Original subtitles

I absolutely love Japan and Japanese cuisine.

Are you with me on this, Mike?

One of my favourite countries in the world, hands down.

Yeah, me too. And their cuisine honestly ranks

as one of the healthiest diets in the world.

And they are the experts, aren't they,

at flavours, at portion size, at presentation of food?

I just think it's absolutely fabulous kinds of cuisine.

What are you going to make?

Well, Japan, for me, it's a special country,

and I've learned a lot over there over the years.

And I'm going to do a traditional okonomiyaki dish,

which is like a Japanese pancake with cabbage and spring onions

and all the yummy stuff on top. Mm.

Simple, but full of flavour, just the way the Japanese like it.

Oh, I love that dish and I've never made it,

so I'm looking forward to learning more from you.

I'm going to also do a traditional kind of Japanese dish,

and it's a miso salmon.

But of course I'm going to "Joanna-fy" it, as I like to do.

I'm going to serve it with some brown rice,

it's going to have some vegies and ginger and garlic in there,

with some lovely pak choi on the side so we get our greens.

I think this is gonna be a lovely one.

Miso salmon is one of my favourite things.

In fact, I just love miso. Love it.

Love it, love it, love it. I do miso pork...

In everything. ..miso anything, miso chicken.

Yeah. I absolutely love it.

And this is one of my favourite dishes you're doing.

But you have completely "Joanna-fied" it, like...

Um, have I?

Whoa! What am I doing?

Miso salmon, it's supposed to be a caramel with lots of sugar.

Well, I'm gonna put some maple syrup in it, Mike,

just to keep you happy. (LAUGHS)

Anyway, this is going to be miso and mirin,

and some soy sauce, of course.

So, it is...I think this is the key, isn't it, to Japanese cuisine?

It is that salty umami... Yeah.

..from the miso, and then a little bit of sweetness,

so I am using maple syrup.

But I've got to be honest, of my two natural sweeteners,

my favourites are maple syrup and honey.

Yeah, I love it. Yeah.

Now, I could get you dicing up some avocado.

I'm going to serve this with an avocado and edamame beans.

Now, edamame beans, you've probably had them

when you go for a Japanese restaurant,

and you'd have them directly out of the pod.

They're just green, young soy beans.

So, they're great for protein.

They're really fabulous for lots of very key nutrients.

So I'm going to get you to mash half the avocado

and then leave the other half, kind of, in dice.

Chunks. So, I want it to be a wee bit chunky,

'cause we're gonna have the beans in there, nice and chunky.

So, I'm going to put my salmon into here.

Now, the longer you've got to marinate, the better,

as with any kind of marinating.

These salmon are beautiful.

They're on the skin.

These are giving you your long-chain omega-3 fats.

These are incredibly anti-inflammatory

throughout the body.

So, I'm going to leave that salmon to marinate for a little bit.

But, you know, the longer you can leave that to marinate, the better.

Now we're going to get our rice ready.

I'm just going to use these microwavable packs,

which makes this a really super-quick dish.

So, Mike, if you could just...

You take the tops off,

they're ready in two minutes in the microwave.

And then I'm going to just slice up my red capsicum.

So all we're going to do is saute in some extra-virgin olive oil,

the red capsicum with some ginger, garlic, a little bit of soy,

in with my brown rice, and do it all in the wok.

And this is how I'm getting my vegies into this dish.

So, when that's nice and hot,

I'm going to pop some extra-virgin olive oil in here...

..pop in my red capsicum.

And then, right before we serve,

I'll finish it off with the bean sprouts,

which you want to be nice and fresh.

Nothing worse than really overcooked bean sprouts

when they go all really soggy.

So put those in at the last minute.

And then, so, your spring onions are going to go in there, Mike, too.

And then just about,

you know, half a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar

and a tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil.

Yeah. I'm gonna pop my ginger in there.

My garlic and the brown rice will go in there

as soon as that's ready out of the microwave.

And then we can set that aside and we're ready to cook our salmon.

I've just set the rice aside, and we are ready to cook our salmon.

I'm just going to put a little more extra-virgin olive oil in the pan.

I do flesh-side down first. I hope I'm doing that the right way.

