One of Japanese iconic dishes of Spinach is ‘Ohitashi’, marinated in dashi-base sauce. I particularly like Wasabi flavoured ‘Ohitashi’. If you don’t like Wasabi, forget this dish. My daughter enjoys most of the food on this planet, but Wasabi is one of the few things that she doesn’t enjoy. I usually stock a bottle of …
When I found a bunch of Garlic Chives getting wilted in the fridge, I decided to add them to Okonomiyaki. To make Okonomiyaki more colourful and nutritious, I also added Carrot. And the result was unsatisfying. It didn’t taste good with ‘Okonomiyaki Sauce’ and Japanese mayonnaise. Why? I tried the ‘Okonomiyaki with Garlic Chives’ with …
In Japan there is a food called ‘Goma Dofu’ or ‘Sesame Tofu’ which is made from three simple ingredients: ‘Neri-goma’ which is a paste made from ground Toasted Sesame Seeds, Water (OR Dashi) and ‘Kuzu Root Starch’. It is called ‘Tofu’ but it is not Tofu because Soy Milk is not used. It is almost …
I never wanted to bother making pastry from scratch. But I have done it once to find out how easy it is. My shortcrust pastry is very versatile. It can be sweet or savoury. I always use ordinary salted Butter. The softness can be adjusted by adding Cold Water or more Flour. Ingredients 1 & …
More and more Australian grown Asian mushrooms are becoming available these days. They are very expensive at supermarkets but Asian grocers often sell imported mushrooms that are quite cheap. This time, I cooked Shiitake, Shimeji, Maitake and Enoki. Oyster and King Oyster mushrooms are also good for this dish. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients Asian Mushrooms …
‘Nametake’ is sweet soy sauce flavoured cooked Enoki which has gelatinous slimy texture. It is sold in jars and quite popular in Japan as a condiment for Rice. It is also good with Tofu, or ’Otsumami’ that means something you eat with alcoholic drinks. I always find shop-bought ‘Nametake’ too sweet. I don’t add Sugar …
I still remember who taught me how to cook this yummy ‘Otsumami’, that means something you eat with alcoholic drinks. I was a uni student at the time. We (all girls) were having a casual party and one of my friends brought a plate of this ‘Crispy Abura-age‘. This is the dish that brings back …
I am writing this recipe for my son and other novice cooks like him. Beef mince is not expensive and meatballs are easy to cook. If you make the mixture into large rounds, you can make hamburgers. If you don’t have Panko Breadcrumbs, just toast 1 to 2 slices of bread, break them and you …
My ‘Goma-ae Sauce’ goes so well with many vegetables. I have tried even with Cucumbers, which was quite nice. This time, I was more ambitious. I made Tomatoes into ‘Goma-ae’ and my family was suspicious about this dish. I used Black Sesame Seeds to make the colour striking, and that was discouraging for them but …
There are two very popular Japanese dishes of Spinach. ‘Goma-ae’ is probably the most popular one, and the other one is ‘Ohitashi’, marinated in dashi-base sauce. Many people enjoy it with ‘Katsuobushi’ as a topping. I like it without ‘Katsuobushi’. I often mix Wakame seaweed with Spinach but Toasted Nori is also very nice. Try …
I am very fond of ‘Takikomigohan’ which is seasoned rice cooked with vegetables, mushrooms, seafood or chicken. As you can find quite a few recipes of ‘Takikomigohan’ on this site, I cook them often. Here is another one. I always use less-expensive frozen small scallops for this dish, but large good quality ones are just …
In Australia, less expensive off-cut meat is widely available. In Japan, you can find less expensive off-cut Sashimi. I used to make this ‘Zuké’ Don using those off-cuts. If you can purchase Sashimi quality fresh fish, why don’t you try this deliciously marinated fish on rice. This time, I used Salmon. Makes 1 Serving Ingredients …
