Healthy food to make your mouth water...

Alison-style Malay-ish all-day breakfast

2012-01-23T09:59:00.003+09:00

Malaysian food is fantastic! In the week I was there, I barely scratched the surface, but I loved everything I tried.

One of the most popular dishes in Malaysia is Nasi Lemak. This is kind of an all-day breakfast for Malaysian people, so popular there are Chinese and Indian versions of it too. Of course it was what I had for breakfast every morning, but it was sold at street stalls, cafes and restaurants too. At its most basic it seems to be coconut rice, with boiled egg, cucumber, fried dried anchovies and peanuts and a powerful sambal which is a chilli condiment. I often ate it with a beef or chicken curry too.

For the last week or so, I've had Nasi Lemak cravings ;-)
Of course, I know I could make a much more authentic version than this, but wanted to try and limit myself mostly to using up what is in my kitchen (just had to buy coconut milk and peanuts)... So my version has Thai, Japanese and Korean ingredients too, but misses out the fried anchovies. Best not to think about the calories too much in this, just enjoy it! Nasi Lemak actually means 'fat rice' in Malay...

I made this today. It's my day off so I could afford to spend an hour cooking breakfast (and generate an awful lot of washing up for one person!), and 'twas so filling and tasty it'll definitely serve as lunch too. I'll have the other portion for lunch at work tomorrow, so that's sorted too!

Ingredients for the rice (1 portion)
75g dried rice
60g coconut milk

Ingredients for the sambal (2 portions) - not so powerful
one medium onion, sliced into quarter rings
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp anchovy paste
1tsp ginger paste
juice of one yuzu
1-2 tbsp kimchi base
1-2tsp Thai sweet chilli sauce

Ingredients for the chicken curry (2 portions)
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp Thai curry paste
1 large chicken breast

Ingredients to serve
Chopped cucumber
Natural shelled peanuts
Hard boiled egg

Method

Cut the chicken up into pieces and marinate overnight in the Thai curry paste in the fridge.
Boil the egg until hard-boiled and then cool under a cold running tap to avoid a grey yolk. Peel and quarter.
Chop the onion. Chop the cucumber.
Cook the rice as normal with a fraction less water. When the rice has almost absorbed the water (after about 40 minutes in my rice cooker), stir in the coconut milk and continue to cook.
Make the sambal. Fry the chopped onion and anchovy paste in the olive oil until cooked. Add the yuzu juice, kimchi base and sweet chilli sauce.
Make the chicken curry. Fry the chicken for 5 minutes until browned and sealed. Put in a saucepan, cover with water and a lid and continue to cook for 10 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed. Add 2 tbsp coconut milk.
To serve, put the rice on the plate with the boiled egg, chopped cucumber, peanuts, chicken curry and sambal. Enjoy!

Creamy Shiitake and Wasabi Soup

2011-10-16T13:08:00.000+09:00

I don't often buy mushrooms, but I just fancied some mushroom soup today, and this creamy smoky soup with a very slight kick is what I came up with...

Nutrition Info (serves 1 as a light lunch)
Calories 253
Protein 11g
Carbohydrate 43g
Fat 5g
Dietary Fibre 7g

Ingredients
1 potato (about 150g)
100g shiitake mushrooms
100ml soy milk
50ml drinking yoghurt
1tsp wasabi from a tube
200ml water

Method

Wash the potato and microwave in the oven for about 8 minutes until cooked. Wash the mushrooms.
In batches, blend the potato with the mushrooms, soy milk, drinking yoghurt and water.
Gently heat the mushroom cream in a saucepan and mix in the wasabi.
Serve hot with a grating of black pepper.

Pea, Potato and Ham Soup

2011-10-10T11:32:00.000+09:00

Nutritional Info (per serving)
Calories 224
Protein 10g
Carbohydrate 43g
Fat 3g
Fibre 8g

Ingredients (serves 2)
300g potatoes
150g frozen peas
80g onion, roughly sliced
100ml soy milk
20g parma ham, chopped
salt

Method

Steam the potatoes whole in their skins in the microwave for about 10 minutes. (I use the LeKue steam case.
About 5 minutes into cooking time, add the sliced onion and frozen peas and finish steaming.
Puree in batches in the blender. Put into a saucepan and heat gently. Add salt to taste.
Pour into two bowls, and divide the ham over the two bowls.

Broccoli and Gorgonzola Potage

2011-10-03T12:21:00.001+09:00

This is a creamy tasty satisfying soup! The recipe makes enough for two people for lunch.

Nutritional Information (per portion)
Calories 371
Protein: 18g
Carbohydrate: 56g
Fat: 10g
Dietary Fibre: 9g

Ingredients (serves 2)

430g potatoes, unpeeled
220g broccoli
160g onion
150ml soy milk (or regular milk)
50g gorgonzola
salt and pepper to season

Method

Roughly chop the broccoli - stalks, florets and leaves all OK.
Roughly slice the onion.
Steam all the vegetables. I use my LeKue steamer for this in the microwave, steaming the potatoes whole in their skins for 10 minute, the broccoli for 5 minutes and the onion for 2mins 30 sec.
Measure out together 150ml soy milk and 350ml water.
In batches, blend the steamed vegetables and liquid together in a food processor, transferring each batch to a large saucepan.
When all the soup has been blended, crumble in the gorgonzola and stir over a gentle heat until the cheese has melted.
Season to taste. I used a good grinding of salt and a black pepper mix that includes orange and lemon peel and garlic.
Serve hot.

