Food & Drink
Japan Kitchen: Okinawa's brown sugar adds sweetness to these 5 recipes
Okinawa Prefectural Government
November 2, 2024
(brown sugar)
Okinawan brown sugar, made from sugarcane grown in fields blessed with strong southern-island sunlight and minerals delivered by the ocean spray, is very rich in flavor. Brown sugar is not only used in making sweets but also for adding extra flavor to various dishes. Brown sugar syrup can even be substituted for regular syrup. Try some of these recipes.
Teriyaki chicken
Ingredients (2 servings)
brown sugar (100g) • soy sauce (100ml)
chicken thighs (400g) • Soy sauce (100ml)
Cooking sake (1 tbsp) • water (25ml)
Preparation Combine brown sugar and water in a pan and simmer on medium heat for about 5-8 minutes until thick syrup is formed. Poke holes in the chicken with a fork.
Directions
Combine brown sugar syrup and soy sauce and simmer on low heat until thickened, then add cooking sake.
Cook the chicken in a skillet on medium heat until both sides are golden brown, then cover it and steam for about 5 minutes.
Remove the cover, add 1 and cook for a further minute.
Sukiyaki
Ingredients (4 servings)
A
sukiyaki broth / cooking sake (200ml)
mirin / sweet cooking wine (200ml)
brown sugar (60g)
B
other ingredients / sliced beef loin (500g)
leeks (2)
onion (1)
tofu (1block)
konnyaku noodles (1package)
bunches mitsuba (Japanese parsley)
eggs (4)
Directions
Cut leeks into diagonal pieces, onion into wedges, tofu into cubes and mitsuba into chunks.
Lightly cook konnyaku noodles in boiling water and cut into bite-sized pieces.
Put ingredients A except for brown sugar into a large pot and bring to a boil. When it comes to a good boil, add brown sugar.
Cook ingredients B in sukiyaki broth. Dip cooked beef and vegetables in fresh beaten eggs and eat.
Yam with brown sugar sauce
Ingredients (4 servings)
A
yam (500g)
soy sauce (50ml)
water (50ml)
brown sugar (40g)
potato starch (1tsp)
Directions
Steam yam for 40-60 minutes.
Cut the steamed yam into sticks and deep fry.
Combine ingredients A in a pot over heat until thick and 2. creamy. Add yam; toss and coat.
Miso-marinated cod
Ingredients (4 servings)
A
miso marinade / miso (200g) • cooking sake (15ml)
mirin / sweet cooking wine (10ml) • brown sugar (20g)
B
other ingredients / cod fillets / Any white-meat fish can be substituted.(4)
okra(2)
Directions
Combine ingredients A to make miso marinade.
Sprinkle salt on cod fillets and let rest for one hour. Wipe off excess moisture.
Spread half the marinade evenly on a large flat-bottomed container. Put a layer of paper towels on the marinade, cod fillets, another layer of paper towels, then cover completely with the remaining marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Put a sheet of wrinkled aluminum foil in a toaster oven and bake the fillets for 5-7 minutes. Garnish with boiled okra.
Rafute (Okinawan-style glazed pork)
Directions
Prepare the following ingredients: 400g pork belly, 100g brown sugar, 100g soy sauce, 100g sake, 600 ml bonito broth. *Bonito broth can be replaced by fish broth.
Cut pork into four pieces and boil for about 30 minutes.
Drain the pork and wash it lightly under running water. Simmer pork in a mixture of soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and sake over medium heat.
Add a little water if the liquid evaporates.
Simmer for 40-60 minutes and serve.