Editor's note: In the series Taste of Life, cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes that are intertwined with their paths in life.
About seven years ago or so, Junko Ueda's mother-in- law, who lives in Shimane Prefecture, suddenly fell ill.
Even though things did not become serious, she had to remain in the hospital for some time and the meals of Ueda's father-in-law who was to live on his own became a concern.
Her father-in-law, who was in his late 80s, could cook rice and make simple dishes such as miso soup, but he was not used to cooking regularly.
I was worried about whether he was eating properly and getting the right nutrition. I racked my brain about what I could do, says Ueda.
It was not a practical option to cook over there. She decided to cook dishes, wrap them in parchment paper, freeze them and send them through a package delivery service.
If cabbage rolls or macaroni gratin are wrapped and frozen, they can be enjoyed by microwaving. You only need to throw away the wrapper to clean up.
Ueda sent not only pre-cooked dishes such as cabbage rolls, but also uncooked meat and vegetables that were seasoned, wrapped and frozen. Since the receiver is responsible for cooking the dishes by microwaving the dishes, the sender has less work to do.
This week steamed white fish and cherry tomatoes in the microwave is one such dish. Choose fish that is available such as sea bream tai Japanese mackerel sawara or cod tara As introduced in the cooking method, they can also be heated right after being wrapped and eaten for dinner that day.
The ingredients are steamed in the wrapper and the fish turns out fluffy, says Ueda.
When she published a book based on her experiences of sending dishes to parents who live far away, she received unexpected reactions. It turned out that people wanted to send frozen dishes to children living on their own or husbands who were on unaccompanied assignments.
Someone even wrote to her that when I prepared the dishes for myself, they became useful when I felt tired and was not up to cooking. The recipes were created to solve the problem my family faced, but it helps to know that there is a way of cooking. Ueda says they are helpful to everyone.
Junko Ueda is a cooking expert born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1964. She is a graduate of the Tsuji Academy Technical College. She received further training in Europe after working at the school as a staff member. She has written books including Chichi to haha eno gohan bin Meals, which were delivered to fathers and mothers by Bunka Publishing Bureau.
Rub 1 2 tsp salt in fillets and leave for 10 minutes. Rinse briefly and pat dry with kitchen paper. Remove calyx from cherry tomatoes. Finely slice garlic, cut onion sideways into a width of 7 mm. You have 2 sheets of parchment paper ready to use, measuring 30 cm by 35 cm. Place long side horizontally and place half the amount of each ingredient on one sheet. Place onion, sprinkle a bit of salt, lay fish and garlic on top, then place tomatoes and maitake. Sprinkle a bit of pepper and pour olive oil and white wine on top.
Bring long ends of paper together and fold them together about twice. Twist the open ends on the right and left as if wrapping candy. Place on a heat-proof plate and microwave each at 600 W for about 3 minutes.
About 330 kcal and 1.4 grams salt per portion is about 330 kcal and 1.4 grams salt per portion.
Nutrients Calculation by the Nutrition Clinic of Kagawa Nutrition University When dishes are to be frozen, place the uncooked, wrapped meal in Step 3 in a freezer bag. You can freeze air and push out air. Place it on a heat-proof dish in frozen state and microwave at 600 W for 4 to 5 minutes.
This column, translated from The Asahi Shimbun's Jinsei Reshipi Life Recipe column, will appear on August 25.