In the crime novel Rancor (Siberian Wind), Kiran Mendelsohn takes his new partner Bolko Blohm to his favourite Japanese restaurant. Blohm, a young man from Hamburg on a voyage of discovery, was actually craving a Berlin Currywurst, true to his rather rustic nature. Now he has to realise that his peculiar new partner has a somewhat different view of cuisine and nutrition.

The Sakamoto Foods restaurant is run by Hideyushi Sakamoto and his wife Arisu. Apart from high-end sushi, they also serve teppanyaki-grilled dishes, fresh salads and vegetables. And the best Japanese Ramen outside Kyoto. All this has quickly turned the establishment from an insider tip to one of Berlin’s top go-to places for Japanese food. Still, the owners are not entirely satisfied. Although the restaurant is more than healthy financially, something essential seems to be missing. An element connecting German and Japanese cuisine. The answer to this difficult question comes when Kiran discovers the restaurant and befriends the owners. The result is a Kotau from the Sakamotos to their new home, Berlin: Japanese-style Currywurst.

The original Bratwurst is a veal sausage gently fried in a teppanyaki. You can therefore either buy a very fine Bratwurst or simply cook a Bavarian white sausage. Cut the sausage into pieces, fry and brush sparingly with teriyaki sauce or ketjap manis towards the end. To serve, place the pieces on skewers as you do with Yakitori, pour the sauce (see below) and add the described Japanese-inspired curry-paste (see also below) for extra flavour. Serve with stir-fried vegetables and, for heart and eyes, a tasty Wakame salad made from bright green seaweed. S

Japanese Chili-Paste

Ingredients

8 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 onion, minced

1 cup Maitake mushrooms

1 Scotch-Bonnet or Habanero chili-pepper

1 tsp ginger, grated

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp cloves, grounded

1/2 tsp cinammon

1 tbsp Garam Masala

oil

3 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbso brown sugar

1 tbspTonkatsu sauce (or Worcester-sauce)

1 tbsp soy sauce

50 ml rice vinegar

200 ml Mirin

Prepare the ingredients: soak the maitake mushrooms in lukewarm water, chop the onions and chillies very finely (remove the seeds for a milder paste), blanch the tomatoes, peel and chop coarsely, drain the mushrooms (reserve the soaking water and set aside).

Preparation: Heat Ginger, garam masala, cloves, cinnamon and allspice briefly in a pan, then add oil, onions and chillies and fry until translucent. Add mushrooms, tomato paste, the soy sauce and Tonkatsu sauce Stir fry for a few minutes.then deglaze with mirin and rice vinegar, mix in tomatoes and sugar, bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat. Then purée, leave to cool and pour into a sealable jar.
Fire Warning – i don’t like it quite so hot, replace the rather brutal Scotch Bonnet/Habanero with a normal chilli pepper from your trusted greengrocer. Remove the seeds (you should always do this, unless you have a throat made of asbestos) to make it even milder.

Japanese Curry Sauce

150 ml light soy sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 lime – juice and a bit of the zest

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 scallion

1 tsp grated ginger

250 ml Japanese Chili-Paste (see above)

Prepare the ingredients: For the soy base, zest the lime and chop coarsely, then squeeze out the juice (for extra kick, scrape out a little pulp and add to taste). Finely chop the spring onion.

Preparation: Heat the peanut oil in a wok and sauté the onions until translucent, adding the lime zest, chilli and ginger. Then add the lime juice and soy sauce. Dissolve the sugar in the mixture and boil down until thick. Once the desired consistency is reached, slowly add the hot soy sauce to the cold chilli-paste in a bowl and mix well. Set aside and leave to cool.