Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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To cap off our series on enjoying traditional Japanese cuisine in a more casual manner, we present using “iriko” (dried baby sardines) as a seasoning.

It is often difficult to use up all the iriko one buys for making dashi stock alone, but this recipe should help you handily solve that problem. It will renew your understanding of the power of small sardines that can be just as tasty as meat.

Ryohei Hayashi, the Kagawa-born chef who grew up eating iriko of the Seto Inland Sea, supervised the cooking aspect of the recipe, and suggests that we try to “see familiar ingredients in a new light.” One way he recommends doing this is through making tasty iriko powder.

It is simple to make. Just microwave the fish and then crush it into a fine powder. It lets you umami and a salty flavor of fish similar to nam pla or anchovies, which are also made from salt and sardines, to the usual dishes such as stir-fried vegetables or fried rice. 

This week’s recipe introduces ginger pork cooked by switching out the usual soy sauce for powdered iriko. When coupled with lemon, the distinctive fish smell disappears and you get a flavor that is both rich and refreshing.

The arranged version features vinegared miso with iriko and lemon that is poured on chicken. The sauce also goes well with seafood or vegetables.

IRIKO KEEPS FOR A MONTH IN FRIDGE 

The iriko powder should be kept from moisture by placing it in a jar or another container. The fridge will slow down oxidization, and the powder’s flavor will hold for about a month. The iriko itself should also be kept in a cool and dark place. After the bag is opened, it should be kept in the fridge or freezer.

When iriko powder is used to make stock for miso soup, the appropriate amount is 1/2 to 1 tsp for a cup of hot water. If you find you don’t like the texture, you can run the stock through a sieve to smoothen it.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Ryohei Hayashi in the cooking aspect and Hiroya Kawasaki in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients (Serves one)

1 (120 grams) slice of pork labeled “For tonkatsu” (deep-fried breaded pork), some flour, 1 Tbsp finely chopped ginger, 1 Tbsp iriko powder, some cooking oil, 2 Tbsp sake, 2 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp sweet mirin sake, 2 Tbsp lemon juice

About 495 kcal and 1.7 grams salt per portion

1. Make iriko powder in an easy-to-handle amount by spreading 50 grams iriko on dish, then microwave it at 500W for 50 seconds without covering with plastic wrap. The water content will cook out and aroma will rise. When cooled, loosen them up (PHOTO A) and pulverize in small grinder or in mortar.

2. Finely chop ginger. Sprinkle 1/6 tsp salt on both sides of pork, thinly dust with flour.

3. Pour oil in frying pan and place on medium heat. Add pork. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes while pressing down occasionally with ladle so meat does not turn up and browns evenly (PHOTO B). Turn and cook other side in the same way.

4. Add ginger and iriko powder (PHOTO C). Add sake, water, sweet mirin sake, lemon juice and bring to a boil. Remove meat after coating with sauce, cut into appropriately sized pieces and serve. Reduce sauce until thick and pour onto meat. Top with finely sliced lemon if preferred.

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Ryohei Hayashi is the owner-chef of Tenoshima, a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo’s Aoyama.

Hiroya Kawasaki studies the science of tastiness and cooking method in collaboration with top chefs at Ajinomoto’s Institute of Food Sciences and Technologies.

ARRANGED VERSION

Steamed chicken with vinegared miso flavored with iriko and lemon (Serves two)

Add iriko and lemon to vinegared miso and smoothen by adding fresh cream. Sprinkle 1/3 tsp salt on a piece of chicken thigh (200 grams) and leave for 20 minutes. Pour 2 Tbsp sake and microwave at 500W for 3 to 4 minutes and cool. Boil 1/2 bunch of “shungiku” greens and squeeze out water. Mix 50 grams Saikyo miso, 2 pinches iriko powder, 2 and 1/2 tsp vinegar, 1/2 Tbsp water, 1 Tbsp fresh cream (if unavailable, use soy milk). Pour vinegared miso on chicken and shungiku, after cutting them into appropriate size, and sprinkle with grated lemon zest.

COOKERY SCIENCE

The iriko’s gut is bitter on its own and the fat found in large amounts in the flesh oxidizes when exposed to oxygen, intensifying its fishy smell. But the oil and fat of the meat has a masking effect on the bitterness, while the aromatic component in ginger and lemon can make smells less obvious and are effective when used with iriko. The smell of toasted iriko also lessens the fishy smell. 

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column