By YURI KAGEYAMA
TOKYO (AP) — Tsukudani, a sweet, Japanese side dish often served with hot rice, originated in the samurai era in a tiny neighborhood called Tsukuda in the old part of Tokyo. Adding “ni” at the end of a word in Japanese means that’s where it’s cooked.
Professional tsukudani is sold packaged at some Asian food stores and, of course, in modern-day Tsukuda.
A Tokyo correspondent for The Associated Press is sharing her basic tsukudani recipe.
Tsukudani involves simmering bite-sized bits of meat or vegetables in a dark, sweet sauce in a pot over low heat. The ideal flavor emerges after about an hour, enough time for all the juice to infuse the food. And be sure to keep watching your pot.
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Serve tsukudani with hot rice or sake, or use it as filling for rice balls.
Easy tsukudani, from AP’s Yuri Kageyama
Start to finish: One hour
Servings: 5
Ingredients:
½ cup of clams, tuna, seaweed, shrimp, meat or other food item to make into tsukudani
¼ cup sliced ginger
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon mirin, or sweet rice wine
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sake, or rice wine
2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Chop the clams, tuna, seaweed, shrimp or meat into small pieces about the size of a pea. Slice the ginger into thin pieces. Pour the ingredients into a large pot and cook over low heat for about an hour until the juice disappears. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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