海鮮鉄板焼き丼

SEAFOOD TEPPANYAKI

Serves 4–6

This feast is easy to prepare whether you’re a seasoned fish cook or a novice. Everything’s prepared so it’s more or less the same size and cooks in the same time so all the pieces stay juicy. Aromatic rice is a must to soak up all the juices – use either sushi rice or the slightly lighter Jasmine rice, if you prefer. Instead of making the dipping sauce here, you could try Japanese sesame sauce, Ponzu sauce or Yum Yum sauce.

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE (OR SEE INTRO)
TO SERVE

Put all the dipping sauce ingredients into a bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

Pour the rice into a sieve and rinse well. Put in a pan with 500ml (18fl oz/generous 2 cups) water and a good pinch of salt. Cover and bring to the boil. Turn down to the lowest setting and cook for 10 minutes, without lifting the lid. Take the pan off the heat, keeping the lid on, and set to one side while you cook the fish. As soon as the rice is cooked, drizzle over the seasoned vinegar and stir in. Keep the pan covered.

Heat a teppan or a large, flat frying pan until hot.

Put the white fish, salmon, squid, scallops and mussels into a large bowl. Drizzle the oil over the top, season, toss together and set aside.

Toss the shiitake mushrooms and spring onions in a little oil and season, then cook on the teppan or frying pan for 2–3 minutes until just golden and cooked through. Spoon into a bowl.

Add the white fish, salmon, squid and scallops to the pan and cook, in small batches if necessary, for 4–5 minutes each side, turning only once. Scoop out of the pan and set aside. Add the mussels to the pan and cook until they open. You may need to cover them with a lid at this stage to help them open. Pick out the mussel meat and discard the shells, then pop the mussel meat back into the pan – there should be some juices from cooking the mussels, too. Add the cooked seafood, fish, mushrooms and spring onions back into the pan and toss everything together to warm through.

Use a wooden spatula to spoon the rice onto a serving platter. Arrange the fish on top with the mushrooms and spring onions. Garnish with the nori seaweed and serve with the dipping sauce(s).

Seafood teppanyaki

鴨の鉄板焼き

TEPPANYAKI DUCK

Serves 4–6

Here’s a match for the classic French dish duck a l’orange, but made in super-quick time on the teppan (or frying pan). It’s important to render the fat by cooking the duck skin-side down first, so that the skin colours until golden and becomes crisp. If you can’t get hold of sake, dry sherry or shaoxing wine makes a good swap here.

Put the duck breasts on a board and use a sharp knife to score the fat in a criss-cross pattern, taking care not to cut too deeply into the meat.

Place the duck breasts, skin-side down, into a large, heavy-based frying pan (or on the teppan) and start to heat it. Place the pan over a low-medium heat and cook until the fat begins to render.

Turn the heat up a notch and sauté the breasts until the skin is golden brown. Turn over and cook briefly for around 1–2 minutes.

Remove the duck breasts from the pan and set them aside. Drain the duck fat into a jar for another use.

Place the pan back onto the heat and add the sake and sugar. Bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar and cook off the alcohol. Simmer until the sake reduces by around a third. Add the soy sauce and orange juice, season with black pepper and stir together, simmering for around 1 minute more to cook everything together. Taste the sauce and if it seems too strong, add a splash of water. If it lacks flavour and tastes weak, add a splash of tamari.

Add the duck back to the pan, skin-side up, and simmer while basting the skin until the duck breasts are cooked to your liking – they’re best served rosy pink.

Remove the pan from the heat and lift the duck onto a board. Add half the spring onions to the sauce and stir in. Slice the duck into thin slices.

Pour the sauce onto a platter, then arrange the duck on top and garnish with the remaining spring onions. Serve straightaway, on a bed of soba noodles, if you like.

Teppanyaki duck

牛肉の鉄板焼き

BEEF TEPPANYAKI

Serves 4–6

This dish combines the simplicity of the teppan method with some classic Asian flavours and we’ve found that it is very moreish! A good quantity of ground black pepper gives this a subtle kick of heat, too.

