Name: Strawberry sorbet
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 5 persons
Ingredients: 500 to 550g fresh strawberries; 50ml water; 120g white sugar (adjust sugar depend on your strawberry's sweetness.); 20g glucose syrup; 1 tsp lemon juice

July 7, 2020

Strawberry sorbet

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

500 to 550g fresh strawberries
50ml water
120g white sugar (adjust sugar depend on your strawberry's sweetness.)
20g glucose syrup
1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. In a small cooking pot, add water, sugar and glucose syrup. Heat over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Melt sugar completely. Place in a cold water bath to let it cool for a moment.
2. Purée the strawberries, using a hand blender, juicer or food processor.
3. Transfer the strawberry puree into a bowl. Mix in 1 tsp lemon juice.
4. Add the sugar syrup from #1 and mix.
5. Set the gelato mixing blade. Transfer the strawberry mixture into your compressor ice cream maker and let it run according to manufacturer's instructions. It should take 40~60min, depending on the coldness of the mixture. In case, you should let it run until the mixture turns thick and creamy.
6. Transfer the gelato to a storage container, and let it freeze until you eat!

June 19, 2020

Mochi ice cream

Serving Size

15 mochi ice cream

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients

200g ice cream - your choice

For the mochi :

100g glutinous rice flour
35g white sugar
1/2 tbsp liquid glucose
180ml water

Instructions

1. Start with the filling
Prepare the silicone mould (here I use a 4cm diameter * 15-hole mould). Place ice cream in each hole. Flatten the surface, using a spoon. Place in the freezer until it is frozen. I usually make this one day before I want to make mochi.
2. Mochi time
Once the ice cream is firm, start preparing the mochi mixture : In a microwave safe glass bowl, combine flour and sugar. Stir to combine. Add the water and glucose, mix with an egg beater until smooth. Cover the bowl lightly with cling wrap.
3. Microwave the mixture for 1 minute. Then stir the dough with a spatula. Put it back in the microwave again for another minute and stir lightly. Put it back in the microwave for another 30 seconds (not 1 min) and stir. And once more microwave for 30 seconds and stir. The mixture should be now very thick and translucent.
4. Transfer the mochi dough on your working surface floured with katakuriko/potato starch. As it is very hot you should use a spatula or a dough cuter. Cut the mochi into 15 equal pieces. Don't forget to coat your hand with katakuriko/potato starch.
5. With your hands, take one of these pieces and flatten it into a thick disc. Then put a frozen ice cream ball from the freezer in the middle of the mochi disc. Pull out the cream balls one at a time from the freezer as they will melt quickly. Pull the edges of the dough disc together to cover the cream ball. Press together the edges to seal well. Smoothen the mochi by rolling it on the dusted board.
6. Quickly cover with the plastic wrap and twist to close. Place each mochi ice cream into a cupcake pan or any kind of plate to keep the shape. (Top side down)
7. Put mochi ice cream back into the freezer for a few hours.
8. Keep them outside for a few minutes before you enjoy to make the mochi gets soften a little bit.

June 14, 2020

Black garlic oil – Ma-yu (Mayu)

Black garlic oil - Ma-yu oil (Mayu oil)

Serving Size

Half of jam bar

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

45 minutes

Ingredients

50g garlic - thinly sliced
50ml vegetable oil
20g lard
1 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

1. Toast garlic slices with your toaster or oven about 10 to 15 min at 170℃ until lightly browned and crispy.
2. In a wok (or frying-pan), add vegetable oil, lard, sesame oil and toasted garlic.
3. Remove 1/4 of garlic when it is lightly browned. Then another 1/4 of the garlic when a bit more browned. Then the third 1/4 of garlic is removed and once more when the garlic turns completely black. So you get garlic in 4 different colors in the end, see the picture.
4. Keep the oil you used to cook the garlic. Transfer the fried garlic to a blender and blend it until it becomes fine powder, then add 2 tbsp of the oil you kept aside. Continue to blend until you have a paste.
5. Add all the remaining oil and blend until well blended.
6. Transfer into a jar of jam or a plate.
7. Pour the "Mayu" over the ramen! Or, as it works nicely too, on fried rice, miso soup etc.....

