Fish Trip Cafe

This is a super quick and easy rice bowl dish.

The combination of caramelised sweet soy sauce and sardine is simply delicious.

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— Caramelised Soy Sardine Bowl (serves 1)—

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tin sardine in oil, drained

1 serving cooked rice

Spring onion (for garnish), finely chopped

Ginger (for garnish), finely julienned

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Mix the soy sauce, mirin and sugar in a small bowl.

Heat a frying-pan, add the sardines and cook for 1 minutes on both sides over a medium heat.

Pour the sauce in the frying-pan, turning the sardines several times to coat well with the sauce, cook until the sauce became thick.

Place rice in a bowl, top with the sardines, chopped spring onion and ginger.

This is a spring dish.

It looks like the yellow flowers of tenderstem broccoli are blooming in a bowl.

I hope spring is coming soon.

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— Tenderstem Broccoli and Egg Rice (serves 2-3) —

300g rice (Japanese short grain white rice, or sushi rice)

400ml water

2 tablespoons sake (rice wine)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

10cm square kombu

100g tenderstem broccoli

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

2 eggs

A pinch of salt

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Rinse the rice in a clod water, changing the water several times until the water runs almost clear.

Drain the washed rice in a sieve and place in a saucepan.

Add the water, sake and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the pan, place the kombu on top of the rice and cover with tight-fitting lid.

Bring to the boil over high heat and let cook for 2 minute. Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer (always cover the pan with a lid) for 15 minute. Remove from the heat, still covered, and leave the pan for another 10 minutes.

Bring a pot of water to boil and add a pinch of salt. Cook the tenderstem broccoli until soft but still crunchy (about 30 seconds – 1 minute), rinse in cold water, drain and squeeze excess water. Cut the tenderstem broccoli into 0.8 inch, toss with the light soy sauce.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Heat a frying-pan, pour the eggs and stir continuously until they form finer scrambled eggs.

Add the tenderstem broccoli and scrambled eggs in to the cooked rice, mix everything together gently.

Ochazuke is a simple and easy Japanese dish. Pouring hot tea over cooked rice, roughly in the same proportion as milk over cereal, and topped with savoury toppings. It’s popular as a light meal or after-drinking snack in Japan.

In the olden days in Kyoto, when a host asks if you want to eat ochazuke, it means you have overstayed their welcome and it being politely asked to leave.
But don’t worry, it’s the custom of the past. If you are offered ochazuke in Kyoto now, then just enjoy :)

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— Salmon Ochazuke (serves 2) —

1 piece salmon fillet

Sea salt

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup cooked short grain white rice

2 cups Japanese green tea

1/2 sheet nori, finely shredded with kitchen scissors

1/2 spring onion, finely sliced

Wasabi paste

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Rub the salmon fillet with a generous amount of sea salt.

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying-pan, cook the salmon on both sides over a medium heat until cooked through. Break the salmon into chunks.

Place the cooked rice in a bow, top with the salmon, nori, spring onion and a little wasabi paste.

Pour hot green tea over the rice.

Creamy pumpkin risotto. Dreamy pumpkin head.

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— Creamy Pumpkin Risotto (serves 2) —

1 tablespoon butter

4 sage leaves

40g butter

300g pumpkin, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

160g risotto rice

100ml white wine

500ml hot chicken stock or vegetable stock

50ml single cream

40g parmesan cheese, grated

Black pepper

Some shaved or grated parmesan cheese for garnish

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Place the 1 tablespoon of butter in a frying-pan and heat over medium heat. Place the fresh sage leaves into the heated butter and cook until crispy (about 30 seconds each side. Don’t make them brown). Remove them on a kitchen paper. Set aside.

Melt the 40g butter in a flying-pan over medium heat, add the chopped pumpkin and stir-fry until just tender. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the chopped shallots and garlic, sauté over medium heat until softened.

Add the risotto rice, stir for 5 minutes until the rice start to turn translucent at the edges.

Add the white wine, cook and stirring until all the wine has been absorbed.

