Japanese curry!

When we say curry, it is an Indian food. Yes, it is originally from India while it has spread out all over the Asia region to make each of them being a localised dish.

Travelling few thousand miles away from India, it becomes like this:)
 

In Japan, it becomes a very popular dish among kids and young people.
There are even specialised restaurants which only serve this type of curries.

People usually cook this with a so called 'Curry Roux' a pre-made solid curry mixture made of spices, flour, and stock.
Varieties of those are widely available in Japan not only the curry mixture but also Hayashi-Rice - A sort of red colour beef stroganoff;), 'Stew' (in Japanese definition is different to those being recognised in other countries).

I have made this curry with some spices with bay leaves, galam masala, ground coriander, turmeric, mixed spice, etc. at my choice of my mood on the day;), together with perhaps half amount of the 'curry roux'.

For meat,  I use chicken or pork, always with bones as it adds definitely a good flavours.
And onions, carrots, celery stalks, potatoes, mushrooms are used for basic vegetable ingredients.

Please feel free to ask me for more information how to make this curry!
Many thanks for reading again!







 

Japanese food!

By viewing my blog, people probably can not recognize where I am from unless they read well my writing (with a broken English;))
I am originally from Japan, being raised there till being a grown up.
I love my country, miss a lot sometimes not only the food there but also a clear, more clear than elswhere transitional four seasons, the people, the accuracy for everything;), etc...

And so here is something that I can introduce as a recognised Japanese food.
I would not say it is 'authentic' Japanese food as I believe that it has been created in California - the California roll while the basic skill of rolling sushi is of authentic Japanese thing.

I have been doing this california roll (and other sushi) making lessons, mainly in vicinity of London, and occasionally, Brussels.
Please contact kitchen.momiji@gmail.com for further information.

My favourite pub

How long I have not been to this fabulous pub... just because it is not possible to visit there with public transport, it is far out of London, in a mid of nowhere;)

This visit assures me of nominating a best bub in the UK!
Dishes are now even better when compared to several years ago.

I used to visit there often when I was living in the vicinity in Hertfordshire, just a bit North of M25.
It was in Tuesday afternoon, the TUESDAY lunch time and the place is still packed with local people, I would have to repeat that it can only be reached after driving very narrow roads of countryside, no buildings are around and the forest of Ashridge is just ahead, and still people are coming to eat and drink!

When in a pub in a country side, we have to start with a local ales...
The guy at the bar counter kindly let us try those three ales, and,

I have chosen this,

and then, a Scotch egg to start the lunch.

It was unexpectedly a cold dish, anyways, a perfect match between sour pickled veggies and the Scotch egg with a nice presentation of the plate.

I picked: slow roasted breast of lamb (unfamiliar with a naming of the part 'breast' of lamb), ummm, yammy! everything is just perfectly cooked! Veggies are the real ones..

My friend picked pheasant,

This was also just superb, poultry dishes are often cooked dry, but not with this place.

Regrettably, the photo of dessert is missing while I have enjoyed also a rather tasting sophisticated (more smooth and less sugary) banana sticky toffee pudding.

Such a wonderful Tuesday afternoon I have had with nice weather:)

Bordeaux wine tasting

Again! I come back for wines!
Been to Bordeaux 2001 tasting which as it all shows in the title, seven Bordeaux reds from seven different regions (St=Estephe, Pouillac, St. Julian, Margaux, Pessacx-Leognan, St=Emilion, Pomerol), but still vintage with 2001.
2000 is known for great Bordeaux year while 2001 is 'cute' according to the organiser of this tasting event.

Those I have tasted are:

1. Chateau Picard (St=Estephe),
2. Chateau Grand Puy Lacoste (Pauillac)
3. Sarget de Gruaud-Larose (St. Julian)
4. Chateau d'Angludet (Margaux)
5. Chateau Haut-Bailly (Pessacx-Leognan)
6. Chateau Belair (St=Emilion)
7. Chateau Rouget (Pomerol)

We did blind at the beginning and I only did correct for 1, 4 and 5 ;)

1 is a cheap option (retail price at GBP14.99) and that's why it has been easily recognised, I would have to say it is not worth buying...
2,5,6 are wines that I would choose as good wines, while my favourite is still Margaux as a region.