Chocolate Healthy Truffles

2011-09-19T16:29:00.004+09:00

This was an experiment rather than anything else to see what kind of high protein/high mineral/high fibre snack I could make. Really pleased with the result! Despite the wacky ingredients, they're delicious (think chocolate cheesecake/brownie mix), not too sickly, and incredibly filling! I accidentally(!) ate 5 and may never need to eat again... They look high in fat because of the cheese and the almonds, but that also pushes up the protein and mineral content so I think is worth it, as part of a balanced diet.

Note
On testing these ones out on friends, it seems that people prefer a sweeter truffle, so maybe add more powder sweetener to taste. Or even smoked chilli? The kinako flavour overpowers the cocoa a bit, so next time I think I'll try rolling in cocoa or ground almonds... Will update...

Nutrition Data (for 2 truffles)
Calories: 120
Protein: 5.8g
Carbohydrate: 9g
Fat: 6.8g
Fibre: 2.2g
Calcium: 118mg
Magnesium: 36.4mg
Zinc: 0.8mg
Iron: 1.6mg

Ingredients
100g red kidney beans
28g ground almonds
2 fresh figs (70g total)
28g grated cheddar
2 pieces iron-enriched processed cheese (30g total)
15g cocoa
1 tsp zero calorie liquid or powder sweetener
7g kinako (roasted soy bean flour), for dusting

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.
Put all the ingredients into a blender and blend as far as possible, then mash in a bowl using a fork.
Put a sheet of greaseproof paper onto a baking tray and spoon on 10 heaped teaspoons of mixture, flattening into rounds.
Bake for 15 minutes, then cool on the paper on a wire rack. All you will have done is dry out the mixture a bit.
Roll each round into a ball and into kinako (roasted soy bean flour).

Growing Goya

2011-09-18T10:31:00.001+09:00

So that I can find this information on growing goya again this year, this is an article I found back in May this year.

'Green curtains' block heat, save energy

The Yomiuri Shimbun http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T110509004046.htm

A growing number of people are turning to nature to help them save electricity this summer, creating so-called green curtains of climbing plants.
According to the Energy Conservation Center, Japan, a key element in power conservation is reducing the use of air conditioners, which consume the most electricity in homes. A green curtain helps block the sun and keep room temperatures from rising through transpiration of the plant's leaves.
Green curtains can be easily set up at home, and Tokyo's Itabashi Ward Office has been promoting them as an effective way to battle global warming.
With power shortages expected this summer as a result of the crisis at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant, the ward office has received an increasing number of inquiries from local residents about growing green curtains.
It also received more than two applications for every spot available in a class organized by the ward office on how to grow a green curtain.
Likewise, Katsushika Ward of Tokyo distributed free goya bitter gourd seeds to residents in late April. All 500 packets were taken by the second day.
A Katsushika Ward official in charge of distributing the seeds said, "Interest is higher [in growing goya] than usual. Many people are trying to grow it for the first time."
Tsuneo Kobayashi of Itabashi Ward, 79, has grown goya since 2009. He said the plant can make a four-meter high and three-meter wide green curtain as its vines grow.
"The room with a green curtain is clearly cooler than one next to it, which gets direct sun," Kobayashi said. "Seeing green plants soothes me."
Plants suitable for making green curtains include goya, bottle gourd, morning glory and others.
Accordnig to Koichi Sugawara, secretary general of the Tokyo-based nonprofit organization Midori no Curtain Oendan (green curtain cheering squad): "You can save money on electricity by making green curtains, which also give you the joy of growing and harvesting something."
Ichiro Awano, public relations director of Sakata Seed Co. in Yokohama, recommended goya for green curtains because it is easy to grow. People who want to use planters should purchase one that can contains at least 36 liters of soil, Awano said.
Goya seedlings should be planted 20 centimeters apart in a planter filled with soil for growing vegetables. It is important to fix a garden net firmly under the eaves, which goya vines could twine around. A net with a mesh of 10 to 18 centimeters should be used, Awano said.
When goya has seven or eight mature leaves, the tip of its stem should be nipped off to help lateral buds grow. Provide additional fertilizer after goya begins bearing vegetables, he added.
"If you want to make a thick leafy curtain, you should give extra nitrogen fertilizer," Awano said. "But this will result in a slightly smaller harvest."
It is now the season for planting seedlings in Japan, but the best time differs slightly by region.
"Before you actually start, you should seek advice on how to grow seedlings at the garden shop where you purchase them," Awano said.

(May. 10, 2011)

See also
http://hobiger.org/blog/2011/07/
http://greenjapan.com/living-in-japan/3597/

Goya (Nigauri/Bitter Gourd)

2011-09-18T10:17:00.002+09:00

I've just found this post that I started back on 15th August, but never got round to posting. This strange knobbly looking vegetable is a goya, quite possibly one of my favourite vegetables for its fresh unusual taste and nutritional value.

I first ate this five years ago when I went to Okinawa, the southern-most group of islands in Japan. In Okinawa, it is most well-known in Goya Champuru recipes. It seems to be a vegetable that causes mixed reactions. Many people say it is bitter and so they don't like it. But paired with the right ingredients it is incredibly refreshing! Having said that, I love it so much I eat it raw in salads and smoothies.

It is extremely rich in vitamin C, B vitamins and many essential minerals, higher than other dark green vegetables. It's also supposed to show improvement in psoriasis sufferers, but difficult to pin that one down!

As far as growing it is concerned, it is a very popular summer plant in Japan. It is a climber and forms a dense mass of leaves so is known as one of the 'Green Curtain' plants. 'Green Curtains' block sunshine going into the house and so make rooms much cooler.

