Archive for November, 2008
November 28, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Chinese food, Food Story, Japanese Food, Pork, vegetable · Tagged Asian, Asian food, Chinese, Chinese food, Japanese, Japanese Food, leek, pork easy, ramen, sauce, soup
叉焼-Char siu (Chinese-style barbecued pork) is very famous Chinese side dishes in Japan. Mainly in Japan, Char sui is generally put on ramen as a topping. In China, Char sui is dipped into the various types of sauces or stuffed into a Chinese bun.
In Japan, there are mainly two types of recipes. Baking pork in the oven, or boiling it in a pan. The differences between them are softness and texture. Boiled Char sui is softer and moisture texture. Moreover, boiled char sui keeps longer than baked char sui. In Japan, boiled char sui is often used for ramen because boiled Char sui pair perfectly with it.
Today, I would like to introduce to you about both boiled and baked Char sui
Boiled Char sui
INGREDIENTS
pork tender 500g
A
Ginger ２〜３thin slices
Leek １piece (only use green part of leek)
Soy sauce 100cc
Sugar 50cc
Water 200cc
Rice wine 100cc
(you can use dry white wine instead)
Let’s start cooking!
Cut Green onion into the appropriate size
Put chunk of pork into a pan, and wait until the surface of pork is toasted 
Mix A into a pan, and heat up them. (Do not boil it) 
Put the grilled meat into the pan, then simmer it for approximately 40 min to 1 hour 
Turn off the heat, and wait until it get cold in the soup.
Cut them! Ready to serve!!
*you can freeze the soup for the next time (but do not forget remove leek and ginger)
*char sui can be used for ramen or fried rice as a topping or ingredient.
Baked char sui
INGREDIENTS
pork tender 500g
A
sugar 100g
soy sauce 70cc
Oyster sauce 2tsp
A little grated ginger
Mix all A, then dip the pork.
Leave it for half-day to a day( more dipped, more tasty)
Preheat an oven to 450 degree, then bake pork in the oven for 40 min
*You can use the soup which pork was dipped as a sauce for Char sui. Before you use the soup, please boil the soup
November 28, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Food Story, Japanese Food, Sweets & Snacks, vegetable · Tagged Asian, Asian food, easy, home, Japanese, Japanese Food, kabocha, nitsuke, pumpkin, squash, Taste, traditional
Nitsuke is a traditional way to cock Kabocha, and tasty home cocking in Japan.
In Japan, Japanese Squash (Kabocha Squash) is often used. Kabocha is tender, creamy, fragrant, and sweet. Not pretty to look at with a dull green bumpy skin, it more than makes up for it in flavor! It tastes sweet potato and is one of the most flavorful of the hard squash.
It may be hard to get Kabocha Squash in the U.S, but you may be able to get it if you find Chinese food market (should be expensive though)
Pumpkin (below picture)I could get in the U.S. is more watery and less sweet; therefore the way to cock is limited due to the difference. Kabocha pumpkin is more sweet and harder so that it is appropriate for pudding or Nitsuke. So i always wanted to have Kabocha but in my area, i could not find it….For this time, I used Buttecup Squash which i found in local grocery store and looks similar to Kabocha pumpkin.
Buttercup Squash is less sweet but hard like Kabocha.
But if you can cook well with my recipe, you will be able to eat tasty Nituke kabocha that is served in Japanese home.
INGREDIENTS
buttecup squash 1/4 piece
sugar 2 tbs
water 200cc
hondashi 1tsp (If you have it)
A
Sugar 1 tsp
Soy source 1 1/2tbs
Mirin 1 1/2tbs
Let’s start cooking
Cut Pumpkins into suitable size
Put pumpkin in a pan and add sugar. Leave for 10 min (Do not turn on the heat)
Pour water, cook over medium heat until boiling with cover (if you have hondashi, you can add it now)
After boiling, add A into a pan and cover it again. Simmer it 10 more min
Remove lid and simmer for 5 to 10 min (shake the pan occasionally) 
* when it is getting cold, squash absorb the soup, so after you finish boiling, you can adjust the time to leave it in the pan.
