Flights in the UK have been grounded on and off by the massive volcanic eruptions in Iceland and the effects of the Eyjafjallajökull ash cloud can be felt even further afield.
The grounded flights have cause chaos for fish traders and sushi restaurants in Japan as it has affected imports of prized Norwegian salmon; a delicacy to the Japanese sushi lover.
Seafood traders on markets like Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market have been forced to turn to places as far flung as New Zealand to source stocks of Pacific salmon even though many clients prefer the Atlantic salmon’s delicate texture and mild taste.
Usually, 90 per cent of Japan’s Atlantic salmon comes from Norway by air. Fresh salmon is far more popular and valuable than frozen produce which is why air travel is essential. As many flights have been unable to get through because of the volcanic ash cloud, salmon stocks are low which has cost implications for the wholesale traders.
Norwegian salmon is served raw for sushi and sashimi in some of the country’s top restaurants and the roe is used for a variety of sushi such as gunkanmaki and temaki rolls and it is also a regular topping on delicious nigiri. It is also sometimes grilled in steaks and served as a standalone main dish.
In February, Japan imported 1,400 tonnes of Atlantic salmon from Norway compared with 150 tonnes from the rest of the world which shows how popular it is. This amount of imported salmon is worth one billion yen or more than £700,000. One major importer in Tokyo told American journalists that, when the volcano first erupted, his company lost 30 million yen (roughly £220,000), in days which is a third of its monthly turnover.
Japan has had to look to New Zealand, Australia and Chile to meet demand with Pacific salmon, even though this is far less popular with consumers and the top sushi chefs. Luckily, here in the UK we have easy access to this fish which is so prized in Japan and the same goes in Iceland itself which is famed for its seafood and has recently seen a surge in the number of sushi restaurants. Iceland has finally caught on to what the Japanese has known for years about the quality of Northern European fish and sushi is now one of the most popular foreign cuisines in the capital Reykjavik.
So it is not just the UK and Europe that continues to be frustrated by the Icelandic volcano as Japanese sushi lovers are also having to compromise. While we are lucky to have the freshest Atlantic salmon on our doorstep and are struggling to leave the country by plane, it may be the ideal time to call up some friends and serve up some delicious sushi and sashimi while we wait for nature to take its course.
Most Japanese people don’t celebrate Easter as it is one of the few festivals in the Western calendar that is still predominately religious and has no significance outside the Christian religion.
However, if you travel to Japan at this time of year you will see window displays in the shops with chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies and this recipe sticks with the seasonal theme by using eggs and a tasty treat for dinner parties or a spring snack.
Chawanmushi means steamed in a tea cup and unlike the sweet, desert custard we are more familiar with, it is a savoury egg dish, served as a starter in many Japanese restaurants. Recipes vary but underneath the rich, golden egg, seasoned delicately with Japanese condiments, is a delicious combination of savoury ingredients.
Chawanmushi is a classic Japanese dish and is served in small, earthenware soup bowls, often with matching lids but the easiest thing to use is a set of ramekins. You will also need a large bamboo steamer.
- Mix three eggs loosely in a large bowl or jug with chopsticks but don’t beat them too hard.
- Add 350ml of dashi soup stock, 1 teaspoon each of soy sauce, sake and sugar and a pinch of salt.
- To get a smooth and rich custard, strain this mixture through a sieve.
- Divide eight small prawns between four ramekins along with a chicken thigh chopped into small, bite size pieces and finely chopped shitake mushrooms.
- Fill each cup ¾ full with the egg mixture and cover with a piece of tin foil.
- Steam the custard in the bamboo steamer over high heat for about 5 minutes then turn down the heat and steam for another 15 minutes or so.
You can test if the custard is ready by prodding it gently with a toothpick or the prong of a fork – if the liquid runs clear, it is done. Serve hot or chilled depending on weather for the ultimate in Japanese comfort food.
The days are getting shorter and the weather’s getting colder, making it the perfect time of year for enjoying a warming soup.
In Japan, Miso soup comes with everything, whatever the weather. In fact, along with rice it is one of the key ingredients of a traditional Japanese breakfast and most of the 128million or so people that live there will have Miso soup at least once a day.
