The Missus couldn’t go shopping yeaterday and she had to make do with what was left available this morning (BG will probably comment that I’m bonding the Missus into slavery!).
But apparently there was still plenty left in fridge and the “pantry”.

She steamed plain sushi rice she mixed with edamame boiled the precious evening and added some seasme seeds for seasoning.
There was still one frozen duck confit left in the freezer.
The benefits of internet were clearly felt there. The Missus orders a lot of French ingredients dirctly from Dining Plus, a Japanese import Company based in Osaka, with a great list and very fast service.
You don’t really need to unfreeze the duck confit in a hurry. Just Put it on a teflon non-stick frypan and cover it. It will cook to a crispy state in its own fat.
Once cooked you, you tsrip the bone (“for me!”, said the Missus. BG, keep quiet!) and cut or shred the meat. Don’t forget the crispy skin, it’s beautiful!

She topped the rice with plenty of shredded duck confit (cooled down), Shizuoka-grown cress, and deep-fried (small) renkon/lotus root slices.
French pickles were added to contribute another French note to the bento. I should have called it “French Sushi Bento”!

The dessert/salad dish included mini tomatoes, pink and yellow potato salad on lettuce.
Dessert wers plums (the Japanese call them “prunes”, another Japlish word!), and sliced peach.

Another solid bento for this stamina sapping weather!
Definitely a French bento! I wonder who the “Japanese half “is! LOL

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My French Friend in Osaka has already extensively written about such recipes, so the present recipe is more a confirmation than an innovation!
It is very popular in Japan, probably more in my region, Shizuoka and Kanto, than in the western part of Japan including Osaka!

First of all, choose some good fresh thin leeks and use a lot for your Vitamin C, fibers and other useful nutrients. Chop them fine and drop them in a bowl.

Add the natto to the leeks. I also add a little light taste soy sauce, a little sesame oil, a little mustard and some chili pepper for additional zip. But this seasoning is entirely up to your preferences and priorities.
Mix well! It must form a really sticky mass.

Aburaage: deep-fried tofu pouches.
If you make them yourself, great!
If you van buy them freshly made at the market, great again!
Now, if you buy them packed, they either come as they are or in brine.
If in brine, throw the brine away and sponge the aburaage of between sheets of kitchen paper.

Cut each aburaage in half, or cut off one “tail” only to form a larger pouch.
With a sharp knife, “open” the aburaage so as to form a pouch.
Fill the pouch with the natto nixture.

“Lock” the pouch with a wooden toothpick as shown on the picture.

Fry on a frypan without any oil (plenty left inside the pouch), unless you are using aburaage preserved in brine.
Fry to a crispy broan colour.
Cut or serve as it is (look at top picture!) with some freshly grated ginger and some ponzu!

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Here is a simple way of turning leftovers in a great snack!

Natto & Rice Patties!

INGREDIENTS: For 6 10 cm-wide patties

-Steamed rice (cold): 1 bowl
-Okonomiyaki powder mix: 1 cup/200 cc
-Egg: 1
-Water: 1 cup/200 cc/ml
-Minced meat (of ypur choice): as appropriate
-Nira/Chinese chives: 12 sprigs
-Leek: as appropriateDried hijiki/sweet seawed: 2 tablespoons
-Cabbage: 1/8 (chopped)
-Natto: 1 standard pack

RECIPE:

-Chop all the vegetables including seaweed (as it is). Put them inside a bowl. Cover them with cellophane paper and cook in microwave oven for 3 minutes.

-Take out. Let cool down. Add rice, egg and okonomiyaki powder mix. Mix well.
Add natto and mix well.

-Heat some sesame oil in a frypan.
Pour the patties batter into the frypan with a ladle and shape as pattiies.
Fry well on both sides.
While cooking, prepare an okoniyaki sauce with mayonnaise, soy sauce, mustard, bbq sauce and a little ketchup.

-Serve at once with a good beer!

Hope this will become an idea you can work on!

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Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Ideal Party

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I still have plenty of recipes with natto to publish!
This time I would like to introduce a very simple idea for a cruchy snack (Bazooka Gourmet will certainly have a comment for that! LOL):
Lotus Root and Natto Sandwiches!

