Cold Soba

Cold Soba is the easiest dish to prepare. All you need is to boil the noodles & serve it chilled, eaten with a dipping sauce.
How difficult can that be?
Imagine the price one gotta pay when you choose to eat this dish in the restaurants.
Usually, I will stock soba and the dipping sauce for lazy days when I am at a lost of what to eat.
And when friends pop over for surprised visits, I will whip this dish & feed them.

Oyakodon 親子丼

Oyako-Don means “Parent & Child Don”. The main ingredients in this dish are chicken, egg & onion.
Why call it the “Parent & Child Don”??
Well, simply it’s just a reflection between the chicken (mother) & egg (child), hence the name of this dish. {{Interesting!!!}}

Oyako-Don
(Serves 1)

What U need:

• 150g Chicken breast - sliced
• 1 medium Onion - sliced
• 100g Fresh Shitake mushroom - sliced
• 1pkt Enoki mushroom
• 1 Egg-beaten
• 1 Egg yoke for garnish
• Seaweed for garnish
• 1 bowl of rice

Seasonings:

• ½cup Chicken broth - preferably dashi
• ½tsp Sugar
• ½tsp Mirin
• 1tsp Rice wine or Sake
• 2tsp Soy sauce

Method:

1. In a small frying pan on medium heat, bring the liquid ingredients to the boil.
2. Then add the chicken, onion and both mushroom & simmer for a couple of minutes.
3. It may appear to be quite liquidly, that is good.
   (One of the delights of donburi dishes is letting the liquid soak into the rice.)
4. Next, pour the egg over the top of the pan.
5. Pour it in a spiral around the pan into the centre.
6. Let it cook VERY briefly.
   (It should be still a little runny when you transfer it to the serving bowl.)
7. Transfer it from the pan to a bowl of hot rice.
8. Make sure the liquid goes with it too.
9. Garnish with egg yoke & strips of seaweed.

SanShoKu-Don 三色丼

Sanshoku means three colours or three different toppings in this dish.
Don is short for Donburi (rice with savoury toppings).

Sanshoku-Don can be made with pretty much anything U fancy.
What I used today is chicken, scrambled eggs & stir-fry spinach.

Place the ingredients on top of the rice & spread them evenly.
There U have it.....three yummy toppings over hot rice for dinner.

What U need:

• 1 bowl of Rice
• 200g Chicken-minced
• 2 Eggs-beaten
• 1 bunch Spinach

Seasonings:

(A)

• 2tbsp Soy sauce
• 1tbsp Sugar
• 1tbsp Rice wine
• 1tbsp Ginger juice

(B)

• 2tsp Sugar
• ½tsp Salt
• ½tsp Vinegar

(C)

• 1tbsp Sesame oil
• 1tbsp Soy Sauce

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with (A) for 1 hr.
2. Heat pan & fry chicken till cooked.
3. Add (B) to beaten eggs & scramble, taking care not to over cook the eggs.
4. Blanch spinach and add (C) & fry briefly.
5. Spoon the above 3 ingredients over the rice evenly.
6. Serve hot.

Japanese Pickle

Besides having kimchi in my fridge all year round, occasionally, I do make a variety of other pickles. I enjoy pickling as much as eating them.

This version of pickle is elf’s favorite. Whenever he goes through a phase of pecking on his food like a bird, I will make a tubful of Japanese pickles.
It will work up an appetite for him.
It saves me the frustration of nagging him to finish his meal, cuz this pickle work miracles.

This pickle is crunchy & very appetizing…..

What U need:

• 1 large Chinese cabbage
• 1 med Carrot - shredded
• 1 med Capsicum - sliced thinly

Pickling sauce:

• 1 cup Vinegar
• ½ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Mirin

Method:

1. Wash & tear cabbage to bite size.
2. Blench it with hot water briefly & soak in iced water for a few mins and drip dry.
3. Prepare pickling sauce in a large flat container.
4. Put cabbage, carrot, capsicum into pickling sauce & chill for 12 hrs.

