white or brown japanese rice
miso soup
simmered pickled plums and horse mackerel
sweet and savoury simmered hijiki, fried tofu and carrot
cucumber pickles





white or brown japanese rice
miso soup
simmered pickled plums and horse mackerel
sweet and savoury simmered hijiki, fried tofu and carrot
cucumber pickles
Simmered Pickled Plums and Horse Mackerel:
4 horse mackerel fillets
2 pickled plums
20g sliced ginger
375ml water (adjust the amount of the water in accordance with the size of fish)
4 tbsp cooking sake
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp mirin
3-4tbsp soy sauce
1. Leaving the skin on, chop the ginger into thin slices. Next briefly rinse the horse mackerel fillets and gently pat dry.
2. Add the water, cooking sake, sugar, mirin and soy sauce to a pan and warm over a high heat. When it reaches a boil, add the fish skin side up and scatter on the ginger. Roughly tear up one of the pickled plums and add to the pan, including the stone. Bring back to the boil and cover with a drop lid or aluminium foil with a few holes poked in it, then simmer over a medium heat for around 10 minutes.
3. When serving garnish with the remaining pickled plum.
Sweet and Savoury Simmered Hijiki, Fried Tofu and Carrot:
20g hijiki seaweed
1 piece abura age fried tofu
1 cup dashi stock
2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 carrot
2 tsp sesame oil
1. Soak dried hijiki with cold water in a bowl and leave for 30 minutes. While the hijiki is soaking place the abura age fried tofu in a sieve over a sink and pour boiling water over it. Drain and cut into strips. Slice the carrot into long, thin strips. Mix together the dashi stock, mirin, sugar and soy sauce, then put to one side.
2. Warm the sesame oil in a frying pan, then add the carrot, hijiki and fried tofu and make sure it’s evenly in the oil before pouring in the cooking sauce.
3. Bring back to the boil and then turn the heat down and simmer over a medium heat with a lid on until the liquid is reduced.
- You don’t have to serve miso soup, but it is a very popular option. Most traditional Japanese meals feature a soup dish. Potage or harusame noodle soup are favourites too.