But, for those who live outside of Japan, some of the ingredients might be difficult to find.
Jako is a dried baby fish, which you can find at Japanese grocery stores here in LA. Abura-age (fried tofu pouch) can also be found at most of Asian grocery stores. But, sansho pepper berries are hard to find, unless they are a dry kind. In this recipe, you want fresh or blanched sansho pepper berries. I use sansho pepper berries in a jar, which I brought back from Japan.
![Photobucket](http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc218/naokomoore/October%202012/IMG_7705_zps2c39ecb9.jpg)
For this recipe, I use a mini-size classic-style donabe, "Hakeme". It's so handy and so convenient.
Quick simmered Jako, Abura-age & Sansho Berries
Ingredients:
(sauce)
1/3 cup (80 ml) sake
1/2 tablespoon raw brown sugar
1 tablespoon mirin
1 1/3 tablespoons soy saue
1/4 cup (60 ml) dashi stock
1.5 oz (45 g) dried baby fish ("jako")
1 rectangular-size fried tofu pouch ("abura-age"), blanched and cut into thin strips
1.5 tablespoons blanched sansho berries
freshly-cooked donabe rice
thinly-sliced shiso leaves
thinly-sliced scallion
Procedure:
1. In a small-size donabe, combine the ingredients for the sauce and bring to simmer over medium-heat.
2. Add the "jako" and "abura-age", and continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the sansho berries and simmer until the sauce is reduced down to almost nothing.
4. Scoop freshly-cooked donabe rice in a serving bowl, top with the "jako" mixture, and garnish with generous amount of shiso and scallion.
![Photobucket](http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc218/naokomoore/October%202012/IMG_7710_zps3779c68a.jpg)
Rice, jako topping, and these herbs go perfectly well together. So comforting.
Happy donabe life.