FOR THE MARINADE

Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the slices of beef and mix well. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour. If you need to marinate the beef for any longer, put it in a sealable container and chill. Take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to cook it.

Heat a teppan or a large, flat frying pan until hot. Add the sunflower or vegetable oil and, as soon as the oil has heated and is covering the bottom of the pan, add the sliced beef (reserve the marinade) and fry for 2–3 minutes until golden on each side. It should still be a little pink in the middle. Place on a warm serving dish.

Reduce the heat to low and, using the same teppan or pan, add the leftover marinade plus 1 tablespoon more of the sherry. Simmer for 1–2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a little.

Pour the sauce on top of the beef and serve straightaway.

春巻き

SPRING ROLLS

Makes 30

This recipe makes around 30 rolls, but you only need around 8 for the noodle bowl dish. Store the wrappers and filling in the fridge if you only want to make that amount and then wrap and finish the others within a day, when you have more time.

TO STORE
TO COOK FROM CHILLED
TO COOK FROM FROZEN

Soak the noodles in a bowl of warm water for 8–10 minutes until softened. Drain.

Heat the sesame oil in a wok or heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, beansprouts and carrot and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes, stirring until starting to soften.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2 more minutes, then add the soy sauce, rice wine, spring onions and coriander.

Transfer to a bowl, then stir in the noodles and leave to cool. Drain off any excess juices at the bottom of the bowl as they’ll make the spring rolls soggy.

Put the cornflour into a small bowl and stir in 3 tablespoons water – this is to help stick down and secure the edges of the spring roll wrappers.

Next, fill the spring rolls. Lay a sheet of spring roll pastry on a board, with one corner facing towards you.

Place about 1 tablespoon of the vegetable mixture around a third up from the bottom of the wrap. Fold the bottom point up and over the filling and roll up tightly. When you reach the middle, fold in the corners from either side and brush a little of the cornflour mixture onto the remaining corner. Finish rolling and seal by pressing the edge. Do the same with the remaining mixture and wrappers.

Fill a deep saucepan with oil and heat to 180°C/350°F. It’s ready when a cube of bread turns golden in about 20 seconds. Deep-fry the spring rolls in batches for 2–3 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. Put on a plate lined with kitchen paper and sprinkle with a little salt. Serve immediately.

野菜のボブん

VEGETARIAN NOODLE BOWL

Serves 4

There are lots of elements to this recipe, but it’s well worth making them all. The ginger teriyaki sauce can be made and chilled in advance and the vegetables can be prepped earlier, while the spring rolls can be made and chilled or frozen.

FOR THE GINGER TERIYAKI SAUCE
FOR THE TOFU

First make the sauce. Pour the soy sauce and sugar into a small pan and stir in the ginger purée or paste and 2 tablespoons cold water. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally, then bring to the boil. Lower the heat and let the sauce bubble for 6–7 minutes, until reduced slightly and thickened. Turn off the heat and set aside to cool.

Next, prepare the pressed tofu. Cut it into about 2cm (¾in) cubes (around 10 per serving). Put about 4 tablespoons of cornflour into a shallow dish and season with salt. Add the tofu in small batches and gently toss to coat, patting off any excess. Line a large plate with kitchen paper.

Pour enough oil into a heavy-based pan or wok until it is about 3–4cm (1¼–1½in) deep and heat over a medium heat. It’s ready when a cube of bread turns golden in about 20 seconds.

Carefully lower the tofu into the hot oil – in small batches to ensure the pieces don’t stick together – and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on the lined plate. Season with a little salt and keep warm.

Cook the rice noodles, following the instructions on the pack.

Divide the noodles among four bowls or lunch boxes, then layer the ingredients on top starting with the lettuce, cucumber, mint, coriander, carrot and edamame beans, followed by a few slices of chilli, if using.