This year I decided to have another go (3rd time lucky?) at growing this vegetable. Previous attempts have been abysmal, really through my own fault (too small a pot the first, planting late in the season in poor soil the second). But this year, there was more information available on the internet on growing this vegetable due to energy saving requirements in eastern Japan after the Tohoku earthquake.

When I started this post in the middle of August, I was feeling rather discouraged... As well as the above I had written, 'So far I have eaten 3 of my own goya, plus have another 5 currently on the plant, hopefully more to follow! This is from 2 plants. Don't think that's exactly a roaring success, and the leaves are rather sparce and pathetic actually, although they do block some of the heat. But... much better than previous years, and I pinched out the growing tips rather too late I think, taking the advice I thought I got from my goya-expert neighbour! I'll definitely try this again next year. Apparently, planting directly into the soil also helps get a much denser curtain but that's not really an option without a lot of planning...'

Now it's another month on, and I've been really happy with the number of goya I've got, at least for my first attempt. In the last few weeks, the leaves have become really abundant from about a metre and a half off the ground, and in the last week or so I've had a goya a day! Seems to be a late starter! I've just taken this photo today. Thinking about the fact that the leaves were sparce at the beginning and never ended up growing at the bottom of my plant, I think I've worked out the reason for that. Thinking I was cooling it down, I sprayed the leaves as well as watered at night. But that seems just to have killed them off. Next year!

Chocolate Banana, Spinach and Kiwi Smoothie

2011-08-29T11:08:00.001+09:00

Don't knock this one before you've tried it...! Blend 2 green kiwi, 2 large handfuls of spinach, 1 banana and 1 tbsp cocoa powder with some mineral water. Amazing! I might add some blueberries next time.

Celery and Pear Smoothie

2011-08-29T10:52:00.001+09:00

Blend 2 pears and 3 sticks celery together with mineral water and a tablespoon of lemon juice.

Peach and Kinako Smoothie

2011-08-29T10:03:00.001+09:00

The kinako (roasted soy bean flour) adds a nutty flavour as well as protein and B vitamins.

Ingredients (serves 1)
1 peach
1 tbsp kinako
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tbsp fresh mint

Method

Put everything together in a blender with some ice cold mineral water and blend.
Serve immediately or chill in the fridge.

Creamy Smoked Salmon and Potato Soup

2011-08-29T09:03:00.001+09:00

This tasty and pretty soup is a delicate shade of pink, highlighted with wisps of fresh green dill.

Ingredients (serves 4 as a starter)
1 onion, sliced
500g potatoes in their skins
70g smoked salmon
1 x 150g pack of silken tofu
1 tsp olive oil
fresh dill
freshly grated black pepper

Method

Caramelize the onion in the olive oil until golden brown.
Meanwhile cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 20 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water.
Break up the potato in the saucepan, add the onions, smoked salmon, tofu and dill.
In batches, blend all the ingredients together in a blender with water to the desired consistency.
Reheat to serve.

Rosemary and Ginger Caramelised Onion and Red Lentils

2011-08-15T18:38:00.002+09:00

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/2 large onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 long sprig fresh rosemary
1 tsp ginger paste
50g red lentils
300ml stock
50g goats cheese
1 cucumber and a large handful soy sprouts (or any other salad vegetables)

Ingredients for the dressing
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp honey (I used manuka)

Method

Saute the onion, rosemary in the olive oil for about 10 minutes until caramelised, then add the ginger paste and red lentils off the heat, stirring for 1 minute.
Add the stock and simmer for about 20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed, and the lentils are mushy. Leave to cool slightly.
Slice the cucumber and arrange with the soy sprouts on a plate. Add some slices of goats cheese.
In a small bowl, whisk the dressing ingredients together.
Spoon the red lentil mixture onto the soy sprouts and drizzle the dressing over the salad and lentils to serve.

Creamy Kabocha and Caramelized Onion Soup

2011-08-14T13:14:00.001+09:00

Ingredients (serves 2 as a starter)
1 onion, chopped
1/3 kabocha (Japanese pumpkin)
1 stock cube
250ml boiling water
150g silken tofu
1tsp olive oil
freshly grated black pepper

Method

Par-microwave the kabocha for 6 minutes, and scoop out the seeds
Scoop out the flesh and roughly chop (reserving the skin for a smoothie)
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and saute for 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat, crumble in the stock cube and slowly add the boiling water to dissolve the stock cube. Put back on the heat and add the kabocha chunks. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
Leave to cool slightly.
Add to a blender with the tofu and blend until creamy.
Reheat in a saucepan and serve with freshly grated black pepper.

Note: Kabocha skin is edible. However the colour in a soup is truly revolting, trust me! Much better to add to a green smoothie, I made one with soy sprouts.

Miracle 6 Calorie Chocolate Jelly

2011-07-17T17:12:00.002+09:00

This is a bit of a miracle chocolate dessert, ideal for chocolate cravings when you're on a diet! If you follow Slimming World, then this dessert is free on all plans (even if you end up eating all 5 portions!).

Agar-agar is a seaweed, that can be used like gelatine, the difference being that it is vegan, high in fibre and some essential minerals and expands in the stomach making you feel fuller. It's a great snack. I've already given a few agar agar recipes on this blog, but this is my first chocolate one! It also doesn't need a fridge to set even during the summer (setting temperature is 50C). Currently it's about 35C in my kitchen (trust me, not pleasant!) and it set in about 30 minutes on the bench. The setting time for this agar-agar recipe is a bit longer than most because it contains chocolate which is high in oxalic acid. This setting property of agar-agar also means that it's ideal for picnics because it doesn't melt in summer temperatures.

