Eggplant Teriyaki Don

Speedy one skillet dish

While looking for something else in the refrigerator I spotted the PURPLE! Eggplant is my least go-to vegetable though, a store was having a great sale…I bought it…that was more than two weeks ago…oopsy but lucky! it still looks plump and elegantly gangling…opposite of me!

I think I mentioned it before but If I am stuck on what to make for supper then I search for clues at Cookpad.com. Type in the name of the ingredients in the search box (just like allrecipe.com, right?), and voila! Thousands of recipes to choose from….yowza!
What attracted me to this recipe is simplicity and quick clean up.

Ingredients and Instruction for 2 servings (Print Recipe Here)

Note: seasoning is suggestion, adjust according to your taste.

• 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 Tablespoons of sake
• 4 Tablespoons mirin (seasoned cooking sake wine)
• 2 Tablespoons sugar, preferably *Sanonto (三温糖) sugar, fine to substitute with light brown sugar *In my old 2012 post I used this type of sugar in one of my favorite bread and see photos of the gorgeous hotel I stayed.
• 2-3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 eggplant approximately 8 oz..Slice or cut in big chunks
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced pork, slice in half if it’s too wide
• 2-3 Tablespoons potato starch
• 8-10 shiso leaves sliced (optional but nice to have)
• Toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
• Cooked rice

1. Mix soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside
2. Dust eggplant and pork lightly with potato starch. I put eggplant in bag with potato starch to shake to coat.
   
3. Heat oil in nonstick frying pan at medium heat. Add eggplant and sauté till limp then add pork and sauté until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Note: add more oil if the pan seems too dry.
4. Give soy sauce mixture (step #1) one last stir and pour the mixture around the perimeter of the pan. Quickly stir to coat all ingredients, about 1 minute. Variation: Pour 1/4 cup water for saucy version. Add little bit of gochujang if you like it hot!
5. Serve over warm rice and top with shiso leaves or white sesame seeds..

Last weeks' Today’s TAPAS – Inari sushi fun! Chicks and peas in a pod, pickles.
Against definition of tapas – ‘You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means’ – I post dessert once in a while. Below is Vanilla and Chocolate Custard, fresh Mango rose.

The highlight of last week – Some from my husband’s office had an opportunity to volunteer one day to cook and serve for homeless youth at downtown Portland.

I think those are daffodils blooming in the distance… cheerful sight isn’t it?

Have a wonderful week!

Power Bread

Soybean and black sesame Bread

Although I posted this bread recipe in 2012, I would like to do a re-match! I didn’t have a ‘print recipe here’ thingy back then so re-posting is kind of nice and at the same time satisfies our craving for this unique bread.

I purchased the ingredients and handed them to my husband, here they are, Good luck! His came out fluffier and aromatic. Hey, what is your secret? What? New bread maker? When?

Ingredients and Instruction for 1 8x3x4 loaf pan (Print Recipe here)

Equipment: bread maker

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup water
• 100 g soybeans
• 250 g bread flour plus extra for dusting work surface
• 4 g instant dry yeast
• 10 g sugar
• 15 g egg beaten
• 170 ml milk
• 15 g butter cut into cubes plus some for greasing the pan
• 5 g salt
• 20 g black sesame seeds

1. Dissolve salt in water in a medium size bowl. Soak soybeans overnight.
2. Next day - In a bread maker, place flour in a mound, make a little cavity in flour, bury the yeast and cover with flour. Add sugar, egg, then pour milk around the edges of flour. Add the butter and salt.Select dough course and run it.
   
3. About 20 minutes in, add drained and patted dry with paper towel beans and black sesame seeds then continue to let the bread maker finish the process.  
4. When the dough is ready, put on the flour dusted surface (he didn’t need since he did it on a on silicon pad). Divide the dough in half and make balls. Grease pan with butter and put the two dough balls in the pan. Grease top of the bread balls then cover with plastic wrap. Raise the bread for 2nd time about 50 minutes to 1 hour in a *warm place (122F). * Our kitchen was warm enough so he just let it rise at room temperature.
5. Heat oven to 356F. Bake it for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on rack. Store the slightly warm bread in a plastic bag to keep moist. Serve with butter. Particularly nice toasted.

Variation – let the bread maker do all the work start to finish. We bake in the separate loaf pan because of looks.

