Rika's TOKYO CUISINE: Japanese Breakfast Toast

Dining with the Chef!

Hi, Rika.

Hi.

Thanks for having me on your kitchen again.

You're welcome.

So what's on the menu?

How about toast?

Oh, I love toast.

Toast with jam, toast with jelly, toast with butter, toast with honey...

What's on our toast today?

Well, we're going to make Japanese style toast using Japanese ingredients.

So, you know, like, even though it's a Western stuff, we can add on some of the Japanese ingredients.

Interesting.

I'm going to show you my favorite recipes of Japanese style toast.

Tokyo, an Asian city with the largest metropolitan population in the world, the boundaries between old Japan and futuristic Japan are blurred in this metropolis.

The food here is a fusion of cuisine, not just from around Asia, but around the globe.

In this program, Tokyo-based culinary artist Rika Yukimasa demonstrates the current trends from her own kitchen near Tokyo Bay.

Our co-host is Patrick Harlan, widely known in Japan as Pakkun.

Rika's Tokyo Cuisine.

Rika will show us some of her favorite recipes for preparing toast.

Simple but so good.

A lot of people may think that we start the day with a Japanese style breakfast and with miso soup and rice and pickles.

It's common.

Yes.

But some people are really busy, so we actually have bread like this one.

Right.

I didn't expect it when I came to Japan, but toast, white bread is super popular here.

But it's not the same thing as white bread in America.

It's what we call "shokupan."

It's square and fluffy and chewy and sweet and just amazing.

Yes, I think Japanese people like fluffy rice so much, so that they kind of, like, recreate it as sweetness and fluffiness of rice to "shokupan."

In the bread. Right.

In America, I don't know very many people who cut their white bread this thick, but this is common in Japan.

Super thick, super soft.

It's like eating a pillow.

But a good pillow! A yummy pillow.

So today I'm going to show you how to make a Japanese breakfast recipes using Japanese "shokupan."

Great. Let's get started.

So let's begin.

Tell us first, what are the characteristics of Japanese style toast?

I think those we use the kind of ingredients for the fillings, which are kind of unimaginable for the people...

- It's the same as making toast, but the toppings are different.
- Yes.

Okay.

So now today, I'm going to show you one of the most popular fillings of "onigiri," which is tuna and mayonnaise.

- But on bread?
- On bread.

Tuna mayo is simply a mixture of canned tuna and mayonnaise and perfectly Japanese style, if you use the Japanese mayonnaise.

Japanese mayonaise uses just the egg yolk instead of the whole egg.

Also it uses rice vinegar, which has a mellow flavor.

So, Japanese mayo has a richer flavor and creamier texture than regular Western style mayonnaise.

- So now here we have some "shokupan."
- Okay.

I love going to Japanese stores. You can buy every possible slice of bread.

Like, you know, you have what they call "ikkin," which is a loaf, and it can be four, six, eight slices in the same thing.

So you can get the perfect thickness for any meal.

And this is a thin slice.

But if you go to America, you often find "shokupan," white bread sliced even thinner.

Japanese people like a sort of thick, thick slice of bread, right?

Yes.

So this is the thinnest for us.

- Oh right. This pretty thin for Japanese.
- Yes.

Okay.

So first, I mist the "shokupan" because the minute the shokupan is baked, they're losing water.

Okay.

You make the bread a little bit more moisturous, any kinds of bread tastes really good.

Really?

I usually use oven for toast.

And I also moist inside the oven.

Oh, really?

You open the oven and just spray the mister in there.

- Yeah.
- Interesting.

And then from here, I'm going to put spread some wasabi.

Ooh, wasabi on bread.

Wasabi goes surprisingly well with bread, especially with tuna mayo.

Okay, now it's really easy.

Here we have this mayonnaise and tuna.

- So it is like tuna salad, kind of.
- Yes, yes.

Interesting.

This time it's a breakfast menu, so I'm going to just spread evenly.

- Just not too much tuna.
- Mm-hm.

When I make sandwiches, I like them to be just maximum mouth size.

That... that thick.

That's how much I want my sandwiches to fill up my mouth when I take the first bite.

Spread tuna and mayonaise on one slice, and mayonnaise on the other slice of bread.

Okay. Now we have "nori" sheet.

Ah, quite a bit like sushi.

- "Onigiri." We're making sushi and "onigiri."
- Yes.

And this goes really well.

I was surprised. I didn't know how good it tastes.

Cut the "nori" to the size of the bread and place it on top of the tuna-mayonaise.

