osechi ryori

Chikuzenni is a dish with chicken and vegetables simmered in flavorful dashi, mirin, and soy sauce. It&#x27;s one of the Osechi Ryori (Japanese traditional food) served on New Year&#x27;s Day.

Chikuzenni / Nishime (Simmered Chicken and Vegetables)

mushrooms

water ((for rehydrating dried shiitake mushrooms))

¾ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs ((12 oz))

½ Tbsp sake ((for marinating chicken))

½ Tbsp soy sauce ((for marinating chicken))

lotus root (renkon) ((6 oz, 180 g))

½ gobo (burdock root) ((4 oz, 110 g))

Tbsp rice vinegar ((separated;

taro (satoimo) ((9 oz, 250 g))

½ boiled bamboo shoot ((3 oz, 90 g))

carrot ((6 oz, 170 g))

½ block konnyaku (konjac) ((4.5 oz, 130 g))

snow peas ((1 oz, 30 g))

salt

½ Tbsp sesame oil (roasted) ((separated))

dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more)

Tbsp sake

mirin

Tbsp sugar

Gather all the ingredients.

In a small bowl, put dried shiitake mushrooms and 1 cup water and soak for 20-30 minutes, or until tender.

After 30 minutes or so, squeeze the liquid out from the shiitake mushrooms.

Cut the shiitake mushrooms into a hexagon, which represents turtle shape for longevity.

Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve. This is called shiitake dashi. It yields roughly ¾ cup.

★ Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

Remove extra fat of the chicken and cut into 1 ½ inch (3.8 cm) pieces.

Transfer the chicken in a medium bowl and add ½ Tbsp sake and ½ Tbsp soy sauce. Coat the chicken with the marinade and set aside.

★ Chicken

Scrape the skin off the burdock root with the back of the knife. After rinsing, cut it into thin slices.

Prepare a bowl of 2 cups water and ½ Tbsp vinegar. Soak the burdock root in the water for 15 minutes.

★ Burdock Root (Gobo)

Cut off the ends of taro. Then peel from one end to the other.

Ideally, taro should be a hexagon (6 sides) from the side view.

Cut the taro in half and soak in water. You can rub them with salt to get rid of the sliminess if that bothers you.

★ Japanese Taro Roots (Satoimo)

Cut the bamboo shoot into quarters lengthwise.

Cut the bamboo shoot in half widthwise. If each piece is still bigger than bite-size, you can cut in half.

★ Bamboo Shoot

Cut the lotus root into Hana Renkon.

The lotus root should resemble flowers after cutting the edges off.

Cut them into ⅛ inch (3 mm) slices. Prepare a bowl of 2 cups water and ½ Tbsp vinegar. Soak the lotus root in the water for 15 minutes.

★ Lotus Roots (Renkon)

Peel the carrot and cut into ½ inch (1.3 cm) pieces.

Use a flower-shaped vegetable cutter and cut out each piece into a flower shape. Then make a shallow (roughly ¼ inch or 6 mm deep) incision from the center of the flower to in-between the two petals.

Hold a knife parallel to one petal and make a diagonal cut from right to left in-between petals.

This is called Nejiri Ume.

★ Carrot (Nejiri Ume)

Cut konnyaku into ¼ inch (6 mm) slices and then make a 1 ½ inch (3.8 cm) incision in the middle.

Put one end of konnyaku into the hole in the middle and pull it out. This is called Tazuna Konnyaku.

★ Konnyaku

Pull the strings at the seams of the snow peas and discard them. These are tough and not edible.

★ Snow Peas

Boil water in a saucepan and blanch half of the flower carrot for 2 minutes and set aside.

Add a pinch of salt and blanch the snow pea pods for 30-60 seconds, until crisp but tender enough to eat.

Remove the snow peas from the water and transfer to the ice water to stop cooking and set aside.

In the same boiling water, add konnyaku. After boiling again, cook for 2-3 minutes to remove the smell.

Diagonally cut the blanched snow peas in half and set aside.

To Blanch Vegetables and Konnyaku

In the large pot, heat 1 Tbsp of sesame oil over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the chicken.

Cook the chicken until it turns white. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add ½ Tbsp sesame oil and cook all the ingredients except the blanched snow peas and carrots reserved for decoration.

Stir and coat the ingredients with sesame oil.

Add dashi and shiitake dashi.

Bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Skim off the fat and scum that accumulates on the surface.

Add sake, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, and salt.

Add the chicken back into the pot. Bring it to a simmer. As you see, the stock should cover about 80% of the ingredients.

