for the love of food...

rice in squid ( obento )

2006-12-01T10:49:00.000+09:00

First of all , I'm so sorry for not updating always ! Had lots to do lately .

This is another of my obento masterpieces ...hahahah ! I had this idea from a popular obento that is sold on the train stations. This is my own version .

You will need ....

* 1 big squid
* 1 cup of cooked rice
* oyster sauce ( 2 tbsp.)
* onion ( half , diced )
* salt and pepper
* butter
* olive oil ( regular cooking oil is ok too )

Here's how....

1. Wash the squid thoroughly, remove the innards . set aside the the arms ...( don't know what its called, sorry )

2. Pat dry, set aside. Slice the feet or arms into very small pieces.

3. In a skillet, heat a small amount of oil. Saute the onions and the squid. When cooked, add the rice.

4. Pour the oyster sauce. Salt and pepper to taste . Set aside to cool.

5. Squeeze the fried rice inside the squid. Don't overfill . Close the opening with a toothpick.

6. In a clean skillet , put enough butter and cook the squid. Turn the squid so all sides will be evenly cooked. Drizzle salt and pepper.

7. Slice and serve .

omorice

2006-10-24T15:55:00.000+09:00

Actually its omelette and rice , hihihi! Japanese people find ways to make english words shorter.

This is another very easy dish and I assure the moms that kids will love this . So if you have kids ,try this.

Ingredients:

left-over rice ( 1 cup per person )
eggs ( I used 2 for one person, you can use more but not less )
milk ( a bit )
chicken ( sliced in to small pieces )
onions ( 1/2 , diced )
cooking oil
ketchup
salt and pepper

Here's how ..

Chicken rice ( thats how they call it there )

1. Put a small amount of oil on skillet, add onions and stir until onions becomes transparent.
2. Add the chicken, cook.
3. Now add ketsup ( tomato or banana ketchup is ok ), about 5 tbsp. Stir.
4. Add in the rice , and stir until the ketchup covers all the rice . Season with salt and pepper.
5. Put in platter, set aside.

omelette
Now I know I dont have to tell you how, everybody can make it. But here's a few tips.

1. Add milk to the eggs when you beat it. This will not only add flavor but will also make your omelettes fluffier. Some use fresh cream so if you have then use it.

2. Make sure the skillet if very hot before you pour in the eggs.

3. Be very quick in cooking the omelette, do not over cook.

4. Pour your omelette on the chicken rice, drizzle ketchup and your done.

enjoy cooking everyone!

salmon meuniere

2006-10-16T13:35:00.000+09:00

Easy dinner for me and hubby . Potato salad , fresh tomatoes and radish sprouts with blanched broccoli together witht he main dish in just one plate. Isn't that nice. A bowl of rice on the side and a cup of hot soup. No tons of dishes to wash this time .

Here's how I made the meuniere .

You will need .

fresh sliced salmon , washed and patted dry .
flour
a mixture of your favorite herbs , chopped
butter
salt and pepper

here's how :

1. Sprinke the fish with the herbs , salt and pepper to taste.
2. Dredge it with flour.
3. Saute' in butter.

note: if you dont have herbs, salt and pepper only is also equally delicious !
Very easy to prepare , huh. This is also a favorite " obento " of my hubby.

kimuchi nabe

2006-10-05T12:49:00.000+09:00

People here have many ways to keep them warm or else who can survive the long and cold harsh winters ? One of those ways are the many delicious " nabe mono ", or hotpot recipes that are served on the family table and restaurants during the winter. My favorite and one of the 2 that I can make is the dish above.....kimuchi nabe. Maybe you already know it, kimuchi is a hot korean food. Very easy and healthy too....

Ingredients:

kimuchi paste or sauce ( can be bought at asian grocers )

kimuchi ( chinese cabbage and other vegetables fermented in the kimuchi paste also sold at any local asian grocer )

chinese cabbage ( bite pieces )
tofu ( I used the firm kind this time )
leeks ( sliced diagonally , bite pieces )
pork meat ( thin slices )
nira ( another kind of leek that has a stronger smell )
japanese radish ( actually most dont use this but ...I love them so ..)

how to:

1. In a large hotpot ( earthen ware is best ), put the kimuchi paste and enough water.
2. Now put the meat and simmer . Now I boiled the daikon that I cut into bite pieceｓ
　　beforehand until they are soft then I added it to the meat mixture and let it boil again.
3. Put the kimuchi vegetable first then, Arrange the fresh vegetables and tofu around the meat and cover the pot, simmer until cooked.

Serve with hot rice....careful you dont burn your tonque !

pork and vegetable salad

2006-09-12T08:51:00.000+09:00

A popular dish on my table during the hot and humid summer days. Very easy to make and healthy too. Here's how ....

