Authentic Japanese Cooking: Clear Soup with Hamaguri Clams and Egg Balls

Dining with the Chef Hi and welcome to Dining with the Chef.

I'm your host, Yu Hayami and here is our wonderful Chef Saito!

Hello Yu, hello everyone.

So chef, what are you going to teach us today?

Today, rice with lots of crab and soup with hamaguri clam.

Oh my! It sounds very extravagant and has a very spring feel, too.

Yes, and very spring special Sakura style.

That's right!

Here in Japan, April marks the start of the new year for schools companies and more.

So, it's a very popular time to celebrate with special foods.

Yes, share spring happiness!

OK. I can't wait! Shall we?

Yes, let's get started.

Japan is known for its bountiful fresh and delicious ingredients... as well as unique seasonings and flavors.

All coming together with creative cooking techniques to produce a well-designed and colorful menu.

Japanese cuisine, guided by traditional culture that you will be able to prepare at home.

Let's join Yu Hayami and become Chef Saito's chef apprentices.

Here's our Master Chef, Mr. Tatsuo Saito!

Always an adventure!

Today's dishes are hamaguri clam soup, and crab rice.

Authentic Japanese cooking.

OK, here's what's cooking today.

First off, a clear, elegant soup, with hamaguri clams, eggs, and carrots, cut in the shape of cherry blossoms.

It's perfect for the spring season.

So let's make the hamaguri clam dashi.

OK! Wow those look like very good quality hamaguri clams.

Spring is the spawning season for
hamaguri, so they're rich and plump.

They're the harbingers of spring!

-Spring!
-Yes!

Clams represent marital and family
harmony. They're auspicious!

One half shell of a hamaguri clam will never fit with another.

They're perfectly and uniquely joined.

Which is why they're regarded as symbols of marital harmony and strong family bonds.

They're often served at weddings and other auspicious occasions.

They also produce a flavorful dashi broth ideal for making a clear, delicious soup.

Thoroughly wash the hamaguri, add to a pot with the right amount of water and kombu, and place over heat.

The kombu adds umami and thickens the soup a little, bringing out the flavor of the clams.

Here is our Chef's Tip!

Remove the clams as soon as they open to prevent over cooking.

The delicious broth, is released, as soon as they pop open, so there's no need for simmering.

-Remove immediately.
-I see.

-So plump!
-Yes, it looks delicious.

Skim off the surface residue and strain through a paper towel.

Very clear.

I see that's how you get the clearness, I got it.

And, It's such an elegant aroma.

So is it ready?

Ready.

OK, so what's next?

Make egg ball.

Egg ball.

Now, let's make the egg balls.

Mix the beaten egg with clam dashi, and pour into a dish lined with plastic wrap.

Add some clams, pull the wrap together, twist to seal and boil to set.

They're in the shape of a "kinchaku,"
a drawstring pouch.

Japanese food is often presented in the form of a "kinchaku" or drawstring pouch.

For example, the New Year's dish,
"kuri-kinton."

The sweet potato and chestnut cake
is shaped like a kinchaku pouch.

It's a very auspicious shape.

That's because such pouches are said to
have been used to collect gold dust.

So let's get started.

Beat the eggs.

Cool the dashi and season with mirin, usukuchi soy sauce and salt.

We're using light colored usukuchi soy sauce to preserve the yellow color of the eggs.

Strain the egg mixture to ensure a smooth consistency.

OK, let's make the egg ball.

I'm ready to learn.

Measure the amount to make uniform egg balls.

Line a bowl with plastic wrap, place on a scale and add 40 grams of egg mixture.

Too much and it won't set properly.

Add two or three slices of clam, cut into bite-size pieces.

Gather the edges of the wrap and twist tightly to prevent leakage.

Just like a drawstring pouch.

To make egg balls with a smooth finish, make sure the plastic wrap is taut and tightly sealed.

Hold the rubber band with your thumb,
and wrap around the top to secure.

-Make sure that the wrap is taut so that there are no wrinkles.
-Yes.

OK chef, I'm gonna give it try.

Line the bowl, with plastic wrap, and add 40 grams of egg mixture and some clams.

And this is where you have to be ever so careful gather oh gather the ends.

Haha like that.

OK.

And I take the rubber band hold it with your thumb and twist it this way?

Yes.

One, two, three.

Is three enough?

Like this just once ?

It's OK.

OK.

OK, wonderful.

OK, my version is done.

Place the pouches in boiling water, to allow the egg to set.

Very important boiling water.

Boiling water?

-That's a must.
-OK.

In order to firm up the surface, make sure to place the egg pouches in boiling water.

Keep boiling on high until
the surface turns white.

This creates a protective film. Without
it, the balls won't cook properly.

But overcooking will cause them to break.

So, quickly boil to form
a protective coating.

-See? They're now white.
-Yes.

Then, reduce the heat to very low.

Cover with aluminum foil and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

-The eggs protected by the coating will slowly set.
-I see.

10 minutes later...

See how the surface is now totally white?
Pretty, isn't it?

Place in ice water to cool quickly.