INGREDIENTS: For 4 people

-Lotus root/Renkon: 20 cm long piece or the equivalent in 2 or 3 roots
-Natto: 1 standard pack
-Ooba/large shiso leaves/perilla leaves: 1 for each sandwich!
-Leek: as appropriate (chopped)
-Cornstarch: as appropriate
-Soy sauce: as appropriate

RECIPE:

-Cut the lotus root into 5 mm/1/2 cm thick slices. Wash in clear cold water.
Mix the natto with the chopped leeks and the tare/sauce and mustard provided in usual packs (if unavailable add some soy sauce, sesame oil and mustard).
Wash the large perilla leaves in clear cold water.

-Take water off both sides of lotus root slices with kitchen paper. Do the same with perilla leaves. Sprinkle lotus root slices with cornstarch on one side only, that is the side which will come in contact with frypan and oil.
Make sandwiches with one slice of lotus root + one perilla leaf + natto mix + one more lotus root slice.
Pour a little oil of your liking in a frypan and fry snadwiches on both sides until the lotus root is cooked and has attained a nice colour.

-Serve with a light soy sauce and yuzu kosho/lime and pepper paste for extra seasoning!

-Enjoy with a beer!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Ideal Party

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Since I started this series on natto, (Lou Ann, keep your eyes open!), I seem to have found more vegan recipes for it!

Fried Spicy Natto & Daikon:

INGREDIENTS: For 2~3 people

-Daikon: 10 cm long piece (peeled, bear in mind that the bottom tip is hotter!)

-Natto: 2 standard packs
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Mirin/Sweet sake: 1 tablespoon

-Seven Flavor Chili Pepper/Shichimi Togarashi (Shichimi)/七味唐辛子/: as much as you like!

RECIPE:

-Cut the daikon into 1~2 cm square pieces.
Mix the natto with the tare and other condiments provided in a bowl. Put aside.

-Pour some oil in a frypan. Fry the daikon pieces over a medium fire until they become half transaprent.

-Lower the fire. Add the natto to the daikon and mix well while cooking until the natto has become less sticky.

-Add soy sauce and mirin. Stir. Check taste and add seasoning if needed.
Last add Shichimi and mix.
Serve with beer or Japanese sake!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Ideal Party

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Okonomiyaki, originally a fast food from Osaka and Hiroshima has become so popular abroad that one has to try and find variants of the original recipes.
Here is a simple and healthy one:

Tofu & Cabbage Okonomiyaki!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 people

-Tofu/kinudofu/silk tofu: 1/2 block, ~200 g
-Cabbage: 1/6
-All-purpose flour: 3 tablespoons
-Thin pork slice (belly): 50 g
-Egg: 1
-Hon dashi/dashi stock soup powder (if unavailable, use bouillon powder): 10 g
-Salt & pepper: as appropriate

Sauce:
-Ponzu: as appropriate
-Chopped leeks: as appropriate

RECIPE:

-Pres water out of tofu as much as you can. Break up the tofu in a large bowl with a spatula and stir until smooth.

-Cut cabbage leaves thinly.

-Add cabbage, flour , egg, hon dashi powder, salt and pepper.
Mix well.

-In a large enough frypan, fdry-ry the pork slices. There is enough fat in the pork, no need for oil! Spread pork slices evenly.

-Pour batter all over the pork. Cook and turn over until you are satisfied with both sides of the okonomiyaki.

-Serve on a warm plate. Season with ponzu (better and healthie than sauce) and chopped leeks (for the vitamins!)

Easy, isn’t it?

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Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Bento Boutique, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, While My Sautoir Gently Sweats, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen

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SYNOPSIS:

My friend Island Vittles has decided to start a series on that worldwide known Japanese specialty that is “Yakitori/焼き鳥/”Grilled Chicken”.
I hope that this series of postings on various basic recipes will help her and all other foodies interested in that simple, healthy and so delicious delicacy!

For the sake of continuity, I also decided to re-post the Tsukune Recipes I have published so far for all to refer to before I start publishing new ones.

