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

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This week’s installment marks the 100th of the Gohan Lab series, which started in April 2019.

We decided to look back on past recipes and asked our advisers to provide tips on deciding on the menu and answer questions from our readers.

The Nutrition Clinic of the Kagawa Nutrition University, which oversees the nutrient calculation for Gohan Lab, was asked to choose nutritionally balanced sample menus from among past recipes.

Dietitian Miwa Yui’s first choice was the main dish “sauteed chicken with balsamic sauce” coupled with the side dish “Caesar salad” (released on AJW on April 22, 2020).

The total amount of salt used in the two dishes is 2.7 grams, making the menu light on salt thanks to the umami of vinegar.

Salt can be reduced further if less bacon is used.

“If you want to reduce the amount of salt, you could make up for the flavor by adding spices, an acidic taste or herb vegetables,” said Yui.

Her other tip is to vary the degree of flavoring.

If you strongly season the main dish, the side dish could be light on flavor.

The second sample menu features “cod cooked in ‘chanchan’ style” as the main dish and “avocado dressed with nori” on the side.

The total energy of the two dishes is about 380 kcal.

“Low in food energy, the menu is good when dieting,” Yui said. “What makes it appealing is that not only is it well-balanced, it is also simple to make.”

She added that if you feel that the two dishes are not enough, cool tofu can be a good addition.

In deciding on a menu, another tip is to choose different cooking methods for the main and side dishes.

If the main dish is stir-fried, the side dish could be “aemono,” where ingredients are dressed with seasonings.

If the main is simmered, the side can be sauteed. Such combinations offer a variety to the overall menu.

“It is best not to try too hard,” Yui said. “You had better strike a balance by taking into account the meals that were served immediately before and those that will follow.”

Traditionally, the combination of “ichiju sansai” (a soup and three dishes) is recommended for a single meal.

The two menus suggested above consist of only the main and side dishes, but Yui said it is not a problem.

“It is all right because both menus incorporate a generous amount of vegetables,” she said. “Still, you need to add a staple food such as rice.”

A soup is an easy way to consume both vegetables and protein, but Yui said people with high blood pressure had better forgo it because that will increase salt intake.

When you are busy, a menu where you can ingest both vegetables and protein in a single dish is a great help.

Other than “cod cooked in ‘chanchan’ style,” dishes such as “twice-cooked pork” are recommended for that purpose.

QUESTIONS FROM READERS

Q: How can I steam food nicely in a frying pan?

Katsuhiko Yoshida, owner chef of a Chinese restaurant, recommends adjusting the steam by choosing a deep frying pan and covering it with a lid.

A: Steaming is a cooking method of creating a space filled with steam and placing ingredients inside.

These conditions can be met if the frying pan is deep enough to contain the ingredients and comes with a lid to keep the steam from escaping.

Place a small dish (or other container) face down and put a plate with ingredients on it so that the plate rises above the water surface. If steaming time is 5 to 6 minutes, water about 3 centimeters in depth will be deep enough.

The lid can be placed in a normal way when steaming shumai dumplings or vegetables.

But when steaming “nikuman” (meat buns) or other food on which you do not want water droplets to fall, you could wrap the lid with a cloth or place a chopstick between the frying pan and the lid to let the steam escape. These steps help the food turn out fluffy.

A bamboo steamer is used for Chinese cuisine. The food is steamed nicely because an appropriate amount of steam escapes through a woven lid.

The food looks good if served on the table in a steamer. It is also useful when warming frozen food.

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Q: Is there a good way to use a kitchen cloth?

Cooking expert Akiko Watanabe advises using two to three pieces of “sarashi” while making a meal.

A: I use sarashi (literally “bleached cloth” that is usually cotton) cut into squares.

They are versatile and can be used to wipe your hands, dry washed cooking utensils or drain tofu.

While making a meal, I use two to three pieces, occasionally wringing out the water.

Bacteria will not proliferate much in an hour or so, but I put them aside after cooking a meal. At night, I either disinfect them with a bleaching agent or boil them for one to two minutes before drying.

When cloth pieces get old, I use them when preparing fish before cooking or when wiping the sink clean and then throw them away.

I use disposable kitchen paper when stains may be a hygienic concern, such as when cutting raw meat and wiping the stove. I also use it when stains may not be able to be removed from a kitchen cloth.

Cooking becomes less stressful if cloth pieces serve a purpose. If sarashi is not available, you could use a thin cloth that absorbs water well and does not become fuzzy.

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Q: How should I decide whether to use a frying pan or a pot?

Kuniaki Arima, owner chef of an Italian restaurant, recommends using a frying pan for extracting water and a pot for retaining it.

A: Cooking with a frying pan seems handy, but more water evaporates because it is flat and shallow and opens up unlike a pot. It suits such processes as browning food and stir-frying while cooking out the water.

A slightly deep frying pan works well for crisply cooking the skin of chicken and lightly simmering the meat after adding tomato sauce or other processes.

The pot is better at simmering dishes where ingredients are cooked over a long period while maintaining a certain water level.

While asparagus may be boiled in a short time, the frying pan is not the right choice for spaghetti and other foods because it takes longer and water will be reduced halfway through.

A steel frying pan is heavy, but it heats evenly and suits cooking meat. An aluminum one is light, but ingredients are prone to stick.

A resin-treated frying pan is easy to handle and has a wide range of uses if you also have a lid that goes with it.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column