Trip to Japan3

The third posting of this theme will be an introduction of Okonomiyaki.

It is in one word a pancake, savoury type, with many ingredients and with special sauce.

There are two regions where Okonomiyaki is a specialite of the place: Osaka and Hiroshima.

When I as a person who is from Hiroshima talk about,

it is 'just' Okonomiyaki while it is called 'Hiroshima style' - Okonomiyaki for people in the rest of Japan as to differentiate it from 'Osaka style'.

The difference is:

All ingredients are mixed once with the Osaka style whereas there are steps to put some ingredients together to make the finished outcome for Hiroshima style.

 

 

Starting from spreading dough made of flour, water and other things round and thin (a French crepe like thing) on the hot plate, shredded cabbage (a lot of!) is put on top, followed by sliced pork belly, green onions and other ingredients and seasonings (according to the shop preference).

 

Flip over to cook cabbage and other ingredients,

 

 

Eggs and noodles are cooked aside,

and all ingredients are assembled to become...

 

 

 

The OKONOMIYAKI!

(the special 'okonomi' sauce and Aonori <chopped dried green seaweed> to finish)

 

I can't wait to go back to Hiroshima to have this!!! It's really delicious:)

 

 

 

cf. Here is a Okonomiyaki I made at home...

 

Wish I could have a grill plate to make this in London...

 

 

The trip will be continued to other part of Japan in the next entry...

 

 

Trip to Japan2

Miyajima.

 

One of world heritages which is located approx.25km away from Hiroshima city.

With its pretty yet sublime scenery, it is one of most popular visiting spot for people from overseas.

 

As photo in my camera is not really expressing well the beauty,

...

 

I have borrowed some nice looking ones:

 

 

 

 

In autumn, leaves of Momiji trees will be turning to red.

Greens are still looking good though...

 

 

 

Hiroshima (as a prefecture) is famous for oysters and Okonomiyaki which I will introduce in the next entry or so..

 

 

Miyajima is also famous for a 'momiji manju' which is a sweet cake made of sponge like dough with sweet Aduki bean paste inside.

The figure is exactly the same as those (the leave of momiji)  in the above in the photo while these are savoury type deep fried fish cakes.

 

 

 

Here is lunch of the day - Katsudon, a deep fried pork with bread crumbs which is in Japanese called Ton-katsu(it is similar to Schnitzel, just 'similar') covered with eggs on top of rice (we call this style 'Donburi') (Katsudon is a mixture/short of Tonkatsu and Donburi)

 

 

 

Hope to visit there again when Momiji trees turn red.

 

 

 

Trip to Japan1

As I am doing more on my Japanese blog, I have been aware which sort of postings are popular and that I have decided to post a series of those from a trip I made last month to my home country.

 

The first entry of this series will be perhaps a most exciting event for people in Japan: Cherry blossoms.

 

 

 

These two pics are taken near my home in Hiroshima.

I arrived there just few days before these trees became full in bloom around the end of March.

 

and,

 

 

 

 

 These two are from a second day (7th of April) I arrived in Matsumoto which is in the middle of Honsyu (the main) island of Japan.

That day was probably the best day during this season with perfect clear sky! so lucky I was!!!

 

There are some more things to update from these two cities which will be posted in the next few entries!



 

 

 

 

 

 

Pancakes!

While I have been fed up with issue of uploading photo here, another version of my blog in Japanese language has been updated regularly that you might be interested in viewing at least photos of what I have been through.

 

I have been to Japan since then, photos are being taken a lot there that I will probably post those shortly.

 

As the first posting after the long absenｃe, I have decided to introduce pancakes (here it means American type) - it seems that it has booming to make or eat pancakes in Japan:)

 

 

Here is a standard pancake with seasonal strawberries.

Although local made ones haven't arrived yet to the market, strawberries which come from Spain are very cheap at the moment here in London.

 

 

Here is another version with caramerised bananas (looks that it hasn't been caramerised well..) on top.

 

 

Kitchen Momiji's Pancake

 

<Ingredients>

2 eggs

30g sugar

pinch of salt

 

200g plain flour

6g baking powder*

200-240ml milk

 

*It is not required when using self raising flour

 

<Cooking instruction>

Preparation

- Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside.

 

1. Combine eggs, sugar and salt in a bowl with a whisk.

2. Gradually add flour mixture and continue mix until it is incorporated.

3. Add milk little at a time to incorporate all ingredients.

4. Rest in a fridge for about 1/2 hour.

5. Pour one ladleful (is this word existing?!) onto heated pan, turn around when bubbles are appeared on a surface, and cook another side until golden.

 

Serve with butter and honey or any other things of your choice.

 

To make caramerised banana, cut bananas into 1cm lengthwise thick, heat butter in a pan to melt , place the bananas with some sugar and sautéfor few minutes, pour some alcohol of your choice (e.g. dark rum, brandy etc).

 

 

Thank you for reading, have a nice day!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

End/JAN - Early FEB: Season for ...

It is now, the season for Seville Orange!

And the Seville orange for making a marmalade!

I made it again this year which becomes my third year.
I bought them last week at Portobello market, famous for antiques and as a tourist spot.
Indeed, it is not only for antiques but local people come here to buy fresh vegetables and fruits and other specialities such as artisan bread, cheese, pastries, etc.

Some of stalls sell vegetables that we are not able to get from supermarket, e.g. Romanesco (light green broccoli/cauliflower like), chicory (have seen red one as well), Radicchio (a sort of lettuce? of the Italian) and so on.

This time, it is for Oranges from Seville, Spain.
It is specifically for making marmalade as it does not have sweetness itself making a gorgeous one, some of you might have seen marmalade labels claiming 'Seville orange marmalade'.

