring to a boil and simmer the bean curd bags for 10 to 15 minutes until the liquid is almost absorbed. Remove from heat, drain and cool. Press out remaining liquid with a clean cloth.

Add 2 teaspoons of heated sesame seeds to the sushi rice, and/or add small pieces of mushroom, carrot, dried gourd or other vegetables cooked in the same liquid as the bean curd. Fill the bags with the rice mixture and roll the top of the bean curd over the rice to enclose it.

Edamame - Frozen Soy Bean Pods - Steam or Microwave with water until slightly firm (not hard, not mushy), drain, sprinkle with sea salt, serve immediately. For a nice touch, serve them on Banana Leaves. Pronounced [ed/ah/mah/may] and no, you don't eat the pods, just the beans ;-)

Baked Green Mussels - Sushi Bar Style (Makes 4 Servings of 2 half shells per serving)
Green Mussels - 8 (fresh or frozen); Imitation Crab - 4 sticks; Green Onions finely chopped; Dynamite Sauce
When using fresh or frozen mussels, boil in water just until shells open, then rinse with cold water. Separate loose shells and remove mussels. Dry and cube mussels and imitation crab meat.
Make Dynamite Sauce (Remember: The mayo absorbs the heat from the chili sauce, so less mayo = hotter) Gently add mussels and crab to mixture and set aside.
Clean (with water only!) and dry shells then put on baking sheet (for the oven), aluminum foil, or mini broiler pan (for toaster oven). Divide the mixture based on 2 half shells per person, spread into shells, then sprinkle green onions on top. Bake approximately 5 minutes until Dynamite Sauce is golden brown.

Baked Scallops
Follow the Baked Mussels recipe above, but use Frozen Bay Scallops instead of the mussels. Let the scallops thaw until room temperature, then chop. You can use the Mussel Shells to cook them in or small baking dishes.
Experiment to find the way you like it best - Leave out the crab; Use scallops and mussels; Use only scallops...

Sweet Eel Sauce (Nitsume or Tsume) - This is a recipe from a visitor, and he has agreed to let me share it: "Nick's Quick Nitsume -

Since I don't have any extra eel heads/skeletons lying around, I used Dashi which being a fish/kelp stock has a similar taste. I think mirin is just cheap sake with corn syrup, so I just use a good sake and a little extra sugar instead of mirin, it tastes better. Yields 1/2 to 2/3 cup Nitsume

Combine in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat reducing the original volume by roughly 80%. Starting with this much Dashi & Sake is important, as the flavor concentrates and turns into that signature Nitsume taste. Once reduced to 2/3 cup it doesn't "thread" while hot, but when cooled to room temperature it has the viscosity of maple syrup. As far as how long the nitsume takes, it all depends on how fast you reduce it. You can probably do it in about an hour. The previous recipes I tried tasted odd and a bit too salty because they had too much shoyu and not enough dashi. This recipe comes as close to perfect as I could make, and beats many of the Nitsumes in the sushi-bars I've been to!" Thank you so much for sharing this, Nick!

When thinned to a more pourable viscosity with saké, it is referred to as Kabayaki No Taré. Taré is commonly used on boiled squid (niika), squid legs (geso), and occasionally, the edge meat of hirame (engawa).

Feeling brave? Try the traditional recipe for Sweet Eel Sauce: The sauce is made from the WHOLE eel (from head to tail!). Add the entire eel to 7 parts water, 1 part soy sauce, 1 part mirin (cooking sake), and 1 part sake. Let it boil for one hour. Strain and bring to a boil again. Add 4 cups of white sugar. Sweeten to taste. If it is too salty, add more sugar and/or sake. Make sure the alcohol burns off and cook until it thickens.

Ponzu - This sauce is traditionally made with the finely grated skin of yuzu (a highly aromatic lime-like Japanese citrus fruit) or sudachi (a sharp tasting, lemon-like Japanese citrus fruit which is usually in season when yuzu is not and visa versa). In America, a 2:1 mixture of lemon to lime with a little orange juice or tangerine zest is a close substitute for taste but not aroma. The resulting sauce will keep in the refrigerator for over a month.
1 cup soy sauce; 3/4 cup lemon juice; 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar; 1/2 cup katsuobushi

Boil soy sauce in a pan, add katsuobushi and let cool. Drain the katsuobushi from the soy sauce, then mix soy sauce with rice vinegar and lemon juice.

Another version is:
1/4 cup su (rice vinegar); 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice OR a 2:1 mixture of lemon and lime;
1-2 Tbsp of finely grated tangerine skin or orange juice; 1/3 cup tamari; 1 Tbsp mirin (optional) - This reduces the sourness of the sauce, giving it an added dimension
Mix all ingredients together and let mature overnight for the best flavor.