Note

Adjust the sweetness of the pickling sauce to your liking. More if you have sweet tooth, less if you are are not.

Ginger Chicken

Tuesday - Cooking night ... ……..going simple tonight as I have many household chores to tackle.
So many things to do…So little time.... ..... ... Sigh !!!
Off I go now…..to continue where I last stop.


Ginger Chicken
(Serves 2)

What U need:

• 200g Chicken-sliced

Seasoning:

• 1tbsp Rice wine
• 1tbsp Mirin
• 1tbsp Ginger juice
• 2tsp Soy sauce
• 2tsp Water
• ½tsp Sugar
• ½tsp Garlic - minced
• ½tsp Sesame oil
• Dash of white pepper
• Some roasted white sesame

Method:

1. Marinate the chicken with the seasonings for 1 hr.
2. Heat pan with a little oil & fry chicken till all liquid are absorbed by the chicken.
3. Served chicken over hot rice with some roasted sesame, accompanied with any vegetable of your choice.

Chicken Drumstick Donburi

My weekly cooking schedule is very much fixed ever since elf started going to school this year.

I usually cook proper meal and bake on Tues and Wed.
For the rest of the week, elf has classes in the evenings, so we just dine out.
Weekday’s lunches are mostly simple, quick & easy meals and fuss free too.
During weekends, if we opt to stay home, I may cook a bit and bake something more elaborate.

Today is Tuesday…….so it’s cooking day.
I had my menu planned last night but my ‘nua-ness’ took the better of me.
I had plans to bake some buns & an Almond Tart but they have been put onto my To-Do list for another time.
However, I did managed to assemble a meal of Chicken Donburi as planned.
Donburi is a Japanese dish of course…the word donburi means ‘rice bowl dish’.
In other words, donburi meals are simply rice served with fish, chicken, beef or what ever U fancy.
The meat or poultry are usually cooked in sweetened or savory stew, with one or two beaten eggs simmering on top until they are nearly set then poured over the top of the rice.
Here’s is the recipe for today’s Chicken Drumstick Donburi.

Chicken Drumstick Donburi

What U need:

• 8 fresh mini - Chicken drumsticks (U may use any meat U like)
• 1 large Onion - sliced finely
• 2 large Potatoes - quartered
• 100g Frozen peas
• 2 pkt Enoki mushrooms
• 1 cup Chicken stock
• 2 tbsp Corn flour + ½ cup water = Cornstarch mixture

Marinate:

• 1 cup Mirin
• ½ cup Rice wine
• ½ cup Japanese soy sauce
• 1tbsp Sugar

Method:

1. Wash & marinate the meat in the marinating sauce for 1 hr.
2. Prepare the potatoes & onions.
3. Defrost the peas.
4. Wash & dry the enoki mushroom.
5. Heat pan & sauté the onions till soft.
6. Add potatoes & fry till brown.
7. Add meat & con’t stir-frying till meat turns pink.
8. Add remaining marinate and chicken broth & bring to boil, then simmer for 10 mins till meat is cook thoroughly.
9. Add the peas & mushroom, con’t simmering & turning the meat to fully coat it with the broth (If the broth dries up, U may add more chicken stock).
10. About 10 mins later, add the cornstarch mixture & simmer for another 10 mins.
11. Pour it over rice.

Note:

Try & use a flat pan with cover; this will ensure the meat is cook evenly.
U may add beaten eggs, just spread it on top without stirring for 2 mins & serve immediately.

Crispy Salmon Onigiri

Onigiri is a Japanese snack made of rice formed into triangles or balls and wrapped in nori. Traditionally, the onigiri is filled with pickled ume, salted salmon, katsuobushi, or any other salty or sour ingredient.

This what I made for lunch today but I omitted the ume & added broccoli instead for a healthier choice.