* prepare a bowl of water and put plenty of ice cubes to it. set aside.
* boil enough water , add a pinch of salt.
* put the thinly sliced pork on the boiling water and as soon as the meat changes color,
take it out.
* put the meat on the very cold water , leave for about a minute .
* prepare your favorite salad vegetables , I used lettuce , cucumber , tomatoes and " kaiware"
or white radish sprouts. Of course you can use any . Arrange it on a platter.
* pat dry the now cold meat and put it on top of the vegetables.

For dressing...

There are special dressings for this recipe ...soy sauce based or sesame paste based that you can find at your local japanese grocer.

Or else why dont you experiment ...try adding soy sauce to your italian dressing.

from moms garden

2006-08-19T17:12:00.000+09:00

My in-laws have a big vegetable garden. They even have a ricefield. And so me and hubby dont buy rice anymore , lucky no?! And during summer , I dont have to purchase some vegetables. Like this recipe , I only bought the chicken.

The eggplants , tomatoes and onions are from my dear mom. We also receive loads of potatoes and carrots and some other vegetables. Sometimes its even difficult for me and hubby to eat them all. If only my sister lives near me, I could share with her.

This is an easy dish , definitely not japanese. Italian maybe ??
If you wanna try here is the recipe.

Ingredients :

eggplants ( slice into bite pieces )
tomatoes ( big slices)
chicken ( small bite pieces )
onions ( sliced )
olive oil
salt
pepper
soy sauce
basil

how to :

* In a skillet, pour enough of the oil and saute chicken until a little brown.
* Add the onions , saute until onions are slightly cooked.
* Now add the eggplants , stir well. Pour a little bit of water , cover the pan and simmer for a few minutes until eggplants are soft.
* Lastly add the tomatoes , season with salt and pepper to taste. And drizzle a small amount of the soy sauce. Sprinkle with dried basil and serve .

Note : You can use garlic too, I just skipped it coz my hubby dont like garlic much!

soboro bento

2006-08-04T14:45:00.000+09:00

I always make obento for hubby. His friends and co-workers teased him that " it will just be for a couple of years, and your wife will no longer make your lunch or else she will pack those frozen, ready to eat food. " Well, we've been married for 4 years but I still make obento for him. And I'm proud and so is my hubby that never for once did I put something in his lunch box that I didnt personally prepare.

Of course, I get sick , tired or sometimes , who doesn't ? Those day he buys obento at the various convenience store near his office. I think thats ok too. So he also gets the chance to choose what he wants for lunch .

This soboro bento is one of the lunches I prepare for him during my " a liitle lazy " days. Very easy , quick and delicious too.

Ingredients :

eggs ( in this case 2~3 )

ground pork meat ( 100~150 grms. )

soy sauce

mirin ( a sweet cooking wine )

cooking sake ( wine)

grated ginger

sugar ( 1 teaspoon )

How to :

1. Beat the eggs until fluffy, sprinkle salt or a little soy sauce. Japanese people put cooking wine to their eggs but I prefer not to. Salt is ok for me.

2. Prepare 5 cooking chopsticks.. . or if you dont have , use thick barbacue sticks. Not the pointed sides coz it will scrape your skillet.

3. Heat oil in a skillet , pour the beaten egss and immediately mix it with the chopsticks, quickly just like you would when making omeletes. Keep on stirring until the eggs become course and dry just like in the picture. Set aside !

4. On the same skillet, put a little oil then put the ground meat. Squeeze the juice of the grated ginger to it.

5. Now, this is important, in a bowl put the same amount of the soy sauce, mirin and cooking osake. In this case I used 1 tablespoon each. Now measure 4 tablespoons of water, add it to the mixture, put the sugar and mix it well. When the sugar is dissolved, pour it to the skillet, simmer and cook until the liquid is all gone.

6. Now put freshly cooked rice on your bento box and top it with the egg soboro and meat soboro and voila....

easy , isnt it?? I think this will also be good for sandwiches. Try it!

champong

2006-07-17T23:05:00.000+09:00

Our dinner tonight, called champong . Its a nagazaki prefecture original and champong means
to mix all ingredients . The vegetables and noodles are cooked together in a large chinese wok while the the common ramen, everything is cooked separately . The noodles are boiled in a special pot, the soup/stock is in another pot. The vegetable toppings are sauted on a differrent
wok. Then its arranged on a bowl.

This is my second champong and it was really good!

soba and vegetable patties ( chijimi )

2006-07-10T18:35:00.000+09:00

Soba is a very healthy noodle, made from buckwheat flour. It has a grainy texture compared to the smoothness of the udon. I didnt like it before but now Im a fan. Can be eaten hot or in hot days like this, best eaten cold.

