With the Rugby World Cup in full swing, no doubt your little ones will want to do anything that makes them more like the boys in green. So, use these recipes from Fiona Uyema to expand their palates and, um, eat like Johnny Sexton!
Negima yakitori (chicken & spring onion skewers)
These chicken skewers taste much nicer if you use dark chicken meat. They can be cooked on a grill but also go really well on a barbeque during the summer months.
Makes 8 skewers
Ingredients
4 chicken thighs (skin and bone removed), cut into bite-size/2-inch cubes
3 spring onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
8 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 20 minutes
sesame seeds to garnish
spring onion to garnish
For the sauce
6 tablespoons sake
4 tablespoons mirin
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
Method
1 Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce to a simmer on a medium to low heat for 12 minutes or until the sauce starts to thicken (don’t reduce it too much or it will caramelise). Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2 Thread the chicken and spring onion alternatively onto the skewers.
3 Preheat the grill to a high heat.
4 Brush all the skewers with the sauce before putting them under the grill.
5 Place the skewers high in the grill to give a barbeque effect to the chicken.
6 Grill them for about 15 minutes, turning and brushing them with the sauce two or three times during cooking.
7 Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped spring onion.
Tofu nuggets
This is a nice recipe for party finger food, for a tasty snack to enjoy at home or for a packed lunch.
Serves 4
Ingredients
300g tofu
50g panko
1 teaspoon milled dillisk (optional)
1 egg, beaten
vegetable oil
Dip
1 tablespoon wasabi paste
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
Method
1 To remove the excess water from the block of tofu, wrap it in kitchen paper and set aside for 10 minutes. You can place a weight (such as a book) on top of the block of tofu to help the water drain faster.
2 Mix the panko and the dillisk together and transfer to a flat plate.
3 Place the beaten egg on a flat plate.
4 Remove the kitchen paper from the tofu and, using a sharp knife, cut it into small bite-size cubes.
5 Coat all the tofu cubes in egg, then in the panko mix and arrange on a large plate.
6 Add some vegetable oil to a large non-stick frying pan and set the heat to medium.
7 Carefully place all the tofu nuggets on the pan and fry until each side is slightly browned and crispy (add more oil to the pan as you turn the tofu nuggets if necessary).
8 To make the dip simply mix the wasabi and mayonnaise in a small bowl and serve.
Edamame hummus
Apart from eating them directly from the pods, there are lots of other different ways that you can use edamame, such as tossing the beans into salads and stir-fries. This recipe is one of my favourite ways to use edamame.
Serves 2–3
Ingredients
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
200g edamame (out of the pod)
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon sesame oil
½ clove of garlic, crushedjuice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons waterfreshly ground salt and pepper to season.
You’ll need
Pestle and mortar
Blender
Method
1 Toss the sesame seeds into a roasting tray and place in a fan oven preheated to 150ºC for about 5 minutes.
2 Using a pestle and mortar, grind the hot sesame seeds until most of them are cracked and ground.
3 Cook the edamame, then drain. If still in the pods, remove by using your fingers to gently squeeze the beans out.
4 Place the cooked edamame beans, ground sesame seeds and the remaining ingredients in a blender and blitz until the texture is nice and creamy.
5 If you think the mixture is too dry, then add a little more olive oil or water.
Tip
Serve with pitta bread or raw vegetable sticks.
Extracted from Japanese Made Easy by Fiona Uyema, published by Mercier Press at €24.99
