After his sellout classes with us, we are delighted to welcome MasterChef winner Tim Anderson back to the kitchen for this Japanese cooking class based on his fabulous books Japaneasy and Izakaya. Tim will demystify this ancient cuisine, showing how easy it is to cook authentic Japanese food at home. Unlike Thai or Indian food, which require a long list of ingredients, Japanese food is minimal – fresh produce, simply prepared with the key Japanese seasonings: soy, mirin, rice vinegar, dashi, sake and miso.
You will be making key Japanese sauces and using them to make classic dishes such as pork gyoza (making the wrappers from scratch was a big hit on Tim’s last class with us). You will also be making pan roasted mushrooms with soy butter, simplicity itself and packed with flavour. Follow this with simmered turnips with sweet miso sauce and some sweet potato and sesame croquettes which are perfect as a main or on their own.
You will also make yamitsuki kyabetsu, translated as addictive cabbage. Finely chopped, the cabbage is dressed in a tangy sauce making it irresistibly delicious. This is a dish found in most Izakaya, a Japanese type of bar in which small dishes and snacks are served, it literally means a place to stay and drink. Add to this Karaage, chicken thighs made with a crisp, seasoned batter and you have what Tim calls soul food. What better place to recreate this than your own home. We will also be doing some barbecue’ing with yakitori which is perhaps the dish most often associated with Izakaya. Bite sized chunks of chicken on skewers, simply seasoned with yuzu-koshō and barbecued, this versatile dish can be adapted for year round cooking. Finally we will be making fish temaki or hand rolls. Perfectly seasoned fish with sushi rice brought to the table for your guests to construct their own rolls with choice fillings and wrapped in nori.
Tim will explain how to use your skills to create a wealth of healthy and delicious Japanese food. This class is a must for Japanese enthusiasts and those wanting to learn about this wonderful cuisine alike.
Tim Anderson was MasterChef champion 2011 and has since achieved his dream of opening a Japanese restaurant, the acclaimed Nanban, in Brixton. He has written 7 books on Japanese cooking and is about to embark on his 8th, truly dedicated to Japanese food. He regularly appears on Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube and on BBC Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet.
You will take home recipe sheets for everything you have made. The day starts at 10am and will finish around 3.30 to 4pm.