"dining with the chef." japan is an island country, surrounded by the sea. water flows through it. enriching its land, both creating a delicious bounty of food, and there are techniques to transform seasonal ingredients to japanese cuisine resulting in refined and elegant dishes.

today's program, our chef will teach you how to make home. our host is yu hayami. today we are learning how to make sekihan rice, or long green rice. red is considered a lucky color in japan, and sekihan appears wedding banquets and other occasions. there are a few tips, so stay tuned. our chef today is mr. tatsuo

saito. authentic japanese cooking. okay, let's get cooking. >> hi, everyone. welcome to "dining with the chef." i am your host, yu hayami. today to show us wonderful japanese cuisine is our chef, chef saito. today we are going to be learning about rice. but not just any rice, we're going to be learning about sekihan, and it's like a red rice. sekihan is usually associated with celebration, so wedding parties and a food for

celebrating happy occasions. >> so if you take your time, it's no problem. >> i see. but i know today, chef saito, you are going to teach us a special technique so the colors turn out perfect and the shapes do not fall apart, right? >> of course. let's get started. uh-huh. >> today's main course is sekihan. properly cooking the rice is the key to making sekihan that has an attractive color. the rice will become somewhat sticky. the top something a mixture of sesame seeds and salt, the typical accompaniment for the sekihan rice that draws out the sweetness of the rice. we'll be cooking simmered shrimp with an egg coating and it's an appropriate dish to serve at

celebratory occasions. these two festive dishes will make your party cuisine sparkle. the ingredients for the sekihan, one part gluitnous rice, it would be too sticky. the topping will be a mixture of sesame seeds and salt. we'll share a tip for making that. >> first we need to prepare the rice. today we are going to be using two cups of mochi rice, and regular rice. why do we use regular rice?

>> mix two kinds of rice in a bowl, and add water until the rice is covered. mix a bit and drain. then, wash the rice by scrubbing the rains between your balms. the be gentle. change the water three or four times until the water is clear like this, and let the rice soak in water for about 35 minutes. >> why do we let the rice soak in water like this?

>> so it comes out nice and fluffy. >> in order for the rice to become fluffy, it needs to absorb enough water. when comparing the moisture content between cooked short grain rice and glutinous rice, it contains twice as much water because the glutinous rice in the water long enough. >> what is next? >> we cook the azuki beans. >> place the beans in a pan and add water until the beans are completely covered, and then turn on the heat. >> chef, why are we doing this, just a little bit of water?

>> i have to soak up the water? >> yes. >> i see. >> how long do we boil this for? >> ten seconds. >> that's it? >> yeah. >> after you blanche the beans for ten seconds, drain and sift and then return to the beans to the pan, add water over high heat. >> and that coats the rice. >> right, yes. >> okay. >> when the water begins to boil, decrease the heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes. pay attention to the heat, an

adjust is needed to keep it low. if you boil the beans too vigorously they will break apart and now you can see the water has a reddish hue. after the azuki beans cook for 20 minutes -- >> look at all the color that just has come out of the beans. it looks more brown than red. now we are going to strain the beans. >> look at the color. this is all natural. >> the next step is very important. >> okay. >> here's our chef's tip. let's make the simmering liquid even more intensely red. hold the container with the simmering liquid up high and pour into another bowl. you need to repeat this several times.

>> why do we do this, chef? >> oxidation. >> oxidation? >> yes. and this is very important because it's going to be coloring the rice. >> when the liquid is exposed to oxygen as its poured it oxidizes sli slightly and becomes a deeper red. it's an important tip for making beautiful sekihan. >> this looks like great color. >> yes. >> i have a question, though. the azuki beans, are they cooked through? >> not yet. >> one more time. >> one more time, okay. >> now, return to the beans to the pan and add enough water to cover and cook over medium heat. when the water boils reduce the heat to low and cook the beans until they are cooked through. you will have more red simmering

liquid this time and it's a little too murky to use so keep cooking over low heat so the beans do not break apart. >> i see. >> drain the beans and let them cool to room temperature. it's a good idea to cover them with a moist, clean cloth. >> it's finally time to cook the rice. >> yes. >> drain the rice after soaking for 30 minutes, and then transfer to a rice cooker. then add 370 millimeters of the colored simmering liquid and add

sakai. the amount of water needed is less than for regular short-grained rice since the glutinous rice soaked up enough water. >> now we just place that in here, the rice cooker. >> okay. >> and all we have to do is press the button. okay. >> while we wait, let's make salt. >> what do you mean make? don't we mix the ceasesames and salt? >> no, no, technique. >> the mixture goes best with sekihan rice. >> chef saito used white sesame

seeds because he wants it to look a bit more elegant. the sesame seeds and the salt do not mix well because of the difference in weight. so you won't have a nice balance when it's sprinkled over the sekihan. here's our chef's technique. to solve this problem, we will add an extra step. place the sesame seeds, salt and a little water in a frying pan. stir over low heat to evaporate the moisture. >> i never knew that.

that's wonderful. so just mix it until the moisture is gone? >> gone. >> evaporates. >> interesting. >> make sure to constantly stir with chopsticks to mix the sesame seeds with the salt. now you can see the salt clinging to the sesame seeds and this makes the flavor more even. looks like the rice is just finished cooking. >> ready? >> i'm ready. >> is it done? >> it's done. >> whoa, look at the color. >> it has come out nicely. >> it has come out beautifully,

chef saito. >> yeah, bright, and -- >> smells very nice. do we add the azuki beans? >> yes. a lot. >> we just pour the whole thing in? and then we -- >> oh, add the cooked red beans and cover and let them steam with the rice for five minutes. now our sekihan red rice is finished. >> we mix the beans into the rice very gently, and the color is so beautiful, chef. >> sekihan is considered to be a lucky food, so let's make the presentation extra special. >> we're going to use a lackered box today and this makes it look more special. >> more special. >> okay.

>> this is so perfect. and then we add the sesame salt. >> it's done. >> it's done. >> our chef will now teach us japanese cuisine trivia in the master chef's world.

now, let's make another cheerful happy red dish, and we're using large shrimp. the finished dish will be wonderful. >> chef, what kind of food is this? >> it's cooked with egg yoke and simmered. >> so it comes out light and fluffy. i see. shall we start preparing? >> peel the shrimp leaving the tail intact, and rub with salt thoroughly, and rinse in water to remove any possible odor, and dry well with paper towels.

the tip of the tail can contain waste, so cut it off and cut open each shrimp from the belly side. remove the vein and any dark, and next make shallow diagonal cuts on the side like so. >> why do we put slits in? >> then cut each shrimp in half. now the shrimp are ready. let's use fresh spinach to garnish our shrimp dish.

blanche in salted water, and then shock in cold water and drain. next, let's make the simmering liquid for the shaw rim. the combine the stock with these ingredients, and then heat and stir. >> now we are going to cook the shrimp in the egg yoke. >> before that, cook it -- >> make sure to thoroughly coat the shrimp in cornstarch so the

egg will stick. it turns bright red as it cooks and you will have a beautiful contrast between red and yellow. then, after coating add the shrimp to the simmering liquid. >> then we simmer it. interesting. wow. the egg yoke just kind of blooms like a flower, can't it? wonderful. >> don't disturb the shrimp allowing the egg coating to become fluffy. when the coating has set a little, gently flip each shrimp. >> it smells wonderful, too. >> you know the tail, i guess

the red tail makes it very festive. >> very nice. >> okay. it's done. >> take the shrimp out, and then add the blanched spinach to the remaining simmering liquid in the pan and when it begins to cling, it's done. >> we are going to plate it. >> the shrimp, the first. >> so we point the tails towards the inside, toward the center. >> arrange the spinach, or some of the soup on top, and garnish with slivers of peel.

>> oh, and it's finished. >> it's finished! yay. >> yay. >> our two dishes for today are complete. sekihan and simmered shrimp with an egg coating. these will definitely brighten up your table. so delicious. >> chef, the spread today looks beautiful. the colors are so vivid. the red, the yellow, the green. it really looks like food for celebration. and the sekihan and the box. and the leaves are a beautiful decoration as well.

we use them for decoration, but there's a meaning to it, too. >> cantry some of the sekihan, please. >> oh, yes, i would love to. oh, it's pretty. mmm. it's perfect. the beans are firm, but very soft, and the sesame salt adds a little bit of the savoriness so it doesn't make the rice taste bland and boring and i just love the texture of mixing rises. the azuki beans, when you chew it, this natural sweetness comes out, and it's really nice. >> thank you.

so it's okay? >> the sesame salt is wonderful, and having the saltiness brings out the sweetness of the rice as well. >> more. >> yes, exactly. >> i think adding a little bit of the two rices is perfect. now, may i try the shrimp? i love it. it's so cute. the yellow is so vivid. mm. this is so good. >> good? >> the texture of the shrimp, it's really nice. it's just very fresh. >> yes. >> and because we have added the egg yoke to it, it adds a little bit of depth and the soup is wonderful. i feel like the egg yoke batter has soaked up all the goodness

of the soup. it's really juicy, but it's kind of fluffy at the same time. >> yeah, yeah. >> it's really interesting. the dishes you taught us are usually for celebration, right? >> yes. >> and you also taught us little tricks and techniques that you can use in other cooking as well, and i was just really surprised at how you attained the color from the azuki beans into the rice. >> yeah. >> by oxidizing it. >> that was a great chick. >> people long ago, and it continues to today. >> yes, and celebration food is usually really fancy, and it's incredible to see how much effort and thought have gone into japanese cooking and i realize it's very important to bring out all of the colors. >> yeah, the key in japanese cooking. >> yes. >> very important. >> thank you for teaching us

today, chef saito. and thank you for watching "dining with the chef." until next time, bye. >> bye. >> okay. let's review today's recipes. first the sekihan rice and red beans. wash the rices together in water and let them soak for 30 minutes. to make the sesame salt mixture for the topping toast the sesame seeds and salt by adding a little water. blanche the red beans for just ten seconds. change the water, and simmer the beans for 20 minutes over low heat. for the simmering liquid from above to another bowl several times to promote oxidation, and return the beans to the pan and change the water and simmer to finish cooking. place the rice in a rice cooker and add the bean-simmering liquid, sekihan in water. after the rice is cooked, add the beans and cover and steam

for about five minutes and gently fold the rice and then put into the dish and top with the sesame salt and leaves. to make the simmered shrimp with egg coating, peel the shrimp and rub with salt, rinse, and cut off the tip of the tail. cut open the belly. devein. make shallow cuts, and then cut each in half. blanche fresh spinach in salted water and shock in ice water and drain and set aside. then heat the dashi, and sake and mirin and sugar and soy sauce and mix. coat with the egg yoke and simmer in the soup. then, remove the shrimp and heat

the blanched spinach in the remaining soup. arrange on a dish, and top with the slivers of citrus peel, and it's finished. why not make these8úxú

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