Vegetable and Oyster Nanbanzuke

Yes yes, this dish is normally done with chicken or fish, but I’ve been experimenting with vegetables and seafood to delicious success. Nanbanzuke is the Japanese version of escabeche, a Spanish and Portuguese dish of cooked fish marinated in a spiced vinegar sauce which was believed to have been brought over by the Portuguese some time in the 16th century.

It’s best eaten a day or two after making, chilled in the fridge so the breading soaks up the sauce, and is an absolutely delicious side dish for rice during the summer time (or any time.) This round I used shishito peppers, shimeji mushrooms, sweet potato, regular potato, and oysters but you can easily use lotus root, carrot, eggplant, bell peppers, shrimp, chicken, fish (salmon, mackerel, herring, etc.), taro, broccoli, shredded cabbage, quail eggs, etc.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of your choice of matchsticked/shredded vegetables or mushrooms
• 1/2 dozen fresh oysters, shrimp, mini ground beef patties, cubed steak, boiled quail eggs, or fish
• 1 cup corn or potato starch
• Oil for frying (corn, soybean, vegetable, canola)
• Sliced lemon (5-6 slices)
• Thinly sliced onion (about 1/4 cup)
• 1/2 cup dashi stock (or water, if fully vegan/vegetarian)
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sake
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Scallions, sliced, about 1/4 cup
• Sliced chili or bell peppers, about 1/4 cup
• Optional: Yuzu Kosho, about 1/4 teaspoon

1. Dredge your choice of vegetables and protein in corn or potato starch and fry in oil until outside dredge is just crisp and golden.
2. Combine stock, vinegar, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and sugar and bring to a simmer until sugar is dissolved. Take off heat, add lemon slices, sliced onions, sliced scallions, and sliced bell/chili peppers.
3. In a storage container, place fried vegetables and protein and pour over sauce mixture. Chill in fridge for a day or so and serve cold.