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Yazako, Nashville, TN (2026)

01/11/2024

Nanami gyoza🥟🥟🥟

-Japanese-style dumplings can be filled with tofu, salted white cabbage, garlic, spring onions, and chili paste. Replace the minced pork for a version that is more meaty.

Ingredients:

350g white cabbage (about ½ a cabbage), finely shredded
500g tofu or pork mince
2 spring onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp nanami chilli paste
40-50 frozen round gyoza wrappers, defrosted
vegetable oil for frying
soy sauce or ponzu sauce for dipping

Directions:

-Sprinkle 1 tsp of salt onto the cabbage and massage in with your hands for 45 seconds. Leave for 10 minutes to release some of its water, then press the cabbage into a sieve to remove the excess liquid.

-Mix together the mince, spring onions, garlic, cabbage and nanami until well combined.

-Take a gyoza wrapper and put a heaped tsp of the filling in the centre. Brush the edge of the wrapper with water, then bring the two sides together, pinching at the top to make a half-moon shape.

-Holding the top, pleat and pinch the wrappers on each side towards the middle, completely encasing the filling – wet the outside of the wrapper with a little water if needed.

-Heat some vegetable oil in a lidded frying pan over a high heat and fry the bottoms of the gyozas in batches for 2-3 minutes until crisp.

-Carefully add 75ml of water to the pan and cover with a lid immediately. Let the gyozas steam for 4-5 minutes or until the water has evaporated, the fillings are cooked through and the bottoms are crispy. Repeat with the remaining gyozas. Serve with soy or ponzu for dipping, and a dot of nanami paste on top, if you like.

08/20/2023

Salmon Yakitori🐟🐟🐟

-These salmon skewers prepared in the Japanese tradition are basted with a sweet sauce before being cooked over charcoal to caramelize the sauce and bring out the smokey taste.

Ingredients:

7 tbsp. dark soy sauce
7 tbsp. mirin
7 tbsp. sake
2 tbsp. sugar
2 lb. boneless, skin-on Norwegian salmon filet, cut into 1" cubes

Directions:

-Combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Add salmon, toss to coat, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Put 10-12 wooden skewers into a baking dish and cover with water; let soak overnight.

-The next day, build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to medium-high. (Alternatively, arrange an oven rack 4" from heating element and heat broiler on high.) Drain skewers. Thread salmon pieces onto wooden skewers and transfer to a plate. Grill or broil skewers, turning occasionally, until salmon is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. To serve, transfer skewers to a platter.

04/26/2023

Matcha Mochi with Sweet Bean Filling❤️❤️

-These sweet bean paste-filled mochi are the prettiest colour of pale green thanks to matcha powder.

Ingredients:

FOR THE FILLING:

¼ cup (60 g) dried white navy beans
1 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. (25 g) granulated sugar
2 tsp. (7 g) light brown sugar
Pinch of kosher salt

FOR THE MOCHI:

½ cup (60 g) shiratamako (mid-grade rice flour)
½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. (120 g) granulated sugar
¾ cup (100 g) jyoushinko (high-grade rice flour), plus more for dusting
2 ½ tsp. matcha powder, or substitute ground cinnamon
Kinako, for dusting (optional)
Fresh or dried edible flowers, for garnish (optional)

Directions:

-First, make the filling: In a medium bowl, add the beans and enough cold water to cover by 3 inches. Cover and set aside at room temperature to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.

-Drain the beans, discarding the soaking liquid. In a medium pot, add the beans and enough cold water to cover by 1½ inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then immediately remove from the heat and drain, discarding the cooking liquid. Repeat this blanching process twice more, using fresh water and discarding the cooking liquid each time.

-Return the beans to the pot and cover with enough cold water to cover by ½ inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are cooked through and can be mashed easily with a wooden spoon, 35–40 minutes. Stir in both sugars and the salt until completely dissolved, about 1 minute more. Transfer to a food processor and purée until completely smooth. Transfer to a heat-resistant container, cover, and refrigerate until completely chilled.

-Make the mochi: In a small pot over medium-low heat, add the shiratamako, granulated sugar, and ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. (130 g) cold water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture forms a paste, and turns translucent and sticky, 2–3 minutes.

-Dust a clean work surface liberally with jyoushinko. Place a fine-mesh strainer over the pot of shiratamako paste, then sift the jyoushinko and matcha into the pot. Using a wooden spoon, fold in the jyoushinko mixture until completely incorporated, then turn the paste out onto the prepared work surface. Dust your hands with more jyoushinko. Shape the dough into a tidy square, then roll it out to a very thin, even 11-inch square. Using a biscuit cutter, bicycle cutter, or pizza wheel, cut the dough into sixteen 2¾-inch squares.

