Cooksister | Food, Travel, Photography

Food, photos & faraway places

  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • About me
    • Contact me
    • Work with me
    • Legal
      • Copyright notice & Disclaimer
      • Disclosure
      • Cookies and Privacy Policy
    • Press and media
    • Cooksister FAQs
  • RECIPES
    • Recipe Index – by course
    • Baking (savoury)
    • Braai/Barbecue
    • Breakfast & brunch
    • Christmas
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
    • Eggs
    • Fish
    • Gluten-free
    • Leftovers
    • Pasta & rice
    • Poultry
    • Pulses
    • Salads
    • Soup
    • South African
    • Starters & light meals
    • Vegan
    • Vegetables
    • Vegetarian
  • RESTAURANTS
    • British Isles restaurants
    • Dubai restaurants
    • France restaurants
    • London restaurants
    • Montenegro restaurants
    • New York restaurants
    • Pop-ups and supperclubs
    • Serbia restaurants
    • Singapore restaurants
    • South Africa restaurants
    • Sweden restaurants
    • Switzerland restaurants
    • USA restaurants
  • TRAVEL
    • All my travel posts
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Canada
      • Dubai
      • Cruise ships
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Grenada
      • Hong Kong
      • Hotel reviews
      • Italy
      • Israel
      • Jersey
      • Mexico
      • Netherlands
      • Norway
      • Portugal
      • Singapore
      • Ski & snow
      • South Africa
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • UK
      • USA
      • Wales
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Freelance writing portfolio
    • Speaking and teaching
    • Photography portfolio
    • Buy my photos
You are here: Home / Book reviews / Beef, broccoli and udon noodle stir fry from “The Japanese Larder” by Luiz Hara

Beef, broccoli and udon noodle stir fry from “The Japanese Larder” by Luiz Hara

by Jeanne Horak on May 24, 2019 9 Comments in Book reviews, Dairy-free, Main course - meat, Pasta & rice

Beef-Udon-noodle-stir-fry-title
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

When I was six months old, my parents took a trip to Japan.  I was my mom’s first child, but my dad’s fifth – so she was understandably worried about leaving me behind whereas he had learnt that babies are not made of pixie wings and are pretty resilient if left with loving relatives!  And so for a few weeks I stayed with my maternal step-grandmother, who wrote letters to my parents in my voice almost daily (one of which I still have), while they journeyed to the furthest point in the world that either of them would ever travel from home.

Obviously, I have no independent recollection of any of this but the story of their trip was told and retold to me so many many times over the course of my life that I feel as though some of the memories are my own. Tales of the multi-stopover journey that brought them to Japan via Iran (before the fall of the Shah) and India (where my father swore he saw the moon rise seven times over Delhi as the plane endlessly circled the airport while it waited to land). Tales of Japanese schoolchildren asking my over-six-foot-tall-Westerner dad wherever he went for an autograph in the Latin alphabet (as opposed to Japanese script). Tales of Tokyo metro “pushers” employed to push people into already-packed train carriages at rush hour. Tales of immaculately made-up geishas; of temples; of my mother’s visit to Mikimoto pearls; of the beauty of Mount Fuji and its snow cap.

Over the years, Japan took on mythical status in my mind – a place so exotic and magical that it was the theme of my school projects for many years.  But the one aspect of Japan that left my parents cold was the cuisine.  I have no recollection of what they said they ate while in Japan, but I do remember that me dad came back with outlandish tales of the Japanese eating raw fish. Raw fish! I pictured a fish, freshly caught and still gasping and flapping on my plate, scales and all, as I tried to attack it with a knife and fork. And my father did nothing to dispel this vision, meaning I made it to age 32 (!) before I tasted my first piece of sushi or sashimi (mercifully scale-free and no longer flailing!).

