One of the most famous Japanese sweets is ‘Dorayaki’, thanks to the Manga and adapted TV Anime series ‘Doraemon’. ‘Dorayaki’ is two small pancake-like sponge wrapped a filling of sweet Azuki red bean paste. My children love it but my husband doesn’t eat it, because he doesn’t like Azuki paste. I tried to make ‘Dorayaki’ …
This syrup is called ‘Kuromitsu’ (黒みつ) in Japan. It is essential for many Japanese sweets such as ‘Milk Kuzu Mochi’. Japanese black coloured Sugar is almost identical with Muscovado. This syrup can last quite a long time in the fridge. Ingredients 1/2 cup Muscovado (Very Dark Brown Sugar)1/4 cup Hot Water Method
When I was a very young girl, my mother often made this dessert. She used Potato Starch rather than Corn Starch, sometimes she used Water not Milk. It’s basically Milk or Water thickened with starch. I loved to eat it with Muscovado Syrup and ‘Kinako’, ground roasted soy beans. The gooey paste turns firmer and …
It was before our first child was born. My husband and I tried to make this dessert for the first time. We ended up by burning the dumplings. We tried again and again, but we always burned the dumplings. Now I know that we were doing OK but the recipe was wrong! This dessert is …
‘Daifuku Mochi’, or Daifuku, is a Japanese sweet consisting of a small round glutinous rice cake stuffed with most commonly ‘Azuki’ Red Bean paste which is quite sweet. On the other day, I made ‘Matcha & Azuki Roll Cake’ and there was some left-over ‘Azuki’ paste. What could I use it for? The first thing …
Caramelising Sugar sounds scary? Follow my recipe, and you will never ruin your saucepan. You won’t spend hours cleaning the disaster. My recipe uses Caster Sugar, so you will see the colour change clearly, and that means you will know exactly when to stop cooking. ‘Caramel Sauce’ can be EASY! Ingredients Caster Sugar 1/2 cup …
This is one of our family’s favourite Winter desserts. I learned it from my husband’s mother many years ago. It’s absolutely quick and easy, and if you have a frying pan, you can make it. I always stock canned peaches in my pantry, so that I can make this dessert anytime. Everyone gets excited once …
These ‘Muscovado Dates & Walnuts Cupcakes’ can be baked in the oven or even microwaved. But the result is best when steamed. When soft batter is steamed instead of baked, the cupcakes become very soft and tender. That’s why I often love to steam. It’s quicker, too. However, when I took this photo, I did …
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 …
One of my favourite summer desserts is ‘Mizu-Yōkan’, Azuki (Red Bean) Kanten Jelly. Kanten is similar to Agar Agar but the texture of the jelly is different. This dessert can be easily made at home. If you used store-bought canned Sweet Azuki Paste, it would be easier. ‘Koshi-an’, the smooth type paste is commonly used …
I once suffered from depression. When we were living in Japan for a short period of time, my condition deteriorated and I was just staying home being sad. My daughter was only 6 years old then, and she knew I was not well. One winter evening, it was already dark when my husband came home …
When I was a young child, my mother was a full-time mother looking after three children. My family was poor and couldn’t afford to buy sweets. But my sisters and I always enjoyed sweets that our mother cooked for us. This is one of them. 1 cup flour, some sugar and 1 egg, and oil …