Recipe Ingredients
Miso Soup, Onigiri and Nanbanzuke
Miso Soup
200g mushroom (such as enoki) (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed/minced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 cups water
1/4 cup white miso paste
300g firm tofu (more if you like)
2 green onions, sliced thinly
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Onigiri
1 1/2 cups of sushi rice​
3 cups water
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
A pinch of white sugar
2 teaspoons furikake (optional)
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Nanbanzuke
2 carrots, julienned or shredded
2 celery sticks, julienned
1/2 onion, sliced
1 piece firm white fish fillet eg. Ling, Whiting
1/4 cup plain flour
1 litre canola oil (deep frying)
1 teaspoon chives, chopped
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Nanbanzuke stock
1/2 cup dashi stock (make according to dashi powder package instructions)
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
1 red chili, deseeded and finely sliced (optional)
Equipment you need
Miso Soup
Large pot
Stirring utensils
Soup ladle
4 small soup bowls and spoons for serving
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Onigiri
Large Saucepan
Colander
Pastry brush
Tray and rack
Presentation plate
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Nanbanzuke
Wok or large frypan
Small bowl
Two medium bowls
Stirring utensils
Straining utensil
Presentation plate or bowl
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Four plates for serving
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Recipe for Miso Soup adapted from recipe found at https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/what-is-miso-soup/
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Recipe for Nanbanzuke adapted from "Destination Flavour" by Adam Liaw (Adam Grant Books, 2018)
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Recipe for Onigiri from "Asian After Work" by Adam Liaw (Hachette Australia, 2013)
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Eastern Asian Recipes | Asian Food
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Miso soup is a simple soup which is made with dashi and miso. Dashi is a soup stock made with bonito flakes, which are dried fish flakes. Miso is a fermented paste created from soybeans, sea salt and rice koji. Tofu and sliced green onions are normally added to the soup. Miso soup was a daily meal for the samurais during the Kamakura period (1185–1333), and, during the age of Japanese civil wars, as it was easy to prepare.
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Onigiri are Japanese rice balls. Steamed rice is made into triangle, ball or other shapes and wrapped in nori (dried seaweed) and/or sprinkled with furikake (a rice and seaweed seasoning mix). They can be served plain or stuffed with fillings. They are a great way to use leftovers. It is believed that Onigiri originate from balls of rice called tonjiki which were eaten on picnics and when travelling during the Heian period (794-1185). They were also used as troop provisions in the sixteenth century and have been carried on journeys and picnics to this day. When Onigiri were first invented they were stuffed with umeboshi, whose antibacterial properties helped the rice to stay fresh, as there was no refrigeration. Originally, Onigiri were often wrapped in dried bamboo sheathes for carrying; the custom of covering them in dried nori started around the mid-1800s.
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Nanbanzuke translates to "Southern Barbarian-style". Fish is fried and then marinated in a mixture of vinegar, carrots and chili. Nanbanzuke was brought to Japan by Portuguese sailors in the 16th century.