Honeycomb Platter B Recipe

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add edamame and cook 3–4 minutes until heated through and tender. Drain well and set aside.

Heat 1 tbs vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté 30–45 seconds until fragrant but not browned.

Add the cooked edamame to the skillet. Stir in 1 tbs chili garlic sauce, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp salt. Toss to coat and cook 1–2 minutes to meld flavors.

Remove from heat, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds and squeeze lime wedges over before serving.

In a bowl, combine chicken pieces with 2 tbs soy sauce, 1 tbs mirin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp white pepper. Marinate for 15–30 minutes in refrigerator.

In a separate shallow bowl mix 3/4 cup cornstarch, 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 tsp salt. In another small bowl beat 1 egg with 1 tbs cold water.

Heat vegetable oil in a deep pot or fryer to 350°F (175°C). Working in batches, dredge marinated chicken first through the egg wash then thoroughly coat with the cornstarch-flour mixture. Shake off excess.

Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until golden and cooked through, about 3–4 minutes per batch depending on size. Remove to a wire rack or paper towel-lined plate to drain. Keep warm in a low oven if needed.

Garnish with thinly sliced scallions before plating.

Pat shrimp dry, make 3 shallow cuts on the underside to prevent curling and lightly dust with a little flour.

In a bowl combine 3 tbs flour, 3 tbs cake flour (or extra AP flour), 1 tsp cornstarch and 1/4 tsp salt. Add the lightly beaten egg and gently pour in 3/4 cup ice-cold sparkling water. Stir very briefly—batter should be lumpy and cold; do not overmix.

Heat oil in a deep pot to 350–360°F (175–180°C). Dip each shrimp into the batter, letting excess drip off, and carefully lower into hot oil. Fry in small batches until crisp and pale golden, 2–3 minutes. Do not overcrowd.

Remove tempura to a rack to drain. Serve immediately with tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu) and grated daikon if desired.

Preheat a takoyaki pan and brush each cavity with vegetable oil over medium heat.

In a small bowl whisk the 1/4 cup batter mix (or flour) with 1/2 cup dashi and 1/2 beaten egg until smooth.

Pour batter into two cavities until slightly overflowing. Add a small pinch of tenkasu, a little chopped green onion and a piece of diced cooked octopus into each cavity.

When edges start to set (after about 1–2 minutes), use a skewer to turn each ball 90 degrees, letting uncooked batter flow out to form the next layer. Continue turning every 30–60 seconds until balls are evenly browned and cooked through, about 3–5 minutes total.

Transfer the two takoyaki to a plate. Drizzle with takoyaki sauce and Japanese mayonnaise, then sprinkle katsuobushi and aonori on top. Serve hot.

Drain tofu well by placing between paper towels and applying gentle weight for 10–15 minutes. Cut into eight cubes if not pre-cut.

Heat 3/4 cup vegetable oil in a shallow skillet over medium-high heat.

Lightly coat each tofu cube in potato starch or cornstarch, shaking off excess.

Fry the coated tofu in batches until the coating is crisp and light golden, about 2–3 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels.

In a small saucepan combine 1 cup dashi, 1 tbs mirin and 1 tbs soy sauce. Heat gently until warm but not boiling.

To serve, place 4 tofu cubes per portion in a shallow bowl, pour warm dashi sauce over them, and top with grated daikon, sliced scallions and optional grated ginger.

Arrange components on a large platter: place chili garlic edamame in a small bowl, popcorn chicken in one section, shrimp tempura in another, two takoyaki balls on a small garnish bed, and 4 pieces of agedashi tofu in a shallow sauced dish.

Garnish platter with lemon wedges, parsley or microgreens, extra scallions, and provide dipping sauces (sweet chili, tentsuyu) on the side.

Serve immediately while tempura and popcorn chicken are hot and crispy.