The Rural Voice, 2019-01, Page 41sugar and pour into pan with meat
and keep frying until the liquid is
greatly reduced.
When the rice is cooked add to the
pan and mix.
Serve with a nice bright vegetable
like edamame or peas.
Serves 4
*Mirin - is a sweet Japanese cooking
wine made from rice so if you do not
want to keep this in your cupboard
you can substitute with 2
Tablespoons of wine (sake if you
have it) mixed with a teaspoon of
sugar. If you do not want to use wine
you may use rice vinegar or wine
vinegar with the sugar. I do keep a
bottle of mirin in my cupboard since
it keeps almost forever and is useful
in these dishes and for other
marinades or sauces.
Salmon and Shrimp Tsukune
(meatballs)
Another Japanese recipe that fits
nicely into our life are these salmon
and shrimp meat balls. It is taken
from Harumi Kurhara’s Series “Your
Japanese Kitchen” which is written
to explain Japanese cooking to other
cultures and tells you very carefully
how to do everything. Sometimes I
try to get everything out and prepared
before starting which is the way
Satomi taught me but other times I
revert to my own habits of jumping
right in and preparing as I go, leaving
a big mess in my wake!
These are great on a buffet table
and I have also served them
Christmas Eve to accompany the
traditional meatless Ukrainian
cabbage rolls we make, but, paired
with a simple salad or steamed
greens and plain rice they make a
great dinner. If you are able to use
all the authentic ingredients they are
definitely better, with more complex
flavours, but they are lovely even if
you do not have the seaweed or sake.
The ginger is recommended as a
garnish but can also be added to the
meatball mixture or the Ponzu Sauce
instead.
Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet (360-400 g)
1/2 pkg (340 g) frozen uncooked
shrimp, shelled
1/2 onion, chopped finely (120 g)
1 Tbsp sake or white wine
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
shredded fresh ginger for garnish
Lemon Ponzu Sauce:
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 inch square piece konbu kelp
(optional)
Directions:
Make lemon ponzu sauce: Rinse
the konbu kelp square with water and
pat it dry. Measure mirin into a
saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn
down heat and simmer for a few
minutes (this is to evaporate the
alcohol). Transfer to a bowl and add
soy sauce, lemon juice and konbu.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Remove skin and bones from
salmon and chop coarsely then
mince.
Wash shrimp, de-vein, then chop
bodies coarsely and mince tails
finely.
Mix salmon and shrimp, then add
sake, salt, pepper and onion and mix
well.
Shape into 2 inch rounded patties.
If they are not sticking together well
enough you may have to chop a little
finer. When I was using previously
frozen fish I threw them in the food
processor for just a quick pulse or
two to get them to come together.
Cover bottom of frying pan with
oil and brown both sides until cooked
through. You may cook these earlier
in the day and reheat them in the
oven when ready to serve.
Serve with shredded ginger and
ponzu dipping sauce. Serves 4
Mulligatawny Soup
This curry-flavoured soup hails
from a different area of the far east,
but do not be frightened by the name.
If you have a little chicken or turkey
left after the holidays give it a try.
Mulligatawny comes from the Tamil
word meaning “pepper water” and
did not originally include meat, but
the British have adapted it over the
years to include a number of
additional ingredients to suit their
taste. I do not recall where I came by
this recipe but it is simply chicken
soup filled with all kinds of winter
vegetables you may have in your
cellar and spiced up with a little
curry powder and pepper. The
sweetness of the squash, parsnip and
carrot is balanced by the rice and the
spices to produce a wonderful,
creamy, satisfying soup to warm a
January day.
Ingredients:
6 cups chicken stock, homemade or
low sodium
1/2 cup wild rice, you may substitute
basmati or other long-grain rice
2 tsp oil, chicken fat, butter or a
mixture
1 onion, finely chopped
1 leek, chopped, white and light
green parts
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 parsnip, finely diced
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced or
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp hot pepper, minced or 1/4 tsp
cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced or grated
1 cup squash, cooked and mashed
(optional)
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp curry powder
1/8 tsp mace
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 cup cooked chicken (optional)
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 Tbsp milk or cream or yogurt or
coconut milk(optional)
Directions:
Cook wild rice in chicken stock
for 30 minutes while preparing and
sweating the vegetables.
Cook onion and leek in fat until
soft, about 5 minutes.
Add celery, carrots, parsnip,
apple, garlic and ginger and continue
to cook on low a little longer.
Add cooked squash, coriander,
cumin, curry, hot pepper, mace and
salt and cook for another minute.
Stir in rice and stock and cook for 20
- 30 minutes.
Add parsley and chicken and
continue cooking on low a few
minutes.
Taste and adjust seasoning,
stirring in a little cream or milk if
desired.
Variation: Creamy Curry Soup
Substitute any other long-grain rice
for wild rice. Puree soup before
adding parsley and chicken. Thin to
desired consistency with milk, cream
or a combination of both.
January 2019 37
Recipes