Put an otoshibuta (drop lid) on the ingredients and cook for 10 minutes. If you don&#039;t have one, you can make an Otoshibuta with aluminum foil.

Remove Otoshibuta and cook for another 10 minutes.

Insert a bamboo skewer into tough vegetables (taro root and lotus root) and see if they are tender. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

To Make Chikuzenni

Add the snow peas and remove from the heat. Cover, and let cool. Serve Chikuzenni in a serving dish or Osechi box. Top with the snow peas and blanched flower shaped carrots.

To Serve

Keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.  The flavor will intensify as time passes, so if you plan to serve it later, you may consider reducing the amount of seasoning. Nishime also freezes well, but konnyaku texture will change, so I recommend removing them before storing. Defrost overnight and reheat in a pot.

To Store

Simmered shrimp cooked in dashi soy sauce and soaked overnight, this beautiful dish adds a bright color and delicious flavor to&nbsp;your Osechi Ryori.

Simmered Shrimp

black tiger shrimp ((4.4 oz

sake

Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce ((you can use regular soy sauce))

Gather all the ingredients. You can start prepping on the 30th or 31st for Osechi (New Year&#39;s feast).

With shell/head-on, devein the shrimp (please follow step 2 in this tutorial) and quickly rinse under cold running water. Cut off the pointy tip of the head and antennas with a pair of kitchen shears (or knife). Cut off the tail at an angle for better presentation (optional).

Prepare Shrimp

In a medium saucepan, combine sake and mirin. Turn on the heat and bring to boil over medium heat and let the alcohol evaporate.

Add dashi and soy sauce and bring to boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer and place the shrimp in the sauce, bending and holding its back with chopsticks or a pair of tongs to create a shape of Hiragana “つ”. Add all the shrimp to cook at the same time so the cooking time will be similar.

Simmer for 4-5 minutes, skimming while cooking on low heat.

Once it’s cooked, immediately transfer the shrimp to a container, saving the cooking liquid.

Strain the cooking liquid, preferably over coffee filter or super fine mesh strainer, to remove the unwanted protein and fat (the final shrimp will look cleaner and prettier). Discard the filter and let the cooking liquid cool.

Once the cooking liquid is cool, pour over the shrimp. Do not pour the hot cooking liquid on to the shrimp, this will overcook the shrimp. Cover and soak for 4 hours or overnight.

Serve it at cold or room temperature for Osechi Ryori.

Simmering

You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Kuri Kinton or Candied Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes are a special Japanese New Year dish that symbolizes economic fortune and wealth. Let&#039;s make this for a prosperous year ahead!

Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts &amp; Sweet Potatoes)

potato

kuri kanroni (chestnuts

sugar

½ tsp kosher salt

Tbsp syrup from kuri kanroni

kuchinashi no mi (dried gardenia pods)

Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into ½ inch (1.3 cm) pieces (so that they will be cooked equally).

Soak the sweet potatoes in water for 15 minutes to remove the starch. Then put them in a large pot and add water just enough to cover them.

Bring the water to a boil on medium heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to medium low and cook them for 15-20 minutes or until the skewer goes through the sweet potatoes smoothly. Then reserve about ¼ to ½ cup of the cooking water and drain completely.

Using a wooden spatula, mash the boiled sweet potatoes through a fine-mesh strainer/sieve to puree them. You can use a food processor. If needed, add a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid.

Here’s the finished pureed sweet potato. Take out all the chestnuts and 3 Tbsp of the syrup from the jar of kuri kanroni.

In the same pot, add the pureed sweet potato, sugar, salt, mirin, and the syrup from the chestnut.

Cook, stirring constantly, on low heat until the sugar has dissolved completely. If needed, add the reserved cooking liquid to loosen up the paste (I did not add) and adjust the sweetness with the syrup and mirin.

Add the chestnuts and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 hours.

Serve at room temperature. To store, put kuri kinton in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

To Serve and Store

Thinly sliced daikon and carrot strip pickled in a sweet vinegar sauce, Namasu is a refreshing salad commonly served as a Japanese New Year&#039;s dish. You&#039;ll love the bright and zesty flavor!

Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad)

oz daikon radish ((4", 10 cm))

oz carrot ((2", 5 cm))

tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)

yuzu zest ((optional))

½ Tbsp sugar

½ Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)

water

¼ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)

Peel the daikon and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces in length. Peel the carrot.

