sake

Perfectly seasoned soft-boiled eggs for the best homemade ramen.

Soft-Boiled Eggs for Ramen Recipe

water (about 8 ounces; 225 grams)

sake (about 8 ounces; 225 grams)

soy sauce (about 4 ounces; 115 grams)

mirin (about 4 ounces; 115 grams)

sugar (about 3 1/2 ounces; 100 grams)

eggs

Combine water, sake, soy, mirin, and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until sugar is dissolved, or use an equal amount of chashu broth instead. Set aside.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Pierce fat end of each egg with a thumbtack to make a tiny hole (this prevents them from cracking and eliminates the air bubble at the end). Carefully lower eggs into water with a wire mesh spider or slotted spoon. Reduce heat to maintain a bare simmer (about 190°F). Cook for exactly 6 minutes. Drain hot water and carefully peel eggs under cold running water (the whites will be quite delicate).

Transfer eggs to a bowl that just barely fits them all. Pour marinade on top until eggs are covered or just floating. Place a double-layer of paper towels on top and press down until completely saturated in liquid to help keep eggs submerged and marinating evenly. Refrigerate and marinate at least four hours and up to 12. Discard marinade after 12 hours. Store eggs in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in ramen soup to serve.

Savory and salty cocktails, like this briny version spiked with pickle juice and fish sauce, are finding their way onto more cocktail menus.

The Fisherman's Folly

salt

2-inch-wide strip grapefruit peel

fish sauce

water

pickle juice

grapefruit juice

matcha tea powder

A Drink That Brines On

Fried shiitake mushrooms and hoisin sauce are stuffed into fluffy steamed buns in this vegan-friendly recipe from Momofuku Noodle Bar.

Momofuku Shiitake Mushroom Steamed Buns

For the Steamed Buns:

water, brought to 115º

active dry yeast

bread flour

sugar

vegetable shortening,

baking powder

baking soda

For the Pickles:

Kirby cucumbers

For the BBQ Mushrooms and Serving:

mirin

soy sauce

liquid smoke

mushrooms

vegetable oil

hoisin sauce

green onions,

Momofuku's Mushroom Steamed Buns Are Pure Heaven

Hanjan, on West 26th Street, is a fine place to find Korean soul food, but when it comes to chicken wings, Hooni Kim, the chef, takes a sharp turn away from the hot-oil-blasted treatment that’s in vogue at many Korean restaurants in New York. Instead, he takes wings from chickens that have been killed just hours earlier, and he gives them a gentle grilling so that nothing interferes with the essential flavor of the meat. The marinade? Just four ingredients that quietly mingle like old friends at a cocktail party. “So easy,” Mr. Kim said. Listen to the man.

Hanjan Chicken Wings

garlic

chicken

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, sake, mirin and garlic. Add wings and marinate for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, heat grill to medium.

Remove chicken from marinade and drain well. Place meaty halves of wings (the drumettes) on grill and cook, turning, for 4 minutes.

Add remaining halves of wings to grill and continue to cook, turning constantly, for 13 to 15 minutes (until wings reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees).

Learn how to make a low-ABV sake cocktail from Bar Goto in New York, featured in new book Session Cocktails, by Drew Lazor.

The Far East Side: Sake Southside Cocktail

elderflower liqueur

tequila

lemon juice

shiso leaves

A Sake Cocktail That's Just Right for Day Drinking

Taiwanese Turkey Rice Recipe | Epicurious.Com

turkey breast turkey

scallions, trimmed, halved (optional)

(2") piece ginger, peeled, sliced ¼" thick (optional)

star anise (optional)

turkey stock

shallots

garlic,

rice

tsp. white pepper, plus more

chicken broth (optional)

white rice (for serving)

You can use this foolproof steaming method to cook any sturdy fish—salmon, snapper, black cod, or arctic char would all be great in place of the black bass. The kombu, though optional, adds a subtle layer of umami flavor to the delicate broth.