1) Basic recipe

Apparently, yakitori and especially tsukune are very popular not only in Japan but almost everywhere in the world as they share similarities with many other countries’ specialties! After all a hamburger is nothing less than a big tsukune!LOL

Here is the first of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

Tsukune Recipe 1:

INGREDIENTS: For 4 people

-High quality chicken (breast or thigh): 250 g
-Leek (long narrow one): 1
-Soy sauce + Japanese sake + mirin/sweet sake: 4 tablespoons each
-Honey: 2 teaspoons
-Fresh ginger juice (also available over the counter in Asian stores): 10 ml
-Water: 2 tablespoons
-Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons
-Salad oil: 2 tablespoons

RECIPE:

-Cut chicken and leek into rough pieces and drop them into a food processor. Add one half of the cornstarch, water, soy sauce, sake and mirin each.

-Process well until you obtain a smooth paste. Stop the food processor from time to time to move chicken from the centre with a spatula.

-Make/shape “patties”/tsukune.
Fry in oil on a frypan over a low fire on both side until you obtain a light brown colour (“foxy” in Japanese)

-Pour the rest of the soy sauce, sake, mirin, ginger juice, and cornstarch dissolved in water over the tsukune and cook until the sauce has caramelized.
Serve immediately!

NOTE:
By dividing the seasoning in two halves, the chicken will be thoroughly impregnated with the taste.
make sure you cook over a low fire all the time!
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2) Basic Recipe

Here is the second of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

INGREDIENTS:
-Minced Chicken: 400 g+
-Large shiso/perilla leaves (can be replaced with basil or other green tasty leaves): 15~20
-Salt, pepper: 1 pinc each
-Black sesame: 1 teaspoon
-Grated fresh ginger: 5×5 cm cube
-Japanese Sake: 1 teaspoon
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
-Egg yolk: 1 large

-For seasoning:
Lemon juice
Yuzu koshio/lime and pepper paste

RECIPE:

-Chop the leaves fine as shown on above picture.

-In a large bowl, drop in the minced chicken, salt, pepper and black sesame seeds. Mix well until it becomes a smooth paste.

-Add egg yolk, Japanese Sake, Cornstarch and grated ginger.
Mix well.

-Add chopped shiso (leaves) and mix well.

-make tsukune/patties in size of your liking around a wooden stick.

-Pour a little oil in a non-stick frypan and place tsukune as shown on picture.
Start frying.

-When one side has reached the right colour, turn over and fry until both sides have reached the proper colour.
You may add a little more Japanese sake for seasoning.

-Cover with large piece of foil paper and stema/fry on a small fire for a while.

-That’s how the should look when ready!

-Serve a little lemon juice and lime and peppr paste, and plenty of beer!

NOTE:
Naturally, youi may use a sauce of your choice as well, or ponzu, or soy sauce, etc.
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3) Tofu Tsukune

Here is the third of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!
The difference is that this time it is made with tofu as well!

INGREDIENTS: For 2~3 persons

-Tofu: 100 g
-Minced chicen: 300 g
-Onion, finely chopped, 1/2
-Grated fresh ginger, 3~3cm cube
-Egg: 1
-Black pepper: a pinch or two
-Cornstarch: 2 teaspoons
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Japanese sake: 2 tablepoons
-Sugar: 2+1/2 tablespoons
-Salad oil

RECIPE:

-In a bowl mix tofu, chicken, onion, ginger, egg, pepper and cornstarch. Make patties/tsukune.

-Pour some oil in a frypan. On medium high fire fry both sides of tsukune until they have reached a nice colour. Add some water. Cover with lid and steam/cook on low fire.

-Mix soy sauce, Japanese sake and sugar in a bowl.

-Take off lid from tsukune. Turn to medium fire. Pour in the sauce and simmer until ready for serving.

NOTE:

Great served wrapped in shiso leaves!
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4) Large Tsukune

Here is the fourth of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

INGREDIENTS: For 3~4 persons

-Minced Chicken (breast or thigh): 250 g
-Leek, lon and thin type: 1
-Fresh ginger, grated, to taste
-Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
-Salt and pepper: a little to taste
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
-Sesame oil: a little to taste
-Yama Imo/Japanese glutinous yam, grated: 2 tablespoons

Tare/Sauce
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Mirin/sweet sake: 2 tablespoons
-Water: 1 teaspoon
-Seven spices, to taste

Decoration/presentation:

-Kaiwaredaikon/Daikon sprouts: to taste
-White sesame seeds: to taste
-Grated fresh daikon: to taste

RECIPE:

-Chop leek finely. Grate the ginger. Grate the yama imo.