It is a clear broth which sometimes has chunks of seaweed or tofu in it and has a distinctive smoky taste. It normally comes served in a small, lacquered bowl with a lid and is drunk straight from the bowl with the solid ingredients eaten with chopsticks.
The Miso stock is known as dashi and is a fish stock made from dried fish and kelp. Miso itself is a seasoning made from a base of barley, rice or soybeans which are fermented to form a salty paste. For the soup, Miso paste is softened and mixed into the dashi. The other ingredients are added according to taste or regional variation and can include mushrooms, vegetables, tofu, daikon radish or wakame seaweed to name a few.
There are different types of Miso pastes which give a different character or flavour to the soup which, again, vary according to the region you are visiting and the season.
Miso soup normally comes at the start of your meal and, in Japan, usually precedes a salad course. It is surprisingly filling, even though it is mostly a broth, and is known for being very low in fat and having a high a high vitamin content.
If you don’t fancy making a dashi from scratch, there are a number of delicious instant Miso soup brands available which just need a kettle and are ideal for lunch. Tasty Miso paste can also be used as a marinade for meat, fish or vegetables or as a stock for noodle soup.
It is a versatile and unusual flavour that’s quite unique but can add a rich smoky dimension to your meals this autumn.
The spring cherry blossoms in Japan are world famous but Autumn is equally beautiful as the leaves on the trees change into vibrant, fiery colours known as Koyo.
The Koyo starts in mid-September on the northern island of Hokkaido and slowly moves southwards until it has transformed the whole country by the end of November.
This recipe uses some delicious autumn ingredients and is a fabulous accompaniment to both Japanese and Western dishes. It is unusual but tastes great and the ingredients are easy to find at Sushi Sushi and your local supermarket.
Take 2 medium sized, dried shitake mushrooms, soak them in a bowl of warm water for 30 minutes then squeeze them dry, cut off the stems and chop them up roughly.
Cut about 200g of chestnuts into quarters – they are easy to find at this time of year and can be bought fresh, tinned, dried or vacum packed. Each requires a slightly different preparation method but all give food that delicious smokey flavour.
Peel and dice a small sweet potato.
Mix the mushroom, chestnuts, sweet potato, a teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of mirin.
Add this mixture to a pan on the hob or a rice cooker and mix with your uncooked sushi rice and the required amount of water to cook it (just follow the instructions on the packet)
Cook the rice for 10-15minutes or as directed and, once it’s cooked. leave it to stand, covered for a further ten minutes.
Use a wooden rice paddle to break it up and served sprinkled with sesame seeds and daikon radish.
Enjoy!
The first time I saw seaweed on a menu, I found it hard to picture anything but the knobbly, wet greenery that washes up on beaches across Britain.
It was not the Chinese that brought seaweed to our dinner plates, we have been eating it here for years (like in Welsh laver bread) though in the Far East, it has been a staple of their diet for thousands of years.
Historians have found evidence that six types of seaweeds were used in 800 A.D in everyday cooking in Japan and nori, which is used in sushi, dates back to this period.
Nori is just one type of edible seaweed which comes in dried sheets to wrap round your sushi. The dried sheets are made by a process of shredding and rack drying. It was originally made as a paste and then turned into sheets using similar methods to traditional ways of making paper. The nori is farmed in nets on the seas surface and, in Japan; over 230 square miles of Japanese coastal waters are used to produce 350,000 tonnes of nori each year.
Nori sheets are a true sushi essential and used for sushi rolls, temaki cones, gunkanmaki and more. There are different brands and different qualities but sushi is generally best eaten fresh as the nori stays slightly crisp and doesn’t pick up moisture from the rice or filling.
In Japanese cooking seaweed is used for a range of other dishes. Different seaweeds like Wakame, come in dried strips that expand when wet and are perfect for flavouring soups and can be used in salads if fresh. Other types like Dried kelp can also be used to make a delicious stock for soups or vegetables.
Seaweed is also something of a superfood and is low in fat and high in iron, calcium, vitamin A, B and C, fibre, and protein so it is good for your diet and your taste buds and a delicious way to eat your greens.