Agar-agar is very versatile. This is a pure chocolate recipe, but you could cut back on some of the water and add juice or anything you like really (adjusting the syns of course!), once you've melted the agar in the water. Definitely recommended! Agar-agar jelly is usually quite a bit firmer than regular jelly but with the addition of cocoa powder, this jelly is much softer. A fantastic way to quell those chocolate cravings!

I made 4 tubs and 1 rabbit mould jelly with 600ml water.

Nutrition Data (total for 5 portions)
Calories: 28
Carbohydrate: 6g
Protein: 1.5g
Fat: 1g
Dietary Fibre: 3g

Ingredients
4g pack agar-agar
7g cocoa powder
1tbsp zero calorie sweetener, to taste

Method

Boil 400ml water.
Put cocoa powder in a jug and slowly mix in the water and sweetener. Sprinkle in the agar powder, stirring continuously. If using agar granules/flakes, then boil for a few minutes in a saucepan stirring continuously. Quickly stir in 200ml cold water.
Immediately pour into 5 moulds or small containers and put on a bench to set. Once cool, chill in the fridge.

Multicoloured Potato Salad

2011-07-17T14:36:00.000+09:00

This very simple salad is jam-packed with healthy vegetables, and is extremely filling. If you are able to get a mix of coloured salad potatoes, so much the better!

Nutrition Data (for entire salad)
Calories: 1082
Carbohydrate: 184g
Protein: 55g
Fat: 16g
Dietary Fibre: 34g

Ingredients (serves 5 as a snack or 2 as a main course)
340g new potatoes
400g tin Four Bean Salad (drained weight 240g)
250g pack frozen mixed vegetables (peas/sweetcorn/carrots)
20 green olives stuffed with parmesan cheese
450g tub fat free yoghurt
15g wholegrain mustard

Method

Boil or steam the potatoes in their skins for 20 minutes, then cool in cold water, drain and quarter.
Mix the yoghurt with the mustard, stir in the frozen vegetables (no need to thaw), the whole green olives and the bean salad. Stir in the chopped potatoes.
Chill and serve.

Chicken, Bacon and Boursin Rolls in White Wine

2011-07-03T11:57:00.001+09:00

This is absolutely delicious! It's not an original recipe, and there do seem to be many variations on the internet. It looks impressive, but is very easy!

Ingredients
2 small chicken fillets
2 slices of bacon
40g Boursin (soft garlic cheese)
80ml white wine
freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C.
Put the chicken fillets flat in a plastic bag and flatten them as much as possible with a rolling pin or heavy tin.
In the middle of each fillet, put 20g of Boursin and roll the chicken up.
Roll a slice of bacon around in the other direction to cover the cheese, and keeping the ends underneath the chicken roll.
Put both rolls in an ovenproof dish (I use the Lekue steamer), and pour over 80ml white wine.
Cover and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, and then uncover and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes until the bacon is browned.
Serve with new potatoes and a selection of vegetables.

Barley, green olive and mozzarella salad

2011-07-03T11:39:00.000+09:00

This came about as a bit of a 'what have I got in the cupboard to use up?' moment... Some time ago I bought some barley on a whim, and have added it to rice from time to time. Well, it really needs to be used up now, along with the mozzarella that is due to be used before tomorrow.

Ingredients (serves 2 generously - the picture is a third of the total)
1 cup of barley
1 red onion
1 cucumber
tin of sweetcorn
1/2 can red kidney beans, drained
1 can stuffed olives (40)
100g mozzarella
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp honey

Method

Cook the barley according to instructions (I use a rice cooker with double the amount of water), and allow to cool.
Chop the onion, chop the cucumber and mozzarella into 1cm pieces and halve the olives.
Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice and honey.
Toss all the ingredients together and store in fridge until ready to eat.

Lemon Linguine

2011-06-04T20:57:00.003+09:00

Well it's been a while since I've posted any recipes so today I wanted to post a Nigella Lawson recipe that I like, that has many different versions available elsewhere. No picture, because I haven't made it recently...

Ingredients (serves 2)
200g linguine
juice and zest of half a lemon
4 tbsp of light single cream
50g parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg yolk
freshly ground black pepper

Method

Cook the pasta according to instructions.
Meanwhile combine the cream, parmesan and egg yolk and mix well. Slowly add the lemon zest and juice to avoid curdling.
Drain the pasta, and stir in the sauce until the pasta is well-coated and the sauce is melted. Add a little water if absolutely needed.
Serve immediately with freshly ground black pepper.

March 11th - 17 days on

2011-03-28T21:23:00.005+09:00

OK, so this is my food blog, but this is so important that I am posting this on here as well as my personal blog.

This is a difficult post to write, and please be aware that these are just my perceptions from living in Japan and from what I see on the news here and internationally. Although aware through my own research and living here, I am not a scientist or an expert on the current situation, but I don't think the true picture is completely apparent outside of Japan.

It's been over two weeks, and in some ways I think the timing of this post is right. For me, I'm starting to grasp more of the enormity and reality of it all and could only now write this. Perhaps for many people outside of Japan the initial horror has passed, and it's just another news item.

