All posts by Hiroko

  • Chicken Spaghetti & Pasta

    Chicken & Macaroni Cheese Bake

    How many times have I cooked this dish? This dish was one of my children’s favourite dishes when they were young. This is definitely not a low-calorie food but a yummy comfort food. Macaroni can be replaced with Spirals or Pennette. I used red cheddar for this photo but it can be off-white cheddar or …

  • Baked & Fried Sweets Sweets

    Chocolate Ganache

    Chocolate Ganache is made by heating Cream and Chocolate. Most commonly, you warm the Cream first, pour it over the chopped Chocolate, then mix well. Heating Cream and Chocolate can be done quickly and easily using the microwave. You can add whipped Cream to it. 1. Basic Chocolate Ganache Ingredients 200g Dark Chocolate100-200ml Cream *100ml …

  • Baked & Fried Sweets

    Super Easy Chocolate Cake

    Many years ago, someone gave me this Chocolate Cake recipe, so this is not my invention. I have tried some other different recipes but I have never come across any recipes easier than this one. Nigella Lawson said every home cook should know at least one Chocolate Cake recipe. Well… this is the one I …

  • Beans & Peas Spaghetti & Pasta

    Edamame & Avocado Spaghetti

    Just like using pesto on pasta as a sauce, I used my Edamame & Avocado Dip to mix with spaghetti. Wow! It was absolutely delicious. This will be my family’s favourite. The flavour is quite simple. So you may wish to add more sourness or spiciness to it. I actually drizzled some soy sauce over …

  • Beans & Peas Dips & Spreads Vegetables

    Edamame & Avocado Dip

    ‘Edamame’ are young soy beans. Soybeans in the pod are usually blanched in salted water. ‘Edamame” are becoming easily available from most super markets and Asian grocers. Crunchy and tasty, and above all nutrition packed ‘Edamame’ can be eaten directly from pods but they are great for cooking as well. Ingredients 1 cup Edamame (Young …

  • Miso Soup Udon

    ‘Hōtō’ Noodle Miso Soup

    Hōtō is a regional dish originating from Yamanashi, Japan. The wide noodles are stewed with vegetables in miso soup. Hōtō noodles are actually different from Udon noodles as they are made from ordinary low-gluten flour in the style similar to dumplings. That’s why it is easy to prepare at home. I once lived in Yamanashi …

  • Azuki (Red Beans) Beans & Peas Takikomigohan

    ‘Sekihan’ Azuki Rice

    This dish is traditionally prepared to celebrate special occasions in Japan, because of its red colour which is symbolic of happiness. The dish is called ‘Sekihan’ (Red Rice) in Japan and it is steamed ‘Mochi-gome’ (Short Grain Glutinous Rice) with ‘Sasage Beans’ that are very similar Azuki Beans. These days more people conveniently cook it …

  • Vegetables

    Wombok & Daikon ‘Asazuke’

    ‘Asazuke’ is a Japanese pickling method characterised by its short preparation time. The term can also refer to the vegetables pickled in this manner. Commonly used vegetables are Daikon, Wombok, Cucumbers, or other salad vegetables. ‘Asazuke’ is usually prepared by rubbing the cut vegetables with salt and ginger, sliced kombu or chilli. The typical Japanese …

  • Pork Vegetables

    Layered Wombok & Pork

    This is perfect for dinner on a cold day. This dish is quite popular with my family and they actually encouraged me to add it to this website. Stewed Wombok is so tender and melting in mouth, and produces absolutely delicious soup as well. Using a heavy-base pot, you can forget about it once it’s …

  • Baked & Fried Sweets

    My Mother’s Stick Doughnuts

    My mother’s doughnuts were not round. They were sticks and my sisters and I loved them. And our children, her grandchildren, loved them. Her neighbours also loved them. That’s why she used to make a lot of them when she decided to make them. There was no recipe. She just mixed flour, sugar and eggs. …

  • Mazegohan

    Rocket Rice

    This is what my mother used to make with Daikon leaves. She used to pickle a large barrelful of Daikon to make ‘Takuan’. She didn’t waste the Daikon leaves. She pickled the leaves as well. She used just salt for leaves. The salty pickled Daikon leaves were still bitter & peppery. She often cut them …

  • Vegetables

    Daikon & Rocket Salad

    This salad is my accidental invention. I was making a salad of Daikon & Rocket using my ‘Creamy Sesame Dressing’. The accidental part was that I had a piece of Parmesan cheese in my mouth when I tasted the salad. ‘Wow! It tastes good with Parmesan!’ Then I added some shaved Parmesan to the salad. …

1 195 196 197 215