-Using a teaspoon, scoop a dollop of filling into the center of each square. Lightly brush the edges of each square with cold water, then fold into triangle-shaped dumplings, pinching the edges gently to seal. Dust with kinako and garnish with flowers before serving (if desired).

03/21/2023

Japanese Rolled Omelet (Dashi-Maki Tamago)❤️❤️

-This Japanese egg dish can be eaten alone with soy sauce, grated radish, or as a sweet nibble at the conclusion of a meal. It can also be cut and added to sushi.

Ingredients:

2 cups instant or homemade dashi
2 tbsp. light soy sauce
1 tbsp. mirin
1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
12 large eggs
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
7 oz. daikon radish, peeled and finely grated, excess water squeezed out
2 tbsp. soy sauce

Directions:

-In a large bowl, combine the dashi, light soy sauce, mirin, and salt; stir until the salt dissolves. In a medium bowl, use chopsticks or a fork to lightly beat the eggs; add them to the dashi mixture, stirring briefly to combine. (You may still see some streaks of whites; do not overmix.) Divide the egg mixture into four equal portions.

-Place a bamboo rolling mat on a cutting board and set aside. Soak a folded paper towel in vegetable oil.

-Make the first tamago: Place an 8- by 8-inch tamago pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, sweep the oiled paper towel over the bottom and sides of the pan. Drop a teaspoon of the egg mixture in the pan to test the temperature; if it sizzles a little, the pan is ready. Ladle about a third of one portion of the egg mixture into the pan, stir for a few seconds with the chopsticks to scramble, then swirl gently to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook over medium heat until the surface of the omelet begins to set (45-60 seconds), then, starting at the edge of the pan furthest from you, use chopsticks or a spatula to fold the sheet of egg toward you into quarters. (Don’t worry too much if your first folding is not perfect—it won’t show.)

-Once fully folded, push the omelet to the far end of the pan and use the oily paper towel to re-oil the exposed surface of the pan. Ladle in another third of the egg mixture and use the chopsticks or spatula to gently lift the folded omelet, allowing the egg mixture to get under it and to cover the entire surface of the pan before settling the rolled portion back onto the raw egg. When the second layer of omelet begins to set (45-60 seconds), fold the rolled portion towards you so that the original roll is at the center. Shape the omelet by gently pressing it against the sides of the pan. Repeat the process once more: re-oil the exposed part of the pan, add the remaining third of the egg mixture, cook, and fold.

-Transfer the omelet from the pan onto the bamboo rolling mat. Wrap the omelet with the rolling mat, gently pressing to shape it into a rectangle (a traditional shape) while it is warm. Keep the omelet wrapped in the rolling mat while you repeat the whole process to make the remaining 3 rolls. (Rolls will be served at room temperature.)

-When ready to serve, in a small bowl, combine the grated radish with the soy sauce. Slice each omelet crosswise into about ½-inch slices. Arrange the omelets on individual serving plates, and serve each with about 1 tablespoon of the soy-radish mixture on the side.

01/10/2023

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)❤️❤️

-Chicken karaage is just fried chicken with a Japanese touch. The Japanese style of frying, known as karaage (pronounced kah-raa-geh), differs significantly from other fried meals in one key way. It is karaage if the meat is seasoned and then dusted with flour. Fried chicken is defined as meat that has been dusted with seasoned flour. Beyond semantics, we enjoy it because it's a simple, fast way to spice up a beloved dish with components you already have at home.

Ingredients:

2 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
2 tsp. garlic, minced or grated
2 tbsp. sake
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. light brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 lb. (about 5) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2" pieces
Vegetable or canola oil, for frying
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. cornstarch
For serving: sliced green onions, Japanese (Kewpie) mayo, and lemon wedges

Directions:

-In a large bowl, whisk together ginger, garlic, sake, soy sauce, brown sugar, and 1 tsp. salt. Add chicken pieces and stir to completely coat. Cover, refrigerate, and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, and up to 1 hour.

-Line a baking sheet with paper towels, and set a wire rack inside. Fit a Dutch oven with a candy thermometer, and add oil 2” to 3” deep. Heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F.

-Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch and remaining 1 tsp. salt.

-Remove one piece of chicken at a time from the marinade and roll it in the flour mixture to coat. Gently shake off the excess flour mixture and transfer to a large plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

-Place 2 to 3 pieces in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. (Keep the oil temperature between 350-365 degrees F.) Transfer chicken to the wire rack. Repeat with remaining chicken.

-Garnish with green onions, Japanese mayo, and a squeeze of lemon to serve.