Did you see I did that as a question?

To see if Mike was going to correct me.

Whatever way is your presentation side,

and usually with miso fish, it is flesh up.

So you're 100% right, Jo.

Phew! (LAUGHS)

I got it right.

Uh, now, this is a really personal thing.

Whether or not you like...

I know chefs like to serve it crispy on the outside

and still really a little bit raw in the middle,

I... (WHISPERS) ..can't stand that.

It's got to be either all raw

or it's got to be cooked through. Like, this...

That is really individual! Yeah.

As in, maybe just you. (LAUGHS) I've talked.... No!

You can't go wrong with this dish. Yeah.

Like, however you choose to cook the salmon,

as soon as that hit the pan, the smell is making me so hungry.

Oh, I just think miso is the best... Yeah.

..the best thing ever.

And flip them over.

Beautiful.

And I just want the skin to get a little bit crispy.

I'm just going to turn that down a little.

And while that is finishing off, then all we have to do

is take our wok back in, push the rice to one side.

Just trying to save pans here, really.

Push this to one side, a little more oil,

and I'm just going to stir-fry that pak choi,

pop my greens into the pan here...

..and then just stir-fry your greens until they're just wilted.

So not too much.

I love the way that you're keeping it minimal, get it all in.

Yeah, well, there's quite a lot going on, you know, with all these.

You don't want to have too much washing up,

and then you're just going to mix those fresh bean sprouts

through the rice.

So, I'm going to put some of our fresh rice...

I love how, even with this dish,

you managed to load it with vegies. (LAUGHS) Yes!

Do you know what I mean? So, you're getting to know me.

You're getting to know my little tips and tricks.

But in a great way! I would not have thought

to put the red peppers in there, for example.

But it's a nice, easy win, right?

And it gives it a bit of colour as well.

The salmon goes on the top.

Some beautiful salad that you made. Thank you.

You're welcome.

With our edamame beans in there.

And then our greens can go on the side.

Done.

You know, maybe not as beautifully presented as

the Japanese would do it, but I'll tell you what,

packed with vegies, the green on the side,

the beautiful healthy fats from the salmon

and this avocado edamame salad... Yeah, looks gorgeous.

So much so, I almost didn't wait for you to go first. Please.

No, I was gonna say, you're... I was the chef on this,

so I think I have to give it to you first.

Going straight for that belly, looks so good.

I love the colour on it.

You see, it's flaking nicely.

I think you'd probably prefer it less cooked through than me.

That is absolutely beautiful.

And, I don't know if you can see,

the salmon's still slightly pink in the middle.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Well, I did say I just... Just the way I love it.

I don't like it overcooked. (LAUGHS)

So, that for me is perfect. It's not raw.

That's it.

Just a little pink. That's it, we agree.

Nice. Love it.

And that glaze, that caramel,

gorgeous with the avocado and the edamame.

Beautiful, beautiful dish.

Winning dish. Thanks, mate.

Okonomiyaki is a beautiful Japanese pancake,

and it's a savoury pancake, which I love.

I go back for more and more all the time.

If you have the time, make the batter the day before,

because the cabbage will sit and seep

and release all those beautiful juices,

and you'll end up with a really beautiful,

light consistency to your pancake. Oh, good tip!

Yeah, it's really, really good.

So, I'm going to show you how to make it today.

Jo, can you slice up the wombok really thinly?

Nice and thin, I'm thinking. Yeah, really nice and thin.

Same with the spring onions as well.

Save a couple of the spring onions for garnish.

And I'm just going to make the batter.

So, this is a simple recipe

where I'm using, basically, eggs and flour.

That's it. It's a pancake.

Yeah, 100%.

Like, a lot of people think you should add water

or, you know, a dairy. You don't need it.

Honestly, the cabbage fermenting in the mix overnight

will seep out and give you that little bit of extra liquid.

So, we're just going to whisk that up.

And then my flours are rice flour, plain flour and cornflour.

And the reason I use a combination - you don't have to -

but I feel like you get a better crisp on the pancake.

So you get a nice crunchy top

and a beautiful consistency through the middle.

The Japanese do that a lot, don't they,

use different kind of flours? Yeah.

