Cook like a local: Tokyo

From butter-soft seared wagyu to fruit and cream sandos, explore the dazzling night-time flavours of the vast Japanese capital

Words and recipes BRENDAN LIEW
Photographs GORTA YUUKI and ALANA DIMOU

While the daylight shines on the Tokyo of the past, with its manicured gardens, temples and tea ceremonies, at night is when you see the Tokyo of today. Izakayas fire up their grills and the air fills with the aroma of meat searing over hot coals. There’s revelry in the air as salarymen and women congregate over tare-glazed chicken skewers, fresh sashimi and long-stewed miso beef. Another table crowds over a tabletop brazier, searing butter-soft wagyu before quenching in garlicky sesame oil, then devouring it between gulps of whisky highballs.

Another Tokyo staple is the convenience store. In Japan this means stepping into a world of gourmet delights: a wall of 15 varieties of onigiri with fillings such as succulent soy-braised pork or chicken, carefully sourced kombu and sakemarinated salmon roe; or a suite of sandwiches (sando) stuffed with katsu pork, teriyaki chicken, ham and egg, or even fruit and cream.

Past midnight, some tired, hungry souls are just staggering home. They crave something fast and tasty but healthy enough not to regret the next day – like a warming ochazuke of juicy salmon, a quick bowl of natto (fermented soy beans) with handfuls of vegetables to cleanse away any excesses, or the late-night classic – instant noodles, dressed up but still ready in less than 10 minutes. These are dishes that work at any time, and bring joy and comfort to millions of Tokyo-ites every night.

Instant carbonara

There may be no better way to amplify the flavour of carbonara than this. By using a tonkotsu ramen base, the savoury pork flavour is intensified by the addition of the pork oil and the concentrated tonkotsu seasoning in the ramen.

10 MINUTES | SERVES 1 | EASY | LC

guanciale, speck or bacon 50g piece, rind removed

instant ramen noodles (preferably tonkotsu flavour) 100g

garlic 1 clove, crushed

pecorino romano 15g, grated, plus extra to serve

egg yolk 1

1 Slice the meat into 5mm-thick batons.

2 Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the contents of the oil pack from the noodles, then toss in the pork and fry for 5 minutes until crisp. Scoop the pork into a bowl, leaving the oil in the pan.

3 Fry the garlic in the pan for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn it. Add the noodles, 220ml of water and 1 tsp of the flavouring powder from the noodle packet.

4 Turn up the heat to high and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to loosen the noodles and submerge them in the liquid.

5 When the liquid is mostly absorbed, try one of the noodles to check if it’s cooked to your liking. When they’re done, remove from the heat, add the pecorino and a few grinds of pepper, and mix until everything is emulsified. If it seems too dry, add a little more water.

6 Transfer to a serving dish, creating a well in the centre. Place the egg yolk in the well. Sprinkle with the crispy meat and extra pecorino, grind over a little more pepper and serve.

Fruit sando

While the egg sando may be the most famous konbini (convenience store) sandwich, the fruit sando may be the next big thing. Fruit sandos showcase the best fruit of the season, encased in a light whipped cream and slices of soft shokupan (Japanese milk loaf ). A way to accentuate the fruit flavour is by stuffing the bread slices with jam.

15 MINUTES + CHILLING | SERVES 2 | EASY

strawberry jam 2 tbsp

shokupan or soft white bread 4 thin slices

mascarpone 60g

whipping cream 60ml

caster sugar 20g

strawberries 5, hulled

1 Spread the jam over two slices of the bread, leaving a 1cm border. Put the other slices on top to make two sandwiches.

2 Using the blunt back of a knife, carefully press firmly just inside the crust, as if you were cutting off the crusts, to press together and seal the two bread slices, encasing the jam. Cut off the crusts, just beyond where you sealed (if the bread isn’t sealed properly, you can pinch it closed with your fingers). Beat the mascarpone to soften it.

3 In a bowl or stand mixer, whisk the cream and sugar to soft peaks, then add the mascarpone and whisk to firm peaks.

4 Lay one of the strawberry sandwiches on a large square of baking paper, then spread with a layer of the cream. Put three whole strawberries on the cream in a diagonal line, and a couple in the empty spaces. Use the remaining cream to fill in the gaps between the strawberries and cover everything in cream. Put the other strawberry sandwich on top and wrap tightly. Use a marker to draw where you’ve placed the line of strawberries. Chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

5 Keeping the wrap on, cut along the line through the sandwich to divide into two. Remove the wrap and serve.

Tonteki

These pork steaks with an umami sauce are great served with shredded cabbage and rice, and mayo on the side.

30 MINUTES | SERVES 2 | EASY

pork steaks 2 thick, fat trimmed

mirin 3 tbsp

soy sauce 3 tbsp

oyster sauce 3 tbsp

tomato ketchup 3 tbsp

worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp

caster sugar ½ tbsp

neutral oil (such as groundnut or sunflower) 2 tbsp

garlic 6 cloves, finely sliced

1 Using the end of a sharp knife, poke small holes into the pork steaks. Season then leave to come to room temperature.

2 In a bowl, mix together the mirin, soy, oyster sauce, ketchup, worcestershire sauce and sugar.

3 Put the oil in a large frying pan. Gently fry the garlic over a low heat for 8-10 minutes or until browned. Use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic, leaving the oil in the pan, and drain on kitchen paper.

4 Heat the same pan over a high heat. Add the steaks, turn down the heat to medium-high and cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside in a warm place to rest.

5 Meanwhile, drain the excess oil from the pan, then add the soy sauce mixture. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Add the garlic, stir and remove from the heat. Arrange the steaks on plates (sliced, if you like), then spoon over the sauce.

Words and recipes extracted from Tokyo Up Late by Brendan Liew (£26, Smith Street Books).

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