It starts from cutting the outer skin into quarter, then cut into thin stripe, (or thick if you like)

 then, soak in water together with the juice squeezed from the fruit.

I use the copper made jam pot which I have bought in France for the first time to make this!

Together with skin of the fruits and pips put in a moslin bag, it is heated until the quantity being reduced to half.

The moslin bag is removed by squeezing out of as much pectin as it is possible, then sugar is added, continue cook until the texture become thicker.

Prepare sterilising some jars by boiling them for a while (with lids), put all of them into jars before they are cooled down.

 

3 pounds of oranges make this much marmalade.

Look forward to making it another batch in a year 2014!!!

Cheese muffin



As some of you might have been aware that I have another blog in Japanese language, I am updating quite often there and there are two recipes of cheese muffins. - one with olive oil and here is with butter.

I was wondering if olive oil makes the dough not being fluffy enough, and this assumption was right.

And that I recommend to use butter rather than the olive oil as the texture becomes more smooth and fluffy, and I love that!!

 

I tried to use up a left over from last week order of canapes, red paprika was one of them that was put into the muffin, indeed this added a perfect sweetness and loveliness!

<Cheese muffin recipe>

Ingredients:

Butter 65g -room temp

Sugar 20g

Egg 1pc -room temp

Milk 90g -room temp

Creme Fraiche 1tbsp -room temp

Plain flour 150g

Baking powder 4g

Cheddar cheese 100g -cut into 7-8mm cubes

Red paprika 1/4pc -cut into 5mm cubes

Black peppers

Preparation:

- Lightly oil the mould with butter and sprinkle flour.

- Heat an oven to 185 degree.

1. Mix butter and sugar in a medium bowl until fluffy.

2. Mix in egg, then milk and creme fraiche.

3. Sift flour and baking powder together and gently fold into 2.

4. Mix in cheese, paprika and milled black peppers.

5. Pour onto mould of you choice and put in the oven.

6. Reduce the heat to 175 degree and bake it for 12-15min. (depending on your condition of your oven)

I love the little red jewels:) so cute isnt't it? ^^;

Unforgettable night

Since the last blog, I have managed to find another method of uploading photos - I had to install 'blogger' app onto my phone, but I am happy to update again!

More happier thing is that....

It is not just happy but unbelievably gorgeous!!!

The PETRUS!!!! yes, THE PETRUS.

Though photos are not as good as wines at all, it is remarkable.

Legend is not just the legend.

 

Back of the bottle here, it is a 'double magnum' consiting of 2.5l of the 'thing';)

I have never seen this kind of complex colour with other wines!

From leather, asphalt like not edible aromas to prunes with a hint of Annis, wet sand with some grass, this is absolutely extraordinary!!!

With a courtesy of the restaurant owner, another great one came up!

THE C. D'YQUEM!

We were also able to have the following nice bubble and white:

-Paul Goerg, Brut Premier Cru, 2005 (50 Chardonnay, 50 PN)

-Domain de Chevalier, 1986 (70 SB, 30 Semillon)

These two should not be shadowed with above two, fantastic old white and elegant Champagne.

They put me into doze, not sure it is exactly the word to describe my feeling, but yes, it was an extraordinary experience!
Thank you so much Mr. K and Mr. H for these great contributions!

Photo uploading probolem with blogspot.com

It seems that there has been an issue with blogspot.com that people who are using Internet explorer as a browser are not able to load images from their computer.
That's me who uses it and I am not intending to install Chrome nor Safari as my PC is getting too old to install extra apps.

Until the problem is fixed, I will probably not update this blog unfortunately, believing that readers want to view images.
Hope they will not oversee it! (I am aware that Google always to try us to change to Chrome which I never want to;))

GDR

What does it stand for? - Galette des rois.

Yes, I have made it this year after all!

Starting from making the Pate feuillette (puff pastry), I hesitate to make this because of this process..., if you want to make from this stage, it is time constraining.
I successfully made it with no butter leaking out of the dough, nor air bubbles inside:)  maybe because no pressures (mentally), nor rush..

I have also made a sweetened Aduki bean paste to include together with creme d'almond in the GDR.
It is a main ingredients of those Japanese sweets while there are no such culture in Europe that beans are sweetened that some of you may feel odd with it.

The read bean paste has been included in the puff pastry together with the creme d'almond (almond cream).
..........
........I don't know what is going on with blogger.com, I just can't upload photos from 'my computer'!

Although it may be disturbing you with lots of unfamiliar letters, please view those photos from my another blog in Japanese language


As my tiny gas oven is very difficult to deal with temperature control, the outer edge become being burnt when I wait till the centre being baked well...
Wish I could move to a place where there is a fan assisted oven big enough to bake cakes properly;)

I will try to upload photos when the issue on this blogging engine has been fixed...(or is it my pc issue???)

Thank you for reading!

Bonne annee

It is a start of 2013! Good thing about the new year's day is that there is celebrations everywhere, no religious, but universal celebrations.

I usually spend this day in Japan where people are having a rather quiet time, going to shrines to pray for the fortune.
I cooked those traditional new year feast last year in Japan:

It is put in these traditional boxes.

There are several things in boxes:

  

Prawns are symbolising long life with its figure of the bended back,  bamboo shoots symbolises a healthy growth as it is grown strait up and high, lotus roots symbolises bright future as those halls can see things from front to the other side clearly.
Most of things are symbolising something fortunate.

And served usually for a lunch on the new year's day like this, with Sake (specifically called 'Otoso' for a new year) and Ozoni (Clear soup with 'mochi' a sticky rice cake).

I will make my trip to Japan this year when cherry blossoms will be in bloom which I am longing for these years and years;)

Wish you a happy and prosperous year 2013!