acolourful asagohan
There's something about craving a Japanese breakfast that you can't settle for anything else.. so we didn't.
One of the 5 principles of Japanese cooking is the belief in having 5 colours in the offering of a meal spread to ensure a fully balanced meal – white, red, yellow, green, black/other dark colours. Accidentally omitting the red item, we served the food in red dishes…
A Japanese-inspired breakfast
Japanese omelette
(or 卵焼き – ‘Tamagoyaki’ – tamago means egg, yaki means fried)
4 eggs
1 tblsp water
1/2 tblsp mirin
1 tblsp caster sugar
2 tsp soy
Oil for frying
Whisk all ingredients together until well combined. Heat a dash of oil in a saucepan (enough to thinly cover the bottom and sides of the pan). Add the egg mixture. Turn the heat down to a medium flame. Cook until it half sets, then fold the omelette in half and press. Cook for a minute or two further, until cooked. Remove and roll up, then cut into strips.
Sauteed mushrooms
きのこ
1 tblsp oil
1 tsp sesame oil
400g mushrooms
3 tblsp soy sauce
2 tblsp mirin
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tblsp water
Combine soy, mirin, sugar and water together. Heat oil, add mushrooms and stir. Add sauce and stir until mushrooms are well coated. Cover and cool for 5 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if necessary.
Rice & tuna
ご飯とツナ
For the sushi rice:
Sushi rice (or just short-grain rice)
Rice vinegar
Caster sugar
Combine rice vinegar and sugar and set aside. Combine rice with water and bring to the boil. Cover and reduce heat to very low. Cook on low heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered for a further 15 minutes. Please try to resist lifting the lid during this process, as you will release steam cruical for the cooking process! Once the time is up, stir through the vinegar mixture to ensure rice is well-coated and well-fluffed.
For extra pizzaz, add 1 can of drained tuna and 1-2 tblsp of sesame seeds (white are fine but black are more dramatic).
Serve all dishes together, flanked by a fresh brew of green tea and get ready to feel good for the rest of the day.
いただきます！
