Osechi tier 2

(1) Date-maki (sweet rolled omlette with fish paste)

Symbolizes fashion sense
Time/Effort: * Cost: * Flavour: ***

This is super easy, delicious and quite dramatic in the jubako. Unlike regular sweet rolled omlettes, this one contains the fluffy, white fish cake hanpen. This makes for a lusciously spongy omlette. Date-maki mats are not readily available, even in Japanese department stores. I managed to acquire one at the Kappa-bashi cooking supplies town in Tokyo, but only after the fact. A regular sushi rolling mat will do fine, even if it does not produce the customary zig-zag pattern.

4 eggs
1 hanpen (a cake of pounded white-fleshed fish) (approx. 110 g)

32 g cane sugar or other brown sugar [Saffron: I used tensaito (beet sugar)]
1 tbsp mirin
1/4 tsp Japanese soy sauce [S: Do not substitute Chinese soy; it is much saltier]

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

Equipment:
Date-maki mat or sushi rolling mat
2 elastic bands

1 Break hanpen up and place in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add eggs, cane sugar, mirin and Japanese soy sauce and process or blend for 30 sec.

2 Heat oil in a medium frying pan. Pour in the hanpen-egg mixture and cover with a lid. Cook on a medium flame for 1 min, then reduce the heat to low and cook a further 15-20 min, or until the omlette is cooked through when pierced with a skewer and the top is dry. Turn off the heat, cover and leave to steam for a further 3 min.

3 Remove omlette from the pan onto a chopping board. Form into a "rectangle" by cutting off a 1.5 cm strip of omlette from the left and right sides and the edge furthest from you. Keep the uncut side closest to you. You will now have three long semi-ovals of cutout omlette. Cut the left and right semi-ovals in half across the middle.

4 Place the date-maki or sushi rolling mat on your work surface with the narrow side closest to you. Cover with cling film. Now place your omlette on top, with the uncut side closest to you. Keeping close to this edge, place the omlette cutouts on top of the omlette "rectangle" so that they form a neat rectangle at the "bottom" of your roll.

5 Firmly roll the omlette from bottom to top, keeping the wrap out of the way as you go. You should end up with a tight egg roll. Fold the ends of the wrap in at the sides. Secure the egg in the mat with a rubber band at each end, and leave to cool. If making ahead, refrigerate until ready to serve. To serve, remove rubber bands, mat and wrap, and slice omlette roll into eighths.


(2) Chicken matsukaze-yaki (Wind-in-the-Pines chicken loaf)

Time/Effort: * Cost: * Flavour: ***

This is another relatively easy Osechi fix. I upped the ginger a little from the original recipe. It is subtle, but certainly there. Use as little as 1/2 tsp, to suit your taste. You will need either a nagashi-bako, a two-part tin used in Japanese sweet-making, or a 15 cm x 15 cm square cake tin. I priced the correct-sized nagashi-bako at a local department store at 3,400 yen, and decided that was too much for something that will only get used once in two years. Kappa-bashi had the same item for under 2,000. I used the cake tin instead. I think I will scale the recipe up by 10% next time, to get thicker shapes at the end. If white poppy seeds and nori flakes are hard to come by, regular and black sesame seeds can be substituted. Sprinkle prior to baking. Matsuba-gushi (seen in the photos here) are used on happy occasions, such as weddings, as they symbolize two as an inseparable one. Unfortunately, they are a little hard to come by. I used regular dango skewers instead.

200 g chicken mince

4 tsp sugar (= 1 tbsp + 1 tsp or 1 Australian tbsp)
16 g white miso paste
2 tsp cooking sake
1 tsp Japanese soy sauce
1.5 tsp ginger juice squeezed from grated fresh ginger

40 g beaten egg (slightly less than 1 egg)
8 tsp panko breadcrumbs (= 2 tbsp + 2 tsp or 2 Australian tbsp)

1 tsp white poppy seeds
1 tsp nori flakes

Equipment:
15 cm x 12 cm nagashi-bako or similar sized square cake tin, with or without removable bottom
30 cm x 30 cm square of baking paper
8 matsuba-gushi bamboo skewers or other small skewers, about 5 cm in length

1 Create a liner for the nagashi-bako or cake tin by placing it at the center of the baking paper. Make 4 cuts in the paper from the edge of the baking paper to the left hand corner of each side of the tin. Make folds along the base line, line the tin neatly and set aside.

