Tatsutaage sea cucumber and its Ponzu sauce

Ingredients

• 1 Dehydrated sea cucumber
• Corn or potato starch
• Vegetable frying oil
• Green onion (garnish)
• For the marinade :
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) sake
• 30 ml (2 tbsp.) soy sauce
• 8 ml (½ tbsp.) grated fresh ginger
• 15 ml (1 tbsp.) mirin sauce
• For the Ponzu sauce :
• 1 dried shiitake mushroom
• 50 cm dried kombu (sugar kelp)
• 120 ml (½ cup) soy sauce
• 60 ml (4 tbsp.) mirin sauce
• 60 ml (4 tbsp.) mandarin or clementine juice
• 60 ml (4 tbsp.) lemon juice
• sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation

Sea cucumber rehydration

• Soak the sea cucumber in ice-cold water for 24 hours.
• Boil the sea cucumber for 2 hours.
• Change the ice water and re-soak the sea cucumber for another 24 hours.

Ponzu sauce

• Place the shiitake and kombu in a jar with the soy sauce and leave to infuse overnight in the fridge.
• Strain the sauce to retain only the infused soy sauce, discarding the shiitake and kombu.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the soy sauce and mix.
• Refrigerate until ready to use (keeps for 2 weeks in the fridge).

Preparing the marinade

• Combine ingredients.
• Add the prepared sea cucumber to the marinade for 10 to 30 minutes at room temperature.

Cooking

• Have sea cucumbers at room temperature.
• Generously coat the sea cucumber pieces with corn or potato starch.
• Fry in oil (heated to approx. 170°C) until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
• Serve with green onion (minced or cut into thin strips and placed in the ice to fry) and ponzu sauce.