Celebrate The Spirit Of Japan With These Japanese Food & Drink Recipes

In light of the current 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, all eyes are on Japan and what better then to highlight all the outstanding food and drink pairings the country has to offer. House of Suntory, a Japanese crafting liquor company has partnered up with Aburi Restaurants Canada to deliver authentic Japanese recipes pairings with the House of Suntory’s Spirits. If you’re thinking about hosting a dinner party soon, here are two authentic Japanese recipes and one custom cocktail created by Aburi Hana’s Executive Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa you have to try!

PS, don’t be intimidated by these recipes, they’re fun, easy to follow and once you give it a shot you’ll be wondering why you didn’t try them sooner!

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Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa Authentic Japanese Recipes

Suntory Whisky Toki With Almond Fried Cod 

Almond Coated Fried Cod | Ponzu Daikon Sauce | Cucumber & Celery Ume Vinaigrette | Spinach Chips

Almond Fried Cod

Ingredients:  

• 1 tara (cod) fillet  
• salt and pepper to taste  
• 1 egg  
• 40g flour  
• 150g crushed almond slices  
• Oil for frying (cod) – enough to fill 1/3 of your pan 
• 30ml oil for frying spinach leaves  
• 50g grated daikon radish  
• 30ml ponzu  
• 60g cubed cucumber (1cm pieces) 
• 60g turnip (1cm pieces)  
• 20g umeboshi paste  
• 10g vinegar  
• 1g sugar  
• 4g olive oil  
• 7g miso  
• 15g spinach  
• 1g anori powder 

Directions:

1. Pat dry 1 tara (cod) filet and season with salt and pepper 
2.  Rub flour, egg, and crushed almond slices all over the cod 
3. Fill pan about 1/3 deep with oil and place cod filet in when oil is hot 
4.  Fry the cod at 180°C turning once, until fully cooked inside 
5. Remove from pan and let rest on rack or paper towel to absorb excess oil 
6. Daikon Ponzu Sauce: mix the grated daikon radish and ponzu 
7. Cucumber and Turnip Plum Miso Vinaigrette: combine the diced cucumber and turnip with the Ume Sauce (Umeboshi paste already mixed with vinegar, sugar, olive oil and miso) 
8. Spinach Chips: pat dry the spinach leaves and fry in pan with oil until slightly browned 

For plating, Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa recommends spreading the Daikon Ponzu Sauce on the plate to cover surface area and then proceed to place the cod on top. Once plated, spoon a generous amount of cucumber and turnip vinaigrette over the fish, drape fried spinach over the ends of the fish and lastly, finish by sprinkling Anori powder over the fish and around the plate.

Roku Gin With Grilled Pork Roses 

Miso & Ginger Grilled Pork Roses | Celery & Strawberry Wasabi Cream | Fennel Frit

Grilled Pork Roses

Ingredients:  

• 100g pork belly  
• 100g miso  
• 15g sake  
• 10g sugar (for marinade) 
• 5g salt (for marinade) 
• 40g grated ginger 
• 28g oil 
• 20g vinegar  
• 50g water  
• 10g sugar (for pickled onions) 
• 7g salt (for pickled onions) 
• 1g sansho powder or chilli powder  
• ½ of a medium sized onion 
• ½  celery stalk diced into 1cm pieces 
• 2 strawberries  diced into 1cm pieces 
• 60g cream cheese  
• 15g mayonnaise  
• 15g wasabi  
• 1g black pepper  
• 10g fresh cream   
• 100g parsley  
• 160g grapeseed oil  
• 30g fennel tips 
• 30g soy sauce  
• 30ml sake (for teriyaki sauce) 
• 30g mirin  
• 30g sugar (for teriyaki sauce) 
• Pink pepper to taste 

Directions for Pork:

1. Combine pork belly with miso, sake, sugar, salt, and grated ginger and let marinate in refrigerator over 3 nights 
2. Wipe off excess miso from pork, then grill on a, oil-coated pan until its about 80% cooked
3. Remove pork from pan then wrap it in alumnium foil and let it finish cooking in its own heat. This method prevents the outer part of the park from burning as miso tends to burn quickly

Directions for Pickled Onion:

1. Boil vinegar, water, sugar, salt together and let it sit until it gets cold 
2. Add Sansho powder or chilli powder 
3. Slice onions and marinate them in this mixture for 3 days in the refrigerator

Directions for Celery and Strawberry Wasabi Cream: 

1. Mix the cream cheese, mayonnaise, wasabi, black pepper and fresh cream 
2. Combine the diced celery and strawberries with the wasabi mixture

Directions for Parsley Oil:

1. Blend parsley, grape seed oil with a mixer for 5 minutes to make it warm from the mixer’s friction, then strain 

Directions for Fennel Frit:

1. Fry the fennel tips at 180°C in oil until crisp 

Directions for Teriyaki Sauce:

1. Combine soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar in a frying pan
2. Stir gently on simmer until the sauce is thickened

For plating, Chef Ryusuke Nakagawa recommends slicing the pork and placing it on plate in a cascade, spooning the Spoon Celery and Strawberry Wasabi Cream on the side and a sparsely on the pork. To finish, drizzle a bit of teriyaki sauce and garnish with the pickled onions, fennel frit and pink pepper.

Ginza Gin Fizz 

Roku Gin | Yuzu Sake | Honey Syrup | Shiso Leaves | Green Tea

Ingredients: 

• 1oz roku gin 
• 1oz yuzu sake 
• 4oz club soda 
• .5oz honey syrup (can be substituted with simple syrup) 
• 3 shiso leaves 
• 1 egg white (foamed) 
• .5oz green tea 
• 4 cubes of ice 
• Edible blossom and twig or swizzle stick 

Directions: 

• Muddle 2 shiso leaves 
• Pour in liquids and dry shake vigorously 
• Add ice and shake again 
• Fine strain into chilled Collins glass 
• Take remaining shiso leaf and wrap around edible blossom 
• Spear the shiso leaf and edible blossom with twig or swizzle stick and place horizontally across lip of collins glass as garnish 

About Roku Gin

In Japanese, Roku translates as “six”. Roku follows the concept of shun – the tradition of
enjoying every food and drink in its proper season, only when those foods are at the peak of
their flavours. Inside every bottle of Roku are six very special botanicals sourced in Japan. Each of theJapanese botanicals are harvested in their ideal season and from the best growing areas in Japan to ensure the utmost freshness and flavour. The six Japanese botanicals are combined with eight traditional gin botanicals – juniper berry, coriander seed, angelica root, angelica seed, cardamom seed, cinnamon, bitter orange peel, and lemon peel – for an authentic gin taste. A unique multiple distillation process brings out the best in each botanical.

Feature Image: Hong Kong Tatler