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 …
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 …