A great meal on it’s own….U get your carbo, fiber, protein all in a triangle.
Very simple to make and great for picnics or packed lunch.


What U need:

• 2 cups Japanese rice
• 800g Salmon
• 1 packet Prepared seaweed mix
• 1 large floret Broccoli

Method:

1. Marinate salmon liberally with salt for 1 hr.
2. Wash & cook rice.
3. Wash & boil broccoli till soft, mash & set aside.
4. Fry salmon till brown & crispy, do not over cook or else the salmon will become very dry.
5. Scoop cooked rice on to a large pan, mix salmon, seaweed & broccoli evenly.
6. Shape into triangles or balls.
7. Serve hot or cold.

Note:

Onigri is very versatile, so be creative & add in any ingredients U fancy. After all U must be happy with what U are eating.

糖 心 蛋 & Shoyu Ramen

The first time I ate 糖 心 蛋 was more than 10 years ago at a Ramen joint in Osaka.
When I saw these eggs served on the noodles….I was facinated wondering how these eggs were cooked.

As U can see the yolk is still runny, but the egg white looked like it was cooked in the braising sauce for a long time to achieve that deep dark colour. If U look at our Chinese 鲁 蛋, U know that the eggs had been cooked for a long time in the braising sauce in order to achieve the deep colour.

To me it was like some work of a great culinary chef… where mere mortal like me can ever achieve.
Imagine…braising an egg without cooking the yolk.

But I was wrong……….read on.

I went around asking my Japanese colleagues on how to achieve these effect on the egg. I was given a few variations…but mostly similar method. I went and combined all the recipes & came up with this recipe which I have been using ever since.

Here, I would like to share with U….the steps in making these tasty eggs.
Bet U’ll be awed at how simple it really is to make them….U don't need any skills to make these egges. Rest assured they are simpler than frying a sunny side up.

What U need:

• 6 Eggs
• ½ cup Shoyu (Japanese Soya Sauce)
• ½ cup Mirin
• ¼ cup Jap rice wine
• 2 cups Cold water
• A pot of iced-water for cooling the boiled eggs
• A large zip-lock bag

Method:

1. Boil the eggs for 4 mins not more...not less ….uncovered.
2. Remove immediately & immerge the eggs into the pot of iced-water for 15mins.
3. Meanwhile prepare and boil the above liquid & set aside to cool, better if it's chilled (U may prepare it earlier).
4. Peel eggs & place them into the zip-lock bag.
5. Pour in the liquid till all eggs are fully covered.
6. Chill for at least 12 hrs.

Note:

1. For fear of the zip-lock bag bursting, do place it in a container.
2. When peeling the eggs, do handle with care.....they are very fragile.
3. Whenever I have Ramen or Udon on my meal plan for the week, I’ll prepare these eggs in advance.

Today is Shoyu Ramen day……here’s a bowl I had for lunch earlier.

Look at how beautiful the egg yolks are.

Tuna Sushi Roll

Whenever I am sick of eating out or simply too lazy to cook.
I will make sushi with whatever I have in the larder or fridge.
Today is that kind of day where nothing appeals to me.
So, it’s Tuna Sushi Roll for dinner tonight.

On the side U can see some anchovies...(Those dark strange looking lump)
Hub’s working with a Jap company….
Annually before the Golden Week, the head office will ship down lots of Japanese Goodies for their staffs.
And this "I don’t know what it’s name Anchovies" is one of them.
These tiny fishes go extremely well with rice…..but the Japs usually eat it with a good cold beer.

Well…working for a Jap company can be a mind boggling at times and sometimes you may have to work like a dog , but they do have ... it’s perks too….*GrinS*!

Fried Udon

Fried Udon was my favorite dish when I was residing aboard.
This dish is available at almost every food outlet.

Today’s udon is fried wz crabsticks, fishballs, and sliced pork, shredded carrots & vege with lots & lots of garlic.

Japanese Curry Rice