I'm Turning Japanese - Onishime Vegetables

Onishime Vegetables - a Japanese New Year's tradition makes a great side dish any time of year.

My mother was born and raised in Tokyo. My grandfather (who I never met) was the chef/owner of four Tokyo restaurants. How is it that I never learned to cook Japanese food?

The answer is simple. My father, stationed in Tokyo during the American Occupation of Japan, married my mother and whisked her from sophisticated city life to a simple life in Catfish Hollow, West Virginia. There she found Uncle Ben's Converted Rice, but no short grain rice; Ritz Crackers, but no rice crackers; dill weed, but no sea weed. The closest we came to any Asian food was Kikkoman's chow mein. (Come to think of it, the pre-packaged stuff was considered so precious that my mother horded it all to herself.)

But thanks to Hitomi, the instructor at the monthly cooking class at the Pasadena Buddhist Church, I'm learning the ropes of Japanese cooking. Most of the students are second (nisei) and third (sansei) generation Japanese Americans, who had abandoned tradition for convenience. Hitomi is contemptuous of processed foods and lazy shortcuts, such as using instant dashi powder instead of homemade dashi stock. The instant version is the equivalent of chicken boullion cubes in place of homemade chicken stock. That's a no-no in any language.

This simple dashi stock is the base for dozens of traditional Japanese foods, from miso soup to yosenabe (fish stew) to Onishime vegetables.

DASHI STOCK
(Recipe from Hitomi)

1 ½ oz. kelp (konbu), 20-inch length
2 qts. water
3 T. loose bonito flakes (2oz.)

- Moisten a clean cloth and wring well. Carefully but thoroughly wipe the surface of the kelp. Kelp should never be washed since flavor is lost in the process. - Place the cold water and kelp in a soup pot and leave about 30 minutes. Slowly bring to a boil over medium-low to medium heat. Regulate the heat so the water takes approximately 10 minutes to reach a boil.

- When fine bubbles begin to appear at the edges of the pot, remove the kelp from pot. (Do not allow the water to boil while kelp is in the pot.)

- Add ⅓-½ cup cold water. Add the bonito flakes.

- When the stock returns to a boil, remove it from the heat. When the bonito flakes sink to the bottom , strain to clarify. Do not wring the flakes.

ONISHIME

These vegetables are typically served for Japanese New Year's celebrations, but don't wait until then. The vegetables' rich, deep flavors, imparted from the dashi stock, soy sauce and mirin, are oishii any time of year.

Carrots
1 3/4 lb. carrots
1 1/2 cups dashi
4 T. sugar
2 T. mirin
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. salt

- Peel the carrots and cut into 1/2 inch long rounds.
- Cook in dashi about 4 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in sugar, mirin, soy sauce and salt.
- Turn down heat, keep at a simmer until almost tender.
(This same recipe can be used for shiitake mushrooms.)

I will definitely make these Onishime-style shiitake mushrooms at home because the preparation is simple and the outcome spectacular.

Gobo
1 3/4 lb. gobo (burdock root)
3 cups dashi
5 T sugar
2 T mirin
/3 C soy sauce

- Scrape and julienne gobo. Keep in cold water to avoid discoloration.
- Parboil about 10 minutes.
- Place parboiled gobo into a pot with dashi, sugar, mirin and soy sauce into a pot.
- Bring to a boil ovr high heat.
- Cover with a drop lid (otoshi-buta) and simmer until reduced by approximately 30%.

The drop lid is made from a circle of parchment with ventilation holes on top.

Renkon (Lotus Root)
1 lb. lotus root
2 cups dashi
1 1/2 T sugar
1 1/2 T mirin
2 1/2 T soy sauce

- Peel the renkon and cut into 1/3 inch pieces.
- Parboil renkon for about 3 minutes.
- Put renkon and dashi into a pot and cook about 5 minutes.
- Add sugar and mirin. Simmer 3-4 minuts and then add soy sauce.

Hitomi encourages to take the extra step to make our creations beautiful. We cut into the sides of the lotus root to make them look like flowers.

I won't kid you. What you see here requires lots of cutting, lots of pots, lots of watching and lots of time. No wonder this is typically done just once a year. But don't be afraid to prepare one vegetable. The depth of flavor is worth it.

(These recipes were submitted to Blazing Hot Wok's monthly regional recipe roundup. The Japanese event is being hosted by Wandering Chopsticks.)