Japanese Culture in New York - Chopsticks NY

-vol. 7-

In this corner, Japanese chefs from restaurants in the Tri-State area share their secret recipes of home-style Japanese dishes with you.

In Japan, eating eel is believed to promote stamina during the hot summer, and pickled plums are used to preserve food and increase one’s appetite. Seiki Yamada, sushi chef of Lounge Zen, a local favorite in Teaneck, incorporates the two ingredients to create Eel & Pickled Plum Chirashi-zushi. Making chirashi-zushi usually requires a lot of preparation, but Chef Suzuki simplifies the steps to make this tasty summer treat. Using packed eel kabayaki, which is easily found in Japanese grocery stores, allows you to skip the seasoning process. Substituting pickled plums for sushi vinegar also saves time in making the sushi rice. The dish is also perfect for a party. With its colorful presentation–red from the pickled plums, green from the cucumber, and yellow from the eggs–you will certainly impress your guests.

Lounge Zen
254 Degraw Ave., Teaneck, NJ 07666
TEL: 201-692-8585 / www.lounge-zen.com

Ingredients (Serves 2 people)
2 bowls steamed rice
1 pack eel kabayaki*
3 medium-size pickled plums
2 eggs
1/2 cucumber (Japanese cucumber is preferable–if you can’t find it, a Kirby cucumber can be a substitute.)
1 teaspoon tenkasu**

*Packed eel kabayaki is easily found in the frozen food section of Japanese grocery stores.
**Tenkasu is a by-product of making tempura. The crunchy bits of deep- fried flour dough are often used as toppings for okonomiyaki and udon.

Steps
1. Unpack eel kabayaki and separate skin from meat.

2. Cut only the meat part into appropriate size for microwave. Warm for about 30 seconds in microwave.
3. Slice the warmed eel kabayaki into small pieces.

4. Take pits out of pickled plums and cut into small pieces.
5. Mix pickled plums into slightly cooled steamed rice.

6. Mix tenkasu and chopped eel kabayaki into rice.
7. Make paper-thin omelette and julienne it.
8. Take seeds out of cucumber and julienne it.
9. Garnish rice with egg and cucumber.