These dried infant Sardines can be found at Japanese or Asian grocery stores as ‘Niboshi’ or ‘Iriko’. ‘Niboshi’ is a very popular ingredient for Japanese home cooking, but it’s so hard to find where I live. Yesterday I found a bag of ‘Niboshi’ at a nearby Korean grocery store! I bought it and cooked this favourite dish for the first time in many years.

Makes

4 Servings

Ingredients

50g ‘Niboshi’ (Dried Small Sardines)

1/2 cupful Walnuts
1 tablespoon Oil
1 & 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Sake (Rice wine)
1/2 teaspoon Rice Vinegar
1 teaspoon Toasted Sesame Seeds

Method
  1. In a small bowl, combine Sugar, Soy Sauce and Sake (Rice Wine).
  2. Heat Oil in a frying pan over low heat, cook ‘Niboshi’ (Dried Small Sardines) and Walnuts until golden and crunchy, but do not over cook.
  3. Add the sauce mixture, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Sprinkle Rice Vinegar over and stir. The sauce will thicken with the remaining heat.
  4. Sprinkle with Toasted Sesame Seeds and enjoy. This dish is great for drinking!