2 Preheat oven to 220 degrees C if using gas, 230 degrees C if using electric. Meanwhile, thoroughly mix the chicken mince, sugar, miso paste, sake, Japanese soy sauce and ginger juice in a bowl, using your hand like a whisk. Add the weighed egg and panko breadcrumbs and briefly mix again. Pour into the prepared nagashi-bako or cake tin and flatten the surface. Remove the air by gently tapping the nagashi-bako or cake tin against a flat surface a few times. Sprinkle one half of the chicken mixture all over with the poppy seeds.

3 Bake for 15 min, or until a skewer comes out clean. Cover with aluminium foil and return to the oven with the heat off to steam for a further 5 min. Remove the chicken loaf from the tin and cut in half along the poppy seed line. Sprinkle the plain half all over with the nori flakes. Cut each half into 4 long "fan" shapes by cutting across the width of the halves on the diagonal. Push a matsuba-gushi or other small skewer into the short side of each triangle to make fans. This is the shape of a hagoita, or battledore, used in Japanese New Year "badminton".


(3) Kikka kabu (chrysanthemum flower-shaped pickled turnips)

The chrysanthemum is the symbol of Japan's Imperial Family
Time/Effort: *** Cost: * Flavour: *

You really do want something crisp and tangy to go with all the soft and sweet in the Osechi lineup. These white turnips fit the bill nicely, but are a bit too fiddly for my liking. It took me over 20 min to slice just four of these! And then I went and forgot to soak them in the brine that would soften them up so the "petals" could be opened! I think I'll go for something more colourful and less breakdown-inducing next time. Something like this, maybe...

4 small kabu (white turnips)

500 ml water
1 tbsp salt

For the sweet vinegar:
1-2 tbsp yuzu (citron) juice

1 tsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp dashi stock
8 dried red pepper rings

1 Cut roots and tops off kabu and peel. Place kabu on work top with the top side up. Cut horizontal and vertical lines 1-2 mm apart into each kabu to a depth of about 2/3 the height of the kabu. Take care not to cut all the way through. A disposable chopstick placed on either side of the kabu will help prevent your knife from going too far. Repeat with other 3 kabu. Cut an x into the bottom of each kabu, taking care not to cut into the cuts on the top side.

2 Mix the salt into the water and soak kabu, cut side down, in this solution for about 30 min. Remove kabu from salt-water bath and pat dry.

3 Mix yuzu (citron) juice, sugar, dashi stock, vinegar, salt and red pepper rings in a zip-topped plastic bag. Add kabu, kneed lightly and leave to pickle for at least 2 hours, turning from time to time.

4 To serve, gently squeeze pickling juice from kabu. Open up the chrysanthemum "petals" and top with 2 red pepper rings.

These three recipes are adapted from those I learned at ABC Cooking Studio last December.

Osechi tier 1

I tried various recipes this year, only some of which I think I will repeat in New Years to come. I'm going to use a 3-star scale to remind me next time. The cost scale, naturally, reflects the cost of procuring ingredients/equipment in Japan.

(1) Kuromame (sweet black beans)

Symbolizes diligence (mame in Japanese)
Time/Effort: ** Cost: ** Flavour: ***

This is the same recipe as I used two years back (when last in Japan for New Year). I think I can improve it by using the pressure cooker to bring the beans to the soft point, so am making a note to myself now to that affect. I've still not managed to get any rusty nails, but all the Osechi cookbooks call for them, so they must have some affect. You could cook the beans in a cast iron pot, but I'm here to tell you that your beans will be lovely even if you don't.

