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 …
I like rustic biscotti baked in the traditional way without any butter, oil or milk. It is so easy to make and we can create our own variations by adding nuts, fruit and flavours of our choice. However, I haven’t found any simple and easy recipes that don’t require weighing. I don’t like weighing ingredients. …
I love Biscotti, the crunchy Italian sweet ‘twice-baked’ biscuits . Classic Almond Biscotti is my favourite. My daughter made Cranberry & Pistachio Biscotti on the other day and they were absolutely delicious. Do you like Biscotti? Why don’t you try my Japanese inspired ‘Matcha Biscotti’? I usually use Walnuts, but Almonds, Macadamia or Pistachio are …
I used to make these cookies without cinnamon. OriginalIy it was ‘Kinako’, finely ground roasted soy beans, and Muscovado Cookies. One day, my daughter told me that cinnamon would be good to add extra flavour to it. The result was great. 1 teaspoonful of ground Cinnamon really improved the flavour. I admit that my daughter’s …
My ‘Shortbread Butter Biscuits’ recipe is very versatile and it is easy to modify its flavour by adding extra ingredients. I simply added Matcha Powder and coarsely chopped Pistachio Nuts for these biscuits. To make them extra special for the festive season, I added the filling to sandwich. Ingredients 125g Butter *softened1/4 cup Caster Sugar1 …
It is now well into the autumn in Melbourne. Most Melburnians say that the autumn is the best season. I can’t agree more. Let’s enjoy the autumn food. Today I cooked rice with chestnuts. It is quite time-consuming to prepare chestnuts but only 8 or 12 chestnuts can be prepared quite easily. And you know …
Mochi, Japanese rice cake made of short-grain glutinous rice pounded into rubbery chewy paste, is often used for making sweets. With limited ingredients and utensils, this mochi sweet can be actually easily made using rice flour. It takes only ten minutes. Makes 4 to 6 Servings Ingredients Rice Flour 1/2 cupGlutinous Rice Flour 1/2 cupMuscovado …
There is a traditional Japanese sweet snack called ‘Karinttō’ which I love always. It’s a deep-fried sweet biscuit sticks coated with unrefined dark brown sugar same as muscovado. I have never made ‘Karinttō’ but this easy-to-make ‘Muscovado Coated Nuts’ are even tastier than ‘Karintō’ and healthier. However, I always make a small amount at a …
This is a popular basic Almond Bread recipe. My friend Shelley makes better Almond Bread. She adds extra ingredients such as Cardamom, Glazed Cherries and other mystery ingredients. Shelley wouldn’t share her secret recipe and I have to stick to this one. Well… I am actually happy with this recipe. Makes 20 Pieces *Depends on …