We hope you enjoyed your evening at the cookery school, Chef Jan loves to delight guests with his mouth-watering Gyoza & Sushi. If you have any questions please ask and we’ll get back to you.
You Made:
- Miso and sweet potato gyoza, Matsuhisa dressing
- Honey ponzu dressing
- Tuna uramaki rolls, avocado topping
- Maki Sushi
Sweet Potato Gyoza Recipe (Vegetarian, Dairy Free)
Ingredients: Makes 40
- 150g shredded cabbage (Nappa or any other softer white/green cabbage)
1/2 teaspoon salt
250g mashed sweet potato (plain, unseasoned)
1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon chopped spring onions (use only the green part)
2 teaspoons white miso paste
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon caster sugar
40 gyoza wrappers* (use vegan ones for a vegan recipe)
For cooking
– 4 teaspoons sesame oil
– 120ml cold water
For the dipping sauce
– 6 tablespoons soy sauce
– 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
– A few drops of sesame or chilli oil
Method:
- 1. Sprinkle the salt over the minced cabbage in a small bowl. Stir and leave it for 10 minutes. Squeeze the cabbage firmly in a sieve to drain and discard the excess water. Transfer the minced cabbage into a large deep bowl.
2. Add the sweet potato puree, ginger, garlic, spring onion, miso paste, one teaspoon of sesame oil and the sugar. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon.
3. Line a large tray with baking paper. Fill a small cup with cold water.
Place a gyoza wrapper on a flat dry surface and put a heaped teaspoon of the sweet potato mixture in the centre (see picture above).
Dip one finger in the cold water and trace a line along half the edge of the gyoza wrapper (see picture above).
Fold the wrapper over to enclose the filling. Pinch the wrapper in the centre at the top to seal that spot.
Holding the filled wrapper in your left hand (or right one if you are left-handed), pleat the top of the wrapper (see pictures above). Set aside on the lined tray keeping the edge up. Repeat with the rest of the gyoza dumplings.
4. For the cooking part, use a large frying pan or skillet with a tight-fitting lid.
Put the pan over a medium heat and add one teaspoon of sesame oil. When it is hot, place half the gyoza in the pan (or as many that will fit) with their edge up. Cook for about 3 minutes or until the bottom of the gyoza is golden.
Add in 60ml of the cold water and cover immediately with the lid. Steam for about 2 minutes or until most of the water has evaporated.
Uncover, let the water evaporate completely, then add one teaspoon of sesame oil. Cook until the gyoza is crispy in the bottom (when shaking the pan, the dumplings should slide; if not, set the pan aside and cover with the lid for another 2 or 3 minutes).
The gyoza dumplings should be slightly translucent and the filling should be firm.
5. Flip the gyoza dumplings on a large serving plate , browned surface up. Cover with aluminium foil while cooking the other batch (repeat the cooking actions) if you are making them all in one go.
Serve with the dipping sauce (mix the ingredients in a small bowl).
Pork Gyoza’s
Ingredients – Serves 5:
- – 450g. ground pork
- – 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
- – 2 cloves garlic, grated
- – 2 tbsp soy sauce
- – 2 tsp sesame oil
- – 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
- – 2 tsp fish sauce (optional)
- – pinch of garlic chives
- – Flour, for surface
- – 50 dumpling wrappers
- – Vegetable oil, for frying
Method:
- Make dumplings: In a large bowl, combine pork, spring onions, garlic chives, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, fish sauce if using. Stir ingredients together, using your hands or a wooden spoon, until fully combined.
- Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and dust lightly with flour.
- Place 4 dumpling wrappers on your work surface, and keep remaining wrappers covered with a clean kitchen towel. Place a heaping teaspoon pork filling just below centre on each wrapper. Wet the edge of wrapper with water and fold top half over bottom half and pinch border to seal. Alternatively, pleat dumplings by making small folds starting on one edge and ending on the other, pinching firmly to seal after each fold. Place on prepared baking sheet and continue stuffing and sealing dumplings until all pork mixture is used.
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add dumplings in an even layer, sealed side up. (Touching is OK!) Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden on the underside.
- Add 1/3 cup water to skillet, lower heat to medium-low, and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let steam for 3 minutes, then adjust lid so it is ajar, allowing steam to escape. Cook until no water remains, about 3 minutes more.
- Use a spatula to transfer dumplings to serving plate, crisp side up. Repeat process until all dumplings are cooked.
- Serve pot stickers with dipping sauce on the side.
Types of Sushi
Temari is a less known variety of sushi overseas and is also not as common to find in Japan, although it’s a popular style of sushi to make at home given its simplicity in form. It’s made with a small round ball of pressed rice topped with a thin layer of fish or other ingredients, which is fitting since the name comes from the traditional Japanese embroidered ball, temari, meaning “hand ball.” Often colourful and decorative, it’s a popular food for parties and picnics, and is often made for the traditional girl’s day celebration known as Hinamatsuri. If making temari for a picnic, it’s best to used cured or cooked seafood rather than raw sashimi.
