After his sellout class with us, we are delighted to welcome MasterChef winner Tim Anderson back to the kitchen for this introduction to Japanese cooking based on his fabulous book Japaneasy. 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. Master 4 key Japanese sauces and use them to make classic dishes like gyoza (making the wrappers from scratch was a big hit on Tim’s last class with us), sweet miso-glazed aubergine and sweet soy beef (vegetarian option available) onion rice bowl. Tim will explain how to use your sauces to create a wealth of healthy and delicious Japanese meals and you will go away with some sauce to start you off.
For those who don’t eat meat there will be an alternative vegetarian menu on one of our benches. Believe it or not, Japanese cuisine in general is actually vegan-friendly, and many dishes can be made with a simple substitution or two. And it’s not just austere, traditional Buddhist-temple fare (though that is very lovely indeed); you can enjoy the same big, bold, salty-sweet-spicy-rich-umami recipes of modern Japanese soul food without any compromise on flavour.
Tim Anderson was MasterChef champion 2011 and has since achieved his dream of opening a Japanese restaurant, the acclaimed Nanban, in Brixton. Japaneasy is his second book. He regularly appears on Jamie Oliver’s FoodTube and on BBC Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet.
Hands on. Includes lunch with wine.
Photographs © Nassima Rothacker and © Laura Edwards.
