‘Sekihan’ is steamed short grain glutinous rice cooked with Azuki (Red Beans). It is traditionally prepared to celebrate special occasions in Japan, because of its red colour which is symbolic of happiness. On the other day, I realised that I knew one vegetable that could make absolutely everything RED. That is Beetroot, which is not …
This is another Italian Risotto inspired sloppy rice dish. I cook it in the rice cooker but you can cook in the traditional Risotto way with extra stock. If your rice cooker has ‘Quick Cook’ setting, use it, so that the Rice would be cooked ‘al dente’. Makes 2 Servings Ingredients 1 tablespoon Oil OR …
I hesitate to call this dish ‘Risotto’ but it is almost identical. I cook it in the rice cooker but you can cook in the traditional ‘Risotto’ way with extra stock. I recommend Arborio Rice for creamy texture but Short Grain Rice such as Sushi Rice can be used. Makes 2 Servings Ingredients 2 tablespoons …
Gobō (Burdock Root) is a very popular vegetable in Japan, but it is IMPOSSIBLE to find where I live. I have seen Frozen Sliced Gobō many years ago at an Asian grocery store, and that was the only time I saw Gobō in Australia. Then, I decided to grow them in my vegetable garden. After …
I love ‘Oysters Takikomigohan’ but I don’t cooked it often, because Oysters are extremely expensive in Australia. Then, I tried to make ‘Oysters Takikomigohan’ using Canned Smoked Oysters that are not expensive. The result was interesting. I changed the favour and added Asian Mushrooms. This cheap ‘Smoked Oysters Takikomigohan’ is not bad at all! Makes …
I cook rice almost everyday. Thanks to the rice cooker, it is easy to do. When I cook rice with beans, most beans need to be pre-cooked. Even ‘Auzuki’ Red Beans, that are very small, need to be pre-cooked when cooked with rice such as ‘Sekihan’. However, Lentils don’t require pre-cooking as they can be …
‘Sekihan’, steamed short grain Glutinous Rice cooked with Azuki (Red Beans), is sometimes cooked with Chestnuts as well. But Chestnuts are not commonly available where I live. I looked for a substitute for Chestnuts and I tried some different nuts. Now I can tell you that the best substitute is Cashew Nuts. This ‘Auzki & …
This is one fo the traditionally popular ‘Takikomigohan’ dishes in Japan, but I didn’t cooked it for a long time. Because it was too hard to find Abura-age (Fried Thin Tofu) in Australia. Not any more! If you like traditional Japanese cuisine’s delicate flavour, you will enjoy this dish. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 2 cups …
My ‘Salmon Takikomigohan’ is very popular. But, on the other day, I found a bone in the dish even though I had checked Salmon fillets carefully. Many years ago, when my son was very young, he has got a fish bone stuck in his throat for three days, and it was a nightmare for us. …
‘Takikomigohan’ is one of my favourite dishes. It’s a dish of rice that is cooked in seasoned stock with other ingredients. It can be any flavour. Ingredients can be vegetables, mushrooms, seafood, meat, etc. This is a new one inspired by an Italian dish, Asparagus Risotto. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 200g Asparagus *trimmed, cut into …
My son was a very fussy eater when he was young. He hated most vegetables. Luckily he loved curry and if vegetables were in curry, he ate anything. But I couldn’t cook curry every day, so I needed to be creative. This ‘Carrot Rice’ was one of my creations to make him eat vegetables. I …
This is another ‘Takikomigohan’ dish that can be cooked using a canned fish. This time I used a Canned Red Salmon. I wanted to add some Hijiki, but Hijiki is quite hard to find where I live. So, I added Dried Chopped Wakame as they are, without rehydrating it. Wow… I was amazed at how …