On the other day, at my friend’s house, I tasted ‘Roti’ bread with peanut sauce for the very first time in my life. It was a takeaway food from a local Thai restaurant. I instantly fell in love with ‘Roti’ and the sauce, but again I found the sauce too sweet for me. So I …
‘Goma-ae’ is a very popular Japanese dish and it is made with ‘Goma-ae’ sauce, which is a sweet sauce of ground toasted sesame seeds and it goes very well with many vegetables. Sometimes ‘Kurumi’ (Walnuts) is used instead of Sesame Seeds, and the dish is called ‘Kurumi-ae’. You can use Peanuts, and the dish is …
I am fond of chestnuts and I have written some stories about chestnut sweets on this website. Since I discovered Sweetened Chestnut Cream, it’s been so easy for me to create chestnuts sweets myself. You know making chestnut purée from scratch is a hard work. Based on my ‘Basic Bavarois’ recipe, chestnut flavoured bavarois is …
Chestnuts are very special to me because Chestnuts relate to many happy memories. My absolute favourite cake is ‘Mont Blanc Cake’ and I bought a jar of Sweet Chestnut Paste to make it. I used the leftover to make these slices. I really enjoyed them with a nice hot cup of tea. Cake Tin I …
‘Sembei’ are, most commonly, Japanese rice crackers. Soy sauce flavoured ones are the most popular, but there are sweet types. The ingredients for those sweet ‘Sembai’ can include Wheat Flour, Sugar and Eggs. Basically they are sweet biscuits. This ‘Peanut Sembei’ is one of them. Unsophisticated and rustic biscuits bring back my childhood memories. Makes …
I love the combination of Dates and Walnuts, that is excellent for cookies, cakes and anything. These slices don’t look sophisticated but they are absolutely delicious. You would need a cup of tea or coffee! Makes 25 Slices Cake Tin 20cm Square Tin*If you use a larger tin, make more Filling and Crumble. Filling 1 …
‘Otsumami’ is something to nibble often with drink which is most likely alcoholic drink. This is a perfect ‘Otsumami’. Crunchy Peanuts and fried Tofu are dressed with sweet miso sauce. Easy, quick and yummy! If you have a toaster oven, you can toast the Tofu pieces, and it is even easier. Makes 2 to 4 …
If you can’t have any ingredients, use alternatives! That’s how I have been inventing new food. When I tried to make ‘Shiso’ flavoured miso paste and couldn’t find it, I used fresh Basil leaves. Thinking of ‘Pesto Genovese’, I used Pine Nuts instead of Walnuts. OMG!!! Miso, Basil and Pine Nuts created a new flavour. …
I came across a blue cheese for the first time in Australia. It had a very strong smell like rotten food. And it contained blue mould. The taste was far too strong for me and I hated it! And now? It is one of my favourite cheeses. Since I discovered a soft gooey type of …
There is a variety of condiments that are consumed with cooked rice in Japan. ‘Furikake’, the dry sprinkles is one of them. I have introduced some on this website, such as ‘Nametake’ Enoki, Salmon Sprinkles, Nori Tsukudani, Baby Sardines Tsukudani and more. This is another condiment for you to try. Young leaves of ‘Sansho’ (Japanese …
I grew up in a subsidised public housing which was a very tiny house with a small back garden, where there was a fig tree. I enjoyed the fresh fig fruit from the tree and my mother used to make fig jam and preserves. This is why fig is always special fruit to me. And …
‘Crostata’ is Italian baked tart. The reason why I call this tart ‘Crostata’ is because a photo of ‘Hazelnut Crostata’ taken on a street in Florence had inspired me to create it. My shortcrust pastry is super-easy as always. Using ready-made Sweetened Chestnut Puree (Cream or Paste), this crostata can be made so easily. If …