 

Udon-noodle-stir-fry-raw-beef

 

I laugh now when I look back at my father’s narrow culinary world view and how determined he was not to try anything new, but the sad fact is that there are more people like my father than there are adventurous, try-almost-anything-once eaters like me. Despite the fact that in London we can now buy ingredients from a mind-boggling array of cuisines and countries in our local supermarkets, many people are still fearful of the weird and anxiety-inducing impulse buys that might find their way into the shopping basket if they set foot in the “World Foods” aisle.  And even those who step outside their comfort zone and cook from unfamiliar cuisines, avoid buying authentic ingredients because they can already see the jaggery, the bonito flakes and the fermented shrimp paste being thrown out, unloved and unused apart from That One Dish That One Time.

But well-known London food writer, supperclub host extraordinaire and Cordon Bleu graduate Luiz Hara may be about to change that perception with his second book, The Japanese Larder: Bringing Japanese Ingredients Into Your Everyday Cooking.  Luiz was born in Brazil to Japanese-Brazilian parents and his cooking has always reflected this melding of cultures as he has created dishes cross-pollinated from Japanese traditions and Brazilian ingredients. His first book, Nikkei Cuisine, focused spcifically on recipes that combine Japanese techniques with South American ingredients. The aim of The Japanese Larder is to demystify Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients and to show people that if you buy Japanese ingredients, you don’t have to cook Japanese for the next 6 weeks to use them up.  There are all sorts of non-threatening ways to use authentic Japanese ingredients in more western-style recipes – and it is a collection of such recipes that Luiz has lovingly created for his book.

 

Udon-noodle-stir-fry-book

 

The book opens with an introduction to key Japanese seasonings, including such things as how to make your own dashi stock and ponzu dressing. The recipes that follow are divided into chapters each covering core sets of Japanese ingredients:

  • Dried, fermented and preserved Japanese ingredients
  • Japanese spices, condiments and garnishes
  • Japanese rice, noodles and tofu
  • Japanese fruit and vegetables
  • Japanese teas and other beverages
  • Japanese sauces and marinades

Each chapter also starts with an overview and explanation of the ingredients featured in that chapter’s dishes before moving on the the recipes themselves.  This makes the book succeed not only a recipe book but also a useful reference for those who are keen to learn more about Japanese food and how to incorporate it into their cooking repertoire.  Each recipe and many of the hands-on techniques in the book are illustrated with beautiful photography.  I particularly like the fact that Luiz has included some of his family photographs and images of him in Japan researching the ingredients and techniques covered in the book.  Both the explanatory sections and the recipes are beautifully written and the instructions are clear and comprehensive. There is also a very useful list of suppliers of authentic Japanese ingredients in the UK, USA and Australia.

 

Udon-noodle-stir-fry-2

 

There are a number of recipes in the book that caught my eye such as brown butter and miso linguine; mochi cheesebreads (the love child of mochi balls and pao de queijo); Marmite chicken (an umami bomb!); mentaiko spaghetti; and yuzu posset with poached plums. But the one I chose to make first was the beef, broccoli and udon noodle stir-fry.  Although there is a recipe in the book to make your own udon noodles, it’s also refreshing to see that Luiz takes a pragmatic view and mentions good store-bought udon noodles as an alternative in the ingredient list. As I said – very very non-threatening for Japanese food neophytes! Other than remembering to marinade the meat, the recipe is as fuss-free as you can get and makes a perfect weeknight dinner for you and a couple of friends – and it is packed with satisfying umami flavour. While the book hasn’t (yet!) persuaded me to make my own noodles, tofu or dashi stock, it has certainly made me look at Japanese ingredients and techniques in a new, more accessible light.  I’m not sure if my dad would have been horrified or proud 😉

The Japanese Larder is published by Quarto and is available on Amazon and The Book Depository in hardback for £17.99. It has also been shortlisted for World Gourmand  Awards in the Japanese category as the British entry. 

DISCLOSURE: I was sent a review copy of this book but received no firther remuneration and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own and I retained full editorial control. 

More beef recipes you might like on Cooksister:

  • How to cook the perfect sirloin steak
  • Simple beef ragu
  • Beef in Guinness stew
  • Bone-in rib-eye steak cooked sous vide

 

5 from 5 votes
Beef-Udon-noodle-stir-fry-title
Print
BEEF, BROCCOLI AND UDON NOODLE STIR-FRY
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Marinating time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
 

A simple yet delicious and deeply satisfying dish that will bring Japanese flavours into any home cook's kitchen. A perfect quick weeknight dinner!