Add the cooked pumpkin and pour in a ladle of chicken stock, stirring continuously. When the stock has been absorbed, stir in another ladleful. Continue adding the stock in this way until all the stock has been absorbed.

Add the single cream, stirring until it has been absorbed. The rice should be al dente. Stir through the grated parmesan cheese.

Transfer the risotto to serving plates, sprinkle with black pepper, garnish with parmesan cheese, top with the sautéed sage leaf.

In Japan, children are taught not to leave even one grain of rice in your rice bowl, because there are seven rice gods residing in every single grain of rice, so we shouldn’t waste them.
This custom to ‘finish all the food served for you’ contains expression of gratitude for food and appreciate farmers who produced the food.

Anyway, I calculated how many rice gods in this rice ball when I was making them today.

100g of rice = about 4300 grains of rice.
I used 300g of rice for 8 small rice balls.
So, 11287 rice gods residing in each rice ball.

Mmm… they must feel so cramped.

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— Grilled Rice Balls with Spicy Miso (8 rice balls) —

300g rice (Japanese short grain white rice, or sushi rice)

420ml water

Some salt

2 tablespoons spring onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons miso paste (light brown coloured miso is preferred)
*please see this link for more information about miso

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder

Some sesame oil for frying

1/2 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

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Rinse the rice in a clod water, changing the water several times until the water runs almost clear.

Drain the washed rice in a sieve and place in a saucepan.

Pour 420ml water in the pan and cover with tight-fitting rid.

Bring to the boil over high heat and let cook for 2 minute. Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer (always cover the pan with a rid) 15 minute. Remove from the heat, still covered, and leave the pan for another 10 minutes.

Place the chopped spring onion, miso paste, mayonnaise, sugar and chilli powder in a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.

Divide the cooked rice into 8 equal portions.

Wet the palms of your hands and then lightly sprinkle them with salt.

Form the rice into circle shape.

Heat a frying-pan on medium heat with a little bit of sesame oil. Fry each side of the rice balls until lightly golden.

Transfer the rice balls onto the baking tray. Spread the miso mixture on the rice balls.

Preheat broiler, position the backing tray approximately 6 inches away from top heating element. Broil about 5 minutes, until the miso mixture starts to brown.

Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Japanese style salmon rice with lemon and soy sauce flavoured spring onion salad topping. This dish remind me of my hometown and mum’s cooking.

I grew up near the river where salmon are born and return. It was amazing to see how they remember the birthplace and swim back hundreds of miles upstream to reach their home.

Home is special for everybody.

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— Salmon Rice with Spring Onion Salad (serves 2-3) —

300g rice (Japanese short grain white rice, or sushi rice)

420ml water

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

200g salmon fillets

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon sake (rice wine)

60g spring onion

1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon  sesame oil

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Rinse the rice in a clod water, changing the water several times until the water runs almost clear.

Drain the washed rice in a sieve and place in a saucepan.

Pour the water in the pan and cover with tight-fitting lid.

Bring to the boil over high heat and let cook for 2 minute. Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer (always cover the pan with a lid) 15 minute. Remove from the heat, still covered, and leave the pan for another 10 minutes.

Roast the sesame seeds in a dry frying-pan over medium-low heat until golden. Set aside.

Sprinkle the salmon fillet evenly with the sea salt, cover and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Heat the grill or grill pan over medium heat, skin side down and grill for 3-4 minutes, carefully turn over and grill for another 3-4 minutes.

Break up the grilled salmon into small pieces with a fork. Sprinkle with the sake and mix.

Add the salmon and roasted sesame seeds into the cooked rice and gently mix everything.

Place the fresh lemon juice, light soy sauce and sesame oil in a small bowl and mix well to make dressing.

Cut the spring onion into very thin slivers. Toss with the dressing.

Transfer the salmon rice to bowls. Arrange the spring onion salad on top.

I got drunk while I was cooking this red wine risotto (added the red wine to the risotto rice and to myself too).
And, I feel already happy even before I have the lovely bordeaux coloured Sunday lunch.

