Rich flavour Shitake mushroom Stock "Dashi"

I  think Shitake mushroom stock is the easiest stock to make, ever!

You can buy fresh shitake mushrooms in English supermarkets or Asian food shops. Leave the mushroom in a very cool and dry place in the house for 5 days to a week. The mushrooms will completely dry out.  Keep them in the container. 

Shitake mushroom stock "dashi"

Large dried Shitake mushrooms  2

Water   4¼ cups

Put the water and dried-shitake mushrooms in a deep pot and soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Or if you are short of time, you can add hot water for 10 minutes. Squeeze out the mushrooms and then remove them from the stock. You can use the mushrooms for another dish.

Try making Shitake mushiroom Miso soup!

How to make perfect sushi rice. Yuki's tips!

Rice is also used to make alcoholic drinks like sake, snacks such as senbei, rice crackers, and agemochi.

Sushi Rice

Japanese rice              3 cups

Water                          3 cups

Sushi-Su (vinegar)*     125ml (1/2 cup)

Sugar                           3tbs

     Salt                              1TBS + 1ts

Rice vinegar                120mls

Japanese rice is short grain and becomes sticky when cooked...

Wash the rice thoroughly through a sieve for no less than 2 minutes but ideally for for 4 minutes constantly turning the rice over until the water turns clear. 

Drain the rice and add it the pan with 3 cups of water and let it stand for 30 minutes in cold water. If you do not have time you can cook immediately!

Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and cover, let simmer for 8-9 minutes.( or 4 minutes in a pressure cooker). Turn the heat off and then let it stand to cool for a further 20 minutes.

Pour the rice into the wide flat dish to let it cool.

Pour the sushi-su over the rice and ture it in carefully letting the rice cool further with far; at the time being careful not to damage the structure of grains.

The Sushi-su gives rice more flavour and gives it a familiar sticky grazed look.If you have to let it stand cover the rice with cling film or a damp cloth so that it does't dry out.


Let's roll sushi!

Home made Japanese Bread Crumb "Pan-ko"

Nothing is wasted...

It is very nice to keep in the Freezer. 

Slice slightly stale bread and leave for 3 days in a dry place...I leave it covered near the radiator...

Try to make Ton-katsu using the breadcrumbs!

Ton-katsu Recipe   

Exciting New Beginnings

The New Year brought a lovely new home, but a lot of stress moving in and unpacking everything. My extensive range of kitchen equipment had to be quickly stored in an orderly fashion, where I could easily find even the smallest dish, ready for my workshops, courses and catering assignments.

Welcome to my new blog, which links to my website www.yukiskitchen.com. I hope to write my thoughts of life in London, including recipes, and restaurant reviews. I love food and think about it all the time, planning the next meal or a new workshop. I have also been asked to write about European food for a monthly Japanese magazine circulated in Europe, so I may include some western recipes too.

No sooner had we moved in than the weather turned very cold and there was so much snow that I preferred to stay in and cook comforting dishes to warm us up.

One of my family’s favourite winter dishes is Gyoza Soup and I make no apologies for including it here in March, because although the sun is shining out of a clear blue sky, and the daffodils are starting to bloom, it is still very cold and spring is not quite here.