Maki, also known as “norimaki,” refers to a type of sushi where rice and ingredients are carefully rolled in a sheet of nori seaweed, which is then cut into smaller pieces. It’s believed that makizushi came into existence in the early 1700s, soon after sheet nori was invented with a similar technique used for paper making. The name norimaki is made up of two Japanese words: “Maki” meaning to roll and “nori” referring to the toasted sheet of nori seaweed used to wrap the ingredients. This is the most common type of sushi nowadays (seaweed on the outside) ….Similar to Maki: Uramaki is a famous inside out sushi, using similar techniques as for making (California roll)
Gunkan maki is another type of maki—“rolled” or “wrapped” sushi—and was invented in a Ginza sushi restaurant in the 1940s. It’s made by wrapping a wide strip of nori around a rice ball while leaving enough space at the top to be filled with various ingredients. The name, translated as “battleship” or “warship” sushi, comes from its shape, resembling a tiny ship. Popular toppings for gunkan maki include uni sea urchin, squid, salmon roe, negitoro (a blend of fatty tuna belly and green onion), potato salad, and kanimiso (blended crab brains). Gunkan maki is commonly found both in takeout sushi bento boxes and at sushi restaurants
Temaki is a novel type of sushi with a shape resembling that of an ice cream cone. To make it, rice and ingredients are held within a sheet of nori wrapped into a conical shape. It’s popular at restaurants, as well as for making at home, given its simplicity. Temaki lends itself to a variety of fillings, with some popular types including umeshiso—a paste made of fresh shiso leaf and umeboshi (pickled plum), negitoro, squid with and without natto, and sweetened omelette.
Oshizushi (pressed sushi), also known as hakozushi (boxed sushi), is a strikingly shaped style of sushi originating in Osaka. This variety is made by pressing ingredients into an “oshiwaku” rectangular box, then layering it with toppings and cutting the sushi into neat angular shapes like rectangles, triangle, or small squares. The toppings include fish like mackerel or gizzard shad and may also be decoratively layered with edible leaves like bamboo. Toppings may be placed in different arrangements, such as diagonally or with a whole fish from end to end, and this unique display makes oshizushi a popular choice for bento boxes and gifts.
Chirashizushi, translated as “scattered sushi,” is a bowl of rice topped with a variety of ingredients, with popular toppings including pieces of salmon, squid, cucumber, shredded omelette, and boiled prawns. It’s similar to a kaisendon (Japanese rice bowl topped with a large amount of seafood), with the main difference being that chirashizushi uses vinegared sushi rice whereas kaisendon uses plain steamed white rice. You can easily find chirashizushi throughout Japan as it’s widely available in convenience stores, supermarkets and department store food courts. It’s often included as a bento box feature, or enjoyed as a stand-alone meal, given its wide variety of ingredients. Its decorative, bejewelled appearance makes it popular to serve at celebratory occasions.
Tuna Uramaki Sushi
Ingredients – Serves 4:
- – 200g sushi rice uncooked (400g cooked, following cooking instructions)
- – 4 sheets of nori
- – Wasabi paste
- – Pickled ginger
- – Soy sauce
- – Japanese mayo
- – 1x avocado, sliced
- – 1x carrot, shredded
- – 1x cucumber, de-seeded, cut into long batons
- – Handful of coriander, chopped
- – Sashimi grade tuna
Method:
- Cut the nori seaweed into halves, and then place half of the nori on the sushi mat shiny side down. As a golden rule, the shiny side of the nori seaweed should always be on the outside of the sushi.
- Place roughly 110g of sushi rice on the nori seaweed and spread across evenly. Flip the nori seaweed and sushi rice so that the nori seaweed is facing upward. Add a small portion of mayo, cucumber, tuna or any other filling in a centre.
- Start rolling from the bottom, tucking the edge of the roll to fully enclose the filling. Lift the edge of the mat and continue to roll forward until the sushi is formed into a firm cylinder.
- Slightly wet the blade of a sharp knife and slice the roll into 6 pieces. First, slice it into halves and then the halves into thirds. Clean the knife with a wet towel between cuts to prevent the rice from sticking to the knife.
- Serve with soy sauce. Feel free to garnish with other foods such as white / black sesame seeds, tobiko, chives, etc.
Honey Ponzu sauce
Ingredients: Makes 1/2 cup
- 60ml soy sauce or tamari
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
- 2tablespoons lime juice (you can use all lemon juice but the combination of lemon and lime more closely resembles the flavour of yuzu, which is the traditional citrus fruit of choice)
- 2tablespoons mirin
- 2teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/4cup (3 g) katsuobushi / bonito flakes
- 12-inch piece kombu
- 1teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (optional for bigger citrus flavour boost)
- 1tbsp of honey
Method
- Two methods:
For a more intense tuna/sea kelp flavour: In a small saucepan bring the soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, katsuobushi, kombu and lemon zest (if using) to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely. Strain out the solids. Stir in the citrus juice and honey.
For a milder tuna/sea kelp flavour: Place all the ingredients in a glass jar, shake, cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours or up to a few days, shaking occasionally. Strain out the solids.
*For a simplified or vegetarian version, you can omit the katsuobushi and kombu.
Store in in a sealed jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for up to a month.
How to cook sushi rice
- Use good quality Japanese rice
- 1 sushi roll needs about 100g of uncooked rice
- You can soak sushi rice before rinsing for 20 minutes for more tender grains
- Rinse at least 4 times under running cold water, until it runs clear
- Rice to water ratio: 1:2…Precisely 250g of rice: 330g of water
- Place in a pan, cold, medium heat, no lid at this point, waiting to start simmer
- After bubbles appear, place the lid on your pan and simmer for 10 minutes
- Turn off heat after 10 minutes and let rest for 30 minutes longer, do not remove the lid
- Add seasoning and chill well in a refrigerator before using
Sushi Rice Cooked in Rice Cooker
Makes 2-3 rolls:
- – 1.5 cup of sushi rice (we prefer Nishiki)
- – 2 cups of filtered water
- – ¼ cup of sushi seasoning
- Place the rice and water into a rice cooker. Cook the rice according to the “white rice” setting on the rice cooker.
- When the rice has finished cooking, rest it for 10 minutes to absorb all the extra moisture. Evenly pour the seasoned rice vinegar all over the rice. Toss the rice around to further distribute the rice vinegar, taking care to be gentle, and not mash the rice.
- It is now ready to be used for sushi.
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