More than 50 years ago, in a small town in Japan, the pre-school that I went to was like child day-care, and a hot lunch or light snack was provided every day. The most memorable food I tasted at the pre-school was this ‘Kinako Macaroni’. I still fondly remember the day it was served for …
Our next-door neighbours are very kind and they regularly share their garden harvests with us. Now I have a bucketful of Lemons! I am so grateful because our lemon trees have never produced fruit and I always have to buy them. Today I baked these Lemon flavoured scones based on Auntie Lorna’s Scone recipe. I …
Red Cabbage is very crunchy. For this salad, I slightly soften it first. You can use your favourite Coleslaw dressing, but it shouldn’t be too sweet, as Sweet Corn adds lovely sweet flavour to it. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 300g Red Cabbage *1/6 of large head1 Carrot1/2 teaspoon Salt1/2 cup Corn Kernels *Frozen Kernels are …
My ‘Basic Sweet Bread Dough’ is very versatile. Today I added Ground Cinnamon and Sultanas to make this delicious bread. You might wish to use Raisins rather than Sultanas. Orange Peel is a good addition. Loaf Tin Standard Loaf Tin Ingredients 1/2 cup Warm Milk2 teaspoons Dry Yeast1 & 3/4 cups Bread Flour *plus extra …
Deep-frying is a very popular method to cook Eggplant for this dish, but I would much prefer pan-frying as Eggplant sucks up a lot of Oil. This dipping sauce with meltingly soft Eggplant is absolutely delicious. Chill it and enjoy with cold noodles. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 1 medium Eggplant *about 250g1/2 Green Capsicum *optionalOil …
Japan’s southern island Okinawa has a traditional sweet called ‘Chinbing’. It is a thin pancake similar to Crepe, but its texture is similar to Mochi. It’s a very simple sweet, but absolutely delicious. Makes 12 Pancakes Ingredients 1 cup Self-Raising Flour *OR Plain Flour & 1 teaspoon Baking Powder1 pinch Salt1/2 cup Muscovado *firmly packed1 …
My ‘Asparagus Butter Takikomigohan’ is delicious, but Asparagus turns quite soft as it is cooked with Rice. Then I created this Mazegohan version. Asparagus is mixed with cooked Rice, so it retains crunchiness. It is Butter & Soy Sauce flavoured. I am very happy with the result. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 2 cups (*180ml cup) …
Tofu is becoming more popular as a plant-based protein. I use it quite often for many dishes. When Tofu is fried, outer parts become crunchy, and add extra texture and flavour. Fried Tofu is great for salads. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 200g Firm TofuSaltOil for cooking3 to 4 cupfuls Vegetables of your choice*Note: Today I …
When I make coffee flavoured cookies and cakes, I usually add Instant Coffee Granules, but today I added ground Coffee Beans to these cupcakes. You know Coffee Beans are edible. For extra coffee flavour, I spread Coffee Butter Cream on top. The smell was amazing! Makes 12 Cupcakes Ingredients 125g Butter *softened1/2 cup Caster Sugar2 …
I first came across this ‘Cold Ramen Noodles’ that is supposed to be eaten with a dipping sauce at my sister’s house. She served it to me with nothing else. To be honest, I was not very impressed with the dish she served, but I liked the idea to eat cold Ramen Noodles with a …
Shortbread is my absolute favourite cookies. I sometimes add extra ingredients to make different flavoured Shortbread Cookies. My ‘Matcha & Pistachio Butter Biscuits’ is based on my ‘Shortbread’ recipe. Today I added Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice. These cookies taste as good as ‘My Melting Moments’. Makes 24 x 4.5cm Round Cookies Ingredients 125g Butter …
There is a very popular Donburi (Rice Bowl) dish called ‘Gyū Don’ and there is Udon Noodle version of it. However, there are different methods to cook it. In the region where I grew up, thinly sliced Beef is cooked in Dashi based soup and it is not sweet. In other regions, especially in eastern …