Nikiri Sauce - Thinly brush this sauce on the fish portion of any nigiri sushi that is normally dipped in shoyu, just before serving. It is usually not provided as a dipping sauce, except with certain types of sashimi. This is the main nigiri sauce commonly used in Japan and it leaves a thin, sweet glaze that adds as much to the appearance of nigiri as it does to its taste.
1/4 to 1/3 cup mirin; 1 cup shoyu
In a small saucepan, combine both ingredients. Heat to boiling and simmer about ten minutes to slightly thicken the sauce and mellow its flavor. Allow it to cool before using.

Sanbai Zu - Excellent dipping sauce for vinegared crab or marinated mackerel (shime saba)
Combine 1/2 cup su (unseasoned rice vinegar), 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup of prepared dashi, 1 tbsp shoyu, and 1/4 cup sugar in a non-metallic saucepan. Heat on low, stirring with a wooden or plastic spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool before using. This sauce will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

Soba Tsuyu - This sauce is excellent for fried rolls, such as a Spider roll (deep fried crab) or an Ika roll (squid) and for Tempura.
1 cup prepared dashi; 3 Tbsp shoyu; 2 Tbsp mirin; 2 Tbsp katsuobushi flakes
Mix the dashi, shoyu and mirin in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Add the katsuobushi flakes and continue boiling for one minute. Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or a coffee filter and allow to cool. The sauce may be sprinkled with shichimi togarashi when served.

Tosa Joyu, Wasabi Joyu, & Karashi Joyu (*Tosa Zuyu) - This recipe is for those who prefer a fuller bodied sauce than soba tsuyu or ten tsuyu. It can be used similarly.
1/2 cup shoyu; 1/4 cup katsuobushi flakes; 2 Tbsp mirin or sake; 1/4 cup su (for tosa zuyu only);
1 Tbsp finely grated tangerine skin or orange juice (for tosa zuyu only);
1 Tbsp wasabi or karashi powder (for wasabi joyu or karashi joyu only)

Prepare this sauce the same way as soba tsuyu and ten tsuyu. Mix the shoyu and mirin in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Add the katsuobushi flakes and continue boiling for one minute. Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or a coffee filter and allow it to cool. It may be served with red pepper flakes, but is usually not served with the other condiments.

To make wasabi joyu or karashi joyu, mix one tbsp of the appropriate powder in an equal amount of water and allow it to stand for a couple minutes until its bitterness subsides. Blend evenly into the sauce. Karashi joyu tastes great on bonito sashimi.

*Note: When making Tosa Zuyu, eliminate the mirin and instead use 2 tbsp of sake, together with 1/4 cup rice vinegar. Add 1 tbsp of grated tangerine peel or orange juice as a substitute for yuzu peel.

Chirizu - A spicy dipping sauce for shiromi (white fleshed fish) and fried seafood.
1/4 cup lemon juice; 1/4 cup shoyu or tamari; 1/4 cup grated daikon; 2 tbl saké;
1/4 tsp shichimi or nanami togarashi (7-pepper spice); 1 or 2 thinly sliced negi (thin green onions)
Combine all ingredients and allow the flavors to blend for at least a 1/2 hour. If storing the sauce in the refrigerator, use tamari instead of shoyu, to avoid settling of the wheat. The alcohol can be removed from the saké, if desired, by heating it to boiling. If this is done, allow the saké to cool before adding it to the sauce.

Somé Oroshi - 1/4 cup lemon juice; 1/4 cup shoyu or tamari; 2 tbl saké; 1 or 2 thinly sliced negi (thin green onions)
Combine all ingredients and allow the flavors to blend for at least a 1/2 hour. If storing the sauce in the refrigerator, use tamari instead of shoyu, to avoid settling of the wheat. The alcohol can be removed from the saké, if desired, by heating it to boiling. If this is done, allow the saké to cool before adding it to the sauce.

Teriyaki Sauce - Although available bottled, the fresh sauce is more flavorful. Use this sauce to marinate meat, fish or chicken before grilling or broiling. It also adds a unique flavor when used to reconstitute dried shiitake mushrooms and kampyo (gourd strips).
1/4 cup shoyu; 1 large clove garlic, crushed; 1 1/2 - 2 Tbl mirin; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 Tbl finely chopped fresh ginger root
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients and allow to stand in a refrigerator for at least an hour for the flavors to blend. This is enough marinade for about one pound of meat or fish. Let the food marinate in the refrigerator for one to four hours to obtain the optimum flavor. After the food is finished marinating, brush the remaining teriyaki sauce on the meat during cooking for a nice glaze, and to intensify the flavor. Teriyaki grilled shiromi (white meat fish) goes well with oroshi (grated daikon), in chirashizushi, and in rolls with shiso (leaf), kaiware (daikon sprouts), yamagobo (pickled burdock) and kyuri (cucumber).