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— Red Wine Risotto (serves 2) —

50g butter

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

140g risotto rice

300ml hot chicken stock

300ml dry red wine

40g parmesan cheese, grated

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Heat the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium heat, add the onion and garlic and cook until softened.

Add the rice and thyme, stir for 5 minutes until the rice start to turn translucent at the edges.

Add half of the red wine, stir continuously until all the wine has been absorbed. Pour in a ladle of chicken stock, stirring continuously. When the stock has been absorbed, stir in another ladleful. Continue adding the stock in this way until all the stock has been absorbed.

Add the remaining red wine to the risotto, in the same way as the stock, stirring continuously until it has been absorbed. The rice should be al dente.

Stir in half of the grated parmesan cheese just before serving.

Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan cheese on top of the risotto.

I trust the power of spinach.

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— Spinach Risotto (serves 2) —

200g fresh spinach, washed

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

180g arborio rice

100ml white wine

500ml chicken stock

A pinch of grated nutmeg

1/2 tablespoon butter

40g parmesan cheese, grated

Some grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Black pepper

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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add washed spinach and cook about 1 minute. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. Gather up the spinach and squeeze out excess water. Chop the spinach into small pieces. Set aside.

Heat the chicken stock in a pan and keep it gently simmering.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan, add the chopped onion and garlic, stir-fry for about 5 minutes over a medium heat until the onion has softened.

Add the arborio rice, stirring until all of the rice is coated in the oil. Add the white wine and boil for 1 minutes.

Add the simmering chicken stock a ladleful at a time, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until all the stock is absorbed. When the rice is almost ready, stir in the spinach and butter.

Remove from the heat and stir in the grated parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Season with salt, if needed.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Mushroom season.

This is a popular Japanese seasonal dish made of rice cooked with a variety of wild mushrooms and dashi stock.

Enjoy the aroma and flavour of autumn.

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— Mushroom Rice (serves 4) —

450g Japanese rice

250g mixed mushrooms (shiitake mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, oyster mushrooms)

450ml dashi stock (see how to make dashi stock)

3 tablespoons rice wine (sake)

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon butter

Some chives, finely chopped

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Wash the rice in a strainer under running water. Set aside.

Trim off the bottom of the mushroom stems. Broil the mushrooms until lightly browned. Make the mushrooms into bite sized pieces (slice the shiitake mushrooms, separate the shimeji mushrooms and tear the oyster mushrooms).

Place the rice wine and light soy sauce in a bowl and toss with the bite sized mushrooms.

Place the washed rice and dashi stock in a heavy sauce pan.

Pour the mushrooms and sauce in a bowl in a pan and put the butter on the top. Cover with tight-fitting lid.

Bring to the boil over hight heat and let cook for 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to the lowest and simmer (always cover the pan with a lid) for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat, still covered, and leave the pan for another 10 minutes.

Open the rid, mix gently with a wooden spoon. Garnish with finely chopped chives.

Risotto balls with melted mozzarella cheese and fresh basil filling. Yum.

No wonder why this snack is Italian’s favourite.

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— Arancini (makes 10) —

1&1/2 tablespoon butter

1/3 onion, finely chopped

200g arborio rice

700ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

A pinch of black pepper

80g mozzarella cheese

2 eggs, beaten

5 basil leaves, torn in half

100g dried breadcrumbs

Oil for deep-flying

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Melt the butter in a heavy pan, add the finely chopped onion and sauté over low heat about 3 minutes until softened.

Add the rice and stir for 1 minutes to seal the rice.

Add the stock little by little, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes over medium-low heat until the rice is al dente.

Remove from the heat, stir in the parmesan cheese and the half amount of beaten egg. Season with the black pepper. Leave to cool completely.

Cut the mozzarella cheese into 10 cubes.

Divide the rice into 10 portions, take one portion in your hand , press the basil leaf and a cube of mozzarella cheese into middle. Shape the rice ball into a ball.

Roll the rice balls in beaten egg, then bread crumbs. Set aside.

Heat the deep-flying oil to 350F. Deep-fly the rice balls until evenly golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.