Chicken Recipes (415): Easy Home Cooking

Kawara Soba (Tile Soba Noodles)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

The contrast of a crisp bottom and soft top is the joy of kawara soba. Resist touching while the crust forms.

Sauce Yakisoba

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

Pre-searing the noodles browns the surface so they stay fragrant and don't turn watery when sauced.

Mackerel Simmered in Miso

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

The hot-water "shimofuri" rinse greatly tames mackerel's fishiness. It's an extra step, but don't skip it.

Motsunabe (Beef Offal Hot Pot, Soy Sauce Flavor)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

If you buy raw offal, the rule is to use it the same day. If you use pre-cleaned frozen offal, thaw it in the refrigerator before pouring boiling water over it.

Chikuzenni (Japanese Simmered Chicken and Root Vegetables)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

Stir-frying the chicken and vegetables in oil first is what defines chikuzenni. It adds richness and keeps the ingredients from falling apart.

Chicken Nanban (Miyazaki-Style Fried Chicken in Sweet Vinegar with Tartar Sauce)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

The Miyazaki way is a soft coating of beaten egg, not a dry flour coating like karaage. The sweet vinegar soaks in for a moist texture.

Okinawa Soba (Pork and Bonito Noodle Soup)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

The pork cooking liquid is the foundation of the Okinawa soba soup. Remove too much fat and the soup loses richness, so leave some behind.

Nagasaki Champon (Seafood and Pork Noodle Soup)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

The hallmark of champon is that the noodles are not boiled separately but simmered in one pot with the toppings and soup, so they soak up all the flavour of the broth.

Okonomiyaki (Osaka-Style Pork and Cabbage Pancake)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

Don't press down with the spatula while cooking. It squeezes out the air inside and the pancake loses its fluffiness.

Takoyaki (Osaka-Style Octopus Balls)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

A very thin batter is the Osaka way: it gives a crisp outside and a soft, almost molten centre.

Oyakodon (Japanese Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

Adding the egg in two goes gives you both firm and silky parts, for a contrast in texture.

Sukiyaki (Gunma Style with Warishita)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

Cook the first slice yaki-suki style, simply seared with a coating of warishita. The aroma of the beef comes through and you get the true pleasure of sukiyaki.

Tonkatsu (Japanese Breaded Pork Cutlet)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

It is cooked when the center shows no raw red when cut and the juices run clear. For thicker pieces, fry at 160°C for 5 minutes and finish at 180°C for 30 seconds to cook it through without burning.

Kake Udon (Udon in Hot Dashi Broth)

Difficulty：☆☆☆☆☆

Use light soy sauce for the clear Kansai-style broth. For Kanto style, use 2 tbsp dark soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar for a darker, slightly sweeter broth.