Name: Katsuo Furikake - Japanese Rice Seasoning
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 tsp vegetable oil; 40g shokupan (white bread); 10g katsuo dried bonito flakes; 1/2 tsp kobucha (Japanese kelp powder); 1 tbsp roasted white sesame; 3 to 4 tsp sugar; 1.5 tbsp soy sauce; 1/2 nori sheet - cut into small pieces

August 29, 2021

Katsuo Furikake – Japanese Rice Seasoning

Katsuo Furikake - Japanese Rice Seasoning

Serving Size

1 jar

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

Katsuo Furikake - Japanese Rice Seasoning

Ingredients

1 tsp vegetable oil
40g shokupan (white bread)
10g katsuo dried bonito flakes
1/2 tsp kobucha (Japanese kelp powder)
1 tbsp roasted white sesame
3 to 4 tsp sugar
1.5 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 nori sheet - cut into small pieces

Instructions

1. Make the shokupan into crumbs with your food processor.
2. Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil over medium heat, fry the bread crumbs (panko) until crispy or brown lightly. Transfer onto a plate and set aside.
3. In the same frying-pan, (without heat yet) add the katsuo flakes, soy sauce, sugar and kobucha (kelp powder). Now turn the heat on, cook over medium heat. Then soon add the bread crumbs, stirring continuously so that there is no lump.
4. Add roasted sesame and cook over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Transfer to a plate and let it cool down. Once cooled, it will be crispy.
5. Transfer to a bowl and add nori. Enjoy over steamed white rice or blend it in when you make Onigiri :)

Notes

Store in a jar at the room temperature.

August 29, 2021

Spinach Ramen Noodles with Philips Pasta Maker

Spinach Ramen Noodles w Philips Pasta Maker

Serving Size

3 to 4 people

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

35 minutes

Spinach Ramen Noodles w Philips Pasta Maker

Ingredients

for 400g flour mix :

- 100g spinach - washed and drained
- 7g gluten
- 350g bread flour
- 43g potato starch (katakuriko)
- 3g fine salt
- 3g baking soda
- some water (to bring the spinach puree up to 148g)

Instructions

1. Add spinach in a bowl and blend with a hand blender or a food processor until a paste.
2. Strain with a cooking sieve and transfer into another bowl (I got 80g of it). Now add enough water to reach 148g. Add baking soda and fine salt, mix well. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, add bread flour, gluten flour and potato starch (katakuriko). Mix well.
4. Set the angel hair disc (1.3mm) to the pasta maker and add the flour mix into the machine.
5. Start the program and then pour the spinach water. Stir a little while you pour and use a rubber spatula if needed to help it out and in the tank.
6. Prepare the tray to receive noodles and sprinkle potato starch lightly on it.
7. Pause once and cut the first 10cm of noodles. Put them back in the machine's tank. Then resume to continue.
8. Dust the noodles with potato starch and cut when it reaches your target length. Repeat until the machine stops or the dough is finished.

June 4, 2021

Homemade Udon with Philips Pasta Maker V2

Serving Size

3 to 6 people

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

25 minutes

Homemade Udon with Philips Pasta Maker V2

Ingredients

Ingredients for 600g flour (for 5 to 6 people)
400g cake flour/plain flour (T45)
100g katakuriko/potato starch
100g tapioca starch
216ml water
Ingredients for 500g flour (for 4 to 5 people)
330g cake flour/plain flour (T45)
85g katakuriko/potato starch
85g tapioca starch
180ml water
Ingredients for 400g flour (for 3 to 4 people)
270g cake flour/plain flour (T45)
65g katakuriko/potato starch
65g tapioca starch
144ml water
Ingredients for 300g flour (for 2 to 3 people)
200g cake flour/plain flour (T45)
50g katakuriko/potato starch
50g tapioca starch
108ml water

Instructions

1. Mix dry ingredients (plain flour, tapioca flour, potato starch) in a bowl and mix well. Transfer to "Philips Pasta Maker" equipped with the udon extrusion disc. Close lid.
2. Turn the machine on and set it for the quantity you are going to be making. Press Start.
3. Slowly pour water through the opening in the lid.
4. Udon dough will begin to form and udon noodle will come out within a few minutes (3 min). Cut the first udon noodles at about 10cm length and put them back in the machine's mixing tank. That's because the first udon is not smooth enough.
5. The noodles will be extruded. Now cut the udon every 30 to 35cm following your preference.
6. Toss the udon noodles with a little bit of flour or potato starch to prevent sticking.
7. Repeat until the machine stops or the dough is finished.
Serve with hot soup or cold or prepare for stir-fry!