(2) Tazukuri with pine nuts and cashews (Dried young anchovies with nuts in caramelized soy sauce)

Symbolizes an abundant harvest
Time/Effort: * Cost: *** Flavour: *

I was a little disappointed with this. The soy caramel totally overpowered the delicate flavour of the nuts. Given the cost of the nuts, I don't think I will repeat this one. Cheap sesame seeds are definitely the way to go. I think I may also not have let the caramel reduce enough; it was quite sticky. I'll keep looking for a tazukuri recipe, though. It's one of the easier Osechi dishes to make.

30 g gomame (dried young anchovies)
30 g pine nuts
40 g cashew nuts

2 1/3 tbsp soy sauce [Saffron: I would reduce this to 1-1 1/2 tbsp; it is very salty, otherwise]
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cooking sake
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp oil

1 Spread the gomame on a heatproof dish and heat in the microwave until crisp, about 1-2 min. Remove any powder or debris. Toast the pine nuts and cashews separately in a dry frying pan, swirling constantly to ensure they do not burn.

2 Add the soy sauce, sugar, cooking sake, mirin and oil to a frying pan and heat over a medium-strong flame. When the liquid starts to bubble turn the heat down to low and reduce to a thick caramel.

3 Add the toasted nuts and mix thoroughly.

4 Remove to a wide plate, separating any clumps as you go. Allow to cool.


(3) Matcha-iri kurikinton (Sweet potato with chestnuts and matcha green tea)

Symbolizes wealth
Time/Effort: *** Cost: *** Flavour: ***

The Young Man and I were very happy with the kurikinton we had 2 years ago. But I thought this recipe might better it yet. And it did. This is definitely my new go-to kurikinton (or kuriClinton, as the YM calls it, referring to Mrs and not Mr C; he's too young to know the latter!). The only catch is that matcha and jarred chestnuts are expensive, even in Japan. I reckon the ingredient cost of this one dish was about 1,600 yen (around US$16). There were no kuchinashi (gardenia pods, Japan's saffron!) in this recipe, but I think I will cook the sweet potatoes with a pod or two next time. The jarred chestnuts used in this recipe are skinned and coloured yellow with gardenia, also; little gold nuggets! To cut down on the sweetness, I used less sugar and didn't add the glucose syrup. I've given the original recipe below.

500 g sweet potato (peeled weight)
1/2 tsp yaki-myoban (burnt alum) or 1 tsp baking powder
100 g sugar

150 g sugar
pinch salt
1/2 cup syrup reserved from jar of sweetened chestnuts

2 tbsp mizuame (glucose syrup)
15-20 sweetened chestnuts from a jar, halved or quartered

1 tbsp matcha green tea powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp boiling water

1 Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 2 cm-thick rounds. Soak in water for around 10 min. Change water and mix in yaki-myoban or baking powder. Leave to soak overnight to remove tackiness. Drain, rinse and place in a large pot. Pour in the sugar and just enough water to cover. Bring to the boil on a medium flame.

2 Boil until soft, about 12-15 min, then drain. Mash and allow to cool. Use a wooden spoon to push sweet potatoes through a sieve.

3 Return sweet potatoes to the pot and add the sugar, salt and chestnut syrup. Heat over a medium flame, stirring with a wooden spoon, until thickened. Once you can draw a line with the wooden spoon and see the bottom of the pot, add the mizuame (glucose syrup). Cook a further 1-2 min until glossy. Remove one third of mixture to a separate bowl.

4 Parboil the halved or quartered chestnuts in a small pot, then drain and stir into the sweet potatoes in the pot.

5 In a small bowl, mix the matcha, sugar and boiling water to a paste. Stir gently into the the remaining third of the sweet potatoes. Stir this mixture into the chestnut sweet potatoes, creating a marbled effect.

