Name: Saba Shioyaki - Recipe for 1 - Japanese Salt Grilled Mackerel
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 1 person
Ingredients: a half fillet of mackerel; 1/2 tsp kosher salt

September 23, 2020

Saba Shioyaki – Recipe for 1 – Japanese Salt Grilled Mackerel

Saba Shioyaki - Recipe for 1 - Japanese Salt Grilled Mackerel

Persons

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Total Time

20 minutes

Saba Shioyaki - Recipe for 1 - Japanese Salt Grilled Mackerel

Ingredients

a half fillet of mackerel
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Remove fish bones, if you see any. Wash under cold water.
2. Spread the salt well on both sides. Leave for about 10 minutes.
3. Dry it up with a kitchen towel.
4. Heat 1 tsp vegetable oil and wipe any excess oil.
5. Cook for about 5 minutes over medium-low heat, then flip and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Enjoy with hot steamed rice :)

September 4, 2020

Japanese Castella Cake

Serving Size

18cm x 18cm x 6cm(H) square mold

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients

4 eggs
120g white sugar
20g brown sugar
50g honey
20g glucose syrup liquid
1 tbsp boiled water
110g bread flour (T65) -sifted

Instructions

1. Cut parchment paper to fit the baking pan (18cm x 18cm x H6cm here). Scatter the sugar crystals over the base of the mold. Set aside.
2. In a small cup, combine honey, glucose syrup and boiling water until smooth. Set aside.
3. Lightly beat the eggs and sugar (white and brown) in a heat-safe bowl, then set over a water bath, beat with an electric hand mixer (at medium speed, not high) until the egg mixture reaches 30°C on a thermometer.
4. Remove from the hot water bath, and continue beating for about 2 minutes at lowest speed.
5. Pour honey mixture from #2 and continue mixing until well combined at lowest speed.
6. Pre-heat the oven to 170℃.
7. Add sifted flour in 3 times. Beat well (at lowest speed) at each addition. Pour the cake batter over the crystal sugar in the prepared mold. Run a spatula through the mixture to remove any air bubbles, and smoothen the surface of the batter with a pastry scraper.
8. Bake the castella for 2 minutes at 170℃, remove from the heat and run a spatula through the mixture to remove any air bubbles. Put it back to the oven and repeat this process 2 more time.
9. Now bake the castella for 10 minutes at 170℃. Then reduce the heat to 150℃, and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes (in doubt insert a thin skewer in the cake, it should come out clean).
10. Remove from the oven and drop down the castella cake (with the mold) over your worktop from about 15cm high. Remove from the cake mold.
11. Place saran wrap over the top of castella tightly and flip the castella cake. Cover the cake with saran wrap completely (all sides) and let it sit wrapped overnight, keeping the top side facing down. This is at room temperature.
12. Unwrap the castella, gently peel off parchment paper. Slice off the sides of the castella with a sharp bread knife and cut castella into 2 halves. Then cut in (approx) 3cm thick slices.

Notes

About the edges of the castella, leftover from the slicing at the end : don't throw them away, you can make delicious rusks with :)
1. Place the edge of castella onto a baking sheet, and bake them for 10 minutes at 160℃ (pre-heated).
2. Turn off the oven (but do not open the door yet), leave for 8 to 10 minutes. Finally remove from the oven and spread on a rack until they cool down. It will be so crispy!

August 4, 2020

Nutella cream cheese cake

Serving Size

18cm whole cake

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

1 hour

Ingredients

For the base cookie crumb :

50g plain flour/cake flour (T45)
12g almond powder
50g sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
dash of salt
45g unsalted butter

For the nutella cream layer :

100ml heavy cream
1/2 tbsp white sugar
110g mascarpone cheese
5g gelatin sheet
150g nutella paste

For the topping :

2 tbsp your favorite nuts ( I used Praline here) - crushed

Instructions

1. Line the bottom of a 18 cm circle cake pan (removable bottom) with parchment paper.
2. Process flour, almond powder, sugar, salt and cocoa powder in a food processor for a few seconds and then add butter. Process until mixture becomes crumbly : do not process too much as the dough should be crumbly.
3. Spread the crumbs onto the baking sheet and bake for about 25 mins at 160℃. Remove from the oven. While the crumbs is hot, press them into the bottom, using a spatula. Set the cake pan aside.
4. In a bowl, add the heavy cream and whip to soft peak, set aside.
5. In an another bowl, add mascarpone and sugar. Mix well until soft. Add nutella and mix together well.
6. Soak gelatin sheet in water for a few minutes, then remove from the water and put in a microwave-safe cup. Microwave for about 15 sec at 600W. Melt it completely and pour over the mascarpone mixture (step 5). Mix well.
7. Add whipped cream (step 4) and mix gently with a spatula.
8. Pour the cream mixture into the cake pan. Flat the top of cake and sprinkle crushed nuts over the cake. Chill it until it has set.

July 18, 2020

Bagna Càuda

Prep Time

30 hours

Cook Time

30 hours

Total Time

60 hours

Ingredients

50g garlic cloves
100ml water
50ml milk
20 to 25g anchovies in oil jar
40ml + 1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp soy sauce
1/3 tsp sugar

Instructions

1. In a small cooking pot, add milk, water and garlic. Cook over medium heat until garlic is soft. Drain and transfer the garlic into a bowl.
2. Put together anchovie filets and olive oil (40ml) with the garlic, blend with your hand blender or (food processor) until it turns into a paste. Then add soy sauce and sugar. Mix.
3. Transfer into a small cooking pot and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook over medium high heat until it boils. Remove from the heat.
4. Serve the sauce warm or cold with raw or cooked vegetables, bread etc.....

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.....