A Vegetarian Barbecue with Yutaka #nationalvegetarianweek

Yutaka Gives Summer Barbecues a Japanese Flavour

Give your veggie barbecues a Japanese zing this summer with these  recipe ideas given a contemporary twist from Yutaka – Marinaded Tofu Kebabs and Red Bean Panko Burgers.

Yutaka means ‘good harvest’ in Japanese and that’s exactly the aim of the company: to create authentic Japanese food products made in the traditional way. Their ethos ensures their products are of the highest quality and feature a lot less additives compared to some other brands on the market. I received a lovely hamper of goodies from Yutaka so I could try out some barbecue recipes with a Yutaka twist.

BBQ Yutaka Marinade

Sushi ginger, rice wine and miso are among the ingredients that make this marinade uniquely Japanese in flavour. It is so easy to create authentic cuisine using the Yutaka products.

The Yutaka Marinade can be used to marinade bite size pieces of  firm Tofu to make some delicious kebabs that can be served with Yutaka sushi rice and a sheet of Nori to make your own sushi style barbecue meal.

Ingredients

2 tbs Yutaka Yakiniku Sauce

1 tbs Yutaka Miso Sauce

2 tbs Yutaka organic Tamari Soy Sauce

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 tbs chopped Yutaka Sushi Ginger

1 tbs Yutaka Mirin

2 tbs Yutaka Shaoxing Rice Wine

Method

Mix together the marinade ingredients and cover bite-size pieces of Tofu making sure they are coated well in the marinade and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. I use a lidded Tupperware box to marinate my Tofu so you can give it a regular shake or turn it upside down to ensure all the pieces get properly covered during the process. Remove from fridge at least 30 minutes before you are ready to BBQ.

Making the Marinaded Tofu Kebabs

Soak the bamboo skewers in water for at least 4 hours.

Make the sushi rice – wash 250g of rice 3 or 4 times with cold water. Drain rice with sieve. Add 330ml water and the washed rice to a saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat and leave to stand for 25-30 mins. Do not open the lid.

Take a bamboo skewer and build the kebab using bitesize pieces of courgette, peppers, red onion, mushrooms and the marinaded Tofu pieces. Brush with marinade sauce and barbecue, turning occasionally. When cooked remove from heat.

Serve with the sushi rice and if desired, roll the veggie, Tofu and rice into a Nori sheet.

Panko Burgers

Many of the boutique burger restaurants use Yutaka’s panko to give their burgers extra bite. This vegetarian burger is really delicious and holds its shape well. It is incredibly simple to make using canned beans.

Yutaka Red Bean Burgers

Ingredients

2 small red onions, finely chopped

2  crushed garlic cloves

2 tins of drained red kidney beans

2 tbsp Yutaka Panko breadcrumbs

1 tbsp Yutaka miso sauce

1 tbsp Yutaka Yakiniku sauce

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp Yutaka Tamari Soy Sauce

Salt & pepper

Place onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, beans, sauces, tomato paste and salt and pepper in a food processor until combined. The mixture should be thick enough to roll into balls. If it is too wet add more breadcrumbs, too dry add more tomato puree. With wet hands shape 6 burgers and coat with Panko breadcrumbs. The mixture is sticky enough for the crumbs to stick. Cover and chill.

Barbecue the burgers and serve with salad in a bun if desired, with some Yakinuko sauce and mayonnaise to finish. 

I really enjoyed making the burgers and kebabs using the Yutaka products. They added a really great taste and allowed me to try out some Japanese flavours. I loved the marinade with the Tofu and I'll definitely be experimenting with some more vegetarian recipes using the sauces.

Find some recipe ideas and inspiration at www.yutaka.co.

Sushi Making Fun with Yutaka

Making sushi is Japan-easy with Yutaka

This Father's Day we did something a little different for Ian's celebratory meal. Yutaka, suppliers of authentic Japanese food products to the UK, challenged us to have a go at making some sushi using a selection of their ingredients. Most people associate sushi with fish, but the word actually refers to the sticky rice, which can be paired with any protein, vegetable or fruit to create a healthy dish.

Yutaka make it easy to make authentic Japanese sushi at home, With a great range of products including sushi rice, sauces, vinegar, wasabi paste, black sesame seeds, ginger and nori sheets as well as rolling mats, nigiri sushi moulds and chopsticks, you can have fun and create some impressive sushi using any protein, fruit or vegetables you fancy.

For our sushi making session, we made some vegan duck style pieces in hoisin sauce, sliced oriental style Quorn chicken fillets and mushroom and spring onion cooked with soy sauce and prepared some cucumber, carrot, asparagus, orange pepper and spring onion. We had soy sauce and rice vinegar dipping sauces ready and laid the table with everything we needed.

Sushi making is great for all the family to get involved with. All the children really enjoyed creating their own sushi rolls and nigiri sushi. Combinations such as vegan duck with spring onion went down a treat. Raw carrot, cucumber and pepper was lovely and fresh. The steamed asparagus was a perfect addition and looked really good on the nigiri sushi.

The colours, flavours and the textures were wonderful. The children learned some new skills, each taking turns at rolling their own sushi rolls and using chopsticks. Being involved in making their own food encourages children to be more adventurous, so even fussy eaters will try something new. Freddy loved the rice with Quorn or mock duck.

Sushi making is definitely something we will do again. It was such fun to all join in and take turns in making our own flavour combinations using all the ingredients. Sushi is such a versatile dish and can be made vegan, vegetarian or gluten free. It is healthy, delicious and hands on - perfect for a family meal.

                          

Find the leading UK-based Japanese food company YUTAKA at www.yutaka.co, and discover all the ingredients to make authentic and healthy sushi at home.