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: easy, noodles, stir-fry
Servings: 4
Author: Jeanne Horak
Ingredients
For the beef and marinade:
  • 200 g rump steak
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 2 cm piece of ginger root peeled & finely grated
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ½ tsp black pepper
For the stir-fry:
  • 1 Tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp water
  • 500 g Frozen udon noddles (I used pre-cooked udon, available from most supermarkets)
  • 2 Tbsp sunflower oil
  • 125 g white onion, sliced
  • 200 g tenderstem broccoli cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 200 g cavolo nero stem discarded and leaves roughly chopped
  • 1 pinch chilli flakes
  • 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
  1. Cut the rump steak very thinly into 5cm long slices (freezing the steak for 30 minutes beforehand will help with the slicing). Transfer to a bowl and mix well with the soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic and black pepper until thoroughly combined. Let it marinate for 30–60 minutes.

  2. In a small bowl, mix the sesame oil, soy sauce and water until combined. Set aside until needed.

  3. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Add the udon noodles to the pan and cook for about 10–12 minutes if using fresh, or follow the packet instructions. Keeping the water in the pan, remove the noodles into a colander and refresh them under fresh cold water to eliminate starchiness and stop them from overcooking. Drain the noodles and keep warm.

  4. Add the broccoli to the same pan and cook for 1minute, then remove from the pan and drain.

  5. Add the sunflower oil to a large wok and heat it through on the highest heat until smoking hot. Add the beef, its marinade and the onion to the wok and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the broccoli and cavolo nero and cook for a further 30 seconds.

  6. Add the cooked noodles to the wok, stirring them together with the other ingredients for a couple minutes until heated through. Finally, stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil mixture, add a generous pinch of chilli (dried red pepper) flakes, mix well and turn off the heat.

  7. Sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds, if using, and serve immediately.

 

More deliciousness for you!

  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with sesame and gingerRoasted Brussels sprouts with sesame and ginger
  • Aubergine dengaku with miso and mozzarella from “Nikkei Cuisine”Aubergine dengaku with miso and mozzarella from “Nikkei Cuisine”
  • Curried vegetable potjiekosCurried vegetable potjiekos
  • South African chakalaka by the Thames – Scenes from a braai IIISouth African chakalaka by the Thames – Scenes from a braai III

Never miss a Cooksister post

If you enjoyed this post, enter your e-mail address here to receive a FREE e-mail update when a new post appears on Cooksister

I love comments almost as much as I love cheese - so if you can't leave me any cheese, please leave me a comment instead!

« The Rosemary – an organic Hungarian restaurant in London
Exploring Grenada’s tree-to-bar cocoa estates »

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Crystal says

    May 25, 2019 at 11:42 am

    A beautifully written Blogpost that takes one to Japan along with your Dad. And the recipe loos great and easy too. Thank you!

    Reply
  2. adriana says

    May 31, 2019 at 7:33 pm

    The seasoning on that beef looks fantastic! I enjoy udon noodles though difficult to find in my area. But I guess I can change to standard noodles. Making this next week.

    Reply
  3. Andrea Metlika says

    May 31, 2019 at 7:50 pm

    We love Beef Broccoli and love that this has Udon noodles. I can’t wait to taste this.

    Reply
  4. Jill says

    May 31, 2019 at 8:03 pm

    Looks like a lovely cookbook that I should explore. I’m not familiar with cooking Japanese cuisine at home and the recipes you mention do sound delicious. This beef and broccoli LOOKS delicious!

    Reply
  5. Geoffrey at Spoonabilities says

    May 31, 2019 at 8:08 pm

    Carlos and I love Japanese food, but never make it ourselves because we don’t want to mess it up. Thanks for giving us the courage to do it.

    Reply
  6. Sara Welch says

    May 31, 2019 at 8:09 pm

    This was such an amazing dinner! So full of flavor and easy, too! Looking forward to leftovers for dinner tonight!