* boil soba noodles ( the pack says for how long )
* drain and wash in cold running water
* set aside , or you can prepare the dip beforehand

the dip

* mentsuyu ( can be bought in bottles at the asian grocer), add chilled
water to it, to your desired taste
* add grated ginger and very thinly sliced leeks
* lastly add wasabi ( available at japanese grocers)
you can skip this if you like

Dip a fork full soba on the sause and..

slurrrppp...slurrrp !! Hmmm, refreshing and yummy !!

The vegatable patties took a lot of my time, its actually my version of a korean recipe.
That will be for a later post, gotta cook dinner!

chicken curry..cha style

2006-07-05T10:16:00.000+09:00

I love spicy food! The aroma, the tangy taste ...uhmmm. My hubby often complains the whole apartment smell of garlic. Anyway here is one of my chicken curry recipes. If you like to eat something exotic and hot, please try this.

Ingredients :

chicken ( 1/2 kilo ) I used legs but wings will do too
onion 1 whole ( sliced not so thinly )
chili pepper powdered is ok but maybe better to use the whole one
string beans
salt and pepper
sugar
oil
and of course...

........ curry paste

I used the hot red type on this recipe. Purchased this at a super that sells international products.

Any brand or maker of curry will do.

How to :

1. Coat chicken with flour, fry until golden brown.

2. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. On the same skillet, saute the chili and onions until onions become transparent .

3. Put 3 tablespoons of the curry paste and stir. Add 1 1/2 cup of water, stir.

4. Put the chicken and cover, let it simmer for 10~15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

5. Add salt and pepper, to your desired taste. You can add more paste if you like.

6. Sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar. ( this will mellow it a little )

5. Now add the string beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

This is best eaten with rice. If you have nan or chapati,its ok too!

Have a nice cooking day, everyone!

salad udon

2006-07-01T14:17:00.000+09:00

Although it is still " tsuyu " or rainy season, its hot and very humid. I cant wait for the real thing so I've already started preparing summer food. Like this udon ( noodles made from wheat flour). Used the local dried " inaniwa udon " which is a popular variety here in japan. You just have to boil the noodles until desired chewiness. Drain and run cold water to it . Actually you have to wash it, but be careful not to break the noodles.

prepare...

a can of tuna flakes, drain the oil (healthier)
cucumber , sliced not so thinly
tomatoes, sliced in desired size
udon noodles ( available in asian or japanese groceries)
soy sauce , vinegar , salt and pepper

how to...

mix the soy sauce and vinegar to your desired taste. we have different tastes so this part is really up to you. Place the cucumber and tomatoes in a bowl and drizzle with the sauce. Lastly add the tuna flakes.Add salt and pepper.

Put the noodles on a platter and the sauce on top of it, voila!
You now have a refreshing food for the hot summer days!

Anyway, you can do wonders with this by using your favorite vinegar. White wine vinegar or balsamic may be a daring choice but try it. I 'd love too but my dear hubby would definitely not eat it!

tofu

2006-06-27T18:11:00.000+09:00

If you are on a diet ( I should ) this delicious food is perfect. I always buy the 2 kinds of tofu's. The firm type called " momendofu " is good for cooking like the madodofu from my previous post. While the soft one is best eaten cold and raw. Top it with sliced leeks and grated ginger, and just before you eat it drizzle with soy sauce. uhmmm, very oishi !

arroz caldo...my version

2006-06-24T10:23:00.000+09:00

My hubby had a bad toothache last week. Scheduled to see his dentist and so for a while he was not able to eat solid food. ( like a baby) Cooked this for him, which I usually prepare only during winter. Nobody ( not even mom) taught me how to cook this so I depended on my memories ( taste) when I first made this. It was okay, but Im not sure if it is how it should really taste. Iremember eating this during rainy seasons and when I was sick! If you want to try, here is my version!

Ingredients:
* rice ( 1 1/2 cups )
* garlic ( diced )
* ginger ( diced )
* water ( 1 liter or more )
* chicken ( fillets or bite sizes , my grandmother used chicken wings )
* salt and pepper
* peeled boiled egg and thinly sliced leeks for garnishing

Procedure

1. Heat a small amount of oil on pot. Add the garlic while its still cold. Add the ginger
and wait until it becomes aromatic.
2. Add the chicken and saute.
3. Now add the rice ( no need to wash ) and stir until grains are coated with oil.
4. Put the water and cover.
5. When it boils, remove cover and stir gently. This is the hard part. You have to keep on
stirring it so the rice will not stick to the bottom of the pot. The rice will gradually thicken
and you can add more water. It depends on how you like your congee.
6. Season with salt and pepper!
7. Garnish with the egg and leeks and voila !!