Last week’s my best Today’s TAPAS instagram post (#todaystapas) – bite size menchi katsu (breaded fried hamburger)…love the juicy wholesome bite! I made a dozen and served them for supper…smart move! Right?

Happy Girl’s Day! Today, March 3rd is Hinamatsuri in Japan. I made temari sushi (temari means handball, sushi rice formed to mimic a ball) to celebrate.

Only 17 days to Spring! There are many signs of Spring in our neighborhood. I wish I could share this nice weather with you…

 

Fromage à la Crème

Cheesecake in a glass

I have a set of ‘made in Japan’, adorable glasses which came with plastic lids that I would like to bake purin (Japanese term for  pudding) in. I don’t know with certainly that they are oven proof.… I dug up an old cook book (Michiyo Kumabe’s Rich Sweets) for inspiration. This cheesecake I made with relative ease…maybe a bit out of season – ish though the fair weather we’re having justified the chilled dessert?

I made chiffon cake for the base. Substitute store bought pound cake or crashed graham crackers are nice shortcut. Feel free to omit base all together for gluten free version also for less calories (that’s what I should have done). I used blueberries though any other berry will do. Now raise your glass, say Santé (Cheers!).

Ingredients and Instruction for 1-12x8 sheet cake (Print recipe here

) Skip this process for gluten free version.

Necessary equipment: food thermometer, hand held mixer

Preparation: line *cake pan with parchment paper. *Use smaller size for thicker cake.

• 2 egg whites
• 80g granulated sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 60g low viscosity flour (薄力粉) sift twice
• 4 Tablespoons milk
• 20g unsalted butter at room temperature

1. Pre-heat oven to 338F. Beat egg white and sugar with hand held electric mixer in a large bowl till stiff peaks form.
2. Add egg yolk and blend in with rubber spatula.
3. Sprinkle flour in 1/4th at a time. Scoop batter from bottom of bowl and over to combine but do not over mix.
4. Put milk and butter in a small microwave proof bowl and microwave for 10 seconds at 50% power. Check the temperature and repeat the process to warm milk mixture up to122F.
5. Put 1 ladleful of batter into the milk mixture and mix well then put whole thing back into the bowl (process #3) and combine.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, tap the bottom of pan to remove air trapped in the batter. Bake for about 20 minutes. Check the doneness by inserting a wooden skewer. When it’s done, drop pan from a half-foot above the counter. This helps to keep the cake from shrinking. Remove cake from pan. cool cake on the rack. Wrap the slightly warm cake with plastic wrap to prevent drying out.
   

Ingredients and Instruction for cheesecake (enough to fill 10 – 6 oz. glasses)

• 6g sheet gelatin
• 2 egg yolks
• 80g sugar
• 4 teaspoons water
• 250g cream cheese, room temperature
• 50g sour cream
• 300g heavy cream

1. Soak sheet gelatin in a large bowl full of icy water.
2. Put egg yolks and sugar in a large microwave proof bowl. Whisk until pale yellow. Add 4 teaspoons water and mix well.
3. Place the yolk mixture in a microwave (no need to cover) and microwave for 40 seconds at 50% power. Mix well with whisk. Repeat the process 2-3 more times until the mixture gets a little thick.
4. Squeeze the moisture from the gelatin and add to the still warm egg yolk mixture combine well.
5. In another bowl, mix cream cheese and sour cream well and add to the egg/ gelatin bowl. Mix well and set aside
6. Whip heavy cream till soft peaks form. Combine with egg yolk/ gelatin mixture
   .

Assembly

• Sheet cake  See the recipe above.
• Jam – any but perhaps coordinate with the fruit of your choice – I used homemade blueberry jam
  

1. Cut out sheet cake with round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to fit bottom of your glasses. You may want to freeze the cake scraps to use later.
2. Drop a teaspoon of jam onto the cake.
3. Fill with cheesecake leaving some space on top for fruits. Note; pastry bag with large tip will make it easier to fill. Tap bottom of the glass to remove air.
4. Chill 3-4 hours in refrigerator and decorate with fruits.

The granola version…loved the crunch!

On Instagram try Today’s TAPAS (#todaystapas) to coordinate with calendar, on Valentine’s Day was theme of red…petit four style sandwiches. The beetroot bread I used here is recipe from Charles’s Five Euro Food.