Among those 7 is extraordinary different, with strong mushroom, leather, animal like nose that nobody has raised hand as a favourite (as well as 1);)

Once again, I did study a bit more about Bordeaux wines and are fascinated a bit more... I like those new world wines as well as the old world, while French wines are really the basic yet classy which other part of world can not copy!!! Love that!!!

Private dinings

While I have been away from this blog, I did two private dinings.
I have been doing this service with both European (mainly French and Italian) and Japanese cuisine, of which consists of three course menu (amuse bouche, starter, main and dessert) for minimum four people, or several sharing plates for six people or more.

Regrettably, I always miss to take pictures through the entire courses (of course I have to be a cook rather than being a photographer...) that I am always disappointed (and blame on myself) for not being left with good pics...

As an example, here are some of my sample menus which I have recently done:

<Party menu>
 Sharing 4 kinds of canapes, soup, main, and dessert for 7 people

Canape1:  Prawn cocktail
Canape2: Roquefort (French blue cheese), walnut, and fig with honey sauce on endive (chicory) leaf
Canape3: Smoked salmon with dill cream on endive leaf
Canape4: Mushroom pizza
Soup:  Chestnut soup with tomatoes and chorizo
Main:  Slow roasted shoulder of Lamb
Dessert:  Gateau chocolat


<Italian three course menu>

Pre starter:  Caprese (plum tomato, Buffalo mozzarella, and basil leaves)  pintxos style
Starter: Home made orechiette with broccoli and anchovy
Main: Baby chicken (poussin) Diabola
Dessert: Bavarois with pine nut praline

Some of pictures that have luckily been taken are:

Prawn cocktail
(canape 1)



Canape 2 (Roquefort, Fig and walnut , and 3 (Smoked salmon with dill cream)

Mushroom pizza

Gateau Chocolat (birthday version) : I do cake delivery within my area. For more information, please contact kitchen.momiji@gmail.com)

Caprese

Will continue with more pics in future!
Many thanks for reading/viewing...

Corn bread

I assume that it is originally from the US as it is called 'bread' whereas being more like a cake (just as a cake made with banana is called banana bread there).
In fact, I experienced to taste the corn bread for the first time in the US, at a hotel in a casino town somewhere near Palm Springs.
I was so delighted to have the 'bread' which has been baked in a muffin mould at beginning of a dinner.
Since then, I have tried so many recipes and finally, I have made my own recipe which I have been successfully present texture that I really want!

And here it is...


<Corn bread recipe>

Ingredients:
100g Butter
60g Sugar
2pcs Eggs
100ml Milk
130g Plain flour
100g Corn meal (fine), not corn flour
4g Baking powder

Preparation
- Butter the loaf tin and dust flour.
- Preheat an oven at 180 degree.

1. Mix butter and sugar well until the colour gets pale in a bowl either with a plastic spatula or a whisk.
2. Sift flour, corn meal and baking powder all together.
3. Add eggs one by one into 1 with whisk.
4. Mix in 2 into 3 with a whisk.
5. Add milk.
6. Pour in into the loaf tin and flatten it with plastic spatula, and let the air out by dropping the tin few times lightly off to the worktop.
7. Bake for about 35 min. (time depending on the oven)

No special skills are necessary but mix the ingredients!
This is good for a breakfast as it is not too sweet...

Staying in Brussels

My trip to Brussels was full of fun!

It was mainly a gormandise exploring, Midi market tour, did some cooking classes, my friend's son's 1 year old birthday party (from Chinese Dim Sam to Vietnamese noodles and nice cakes from Japanese run 'a real' French style patisseries..etc.. ) and I did some Sashimi salad and Swiss rolls...

I have never seen this big cabbages!

This Midi market has a varieties of food from vegetables to meat and fish, it is not like Borough market in London which has been established a sort of stylish atmosphere that tourists would be interested in but more likely that local people visit for a bargain grocery shopping which is much cheaper and  more fresh than you buy from the local supermarket.

