Simmered Cod (Tara no Nitsuke) (Wheat-Free)
たらの煮つけ（小麦なし） · Tara no Nitsuke
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Nitsuke is one of the most familiar ways to cook fish in a Japanese home: fillets gently simmered in a sweet-savory broth of dashi, soy sauce, sugar and mirin. Here the cod is dusted with rice flour and baked first, which helps the delicate flesh hold together in the pan and gives the sauce something to cling to. A touch of ginger softens any fishy note, so even children who are wary of seafood tend to eat it happily with their rice. This version is made without egg or milk, and with no wheat flour.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 67.5 gcod fillet (skinless, boneless)
Seasonings
- 2.1 gjoshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour)Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- 67.5 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 0.3 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 1.4 gsugar
- 2.4 gsoy sauce
- 1.4 gmirinMirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- joshinko (Japanese non-glutinous rice flour) (上新粉)
- Fine flour milled from regular short-grain rice, used for chewy Japanese sweets like dango. Substitute: Plain rice flour (not glutinous/sweet rice flour).
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- mirin (みりん)
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice seasoning that adds gentle sweetness and a glossy finish. Hon-mirin (true mirin) contains about 14% alcohol; "mirin-style seasoning" has little or no alcohol. Some alcohol can remain after short cooking. If you prefer no alcohol for children, use the substitute. Substitute: For each tablespoon of mirin, use 1 tablespoon water plus 1 to 2 teaspoons sugar.
Directions
- 1
Dust the cod with the joshinko rice flour, arrange on a baking sheet, and bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (400°F) for about 10 minutes.
- 2
Combine the dashi stock with the ginger paste, sugar, soy sauce, and mirin in a pot and bring to a brief boil.
- 3
Add the cod to the pot, cover with a drop lid (otoshibuta), and simmer, spooning the sauce over the fish from time to time.
- 4
Transfer to plates and spoon the sauce over the top.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 67.5 kcal | 135 kcal | 67.5 kcal |
| Protein | 12.3 g | 24.6 g | 12.3 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9 g | 7.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.5 g | 0.9 g | 0.5 g |
| Calcium | 22.5 mg | 45 mg | 22.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Potassium | 289.5 mg | 579 mg | 289.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 67.5 kcal | 12.3 g | 0.2 g | 3.9 g | 0 g | 0.5 g | 22.5 mg | 0.2 mg | 289.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 135 kcal | 24.6 g | 0.3 g | 7.8 g | 0 g | 0.9 g | 45 mg | 0.3 mg | 579 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Ingredients in this recipe
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