May 1, 2021

Ice Cream Waffle Cone

Serving Size

5 to 8 cones

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

15 minutes

Total Time

25 minutes

Ingredients

1 egg white
15g white sugar
15g brown sugar
10g glucose
12g hazelnut oil
1tsp milk
0.3g salt
0.1~0.2g baking soda
35g plain flour or cake flour (T45) - sifted

Instructions

1. In a bowl, add egg white and mix lightly with a egg whisk. Add white sugar, brown sugar and mix.
2. Add hazelnut oil, mix. Add milk and then mix.
3. Add glucose syrup and mix. Then add salt and baking soda. Mix. Add sifted flour in a few times and mix. Let it sit for about 10 min.
4. Heat your pan and brush with oil on both sides. Once the pan is hot, decrease the heat to low. Pour 1 to 2 tbsp batter on the pan, cook the cone until nicely browned on both sides, flipping occasionaly.
5. Immediately move to your countertop to shape the cone. Form into a cone while it's hot, squeezing the end to seal. Repeat for the next.
6. Enjoy with ice cream!

May 1, 2021

Anko Red Beans Paste Tsubuan

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

1 hour

Total Time

2 hours

Ingredients

200g azuki beans - washed and drained
150 to 200g sugar (use more or less depending on your taste)
a dash of salt
water, as much as necessary

Instructions

1. Place azuki beans into a cooking pot and add about 800ml water (3 to 4 times the azuki weight). Cook over high heat and bring it to a boil.
2. Once it is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 min. After 5min turn off the heat and cover, let it rest for 15 to 20 min. Then drain well.
3. Transfer the cooked azuki beans into a clean cooking pot. Add 600ml water, cook over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, skim off scum. Then cover and cook for about 30 min over medium-low heat. Check regularly that the water level is high enough to cover the beans.
4. After 30 min, check if azuki is ready. If not soft enough, cook another 10 min. Once ok, remove from the heat. Cover and let it rest for 30 min.
5. After 30 min, turn the heat to medium-high heat. Again check that you have just enough water to cover the azuki (adjust by adding or removing water as needed). Just before it boils, add sugar (first 150g then add more if any till 200g) and a dash of salt.
6. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes on medium heat, while stirring occasionally. Let almost all the water evaporate. Transfer to a plate!
7. If you don't use it all, wrap the leftover and freeze. Usually I freeze it in separate 100g portion.

April 3, 2021

Face Mask – easy and quick to make, less fog, no pattern

I tried to make masks of several styles and now I think this one is the best. Also it is very easy and quick to make. Then if you wear glasses, it will definitely fog much less. Here I show “Size M”. For the other sizes, please check the bottom of this page.

Draw the pattern as shown on your usual printing paper. Cut it. Then place it over the fabric and cut the fabric.

Fold both cuts in half and iron press them in the center.

Put them together face to face matching the center point. Then sew with 0.7cm seam allowance (the green dotted line).

Turn the mask and do the same for the opposite edge. Sew with 0.7cm seam allowance (the black dotted line).

Now both edges are done.

Turn the right sides out, and iron press along the top and bottom edges. Make sure to leave a gap of about 1mm so that “liner” does not show when looking from the front side.

Fold along the center line and cut off the corners. The green arrows show you where to cut, along the white lines. They are also drawn on the patterns for the other sizes at the end of this post.

Unfold and sew the top edge (with 7mm seam allowance) and bottom edge (with 1 to 2 mm seam allowance) as shown. As per the green dotted line.

If you have “nose wires”, it is time to use them now.

Insert a “nose wire” from the side in the space left by the 0.7mm allowance along the top edge, as shown with the green arrow. Feed it inside the space and place it at the center.

Once the nose wire is placed in the center, sew the sides at each end (the green lines, indicated by the arrows) with small stitches (i do #1). It will prevent the nose wire from moving.

Fold 4cm from the bottom and iron press.

Fold 5cm from the top and iron press.

Turn the mask to the other side and sew top and bottom with 1 to 2 mm seam allowance (along the green dotted line).

Turn to the other side again, fold out the top and bottom as shown. Mark 4 points on the right side of the outside mask, on the first fold line. Where red dots are indicated by the green arrows. Use a water soluble sewing pencil.

Now mark 4 other spots 1cm from the edge (top side) and 2cm from the edge (bottom side). This time they are on the liner fabric edge, as shown (the red dots below).

Match the marks together and clip the fabric in position.

Cut off the parts (right and left) outlined in green. Be careful not to cut into the front layer of the outer mask. The picture below shows the mask after cutting.