One of the following Metro station can be used to access to the market: Midi, Clemenceau or Delacroix

The market opens on Friday and Saturday if I rememeber correctly...

Here are two very impressive cake shops I have been introduced by a local friend:

1. Patisserie Sasaki

Traditional French style patisserie which is run by a Japanese Patissier.

My friend ordered a birthday cake from this shop which has been an communication issue that they had made not a croquem bouche but a cake that some little choux buns are piled up on top of puff pastry based cake.

Although she was a bit disappointed for not being provided with what she exactly wanted, it was very delicate flavoured  lovely cake just as I expected..!! (the photos on the top was the one)

2. Les Tartes de Francoise

It is more like a new style concept cake shop which has no display of products but the list which you can pick whatever you like out from the rack of the kitchen.
Cakes there are light, less sweet and simple that big piece can easily fit to your tammy;)
The cake in the picture is for a tasting! a piece of cake for a tasting!!!

It was an airy cheesecake with coffee flavour, just simple, no frills cake.

Pattisserie Sasaki
Avenue de Franciscaine 10, 1150

MON-SAT 1000-1830

SUN/Holiday 0800-1300

Close on WED

Tel: 02.779.0568

Les Tartes de Francoise

www.tartes.be

Av de l’hippodrome, 75
1050 Bruxelles
Tel : 02 640 88 41

Fax : 02 644 95 30

MON-SAT 0900-1800

SUN 0900-1600

Bordeaux's two of five finest chateaus

Recently I have joined a secret wine tasting club (when it is said 'secret', I can't tell any details of the club...), which I can have a varieties of fine wines.
I have attended the second one a few days ago and tasted already TWO of the wines from Bordeaux's finest chateau's:

Chateau Mouton Rothchild (1997)
Chateau Margaux (1988)

 

My impression first of all is that those top rated wines are needless to say different!!!  (first time for me to try those)

Among these two, I like C. Margaux more, with its so much complex it has, the aromas is even closer to floral perfumes or bouquet and with very high tannin, the colour is with very dark garnet, the nose is again floral yet also cherries, and other dark colour berries aromas with a scent of something not edible;) -I can't express, sorry for the lack of experience or the expression..

Anyways, the common features of these wines are still young and powerful when they are already over 15-25 years of age!!, I am sure I can't tell that these are indeed when it is served blind.

By trying those, I just start to wonder what sort of vineyard it is grown from, what those grapes look like no matter which stage they are growing, the climate, the condition of the soils, the geography, and so on and so on.... or even start to doubt these are really made of grapes and going through the usual method of making wines??? (I'm sure they are...), well it really does have the difference!!!

I am spoiled already;)

Easy cous cous with pan fried vegetables

Here is an easy recipe for your quick lunch or side dish to be accompanied with some main dish, European or Middle Eastern style of fish or meat whatever you feel like having;), the cous cous salad, Aki style^^;
Cous cous is anyway a very convenient carbohydrate ingredient, probably the most efficient in terms of cooking time.
All you need is to place it in a bowl with a olive oil or butter, and boil some water to pour in and wait for 5 minutes and done!
That is how we make 'plain cous cous' which you can probably eat with Moroccan style stew or even with any kinds of curries... but here, you need a bit extra cooking.


<Cous cous Aki style>

-Ingredients for two people as a main dish-
150g   　　Cooked cous cous　
50g     　　Shallot or onion - finely chopped
40g     　　Carrot - finely chopped
30g     　　Aubergine -finely chopped
20g     　　Paprika -colour can be any of your choice - finely chopped
20g     　　Dried fruits of your choice - here I use raisin and apricot
1.5 tbsp 　Tomato puree
                 Jalapeno, if you like it hot - finely chopped

Spice of your choice -e.g. ground coriander, cumin seeds, turmeric, chili powder, etc.
Salt & Pepper to taste

-Cooking instruction-
1. Cook cous cous according to the instruction on a package.
2. Chop all vegetables.
3. Pan fry shallot (or onion) first till it turns very light brown colour, and add the rest of vegetables and cook for about 3-4 min.
4. Add tomato puree to incorporate, and then dried fruits.
5. Season with some spices, salt and pepper.
6. Mix in finely chopped parsley.
Note that vegies can be anything you have in a fridge, from courgette, celery, cucumber, to beetroot, celeriac, etc.etc...

