Recipe (Day 3)

Grain Mix

(Serves 2)

1 C Grain Mix
2 C Filtered Water
1 pinch Sea Salt

1. Rinse grain thoroughly in a stainless steel pot (with a tight fitting lid). Use strainer to drain out all water.
2. Add measured filtered water to grain.
3. Add sea salt.
4. Bring to gentle boil uncovered (the water bubbles should be forming but not fully boiling).
5. Cover with tight fitting lid and simmer on low heat for 40 minutes.
6. Turn off flame and let sit for 5 minutes.
7. Uncover and gently mix grain with wooden spatula.
8. Serve with Gomashio

Nishime Style Dish (waterless cooking)

(Serves 2)

Vegetables prepared in this way are cut in large chunks and are cooked slowly for a long time over low heat. The steam in the pot allows the ingredients to cook in their own juices, so that little water is usually needed. Seasoning may be added in the beginning or toward the end of cooking. The vegetables are very juicy and may be served together with the cooking liquid. Nishime-style cooking produces strong and radiant energy.

1″ Kombu (soaked)
1C Vegetables cut into 1″ square pieces (usually a combination of 2 or 3 vegetables)
1″ water

1. Use a heavy pot with a heavy lid or cookware specifically designed for waterless cooking.
2.  Soak a 1″ piece of kombu for two to three cups of vegetables and cut into 1″ square pieces.
3. Place kombu in bottom of pot and cover with water (about one to two inches of water).
4. Layer the vegetables in the pot on top of the kombu or place them in sections around the pot.
5. Cover the pot with a heavy lid and set the flame on high until a good steam is generated. Lower the flame and simmer for approximately 15 to 20 minutes. The time can be less, even ten minutes, especially in the summer when using vegetables that are cut into smaller pieces.
6. If the water evaporates too quickly during cooking, add more water to the bottom of the pot.
7. When the vegetables become soft, add a few drops of shoyu/soy sauce and toss the pot gently with the lid on. Do not stir the pot.
8. Cook over a low flame for 3 to 5 minutes longer with the lid still on.
9. Remove the lid, turn off the flame, and let the vegetables sit for about two minutes.
10. You may serve any remaining liquid along with the vegetables.

VEGETABLE COMBINATION SUGGESTIONS:

You can cook one (i.e. whole onions or turnip), two, three, or more vegetables together. Many combinations are possible. The following are a few examples:

Adzuki Beans with Squash and Kombu

(Serves 2)

1 C Aduki Beans
½ C Squash (kabocha, acorn, butternut, buttercup, Hokkaido squash, winter or autumn squash)
1″Kombu
2 C Water

1. Wash and soak azuki beans with a 1″ piece of kombu for several hours or overnight.
2. Put the kombu in the bottom of a heavy pot.
3. Lay peeled, chopped hard squash over kombu.
4. Add azuki beans on top of squash.
5. Add enough water to just cover the layer of squash.
6. Bring to a boil slowly without lid.
7. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes uncovered then place the lid.
8. Cook on a low flame until the beans are 70-80% done, after about an hour or more. The water will evaporate as the beans expand, so gently add water along the sides of the pot to keep the water level constant and to make the beans soft.
9. When the beans are 70-80% done, add 2 pinches of sea salt.
10. Cook for another 15 to 30 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
11. Turn off the flame and let the pot sit for several minutes.
12. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

NOTE:

It is better not to stir while cooking. 
 If hard type of squash is not available, you may substitute with onions, carrots or parsnips. Lentils or chickpeas may also be used occasionally as substitutes for azuki beans.