Simple menu for dinner party

[janethughes]

I need help on planning a SIMPLE menu for a dinner party. I am NOT a good cook. My miso soup ranges from fine one day to thin and tasteless the next day and I swear I use the same proportions each time. My makizushi tends to be lopsided and fall apart at a moment's notice. I have never tried to make nigirizushi because I do not have a trusted source of fresh fish. My tempura is dismal.

However, I have a friend who wants an "authentic" Japanese meal and she thinks I can provide it. I have tried to tell her that the local sushi restaurant would probably provide a better selection, but she insists she wants a home-cooked meal, not a restaurant meal.

I was thinking maybe serving sukiyaki, or some donburi (maybe katsudon). But I don't know what should accompany that. My cookbooks all have these elaborate meals that I know I would screw up. So I need advice on a relatively simple menu that an incompetent cook like me can prepare without too many opportunities for disaster.

Thanks

 

[misa.j]

I hear you about not being able to get fresh fish can be used for sushi. It is sad.
Besides your ideas, how about "chirashi-zushi"? I thought it would be an excellent party dish; it's visually catchy, you can substitute fresh fish w/ shrimp, smoked salmon, and other cooked seafood, and it's very easy to make. It is known as a spring dish, but who cares.
I found a recipe on the website below.
How to Make Japanese Scattered Sushi

Chirashi-zushi

Ingredients:
* 3 cups sushi rice *rice and sweet vinegar mixture
* 4 shiitake mushrooms
* 1/2 cucumber
* 3/4 cup dashi soup
* 3 eggs
* raw tuna/salmon slices
* boiled shrimp
* 2 tbsps mirin
* 1 tbsp soysauce
* 3 tsps sugar

How to Cook:
1. Prepare sushi rice.
2. Put dashi soup, mirin, soysauce, and sugar(2 tsps) in a pan.
3. Add shiitake mushrooms in the pan and simmer until the liquid is gone.
4. Cool the simmered shiitake mushrooms and slice them thinly.
5. Beat eggs and add sugar(1 tsp).
6. Pour one scoop of egg mixture into a frying pan and make a thin omelette like a paper. Make a few sheets.
7. Cut the omelettes into thin strips.
8. Cut the cucumber into thin strips.
9. Serve sushi rice on a bowl or a large plate.
10. Spread shiitake mushrooms, cucumber, and omelettes strips over the rice.
11. Place raw tuna/salmon slices and boiled shrimps on top of the ingredients.
12. Serve pickled ginger on the side.

*Makes 4 servings **It should be decorated colorfully.

 

[neko_girl22]

great idea! YUM!
If you need other ideas, check out this site for Japanese home cooking. I love this site!
I hope your dinner party goes well

 

[janethughes]

Thanks for the ideas. I think I might try a simple chirashizushi as misa.j suggests because I know how pretty it can look and I have some lovely bowls to serve it in. After all, good presentation is half the battle. I looked at the site nzeuda suggested and now I am feeling hungry. I have 4 more hours at work before I go home, and by that time it will be too late to eat. I should never look at recipes at work -- I just end up wanting to eat!!