Since my daughter stopped eating meat, I have been cooking more beans. I have tried all sort flavours of Japanese, Mediterranean, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc. But this is the biggest hit. Cuban!!!Well…, I have never been to Cuba and never tasted real Cuban food. I just read some recipes and created my own version. This …
A few weeks ago, when ALDI was having German Food Fest, I bought a jar of Sauerkraut. As I had never tasted German-made Sauerkraut before, I was excited to eat it. Now, to be honest about it, I couldn’t eat it because it was too sour!Then I remembered my mother’s Pickled Daikon that always turned …
Many many years ago, I visited Alabama in US on an educational program. I stayed with some host families and one of them was Mr. and Mrs. Page. Mrs. Page was a migrant from Germany and she cooked some German dishes for me. This ‘Beef Rouladen’ is one of those dishes and I am still …
Kanten is a gelling agent which is very low in calories and it won’t melt when warm. It is made from seaweeds and similar to Agar Agar. Kanten is very useful if you want to make a jelly using Pineapple and Kiwi Fruit or Mango, as these fruits break down the protein found in gelatine, …
On the other day, when I was preparing spinach for ‘Goma-ae’, I recalled my very first cooking class in the fifth grade. We cooked ‘Sautéed Spinach’ and ‘Boiled Eggs’. The memory inspired me to create this gratin. A very simple, yet yummy and nutritious dish for a family. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients Spinach 1 bunch …
In Okayama, Japan where I am from, a type of clam called ‘Mogai’ cooked in Mirin, Sugar and Soy Sauce is a traditional local dish and it is essential for the New Year celebration. I sometimes miss the dish.Sadly clams are not commonly consumed in Melbourne and hard to find or quite pricey, however mussels …
‘Slow Cooking’ has been a culinary trend for years. In Australian supermarket stores, a variety of ready-made slow-cooked meat are available. But, you know, I don’t like ready-made food because of their flavours and ingredients used.Do you think I do slow cook meat myself? The answer is ‘NO’. Gas & electricity prices are sky-rocketing in …
Do you like Ratatouille? I love it and used to cook it very often. But, since I started cooking this ‘Baked Vegetables’, I always prefer this dish. I use same ingredients, but the result is richer and more intense flavour, probably because the vegetables are baked in high heat.The amount of the vegetables is so …
I love the black coloured rice such as Wild rice and Black rice. They have chewy texture and rich nutty flavour. This dish can be probably categorised as a rice salad dish, but it tastes good both warm and cold. Add plenty of mushrooms of your choice. I use dried mushrooms because I like the …
‘Soboro’ (Crumbled Meat) dishes are my children’s favourite and I cook them frequently. It’s easy to cook, inexpensive and yummy! But, after cooking them over and over again, it was time for me to create a new ‘Soboro’ dish. My daughter is a big fan of Southeast Asian food. So I tried something Asian. This …
A fish shop in the shopping centre in Ringwood, near my house, sells marinated mussels. I love their Asian flavour but they are very pricey. So I tried to make them by myself using frozen pre-blanched shelled mussel meat. YOU MUST TRY this recipe! I would never purchase the marinated mussels again. It’s so easy …
Several years ago, in a shopping complex in Melbourne, I tried a Vietnamese dish called ‘Rice Vermicelli with Beef and Coleslaw’. Because I loved it so much, I recreated my own version and I often make it as my children love this dish. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients NoodlesRice Vermicelli 4 servings*Note: Thicker type of rice …