*squash is easily collapse, so do not touch squash with the ladle. Shake the pan instead.
November 28, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Food Story, Japanese Food, Pork, Spicy, Vietnamese Food, a little spicy, seafoods · Tagged Asian, Asian food, chili, coriander, ethnic, herbs, Japanese, Pork, Sea food, sea foods, spicy, vietnamese, Vietnamese Food
生春巻き(Vietnamese Rice paper roll) is one of the most famous Vietnamese dishes. In Vietnamese it is called gỏi cuốn, and means rolled salad. In English it sometime called Summer roll or spring roll. Spring roll that people can easily imagine is Chinese fried and crispy spring roll but Vietnamese spring roll is the food includes many different ingredients rolled with rice paper.
Typical Vietnamese rice paper roll consists shrimp, meifun (rice noodle), lettuce, carrot, fresh coriander, fresh mint, chive, and sometimes pork.
I love Thai food but I cannot eat fresh coriander in Thai food. What I introduce you today is Vietnamese rice paper roll with the ingredients that I love and suit to rice paper roll.
So,,, If you would like to try real Thai taste, add the herbs I listed above.
INGREDIENTS (10 pieces)
Roll
Rice paper 10 sheets
Avocado 1/4〜1/2
Cream cheese 10〜20g
Cucumber 1/3〜1/2
Cooked Shrimp 15
Lettuce 2leafs
Sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Spray or brush
*use it when you make rice paper soften
Let’s start cooking!!
Peeled and cut cucumber into small thin stick.
Cut lettuce, avocado, and cream cheese easy-to-roll size, & cut shrimp into half
Make rice paper soft using spray or brush (spray the water to paper or apply water with brush)
Check the guide picture ↓ put ingredients on ellipse place and remember the order of how to fold
Place all ingredients
Fold the bottom up toward the top
Fold the sides
Roll the wrap toward to the top
Cut into half before you serve and dip into sweet chili sauce when you eat!
November 28, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Chicken, Indian Food, Spicy · Tagged Asian, Asian food, Chicken, Curry, Indian, Indian Food, spicy
Tandori Chicken is one of the most famous Indian dishes. It is my most favorite Indian side dish and great to eat with Indian Curry and Lassi (Indian Yogurt Drink).
Lassi is very common drink in India and you can buy Lassi very easily in the town.
Tandori Chicken is usually baked in huge pot-shaped oven and chicken is on skewer.
Here is a little more information about Tandori chicken
Today I will introduce Tandori chicken which is not too spicy and easy to cook.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken wings 7 pieces
(This time I used Chicken thick)
A
Plain Yogurt 400cc
Ketchap 3tbs
Curry powder 1tbs
Honey 1/2tbs
Chili paper 1/2 tsp -1tsp
*if you like spicy food, you can add more
Let’s start cooking!!
Set yogurt like this picture ↓ and leave it half a day in fridge
(it will eliminate extra water from yogurt)
Mix all A in Zip bag
Add chicken into a bag. And rub mixed sauce into Chicken
Leave it in fridge 1 to 2 days
Take Chicken out from a bag and remove sauce from chicken
(it is important to take all sauce off from Chicken)
Bake in a preheated 500 to 550 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes
November 18, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Japanese Food · Tagged Asian, Asian food, Japan, Japanese, sauce
Demiglace sauce is one of basic sauce for western-style meals in Japan. It is originally come from French and then adapted to Japanese palate. Thus, In addition to vegitable, fruits, and beefs, French demi-sauce sometimes include completely different ingredients such as sardines. Japanese demi-sauce is more fruity and good with omelet, hamburger steak, macaroni-gratin, and many other kinds of western-style food.