-Shocking causes the egg to contract.
-I see.

Remove the wrap carefully, pulling upward to peel the wrap off the egg.

They're delicate, so...

Ah.

Scrape off the bottom...

-Slowly. Be careful.
-OK.

Use the bottom of a spoon, to scoop the egg out of the wrap.

It's very delicate. Oh look at that.

It looks really nice and fluffy.

Fluffy. It's very fluffy.

Now let's make vegetable garnish.

This time, we're using a spring vegetable called "Nano-hana" or rapini and brightly colored carrots.

Cut the rapini in half, and blanch in lightly salted water.

Then, shock in ice water, drain and pat dry with paper towels.

-So next carrot.
-Yes.

This carrot is a Kyoto heritage vegetable.

The vivid color will add a nice accent to the soup.

Peel and cut into 7-8 milimetre slices.

-Let's use a cherry blossom press mold.
-OK.

Place a clean cheesecloth on the cutting board to cut out the carrot.

-Cut out the center of the carrot.
-Oh beautiful.

-Looks cute.
-So cute.

Boil the carrots in lightly salted water, shock in ice water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.

Now let's season and finish the soup.

Reheat the hamaguri dashi and season with salt and usukuchi soy sauce.

Add the egg balls, to warm them up.

Warm up the eggs.

Add the carrots and rapini to heat up.

But be careful not to boil the soup, or else you'll ruin the delicate flavor and aroma of the hamaguri dashi.

-Perfect.
-Ahaha OK So good!

Genious.

-OK. Perfect.
-All right.

It's warmed up. So, place the egg ball
in the center of the bowl.

Place the carrots and rapini
to the side.

Then pour in the soup.

The bowl should be about half full.

And finally a sprig of kinome, a fragrant Japanese herb associated with spring.

Wow, I love that so refreshing.

-On the top.
-Oh...

And you have a clear soup
full of spring flavors.

And... now finished!

Crab rice, is another fragrant spring dish.

It's served in the shape of cherry blossoms.

OK, what kind of crab are we using today?

Today, we use red king crabs.

Oh I love red king crab.

The bright red color of king crab
is perfect for this beautiful rice.

Look for crab legs packed with meat.

So this kind of pre boiled crab is quite popular in Japanese super markets.

But if we can't find them, can we use canned crab?

Yes you can do that, but today we want to crab with shell.

Oh why is that?

To make dashi with shell.

That sounds good.

Remove the meat from the boiled crab legs.

Separate the meat into small pieces so that it can be easily mixed into the rice.

Let's save the shells for later.

Now let's make the dashi for cooking the rice.

We're going to use kombu and katsuo-bushi.

Gently clean the surface of the kombu.

But be careful, not to wipe off the white powdery substance.

That's the umami.

Add the kombu to a pot of water and place over medium-high heat.

Simmer for about 10 minutes, to draw out the umami.

Once it comes to a boil, simmer gently for 30 seconds, remove the kombu, and add water to stop the boiling.

Add the katsuo-bushi and return to a boil.

Let it boil for 20 seconds, while skimming off the surface residue.

Turn off the heat and allow the katsuo-bushi to settle.

Then, filter through a paper towel.

Now you have a clear, golden dashi.

This dashi is delicious as is.

But the crab shells will
enrich the flavor.

Pour the dashi into a pot, add the crab shells and simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Skimming off the residue.

This infuses the dashi
with the aroma of the crab.

Oh my goodness it smells wonderful.

After simmering, filter through a paper towel.

-Nice.
-OK.

Next, cook rice.

Add rinsed rice and cooled dashi, mirin and usukuchi soy sauce to the rice cooker and mix well.

Are we adding the crab meat?

Not yet.

-You don't want the crab meat to shrink. So, add at the end.
-OK.

Now, turn on the rice cooker.

And in half an hour, the rice is done.

Oh.

-Rice looks good. perfect!
-Yes.

Now, mix with the crab meat, and then this is sake.

A sprinkling of sake
enhances the fragrance.

After sprinkling with sake, mix in the crab meat so that it's evenly distributed.

The crab adds a very nice color to the rice.

-You see?
-Yes!

Lots of crab.

Please wait for three minutes.

This gives the alcohol
time to evaporate.

It also enhances the sweetness
and fragrance of the rice.

-OK now let's arrange to serve.
-OK.

I have a special item.

Oh that's a cherry blossom mold!

It's springtime!

"Mosso" mold is a type of wooden mold used in Japanese cooking.

You put rice in and then press it into the shape of the mold.

Today, we're using a cherry-blossom-shaped mosso mold, to represent the coming of spring.

There are many other shapes out there, including folding-fan-shaped ones, which are considered a symbol of good luck.

Mosso molds are an easy and convenient way to make rice look fancier and give it a special feel.

Soak the mold in water, for at least half an hour, so that the rice won't stick to the surface.

Fill the mold with rice.

With a light hand.

OK don't press it down.

Pack evenly.

Pack the rice to just above the rim and top with a few pieces of red crab meat.