Sprinkle cheese over the "nori."

It's not only delicious, it also binds the nori to the bread.

And then you place this one on top.

Nice.

And we start grilling.

- Excellent.
- Yes.

That was really fast.

The preparation is so quick.

So how do we cook this thing?

Preheat the pan first on medium heat.

And once it gets heated, you lower to lower heat.

- Low heat.
- Okay.

Place the sandwiches in a preheated pan and then place a weight on top to press it down.

And then you place the lid.

If you place the lid and place this one and press lightly.

You should do.

Okay.

You could probably put some water in there and weigh it down, right?

Oh, yes.

If you want a really pressed sandwich, you can just add some water as a heavy stuff.

- As a weight, right?
- Mmm-hm.

Interesting.

So it's nice that you don't need a sandwich presser.

Sandwich pressers, you know, I have one, but it's somewhere in the back of the closet, you know.

And it takes a long time to get out, and then it takes a while to wash and put away.

- Just use the fry pan, it's so much faster.
- Yes. So it's easy.

Toast both sides, till golden brown.

I show you this side.

- Wow!
- Beautiful.

That's incredible.

And you didn't use a toaster or a sandwich press.

You just used a frypan and a pot with a lid.

That's amazing.

Just cut in any style.

But I'll cut this way.

A lot of people in Japan cut the crusts off their bread.

Yes. Because you want to show this cross-section.

Oh, look at that.

Oh, the cheese is perfectly melted, too.

And can you smell this "nori?"

Oh, yeah. It smells so good.

It's a nice combination of the fresh bread smell and the seaweed smell.

So you have, like, a mixture of Western and Japanese aroma.

- It's amazing.
- Right.

You know, that only took about 10 minutes total.

But that would be so great for like a party or a card game.

You know, when people are sitting around, they can have a sandwich in one hand and cards in the other.

What a great idea.

Well, next Japanese toast I'm going to show you is really perfect for morning.

Okay.

When you need a little bit of sugar, I'm going to show you how to make "anko" toast.

"Anko!" Great.

"Anko" is a red bean paste made from "azuki" beans.

"Anko" is a popular traditional ingredient made by simmering "azuki" beans with sugar.

It's used in most traditional Japanese sweets.

Recently, it's being used in Western-style sweets as well.

- But we're using it on toast today.
- Yes.

Interesting.

So are we making our own "anko" today?

Well, it takes a long time to make original "anko."

So we are going to use can.

- I love using canned food, it's so easy, but just in case you can make "anko" from scratch, right?
- Yes.

Okay. In fact, this is how you make "anko."

That's right, here is how to make "anko" from scratch.

Pour the "azuki" beans into a pot and cover with water.

Bring to a boil over high heat.

Once the color of the water turns red, discard the water.

Then add fresh water and return to a boil.

This removes the bitterness and astringency from the "azuki" beans.

Repeat this process and then add fresh water and simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.

Once the beans are tender, drain and return to the pot.

Mix in the sugar and salt.

Simmer while mashing the beans.

Once the consistency is to your taste, remove from heat and set aside to cool.

And that's all it takes to make a delicious batch of red bean paste.

So when we say "anko" or "an," we generally mean the red bean paste.

- But "anko," "an," there are other varieties, right?
- Right.

Which are these three right here?

This one is called "zunda-an," normally made from "edamame" beans.

- And it's famous in the Tohoku.
- Yes.

- Norther northeastern region of Japan.
- Yes.

Okay.

We put this "zunda-an" on top of mochi.

And it's very popular.

And this one is is "satsumaimo-an," which is made from sweet potatoes.

Here's how to make "anko" paste with a locally available ingredient, sweet potatoes!

Steam and soften the sweet potatoes, then mash them.

Add some sugar to equal 20-30% of the sweet potatoes and mix.

Place over low heat and knead while reducing the moisture.

If you can't get hold of canned "azuki" beans, try making today's "anko" toast with this sweet potato "an" or paste.

You'll be amazed at how good it is.

Today I'm going to use a just most typical "anko" which is made from red beans.

So if you want to look for on the Internet, you can look for like red beans, sweet paste.

Okay.

Or "azuki" bean paste or something.

You'll find it, don't worry.

"Anko" and Butter Toast is so easy to make.

Before toasting the bread, spray it with water.

Oh. Looks so good.

So I'm going to slice the bread first.

And put a bit of butter.

After all, butter and bread, they're a magic match.

Yes, it is true.