That's it! Easy!
Hope you will enjoy cooking (not just reading...)

Petit four series 3!

Manju and me again made some petit four few days ago.

From left, Mont Blanc, Chocolate Madeleine, and some fruit tartlettes and financiers on the picture right.
Not much work to make these things to be honest, I just made Pate sucre, creme pattissiere in advance and then the chestnut cream (creme chantilly mixed with malon puree) and little meringue to place inside of the Mont Blanc.

I tried to make the meringue by microwave which I won't be doing it again as it did not dry out completely. (it once got crispy but it became soggy in an hour or so)
Manju made the madelaines and the financiers.

I didn't look at any recipes for the chestnut cream which I regretted... the double cream had to be far less than what I used (Probably the ratio should be: 7-8 chestnut and 3-2 double cream)

We have not decided what we are making next - any ideas will be really welcome!!!

Thanks for reading this a bit boring posting;)
Recipes request would be highly welcome as well...

And so... here is petit four series 2!



I and my Le Cordon Bleu school mate Manju (I will update with the link of her blog as soon as she confirms) try to maintain pastry making skills and that we are getting together once a week or so to make these things.
We have made various tartlettes (some with creme de almond, others with creme pattiserie), choux buns, and brownies to make the plate a bit fancy;)

I used a recipe of THE Alain Ducasse which I picked from a magazine Figaro Japanese version 2011 and it turned out to be very good that anyone wants to try can get it herewith:

<Pate a choux de Alain Ducasse>
140g Soft flour
125ml Milk
125ml Water
1 tsp Salt
125g Butter
4 Whole eggs

1. Preheat an oven at 200 degree.
2. Sift the flour
3. Heat milk, water, salt and butter together and remove it when it starts to boil.
4. Pour the flour immediately all at once and stir with wooden spatula very hard.
5. Put back under medium heat and continuously stir for a few minutes to get evaporated.
6. Remove from heat and cool down a bit.
7. Whisk eggs lightly just to incorporate yolks and whites, then add to step6 little at once (total 4-6 batches), mix well till the dough and eggs are well incorporated to go for an another batch.
8. When the dough is very slowly dropped when it is lifted up with a spatula, the dough is done, place it in a piping bag with a plain 80mm nozzle.
9. Prepare a baking tray with silpat mat or baking parchment and pipe the 2.5cm wide dough onto the tray leaving 2cm gap between each of them so that they won't stick together as they are being baked.
10. Put in the preheated oven by lowering the temperature to 180 degree and bake for about 15-20 min.(depending on the characteristics of your oven) till the dough swells well and turns to golden brown.

And, here it is:

A normal creme chantilly (a whipped double cream with little bit of vanilla scented sugar) is used to fill the little buns (I personally like to add Grandmarnier into the cream..) and topped with a dash of icing sugar.

There is a little brownie with raspberry in centre of the plate to add a punch on this picture...  the recipe? well I have to ask Manju with this, but I have my own that it might be introduced sometime if you are patient waiting to be uploaded here;)-...


Will do another baking workshop with her soon so stay tuned...

Obviously autumn comes here in UK and it is getting colder outside.
Some summer fruits are disappeared from shops while those autumn fruits are coming in!
And that I have made tarts with figs, one of my favourite autumn fruit:) together with plums.
My friend indicated that its better to leave skin on figs, yes, that's true, that I will try it next time! The season of figs are not long, but there is still time to try;)-

Tart base <Pate sucure> is made with butter, icing sugar, egg, plain flour and ground almond.
I keep the recipe secret as this is not mine... while I recommend that you use some ground almond instead of just using flour.
The filling is made of creme de almond (almond cream), an ordinary recipe with ground almond, egg, butter and sugar, aaaaaaaand cut figs and plums are put on top.