Very simple and tasty dish to warm our bodies during the cold season.

bacon with spinach...

2006-06-14T19:43:00.000+09:00

ingredients:

spinach

bacon

salt

pepper

how to prepare:

heat frypan

put the bacon(no need cooking oil bcoz the bacon itself is oily na)

when the bacon turns into golden brown ,put the spinach(mix it)

then add a bit of salt and pepper

make sure not to over cook the spinach

(this is my own idea, masarap sya)

lunch yesterday

2006-05-17T09:00:00.000+09:00

After having fun at work yesterday's morning, I didnt have energy to cook myself lunch anymore and so I ate at my 2nd favourite fastfood chain...mos burger. Had this mustard chicken burger and veggie salad. Instead of plain mayonnaise , or coleslaw like other shops, they added burdock root and lotus which have lots of dietary fiber. Healthy,huh. They have too or else they will loose costumers. Young people have started being health conscious here...
me?......, Im trying !!

baby scallops

2006-05-15T18:42:00.000+09:00

Small scallops stir-fried in salad oil and butter. Added onions and green pimiento and seasoned with salt and pepper plus a dash of soy sauce because it adds a nice odor to food. Another experiment that happened in my small kitchen. Try it, you might like it!

mabodofu マボ豆腐

2006-05-12T18:11:00.000+09:00

One of my favorite dishes and also one I've mastered cooking. Very easy and so tasty!! I use the spicy mabodofu paste but I still add more chili to it coz I like it hot! A chinese recipe originally but I dont know what its called in chinese. Very popular among japanese people coz its easy to cook at home.

* saute chopped chili, ginger, leeks , garlic until aromatic.
* add ground meat ( pork is best but maybe you can try beef)
* saute until meat becomes brown then add chopped mushrooms ( shiitake )
chopped carrots and add 1 cup of water
* pour the mabodofu paste ( can be found at your local asian grocer )
* simmer for a few minutes, then lastly add tofu that is cut into squares ( bean curd), use the
firm kind
* cover and cook for 3~5 minutes. Dont stir too much!

I usually cook this when Im in a hurry or if Im a little lazy to make extravagant meal. Served with hot rice and some vegetables and you have a treat!!

one plate dinner

2006-05-09T15:30:00.000+09:00

Dinner I had last time we went to the biggest mall here in Akita City. Its grilled chicken with gravy and omorice. ( Japanese term for fried rice wrapped in fluffy omelette.) It was ok, though I admit I sprinkled lots of salt to add flavor. My husband said it was ok, so maybe something was wrong with my taste buds that time.

" oyako don 親子丼　"

2006-05-06T23:45:00.000+09:00

Oyako means parent and child. Don is short for donburi which is a big bowl so if translated oyako don would be " parent and child in a bowl. " Funny name ,huh but its logical since this dish is made up of chicken and eggs.

Here's how to make it .

ingredients for 2 :

* chicken 150 grms. , cut into bite pieces
* nori ( toasted laver) can be found on asian grocery store
* onions , 1 whole sliced
* soy sause ( 1/4 cup )
* sake ( japanese cooking wine ) ( 1/4 cup)
* mirin ( sweet cooking sauce ) (1/4 cup )
sugar can be used if you dont have mirin ( 2 tbsp.)
* shiitake mushrooms
* water ( 1 cup )
* 4 eggs beaten

1. I always use chicken breasts since they are a lot cheaper. Wash and cut into bite pieces.
2. Slice the mushrooms ( you can experiment with other kinds but shiitake is best) and onions.
3. Put mushrooms and onions on a pot, add the chicken and put all the rest of the ingredients except the nori.
4. Cook in medium heat until chicken is tender.
5. Taste it .
6. Add the beaten eggs to the pot and cover immediately, cook in low heat for 2 ~3 minutes.
7. Stir a few times just to blend the chicken and eggs and you're done.
8. Put rice on a bowl, top it with the oyako and put sliced nori on top. Some prefer top it with mitsuba ( honewort) but you can be creative.

introduction

2006-05-06T23:34:00.000+09:00

My family could not convince me to volunteer in the kitchen. Although I love to eat, cooking was a no no to me. That was before I married. Now I found out that cooking can be really fun and satisfying especially if you have someone special to cook for. I started from scratch about 4 years ago. Now I can cook some without even consulting my recipe books.
This blog will be all about food. Not necessarily what I cook but also about savory food from the various restaurants I visit. I am also sharing this blog with " yorokobee" so watch out for us!