Tilapia the Japanese way
Jan 10, 2008
THE variations in cooking formats have grown by leaps and bounds in the food industry. This week, Food Guide visited Kyoto restaurant and under the guidance of Chef Jeffery Ongwech, we take you through the Japanese way of making grilled tilapia in white wine, usually served with steamed rice.
By Roger Mugisha
THE variations in cooking formats have grown by leaps and bounds in the food industry. This week, Food Guide visited Kyoto restaurant and under the guidance of Chef Jeffery Ongwech, we take you through the Japanese way of making grilled tilapia in white wine, usually served with steamed rice.
How to cook
Fish is the basis of this meal and because of that Ongwech emphasises that you cook it first. In the Japanese format, it is deep fried in a pan of hot corn oil.
However, before the deep frying commences, first put the whole fish on a plate and cut a sharp cut into the middle of the fish and others across so as to make room for the oil to soak into the fish.
Once you’re done with this, pour three tablespoons of white wine and sprinkle white pepper on it. Try and spread the aforementioned ingredients into the fish. After, holding the fish from the tail, dip it into the pan of hot oil for about 5-10minutes while turning it on both sides using a spatula or a cooking spoon.
When it is done, place it on a plate and leave to cool. Then heat another pan and add onions, garlic, white mushrooms, green chili, ginger and spring onions in that order until golden brown (only for the onions).
Then proceed to add a ¼ glass of water together with fish powder into the mix and place the fish into it.
For those that love thicker gravy, mix corn flour with water and add to the mixture. This should take no more than 10minutes, why? Because the fish is already ready and the added vegetables shouldn’t be overcooked.
For a family of four or five, simply add more fish as you deep fry and double the quantities of the ingredients.
For the rice, simply steam in a rice steamer and for those that don’t have one, just boil.
How to serve
In the Japanese tradition, when serving, place the rice into a bowl for every family member and have the fish and its gravy in a larger plate for all to pick portions.
For a more quintessential taste, make a teriyaki sauce on the side and it comprises of soy sauce, simsim sauce, sugar, salt, chopped onions, garlic and green onions to serve on the side.
Ingredients
1 whole Tilapia
20gms of crushed ginger
20gms of crushed garlic
20gms of chopped green chili
10gms of chopped red onion
15gms of chopped spring or green onions
250gms of diced white mush rooms
30gms of fish powder
30gms of white pepper
5 tablespoons of white wine
3 tablespoons of flour & corn oil
THE variations in cooking formats have grown by leaps and bounds in the food industry. This week, Food Guide visited Kyoto restaurant and under the guidance of Chef Jeffery Ongwech, we take you through the Japanese way of making grilled tilapia in white wine, usually served with steamed rice.
How to cook
Fish is the basis of this meal and because of that Ongwech emphasises that you cook it first. In the Japanese format, it is deep fried in a pan of hot corn oil.
However, before the deep frying commences, first put the whole fish on a plate and cut a sharp cut into the middle of the fish and others across so as to make room for the oil to soak into the fish.
Once you’re done with this, pour three tablespoons of white wine and sprinkle white pepper on it. Try and spread the aforementioned ingredients into the fish. After, holding the fish from the tail, dip it into the pan of hot oil for about 5-10minutes while turning it on both sides using a spatula or a cooking spoon.
When it is done, place it on a plate and leave to cool. Then heat another pan and add onions, garlic, white mushrooms, green chili, ginger and spring onions in that order until golden brown (only for the onions).
Then proceed to add a ¼ glass of water together with fish powder into the mix and place the fish into it.
For those that love thicker gravy, mix corn flour with water and add to the mixture. This should take no more than 10minutes, why? Because the fish is already ready and the added vegetables shouldn’t be overcooked.
For a family of four or five, simply add more fish as you deep fry and double the quantities of the ingredients.
For the rice, simply steam in a rice steamer and for those that don’t have one, just boil.
How to serve
In the Japanese tradition, when serving, place the rice into a bowl for every family member and have the fish and its gravy in a larger plate for all to pick portions.
For a more quintessential taste, make a teriyaki sauce on the side and it comprises of soy sauce, simsim sauce, sugar, salt, chopped onions, garlic and green onions to serve on the side.
Ingredients
1 whole Tilapia
20gms of crushed ginger
20gms of crushed garlic
20gms of chopped green chili
10gms of chopped red onion
15gms of chopped spring or green onions
250gms of diced white mush rooms
30gms of fish powder
30gms of white pepper
5 tablespoons of white wine
3 tablespoons of flour & corn oil