This will highlight the
presence of the crab.

Use the top part to smooth the surface
and press down lightly.

Just a little.

While pressing down, pull the outer mold upwards.

-And...voila!
-That's beautiful.

That's beautiful.

So arrange to serve.

OK.

The rice is delicate, so use a spatula or something similar to lift it up carefully and plate.

Today, arrange one more.

-The kanji for "tsubaki" combines the characters tree and spring.
-Oh that's right.

So it symbolizes the coming of spring.

OK, and then finished.

Beautiful.

If you don't have a wooden press mold, you can use a ring mold instead.

We'll use this daikon radish as a press.

Cut off a slice about 3-4 centimetres thick, and make sure the surface is smooth.

Let's cut this to size.

-What's this!? It fits perfectly.
-So if you are lucky.

No need to do anything.

You are perfect.

How lucky! Our chef is magic.

No need to use the mold to cut out the daikon, this time.

Once it's peeled, it's ready to use.

Push push push...

OK chef, I'm going to give it try using the ring mold.

You need to wet the ring mold to keep the rice from sticking.

And then, I add the rice to my ring mold, but don't flatten, just fluffy.

Very fluffy.

Yes.

The rice should come to just above the rim.

So then we add some crab meat on top, this is very important.

Cover the rice with plastic wrap, so that it won't taste like daikon.

Here we go.

-Evenly press it.
-Perfect.

Is that good?

-Good job!
-OK.

Is that good?

Oh. Perfect.

OK, excellent.

And then...

No no no no.

You need to press down
while removing the mold!

Don't forget to press down with the daikon as you remove the mold.

So, I go all the way?

-And I pull it out, right?
-Yes, right.

Yes yes, OK here we go.

-That's what it's for.
-I see, I see.

How's that?

-Phew.
-Oh beautiful.

Then plate it carefully.

Be careful.

I am careful, this is hard.

OK, here we go.

Oh that's perfect.

And we have some decoration.

Cherry blossoms add a nice spring touch.

Also some nan-dina leaves, which are often used in Japanese cuisine as a lucky decoration.

OK, so my version of the crab rice is done.

-Very pretty.
-Yay.

Now both dishes are ready to serve.

Dishes that convey the warmth and delight that comes with the much awaited arrival of spring.

Chef Saito, our dish today looks beautiful, and it looks like spring has sprung.

Yes spring, spring, spring!

I love the red accent, you know, the color from the Japanese carrot and from the crab. It's so beautiful.

Thank you so much. I'm glad to hear.

-Try some soup first.
-Yes.

I can already smell the wonderful fragrance of the hamaguri clams.

Yes.

Such delicate flavor.

Thank you.

So much technique goes into this very simple dish.

Very simple.

But, many techniques.

-Many techniques
-are needed.

Wonderful.

-So try the clam and egg.
-OK.

So I'm gonna lift this up. In Japan, you can lift.

Oh so soft.

Soup ingredients must be tender enough
to break apart with chopsticks.

Right, because we can only use chopsticks.

Oh my goodness! It's so simple looking but its bursting with a lot of umami flavor.

The egg ball is very nice and soft and fluffy, but because you have the hamaguri clams in it, you also have the texture which is very good.

-Different texture.
-Yes.

-Rapini.
-Oh yes.

Rapini is also a spring vegetable.

That's right.

"Nano-hana" has a little bit of bitterness to it.

I feel like spring has come.

Every single element in the bowl
symbolizes spring.

Wow, interesting. OK, this looks so artistic.

So chef, when it's plated on a flat plate like this, you can't lift it, how do you eat it?

-You can use the lid of the bowl as a plate.
-You can use this?

-It's perfectly acceptable.
-I didn't know that, OK.

-I'm gonna have that crab meat.
-Hahaha.

-If the bowl doesn't come with a lid, ask for an extra plate.
-I see. OK.

Oh that is wonderful.

Thank you.

It's such an elegant taste.

It's very settle, but it's full of crab flavor.

Yeah, crab shells makes good dashi.

Lots of flavor for the rice.

I see.

I just love how Japanese cuisine using seasonal ingredients.

Spring is the most important
season of all.

It's the start of a new year, symbolized
by the blossoming of cherry trees.

So we use press molds and ingredients
that convey the joyous arrival of spring.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you so much, chef.

Thank you and thank you for joining me.

That's right. Thank you for joining us and I hope you to make this at home.

I'll try to. That egg ball was very difficult.

Okay, let's review today's recipes.

First, the clam soup.

Boil the clams with kombu to make the dashi.

Season the dashi, to prepare the egg mixture.

Add some clams and use plastic wrap, to boil, and then chill to set.

Now you have your fluffy egg balls.

Plate along with carrots, in the shape of flowers, and rapini.

Cover with clear clam soup.

Next, the crab rice.

Remove the meat from the boiled crab legs.

Save the shells for the dashi.

Use the dashi to cook the rice, mix in the crab meat, and use a wooden press mold in the shape of a cherry blossom.

That's it!

A treat for your eyes and your palate.

Why not welcome spring into your house?