1 medium sized daikon;
1 tin of salmon in brine;
1 finger-sized root of ginger;
100g green leaves such as mizuna or hourensou;
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1. Wash and roughly chop the leaves. Chop the ginger finely. 2. Cut daikon into roughly the size of a thumb and put in a saucepan. Add tinned salmon with the brine, then add some water so that most of the daikon is immersed in liquid.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, add chopped ginger then simmer for further 20 minutes or until the daikon is tender.
4. Add soy sauce then chopped green leaves, cook for a further 5 minutes.
Nimono means 'simmered dish' and the range of ingredients is limited only by the imagination. In the picture, finely cut konbu (dried kelp) was added for an authentic Japanese flavour.
Shungiku Omelette
4 eggs;
6 to 10 shungiku leaves - roughly chopped;
salt and pepper;
1 teaspoon of mayonnaise or 1 tablespoon of cream (both optional)
1. Using a fork, beat the eggs lightly together in a bowl.
2. Add the shungiku and other ingredients and mix in.
3. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a frying pan then pour in the mixture from the bowel.
4. Leave until the surface starts to set and the edges dry, then fold in half or into thirds and serve.
Almost anything can be put into an omelette - mizuna, kabu and daikon leaves, hourensou and nijin leaves are just some. For mitsuba, add just before folding the omelette to ensure it keeps it's flavour. Naga-negi, nira or shiso in particular will give a strong and distinctive flavour.
Oriental Salad with Mizuna, Kabu and Mitsuba
150g of mizuna, 3 red or white kabu and 6 leaves of mitsuba will make 3 portions of salad. Wash and roughly chop the mizuna leaves. Cut the kabu into halves and slice. Wash and finely chop the mitsuba leaves. Mix everything together. Serve and garnish with shungiku flowers