Wayne Hirabayashi

Serves
four

1
1/2 cups sencha tea rice
2 cups sencha tea broth
1/2 pound roasted eggplant
4
tablespoons pickled cabbage
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
2 teaspoons minced green
onion
2 teaspoons ume paste
2 teaspoons pickled chiso
4 teaspoons Boo
Boo Arare
4 pinches bonito flakes

Divide
rice among four rice bowls. Top each bowl with roasted eggplant. Garnish with
pickled cabbage, wasabi, green onion, chiso, ume, arare and bonito flakes. Pour
hot sencha tea broth over rice and serve.

Sencha
Tea Rice and Broth

Sencha
tea:

5
cups water
4 tablespoons sencha tea

Bring
water to a boil and add tea. Let steep for five minutes; strain tea into a container.

Sencha
Tea Rice:

2
cups sencha tea
2 cups sushi rice

Cook
the rice on stove top or in rice cooker.

Sencha
Tea Broth:

4
cups water
1 cup hon katsuo (bonito flakes)
2-inch piece kombu (kelp)
1
teaspoon hon dashi (powdered stock base)
2 cups sencha tea
4 teaspoons mirin
(sweet cooking wine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Bring
water to a boil. Add the hon katsuo, kombu and hon dashi and let steep for five
minutes. Add remaining items. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Pickled
Cabbage (Tsukemono)

2
1/2 pounds Napa cabbage (won bok)
2
tablespoons salt
1
tablespoon hon dashi (powdered stock base)
6-inch
piece kombu (kelp)

Wash
and dry the cabbage. Slice the cabbage into thin shreds and place in a bowl. Add
the salt and hon dashi, mixing well to distribute the salt. Rinse the kombu and
add it to the cabbage mixture, tossing. Let the mixture sit for four to six hours
at room temperature. Squeeze out the liquid, discard the kombu and serve.

Roasted
Eggplant

2-3
Japanese eggplants (about half a pound)

Place
eggplant on a hot grill and sear the skin for four to five minutes or until eggplant
flesh is soft and skin is wrinkled. Remove from grill and cool.

Using
a paring knife, remove the stem end and peel the skin off. Cut into pieces. Refrigerate
until ready to serve. Eggplant should be served warm or at room temperature.

Grilled
Hamachi Kama with Ponzu Sauce and Asian Slaw

1
piece hamachi kama (collar)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges

Ponzu
Sauce:

4
tablespoons ponzu (a Japanese citrus) concentrate
6 tablespoons soy sauce
3
tablespoons water
1 tablespoon sake
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon
hon dashi (powdered stock base)
1/8 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Asian
Slaw:

4
tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/3 cup julienned
cucumber
1/3 cup julienned carrot
1/3 cup julienned daikon (white radish)
1/3
cup julienned green onion
1/3 cup radish sprouts

Slice Napa cabbage thinly.

Cook
the hamachi kama on a grill over medium-high heat, searing well and cooking until
well done.

Blend
ponzu sauce ingredients together.

For
the Asian slaw, combine soy sauce and grated ginger in a bowl. Add the vegetables
and toss. Place Asian slaw on a serving platter. Top with hamachi. Garnish with
lemon and lime wedges. Divide ponzu sauce among individual dishes for dipping.

Chef
Hirabayashi’s tips:

If
you’re using new-crop rice, reduce the amount of cooking water or tea, since fresh
rice has more moisture in it than older rice.

Prepare your rice for o-chazuke on the dry side, since you will be adding tea
to it.

If you cook the rice in a regular saucepan instead of a rice cooker, burn the
bottom a little for added roasted flavor.

For the tsukemono, use table salt. It is saltier than kosher salt and it melts
faster.

For ume paste, remove the seed from the umeboshi and chop up the flesh to make
a purée.

Fish, pickles and other ingredients for o-chazuke can be found at Daiei, Marukai
or Shirokiya.