I will introduce you Easy way to make the demiglace sauce with Microwave
This is not a traditional or real way to make demi-sauce. It is like a little cheat <3
INGREDIENTS (2 people)
Ketchup 50cc
Red wine 1~2tsp
Tonkatu sauce 2tbs
Grated onion 1tbs
Beef consommé 1tsb
Black pepper alittle
Sugar 1tbs
Heavy cream 1 1/2tbs
Butter 1tsp
*You may find Tontatu sauce or Okonomi Sauce, or Usta Sauce at Asian food section in local grocery stores. If you could not find it, this site may guide you how to make it!
*If you could not find powdered Beef consommé, you can use a cube of consommé but let it melt down in 20~30cc warm water or grate. You can also substitute with beef stock
Let’s make it!
1. Put everything except butter into heat-resistant container
2. Put it into Microwave 1min
3. Take it out once and mix well
4. Put it into microwave again for 1~2 min
5. Then put butter in it and let butter melt down
That’s it!!
i.e. Demiglas sauce with butter rice covered with eggs = we called omelet rice
Recipe of Authentic Demigralace sauce
INGREDIENTS (4 people)
All-purpose flour 2tbs
Butter 10g
Onion 100g
A
Water 200cc
Consommé 1tsp
Tonkatu sauce 3~4tbs
Ketchup 3~4tbs
Slice onion thinly. And mix all A in a bowl
Put flour into a pan (NO OIL) and fry until it become brown color. Then take it out
Put butter in a pan and fry onion
When onion is cooked, put fried-flour in to a pan, and mix well
Put A in a pan and simmer with low heat till the sauce become thickening
November 18, 2008
· Filed under Chicken, Spicy, Taiwanese Food · Tagged Asian, Basil, Chicken, Food, Healthy, spicy, Taiwan, Taiwanese, traditional
三杯鶏(Sanbeiji) is traditional Taiwanese dish. If you translated Sanbeiji into English, it means “Three cups chicken.” Historically, this dish’s name involves its ingredients, three different cups of sauces: soy source, rice wine, and sesame oil.Sanbeiji is very very popular food in Taiwan. It is said that if people went to restaurant, somebody surely orders it in Taiwan. It is spicy and tasteful!! You should try it!! You will like it!!
Let’s Start Cooking!
INGREDIENTS
(for 2 people)
Chicken Thigh 2
Spring onion 2
Basils 5~10 leaves
Garlic 1tsp
Ginger 1tsp
Red papper 1~2
Sesame oil 2tbs
Rice wine 2tbs
Soy sauce 2tbs
Sugar 2tsp
1. Cut chicken into cubes and spring onion into bite-size
2. Heat up the sesame oil in a pan with garlic and ginger, and fry till fragrant
3. Add chicken and fry till it changes color.
4. Add spring onion and red pepper and fry 30 seconds. 
5. Add sugar and rice wine, and simmer 1~2 min with lid.
6. When chicken is cooked, turn the heat to medium and add soy sauce fry till the sauce becomes thickening. 
7. Add basils then serve it!
Enjoy
November 16, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Chinese food, Food Story, Japanese Food, Rice, seafoods · Tagged Asian, Asian food, Chinese, Chinese food, Egg, Food, Japan, Japanese, Rice, Sea food, traditional, Tuna
Tenshin-han is very easy and tasteful Chinese food. It’s taste great and only take 10 min!
Today I will introduce my original Tenshin han.
we can easily make it in the U.S. without any Chinese or Japanese ingredients.
Story about 天津飯
I don’t know how many people here have watched Dragonball before, but there are two characters in this Japanese anime series called 天津飯 [pronounced Tenshin Han] (Tien Shinhan) and 餃子 [pronounced Gyoza] (Chiaotzu). They are named after two very common menu items of typical Chinese foods in Japan.
