Poslfit Recipes: Sardines

4 sardines

ginger: one and a half pieces

2.5 T. soy sauce

2.5 T. mirin

1 c. water

Japanese pepper (sansho), to taste

sprouts

Translated by John Chew from the (Japanese) Kikkoman Home Cooking web site. Other recipes call for adding dashi (instead of water), sugar and/or rice vinegar (to partially replace the mirin) to the cooking medium.

Gut, behead, clean and rinse the sardines. See the Kikkoman web site for step-by-step photos on how to do this.

Slice one piece of ginger thinly, cut the half piece into matchsticks.

Bring the soy sauce, mirin and water to a boil in a pan, add the sliced ginger and pepper, lay the sardines in the pan on their sides.

Put an otoshibuta (wooden lid sitting directly on the food) on the fish, cook at medium heat for about 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced to about half its volume, occasionally basting the fish. Remove gunk as it develops.

Blanch the sprouts, serve with the sardines, garnish with the ginger matchsticks.