-In a large bowl drop the the minced chicken, soy sauce, salt & pepper, seame oil and mix quickly by hand.

-Add leek, ginger, yama imo and the cornstarch. Mix well. Let the mixture rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

-During that time prepare the kaiwaredaikon, freshly grated daikon and sesame sesame seeds.
Prepare the tare/sauce ingredients.

-Fry the tsukune/patties after having shaped them into 3 or 4 equal sized circles with salad oil on both sides over a medium fire until they are a light brown.

-Add 2 tablespoons of water, cover with lid and steam/simmer for a while. Check if tsukune are well cooked with a thin wooden stick.

-Add the tare/sauce ingredients and cook until the tare has “caramelized”.
Serve on a plate with kaiware daikon, grated fresh daikon and white seasme seeds for the final touch.

NOTE:
Do not fry tsukune over a strong fire or they will get hard.
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5) PORK TSUKUNE

Here is the fourth of (long) series of simple recipes that I hope will stimulate into you creating more recipes!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 persons

-Minced pork: 200 g
-Thin green leeks: 4~5
-Ginger, grated: 1 piece, 5×5 cm
-Japanese sake: 2 tablespoons
-Soy sauce: 3 tablespoons
-Naga imo/glutinous Japanese yam/Chinese yam, grated: 2 tablespoons
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon

Tare/Sauce
-Soy sauce: 2~3 tablespoons
-Sugar: 2 teaspoons
-Mirin/sweet sake: 3 tablespoons

-Japanese sake: 2 tablespoons (for steam/fry)
-Onsen Tamago/Japanese-style poached eggs (normal poached eggs are great!)

RECIPE:

-Chop the thin leeks coarsely.
In a bowl mix minced pork, Japanese sake, soy sauce and grated ginger until smooth.

-Add grated Chinese yam and mix until smooth. It will take some time as the yam will tend to separate at first. Add cornstarch and mix until smooth.

-Add chopped leeks and mix well.

-Heat a frypan. Pour in a little oil. Make 6~7 round patties/tsukune by hand or with a mold.
Fry both sides on a medium fire.

-When “eyes” have appeared on both sides, reduce fire to small. Add sake, cover with glass lid and steam fry.

-When you are sure that the tsukune are well cooked, add soy sauce, mirin and sugar and let simmer until sauce has “caramelized” the tsukune.

-Serve with a poached egg in a separate ramequin for each person who will choose either to break it directly over the tsukune or use it as a dip (the former will be probably easier!LOL)

NOTE:
-You can increase the amount of leeks and gingeraccording to your taste.
-You may replace leeks with parsley.
-Any soy sauce is fine, although a sweet variety is recommended. Otherwise you may increase the amount of mirin.

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Bento Boutique, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento. Island Vittles

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The Japanese, like almost everyone in this World, love their “hamburgers”!
But the way the Japanese go at it is slightly different in concept, design and taste from more “regular” types found on the American and European continents.
The Japanese name reflects the difference as it is usually called “nikomi Hambaagu/煮込みハムバーグ”, meaning “stewed hamburger”
Below is the basic recipe, or more aptly said, the way to go about iit. I only explained the ingredients and the method. I purposedly omitted to cite the proportions and weights as this is where all individual “secrets” reside. Do experiment!

INGREDIENTS:

-Panko/Bredacrumbs
-Milk
-Minced meat: Pork or beef, or if you are Japanese a mixture of both
-Finely chopped onion
-Egg (s)
-Pressed tofu (take out as much water as possible)
-Thyme (powder)
-Nutmeg (powder)
-Salt
-Pepper

Sauce:
-Red wine
-Water
-Chicken bouillon (powder/cube)
-Tomato paste
-Ketchup
-Worcestershire sauce
-Sugar ( only a little!)

Accompaniment:
-Shimeji mushrooms
-Onion

RECIPE:

-In a bowl imbibe panko with milk.