Will continue with petit four next time!
Have a nice time in wherever you are...

My favourite bread

I made my favourite bread this morning, I don't know what is exactly called in English, I haven't even seen this being sold in UK and that I name it 'chocolate layered bread':)

I use a recipe of my basic bread dough's for this together with a 'chocolate sheet' which have been turned into the dough.
As I am not an bread making specialist but an enthusiast ONLY, I basically ignore the 'proper way' of the process and that do my own way that some of you think it wrong....
Anyways, I am at least happy to eat a home made bread for a breakfast when I have time:)


Basic bread dough

• 400g Strong flour
• 100g Soft plain flour
• 6g Dried yeast
• 30g Sugar
• 4g Salt (I use Maldon salt)
• 170cc Water
• 170cc Milk (lukewarm)
• 20g Butter

Chocolate sheet

• 15g Strong flour -sifted
• 5g Corn flour -sifted
• 10g Cocoa powder sifted
• 60g Sugar
• 60g Milk
• 70g Dark chocolate couverture
• 1 Egg white
• 10g Butter

<Part1 of  making bread dough>
D1. Put strong flour and soft flour into a large bowl and make a well in centre.
D2. Put yeast and sugar into the well, salt in outer side (so that yeast can grow properly)
D3. Pour water and milk (I boil the water and mix with the milk so that the liquid becomes lukewarm) into the bowl and mix all together with wooden spatula until it forms a mass.
D4. Take out the dough onto a flat surface, and knead about 12-15 minutes till the dough becomes silky smooth.
D5. Add butter little at a time to mix in the dough (3-4 batches)
D6. Shape the dough round with hands, place it in a lightly oiled bowl (the one being used for mixing can be used for this purpose), and cover with cling film, rest for and hour or so until the dough doubles the size.

<While the dough is risen, prepare the chocolate sheet>
CS1. Mix strong flour, corn flour, cocoa powder, sugar and milk in a pan and keep on whisking under medium heat.
CS2. Add chocolate couverture, wait till it melts by mixing softly.
CS3. Add egg white and whisk.
CS4. Add butter and whisk until the liquid becomes solid.
CS5. Remove from the heat and cool down.
CS6. Place onto 40x30cm cling film, fold it to make a 15x18 square and roll out evenly within the cling film square.
CS7. Keep in a fridge.

<Part2 of making bread dough>
D7. Punch the dough and take out from the bowl onto floured flat surface.
D8. Roll out to make 18x30cm square.
D9. Place the chocolate sheet on top of the dough and fold bottom up twice.
D10. Roll out horizontally and fold again and repeat this process three times.
D11. Leave it with cling film covered on top for about 15 minutes.
D12. Cut to your desired shape to place onto mould.
D13. Rest it to rise again until it doubles the size.
D14. Bake it for about 25 minutes (depending on the size of the bread) at 180 degree.

Oh well, it sounds complicated process, but it really doesn't if you get used to making a bread...
For a beginner, you might want to start with just making the white bread using this basic bread dough recipe.

Hope you will enjoy making it! till then, view the photos and imagine how it tastes...:))

This is my very first blog posting!
I am doing something I love for my living; the cooking (and the eating).
This blog will be mostly about food, sometimes with wines, or I would write about life in London.

To congratulate myself that I finally start the blog(how long it took!),  a photo of a Croquem Bouche has been uploaded herewith;) -this has been made with my Le Corden Bleu school mate Manju.
We have been to 'posh' Michelin starred Italian restaurant 'Locanda Locatelli' in central London recently and decided (well nothing to do with this restaurant with the decision though) to practice to make those fancy cakes together as we don't do it just for oneself...
It was fun and practical, and we enjoyed a lot that we are planning the next one ahead!
I aim to write a recipe of my food here while this Croquem Bouche is made of basic choux pastry with creme patisserie inside, caramels being covered that I omit the part for this.
Wish me luck that I continue posting!

Many thanks for those who have read up till this end.
Best wishes,
Aki