April 10, 2020

Soft Dinner Buns with your Home Bakery

Serving Size

8 buns (breads)

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

2 hours

Ingredients

For 8 buns :

260g bread flour (or 255g/T65 and 5g/gluten flour)
20g white sugar
4g kosher salt
23g unsalted butter
65ml whole milk
130ml water
1/2 tsp mayonnaise
4g dry yeast

For 6 buns :

200g bread flour (or 196g/T65 and 4g/gluten flour)
15g white sugar
3g kosher salt
18g unsalted butter
50ml whole milk
100ml water
1/2 tsp mayonnaise
3g dry yeast

Instructions

1. Add bread flour, (or T65 + gluten flour), sugar, salt, butter, milk, water and mayonnaise 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.
2. When the dough cycle is complete, remove it from the machine and place on a floured surface.
3. Punch the dough down and divide it in 8 (or 6 pieces) pieces. Cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 10 to 15min.
4. Shape each piece into a round ball. Arrange on lined baking trays. Cover and let rise for 40~60min in a warm place or until the dough has doubled in volume.
5. Bake in a preheated 180℃ oven for about 15min. Remove from the oven and let it cool down on a wire rack.

April 10, 2020

Beef Udon – Japanese Niku Udon

Beef "Japanese Niku" Udon

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

45 minutes

Ingredients

For the udon soup

2L water
1 katsuo dashi pack - optional
3 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp fine salt
2 tbsp hondashi powder

For the beef topping

500g beef - shaved or sliced as thinly as possible, and cut into bite sizes
Seasoning for the beef
20g fresh ginger - cut into thin match sticks
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp cooking sake or white cooking wine
2 tbsp mirin
5 tbsp water
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp hondashi powder
Some scallion - finely chopped or sliced
Udon noodles for 5 people
NOTE : When I don't have mirin in stock at home, I use "apple syrup". Dilute it five times with water.

Instructions

1. Making the beef topping
In a cooking pot, add all the seasoning ingredients for the beef, and start to cook over medium-high heat. Just before it boils, add the beef. Cook the beef, stirring occasionally. Once it has boiled, turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 min. Set aside.
2. Making the udon soup
In a big cooking pot, add 2L water and katsuo dashi pack (optional, if manage to get some). Turn the heat to high. Just before it boils, add all the soup ingredients (soy sauce, mirin, sugar, salt and dashi powder) and bring it to a boil. Remove the dashi pack powder from the soup. Set aside.
3. In another large pot, bring water to a boil over high heat. Add the udon and cook until just softish (or the hardness you like of course). Drain and split the udon noodles in each large serving bowl. Pour the hot udon soup form #2 over the noodles.
4. Top with the cooked beef and sprinkle some of sliced scallions over the beef. Serve immediately!
If you like it spicy, I suggest you use "Ichimi Togarashi" or "Yuzu Kosho"

Notes

In Europe it is a bit difficult to find thinly sliced beef. So I usually purchase a whole cut of beef, then I freeze it and slice it myself. These days I love to use "Basse Cote à Braiser" for this dish.

April 9, 2020

Curry senbei (okaki) Japanese Rice Crackers

Persons

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

50 minutes

Curry senbei (okaki) Japanese Rice Crackers

Ingredients

20g rice flour
15 to 20g Japanese curry roux (grated) or 1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/3 tsp sugar
20ml boiled water
150g steamed japanese rice (microwave it if the rice was frozen)
1 tbsp sesame

Instructions

1. In a heat-safe bowl, add rice flour, grated curry roux (or curry powder), sugar and salt. Mix well.
2. Slowly pour the boiled water, using a digital cooking scale. Mix with a silicone spatula until it comes together.
3. Add the steamed rice (microwave it 30s at 600W if it was frozen) and sesame. Knead with your hand (or spatula) until well combined. Pre-heat the oven to 200℃ degree.
4. Spoon some rice mixture (1 to 2 tbsp) and make a ball shape, then flatten it with your hand. Make it thinner using your finger. Place on a baking sheet on an oven tray. Repeat until you use up all the rice mixture.
NOTE : Thinner will make a more crispy senbei!
5. Bake the tray 10min, remove from the oven once and flip all the senbei. Then put it back to the oven and bake again for 10 min.
6. Transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

I also tried with a "Farine de riz complet" and it worked.

