Japaneasy: Classic and Modern Japanese Recipes to (Actually) Cook at Home

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Fennel: This may seem like an odd choice for tempura, given that fennel's aniseedy flavour isn't usually found in Japanese cuisine, but most of that aroma steams away during frying, so you're left with a sweet, toothsome vegetable with only a subtle scent. Slice them thinly (about 5mm/. in maximum) before frying. Heat the oil to 170-180°C (340-350°F). If you don't have a thermometer, simply drip a few drops of the batter into the oil to test it: if the batter sinks, it's too cold; if the batter immediately floats and sizzles, it's too hot. What you want is for the batter to sink just below the surface of the oil, then rise up and start to sizzle. Carrots, sweet potatoes and squash: This gang needs to be sliced thinly to ensure they soften by the time the batter is crisp - about 1cm (. in) maximum. Some varieties of squash with tender skins, such as kabocha or butternut, don't need to be peeled, as the high heat of frying will soften the skin nicely. Gyoza are fun and easy to make at home, and particularly easy if you can get the wrappers pre-made - they are sold forzen in East Asian supermarkets. Then it's a simple matter of bashing together the filling, assembling and frying. If you can't get the wrappers, it's still not hard, but it will take a little bit more time and effort. Making gyoza is a pleasantly meditative, repetitive task if you make them on your own, but I prefer to make them with a partner. It makes it go faster, and turns it into a fun and sociable experience. At big get-togethers in Japan, it's common to see a group of old ladies sitting around a table, making gyoza and trading gossip. General Ingredients

Oh, and by the way: in Japan it is against the law to enjoy gyoza without beer. That's how well they go together.Oil, for deep-frying (about 1.5l/50 fl oz/6. cups, but possibly a little more if you're using a very wide pan). Pour your oil into a big, deep pan - it should be very wide, to accommodate a lot of ingredients, but also deep so the oil doesn't overflow. The oil should be at least 7.5cm (3 in) deep, but it should also come up to no higher than 7.5cm (3 in) below the rim of the pan, to be safe. Set over a medium heat while you make the batter.

Word is the default setting and just does a word search, meaning you should only input items you think are words. Good ramen is pretty simple to make at home, but really good ramen is almost impossibly difficult. Our ‘basic’ ramen at the restaurant is a complicated two-day process and the finished dish has eight different toppings, most of which are made in-house and involve quite a lot of labour. So even though ramen is my favourite food, I almost never used to make it at home.Roll the dough out into two chubby logs, about 3cm (1 1/4 in) in diameter. Wrap each log in cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to rest in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Unwrap the dough and sprinkle a little more cornflour on your work surface, then cut each log into pieces about 1cm (1/2 in) across - you should get about 20 pieces out of each log. Bell) Peppers: The best peppers for tempura are Padrons, or the similar (but very hard to find) Japanese shishito - just drop them in batter and fry, no need to prep. But ordinary sweet peppers work well, too, cut into chunks or rings.