-Add minced meat, chopped onion, egg, tofu, thyme, nutmeg, salt, pepper. Mix well by hand. Fashion hamburgers between your palms. Press the middle to create a small “valley”. Fry hamburgers on a frypan over a medium fire covered with a lid. When juices come out of the hamburger inside the valley, it will be almost ready.

-Take the hamburgers out and preserve them between two hot plates. In the same frypan, flambe the red wine, then add water, chicken bouillon powder, tomato paste, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, a littke sugar. Mix and cook until the sauce has reached the state of your preference.

-Fry the onion and shimeji mushrooms in a separate frypan.
When 80% cooked add them to the sauce with the hamburgers and stew for a while.

-Serve with mashed potatoes and boiled greens!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Bento Boutique, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento

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I have already introduced many ways to make “Tsukune”, or chicken patties in yakitori fashion.

Nankotsu/軟骨/ means cartilage or cartilageous parts of the chicken (and other animals) bones. The Japanese eat them as such in yakitori, but they also add great taste to patties. Moreover they are very nutritious, so do make a good use of them if you can get your hands on fresh ones!

INGREDIENTS: For 3~4 people

-Chicken: 200 g (minced)
-Nankotsu/cartilage: 90 g
-Onion: 1/3 of a medium-sized one
-Fresh ginger: a piece of 5×5 cm
-Salt: a pinch
-Black pepper: a pinch
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
-Japanese sake: a little (for boiling wate)
-Water: for boiling
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Sugar: 2 tablespoons
-Japanese sake: 1 tablespoon (for seasoning/cooking)
-White sesame seeds: for seasoning before serving
-Leeks: cut to length appropriate for skewers

RECIPE:

-In a food processor drop the minced chicken, onion, ginger, salt and pepper cornstarch. Let turn for a little while. Stop and drop in the cartilages/nankotsu. Turn until the cartilages have been broken into small pieces.

-Make chicken balls either by hand or with two spoons. Boil them in water added with alittle Japanese sake. Scoop balls out once they have started foating on the surface.

-In a small frypan pour the soy sauce, sugar and sake. Fry the chicken balls with pieces of leeks (broccoli is fine, too) in the sauce till they are well coated.

-Skewer the chicken balls and leek as shown on top picture. Grill them in toatser or oven until they attain the right colour and crispiness. Baste them with the remaining sauce half way!

Makes for a great snack withh beer, or a good addition to bento!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World, Palate To Pen, Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full

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The Japanese love hamburgers, or any burger/patty for that matter, but they are not afraid to experiment and make them lighter and healthier.

Here is a simple recipe that can expanded and enjoyed by anyone, whatever their age!

Tofu & Chicken Burgers!

INGREDIENTS: for 10 small burgers

-Tofu: 1 block/400g (kinu/silk tofu)
-Eringe mushrooms: 1 large (if not available, chose a large and soft mushroom)
-Shiitake: 6=7 small ones (fresh if possible. If not, soften them in lukewarm water first)
-Panko/Breadcrumps: 1 and a half cups/300 ml/cc
-Boiled burdock root (or salsifis): 100 g
-Chicken (breast if possible): 100~200g (according to preferences)
-Onion: Half a large one.
-Egg: 1
-Black pepper: a little
-Daikon (grated): as much as you like
-Ponzu: as much as you like (can be replaced with soy sauce)

RECIPE:

-Rub some salt on the tofu, place a weight on it, and take out as much water out of it. Chop the eringe mushroom, onion and shiitake finely and separately. Drop the chicken and burdock root in a food processor and mince.

-Leave the chopped onion in a microwave for 4 minutes at 500W. This way,you won’t have to fry it separately. Definitely healthier!

-

-In a bowl, drop all the ingredients except the daikon and ponzu.

-Mix well by hand.

-Make 10 small realatively thin burgers/patties between your palms, and press them in their middle.

-Fry them in a little oil in a non-stick frypan over a low fire.

-Fry them slowly on both sides until they attain a nice brown colour.

-Mount them on a bed of greens. Press the water out of the grated daikon. make a ball of it and place it on top of the burgers. Pour some ponzu (or soy sauce) on the grated daikon ball, just enough to colour it.

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