April 5, 2020

Senbei (Okaki) Japanese Rice Crackers

Senbei (Okaki) - Japanese rice crackersecipe

Serving Size

15 to 20 senbei

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Total Time

35 minutes

Senbei (Okaki) - Japanese rice crackersecipe

Ingredients

20g rice flour
1/2 tsp fine salt
20ml boiled water
150g steamed japanese rice (Reheat with a microwave if the rice was frozen.)
1 tbsp white or black sesame (your choice)
dash of soy sauce

Instructions

1. In a heat-safe bowl, add rice flour and salt. Mix well.
2. Slowly pour the boiled water, using a cooking scale to help you add the right quantity. Mix with a silicone spatula until it comes together.
3. Add the steamed rice (microwave it for 30 sec at 600W if it was cold and hard), sesame and dash of soy sauce (optional). Knead with your hand until well combined. Pre-heat the oven to 200℃ degree.
4. Spoon some rice mixture (about 1 tbsp) and make it into a ball, then flatten it with your hand. Make it even thinner, using your fingers. Place on the baking sheet on an oven tray. Repeat until you have used up all the rice mixture.
NOTE : The thinner senbei will be crispier.
5. Bake senbei 10 min, pull it out from the oven once and flip all the senbei. Then put it back to the oven and bake for another 10 min.
6. Transfer to a wire rack.

Notes

I also tried with a \"Farine de riz complet\" and it worked.

March 28, 2020

Homemade curry ramen with a pressure cooker

Persons

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 10 minutes

Homemade curry ramen with a pressure cooker

Ingredients

1 tbsp vegetagle oil
350g beef - sliced
2 garlic cloves - finely chopped
a thumb of ginger - finely chopped
1 onion - sliced
1 carrot - cut into small pieces
1 beef bouillon cube
1L water + 800ml water

For the seasoning :

2 tbsp hondashi powder
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp mirin
1 1/2 tsp sugar
6 cubes curry roux (Japanese curry sauce) - about 150g
* you can add more or less, depend on how tick you want your soup.
1/2 tsp salt (if necessary)

Instructions

1. In a pressure cooking pot, heat vegetable oil until hot. Add garlic, ginger and fry until just fragrant. Add the beef and cook for a few min. Then add onion, carrot and stir-fry for about 5 min or until slightly wilted.
2. Add water (1L) and beef bouillon cube. Put the lid on and lock the pressure cooker. Turn the heat to high. Once the pressure builds up, turn the heat down to low and cook at high pressure for about 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the pressure come down naturally.
3. Remove the lid, add another 800ml water. Add the seasoning (hondashi powder, soy sauce, mirin, curry powder, sugar and - optionnaly - salt.
4. Add the curry roux and bring the pot to a boil. Dissolve the roux completely. Make sure you stir once in a while so the curry will not get burnt on the bottom. Your curry soup is ready.
5. Cook noodles according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, serve curry soup in a serving bowl. Immediately place the cooked noodles in the curry soup. Top up with chopped scallion and cheese if you want. Serve hot!

March 27, 2020

Homemade Shio Ramen

Persons

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

2 or 3 boneless chicken thighs - discard excess fat
1L + 1L water
some green parts of a leek (optional)

For the chicken sauce

2 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp cooking sake or cooking white wine
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tbsp sugar

For the shio soup base :

1 leek - sliced (about 5mm) or roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves - grated
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp weipa, shantung or chicken stock powder
1 tbsp katsuo flake
30ml vegetable oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
3 tbsp cooking white wine or cooking sake
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp hondashi powder

Instructions

1. making the soup stock In a big cooking pot, add 1L water, chicken, green parts of a leek and ginger (optional). Heat over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 min.
2. Remove from the heat. Take the chicken, leek and ginger out to a plate. Strain the stock with a sieve to another big cooking pot. Add 1L water more into the stock, then set aside.
3. In a frying-pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and place the boiled chicken skin side down. Cook for about 3~4 min both sides or until a nice golden brown. Add the chicken sauce ingredients (mirin, cooking sake, soy sauce, sugar) and cook until the sauce is reduced about half while flipping the chicken. Turn off the heat. Slice the chicken into bite-size pieces and set aside for the ramen topping.
4. making the shio sauce soup base In a small heat-resistant bowl, add the chopped leek, garlic (grated), shantung, katsuo flake and kosher salt. Set aside.
5. In a small cooking pot, add sesame oil, vegetable oil and heat over medium heat until almost boiled. Remove from the heat and pour this oil over the leek in the bowl from #4. Mix.
6. Add cooking sake, soy sauce and hondashi powder. Mix and set aside.
7. Cook noodles according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, place some "shio soup base" in a serving bowl and pour the soup stock (boiled). Immediately place the cooked noodle into the soup stock. Top with chicken and julienne'd leek over the noodle. Serve hot!

Notes

You can change the quantity of shoyu soup base you add depending on how strong you like it ;-)
You can also add just boiled water to the shio soup base!