This recipe forms part of the September 3 meal planner created in partnership with New World. The vegetables here are partially cooked in dashi, a Japanese soup stock with a slightly seafood-like umami flavour. It is very easy to make your own (see note below the recipe) otherwise you can buy instant dashi stock from New World and make up according to the packet instructions.
Ingredients
| ½ cup | Dashi, see note below (Main) |
| 1 Tbsp | Naturally fermented white miso paste (Main) |
| 1 tsp | Light soy sauce |
| 2 Tbsp | Sesame oil |
| 1 piece | Fresh ginger, 2.5cm, peeled and finely shredded |
| 4 heads | Broccolini (Main) |
| 4 | Baby bok choy, halved lengthwise |
| 25 g | Butter |
| 4 | White fish fillets, boned (Main) |
| 2 Tbsp | Sesame seeds, toasted |
Directions
- Pour the dashi into a small saucepan and warm. Remove from the heat and whisk in the miso paste and soy sauce, whisking until smooth.
- Using a frying pan with well-fitting lid or wok with a lid, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Add the ginger and cook until fragrant, stirring continuously. Add the broccolini and bok choy, cut side down and cook for 1-2 minutes, turning once.
- Reduce the heat to low and pour in the dashi mixture. Place on the lid and cook until the vegetables are tender. Test by inserting a small sharp knife into the broccolini stalk.
- Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 25g butter to the pan and as the butter sizzles, add the fish fillets. Cook fish turning once until just cooked through — 2 minutes each side, but this will depend on the thickness of the fish.
- Place cooked vegetables with their juices in a serving bowl and sprinkle over the toasted sesame seeds. Serve with pan-fried fish. Cooked white or brown rice would add extra nutrition for growing children. Other vegetables can be added, such as sliced cauliflower florets, spinach and their stalks, silverbeet or rainbow chard.
How to make dashi
Pour 1 litre cold water into a saucepan and add a 15cm kombu (dried kelp) strip. Bring up to a simmer, then remove the kombu. Stir in 1 cup bonito flakes (shaved flakes of dried tuna) and remove pan from the heat. Leave for 10 minutes before straining stock through a fine-mesh sieve. Use or store in a jar with a well-fitting lid in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Japanese broth
For another meal using dashi, simply heat dashi in a saucepan until very hot. Add miso paste and soy sauce to flavour. Add sliced shiitake mushrooms, 2-3 finely sliced spring onions, baby spinach leaves, thinly sliced daikon radish, large cubes of raw fish, such as gurnard fillets, or use shellfish such as clams in their shell. Place on the lid and cook until the clams open. Cubes of firm tofu can be added along with mung bean sprouts. New World sells ponzu sauce, which makes a great accompaniment.
This recipe forms part of the September 3meal plannercreated in partnership with New World.