Soy And Ginger Steamed Fish

6–8-oz. skinless black bass fillets

Kosher salt

kombu (optional)

Tbsp. sake

mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

2" piece ginger, peeled,

Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

scallions, thinly sliced

rice (for serving)

Bon Appétit

Soy and Ginger Steamed Fish

Slice fish into six pieces; season all over with salt.

Combine kombu (if using), sake, soy sauce, mirin, and ¾ cup water in a medium donabe or Dutch oven with lid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Layer cabbage stems, then leaves in pot. Scatter mushrooms and ginger over, then place fish over mushrooms. Cover pot and steam until fish is opaque and just cooked through, 8–10 minutes.

Drizzle with sesame oil and top with scallions. Serve in shallow bowls with broth spooned over and rice alongside.

Stuck in a salmon rut? We got you. You'll never believe how easy it is to make your own sweet-salty teriyaki sauce at home, and there's no better application for it than this beyond-simple weeknight favorite.

Salmon Teriyaki

vegetable oil, plus more if needed

salmon

Combine ½ cup sake, ¼ cup mirin, and ¼ cup soy sauce in a small bowl; set teriyaki sauce aside.
→  Wait, what is mirin, anyways?

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Season 4 salmon fillets lightly with salt.

Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, cook, skin side down, until skin is brown and crisp, about 4 minutes. Turn and cook until other side is just beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Pour off fat in skillet. Bring teriyaki sauce to a boil in skillet over medium heat. Cook until reduced by two-thirds, about 4 minutes.
→  Homemade teriyaki sauce is a complete game-changer

Add salmon, skin side up, and cook, spooning sauce over, until sauce is syrupy and salmon is just cooked through, about 2 minutes.

Transfer to platter and serve with white rice, noodles, or a simple salad.

Miso Itame is a classic Japanese stirfry dish that people enjoy during hot summer days; every household has its version but usually has eggplants and pork. The dish is nutty, sweet, salty, and has just enough oil to enhances the richness of the flavor.

Miso Itame, A Stir Fry with Miso, Eggplant and Pork

Japanese/Chinese eggplant (1 medium eggplant)

pork belly

green pepper

onion

miso (white, yellow or red)

brown sugar

Gather ingredients.

Prep the ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine miso, sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce. Note: If using a lean piece of pork such as loin, sprinkle the meat with one tablespoon of sake and set it aside for 5 minutes.  

Heat a large frying pan (or stirfry pan) on medium heat. Add about ¼ cup of vegetable oil and cook eggplants. When the eggplant is soft, take it out on a paper towel. Set it aside.  

Using the same frying pan, stirfry pork until it is almost cooked through, take it out on a dish, and set it aside.  

Heat the frying pan again, add a teaspoon of oil and stirfry onion and pepper. When onion and peppers are soft, return the eggplant and pork to the pan. Add miso mixture, continue cooking on medium heat until sauce thickens.  

Sprinkle sesame seeds and garnish with chopped chives (optional). Serve hot or room temperature with steamed white rice.   

A popular fast-food dish in Japan, gyudon is a quick-simmered mixture of thinly sliced beef and crisp-tender onions cooked in a sweet soy broth that’s seasoned with fresh ginger. It’s perfectly suited to weeknight cooking because it requires minimal prep, a short ingredient list and less than 30 minutes of active cooking. Gyudon owes its popularity to Yoshinoya, Japan’s first fast-food chain, which was founded in Tokyo in 1899 and became wildly successful in the 1960s serving just this dish. Variations abound — this recipe borrows heavily from the chef Ivan Orkin’s recipe, as well as one featured in “Simply Bento” by Yuko — and while some skip the use of dashi, a Japanese stock using bonito flakes and seaweed, the ingredient gives the dish a slight funk that offsets the sweetness of the mirin, sake and ginger. The flavor is subtle, but it’s missed when absent.

Gyudon

beef

instant dashi granules,

ginger

sushi rice (or other white rice),

red ginger and togarashi, for garnish (optional)

Cut beef crosswise into 2 pieces, then set your beef in the freezer for at least 1 hour to freeze until firm. Once the beef is very firm, slice it very thinly against the grain, ideally about 1/8-inch thick. Set aside at room temperature.

Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a large skillet. Whisk in instant dashi until combined.

Add the soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar, stir to combine, and boil over high until flavors meld and mixture starts to reduce, about 8 minutes. Add the sliced onion and cook over medium until onion just starts to soften, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the beef and cook, turning the sliced beef frequently using tongs, until beef is just barely cooked and loses any traces of pink, about 3 minutes. Stir in the fresh ginger and cook for 1 more minute.

Divide rice among bowls and top with beef mixture and any juices. Serve with pickled ginger and sprinkle with togarashi, if desired.

Koji rice (and koji barley) is used to make miso, sake, amasake, rice vinegar, soy sauce and mirin.  Learn how to make homemade koji rice by growing koji kin mold on rice.

Homemade Koji Rice

rice (white

tsp koji-kin culture (see notes)

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear (to remove all the starch).

Steam (not boil) the rice until it&#8217;s softened, but still sticky (see notes for advice).

Thoroughly mix the koji-kin culture into the rice.

Spread the rice out on a baking dish. Cover with a damp cloth (to keep it moist but not wet) and maintain at 90 F (30 C) for 48 hours. 

Stir every 12 hours to break up the clumps and evenly distribute moisture. After 48 hours, white mold fibres should have started to develop. Stop at this point or it will spore.

Store koji rice in the freezer until you are ready to use it.

See below for incubation options and to learn how to save your own koji-kin mold spores for future batches.

Hi Eillie,
Would be grateful if you could answer a couple more questions. The koji kin has arrived and just about ready to embark on my first ever rice koji. Re the baking tray- do you have to have a stainless steel tray or would a non stick tray be ok? 
Regarding other ferments do you put the glass containers in the Brod and Taylor for your ferment?
There is a very quick recipe for Miso - it's from the good british chef's. They make it in 5 days. I have made it and it is quite light but tasty.
Kind regards
Paul

Thanks again Emillie. I thought you may have had to use a stainless steel tray. Yes, the quick miso recipe is an interesting one. It appears in a Japanese recipe using the Kuvings Yoghurt/ pickle maker. As I said it is light but I find it ok.
Keep up your good work.
Regards
Paul

I already have rice populated with Koji that I've ordered from a Miso company I really like.  Is there a way for me to propagate the same culture using the existing grain?  My initial thought was to grind up a quarter cup or so into powder and use that as the starter.

Hi Emillie,

I have had success with the Brod &amp; Taylor proof box.
I place a 9" pyrex pie plate on the bottom to serve as a reservoir for hot water. This can be periodically  exchanged/refilled
The koji tray is supported above this by some cans of tomato paste at the periphery of the ''lower'' level.
I was able to harvest about 500g.
I am not consistently successful in producing good steamed rice that is not clumpy. Is there a particular kind of rice that works best? Thanks

Hello
after only 24 H my rice get totally wet soaked ! , it tastes sweet and has a good smell , but is nothing like it should be /see from pictures the more i leave it the watery it get , what do i do wrong ?
bestsand thanks , stefano

Hi Emillie!
I really appreciate this post, I'm a fan of Koji but I have never seen directions for how to grow your own koji-kin before. I have a question for you. I would like to maintain my own koji culture so that I don't need to buy koji rice or koji kin every time I want to make a ferment. Is it better to culture extra koji rice and dry that, or is it better to grow extra koji rice, let it sporulate, then save only the spores to start the next batch? It seems easier to just dry the cultured rice, but that doesn't explain why people use Koji-kin a lot. Thank you!
Kevin

Nice and easily understandable recipe. I did koji  rice for sake some years ago, and that was a job and a half. But sake was nice. 
This time it will be for baking sourdough bread, so there will be a batch of wheat, rye and barley and maybe oats going into the proofer to see which one will make the best bread.

