sesame teriyaki flat iron steak.

 

Japanese cuisine is a favourite in our household. Whether it's recipes passed down through tradition or an inspired take on a classic. When Sous Chef asked if I'd like to review the Sushi Collection Santoku Knife I couldn't wait to add this sleek and sophisticated tool to my knife block. Made in Japan, the knife is fully forged from high carbon stainless steel, with a magnolia wood handle – the traditional wood to use for sushi knives

As the description suggests, it's a very versatile knife which can be used for much more than just sushi. Santoku knives are especially good for three main preparation techniques – chopping, slicing and mincing vegetables. I thought that I'd try it out for meat slicing with this sesame teriyaki flat iron steak - which is super simply and yet looks pretty impressive as part of a Japanese inspired banquet.

ethan's teppanyaki, sushi and japanese steak house, lincoln.

Found along the A46, around five miles from Lincoln, Ethan's is a newly opened Japanese steakhouse featuring everything from sushi bites to teppanyaki showcases. In a rather unusual location, ran by the popular Damon's Motel and American style restaurant, Ethan's is proud to serve up authentic (and a few more contemporary) dishes from a host of skilled chefs.

miso mushroom gyoza.

An exciting parcel arrived on my doorstep recently. An exciting parcel bursting with organic goodies. To celebrate Organic September, Organic UK had sent me a variety of fresh, dairy and dry produce to get creative with. From vibrant fruit and vegetables to soy sauce and plain flour to pasta, there were lots of ingredients to play around with in my #OrganicUnboxed package... even wine! I hadn't realised so many foodie products could be organic and couldn't wait to experiment. 

After getting my thinking cap on, I knew I had to use the red miso paste and soy sauce to create something Japanese inspired. And so I present to you... homemade miso mushroom gyoza featuring and organic mushroom filling, pastry made from Doves Farm flower and Clearspring soy sauce for dipping. Yum - and they're vegan too!

australasia, manchester.

Australasia, as the name suggests, takes inspiration from the cuisines of the Pacific Rim. From stunning sushi platters to robata grills and tantalising tempura, the Manchester based restaurant embraces all things Japanese, Thai and Indonesian in its dinner, lunch and cocktail menus. You'll find Australasia in the new developments of The Avenue in Spinningfields, beneath a mystical glass prism entrance.

chilli & sesame chips.

An Asian inspired take on the beloved potato chip. These rustic baked chips have an extra crispiness from the sesame seeds, sea salt and chilli flakes. Not forgetting the ultimate dip - a medley of mayo and soy sauce. My new favourite snacking food on its own as well as alongside teriyaki dishes, Chinese style seafood, Asian vegetables or marinated skewers. These are dangerously easy to make...

saka no hana, london.

Sake No Hana is a Japanese restaurant nearby London's St. James Park, which boasts market fresh seafood, a plethora of sushi and, unsurprisingly, a great sake list to accompany. I couldn't wait to treat my tastebuds to their variety of signature dishes, and so went for their five course Taste of Sake No Hana menu, which is accompanied by a bottle of sake to share for £29 a head.

sushi & sashimi workshop at billingsgate seafood school, london.

A few weekends ago, I went down to London for a rather special cookery class - a sashimi and sushi workshop at the famous Billingsgate Seafood School. Although I suppose no cooking was to be involved for this one; instead we were led by talented sushi chef Silla Bjerrum through lessons in handling and sourcing seafood, flavour combinations, how to roll and all important knife skills. I couldn't wait to get started...

yo sushi's new menu for spring summer 2015.

From Japanese seabass ceviche to pumpkin katsu curry and yuzu cured salmon salad to beef curry ramen, Yo! Sushi have some exciting new additions to their 2015 menu. Yo! is hands down my favourite ever restaurant chain, making sushi more and more accessible to those who might not think (or dare) to usually try it. As the Highcross Yo! Sushi in Leicester has recently had a swanky face lift, I went along to see what it looked like. And of course, what everything tasted like.

miso king prawn tempura.

As a lovely little welcome to the Sainsbury's Food Blogger Community, the friendly lot sent me a parcel of products to play with. Guess what - it was Japanese themed. I was in my element! I've had a mini deep fat fryer for a while now, so had to get involved with homemade prawn tempura. By marinating the king prawns in miso paste, I create a miso prawn tempura recipe with a slight sweet and fruity flavour.

teppanyaki grill at home.

