13th Dinner Club: Japan – Menus & Recipes

January 2005

To start our 3rd year, M chose Japan as our theme.  We all had been wondering when she was going to get around to this, since with her background we knew we’d have a more authentic experience. She chose Sukiyaki as the main course.  To aid us in in our selections she provided a sample menu, with variations depending on what was chosen as first course. 

Here is the menu:

Appetizer: (Hiya-yakko) Chilled Tofu (from "Recipes for Japanese Cooking")
Cocktail: Plum Wine
Main: Sukiyaki – Kanto Style – see note below (from "Recipes for Japanese Cooking")
Salad: Japanese Cucumber Salad (see recipe below)
Side: Hearty Shiitake Mushroom and Miso Soup
Dessert: Dorayaki  

Note:  There are two styles of Sukiyaki – Kanto and Kansai.  The Kansai-style involves adding the seasonings directly to the ingredients.  The Kanto-style uses a simmering sauce that has been prepared ahead of time.

Japanese Cucumber Salad
¼ cup Sherry vinegar or rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
2 English cucumbers or 4 regular cucumbers
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Peel cucumbers and diagonally cut into 1/8 – ¼ inch-thick slices. In a colander set over a bowl toss cucumbers with salt and drain 30 minutes. Rinse cucumbers well and pat dry. Mix liquids and toss with cucumbers, add salt to taste.

13th Dinner Club:  Japan – Summary