Interestingly, in China, especially in the city of Tianjin (天津), there is no such dish called Tenshin Han which literally translates as rice from Tianjin. Tenshin Han is a 100% Japanese invention. It was named as Tenshin han because people who first created it using rice from Tenshin (Tianjin) city in China.
The traditional Tenshin han consists of an omelette with crabmeat (usually artificial crabmeat), bamboo shoots, and shitake mushrooms, with a soy-based sauce that might or might not be sweet and sour depending which region in Japan you ordered this dish.
Let’s start cooking!!
INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)
Cooked rice free
Eggs 4
Tuna 1 can
Spring onion 1
Mushrooms 1~2
*you can use crabmeat in stead of Tuna can
A
Vineger 4tbs
Soy source 2tbs
Sugar 3 and 1/2tbs
Water 200cc
corn starch 1tbs
1. Finely chop Spring onion and mushrooms and mix Tuna can (crabmeats) in a bowl
2. Lightly beat 4 eggs in other bowl them mix it with 1
3. Mix all A in a pot and put it on a fire. Simmer until the sauce has thickened
4. Heat 1~2 tbs oil in a pan and pour half of mixed eggs
5. Make fluffy rounded omelette and steam 15 seconds with lid
6. Serve rice on a plate and put cooked omlette on the rice
7. Pour source on omlette
Enjoy!!
November 16, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Food Story, Japanese Food, Sweets & Snacks · Tagged Asian, Asian food, Japanese, okinawa, Sweets & Snacks, traditional
Sata-andagi is a traditional Okinawa’s roll-shaped doughnut.
Okinawa’s sweets are descended from Chinese and Japanese traditional sweets. Sata-andagi has a taste of home and my favorite sweets. And I LOVE Okinawa food very much!!!
☆OKINAWA☆is one of my most favorite place. Okinawa is part of Japan but has very different culture and food. Visit this website and you can see some beautiful pictures.
Story about Okinawa and Okinawa Food
Okinawa is southernmost prefecture in Japan and has very different and original culture.
In the local food, Okinawan food (or called as Ryukyu food) which spreads or popularizes through Okinawa Prefecture, developed a unique gastronomic culture.
As the factor of the difference of the gastronomic culture, the fact that there was a difference in the material which is used from the climate being different from the other area or region in Japan, the fact that the historic ground as it was an independent kingdom, was different before the Meiji era.
At present, as Okinawan food, generally, the origin in the one to be found of is roughly separated by the food which is reflected by the court food, and the food which had been eating in the home of the common people.
The grand & splendid food which was strongly influenced in China by need of reception party of the envoy from the ritual and China progressed at the court in the Ryukyu-Kingdom era.
On the other hand, the wild grass (i.e. herbs) and the food utilized by natural foods among the citizens, they are valid as the medicinal table and the longevity food, and are contributing to live long life in Okinawa prefecture to today.
Let’s Make Sata-andagi!!
INGREDIENTS (10~15 doughnuts)
Eggs 2
Suger 130g
All-purpose Flour 220g
Baking Powder 2tsp
Oil 2tsp
It’s very Easy and taste very good!
First, mix flour and baking powder, and sift mixed powder
lightly beat 2 eggs in a bowl
Put suger in a bowl and mix it with eggs. Do not whip it! just gently mix it and make it smooth
Mix sifted power into a bowl. When you feel it is almost mixed, put oil in it.
Mix it until it comes together
Make golf-ball-sized dough
fry these in oil until it turns golden
Now Enjoy!
November 15, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Food Story, Japanese Food, Rice, seafoods · Tagged Asian, Asian food, diet, Food, Healthy, Japanese, Low calories, Rice, Sushi
Futomaki is my favorite sushi roll with many deferent ingredients! 