    Reply
  7. Amy Lees Lees says

    March 25, 2020 at 9:26 pm

    Amazing recipe! I added julienned carrots and bok choy to my stir fry. The marinade and the sauce were so tasty! My whole family loved it and asked for seconds ❤

    Reply
  8. Nire says

    February 14, 2021 at 9:14 am

    You have created a meal that has such well rounded flavours and yet is so easy to prepare – my only change was to put our homemade sambal olek in the marinade to replace the chilli flakes. Oishi!

    Reply
    • Jeanne Horak says

      February 14, 2021 at 12:23 pm

      That sounds like a wonderful substitution! So glad that you made the dish and enjoyed it 🙂

      Reply
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Never miss a Cooksister post!

Get my latest recipes delivered by e-mail!

Search over 500 recipes

Recently on Cooksister

  • Perfect broccoli and Stilton soup [keto, low carb, GF]
  • Masalchi by Atul Kochhar – Indian street food in Wembley
  • Barbecued salmon with blood oranges and capers
  • Roasted Brussels sprouts with feta, pomegranate and pine nuts [GF, V]
  • Love Yourself healthy meal delivery [Review]
  • Antillean
  • Festive roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
  • Rustic blood orange and pistachio galettes

Archives by month

Archives by category

Popular posts

Oxtail and red wine potjie
Peppermint Crisp fridge tart - a South African treat
Nigella's Bakewell slices & the Big Bakewell Taste-off
Jan Ellis pudding - a classic South African dessert
My big, fat South African potato bake
Roosterkoek - a South African braai essential

Featured on

Also available on

[Ad/Press sample] Love beer? Love peaty Islay whis [Ad/Press sample] Love beer? Love peaty Islay whisky? Then you need to get your hands on this delightful collaboration between @innisandgunn (their original beer is billed as a beer for wine drinkers and is one of my all-time favourites) and @laphroaig (makers of one of my favourite super peaty whiskies). 

Innis & Gunn’s limited edition Islay whisky cask beer is a Scottish red beer which is double matured - first in used Laphroaig whisky casks and then in used port casks. The result is a deeply smoky beer with notes of coffee, dark chocolate, malt and rich toffee, all balanced by a clean and almost saline finish, much like Laphroaig whisky itself.  It comes in a limited edition gift box with beautiful artwork by @scottnaismithartist and is available from the Innis & Gunn website for £6,00 for a 330ml bottle while stocks last (it’s also vegan!). 

I paired it with crostini topped with cream cheese and smoked oysters - the salty, smoky, creamy oysters complemented the flavours of the beer very well. I can also imagine it working well with green olives or smoked almonds. A perfect gift for the beer or whisky lover in your life!

What do you think of combining the flavours of beer and peaty whisky? Let me know in the comments 🍺

#innisandgunn #laphroaig #islaywhisky #beerlove #beerloversofinstagram
This week I made a flying visit to the RHS Chelsea This week I made a flying visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in  London’s leafy Chelsea, courtesy of @babylonstoren and @thenewtinsomerset [INVITED] I was fortunate to have an early morning tour of the beautiful show gardens and by far the most inspiring was the Best in Show winner, Horatio’s Garden, designed by Charlotte Harris and Hugo Bugg. Horatio’s Garden is an initiative to provide spinal injury patients in NHS hospitals with an accessible garden and private respite rooms within the garden. There are 8 across the UK and the design we saw at the show will be rolled out in Sheffield once the remaining funds needed are raised. Have you visited the Chelsea Flower Show? Let me know in the comments 🌺🌷🪷🪻🌼🌸 #rhschelseaflowershow2023 #rhschelsea #horatiosgarden #horatiosgardenchelsea
Today is the official coronation of King Charles I Today is the official coronation of King Charles III and London is literally awash with red, white and blue flags, bunting and souvenirs. I don’t have bunting… but in celebration I can offer you this plate of red, white and blue deliciousness that is sticky toffee pudding with berries! I had this last weekend at the @bristolbarbrighton - the pudding alone makes the trip from London worthwhile 😍👑🇬🇧 Long live sticky toffee pudding!!
Happy Easter to everyone celebrating! My Easter ch Happy Easter to everyone celebrating! My Easter chocolates are from Ukrainian chocolate producer @roshen_ukraine - gorgeous hazelnut praline-filled dark chocolates, and how beautiful is the packaging? #easter2023 #easterchocolate #easterchocolates #roshen #ukrainiantraditions #roshenchocolate
Great exhibition on at the V&A Museum in London ri Great exhibition on at the V&A Museum in London right now for anybody interested in textiles, fashion or Africa. Such fascinating info about the cultural significance of various traditional African cloths (kente, kuba, bògòlanfini and many more) and a great display of modern African designers from around the continent. It’s on till 16 April so catch it if you can! #africafashion #thingstodoinlondon #londonexhibitions #londontourist #londonbylondoners #kentecloth #kubacloth #bogolanfini #chrisseydou #ladumangxokolo
The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a The wonderful Museum of the Moon installation - a 7 metre diameter scale model of the moon suspended in the Painted Hall at the  @oldroyalnavalcollege in Greenwich this week, by @lukejerramartist. A surreal and fabulous sight!
Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need Do you enjoy free art installations? Then you need to get down to @canarywharflondon between now and Saturday 28 Jan to catch the free Winter Lights 2023 event, back for the seventh year.