I love an excuse for a get together. dinner party, special occasion, food blogger meet up, date night, Christmas... it just so happens that food seems to be a focal point too. I was recently asked if i'd like to try out something from the vonshef range and was instantly drawn to the teppanyaki grill. All you need is a dinner table, your favourite south east asian flavours, stockpile of soy sauce and some hungry guests...

sticks n sushi, covent garden, london.

drawing inspiration from japanese and danish cuisine, sticks n sushi is the perfect restaurant for sushi lovers and sushi doubters alike. following the simple concept of, quite literally, sticks and sushi, the menu is a mix of traditional sushi and grilled yakitori sticks with a few salads and sides thrown in. 

this could be anything from carefully crafted rainbow rolls and fresh tuna tartare to glistening miso marinated black cod and grilled king oyster mushrooms in herb butter.

the basin, loughborough.

i think i may have found the best sesame prawn toast i've ever eaten in my live. where? the basin in loughborough. with a cooked to order menu packed with the best of japanese, chinese and thai cuisine, the basin boasts a beautiful pad thai, succulent sesame prawn toast and refreshing sushi platters. it certainly ticked a lot of boxes for me.

little tokyo, leicester.

another birthday meal: a feast of japanese treats! based in leicester along braunstone gate, i can't believe this is the first time i'd been to this lovely little gem. i took a few quick snaps of the food before devouring this delicious asian banquet.

flesh & buns, covent garden.

this is somewhere that almost became my favourite restaurant before i'd even been. you know that feeling? where you just know as soon as you get there that you're going to want the whole menu? i'm absolutely enamored by japanese and chinese inspired cuisine, so as soon as i saw these steamed buns all over instagram i instantly knew i needed to try them. i realise these have probably been all over the place in the big smoke but coming from a little leicestershire town it's a real treat for me. 

i was down in london this week, luckily a couple of days before my birthday, and so it was the perfect excuse for grace and i to go wild on salmon, soya beans and steamed buns at flesh & buns ! 

sushi express, sheffield.

it was when i lived in sheffield that i really got into my love of sushi. you wouldn't believe how many little independent japanese gems there are in the city; sakushi, edo sushi, wasabisabi, yami sushi and perhaps my favourite (though not by much) sushi express. when i went to sheffield the other weekend i made sure i had a reunion with their sushi delights before an evening at some old haunts.

glazed chicken teriyaki.

a massive fan of japanese and japanese inspired food, i can often be found in my local yo! trying out their latest specials. so when i recently got in touch with hq, i was so pleased when they sent me a copy of their delicious teriyaki chicken recipe :)

want to make it too? here's how...

steamed pork dumplings.

i absolutely love the type of meals with lots of little dishes - dim sum, tapas and sushi especially. i recently bought a bamboo steamer basket as i've always wanted to try making my own dim sum. i loved the idea of making something again with the stack of rice paper wrappers i bought in chinatown - having made vietnamese summer rolls the other week. so this is a bit of a mix and match of my favourite asian inspired flavours to make these steamed pork dumplings.

i bought this bamboo steamer set with two tiers from amazon for £9.99. i could've maybe picked one up at a local chinese supermaket - though the three near me all close around the same time i finish work :( so what next?

sticky sesame cod with japanese style broth.

lately i've been dreaming about the sesame seed, sesame oil and soy sauce combo - i just can't get enough of it. this recipe was inspired by bbc good food - slightly changed and using soya beans instead of peas. well they are more japanese afterall :) 

i used to just nibble on soya beans as a snack with a sprinkle of salt - then they somehow seemed to disappear from most supermarkets! so when i was reunited with them again in the freezer aisle my love for them was of course rekindled. so onto the recipe...

koya japanese restaurant, london.

well, time out gave koya a whopping 5 stars and i'm certainly not disagreeing. this week i got the chance to go there with my friend who has recently moved to london. nearby leicester square tube station, we got there at about half 5 and by 6 there were queues out the door. 

no surprises why really, when you look how tasty the food is! we shared a mixed seaweed salad (£6.10) and steamed monkfish special (£8.90), then for mains had duck donburi (£12.10) and tempura udon noodles (£10.30) over a glass of red. 

absolutely amazing food and would definitely recommend going if you're ever nearby. five hearts from me! ♥♥♥♥♥

www.koya.co.uk ♥