Name: Salmon Donburi Rice Bowl
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 200g salmon tartare; 1/2 onion - thinly sliced; 2 tbsp mayonnaise; a dash of salt and sugar; 2 eggs; some chopped scallion; For the sauce (but you can also use off-the-shelf tsuyu); 2 tbsp soy sauce; 1 to 2 tsp sugar; some sesame oil

February 6, 2021

Salmon Donburi Rice Bowl

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Total Time

40 minutes

Ingredients

200g salmon tartare
1/2 onion - thinly sliced
2 tbsp mayonnaise
a dash of salt and sugar
2 eggs
some chopped scallion

For the sauce (but you can also use off-the-shelf tsuyu)

2 tbsp soy sauce
1 to 2 tsp sugar
some sesame oil

Instructions

1. In a cooking pot, bring the water to a boil and cook eggs for 6 minutes. Soak in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes and remove the shell. (Set it aside)
2. In a small cooking bowl, add sliced onion and soak in water for a few minutes. Drain well and add mayonnasie, salt and sugar, mix well. Set aside.
3. In a small cup, add all the sauce ingredients and mix. Microwave 20 sec, set aside.
4. Serve the steamed rice in the first serving bowl, place the onion and salmon tartare (100g). Roast with a cooking torch if you like. Top with egg and pour the sauce! Sprinkle chopped scallion.

Notes

If you have TSUYU, then you can use as the sauce without making your own sauce. I usually use Triple-concentrated one.

February 6, 2021

Genmai Baguette with Roasted Rice

Serving Size

2 medium size baguettes

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

15 minutes

Wait Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the 'genmai' :

50g white or brown short grain rice
2 tbsp water

For the baguette :

200ml water
250g bread flour (T65)
5g fine salt
2g malt powder (optional)
2g dry yeast (i use saf)

Instructions

1. Making Genmai Wash the rice and drain it. In a frying-pan (no oil), add the rice and cook for 1~2 minutes over medium heat. Then add water (2tbsp). Keep cooking until nicely browned. Once it turns brown, then reduce the heat to low. Set aside.
2. In a cooking bowl, add flour, salt, malt powder (optional), yeast and the genmai you just made in #1. Mix well. Add water and mix with a spatula until it comes together. Cover with saran wrap and leave 15 minutes.
3. After 15 min, mix about 1 min with a spatula. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.
4. After 15 min, mix a few times (about 20 sec). Finally cover and let rise in a warm place for a few hours or until it doubles in size.
5. Dust the work surface with a bit of flour, then put the dough on it. Split it in 2 halves. Cover and let them rest 10~15 min.
6. With the first half, using your hand, stretch the dough into a small (approximately) rectangular shape. Fold both sides length-wise over the centreline. Then fold again in the same way making sure you close the seam well (along the centreline). With the seam side down, roll the dough into a 30~35 cm long slender loaf. You can hold it vertically to help stretch it and take shape too.
7. Transfer the baguette to a floured cloth, seam side down to rest. When bough baguette doughs are done, lift up the cloth between the 2 baguettes into a pleat. It will help the dough hold its shape. Let it rise for about 40min (or more) in a warm place or until it about doubles in size (the volume increase actually depends on the temperature).
8. Pre-heat the oven to 240℃ degree.
9. Once the baguettes have risen, gently transfer them onto a parchment-lined baking sheet (seam side down). Slash cut each baguette 3 or 4 times (at a 45 degree angle) along its length, using a baker's lame, razor blade or a very sharp knife.
10. Mist lightly with water and put the baguette into the oven. Bake for about 15 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven and let it cool down on a wire rack.

February 6, 2021

Hot and Sour Soup

Persons

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

50 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil
100g pork belly - thinly sliced, pepper-and-salted
1 tsp potato starch / katakuriko
about 250g soft tofu - cut into cubes
1/2 carrot (~50g) - cut into julienne
2 to 3 shiitake (~60g) - sliced
60g leek - cut into julienne
2 to 3 eggs

For the Soup :

800ml water
3 tsp Chinese chicken bouillon powder
1 tbsp cooking sake or white wine
1 to 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 to 1.5 tsp kosher salt (adjust to your taste)
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp potato starch / katakuriko dissolved in 1.5 tbsp water

Instructions

1. In a cooking pot, heat 1 tsp vegetable oil and cook the pork. When the pork is almost cooked, add carrot, leek and shiitake. Stir-fry for a few minutes.
2. Pour the water (800ml) and bring it to a boil, adding chicken soup powder, cooking sake, soy sauce, kosher salt, oyster sauce.
3. Once it has boiled then add tofu and bring it to a boil again. Add vinegar (1 or 2 tbsp, depending on your taste). Pour the dissolved potato starch to thicken the soup. Then add the beaten eggs but don't mix them in until the eggs are cooked.
4. Serve hot! Add Ra-yu (chili oil) or homemade rayu if you like spicy!

