In Okayama where I am from, a type of clam called ‘Mogai’ cooked in Mirin, Sugar and Soy Sauce is a traditional local dish and essential for the New Year celebration. I sometimes miss the dish.
Sadly clams are not commonly consumed in Melbourne and hard to find or quite pricey, however mussels are popular and cheap. I wondered if mussels can be cooked like ‘Mogai’ and I tried. Wow!!! The dish of mussels certainly looks different from ‘Mogai’ but tastes surprisingly good.


Ingredients

Frozen Shelled Mussel Meat 500g *smaller pieces are more suitable
Sake (Rice Wine) 1/4 cup
Mirin 1/4 cup
Sugar 1 tablespoon
Soy Sauce 2 tablespoons
Ginger 1 thumb-size piece *sliced into thin strips

Method
  1. Place Sake, Mirin, Sugar, Soy Sauce and thinly sliced Ginger in a large saucepan and heat to boil.
  2. Add frozen shelled Mussels and cook uncovered over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the sauce is almost gone. While cooking, remove scum and black bits if come to the surface.
  3. Enjoy with freshly cooked Japanese short grain rice.