I think that in the last week, the focus on international media (and even domestic media to a lesser extent) relating to Japan has shifted from the devastation in northern Japan, to nuclear power plant and radiation worries internationally. Of course the nuclear power plant situation in Japan is a very serious concern, and has added to the number of evacuees and problems of food supply, not mention the large number of workers and their families. However outside of the 20km zone, airborne levels are low. For example in Tokyo, about 240km from the Fukushima power plant, after a very brief alarming spike they are currently at 0.11uSV/hour - higher than normal in Tokyo http://www.mext.go.jp/component/english/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2011/03/28/1304324_2819.pdf but still well under the international average of 0.27uSv/hour (based on an average background radiation of 2.4mSv/year). Outside of Japan, increases are minute (for example about one millionth of what you would get in normal daily background radiation). This fortunately isn't another Chernobyl.

The devastation in northern Japan hasn't gone away, even if the focus on the news has. Pictures in the news show the remarkable transformation of a major road with a great chasm after the earthquake - six days on you'd never know. Businesses are starting to relocate and get back on their feet. This enables some supplies to get through to the affected region. These stories are great. But the reality is that whilst things are looking better, they are still not good. Food, water, basic supplies and medicine are starting to get through now, but the diet is poor because non-perishable foods have to be used. As at March 22nd 320,000 evacuees are staying at about 2,100 shelters. The risk of contagious disease such as flu is high. http://english.kyodonews.jp/news/2011/03/80009.html. The landscape is still flattened.

There is a still a lack of basic supplies, electricity and heat in many areas. It is still very cold. This means that people, especially the sick and elderly are still dying having survived an earthquake and tsunami. This is correctly described as Japan's worst disaster since World War 2. This page shows a translated interview with some local people. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/asia-pacific/japan/110322/japan-rebuilding-tsunami-earthquake-ofunato-iwate

It seems that many people feel that because Japan is a rich technologically advanced country, people don't believe that they need donations so much. Yet the United States is also a rich technologically advanced country and they received substantially more donations in the first week after Hurricane Katrina. http://money.cnn.com/2011/03/18/pf/japan_earthquake_aid/index.htm.
Often people donate in the first week whilst the emerging images are so strong.
Japan always donates generously to disaster relief funds, again for example Hurricane Katrina http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2005/September/20050915165123ajesrom9.768313e-02.html and now Japan needs help to rebuild itself.

The northern area of Japan, especially the coastal areas, is not the richest region. If a situation like this were to happen in the UK, then international help would be needed. Japan is no different. I think that people see videos and pictures on television and see people behaving in a quiet ordered manner without asking for help, and assume that help isn't needed. There has been little looting in Japan, people tend to be more honest. The culture in Japan is often to endure quietly and to try to resolve your own problems, not to ask for help. The 'stiff upper lip' reputation of the British is more apparent in the 'gaman' of Japan. Just because people don't ask for help, doesn't mean that we shouldn't give it. Money is always needed for rebuilding no matter how developed a nation is. Rebuilding homes, services, companies and lives.

Donations are the best way to help, so that the relief agencies can spend it on what is needed most. The Red Cross in your own country will have a donation fund for the Japan Earthquake/Tsunami and is a good way to help. This is the key aid agency organising support in Japan. They will ensure that the money is used efficiently and, in the event that it can't be used efficiently in Japan, they will use the money for other countries that need it even more.

In Britain http://www.redcross.org.uk (online, or by phone or post), or you can use Google Checkout to pay via the Google Crisis Response site http://www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html
In Japan there are many more options which will get aid to the right place. Almost every convenience store and supermarket has a box, many legitimate charities including Second Harvest http://www.2hj.org/, but again you can donate on the Red Cross website http://www.jrc.or.jp/english/index.html

You can also donate by buying the Songs for Japan on iTunes for GBP7.99, $10 or 1500yen - all proceeds go to the Japanese Red Cross.

Cauliflower cheese and potato soup

2011-03-09T09:34:00.001+09:00

Nutrition Data (per portion, serves 4)
Calories 231
Protein 13g
Carbohydrate 17g
Fat 13g
Dietary Fibre 6g

Ingredients
1 large onion(210g)
1 tsp olive oil
1 head of cauliflower, head and stalks (520g)
160g potatoes
1 stock cube
100g grated cheddar
50g marscarpone

Method

Wash the cauliflower and cut into florets, and cut up the stems.
Wash and scrub the potatoes, and cut into chunks.
Dice the onion.
Heat the oil and fry the onion for about 5 minutes until soft and golden brown. Add the cauliflower, potato, 1 litre of boiling water, and crumble in a stock cube. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Stir in the mascarpone and grated cheese and stir until melted. Leave to cool slightly.
When cool enough to handle, transfer in batches to a blender, and blend until smooth.
Reheat to serve, grating in fresh black pepper and nutmeg.

Banana 'Ice-Cream'

2011-03-06T19:01:00.001+09:00

A quick healthy dessert!

You can freeze whole peeled bananas wrapped in greaseproof paper and packed into airtight ziplock bags for a few months, without them going brown.

When you want to make this creamy ice-cream, just put a banana in a blender and pulse until completely mashed! Serve with a teaspoon of chocolate sauce, or blend with a flavouring.

Shirataki Stirfry

2011-03-06T16:49:00.003+09:00

Shirataki noodles are made of konnyaku and so very low in calories but high in dietary fibre. They are filling and great once in a while, especially if you've eaten unhealthily and want to balance things out a bit! They have no taste, but soak up other strong flavours. This stirfry is tasty and quick to make.