They do it in their batters. Exactly.

It's to achieve that perfect bite.

You know everything for them is science.

So, I'm not claiming this. I've just been taught well.

And now you're teaching us, so we're very happy.

You'll see that nicely thicken up.

So, at this stage, this is when people get scared

and they're like, "It's too thick, it looks too heavy,"

and, you know... It is thick.

Trust me, it will get looser, OK?

It will get wetter. Just let the cabbage do its work.

You ready for that one? Yes, please.

All in.

And then a bit of salt as well.

And then just a little bit of sesame oil.

About a tablespoon.

And some soy as well.

They are experts at fermenting, aren't they?

Oh, they're incredible!

So, soy, miso and all these foods are just fermented,

which gives such flavour.

OK, so this, you literally just mix it through,

cover it with Glad Wrap and leave it in your fridge,

at least an hour, ideally overnight.

And then we're going to come back and cook the pancake.

We've just let it sit now for about an hour in the fridge, right?

Yeah, and it's much more liquid! You can see...

Yeah. ..you can see already.

So, imagine overnight how much looser that will become.

We're going to use sesame oil to cook this one.

The mix now, just straight in there, and I'm doing...

You can do little ones, I'm doing one big one, Jo.

Like it. And then how long is this going to...?

Because that's quite thick, right?

It's quite thick. How long does that take?

So it'll probably take 7-10 minutes, I reckon.

We're going to cook it really nice and golden first side.

Flip it over, get the garnishes ready,

and then we'll plate up.

That is... It's like, you know, the biggest pancake I've ever seen.

(LAUGHS) If you're gonna do it, Jo.

If you're gonna do it, make it gigantic.

Make it gigantic!

So, the best thing about the okonomiyaki

is the garnish on top, for me.

I love the sauces, and I'm using a yuzu Kewpie mayonnaise.

Something about Kewpie. What is it that's different about Kewpie,

from regular mayonnaise? Do you really want me to tell you?

Yeah. Sugar.

(BOTH LAUGH)

You should have let me taste first. (LAUGHS)

So, we've got our yuzu in there.

I want that acidity, that beautiful citrus.

And then I'm doing some gorgeous hoisin.

Nice.

It's just the chef presentation of stuff.

Oh, it's just that little bit of extra shazam.

So, I'm now going to top it with crispy shallots.

You want all your crunches now.

I've got some gorgeous crispy chilli here as well.

Ooh, crispy chilli! Yeah.

You know, it goes from a beautiful savoury pancake

which, you know, looks a little unimpressive,

to something which becomes a bit of a centrepiece

for the dinner table,

which takes no time at all.

I'm using a bonito furikake.

So, is this just roasted...? Roasted sesame seeds,

seaweed. Seaweed.

And bonito? And bonito.

This is a beautiful little condiment for your cupboard.

Yum.

And then those fresh spring onions.

And how many people is this serving?

I'd pre-slice it, have it ready to go.

4-6 people. OK.

Or an indulgent meal for two.

(LAUGHS)

Let's go for indulgence, shall we, Mike?

There you go. Gorgeous!

My okonomiyaki, yuzu Kewpie, hoisin, bonito furikake.

Lots of deliciousness. Love it.

Can't wait to try.

Welcome to my soup kitchen.

We're going to make a little bit of a twist on a minestrone soup today.

And do it with lots of frozen vegies and tinned beans.

This is a great soup recipe to have up your sleeve

when you don't have many fresh ingredients.

Or, if you're trying to stick to a budget,

it really is an economical, budget-friendly soup.

So, frozen vegies are great to keep in the freezer,

because you can put together

really nutritious and wholesome meals easily.

So, get the onions into the pan on a medium-to-high heat,

along with the garlic,

and let those cook for about 5-6 minutes,

and then we'll get the other ingredients in too.

So, the onions and garlic are lovely and translucent.

Then we're going to add in our herbs and spices.

I have sweet paprika, oregano and some cumin,

which I love as a base for dishes like this.

And we're going to give the spices

just one minute in the pan to become lovely and fragrant...

..and then it's more or less just about

throwing the rest of your ingredients in.

