I recently went to a Korean restaurant with my family, and my husband and children enjoyed a steamed egg dish as well as BBQ. The steamed egg dish was similar to Japanese ‘Chawanmushi’ (Savoury Custard Soup) but texture was firmer. Surprisingly there was nothing in it and it was just steamed savoury custard. My family …
This is a lovely red coleslaw. You can add any red or orange colour vegetables, but the essential ingredients are Red Cabbage and Fresh Beetroot. If you want to keep the orange colour of Carrot, rinse the beetroot slices before placing in the bowl. Otherwise the beetroot will make everything red. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients …
I love Biscotti, the crunchy Italian sweet ‘twice-baked’ biscuits . Classic Almond Biscotti is my favourite. My daughter made Cranberry & Pistachio Biscotti on the other day and they were absolutely delicious. Do you like Biscotti? Why don’t you try my Japanese inspired ‘Matcha Biscotti’? I usually use Walnuts, but Almonds, Macadamia or Pistachio are …
Egg Soup is everyone’s favourite. When you add whisked Egg into hot soup, Egg is instantly cooked and comes up to the surface. However, if the soup is slightly thickened with a small amount of Starch, the Egg floats in the soup evenly. In Japan, this type of Clear Soup with Egg is called ‘Kakitama-jiru’. …
My very first cooking class was in the fifth grade. We cooked ‘Sautéed Spinach’ and ‘Boiled Eggs’. ‘Scrambled Eggs’ is actually easier than ‘Boiled Eggs’. To keep the colour of the scrambled eggs, cook Eggs and Spinach separately. After they are combined gently and placed on a plate, drizzle the sauce over instead of mixing …
My super-easy ‘Salmon Takikomigohan’ is becoming popular. One of my friends has been cooking it repeatedly. However, ‘Salmon Mazegohan’ is a lot tastier and I like it more even though I have to cook Salmon separately.‘Grilled Salmon & Watercress Mazegohan’, which I introduced on the other day, sounds time-consuming because of the word ‘Grilled’. Remember …
I recently discovered a product called Queen’s ‘Jel-it-in Vegetarian Gelling Powder’ at a Woolworths store. It’s an Agar-base gelling powder and it is easy to use. Sometimes I prefer to use Agar or Kanten rather than Gelatine. For this orange juice jelly, definitely Agar is the best option. And Queen’s ‘Jel-it-in’ dissolves very well. I …
Here is the recipe written for my son and daughter to make their mother’s ‘Pumpkin Soup’. I never use Oil for this soup. Just like cooking Japanese soup, I simply cook vegetables in stock. I always use ‘Massel’ chicken stock or vegetable stock. It’s a very simple fuss-free recipe and any novice cooks can make …
They are fresh peas simmered in soy flavoured dashi stock. My mother used to cook this dish when peas were in season. I sat at the little table in our small kitchen and helped her with shelling peas. Then she cooked those fresh peas in dashi stock. Those peas were absolutely delicious with freshly cooked …
One of Japanese iconic dishes of Spinach is ‘Ohitashi’, marinated in dashi-base sauce. I particularly like Wasabi flavoured ‘Ohitashi’. If you don’t like Wasabi, forget this dish. My daughter enjoys most of the food on this planet, but Wasabi is one of the few things that she doesn’t enjoy. I usually stock a bottle of …
When I found a bunch of Garlic Chives getting wilted in the fridge, I decided to add them to Okonomiyaki. To make Okonomiyaki more colourful and nutritious, I also added Carrot. And the result was unsatisfying. It didn’t taste good with ‘Okonomiyaki Sauce’ and Japanese mayonnaise. Why? I tried the ‘Okonomiyaki with Garlic Chives’ with …
In Japan there is a food called ‘Goma Dofu’ or ‘Sesame Tofu’ which is made from three simple ingredients: ‘Neri-goma’ which is a paste made from ground Toasted Sesame Seeds, Water (OR Dashi) and ‘Kuzu Root Starch’. It is called ‘Tofu’ but it is not Tofu because Soy Milk is not used. It is almost …