My favourites include @lukejerramartist ‘s Floating Earth; Tom Lambert’s Out of the Dark; Fluorescent Firs; Toroid by This is Loop; and the surreal and mesmerising Anima by MEATS - a tunnel filled with hundreds of thin optical fibre lights that change colour and move in the breeze 😍 

Have you been to Winter Lights? What was your favourite?
“When we look down at the Earth from space, we s “When we look down at the Earth from space, we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet. It looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” - International Space Station astronaut Ron Garamond

To experience the “overview effect” (a phenomenon experienced by astronauts viewing the earth from space), head down to Canary Wharf in the London docklands this week where you can see @lukejerramartist ‘s beautiful Floating Earth installation as part of the Winter Lights event. 

This giant 10m diameter installation is created using high resolution NASA images to create a floating scale model of the Earth, lit from within so that it glows from its current home on the Middle Dock, surrounded by the headquarters of international banking and finance corporations.

The artist hopes that viewed in this context, the installation will make visitors and the bankers working in surrounding buildings question how their money in savings and pensions is invested, and whether investments can be greener.

Aside from being a thought provoking piece, it is also mesmerising and surreally beautiful, so make sure you visit the free Winter Lights event before ends on Saturday 28 Jan.
Happy lunar new year! [Invited] To celebrate the Happy lunar new year! 

[Invited] To celebrate the arrival of the Year of the Rabbit, why not head over to @mamachensdumplings currently doing a residence at the @thegantrylondon in #stratford where you can feast on prawn & chive dumplings; pork, Chinese cabbage and shiitake mushroom dumplings; pork & prawn wontons with Mama Chen’s chilli oil; vegetable dumplings; smacked cucumber salad; and spicy noodles coated in garlic and Szechuan pepper oil.

And afterwards, make sure you head up to the @unionsocialoc bar for a cocktail - I loved the Moreish Fashion with bourbon, PX sherry, chestnuts and mandarin orange bitters!
Load More... Follow me on Instagram

Follow Jeanne Horak-Druiff's board Recipes by Cooksister on Pinterest.

Cooksister

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

The South African Food and Wine Blog Directory

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

Latest Recipes

Bowls of broccoli and Stilton soup
Salmon with blood oranges dill and capers
Brussels sprouts with feta and pomegranate
Roast lamb with pomegranate glaze
Blood orange & pistachio galettes
Cauliflower topped steak with melted cheese
Plate of potted smoked salmon with slaw and a glass of champagne
bowls of pistachio pomegranate bircher muesli

SITEMAP

Home

Contact

About me

Recipe Index

Restaurant Index

Copyright & Disclaimer

Cookies & privacy policy




blog counter

© 2004 - 2023 · Jeanne Horak unless otherwise stated - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You may not reproduce any text, excerpts or images without my prior permission. Site by RTW Labs

Copyright © 2023 · Cooksister on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

Cooksister cookie consent
We use cookies to ensure you receive the best experience on our site. If you continue to use this site, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions. Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT