Recipe & Video: Shio Koji Marinated Chicken Roll (Tori Ham)

Another delicious looking recipe from our partner Naoko! As usual, her recipe is easy to make but looks amazing and tastes wonderful!

Contributed by Naoko’s Kitchen

Shio Koji is a common seasoning in Japanese cooking. Although it’s gaining its popularity in the United States, it might not be as ubiquitous as other famous condiments such as soy sauce and miso. However, it’s an all-purpose seasoning loved by many Japanese people. Shio koji not only adds subtle salty taste to meats and fish, it also tenderizes the ingredients. Try using shio koji with this easy-to-follow recipe. The dish may look difficult to make, but with a bit of trick, you can easily make this recipe at home.

Tips for Cooking and Plating

#1 Wrapping chicken in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil

By keeping plastic wrap inside of aluminum foil, you can make sure the heat travels through to the core. Also, it helps to retain heat in the middle of the food.

#2 Peeling asparagus makes a big difference

Asparagus is a great garnishment to add bright green color to any plate. But by peeling it instead of just placing it as is, asparagus will turn into a beautiful garnishment.

#3 Edible flowers are easy way to add color

When you need a bit of color to your plate, edible flowers are great way to do just that.

Meet Naoko’s Kitchen

Naoko’s Kitchen is brought to you by Japanese cook and Culinary Artist Naoko Kashiwagi who is living in the UK. Naoko has been sharing her authentic taste, knowledge, and skills of Japanese food by hosting pop-ups and Japanese cooking classes in Cornwall, UK. More than a thousand foodies from all over the world have participated in her informative and hands-on classes. They all enjoyed the entertainment of her exquisite dishes!

Naoko’s Kitchen is the first authentic Japanese pop-ups in Cornwall. This style allows her to collaborate with a lot of local businesses aiming at supporting each other as well. Her mission is simple. To entertain the customers with authentic Japanese flavors by adding subtle European twists to create innovative dishes.

Its concept promises to create family favorites using the freshest local seafood and seasonal ingredients with Naoko’s imagination and creativity. She creates a dish mixing authenticity with innovation for your taste buds and eyes.

Ingredients

• 1 Chicken Breast Fillet
• 1 Tbsp Shio Koji
• 2 stalks Asparagus
• 1 pinch Sea Salt

Japanese Curry Hummus

• 3 Tbsp Hummus
• 1 pinch Sea Salt
• 1 Tbsp Turmeric Powder
• 2 tsp Soy Sauce

Garnishment

• ½ stalk Asparagus, boiled
• 1 tsp Scallions, chopped
• 1 tsp Ikura (Salmon Roe)
• Edible Flowers, optional

Instructions

Butterfly chicken breast

1. Place the chicken fillet on a chopping board and slice it into flattened butterfly shape (please make sure not to cut through the chicken completely).
2. Apply sea salt over the chicken and marinate it with the shio koji in a plastic bag. Rest it in a fridge over night or at least for 1 hour.

Make the roll

1. Place the plastic wrap and put the marinated chicken on top. Put asparagus in the middle of the chicken and start rolling from the bottom.
2. Wrap the chicken roll really tight in the plastic wrap and twist the both sides firmly to make a log shape.
3. Wrap the roll in aluminum foil.

Boil the chicken roll

1. Plunge the chicken roll into boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
2. Let the chicken be in a hot water and set it aside until the chicken cools down, approximately for 2 hours.

Meanwhile prepare hummus

1. In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients and set it aside.

Plate the food and serve

1. Slice the chicken roll into about 1-inch thick.
2. Place curry hummus in the middle of the plate and make a shape of cylindrical column, about 1 inch tall. Make sure the diameter is slightly bigger than the chicken roll.
3. Carefully place the chicken on top of the hummus.
4. Sprinkle scallions and ikura in the remaining area of the hummus.
5. Gently peel asparagus, roll up to make garnishment.
6. You can keep the chicken roll in a freezer for 2 weeks.