Sprinkle over the fried onions and peanuts, then tuck the pieces of spring roll and the tofu down the side.

Drizzle over the ginger teriyaki sauce and serve straightaway. If you’re packing this up for lunch, divide the sauce between four small containers and pack with the salad.

Vegetarian noodle bowl

豆腐のボブん

TOFU WOK BOWL

Serves 4

With all its unique elements, this is a show-stopping dish. The tofu is chopped into Asian-style chunky tofu chips and they’re served alongside rice noodles and a creamy coconut curry, drizzled with a moreish sweet and sour sauce.

FOR THE TOFU
FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Make the sweet and sour sauce. Pour the soy sauce, lemon juice and caster sugar into a bowl and stir together to help the sugar to dissolve. Stir in the sesame oil and set aside while the sugar dissolves gradually.

Prepare the pressed tofu. Cut it into 12 oblongs, each about 7 x 2cm (2¾ x ¾in). Put 2 tablespoons of cornflour into a shallow dish and season with salt. Add the tofu a few pieces at a time. Gently toss to coat all the pieces, patting off any excess. Line a large plate with kitchen paper.

Pour enough oil into a wok or heavy-based pan until it is about 3–4cm (1¼–1½in) deep and heat over a medium heat. It’s ready when a cube of bread turns golden in about 20 seconds.

Carefully lower the tofu into the hot oil – in two batches, so the tofu doesn’t overcrowd the pan and stick together. Fry for about 4 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on the lined plate. Season with a little salt and keep warm.

Cook the rice noodles, following the instructions on the pack. Warm up the mixed vegetable curry if you have made it ahead.

Divide the rice noodles among four bowls. Top one side with an even portion of the tofu and the other side with the curry. Sprinkle over the peanuts, coriander and chilli.

Pour the sauce into a bowl to spoon over and serve.

Tofu wok bowl

野菜カレー

MIXED VEGETABLE CURRY

Serves 4

This recipe makes double the quantity for the tofu wok bowl, but keeps well in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water when you come to eat it again.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a teppan, a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmers, stir in the red onion and curry paste. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.

Add another 1 tablespoon oil, then the sweet potato and squash and stir-fry for a further 5 minutes to soften the vegetables.

Add the red pepper, courgette and broccoli. Season well and stir-fry for 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and briefly stir-fry until the mushrooms start to wilt. If using a teppan, scoop the vegetables into a saucepan and place over a medium heat.

Pour in the stock and coconut milk and add the lime leaves. Bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 8–9 minutes, uncovered, to thicken the sauce and finish cooking the vegetables, stirring occasionally. Stir in the basil and remove from the heat and serve.

炒飯

CLASSIC STIR-FRIED RICE

Serves 4

We’ve included instructions on how to prepare the rice, but this will turn into a meal-in-minutes if you have cooked rice in the fridge. You can rustle up a batch when you’re cooking other meals (you can store it in the fridge for up to a day). It’s important to fry off the carrot for a few minutes first, so don’t skip this stage.

Pour the rice into a sieve and rinse well. Tip into a saucepan and pour over 500ml (18fl oz/generous 2 cups) water. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt. Cover the pan and bring to the boil. As soon as the water boils, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Set the pan aside off the heat, without taking the lid off and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Spoon the rice onto a plate, drizzle over the seasoned vinegar and stir it in.

Heat a drizzle of the oil on a teppan or in a large wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. As soon as the oil has heated through and easily coats the base of the pan, add the carrot and cook for 2–3 minutes until it’s starting to soften. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and add the beaten eggs. Stir the eggs so they cook in the heat of the pan, like scrambled eggs.

Stir in the rice, then add a pinch of salt and the vegetable stock and mix together.

Add the sweetcorn, peas and carrot and continue to stir-fry for about 2 minutes, until everything’s heated through and the carrot is tender.

Taste to check the seasoning, then serve.