Nutrition Data (total for both portions)
Calories 178
Protein 5g
Carbohydrate 30g
Fat 5g
Dietary Fibre 8.5g

Ingredients
1 x 150g pack of shirataki noodles
100g enoki mushrooms
100g leek (one leek)
40g red bell pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp reduced salt soy sauce
a little shichimi

Method

Rinse the shirataki in a sieve under running water until the fishy smell of the packaging liquid is completely gone.
Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan, add the shirataki, toss well to coat and then continue to cook over a medium heat whilst finely slicing the leek and the red pepper.
Add the leek, red pepper, enoki mushrooms, soy sauce and a sprinkle of shichimi and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
Serve immediately

Chicken and Brown Rice Meatloaf

2011-02-13T16:48:00.001+09:00

Nutrition Data (for whole meatloaf, serves 6-8 with a salad or vegetables)
Calories 1094
Protein 101g
Carbohydrate 112g
Fat 25g
Dietary Fibre 11g

Ingredients
400g minced chicken thigh
380g cooked (1 cup dried) brown rice
1 medium onion
1 stick celery
1 egg, beaten
100g non fat yoghurt
1 tsp nutmeg
good grating black pepper

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
Dice the onion and celery.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients thoroughly.
Pack well into a loaf tin; I use a silicone loaf tin, so don't need to grease it.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes until golden brown on top. Drain off the fat and cooking juices.
Let it stand for 10 minutes, then slice. Serve hot or cold.

Tips
This can be frozen. Once the meatloaf is cold, finish slicing it and wrap the individual slices in greaseproof paper and put in a freezer bag. Freeze on the same day.

Kimchi butter stir-fried cabbage with orange

2011-02-07T13:50:00.000+09:00

Ingredients
White cabbage
Broken-up orange, pith removed
kimchi butter for stir-frying (blend 1 quantity unsalted butter with 2 quantities kimchi)

Method

Slice enough cabbage and put in a wok with some kimchi butter. Stir fry for a few minutes, adding the broken orange pieces at the end to warm through.
Serve immediately.

Kimchi buttter and blue brie croissant

2011-02-07T13:13:00.002+09:00

Aaaggghhhh, I hear you cry! That is just not going to work! My initial reaction was the same when I read in the Flavour Thesaurus about Momofuku Restaurant in New York selling a kimchi butter and sweet gorgonzola croissant. Still, I was intrigued, and the more I thought about it the more I could imagine that the flavours could probably temper each other quite well. So I attempted it and it was delicious!

Of course, there was the snag of obtaining sweet gorgonzola, otherwise known as dolcelatte. You can relatively easily buy danish blue, gorgonzola and other strong blue cheese in Japan, I couldn't get dolcelatte.

I processed kimchi with some butter in my blender, and was astonished at the change in taste. I love kimchi and will quite happily eat it from the jar, but blending it with butter amazingly transformed the tart spiciness into sweet tangy creaminess. Hmmm, this could work, I thought!

With misgivings, I tried using regular gorgonzola, unsurprisingly it didn't work. What I settled on in the end was Gerard Fromage Bleu which is like a blue brie, and available from Yamaya. Delicious! If anyone tries this with dolcelatte, please let me know!

Ingredients
1 quantity butter
2 quantities kimchi
slices of blue brie
croissants

Method

Blend the kimchi and butter in a blender, putting it into the microwave for intervals of 10-20 seconds if the butter is too hard.
Split the croissant with a sharp knife. Spread both sides with the kimchi butter.
Top with thin slices of blue brie and sandwich the two halves together.
Enjoy!

Gooey Scrambled Egg and Spam on Brown Rice

2011-02-06T12:02:00.005+09:00

Hmmm. This is my semi-healthy answer to McDonald's absolutely delicious Sausage and Egg McMuffin breakfast set! On Saturdays I have an early start, and got into a habit of treating myself to a sausage & egg muffin and hash brown from McDonald's. Delicious, but 600 calories, 36g fat, 45g carbohydrate, 22g protein and 4g dietary fibre for the lot (was surprised it was so high in fibre actually!)

I needed a healthier alternative. But most importantly, it had to be quick to make. With this recipe, the rice is set to be ready in the rice cooker just before I go out. Boil the kettle to heat up the thermos. Make the egg mixture, spoon in the rice and top with the egg mixture. Ready to go!

Nutrition Data
Calories 318
Carbohydrate 23g
Protein 17g
Fat 17g
Dietary Fibre 3g

Still very high in fat, but a better treat! I make double the quantities for my thermos, and eat the rest at lunchtime with a green salad.

Ingredients (serves 1)
85g cooked brown rice (1/4 cup dried rice)
1 medium egg
14g grated cheese
3g butter
35g spam lite
56g kimchi

Method

Chop the spam into 1cm cubes.
If cooking to take to work, pour boiling water into the thermos, and put the lid on.
About 10 minutes before the rice is cooked, melt the butter in a saucepan, beat in the egg, and stir in the spam, cheese and kimchi. Keep stirring until thickened but still very glossy and of a pourable consistency. Take off the heat.
Pour the water out of the thermos, pile in the rice and top with the egg mixture. Close the thermos immediately!
I find that, even after taking half out for breakfast, it is still pretty warm 5 hours later. Absolutely delicious!

Fruity Coleslaw

2011-01-31T12:49:00.006+09:00

This is a slightly sweet, creamy but healthy coleslaw. My quantities make an awful lot (about 8 large salad-sized servings), but it keeps well in the fridge for about 5 days in a covered container. Using Hellmans mayonnaise is very important for the taste; this is sold in import food shops in Japan under the Best Foods label. Actual weights for mayonnaise and mustard were guessed.