Hi-I just bought a Brod and Taylor on your recommendation, managed to successfully make some koji barley, and am now making shio koji from it, so thanks! I’m looking forward to doing more. In the meantime, I have a question that may not be within your purview, but…there are a couple companies that are using what they call “koji protein” as a meat substitute.  They claim that they culture the koji fungus filaments to the point where they become large fibrous masses that can then be cut, treated, and sold as “meat.” Since koji is a microorganism and the fibers I have seen are very small, it seems unlikely they could be grown to such a size—and then used as mass-produced protein. Does this make sense to you?

Try this technique on any type of ground meat for an easy rice bowl topper.

Soboro Beef

scallions, chopped

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Cook beef, stirring and breaking into small pieces, until browned and nearly cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add sake and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add mirin and soy sauce and cook until pan is almost dry, about 1 minute longer. Add scallions and toss to combine.

How to grill an under-appreciated part of salmon from chef Aaron London of AL's Place. Plus, the ginger-soy marinade here is everything. 

Grilled Salmon Collars

ginger, peeled, thinly sliced

fresh red chile (such as Fresno

garlic cloves, smashed

salmon collars (about 3 pounds total), scaled, fins removed

Vegetable oil (for grill)

Don’t fuss with the salmon too much once it’s on the grill: Let the flesh naturally release from the grate before attempting to turn it. You can also use the marinade for any cut of salmon. This recipe is from AL's Place, which we named our No. 1 new restaurant in America in 2015, in San Francisco, CA.

Bring ginger, chile, garlic, mirin, soy sauce, sake, sugar, and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer mixture, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 15–20 minutes. Let cool. Strain tare through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof measuring glass or small bowl; discard solids. Set aside ¼ cup tare. Pour remaining tare into a large resealable plastic bag. Season salmon lightly with salt and place in bag. Seal bag and turn salmon to coat. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours (go the full time for the most flavor).

Prepare a grill for medium heat. You want moderate heat for fatty fish like salmon so the fat can slowly render while the skin gets nice and crisp. Clean grate well with a wire brush. Just before you set salmon on the grill, fold up a paper towel and hold it with a pair of long tongs. Dip paper towel in oil and wipe down grate.

Remove salmon from tare, letting excess drip back into bag; discard tare in bag. Grill salmon, skin side down, brushing occasionally with reserved ¼ cup tare, until skin is lightly charred and crisp, 5–7 minutes. Turn salmon and grill until other side is lightly charred (don’t brush this side with tare), about 5 minutes. Transfer salmon collars to a platter.

The beauty of teriyaki sauce is in its balance of salty and sweet without the noise of sharp garlic, hot chiles or any other ingredients. You can add seasonings, if you like, or stick to the original, which calls for only sake, soy and mirin. Brown sugar gives this blend gloss and a syrupy consistency ideal for drizzling over ready-to-eat ingredients. But you could also skip the sugar and simmer just sake, soy sauce and mirin in the proportions below with your dish, thickening it into a glaze that clings to the main ingredient.

Teriyaki Sauce

dark brown sugar

Combine the sake, soy sauce, mirin and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a light boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the liquid thickens and a raft of tan foam bubbles on the surface, 7 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and use immediately or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. When ready to use, reheat until warm and runny, and drizzle over grilled, seared or broiled salmon, sablefish, yellowtail, chicken, pork, steak, tofu, eggplant, asparagus, broccoli, or summer or winter squash. Use as a seasoning to mix into meatballs or patties.

This Kung Pao chicken recipe was developed to use seasonal peppers with Lisa Cheng Smith of Yun Hai, who imports phenomenal Chinese and Taiwanese pantry staples.

Kung Pao Chicken

Shaoxing

cornstarch

lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Tbsp. rice vinegar

bell pepper,

chiles

Fresno chile,

1" piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped

garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Sichuan peppercorns or cracked black peppercorns

peanuts

We consulted with Lisa Cheng Smith of Yun Hai, who specializes in importing phenomenal Chinese and Taiwanese pantry staples, for a Kung Pao recipe that stays very close to the original but includes seasonal peppers.

Stir wine, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Let sit at least 10 minutes or up to 30.