Adapted from recipes in Kihon no osechi to shogatsu no omotenashi (Basic Osechi and dishes for New Year's entertaining), Gakken Hit Mook, 2008 and 2010 editions

New Year in Japan: Osechi ryori

Happy New Year!! This is the first post for 2010. Hopefully we will be a bit more "regular" than we were in 2009. Thank you for reading along. And, as always, please leave a comment if you have something to say. Happy cooking!

If you are used to a rowdy Scottish Hogmanay or a backyard New Year's Eve in sunny Australia, New Year in Japan can feel a bit sombre and forlorn. Japan's NY is a family event, spent quietly at home, snuggled up under the kotatsu, with a box of mandarin oranges to hand, and a round of, ahem, enigmatic New Year TV specials for company.

Unless, that is, you are the cook and you try to beat your Osechi-dishes-cooked personal best. Osechi is the traditional New Year fare of Japan, but its preparation is such a marathon at an already busy time, that very few women make it from scratch themselves anymore. The Osechi cookbooks I own recommend starting on December 26 so as not to be disappointed. Personally, I bought this and that throughout December, but only started cooking 2 days out. But I wasn't doing the full Osechi. Not all of the traditional dishes spell yummy to me.

Last time, I didn't have a special 3-tiered jubako box for Osechi. This time round, I got a nice little one with a bunny and plum blossom motif for next to nothing. The plastic ones are just as lovely as the real lacquered ones, much easier to care for and a fraction of the price! I only used 2 tiers this year, but if I ever get round to doing the full production, all three tiers will come into play. In which case, I will definitely start a day or two earlier (g).

My selections this year were the gochiso buri daikon and East-Japan ozoni broth from two years back. Plus jubako tier 1 goodies: kuromame (sweet black beans), tazukuri (dried fish in soy-sake caramel), matcha-iri kurikinton (sweet potatoes and chestnuts with matcha green tea); and tier 2 yummies: date-maki (rolled sweet omlette with fish cake), matsukaze-yaki (gingered chicken meatloaf on skewers) and kikka kabu (chrysanthemum-shaped pickled white turnip).

I got the lovely seasonal place mats from Takashimaya department store.

See the following posts for recipes.

Saffron

Cooking class 7: Osechi traditional Japanese New Year's treats

In Just Over 24 Hours, I'll be jetting my way back to Australia for the first time in 2 years. Ostensibly it's to spend time with the parents and do the Christmas thing like a good daughter, but it will be so much more than that this time, what with graduations and ruby wedding anniversaries and who knows all what!

But Christmas, as always, is going to be the big one. With all the preparations in the mad trip lead up, you'd probably think I was mad trying to squeeze in one more cooking class at ABC before we leave. I mean I've not even done half the Christmas shopping yet!

Fortunately or unfortunately, the stomach just about always rules the mind in my case, so it was off to learn some more morsels of Osechi ryori, the traditional foods eaten for luck and wealth in Japan at the New Year.

Last year (technically the beginning of this year (g)), I had my first go at Osechi, choosing bites that most appealed to me. It turns out that I chose mainly from the 1st layer of the 2-tier festive box. As luck would have it, ABC was offering selections from the 2nd layer! (They've cleverly set it up so that you need to go two years in order to get the full compliment of recipes (g).)

From bottom left we have tori no matsukaze-yaki, baked seasoned chicken mince cut in the shape of a hagoita, the wooden paddle used to play the Japanese New Year's game of hanetsuki. We topped ours with white poppy seeds and aonori or green laver.

Next is datemaki, a fish-enriched egg pancake that is rolled on a special mat to give it a distinctive zig-zag pattern.

The white and pink ovals are kamaboko, a kind of steamed fish paste. This is eaten year round, but it's red and white colouring makes it an auspicious addition to the New Year's spread.

Crustaceans of all kinds are used in Osechi and the particular one chosen often depends on what the budget is. At ABC, we opened the bellies of some large prawns, sprinkled them with salt and sake, topped them with white and black sesame seeds and cooked them in the frying pan. Ebi no onisudare-yaki, easy and delicious.