Nutrition Data (per serving)
Calories 100
Carbohydrate 16g
Protein 4g
Fat 3g
Dietary Fibre 3g

Ingredients
450g fat free yoghurt
1 heaped dessertspoon (30g) Hellmanns mayonnaise
1 heaped teaspoon (10g) wholegrain mustard
1/2 white cabbage
1 medium carrot
3 medium radishes
1 large red apple
25g raisins

Method

Mix the yoghurt, mayonnaise, mustard and raisins together.
Shred the cabbage, carrot, radishes and apple.
Mix everything together in a large container, making sure to coat the fruit and vegetables well.
Store covered in the fridge.

Tip

If you make, or want to make, a lot of salads, it is well worth buying an electric vegetable slicer. Last year, I bought one intending to eat more salads but was worried that the salad motivation would wear off! Actually, because it means that it's much quicker to make salads, I eat even more than I expected!

Sweet Chilli Lentil and Smoked Salmon Warm Salad

2011-01-24T14:09:00.002+09:00

This is very filling and is high in protein and fibre. The pomegranate seeds and chilli sauce give a lovely tang against the lentils, and the seeds look beautiful too.

In the ingredients list I've specified 200g cooked lentils, I'm not sure what the dry weight would be because I cooked up so many for the week!

Nutrition Data
Calories 384
Carbohydrate 59g
Protein 28g
Fat 3g
Dietary Fibre 19g

Ingredients (serves 1)
200g cooked brown lentils
1/2 red onion, sliced
50g spinach
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
40g smoked salmon
30g pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce

Method

If not already done, rinse the lentils and cook them for about 30 minutes in boiling water.
Meanwhile, cook the onions in the balsamic vinegar and some water until soft and caramelized.
Wash the spinach and tear into the lentils. Add the onions. Mix in the sweet chilli sauce.
Mix in pieces of smoked salmon and the pomegranate seeds.
Serve warm or cold.

Sage and Onion Stuffing

2011-01-09T17:28:00.001+09:00

When I was in England last summer, I brought back some stuffing mix, which I ate with some roast gammon on New Year's Day, and then cold over the next few days...

This gave me the taste again for roast gammon, stuffing and cranberry sauce (I'm using lingonberry sauce from Ikea) sandwiches. Not having any more stuffing mix, I made my own today from some of my own bread that I hadn't eaten and had gone stale. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients
180g stale bread (only because that's how much I had!), made into breadcrumbs
a good teaspoon of sage, to taste
1 medium onion
1 medium apple
25g walnuts
25g raisins

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.
Put the breadcrumbs into a large bowl and stir in the sage.
Grate the onion and apple and stir into the breadcrumbs.
Crumble in the walnuts, and stir in the raisins.
Mix everything together well.
Spoon into a greased shallow baking tray and bake for about 45 minutes until brown and crispy on top.

Tobiko and Soft Cheese Rye Bread

2011-01-09T13:16:00.001+09:00

A straightforward snack! Cut 3 slices of Delba Wholegrain rye bread in half. Spread with soft cheese, and sprinkle a little tobiko on top.

Tobiko - Flying Fish Roe

2011-01-09T13:06:00.004+09:00

I used to think flying fish roe (tobiko/tobiran) was not worth buying because there is a lot of it, and you only use a little in recipes. However if you freeze it in small containers, it defrosts easily with no deterioration.

What is it like? Well, each egg is tiny, less than 1mm in diameter. They are hard crunchy sparkling red-orange jewels which explode in your mouth with a salty lemony taste. They make a beautiful garnish.

This is about 40g for 298yen.

Scrambled Eggs on an English Muffin

2011-01-09T12:02:00.003+09:00

I used to make scrambled eggs sometimes, using cream, as a special treat. Using milk or cream, and cooking slowly was the method I used for a long time. Then I discovered the Australian chef Bill Granger's recipe http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1720/perfect-scrambled-eggs.

Indeed delicious, and very quick too! Incidentally I first went to Bill's in Sydney for dinner about 5 years ago and was very impressed. A couple of years back I went for breakfast at Bill Granger's relatively newly-opened restaurant in Shichirigahama, the Shonan Beach area of Kanagawa. This was the following day after visiting Enoshima. By that stage it had been open for 10 months, I got there just before the opening time at 8am and had to queue for about an hour for a table... Make a reservation! That day I had sweetcorn fritters which I found a bit too rich for breakfast... Apparently, he's now opened his 2nd restaurant in Japan in the Red Brick Warehouse in Yokohama. http://www.bills-jp.net/bills_english/index.html.

However... This morning I discovered a new and phenomenally quick method of making scrambled eggs, and I think I actually prefer them. This is adapted from the British chef Nigel Slater.

Ingredients for one muffin
One English muffin, split and toasted
a small knob of butter
one egg
about 25g grated cheese

Method

Over a medium heat, melt the butter.
Turn off the heat and beat in one egg.
Stir in the cheese, turn on the heat again if necessary to finish melting the cheese and setting the egg, but remember that the saucepan is probably hot enough to continue cooking the egg.
Spoon over the unbuttered muffin and eat whilst hot.

Spam, tofu and potato salad

2011-01-06T18:35:00.003+09:00

This was tonight's spam dinner, and very tasty it was too! Those of you who are sharp-eyed will notice a green olive in the bowl, that does not appear in the ingredients... Yes, I love olives but they just were too much in this recipe. The recipe is much better without them.

A note on the mayonnaise... This should be a mayonnaise that you could enjoy on a teaspoon on its own, no cheap salad dressing here! I recommend Hellmanns, sold in Japan under the Best Foods label.

