I always try to incorporate things that are good for my body. How wonderful would it be if I could celebrate special occasions with delicious and healthy food? In "Chami's Kitchen," Chami, who hosts fermentation and dim sum cooking classes at her home, teaches us various seasonal recipes with the theme of "Fermentation x Celebration."
This is the second installment of our birthday celebration recipes!
We will introduce recipes for "Eggplant Meat Sauce," "Korean Seaweed Onigiri," and "Sweet Potato and Apple Amazake Stew." Let's make a body-friendly celebration menu!
Slice the eggplant into 2cm thick rounds and roughly mince the long green onion.
Heat oil in a frying pan, add garlic and ground meat, then cover the ground meat with the green onion. Add 2 teaspoons of shio koji (salted rice malt), cover, and steam.
Once mostly cooked, remove the lid and stir-fry while evaporating the moisture. Add miso, sake, and then ketchup and stir-fry.
Add a suitable amount of pepper and then a suitable amount of dissolved potato starch.
Heat oil (not included in ingredients) in a frying pan and cook the eggplant.
Once cooked, pile the finished meat sauce on top of the eggplant, and your eggplant meat sauce is complete!
The gentle sweetness of the ketchup and the richness of the miso, layered with the mildness of the shio koji, creates a deep umami without any harshness.
The meat is plump and tender, and the eggplant is melty. The depth unique to fermented seasonings transforms everyday meat sauce into a slightly special dish.
It's a flavor that pairs well with both rice and bread, with a hint of Japanese nuance.
Add 1 tablespoon of shio koji per 1 go of rice and cook with the usual amount of water.
Once cooked, mix in an appropriate amount of Korean seaweed and form into onigiri. It's already done!
From the freshly cooked rice, a subtle, gentle aroma wafts. Rice cooked with shio koji becomes plump and its sweetness is enhanced, offering a mellow deliciousness even on its own.
When Korean seaweed is mixed in, the fragrant sesame oil and just the right amount of saltiness combine, creating a simple yet deeply satisfying flavor.
The umami that spreads with each bite is comforting and gentle. Thanks to the power of fermentation, you can enjoy the pure deliciousness of rice—a simple luxury.
Finally, introducing a dessert with the gentle sweetness of fermentation ♪
Slice the sweet potatoes into 2cm rounds and soak them in water. Peel the apples and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Put the sweet potatoes and apples into a pot, add water until it covers about half of the ingredients, cover with a lid, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat.
Add 4 tablespoons of amazake and reduce the heat slightly. Once the sweet potatoes are soft, it's done.
※Be careful not to let it burn if the water dries out!
The soft-cooked sweet potato and the gentle tartness of the apple, combined with the mellow sweetness of amazake, create a comforting flavor.
The sugar-free sweetness is not cloying, and its charm lies in enhancing the natural deliciousness of the ingredients. The fluffy sweet potato and the apple with just the right amount of texture are a delightful combination, with a gentle sweetness spreading with each bite.
It's a light dessert that effortlessly blends with your body, perfect even after a meal.
◆ A word from Chami ◆
By using familiar ingredients and making them a little more elegant, I think your dining table will look a bit different. In my last year of my 50s, I'm appreciating the goodness of home-cooked meals.
It's always the same, but today it feels different somehow. Since it's not a restaurant, it doesn't always have to taste exactly the same. I'm not a great cook, but even now, my mom's cooking is my favorite.
Even simple things like boiled vegetables with a dash of soy sauce.
I hope this can be a comforting reference for your family's meals.
When I'm busy or short on time, I often make hot pot. I add koji seasonings to simplify things.
I keep miso balls (containing dried sardine powder, dried wakame, dried daikon radish, etc.) in a container without shaping them, and when needed, I put some in a cup or bowl and pour hot water over it to drink.
My recent hit is yakibifun (fried vermicelli). I use leftover vegetables from the fridge. I marinate pork and shrimp with shio koji and stir-fry them with the vegetables. The only seasonings are shio koji, salt, and pepper. I often cook this way.
Here's another easy side dish!
◆ Ingredients
Cabbage: 1/2 small head
Broccoli: appropriate amount
Shrimp: about 8 pieces
(Pork belly is also OK)
Shio koji: 2-3 teaspoons
Sake: about 1 tablespoon
Pepper: a little
◆ Instructions
Roughly chop cabbage
Break broccoli into small florets
Peel shrimp and sprinkle with about 2 teaspoons of shio koji
① Heat a frying pan and add sesame oil.
② Add cabbage, then place shrimp on top.
Add sake, and place shio koji on the cabbage (do not mix).
③ Once the shrimp start to cook, add broccoli and steam.
Mix everything together, sprinkle with pepper, and it's done!
Adjust the taste to your liking.
You don't have to overthink it; once you try it, you'll probably find a method that works best for you!
Combining it with the previous dishes makes for an increasingly luxurious table! Each recipe is easy, so the hurdle for a party menu becomes quite low. Next, we will bring you "Birthday Feast" vol. 3.
Look forward to the next "Chami's Kitchen"!
I share easy and delicious recipes using koji fermented seasonings,
that nourish both the gut and the mind.
Instagram：＠botibotiiko