The white "blob" in the front right of the top photo is not a bun but a small Japanese turnip called kabu. We cut into the flesh to make the petals of a chrysanthemum, then marinated the whole lot in citron juice and vinegar. I thought the flavour could have been stronger, but it turns out that these are usually left to marinate for a day or two, rather than the 20 or so minutes our lesson permitted. I also thought it would be nice to have yellow chrysanthemums, maybe painted with some gardenia (kuchinashi) dye, perhaps.

Accompanying all this was a different version of Ozoni to the one I made last year. In Eastern Japan, this soup is made with a clear soy-based broth and grilled square-shaped pounded rice cakes (mochi). The filling recipe offered by ABC was in the Western Japan style, which is miso-based, and contains round mochi that is heated in hot water.

Traditionally, Osechi is made over the last few days of the year (in the midst of a top-to-bottom "spring" clean of the house, no less), and eaten cold over the first few days of the year. Having a hot soup would be essential to stave off the cold in the old days.

As it was we, too, did not finally sit down to eat until after 9:40 pm, so we were all starving. Surprisingly, despite the late hour, each one of us was well contented after finishing what we'd made.

Saffron

Traditional Japanese New Year cuisine 2: Ozoni soup and Gochiso buri daikon

As mentioned in a previous post, we were a bit ambitious with our New Year cooking plans this year. Not to worry. By the time it was all ready we could have eaten a scabby horse! (as Saffron-papa so poetically puts it). Luckily, we didn't have to as we had these two lovely dishes to munch on instead.

Edo zoni (Edo-style New Year's hotchpotch)

Ozoni is a lovely little soup, versions of which vary the length and breadth of Japan. Since we are in the Yokohama/Tokyo area, I decided to give Edo zoni a go (Edo being Tokyo's moniker, long before it became the megalopolis it is today). The prawns (shrimp) are for long life, and the yuzu (citron, a small citrus fruit) peel added to ward off colds. You could substitute lemon peel, but it will not have the distinctive scent of yuzu.

You will also need kamaboko, a cooked fish paste that is sold on a wooden block (I used a trendy scallop and parsley one which was devoid the oh-so-unnatural fluoro pink outer layer); mochi, or pounded sticky rice cake; and dashi, Japanese fish/sea vegetable stock (either made from scratch, from granules, or with a dashi "pack" (teabag), as I did). If you use dashi pack, you may find like I did that you need to use more salt. The flavour was very subtle, even for me and I use a light hand with salt as a general rule.

Ingredients (for 4)

4 blocks of mochi
4 small whole prawns
(2 tbsp sake
1/5 tsp salt (a pinch)) = A
2 chicken fillets (or a similarly small amount of chicken leg (I use 1 thigh))
1 small bunch komatsuna greens (or substitute spinach)
4 slices kamaboko (there is not really a substitute but you could try a small piece of cooked white fish)
1/2 a sheet of Asakusa nori (dried laver) (optional)
(5 cups dashi (see above)
1 tsp usukuchi (light) Japanese soy sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)) =B
Small amount of yuzu peel

1 Peel and de-vein the prawns (you can leave the heads on). Form into "U" shapes and cook until pink in a small pot with the sake and the salt (A) and about 1/4 cup of boiling water. Trim the chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle with salt. Cook briefly in boiling water.

2 Blanch komatsuna in boiling salted water, drain, squeeze out the excess moisture by hand and cut into 3 cm lengths. Separate into 4 bundles.

3 Crispen the nori by waving it over the heat on both sides, only until the colour changes (a matter of a couple of seconds). Cut into 4 squares. Cut skinny rectangles of yuzu peel and make two cuts lengthwise almost to the end, one from each end of the peel. This will allow you to make a "triangle" with the peel like the one in the photo (admittedly not very professional looking, but it was my first effort, too (g)).

