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 …
I never wanted to bother making pastry from scratch. But I have done it once to find out how easy it is. My shortcrust pastry is very versatile. It can be sweet or savoury. I always use ordinary salted Butter. The softness can be adjusted by adding Cold Water or more Flour. Ingredients 1 & …
More and more Australian grown Asian mushrooms are becoming available these days. They are very expensive at supermarkets but Asian grocers often sell imported mushrooms that are quite cheap. This time, I cooked Shiitake, Shimeji, Maitake and Enoki. Oyster and King Oyster mushrooms are also good for this dish. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients Asian Mushrooms …
‘Nametake’ is sweet soy sauce flavoured cooked Enoki which has gelatinous slimy texture. It is sold in jars and quite popular in Japan as a condiment for Rice. It is also good with Tofu, or ’Otsumami’ that means something you eat with alcoholic drinks. I always find shop-bought ‘Nametake’ too sweet. I don’t add Sugar …
I still remember who taught me how to cook this yummy ‘Otsumami’, that means something you eat with alcoholic drinks. I was a uni student at the time. We (all girls) were having a casual party and one of my friends brought a plate of this ‘Crispy Abura-age‘. This is the dish that brings back …
I am writing this recipe for my son and other novice cooks like him. Beef mince is not expensive and meatballs are easy to cook. If you make the mixture into large rounds, you can make hamburgers. If you don’t have Panko Breadcrumbs, just toast 1 to 2 slices of bread, break them and you …
My ‘Goma-ae Sauce’ goes so well with many vegetables. I have tried even with Cucumbers, which was quite nice. This time, I was more ambitious. I made Tomatoes into ‘Goma-ae’ and my family was suspicious about this dish. I used Black Sesame Seeds to make the colour striking, and that was discouraging for them but …
There are two very popular Japanese dishes of Spinach. ‘Goma-ae’ is probably the most popular one, and the other one is ‘Ohitashi’, marinated in dashi-base sauce. Many people enjoy it with ‘Katsuobushi’ as a topping. I like it without ‘Katsuobushi’. I often mix Wakame seaweed with Spinach but Toasted Nori is also very nice. Try …
I am very fond of ‘Takikomigohan’ which is seasoned rice cooked with vegetables, mushrooms, seafood or chicken. As you can find quite a few recipes of ‘Takikomigohan’ on this site, I cook them often. Here is another one. I always use less-expensive frozen small scallops for this dish, but large good quality ones are just …
In Australia, less expensive off-cut meat is widely available. In Japan, you can find less expensive off-cut Sashimi. I used to make this ‘Zuké’ Don using those off-cuts. If you can purchase Sashimi quality fresh fish, why don’t you try this deliciously marinated fish on rice. This time, I used Salmon. Makes 1 Serving Ingredients …
I used to make these cookies without cinnamon. OriginalIy it was ‘Kinako’, finely ground roasted soy beans, and Muscovado Cookies. One day, my daughter told me that cinnamon would be good to add extra flavour to it. The result was great. 1 teaspoonful of ground Cinnamon really improved the flavour. I admit that my daughter’s …
‘Okaka’ is another name for ‘Katsuobushi (dried, fermented, and smoked Bonito) shavings’, that is popularly used for many Japanese dishes. When Onions are in season, juicy and sweet fresh Onions are often consumed in ‘Okaka-ae’ which is a dish of very thinly sliced Onion mixed with ‘Okaka’ and seasoned with Soy Sauce. I added left-over …