I've got some frozen spinach.

I love frozen spinach -

great way to get some iron, folate and fibre in there.

Some frozen corn to bring that sweet element into the soup.

Some green beans.

Broccoli is also a nice one in here, if you don't like the beans.

And frozen peas.

And, look, frozen peas are actually my favourite frozen vegetable.

They really do save time.

I hate shelling peas,

that's a really simple solution.

We'll give these a stir...

..just so the heat gets through the frozen veg.

And then we're going to add in a tin of our borlotti beans.

You could also use lentils. Use what's on hand.

And a tin of chickpeas.

These are two important components of the dish,

because they're adding in the protein to this meal,

which helps to create that nutritional balance that we're after.

And now we have to just go in with our vegie stock.

It's made with real vegies.

There's no additives or preservatives and no added MSG.

So it's a really wholesome stock,

and it keeps in the pantry

so you can very easily add it into your soups, your stews,

curries, wherever you need stock.

Now, we have 1.5 litres of water going into the soup,

so we'll need three of these little stock pots.

Super flavoursome, so they're going to add in beautiful flavours

to the soup as well,

where you might otherwise have some other vegies.

But I'm going to make it shine with the stock.

Some water.

Give it a stir to ensure the stock gets throughout all of the vegies.

Bring it to a simmer.

Cook it for around 30, maybe 40 minutes.

It's a bit of a set-and-forget.

Then you have a really delicious and wholesome minestrone soup.

It's ready.

Oh, that's a good-looking soup.

Oh, I love it.

The vegies are still vibrant.

Plenty of them, too.

I'm going to serve it up with some crusty bread as well.

If you also wanted to add something like a dollop of pesto,

some grated Parmesan if you have it on hand,

then they're great options as well.

Some parsley to finish.

Done and dusted in no time,

using super economical but super nutritious ingredients

from the freezer and from the pantry,

and a delicious stock to bring it all together.

Parsley on the top.

Some crunchy bread on the side.

Dinner is served.

Breakfast can be so boring.

If I have to eat another eggs Benedict,

I am going to... I don't know what.

But I think breakfast should be fiery and vibrant,

and that's what we're going to make today.

Chilli and herb scrambled eggs.

You interested? Let's do it!

Into our canister, we're making a chilli and herb sauce.

I've got three cloves of garlic that I've just roughly sliced up.

In they go, then we've got some long, red chillies.

I'm not even bothering to take the seeds out.

I want to feel that heat in the morning.

It's going to wake me up.

Then we've got a beautiful spice blend

of cumin and coriander mixed together.

Parsley.

I'm just going to tear off a good bunch of that, straight in.

Then we've got some coriander.

Again, just tear some off,

straight into our canister.

Then some ghee. Now, ghee is clarified butter,

which just means that the milk solids have been removed.

It's been strained out.

So you get this beautiful, rich, creamy butter.

So, just a good tablespoon in there.

Good pinch of salt.

And some pepper.

Then we've got our friend, the stick blender,

and we're just going to give this a good seeing-to.

Alright, there we have it.

A beautiful chilli and herb sauce.

I'll pour it into our dish.

Nice and thick.

Just packed full of beautiful chilli goodness.

Alright, we'll set that aside.

We're going to fry off some roti bread,

make some scrambled eggs, and it's all going to come together.

It's nearly breakfast time.

So, these roti bread are amazing.

All you have to do is just fry these for a minute or two

either side in the frying pan.

Happy days.

Have a look at this roti,

all puffed up and gorgeous.

That can go onto our plate.

Then I've just made a really quick, simple scrambled eggs.

Just with cream, a bit of salt.

We'll layer a nice pile of that onto our roti.

Now, we've got our chilli and herb sauce

that I just...

Just want to dot that around...

..depending on how hot you like it, how much you want to put on.

Then a nice dollop of Greek yoghurt on top,

just to cut through that spiciness of the sauce.

Coriander and parsley.

A good pile of those on top.

Breakfast of absolute champions -

my scrambled eggs on roti bread,

that chilli and herb sauce,

freshness from the Greek yoghurt.

That will give you enough energy to power you through the day.

Captions by Red Bee Media