4 Heat the dashi, the usukuchi Japanese soy sauce and salt (B). Add the chicken and simmer briefly.

5 Grill the mochi on both sides, (take care, as it puffs up and burns easily) and arrange in bowls together with the prawns, komatsuna, chicken and kamaboko. Check and adjust the seasoning of the soup, and ladle into the bowls over the over ingredients. Garnish with nori and a yuzu triangle.

Gochiso buri daikon (Special occasion yellowtail with daikon)

I was never really into cooking fish until a few years ago. Something about a residual fear of bones, after being rushed to hospital with one stuck in my throat as a child, I suppose. That and the young man of the house not being much of a fan. However, getting him to eat buri, or yellowtail, has never been a problem. He even fights to get the biggest piece!

We love this unctuous, melt-in-your-mouth fish with its moreish dark bits. Gochiso (a special treat), indeed!

Ingredients

4 slices of buri (around 400 g)
(3 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
2 tbsp each sake and mirin) = A
600 g daikon (less than half a big one)
3 cups dashi (see above)
(1 tbsp sake
2 tsp usukuchi (light) Japanese soy sauce) = B
3 tsp vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
(1 tbsp each Japanese soy sauce, sake and mirin
1 tsp sugar) = C
Finely slithered yuzu peel to garnish

1 Marinate buri in the Japanese soy sauce, sake and mirin (A) for at least 30 minutes.

2 Peel daikon and cut into rounds about 2 cm thick. Place the daikon with the dashi in a pot and heat over a medium flame. When it comes to a boil add the sake and usukuchi Japanese soy sauce (B). Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the daikon is tender.

3 Remove daikon with a slotted spoon and drain well. Arrange the daikon slices in a dry frying pan and heat over a low flame. Brown, covered, on both sides until soft. Drizzle over 1 tsp of the oil and swirl the pan. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

4 Remove buri from marinade. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and cook the buri until nicely browned on both sides. Add the Japanese soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar (C) and continue frying until the sauce reduces (I had my first flambe experience with ours; perhaps the heat was a bit high).

5 Arrange daikon slices (I used 2 per slice of buri) on a plate, top with the buri and garnish with slithered yuzu peel.

Note: All Traditional Japanese New Year cuisine 1 and 2 recipes are from Osechi to kigaru na omotenashi 2008 (Osechi and easy entertaining). Translating them has been a lot of fun because the recipe-writing styles of Japanese and English are so different. Hopefully the transfer was successful.

Enjoy!

Traditional Japanese New Year's cuisine 1: Osechi tokusen

I've often wondered how I might combine my passion for cooking with my day job as a Japanese to English translator. Mostly I cook Middle Eastern, North African and Mediterranean food, so unless there is an absolutely brilliant book on the food of these areas written in Japanese that needs translating into English, it's hard to see how I might bring the two together.

It is therefore a special treat to be able to bring you a couple of Japanese recipes today. They are for traditional dishes cooked over several days, arranged artfully in a three-tiered lacquer box, and eaten over the first couple of days of the New Year.

As it turned out, we were invited to our dear friends M an T's New Year celebration at the last minute, and the cooking I had planned to do ahead of time all had to be done on New Year's Day (after arriving home from alcohol-free but extremely lively merry-making at 5 am). Do not attempt this at home!

There is a good reason I don't cook more Japanese food, and that is that it cannot be whipped up in half an hour after work! This goes doubly for celebratory dishes such as these, although the soup (recipe soon) can be on the table pretty quickly if you have bought in all the bits and bobs you need in advance (though this is essential to any cooking, really).

Kuromame (sweet black soy beans)

These are made with the hope that the eater will work hard and live a healthy life (both of which are mame in Japanese, the same as the word for beans) in the year ahead. This may be the only recipe you come across that calls for rusty nails (no, not the ones made of whisky and Drambuie; actual rusty nails, which are said to improve the beans' colour). Unfortunately we were clean out of rusty nails, but I can happily report the recipe works just as well without them (g). Also note that you will cook the beans in the soaking water so do measure it and don't throw it away!

