Broiled Bean Curd (Tofu Dangaku)

“Dangaku” is the Japanese name for a sort of fair, and it refers
to a number of different foods, all of which are skewered before
cooking.
It refers both to street foods and to the stilts on which
fair performers entertain the crowds.

1/4 cup sake
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame paste
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine)
1 teaspoon grated gingerroot
1 pound firm bean curd (tofu)
Tempura Sauce, Hot Mustard Sauce
or Teriyaki Sauce

Mix sake, soy sauce, sesame paste, mirin and gingerroot in
ungreased 10 x 6-inch baking dish.
Cut bean curd into 1-inch cubes;
arrange in sake mixture.
Cover; refrigerate, turning bean curd
once, 1 hour.

Soak six 8-inch bamboo or wooden skewers in water.
Thread 4 bean
curd cubes on each skewer.

Set oven to broil or 550 degrees F.
Broil bean curd with tops
about 4 inches from heat until light brown, 2 to 3 minutes; turn.
Brush with marinade; broil 2 to 3 minutes.
Serve with Tempura
Sauce.

Yields 6 servings.

Coffee Jelly

1 envelope unflavored gelatine*
1/4 cup cold water
1 3/4 cups strong, hot coffee
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream
Finely ground coffee (optional)

* For a firmer jelly, use 1 1/2 envelopes unflavored
gelatine.

Soften gelatine in cold water.
Add coffee and stir until
gelatine is dissolved.
Stir in sugar, salt and vanilla extract.
Pour into 8 x 4-inch loaf dish and chill until firm.

Cut into cubes and spoon into small dessert glasses.
Top with
whipped cream and sprinkle with finely ground coffee.

Yields 3 to 4 servings.

Cold Noodles with Dipping Sauce (Soba)

1 (8 1/2 ounce) package soba granules (buckwheat noodles)
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon hon-dashi (dashi granules)
1 scallion (with top), thinly sliced
1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1 tablespoon wasabi powder
1 tablespoon water

Cook noodles as directed on package; drain.
Cover and
refrigerate until chilled.
Heat water, soy sauce, sugar and
hon-dashi to boiling; remove from heat.
Cool; stir in onion and
gingerroot.
Mix wasabi powder and water to a paste.
Divide noodles
among 8 small bowls.
Pour soy mixture into 8 small dipping
bowls.

Serve with wasabi paste.
Stir small amounts of wasabi paste into
soy mixture to taste.

Japanese Chicken over Rice (Yakitori Domburi)

Yakitori is a sauce usually made with poultry, and it requires
no marinating time.
Domburi means that the dish is served over
rice.

6 large chicken breast halves
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin or sake
1 teaspoon minced gingerroot
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 scallions (with tops), cut diagonally
into 1/4-inch slices
3 cups hot cooked rice

Remove bones and skin from chicken breast halves.
Mix soy sauce,
mirin, gingerroot and garlic in medium glass or plastic bowl.
Place
chicken in soy mixture.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Drain chicken, reserving soy mixture.
Heat oil in 12-inch
skillet until hot.
Cook chicken over medium heat until brown on
both sides and done, about 15 minutes.

Heat water, sugar and reserved soy mixture to boiling in 3-quart
saucepan; boil and stir 2 minutes.
Stir in scallions.

Cut each chicken breast half into 6 diagonal slices by holding
the knife or cleaver at a 45 degree angle to the cutting surface.
Place 6 slices on rice in soup bowl.
Spoon hot liquid over
chicken.

Yields 6 servings.

Japanese Rice Crackers

Source: Another Taste of Aloha - the Junior League of
Honolulu, Hawaii - 1994

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups mochiko (sweet rice flour)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 cup water
Vegetable oil for frying

Glaze
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce

Combine flour, mochiko, sugar, sesame seeds, baking powder and
water.
Add more water if needed to make dough stick together.
Divide dough into 4 parts and roll each paper thin on floured
board.
Cut into 1-inch squares.

Heat the oil to 375 degrees F.
Fry crackers in batches, turning
once, until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per batch.
Drain on
paper towels.

Glaze: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Combine corn syrup, sugar and soy sauce and bring to boil.
Cook
glaze until it falls thick from spoon.
Pour on cooled rice crackers
and mix.
Place crackers in a single layer on cookie sheets and bake
for 15 to 20 minutes or until dry.

Japanese Shrimp Sauce

From the kitchen of GrannyB

This is the shrimp sauce found in Japanese steakhouses.
It is
sweet and pinkish-orangish in color.
You can substitute fat-free
mayo, butter, and 0-calorie sugar, and it still tastes great.

Makes 1 1/4 cups (12 servings).

1 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 teaspoon paprika
3/8 teaspoon garlic powder

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, granulated sugar, rice
vinegar, melted butter, paprika and garlic powder.
Mix well, cover
and refrigerate.