野菜たっぷり
チャーハン

STIR-FRIED RICE WITH VEGETABLES

Serves 4

This is an absolute classic and very easy to put together. Although it can be eaten just as it is, it also makes a great side dish, alongside chicken katsu or with a couple of spring rolls, if you have any stored in the freezer. For vegetarians, use vegetarian ‘oyster’ sauce instead and leave out the yakisoba sauce.

FOR THE FRIED RICE SAUCE

First, make the fried rice sauce. Put all the ingredients into a pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally, until you can no longer feel the grains of sugar against the sides of the pan. Bring to the boil, then take off the heat. Once completely cool, this can be stored in a sealed bottle in the fridge for up to five days.

Pour the rice into a sieve and rinse well. Tip into a saucepan and pour over 500ml (18fl oz/generous 2 cups) water. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to the boil. As soon as the water is boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Set the pan aside off the heat, without taking the lid off, and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Spoon the rice onto a plate, drizzle over the seasoned vinegar and stir it in.

Heat a teppan or a large, flat frying pan over a medium heat until hot. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. Set aside a small handful of the carrot, then add the remainder to the pan with the mushrooms and mangetout. Stir-fry until tender and the mangetout have turned bright green and are still a little crisp. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add another 1 tablespoon oil to the pan.

Put the cooked fried rice onto the teppan or into the frying pan and drizzle over 4 tablespoons fried rice sauce and stir to mix. Cook for a couple of minutes until heated through.

Return the mushrooms, carrot and mangetout to the pan with the peas and continue to stir-fry until everything is heated through. Season to taste.

Divide among four bowls and scatter over the spring onions and the reserved carrot.

Stir-fried rice with vegetables

チキンカツの
味噌うどん

CHICKEN KATSU NOODLES

Serves 4

There’s lots of wonderful textures to this recipe from the crunchy strips of crispy chicken katsu to the silky udon noodles. The miso sauce combines nutty sesame seeds, salty soy and miso, plus a dash of mirin for a touch of acidity. Use the Middle Eastern sesame paste, tahini, if you can’t get hold of the Japanese version, neri goma.

FOR THE CHICKEN KATSU
FOR THE MISO SAUCE (MAKES DOUBLE)

First make the miso sauce. Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir together until combined. Set aside.

Next, make the chicken katsu. Put the chicken breasts on a board and slice each one horizontally through the middle into two thin pieces. Lay between two sheets of clingfilm and bash with a rolling pin to flatten until they’re around 1cm (½in) thick.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons cornflour into a shallow dish. Beat the egg in another separate dish and put the breadcrumbs into another. Dip the chicken pieces first in the cornflour (patting off any excess), then in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs until they’re coated all over.

Heat 1–2 tablespoons oil in a large, flat frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the chicken pieces, in batches if necessary, until golden on one side (about 4–5 minutes), then turn over and fry on the other side until golden, about 4–5 minutes. Check the chicken is cooked – it should no longer be pink in the middle. Lift out onto a plate, sprinkle with a little salt and keep warm.

Heat the 2 tablespoons oil on the teppan or in a large, flat frying pan. As soon as the oil is hot and looks as though it’s shimmering, add the cabbage, spring onions and red pepper. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes on a high heat, until the veg are starting to turn tender. Lower the heat to medium.

Add the noodles to the cabbage mix, stir to break them up, sprinkle with 1–2 tablespoons cold water and season well. Drizzle over half the miso sauce (see tip) and half the teriyaki sauce, then continue to cook, tossing every few minutes until everything is heated through.

Slice each of the cooked chicken breasts on a board into 6 pieces.

To serve, divide the noodle mixture between four bowls and top with the chicken, then drizzle over the remaining teriyaki sauce.

TIP

Store the remaining quantity of miso sauce in the fridge and use within five days.

Chicken katsu noodles

豆腐焼きそば

STIR-FRIED NOODLES WITH TOFU

Serves 4

These bite-size chunks of tofu are lightly fried to give them a crisp outer texture, which turns a humble egg noodle stir-fry into something special. You can use vegetarian ‘oyster’ sauce, which uses mushroom as its seasoning for a veggie meal.

