Let’s try these original easy-to-make recipes that will suit your appetite!

Japanese Recipe – 35

Green Tea Pancake

Green tea pancake is pancakes with a fairly strong green tea taste, and are lovely, light and fluffy.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
200g pancake mix
1 tablespoon green tea powder
1 egg
150ml milk or soy drink
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon butter

Method
1. In a bowl, mix sugar and green tea powder.
2. Add the pancake mix and stir.
3. Pour in 1/2 tablespoon butter into the pan.
4. Cooking for about 3 minutes over medium heat. When it begins to bubble, flip over and cook for 2 minutes on the other side.
5. Plate the pancakes, top with the sweet red beans, ice cream or sprinkle with green tea and serve as you prefer.

Green Tea (Matcha)
Green tea is a type of tea that is made from unfermented leaves and is pale in colour and slightly bitter in flavour, produced mainly in Japan and China. Matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves and is popular in traditional tea ceremonies in Japan.

Pancake Mix
Pancake mix is a perfect blend of dry ingredients for creating thick, fluffy hot cakes every time. In Japan, these pancakes are often served with maple syrup, sweet Azuki beans or black sugar syrup.

This Ippin Mito Umeshu is ideal for “Green Tea Pancake”
Ippin Mito Umeshu
Sake brewed using plums from our local garden at Kairakuen’ and quality silky sugar, Wasanbon and softly sweet resulting from low temperature brewing. Great Umeshu on the rocks.

Sandra Advice!
“Green tea can be bitter, smooth and sweet. Green tea flavoured is becoming more popular in many desserts simple fact is its not too sweet. By adding Matcha flavour it creates the perfect combination of bitter and sweet. Having green tea pancake with red bean or vanilla icecream is a popular Japanese dessert combination.”

Japanese Recipe – 36

Sanma no Kabayaki

Kabayaki is a braising technique for fish that uses a sweetened soy sauce mixture similar to what you would use as a marinading liquid for Teriyaki.

Ingredients (Serves 2)
2 Whole Sanma
2 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoon oil
Kabayaki sauce
Sansho powder if available

Method
1. Cut the Sanma into four parts. Run the fish under a cold water tap to clean it. Pat off the excess moisture using kitchen paper.
2. Cover the chopped parts with flour.
3. Heat the pan and add the oil. Saute the Sanma and when it turns brown, turn it over and repeat.
4. When the parts are cooked through, add the Kabayaki sauce.
5. Plate the Sanma.

Kabayaki sauce
Kabayaki sauce is a sweet soy sauce-based glaze, which is very similar to Teriyaki sauce. This sauce creates a flavourful crispy exterior and is traditionally and most often served with eel.

Sanma
Pacific Saury in Japanese is called Sanma and is one of the most prominent seasonal foods representing autumn in Japanese cuisine. It is most commonly served salted and grilled whole, garnished with Daikon Oroshi and served alongside a bowl of rice and a bowl of Miso soup.

This Sawahime Kimoto Junmai is ideal for “Sanma no Kabayaki”
Sawahime Kimoto Junmai
Kimoto refers to the brewering technique which usually tends to be complex, rich and intense. Gentle richness is not overpowering to the palate. Recommended room or cold temperature.

Sandra Advice!
“Kabayaki is special type of sauce put on Sanma or even Unagi. Sanma and Unagi are types of food that gives a really nice and fresh flavour that goes along well with Japanese rice and Sake.”

Sponsored by: Sandra Gwee – Sake Specialist
Manager of Lion Oriental Foods Co. and Loi’s Eastern Supermart

“We have a tasting event for October in celebration of Sake spring tribute. We have invited 3 brewers who are coming down from Japan to showcase the wonderful collection of Japanese Sake and it will be a great cultural event where the local people as well as the Japanese people can come join us and enjoy this event!”

Japanese groceries are available at Lion Oriental Foods Co. and Loi’s Eastern Supermart.