Then on Chinese New Year -  spicy chicken pot stickers mimic fortune cookies. Homemade lantern and embossing the money envelop with lucky Chinese character (it says double joy)….was fun project!

Belated Valentine’s Day gift from our daughter arrived a few days ago…CHOCOLATE SHOYU (soy sauce) CARAMELS made in San Francisco…Unique! Definitely Wafu (Japanese style)! 

We don’t know what that is…This flower was only a half-foot tall with tight buds when church friends brought it. Only a week later it grew more than a foot and bloomed. It has storing mediciney scent. Striking isn’t it?

Spring is not so far away.

Kimchi Oyster Jjigae(Stew)

With Homemade Kimchi

Oh shucks! I didn’t take very good photos…anyway, it tasted grrrreat!

My husband is blessed to work in nice office environment. A friendly Korean  co-worker shard her homemade kimchi with us. The generous portion packed in Tupperware, the deep tangy flavor has a nice kick,  we have been enjoying for weeks now…I made this stew with homemade (just not by us) kimchi.

I watch Korean drama often enough that I can speak chokkom (a little) Korean…food scenes are fascinating to me! 2002 mega hit Korean drama, Winter Sonata, brought strong Korean boom to Japan -  the high school heroine preparing kimchi jjigae for a love interest/class mate part was particularly memorable.

My jjigae needs only one Korean spice – gochujang (Korean chili paste) – thus uncomplicated, nice thin flavor. Other jigae recipes I recommend – Marc’s kimchi jjigae  or Sissi’s kimchi stew. both recipes have appetizing, gorgeous deep red color! 

Not exactly related to the recipe but I enjoyed so much, I wanted share.this YouTube video –  Japan China Korea Happy! Peace!

 

Ingredients and Instruction for for 4 servings Print Recipe Here

(I halved the recipe)

• 8 -12 fresh shelled oysters
• 1-2 teaspoons salt, dissolved in large bowl full of water. This is to wash oysters.
• 2 Tablespoons sake
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, tamari soy sauce for gluten free recipe
• 2 –3 Tablespoons potato starch
• 2 plus Tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 firm tofu, cut in 2 inch cubes
  
• 1 bag/300g (about) bean sprouts 
• 1 bundle/150g (about) garlic chives cut in 2 inch length
• 200g Chinese cabbage kimchee roughly cut
• 6 cups fish stock  Note: I made from 2 Tablespoons sardine dashi powder dissolved in 6 cups hot water
• 2-3 Tablespoons gochujang 
• 3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1-2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 Tablespoons potato starch

1. Quickly wash oysters in salted water, Pat dry with paper towel. Mix sake and soy sauce in bowl and place oysters in it. Marinate for 5-6 minutes. Run through your fingers to remove excess moisture from oysters, dust lightly with starch. Set aside
   . 
2. Heat vegetable oil in non-stick frying pan at medium heat. Cook oysters until slightly brown on both sides. Do not over cook. Transfer onto paper towel.
   
3. Clean the same pan with a paper towel and pour sesame oil to heat at medium heat  Add cut kimchee and sauté for 1 minute.
4. Boil the fish stock in hot pot then simmer. Add sautéed kimchee to the pot. *Scoop 1 ladle full of warmed fish stock out into a small bowl, add gochujang and dissolve, pour back into hot pot. *This step makes it easier to dissolve rather than directly adding the gochujang into the hot pot.
5. Mix in soy sauce and sugar. Then add tofu, bean sprouts, oysters and garlic chive. Cook for about 3-4 minutes over low heat. Serve hot.

To reciprocate for the kimchi, I made a raspberry shortcake….she had the day off that day….however it was enjoyed by other people in the office.

I hope you had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. We had dinner at St. Jack a French bistro restaurant. They offered a Special Valentine’s Day dinner. The baked Alaska was the only dessert they served. I never had this one before so it was kind of fun! for me (my husband not  so much…he does not like meringue).

My orthodox husband had a dozen roses delivered, predictable but I always appreciate his gesture.

My Today’s TAPAS continues on Instagram. This sashimi grade tuna wrapped with thinly sliced daikon radish, topped with quail egg was refreshing!

So far I have lost 2 pounds eating small lunch….my scale might be broken.