Cut the daikon in half (this will be the length of daikon in the final dish). Then cut into thin slabs about ⅛-inch (3mm) thickness.

Then stack a few slabs at a time and cut them into julienned strips, about ⅛-inch (3mm) thickness. Put them in a large bowl.

Cut the carrot into thin slabs and then into julienned strips.

Add 1 tsp salt and give a gentle massage. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the seasonings in a large bowl.

Whisk well together until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Squeeze water from the julienned daikon and carrot and put them in the bowl with the seasonings.

Peel off the zest of the bottom of yuzu. Remove the pith.

Cut into julienned strips and garnish on top of namasu.

For Garnish (Optional)

Serve namasu in a bowl and garnish with yuzu zest. If you have a whole yuzu fruit, you can create a yuzu cup by cutting off the top (this will be a lid) and remove the fruits inside without breaking or tearing the cup. Add namasu in the yuzu cup to serve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIiYGiwZVQI

Thinly sliced daikon and carrot strip pickled in a sweet vinegar sauce.  Typically served as a Japanese New Years dish.

For the complete recipe with step-by-step pictures :: http://justonecookbook.com/recipes/namasu-daikon-and-carrot-salad/

Ingredients:

4 inch (10 cm) daikon, cut in half
2 inch (5 cm) carrot
1 tsp. salt
A few strips of yuzu zest (optional)
- Seasonings -
1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. water
1/4 tsp. salt

Music Courtesy of YouTube: "How It Began"
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For more quick and easy Japanese recipes, please visit my blog :: http://justonecookbook.com/blog/

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How to Make Namasu (Daikon & Carrot Salad) (Recipe) 紅白なますの作り方（レシピ）

Kazunoko is herring roe marinated in dashi soy seasoning and is an important dish of Osechi Ryori or traditional Japanese New Year foods. This prized delicacy symbolizes a prosperous family and wishes for many children and grandchildren.

Kazunoko (Herring Roe)

salted herring roe ((4.9-7 oz, 140-200 g

tsp salt

dashi (Japanese soup stock)

katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)

Please note that this recipe requires a soaking time of 6 hours and an overnight marinating time. If you will include this dish in your Osechi meal, I recommend preparing it up to 4 days before you plan to serve. For more helpful tips on planning your Japanese New Year feast, please read my A 5-Day Osechi Cooking Timeline blog post.

Before You Start...

Combine one-third of the water (2 cups, 480 ml) and salt (1 tsp) in a measuring cup and mix well until the salt is completely dissolved.

Place 5 pieces salted herring roe in a dish with a rim (a pound cake pan is perfect). Then, pour the salted water into the dish or pan and let it soak for 2 hours to desalinate the roe.

Discard the salt water in the dish. Make a new batch of salt water with another one-third of the water and salt. Soak the roe again for another 2 hours. Repeat one more time. Once you finish the three rounds of soaking in salt water (6 hours total), taste a bit of the salted herring roe to see how salty it is. It should be slightly salty but taste good as is. If it’s still too salty, continue with one more round of desalinating.

To Desalinate the Roe

Meanwhile, heat up 2 Tbsp sake and 1 Tbsp mirin in a small saucepan. Let the alcohol evaporate until the smell of alcohol is gone.

Then, add 1 cup dashi (Japanese soup stock) and 2 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, add 1 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes). Turn off the heat and let stand for 1 minute.

Strain the marinade into a bowl or glass measuring cup and discard the katsuobushi. Set aside to cool.

To Make the Marinade

Remove the herring roe from the salt water. Using your thumb and index finger, rub and press the membrane to collect it toward the center of the roe. Once the membrane is collected around the center and you have enough to pinch and pull, gently detach the membrane from the roe. Make sure to remove the membrane on both sides.

Wash the herring roe thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.

To Remove the Membrane

Transfer the herring roe into a container and soak in the marinade overnight or up to 2 days.

To Marinate

Tear the Kazunoko into bite-size pieces and put inside an Osechi box or serving plate/bowl. You can sprinkle some katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) on top before serving.

Store it in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.

Top 5 osechi ryori recipes from across the web

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Top Tags

Chikuzenni / Nishime (Simmered Chic...

Simmered Shrimp

Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts &amp...

Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad)

Kazunoko (Herring Roe)

Top 5 osechi ryori recipes from across the web

The most viewed osechi ryori recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Chikuzenni / Nishime (Simmered Chic...

Simmered Shrimp

Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts &amp...

Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad)

Kazunoko (Herring Roe)

The most viewed osechi ryori recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine