Sakurajima, Mai is definitely one of my favorite characters of the season. I love her relationship with Sakuta because it’s so quick-witted and racy, but not in an overwrought eye-rolling kind of way. Their banter is so fast and fun; it’s hard to dislike the characters when they are so honest and down to earth. Or, as down to earth as they can be when dealing with adolescent syndrome. In any case, I’m so in love with Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai that when I saw Mai making Buri Daikon, I knew I had to add it to my roster of dishes, and for good measure, I bumped it to the top.
Buri Daikon is a winter dish, because the fish (hamachi) is in season in the winter. It’s a hearty dish that is uncomplicated and filling, and the quality of the ingredients really shines through because of the simplicity of the seasonings. The daikon and fish simmer away in the traditional kaeshi flavors to create a meal that is subtly sweet, salty, and perfect with a steaming hot bowl of rice.
Some techniques to know: many recipes recommend blanching the fish in boiling water to remove any fishy odors before you cook it. This will make sure the final dish doesn’t smell or taste overwhelmingly fishy. My fish was pretty fresh, so I settled for dressing the hamachi in sake and salt, which has a similar effect, purely because I didn’t feel like boiling the water. If you season with sake and salt, let sit for ten minutes, and then pat the fish dry before putting it in the sauce. If you want to blanch it, you can avoid the sake and salting altogether; it’s your choice. The recipe I was using called for 25 minutes of simmer time, though I think my stove was on a little high, so the fish became a bit overdone. Below, I recommended 20 minutes, but you may need even less time. You want to cook it through until tender, so gently test done-ness with a chopstick or a fork. You also may want to flip fish halfway through so that the fish soaks up that yummy sauce evenly.
Watch the video below to see the full process.
Ingredients for Buri Daikon
Adapted from this recipe.
-1/2 a large daikon, peeled
-3 Hamachi fillets
-3 tbsp sake
-Salt
-1 1/2 cup water
-1/3 cup sake
-1/3 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup mirin
-3 tbsp sugar
-3 tbsp minced ginger
-Chopped green onion, for garnish
To Make the Buri Daikon
1. Start by peeling and chopping daikon into quarters. Cut hamachi into bite-size pieces. Dress hamachi with 3 tbsp of sake and salt. Let sit about ten minutes, then pat dry.
2. Bring a pot of water to boil. Toss in the daikon, and cook about 15 minutes or until tender and easily pierced with a fork. Drain water and set aside.
3. To a medium pan, add water, sake, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Add in daikon, then fish, and sprinkle top with ginger. Reduce heat slightly, cover with parchment paper lid, and let simmer about 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, serve up, and garnish with chopped green onion! Serve with rice and miso soup.
I hope you enjoyed this post! Check in next week for another recipe, and to check out more anime food recipes, visit my blog. If you have any questions or comments, leave them below! I recently got a Twitter, so you can follow me at @yumpenguinsnack if you would like, and DEFINITELY feel free to send me food requests! My Tumblr is yumpenguinsnacks.tumblr.com. Find me on Youtube for more video tutorials! Enjoy the food, and if you decide to recreate this dish, show me pics! 😀