Green Tea Ice Cream - 17 ounces Vanilla Ice Cream; 1 Tbsp warm water;
1 Tbsp Matcha (powdered green tea)
Soften ice cream in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes. Do not allow it to melt. Mix the matcha powder and warm water in a cup and stir well to make a smooth paste. Put half the ice cream into a mixing bowl. Add the matcha paste and mix thoroughly, then add the rest of the ice cream. Stop mixing when the ice cream looks marbled or continue until it is a uniform pale green color. Feel free to experiment and add more matcha for a stronger green tea flavor. Put the bowl of ice cream in the freezer for one hour. Serves 4

Green Tea Yogurt - 1 tsp of matcha; 1 16 oz plain yogurt; 2 Tbsp Honey (or to taste)
Mix green tea into yogurt, then add honey and mix well. Let stand two minutes before serving.

Matcha Shortbread Cookies - 1 lb unsalted butter room temperature; 1 cup confectioner's sugar;
1 tsp salt; 2 Tbsp Green Tea Powder (Matcha); 4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream butter in a bowl with an electric mixer using the paddle attachment. Add confectioner's sugar and salt. Sift the tea and flour together and add to the butter mixture. Mix until just incorporated. Roll dough out to 1/3-inch thick between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Transfer to a baking sheet and chill until firm, at least 30 minutes. Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Remove top piece of plastic and cut into desired shapes using Japanese vegetable cutters. Re-roll excess dough as necessary. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place on top of another baking sheet to prevent overbaking. Bake for 16 minutes; rotate pan and bake for another 16 minutes, or until they feel firm when scratched with a fingernail. Take care not to let the edges brown; matcha shortbread cookies should maintain their green color. Cool, and serve with green tea ice cream. Makes 9 dozen small cookies

Matcha Chocolate Chip Cake - 4 eggs; 1 3/4 cup flour; 1 1/2 cup sugar; 3/4 cup butter softened;
2 Tbsp Green Tea Powder (Matcha)

Add sugar to softened butter and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, then mix eggs and butter mixture together. Shift flour and green tea powder together, then add it to the egg and butter mixture mixing well. Lastly, add chocolate chips. Coat in the inside of a medium loaf pan with butter then place baking wax paper inside. Pour batter into the pan. Bake in preheated 360F oven for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Matcha Mousse - Serves 4 to 6 - 3/4 cup soy milk; 4 Tbsp sugar; 1 Tbsp matcha powder; 2 egg yolks; 1/2 cup fresh cream; 1 package gelatin; 1/4 cup water

Whip the cream in a separate bowl until very soft peaks form, carefully fold this into the matcha mixture. Pour into cups or ramekins and refrigerate until firm. Serve plain or top with a little sweetened whipped cream.

Green Tea Layer Cake - (makes one 2 layer 9 inch rounds or one sheet)
Ingredients (Cake): 1 cup all-purpose flour; 1 cup cake flour; 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 3 eggs
4 tsp powdered green tea; 1 1/4 cups white sugar; 1 cup vegetable oil; 1 cup plain yogurt;
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Ingredients (Green Tea Frosting): 1 1/4 cups confectioner's sugar; 2 tsp powdered green tea;
2 tbsp butter, softened; 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened; 1/2 tsp vanilla extract;
1 1/2 tsp milk

DIRECTIONS - Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2 - 9 inch round pans. Sift together the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt, and 4 tsp. of green tea powder; set aside. In a large bowl, beat together sugar, oil, and eggs until smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat the yogurt into the flour mixture just until incorporated. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 30 minutes before removing from pans.

To make Green Tea Frosting - Sift together confectioner's sugar and green tea powder. In a medium bowl, combine tea mixture with butter, cream cheese, vanilla and milk. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

To assemble the cakes - When the cakes are completely cooled, put one layer on a flat serving plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting over it. Place the other layer of cake on top, and spread frosting to cover the top and sides of cake. Dust with green tea powder if desired. Serve cold or at room temperature. (submitted by: Suki)

Put the beans in a large pan, add water to cover well and bring to a boil. Drain. Return drained beans to pan, add 3 cups of water and soak the beans for about 24 hours*.

After 24 hours, do NOT pour out water, but discard any floating beans. Put pan with beans and water on high heat until a full boil. Simmer over very low heat, half covered with lid, for 1 hour. Add little water to prevent sticking and/or burning, stir gently and frequently until all water is absorbed and beans are very soft.
Add the sugar and stir well until the beans are completely crushed. Add a pinch of salt. Use a rolling pin or large pestle to mash beans into paste form.

* If you want to retain the shape, color and flavor of the beans for the particular dish you're making, do not soak the beans. Go directly to the next step in the recipe which is (after the first boil and drain, add 3 cups of water) bring to a full boil. Do not crush or mash the beans. Makes about 1 1/4 pound

Mix the an with vanilla ice cream (see Green Tea Ice Cream recipe for ideas) to make a great dessert.