FOR THE NOODLES

Start by preparing the pressed tofu. Cut it into about 2cm (¾in) cubes – you should end up with around 10 pieces per person. Put 4 tablespoons of cornflour into a shallow dish and season with salt. In batches, toss the tofu in the cornflour, patting off any excess, and place onto a plate.

Line a large plate with kitchen paper. Pour enough oil into a heavy-based pan or wok until it comes to a depth of about 3–4cm (1¼–1½in) and heat over a medium heat. It’s ready when a cube of bread turns golden in about 20 seconds.

Carefully lower the tofu into the hot oil – in batches so the cubes of tofu are less likely to stick together – and fry for 3–4 minutes until golden, stirring occasionally with a slotted spoon. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on the lined plate. Season with a little salt and keep warm.

Add the noodles to a pan of boiling water, cover, then take off the heat and leave for 4–5 minutes until tender, then drain. Return to the pan with a drizzle of vegetable oil to stop them from sticking together.

Mix together the oyster sauce, soy sauce and vegetable stock in a bowl.

Heat the vegetable oil on a teppan or in a large frying pan or wok. As soon as the oil has heated through and shimmers, add the broccoli, peppers, carrot and mushrooms to the pan. Stir-fry on a high heat for 3–4 minutes until the vegetables start to turn tender.

Reduce the heat, then pour the oyster sauce mixture over the stir-fried vegetables. Stir-fry until all the vegetables are coated in the sauce.

Add the noodles and spring onions and season with the black pepper. Toss everything together again, add a few spoonfuls of water if it looks a little dry. Cook for a few more minutes to heat through. Divide among four bowls, top with the tofu and serve.

TIP

To ensure the tofu is as crisp as possible, it needs to be pressed to remove any excess water. Line a plate with kitchen paper and put the drained tofu on top. Cover with another sheet of kitchen paper, then put a flat plate on top, followed by a weight (e.g. a can of beans) and leave for 15–30 minutes to drain.

チキンチャーハン

STIR-FRIED RICE WITH CHICKEN

Serves 4

Here’s the perfect recipe to cook on a Monday night if you have leftover chicken from a Sunday roast. It can also be adapted to whatever leftover roast meat you have to hand. The sauce makes more than is needed and can be used in the Stir-fried Rice with Vegetables recipe (see page 66), too.

FOR THE FRIED RICE SAUCE (SEE TIP)

Pour the rice into a sieve and rinse well. Tip into a saucepan and pour over 500ml (18 fl oz/generous 2 cups) water. Stir in ½ teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to the boil. As soon as the water is boiling, turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Set the pan aside off the heat, without taking the lid off and let it stand for 10 minutes.

Spoon the rice onto a plate, drizzle over the seasoned vinegar and stir it in.

Put all the fried rice sauce ingredients into a pan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar, stirring occasionally. It has dissolved when you can no longer feel the grains of sugar against the sides of the pan. Bring to the boil, then take off the heat. Once completely cool, this can be stored in the fridge in a sealed bottle for up to five days.

Mix the cooked rice with 4 tablespoons of the fried rice sauce.

Heat a teppan or a large, flat frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle in 1 tablespoon of the oil. Set aside a handful of the shredded carrot, then add the remainder to the pan and fry for 2 minutes to soften. Add the rice mixture, along with the peas and fry, stirring until thoroughly mixed and heated through.

Season well and stir everything together. Keep warm on a low heat.

Mix the chicken with 2–3 tablespoons of the fried rice sauce – just enough to coat the pieces. Heat a separate frying pan over a medium heat (or use another part of the teppan if there’s enough room) and drizzle in the remaining vegetable oil. Once the oil is hot, quickly pan-fry the chicken to heat through.

Divide the rice among four bowls, top with the chicken and garnish with the spring onions and the reserved carrot and serve.