December 12, 2020

Shio Ramen v2 – Salt Flavored

Shio Ramen V2 - Salt Flavored

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

40 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

For the soup stock :

700g (approx) Chicken breast or Thighs - boneless
1/2 tsp fine salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cooking sake or cooking white wine
2L water (approx)

For the soup base :

50 to 80g green parts of a leek - chopped
1 tbsp sesame oil
60ml vegetable oil
5g katsuo/dried bonito flakes
5g garlic cloves - grated
3 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp kobucha/kelp powder
2 tsp chinese chicken bouillon powder
150ml boiled water
Ramen noodles for 5 people
1 tbsp sesame oil

Instructions

1. Make the soup stock In a big cooking pot, add about 2L water and bring it to a boil. Once it boils add the chicken.
2. Bring it to a boil again, then remove from the heat. Cover and leave it for 1 to 2 hours.
3. Meanwhile make the soup base
In a heat-safe bowl, add katsuo flake, garlic and kosher salt and set it aside. In a small cooking pot, add leek, sesame oil and vegetable oil. Bring it to a boil and once it is boiling, simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Then immediately pour this oil mixture into a bowl. Mix well.
5. Add kobucha, chicken powder and boiled water. Mix well : the salt should melt completely. Set aside. You can leave it until the chicken is ready.
6. Using a cooking sieve, strain the soup base into another bowl. Press or squeeze well against the sieve.
7. Transfer the sieve residual into another bowl and blend it with your hand blender until it is smooth like a paste.
8. Remove the chicken from the water and cut it in slices. Set it aside. With the soup stock, strain once and add more water to reach a total of about 2.5L (it's about 500ml per person) then bring it to a boil.
9. Prepare the noodles Cook your ramen according to the package instructions. Place 2 to 3 tbsp (or more) soup base into your serving ramen bowl, add the boiled soup stock, then place the cooked ramen into the soup.
10. Top your ramen with chicken, leek, egg etc.....Sprinkle sesame, and enjoy :)

November 19, 2020

Eggplant mapo

Eggplant mapo - Mapo nasu

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour

Ingredients

2 big eggplants (about 500g) - cut into small cubes
50 to 55ml vegetable oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 leek - roughly chopped
400g ground pork
3 garlic cloves - grated
1 thumb of fresh ginger - finely chopped

Ingredient A

50ml cooking sake or white wine
1 1/2 tbsp sweet bean sauce/tenmenjan or 1 1/2 tbsp white miso and 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 to 2 tbsp chili bean sauce / toban djan
2 tsp chinese chicken bouillon powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
200ml water
1 1/2 tbsp katakuriko/potato starch - dissolve with 3 tbsp water

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, add all ingredient A and mix. Set aside.
2. In a wok, add vegetable oil (~50ml) and 1 tbsp sesame oil. Add eggplants and cook until it softens. Then transfer the eggplants onto a plate and set aside. In the same wok, fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the ground pork and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
3. Add back the eggplants and cook together with the meat. Then add leek and cook for a few more minutes.
4. Add ingredients A (mixed) and cook for a few minutes.
5. Stir katakuriko/potato starch dissolved with water thoroughly. Thicken the sauce. Bring to a rolling boil again and turn off the heat.
6. Serve with hot steamed rice!

November 1, 2020

Fresh Mint Ice Cream

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 egg yolk
10g or more of fresh mint leaves
350ml whole milk
65g white sugar
30g inverted sugar
200ml heavy cream/whipping cream

For the chocolate chips :

80g chocolate
I use a Cuisinart ICE 100, but any other similar compressor machine will do.

Instructions

Making the chocolate flakes
1. In a heat-safe bowl, add chocolate (80g) and microwave for 1 minute at 600W. Mix to melt the chocolate. Microwave another 10 seconds if the chocolate is not melted yet. Repeat until melt completely.
2. Spread melted chocolate over a parchment paper thinly and put it freezer and leave it until firm.
Making the ice cream
3. In a bowl add egg yolk. Pour the milk little by little, and mix. Transfer to a small pan and add sugar. Heat up to 75~80℃ over medium heat, then add the fresh mint leaves. Bring the heat down to low and simmer for 3 min, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.
4. In a heat-safe bowl, add inverted sugar and milk mixture. Mix well to melt completely. Cover and let it cool down completely in a cold water bath.
5. Take out the chocolate sheet from the freezer and crush it into small pieces. Put it back to the freezer until the ice cream is ready.
6. Once the ice cream mixture has cooled down, transfer it to a bowl, using a sieve. Add a little food coloring (green, and natural is better) if you like. No coloring is ok too :) Add heavy cream and mix.
7. Transfer the ice cream mixture into your compressor ice cream maker and let it run according to manufacturer's instructions. It should take 40~60min, depending on how cold the mixture is. In case, you should let it run until the mixture turns thick and creamy.
8. When done, bring out the chocolate from the freezer and mix the chocolate flakes with the mint ice cream. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container. Chill until it has set!