Futomaki (太巻き, lit. large or fat rolls). A large cylindrical piece, with nori on the outside. A typical futomaki is three or four centimeters (1.5 in) in diameter. They are often made with two or three fillings that are chosen for their complementary tastes and colors. (wikipedia)
A little story about Futomaki
In Japan, it is very common to eat Futomaki during Setsubun. Setsubun (節分) falls on the 3rd of February. It marks the start of the spring season, risshun (立春). It’s not an official national holiday, but it is celebrated in ways all meant to drive away bad luck and bring in new, good luck. Most of the traditional rituals revolve around beans, because beans are considered to be very lucky. But there is another way of celebrating setsubun, and that’s with a big, long, uncut sushi roll called Ehou-maki or Futomaki.
“what makes an ehou-maki different from a regular sushi roll?”
There are basically three rules:
- It must not be cut, because it might cut (off) your luck.
- You have to eat it while facing the lucky direction, which changes every year! 2008 lucky directly was hinoe (丙 (ひのえ)), which is a little bit to the south of south-south-east on a regular compass.
- Finally, you must eat the whole roll in total silence. And wish a good luck. Your wishes will be granted, if you perform this perfectly
*want to know more about setsubunn? click this
Let’s make Futomaki!!
INGREDIENTS (2 big sushi rolls)
Salmon 50~100g
Boiled Shrimp 6
Crabmeat 50g
Avocado 1/3
Cucumber 1/3
Nori 2 big sheets
A. Rice cook 1 cup of rice
Rice vinegar 30cc
B. Eggs 2
Suger 1~2tsp
Salt1tsp
Directions
Mix A, Rice and Rice vingar (mix these rights after rice is cooked. If you mixed it after rice gets cold, tastes is not great)
Mix all B and lightly beat in a bowl. And Make Japanese style Omelet (Tamagoyaki). Normal omelet is also fine but need to be well cooked. Look this video for your direction
Cut Salmon, Boiled shrimp, Avocado, and Cucumber into the easy-to-roll size. And cut Eggs in half when it gets cold. (EX: picture)
Now, Let start roll!
To make the Sushi roll, you need MAKISU which you may find in Asian food market or grocery store which has an Asian food section (ex.Kinfork) *But if you could not find it, you can substitute with aluminum foil
Put a sheet of Nori on Makisu and spread rice on Nori
Place fillings lengthwise on the sushi rice
Roll up Makisu, pressing forward to shape the sushi into a cylinder
Press the bamboo mat gently, shaping the sushi roll. Remove the Makisu
cut into pieces
☆you can put whatever the ingredients you want☆Make your original Sushi roll☆
November 13, 2008
· Filed under Asian food, Chicken, Indian Food, Rice, a little spicy · Tagged Asian, Asian food, Chicken, Curry, Healthy, Indian, Naan, Rice, Spinach
Saag Chicken is Indian style curry with Spinach and Chicken.
Taste very good with bread, rice, or Naan.
INGREDIENTS
|
Spinach
|
300g
|
|
Onion
|
200g
|
|
Tomato
|
100g
|
|
Chicken
|
200g
|
|
Garlic (grated)
|
1tbs
|
|
Ginger(grated)
|
1tbs
|
|
Plain Yogurt
|
100g
|
|
|
|
|
Cumin Seeds
|
1tsp
|
|
Curry Powder (Garam masala)
|
1~2tbs
|
|
Salt
|
1tsp
|
|
A
|
|
|
Cumin Powder
|
1tsp
|
|
Coriander Powder
|
2tsp
|
|
Red Pepper
|
1tsp
|
Finely Chop Onions, and Puree Tomato and boiled Spinach in a blender separately.
Remove skin and Chop up chicken into cubes. Then put a little Salt and Pepper (not included in ingredients) on chopped chicken and put these into Plain yogurt
Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Add chopped onion, garlic, and Ginger in it and fry until lightly brown
Add Tomato and A, and cook 10 min on low heat
Add Chicken and Yogurt. Simmer until the Chicken is tender
Add Spinach, 200cc water, salt, and Curry powder, and cook 20~30 min with low heat
Ready to eat!! Enjoy!