I don't know anybody who doesn't like buttered toast.

So good.

But you'd be amazed to see how butter and "anko" go so well, too.

Mmm.

Well, you're actually adding quite a bit of butter.

Yes.

Interesting.

And is the "anko" just straight out of a can?

Have you done anything to it? Have you heated it up or added anything?

- No.
- Interesting.

This canned "anko" is really good.

If you, you know, like so many people think, sweetened red beans...

you know, it's kind of strange because most of the time you use it for just regular food and regular cooking.

But a lot of my friends who came to Japan enjoyed so much of this eating "anko" based dessert.

They fell in love.

So they end up just purchasing a lot of canned "anko" on the internet.

- No kidding.
- Yeah. On the net.

Is this kind of toast with red bean paste popular in a certain portion of Japan?

Oh, yes, yes.

Especially Nagoya.

Nagoya, which is halfway between Tokyo and Osaka.

And if you go there, and you go to "kissaten."

- Which is like a cafe. But more Japanese style.
- Yeah.

It's a little bit different from just chain.

"Kissaten" - it has a distinctive interior decor and some of them place specific kinds of music and things.

Right.

And there this "anko" paste is very popular for some reason.

Right.

You have to go to Nagoya to enjoy this "anko" paste toast.

Yes. I don't see it very often in Tokyo.

No.

Even in the "kissaten," which is, you know, there are "kissaten" all over the country.

- But I guess this is a distinctive menu for the Nagoya "kissaten," right?
- Yeah.

Cool.

Ooh, look at that.

So easy. And it's done.

That's it?

Yes.

Super simple.

So we have two delicious varieties of Japanese style toast.

Now all I need is coffee and a newspaper.

My morning is complete.

Well that's actually a great idea if you only have this "anko" toast.

But if you are to have this tuna mayo for breakfast, I recommend having this little soup.

A bowl of soup.

Okay.

Yes, because it would be very nutritious.

Ah.

We're going to aim for a little bit of nutritional balance in our breakfast.

- Exactly.
- Okay.

It takes kind of heart to intake the kind of amount of vegetables you need to intake.

Do you know how much we are supposed to？ - How much vegetables we're supposed to eat, like, every day?
- Yeah.

No idea.

- It's 350 grams, which is about, like, this much.
- Yeah.

That's... That's a lot.

That's like a couple of softballs. That's a lot of veggies.

Right.

So do you have a secret for eating that much?

I think it's impossible to eat as raw vegetables if you are to take intake 350 grams.

But if you boil them, it's going to shrink into small portion like this.

And it's easier for you to intake.

Super.

And how are we making this soup?

Okay, soup.

Like shred the vegetables.

It will take you very little time to cook.

And also you can intake as much vegetables as you can.

So shredding reduces the cooking time, makes it easier to eat, which is good because you want to eat a lot of vegetables.

- Right.
- I see.

- Can we just use a greater or shredder if we're not fond of cutting by hand?
- Yes.

By the way, if you think that cutting vegetables is a hassle, you might want to sharpen your knife makes it a lot more fun.

That's true.

You might also want to get a good Japanese knife.

- That also makes more fun to sharpen and use.
- Yeah, much easier.

So if you think of if you use a really sharpened knife in your work, you may feel it's almost half.

Sure.

- So much easier.
- Yeah.

And it's actually safer to use a sharp knife because you make fewer mistakes.

Cut the vegetables into thin shreds.

Use whatever vegetables you like.

Now you can use chicken bullion as usual, but you also can buy this Japanese dashi granulated powder.

Dashi soup stock usually made from "kombu" kelp and "katsuobushi," which is fish flakes.

It's just awesome and it's used in everything.

It's just different flavor and it tastes really good.

Add granulated dashi, salt, and soy sauce to boiling water.

And first you put the ones that are harder to boil.

- Harder vegetables first.
- Yes.

Okay.

Second, pepper.

And this.

Right.

- And leafy green vegetables last.
- Yes, last.

Okay.

- It seems like a lot, but it will shrink.
- It will shrink.

- I guess we will wait until the vegetables get soft.
- Okay.

So how do you manage your own nutritional balance?

What do you think about?

I have a rule called four, three, three, two, one.

Four, three, three, two, one? Okay.

And imagine a little larger than egg size of fist of the kid's fist.

Okay.

- And then you can have only four times of that carbohydrates.
- Okay.

- Three of the boiled vegetables.
- Okay.

Three of the proteins.

Two calcium.

And then one fruit.

Okay. Calcium would be like milk.

