I’m going through a Japanese phase at the moment. After reading a book about their diet and all the health benefits, I went on a bit of a shopping spree and got some japanese cookbooks. So we’re eating Japanese around twice a week. As I’m just starting out, it usually only means two to three courses. I can’t quite manage five, even though everything I’ve cooked so far is pretty quick. So tonight was trout followed soup. The trout was great and really took under 30 mins, the soup not so tasty. So I’ve altered the ingredients to what I’m pretty sure will taste much better.

BTW the fish is excellent…

Ingredients
1 Ocean trout - sliced in half
1/2 cup bamboo shoots, cut thinly
1 carrot, cut in half and sliced thinly
a few strips ginger sliced thinly
4 shallots, sliced thinly in strips
oil (I’ve been using Rapeseed Oil)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon soy
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups dashi*
1 tablespoon cornflour

Method
Stir fry vegetables (minus the shallots) in a little oil for a couple of minutes. You don’t want to let them get soft. Add dashi, sugar, soy and rice wine vinegar. Bring to boil and then simmer. Whilst this is simmering fry your fish. Dust lightly in flour and then put in a pot of hot oil (about 5 cm’s worth). The fish will only take three minutes so you if your timing is skillful you can go straight from simmering sauce to fish. When fish is cooked, transfer to paper towels. Mix cornflour with one tablespoon of water, add to simmering sauce - now do you see where the gooey came from? Cook sauce for another minute or so and you’re done.

Don’t forget for the Japanese presentation is just as important as the food, so transfer the fish to a sexy dish and top gently with the vegetables in simmering sauce.

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