Japanese Cooking Terms & Techniques

My notes from Harumi Kurihara's cookbook, Harumi's Japanese Home Cooking.

mijingiri - finely minced into tiny cube shapes
sengiri - julienned, or into strips
hangetsugiri - cut into half moons
koguchigiri - cut into fine slices - for round ingredients like spring onions
nanamegiri - cut on the diagonal
Ichogiri - round pieces cut into quarters
Usugiri - finely sliced

Drop lid - Traditionally made out of wood, they are placed in a pan, directly on top of food as it cooks. It is a technique frequently used in Japanese cooking to ensure the even distribution of flavor. You can make one from amuminum foil or greaseproof paper with a hole in the middle - make a disk slightly smaller than the inside of the pan.

Onion Confit

Shamelessly stolen from Tom Colicchio with slight adjustments to volume

4 large Vidalia onions, sliced thin (Tom says to use Vidalia, I respectfully disagree - Vidalia really aren't designed to be cooked. I use ye olde 3lb bag of yellow onions and they come out sweet as candy and, IMO, far tastier than the time I actually used the Vidalia.)
2 T olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium, then add onions and reduce heat to medium low. Stir frequently and add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Cook until onions are soft, but not carmelized - about 30 minutes. Then add:

1 C chicken stock
2 T white wine vinegar

Continue stirring frequently until pan is mostly dry - about 30 minutes. If using dried herbs, add them during this last half hour, add fresh herbs after you are done cooking and toss to combine.

Can be refrigerated for 1 week.

Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits

Shamelessly stolen from Ina Garten

Preheat oven to 425

2 C (+ additional for sprinkling/as needed) AP Flour
1.5 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 Tablespoons Baking Powder

combine in mixer bowl, attach paddle, stir on low, then add:

1.5 sticks (12 T) diced, cold, unsalted butter

continue to mix until butter is pea sized, then combine the following in a glass bowl or cup:

1 egg (cold) - recipe calls for Xtra large egg, I simply used a large egg)
1/2 C shaken, cold buttermilk

add to the flour mixture while continuing to stir on low, when just combined, combine the following in a small bowl:

1 C grated sharp white cheddar
1 small handful of AP flour, tossed to coat cheese

Add the cheese mixer to the dough, mix until combined and then turn out onto a floured surface. Roll into 5" x 10" rectangle and cut into 8 pieces. Brush with egg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 T water) and sprinkle with flaked sea salt. Bake on parchement lines sheet for 20 - 25 minutes.

Modifications:

I totally forgot the egg wash and sea salt - still tasty!

I think that these would be even better as drop biscuits brushed with garlic butter after they come out of the oven!

Grilled Eggplant

Peel and slice eggplant in 1/2" rounds - sprinkle both sides with salt and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Rinse out the salt and give the eggplant a squeeze to remove as much moisture as you can. Toss slices with balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and a little olive oil and preheat George Foreman grill. Grill slices in batches, turning once while cooking - they should take a minute or two on each side, just long enough for grill marks.

Sweet Potato, Yukon,Gold, Vidalia and Sausage Home Fries

... in Duck Fat!

• 3 Tbsp Duck Fat


• 1/2 large Vidalia Onion, long thin strips


• 1 large Sweet Potato, peeled, 3/4" dice


• 2 Medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, 3/4" dice


• 4 -5 cooked sweet Italian sausages


• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat skillet (with lid) over medium-high heat and add the duck fat - when the duck fat is hot, add the potatoes and the onion. Toss to coat everything in the duck fat, reduce heat to medium and cover with lid for about 10 minutes - the potatoes should be cooked through and the onions translucent ... and the bottom should be crispy!

Add in the sausage and salt & pepper to taste, stir to copmbine and continue to cook uncovered for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring only occassionally. (Too much stirring and no crisy edges will form.) It is important not to overcrowd the pan - it will still taste good but it won't get crispy.

Thoughts for next time include adding apples to the mix or perhaps grilled pineapple chunks. I served this with cornbread waffles (Jiffy cornbread mix, 3/4 C milk, 1 egg & 2 Tbsp oil - mix together and cook as if they are waffles.)

Home Fries

• Approx 3 Tbsp duck fat total (or sub in olive oil, butter, bacon fat, etc.)


• 1/2 large Vidalia onion, cut into long strips


• 4 - 6 smallish Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4" cubes


• salt and pepper to taste

Heat 12" skillet (with good fitting lid) on medium-high heat and add 2 Tbsp duck fat. When duck fat is hot, add onions and potatoes, toss to coat in the fat, lower heat to medium and then cover with lid. Let this cook for at least 10 minutes, until a nice brown crust is on the bottom of the potatoes and the potatoes are cooked through and onions translucent. Remove lid and add the remaining Tbsp of duck fat on top of the potatoes. This should cook for another 15 minutes or so - turn every so often - the goal is to get all sides of the potatoes browned and the onions carmelized and that will happen better the less it is disturbed.

Servie immediately or put in 250 - 300 oven to keep warm until serving.

Grilled Pineapple

Just like it sounds - pineapple cooked on a grill. You can marinade the pineapple and toss it on a gas or charcoal grill (Fred once combined OJ, soy sauce, garlic, and a few other things and it was fantastic) or even just toss a few plain slices on a George Foreman grill. It's really sweet and juicy - an entirely different entity from its raw form.