June 10, 2020

Tonjiru/Butajiru 豚汁

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Total Time

50 minutes

Ingredients

250g pork belly - thinly sliced
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 carrot - cut into small cubes
1 onion - cut into small cubes
1 sweet potato - cut into small cubes
8 shiitake or brown mushrooms - sliced
1 Jerusalem artichoke or 1/2 gobo - thinly sliced (optional)
800ml water
1 tbsp hondashi powder
60g white miso paste

Instructions

1. In a frying pan, heat over medium high and cook the pork until nicely browned and crispy. Set it aside.
2. In a big cooking pot, heat 1 tbsp sesame oil and cook vegetable (cut) for a few minutes. Then add the cooked pork from #1 and shiitake (or mushrooms) and cook for another few minutes.
3. Add water and cook over medium high heat. Add dashi powder and miso. Bring it to a boil. Serve hot!

June 5, 2020

Japanese Soufflé Pancakes

Japanese souffle pancake

Serving Size

1 pancake

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Total Time

40 minutes

Ingredients

1 egg yolk
2 tsp white sugar
1/3 tsp mayonnaise
1 tsp milk
23g plain flour/cake flour (T45)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 egg white
2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

1. Sift together flour and baking powder in a small bowl and set aside.
2. In an another bowl, add egg white and beat for a few seconds with a electric hand mixer. Add lemon juice and resume mixing for 1 minute. Then add sugar and continue mixing for 2 minutes more. Bowl upside down, the meringue should not slide out. Set aside.
2. In an another bowl, add egg yolk, sugar, mayonnaise and milk. Mix with an egg whisk. Then add the sifted flour, and mix with a spatula.
3. Using a rubber spatula, scoop out 20~25% of the meringue and add it to the egg yolk mixture. Mix well with the spatula. Then fold in the remaining meringue until almost combined (do not overmix).
4. Grease your round ring molds (I used 10cm dia and 4 to 5cm high.) or line them with baking paper.
5. Heat a nonstick skillet over the lowest heat and add a little bit of oil to coat the surface. Place the ring mold(s) on the skillet.
6. Fill each mold with the batter. Add about 1/2 tbsp water in the skillet and cover with a lid. Heat on the lowest heat for 5 to 6 minutes.
7. Remove the lid once, slide the ring mold off the pancakes and gently flip the pancake. Add 1/2 tbsp water and cover again with the lid. Heat it for another 5 to 6 minutes.
8. Serve the pancake with your favourite toppings (e.g. butter, maple syrup, whipped cream, matcha powder, ice cream, honey or any fruits!). Tadam!

Notes

How to check if the pancakes are done inside, poke the pancake with a bamboo skewer. The skewer should be without any batter sticking to them:)

June 3, 2020

Black burger buns

Serving Size

8 buns

Prep Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 45 minutes

Ingredients

230g bread flour (or 225g/T65 and 5g/gluten flour)
10g black cocoa powder
35g unsalted butter
25g sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg + water = 175ml
5g dry yeast

Instructions

1. In a heat-safe bowl add butter. Microwave for about 30 sec. Butter will be softened but not melted.
2. Add bread flour, gluten flour, sugar, salt, egg + water and softened butter in the pan of your bread machine. Add yeast in your machine's yeast compartment. Select dough cycle and press start as per manufacturer's instructions.
3. When the dough cycle is complete, remove it from the machine and place on a floured surface.
4. Punch the dough down and divide it in 8 pieces. Cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rest for about 15min.
5. Shape each piece into a round ball then flatten them. Arrange on lined baking trays (or burger buns mold). Cover and let rise for 40~60min in a warm place or until the dough has doubled in volume.
6. Bake in a preheated 180℃ oven for about 10min. Remove from the oven and let it cool down on a wire rack.

Check out this video if you prefer to use a stand mixer :