1 cup all-purpose flour plus extra; 2 tsp cornstarch; 1 egg; 1 1/2 cups ice water; Vegetable or Peanut Oil
Combine flour, cornstarch, egg, and ice water. On a separate plate put some extra flour. Prepare the vegetable, meat or fish you'll be frying then fill a deep frying pan with oil about 1 1/2 inches and heat. Check the temperature of the oil by dropping a dab of tempura batter into it. The temperature is right if the piece drops halfway and then floats back to the surface. If it goes to the bottom the oil is still too cold. Dredge the vegetables, fish or meat in the flour then batter and fry until golden brown.

(Soba Zuyu) soba soup broth
1 cup dashi; 3 Tbl shoyu; 2 Tbl mirin; 2 Tbl katsuobushi flakes; 1/3 cup su; 1 Tbl shaved tangerine skin

Mix the dashi, shoyu and mirin in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Add the katsuobushi flakes and continue boiling for one minute. Strain the mixture through a cheese cloth or a coffee filter and allow to cool. Add the rice vinegar (su) and finely grated tangerine skin. The sauce may be sprinkled with shichimi togarashi when served.

Tsukemono Ocha-zuke (Rice with Green Tea & Pickles) - 4 cups rice; 2 cups hot green tea;
1/2 cup Japanese pickles, chopped into small pieces; 1 sheet toasted nori, shredded
Divide warm rice between 4 bowls, pour tea over the rice (also evenly divided), sprinkle 2 tbl of pickles over rice; garnish with nori. Serves 4

Amazu (Sweet Vinegar Dressing - This is a simple sauce used for marinating vegetables and as a salad dressing. It is also the dressing used for Sunomono Salad.)
To make this sauce, combine 1/2 cup su, 1/4 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, to make enough for 2 servings.

Sunomono Salad - Amazu dressing; 1 cucumber; grated daikon*; 1/3 ounce dried wakame* seaweed; carrot for garnish; some salt
Thinly slice the cucumber and pour the salt over it and leave for 15 minutes. Gently rinse the salt off with water using a strainer. Put the wakame in hot water for 5 minutes to soften it, then place it in cold water until it is cold, then rinse very well with cold water. Grate some daikon and/or cut tiny slices of carrot for garnishes, then divide the ingredients into 2 bowls with the cucumber on the bottom and pour the dressing over it. Makes 2 servings. * optional

Variations of Sunomono Salad:
Kani Su (Crab) - Add 6 ounces of real crab or artificial crab.
Ebi Su (Shrimp) - Include cleaned, butterflied, blanched shrimp.
Tako Su (Octopus) - Include thinly sliced, blanched octopus for this dish.

Kani Salad - Kani Salad is a simple appetizer that's really easy to make and gives you a mouthful of slightly spicy crab with every bite. The recipe isn't exact, but use your taste to guide you: Shredded Imitation Crab, add small slices of cucumber, then mix with Kewpie Mayo, but go light to begin with! The flavor of crab is delicate so you don't want to over power it! Add a couple of drops of Srircha Hot Chili Sauce to start and adjust to taste. Mix in a little (start with one teaspoon) of Masago (little crunchy orange roe). Make sure the masago is fresh!

Ginger Salad Dressing - ½ knob of fresh ginger; ½ cup of salad oil; ½ cup of rice vinegar;
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste; 1 tsp of light soy sauce for color; optional: ½ of green onion minced OR 5 cloves of garlic minced. After you peel the ginger, mince or grate it fine. Mix together and adjust to suit your taste.

Sesame Seed Dressing - 3 tbsp white sesame seed (toasted and ground); 1 ½ tbsp of dashi;
1 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp rice vinegar; ½ tbsp light soy sauce; ½ tbsp sesame seed oil
Mix together and mix well between servings.

Salmon Skin Salad - I'm looking for the dressing recipe for this wonderful salad!

One of my favorite salads is Ika Sansai (ee/kah san/seye) which is known as Squid Salad, Mountain Vegetables with Squid Salad, or Smoked Squid Salad. I have asked around about this and I have found that almost, if not all, sushi bars buy this frozen through a distributor in Japan. Although I know most of the ingredients in Ika Sansai, I don't know the measurements, and here's the real problem - some of the vegetables are not available outside of Japan.

*News Flash - here is the list of ingredients: squid, vinegar, kikurage mushroom, ginger, sugar,yamakurage (lettuce stem), bracken fern, sesame oil, soy sauce (soybean, water, wheat flour, salt) bamboo shoot, sesame seed, salt, bonito extract, kelp extract, red pepper, sweet rice wine, rice wine, high fructose corn syrup, xanthan gum, annatto.

If YOU can find a recipe that you want to share for this or something else, please email me and I'll be happy to put it up here and mention your name if you wish :-)