Stir vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a small bowl; set sauce aside.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high. Add chicken (along with any marinade clinging to it) and cook, tossing occasionally, until lightly browned all over but not cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high. Add bell pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add dried chiles, scallions, Fresno chile, ginger, garlic, and peppercorns. Cook, tossing constantly, until very aromatic and dried chiles are lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add chicken and reserved sauce and cook, tossing, until liquid is nearly evaporated and coats chicken, about 1 minute longer. Toss in peanuts. Taste and season lightly with salt if needed.

Divide chicken stir-fry among plates and serve immediately.

This miso-enriched brothy soup is pleasing on many levels. You get complex flavor with minimal effort, especially if you make the dashi in advance. All the little garnishes are optional.

Mushroom Miso Soup

kombu,

dried shiitake mushrooms, crumbled

Salt

mushroom

King oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced

sesame oil

Salt and pepper

white or red miso

tofu,

Enoki mushroom tips

scallions

shiso leaves, slivered

Sunflower sprouts

nori

red pepper

sesame seeds

Make the dashi: Put kombu, dried shiitakes, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a large soup pot. Add 6 cups cold water. Place over medium heat, allow the liquid to barely reach a boil, then reduce heat to low and let cook at a very slow simmer for about 30 minutes. Skim foam as necessary. Let cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and add salt to taste. (Dashi may be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)

Put the sliced mushrooms in a bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce. Add garlic and ginger and season with salt and pepper. Toss and let marinate for 10 minutes.

Put dashi in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Add mushroom mixture and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are just tender.

Remove 1/2 cup hot broth from pot and place in a small bowl. Stir in miso to dilute, then return miso-broth mixture to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. Once the miso has been added, do not let the soup boil.

Top 33 sake recipes from across the web

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

Top Tags

Soft-Boiled Eggs for Ramen Recipe

The Fisherman's Folly

Momofuku Shiitake Mushroom Steamed ...

Hanjan Chicken Wings

The Far East Side: Sake Southside C...

Taiwanese Turkey Rice Recipe | Epic...

Soy And Ginger Steamed Fish

Salmon Teriyaki

Miso Itame, A Stir Fry with Miso, E...

Gyudon

Homemade Koji Rice

Soboro Beef

Grilled Salmon Collars

Teriyaki Sauce

Kung Pao Chicken

Mushroom Miso Soup

Chicken yakitori

Japanese garage chicken

Black cod in citrus miso

How To Make Japanese Tare Sauce Re...

sauce teriyaki (Japon)

Ramen

Ponzu Sauce With Daikon Recipe

Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly)

Echine de Porc teriyaki par Laurent...

Japanese Sake Steamed Clams

Miso glazed fish

Absolute-Authentic Japanese Teriyak...

Grilled Oysters With Buttery Soy-Sa...

Sake Fizz Cocktail

Miso Soup

Momofuku Mushroom Steamed Buns Reci...

Perfectly Moist and Juicy Steamed C...

Top 33 sake recipes from across the web

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

Top Tags

Soft-Boiled Eggs for Ramen Recipe

The Fisherman's Folly

Momofuku Shiitake Mushroom Steamed ...

Hanjan Chicken Wings

The Far East Side: Sake Southside C...

Taiwanese Turkey Rice Recipe | Epic...

Soy And Ginger Steamed Fish

Salmon Teriyaki

Miso Itame, A Stir Fry with Miso, E...

Gyudon

Homemade Koji Rice

Soboro Beef

Grilled Salmon Collars

Teriyaki Sauce

Kung Pao Chicken

Mushroom Miso Soup

Chicken yakitori

Japanese garage chicken

Black cod in citrus miso

How To Make Japanese Tare Sauce Re...

sauce teriyaki (Japon)

Ramen

Ponzu Sauce With Daikon Recipe

Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly)

Echine de Porc teriyaki par Laurent...

Japanese Sake Steamed Clams

Miso glazed fish

Absolute-Authentic Japanese Teriyak...

Grilled Oysters With Buttery Soy-Sa...

Sake Fizz Cocktail

Miso Soup

Momofuku Mushroom Steamed Buns Reci...

Perfectly Moist and Juicy Steamed C...

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