Ingredients

1 cup kuromame (black soy beans)
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1-1 1/2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce
2-3 rusty nails, wrapped in muslin or similar to ease removal

1 Soak beans overnight in water and salt.

2 Tip into heavy bottomed pot and add rusty nails, wrapped in muslin or similar and bring to the boil. Leave the nails in until the beans are tender.

3 Meanwhile, remove any scum that comes to the surface and add an additional cup of water. Place a greaseproof paper "lid" over the top (to reduce evaporation) and simmer gently, covered, for 4 hours or until soft. Add half the sugar and continue to simmer.

4 After 15 minutes, add remaining sugar and soy sauce. Leave on a low heat until the sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat and allow to cool. Remove beans with a slotted spoon and reduce the remaining syrup a little. Pour over the beans and leave overnight to allow the flavour to penetrate.

Tazukuri (dried fish simmered in soy sauce)

Once upon a time, these fish were apparently used in a rice paddy as fertilizer, resulting in a bumper crop, hence the name "tazukuri", or paddy-making.

I felt these were too salty, but they went down well with guests a day or two later as an accompaniment to Japanese sake. Mine did not stick together, but that just made them easier to graze on in the following days.

Ingredients

30 g gomame (dried young anchovies)
30 g flaked almonds or sesame seeds (lightly toasted in a dry frying pan)
30 ml Japanese soy sauce
30 ml sake
15 ml mirin
Pinch of sugar

1 Pick over gomame, removing the guts for better flavour and spread out on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave for 1 minute on high and remove to a sheet of paper towel.

2 Break up almonds with your hands.

3 Heat soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar in a small pan over a low heat. When reduced to the point where the bottom of the pan becomes visible, quickly add gomame and mix to coat. This helps them stick together.

4 Sprinkle over almonds. Make small piles of fish with all the heads pointing the same way and place on a sheet of greaseproof paper while still warm. Allow to cool.

Kurikinton (sweet potatoes with chestnuts)

"Kuri" is chestnut and "kinton" refers to wealth. This sweet and moreish paste of gold is made in the hope of calling wealth to the eater in the year to come (we can only hope, eh?). If done by hand as per the recipe, this takes an age. Perhaps the passing the mix through a sieve can be done in a food processor instead?? Either way, I used half the original amount of sugar and it was plenty sweet enough.

Ingredients

500 g sweet potatoes
1--2 kuchinashi (gardenia) pods (Japanese saffron!!)
1 1/4 cups sugar (I used half)
1/2 cup syrup from bottle of chestnuts in syrup (you might need to be in Japan at this time of year for this one)
1/5 tsp salt (a pinch, I reckon)
3 tbsp mirin
10-15 of the bottled chestnuts (I halved them)

1 Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 5 mm rounds

2 Soak sweet potatoes in a bowl of water as you cut them (to prevent discolouring). Change water a few times until it runs clear.

3 Bring sweet potatoes to the boil. Add water to reduce the temperature of the water, then drain. (Seriously, this is what the recipe says!)

4 Add fresh water to just cover. Add kuchinashi pods, broken in half and wrapped in muslin or similar to ease removal. Place a greaseproof paper "lid" on top (I reused the one from the beans) and simmer, covered, until very soft.

5 When soft, drain the cooking liquid and remove the kuchinashi pods. Shake the pot gently over the heat to dry and flake the sweet potatoes. Add half the sugar (I only added this much) and mix with wooden spoon, mashing as you go.

6 Wet sieve and shake excess water off. Pass sweet potato mixture through with a wooden spoon, using strong strokes in one direction.

7 Return sweet potatoes to the pot and add remaining sugar (if using), syrup, salt and mirin. Mix over a gentle heat.

8 When the mixture starts to thicken and become glossy, add chestnuts and heat gently a little longer, then remove from the heat. It will continue to thicken as it cools, so remove from the heat while still a little "wet". (It should basically end up like very smooth mashed potatoes.)

With best wishes for 2008. Enjoy!