Shima rakkyou Tempura: Island shallots tempura.
Ingredients: (2 servings)
-1/2 “bundle” of shima rakkyou, washed and peeled
-100 g flour
-1/2 beaten egg
-50 cc water
Add beaten egg and water into a bowl, add flour and mix all ingredients gently to make batter. Dip shima rakkyou in the batter and fry (~170℃).
*Add salt to taste when eating.
Spicy Cucumber Pickles: a perfect appetizer, or side dish.
Ingredients:
-2 cucumbers, washed and cut into chunks
-1 to 2 tsp dried island chili (depending on how spicy you like it)
-2 tbsp rice vinegar
-1 tbsp sesame oil
-1 tsp brown sugar
-salt, to taste
Put all the ingredients into a plastic bag or container and mix well. Leave for one hour to give the cucumber pieces time to soak up the flavor, done.
Hirayachi (or hirayaachii): savory pancake-like appetizer.
Ingredients:
-2/3 cup flour
-3/4 cup of water
-½ teaspoon salt
-nira (green onion, chives), cut into medium-small pieces
-oil, small amount for frying
-katsuobushi (bonito flakes) *optional
-pickled ginger *optional
-sauce of your choice: worcestershire, yakisoba, okonomiyaki
Mix well flour, water and salt in a bowl. Add in the nira (and pickled ginger if using). Heat a pan on a low heat. Then pour some oil and wipe with kitchen paper to make a thin layer. Pour one scoop of mix into the pan, making a thin pancake, and sprinkle the bonito flakes (if desired). Once the edge of the hirayachi becomes dry and starts to peel off from the pan, turn it over and cook the other side for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with sauce and topping of you choice.
Moui pickles モーウイの漬物: Perfect for summer, when moui are in season and make a great snack.
Ingredients:
-1/2 moui
-1 cucumber, thin slices
-1 tsp dried chili (whole or sliced)
-1.5 tbs salted kelp (shio konbu 塩昆布)
-1 plastic bag or container
-small amount of salt
Cut the moui along the length, if desired scoop out the seeds and pith with a spoon (I usually skip this), then slice it thin (about 1-2mm). Put sliced cucumber and moui in the plastic container. Add salted kelp, dried chili and a pinch of salt into the bag, mix slightly and leave for at least one hour in the fridge; it is ready to eat!
Tougan no shiri-shiri (Shredded winter melon salad) 冬瓜のシリシリー： シリシリー shirishiri refers to the way the tougan is cut, basically to shred. It is common style in Okinawa; often you see carrot shirishiri, but today, we can use it with tougan.
Ingredients:
–Tougan, ~400g shredded
-1/2 cucumber shredded
-fake crab, shredded **optional!
-salt, 1 teaspoon
-shoyu, 2.5 teaspoons
-sesame oil, 1 tsp
-vinegar, 3.5 teaspoons
-sugar, 1/2 tsp
-ra-yu ラー油 (type of chili oil) 3 drops or to taste
-sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon
Peel wash, and shirishiri (shred) with a slicer. Add the tougan to a bowl and salt, let it sit and then drain to get some moisture out. Add cucumber (and the crab if using), and combine the seasonings, mixing well. Chill and serve.
Hechima steaks ヘチマのステーキ: how to use hechima (loofah vegetable).
Ingredients:
-hechima, 1 peeled and cut into 2 cm thick slices
-garlic, 1 clove minced
-olive oil, 1 tbsp
-shoyu, 2 tbsp
-green onion and black pepper, to taste
Add olive oil and garlic to a fry pan. As the garlic smell gets stronger, add the hechima slices on low heat for 10 minutes so they brown– don’t touch, just let brown on on side. Then flip and cook the other side for 3-4 minutes to brown the other side. Add the shoyu. Serve on a plate with fresh green onion and ground pepper.
Bouburazouse ぼうぶらぞうせ (pumpkin porridge): A recipe using kabocha (pumpkin) from Ojiki-jima in Nagasaki prefecture. The recipe and blog post are here.
Karaimosen からいもせん (sweet potato starch dumpling): A recipe for the starch from the satsuma-imo (yellow sweet potatoes).The recipe and blog post are here.
Kenchou けんちょう (simmered tofu and winter vegetables): Perfect chilly weather recipe, using tofu, daikon and more from Yashiro-jima. The recipe and blog post are here.