- Or cheese.
- Daily foods, yes.

So four servings of carbohydrates, three of protein, three of vegetables, two of dairy and one of fruit.

Right.

That's easy to remember.

I think it's easier for you to imagine because so many times people say cups and grams and it's kind of difficult.

So, you know, morning breakfast is really good for you to control your nutrients intake.

And the really best way is to make a soup and make a bowl of soup, I would say.

Because it shrinks the vegetables, makes it easy to eat, and easy to digest, too.

And how shall we count the toast?

Count the toast, this would be if you eat one, two, three, four.

That would be the total day.

So don't eat all of that toast for breakfast! Okay.

But we have tuna which would that count as one portion of...

- This should be 1, 2 portions of servings.
- Okay.

- So two portions of both meat and carbos.
- Right.

Okay.

So we've actually got a pretty good start on our day.

- We may want to save a little for lunch.
- Yes.

All right.

How do we score? Pretty good?

Very good.

And I would add some Italian olive oil, which goes really well with dashi.

- Interesting.
- Yes.

So even though we have a Japanese soup, we add a little Mediterranean flavor.

Nice.

And put a lot of vegetables in it.

Now the soup is done!

But adding some "mitsuba" on top will make it even more fragrant.

Is that it?

Yes.

And that's it. Voila.

And now for my favorite moment of all.

Itadakimasu.

Shall I start with the tuna bread, the tuna toast?

The melted cheese, and the little strip of "nori"...

It's just fun to look at.

Mmm! You can taste the wasabi in there? Mm hmm.

That'll wake you up in the mornings.

Wow. I don't think I've ever had a pressed tuna sandwich.

My mother never pressed them. She just actually she made them open face.

This is excellent. I've got to try that.

So then we have "nori" and wasabi and the Japanese mayonnaise.

Definitely makes this a different tuna salad sandwich than those in the West.

It's excellent.

Thank you.

Now, let me try the soup.

Oh, look at all this veggies.

Beautiful, glistening, glowing vegetables.

I love vegetable soup.

The dashi sinks into the vegetables, of course, but the vegetables also provide their own flavor to the dashi.

So it's a wonderful syncretism of all these flavors and that little olive oil at the end.

- That's a great touch.
- Yes.

It adds both aroma and a little bit more umami and this smooth softness in the in the soup and on the vegetables.

It's sort of like eating a sauce as well as a soup.

This beautiful...

look at that, oh, that "anko" butter in this thick piece of toast here.

This will...

Mmm.

Oh, it's so sweet and wonderful.

And the butter, of course makes it creamy and silky smooth.

And the fluffy, thickly cut Japanese "shokupan."

Oh, it's just incredible.

So good.

And this would go really well with brewed coffee.

Very nice for coffee.

Yes, I can see that.

Because the sweetness in the mouth, in your mouth, the creaminess in your mouth, - it's calling out for a little bitterness.
- Yeah.

A little bit of hard cutting. Refreshing coffee.

Oh, you're right.

You go coffee, toast, coffee, toast. Back and forth.

What a great way to spend your morning.

And like I said, a newspaper or someone fun to talk to.

I could make this a habit.

This is great.

I believe breakfast is very important because you get to control what you eat.

Starting the day with a well-balanced breakfast put you in the right direction to eating properly.

But if you don't have much time to spare in the morning, you need to be able to prepare a simple but nutritious breakfast in minimum time.

That's why I recommend making Japanese style toast for breakfast.

Thank you again for an excellent meal.

I've really started my day off right.

And thank you for joining us right here on Dining with the Chef.

We will see you again soon.

- Bye.
- Bye!

Rika's special toast is delicious and easy to make.

Rika recommends spreading wasabi paste on toast to give it a nice kick.

For the tuna-mayo, make sure to use Japanese-style mayonnaise.

Its sweetness brings out a rich, mellow flavor.

Add "nori" and cheese to complete the sandwich, place a weight on top to press, and toast.

"Nori," cheese, and tuna-mayo go very well together and make for a great breakfast.

Next, the "Anko" on Buttered Toast.

It's super easy.

Just spread sweet "azuki" bean paste on buttered toast.

"Anko" goes very well with coffee.

What's more, the sugar will help clear you head in the morning.

And finally, a great way to eat plenty of vegetables in the morning.

Shredding and cooking the vegetables significantly reduces their volume.

Adding a dash of olive oil is a tastey addition.

Try these simple and delicious Japanese influenced recipes for toast to start the day off on the right foot.