Ingredients (serves 1)
New potatoes
100g spam, chopped
100g firm tofu, chopped
dollop of mayonnaise
good teaspoon wholegrain mustard
2-3 chopped garlic chives (nira in Japan)

Method

Boil the potatoes, drain, then chop roughly.
Mix the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl, then stir into the hot potatoes.
Stir in the spam, tofu and nira.
Serve warm or cold.

Spam

2011-01-06T18:20:00.002+09:00

What can I say, I have a confession... I've always has a sneaky love of Spam, despite the out-and-out derision it gets in the UK these days. My recent trip to Okinawa, where it is a common ingredient, re-ignited my love of Spam! I predict that over the next few weeks, I'm going to be posting a whole lot of Spam recipes, inspiration coming from http://www.spam-jp.com/recipes/occasion/index.html.

Look at the photo - a spam riceball!

Chilli Gammon and Potato Stew

2011-01-05T13:40:00.003+09:00

This was inspired by The Flavour Thesaurus and its description of a Korean soup called Gamjatang. I googled Gamjatang and found that it was a spicy soup made from pork bones, potatoes and other vegetables and spices.

Not having half the herbs and spices, and not even wanting to cook with pork bones, I came up with this adaptation. It was delicious, and hopefully the fermenting kimchi will have the usual effect of helping my cold! All of the ingredients are according to taste...

Ingredients (serves 1)
1-2 potatoes
roughly chopped gammon
Stock cube
a bit of garlic puree
a bit more ginger puree
a tablespoon of kimchi
1/4 chopped white cabbage

Method

Halve the potatoes and boil them in water with a stock cube until almost tender.
Add the garlic and ginger puree, the chopped gammon, the cabbage and the kimchi, and simmer with the lid on for about 5 minutes until the gammon is hot and the cabbage is cooked.
Serve immediately, steaming hot.

The Flavour Thesaurus

2011-01-05T13:17:00.005+09:00

One of my brothers gave me an interesting cookery book for Christmas, The Flavour Thesaurus by Niki Segnit. It's not exactly a cookery book; instead it's a commentary on food pairings, some obvious, some definitely not so obvious. She chose 99 foods/herbs/spices and researched 980 pairings of them, and described them in mouth-watering detail! And with the description of the flavour pairings come the ideas and the combinations...! Thank you!

Making Mince Pies in Japan

2010-12-13T12:43:00.002+09:00

This year I decided to make some mince pies for Christmas, because I find the shop-bought ones way too sweet! As I didn't have much time, I did cheat with the mincemeat but if you want to make your own I recommend Delia's mincemeat recipe that I used to use in England. Unless you have a 12 hole yorkshire pudding tin not something you'll find in Japan!), you will also need to find some shallow rigid paper or foil cases and a baking tray. Tins for baking muffins are too deep. I got my cases from my local DIY centre and Tokyu Hands. Baking in cases does actually make it a lot easier to freeze the baked pies. You will also need a rolling pin and two cutters, for the base and the top. I used a 7.5cm diameter round one (which was the largest I could find, but actually a little too small), and a star for the top.

To make these allow yourself about 3 hours.

Ingredients
For the pastry
200g plain flour (ie in Japan, not bread flour)
pinch of salt
100g butter
extra flour for rolling
a little milk to brush the tops
a little brown sugar to sprinkle

For the mincemeat (cheating)
411g jar of Robertson's Classic Mincemeat from Kaldi Coffee Farm
1/2 apple, peeled
30-40g dried cranberries
1 tbsp brandy

Method

Wrap the measured butter in foil and put in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl.
Grate the butter into the flour, holding it in flour and dipping it into the flour to make it easier to grate. Stir the butter through the flour making sure it is well covered. Add cold water a little at the time and bring the pastry together with your hands. It should hold well together, but not be too sticky. Add a little extra flour if you find you've accidentally added too much water.
Wrap the ball of pastry in cling film or a plastic bag, and leave in the fridge to rest.
Prepare the mincemeat. Scoop out the jar into a large mixing bowl, grate in the apple, add the dried cranberries and brandy and mix well.
Preheat an oven to 190C.
Spread flour on a work surface. Divide the pastry into four smaller pieces to make it easier to work with. I'm lucky to have a pretty big kitchen in Japan, even by British standards, but even so my largest work surface area is only a square with side 35cm (yes, I just measured!)
Roll the pastry as thin as possible without it breaking. Cut equal quantities of circles and stars.
Put a circle of pastry in each case, and fill with a teaspoon of mincemeat. Cover with a star and brush with milk. Repeat until all the pastry is used up. I made 32 pies, using up the mincemeat exactly and with a tiny remaining bit of pastry.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes and cool on a wire rack. I had to bake two batches of 16.
These freeze well when cooled.
Reheat from frozen at 220C, covered with foil, for about 5 minutes.

Beef Casserole

2010-10-24T13:20:00.001+09:00

Well, I've been busy so it's been a long time since I've posted any recipes. The temperature is now dipping below 20C so it's feeling cold to me now! That, and I also finally have a long weekend to sort myself out and enjoy a bit of cooking!

Yesterday I decided that today was going to be a beef casserole day, something I haven't eaten for many years! After reading various recipes and taking out the bits I like, here is the finished recipe!

I have very happy memories of hot dumplings made with suet, but these potato ones are healthier, if indeed you can even buy suet in Japan! You can add more vegetables as you like, but the carrot and onions are essential! No picture yet - because I didn't follow my advice about making sure the pot didn't run dry... Just remembered it in time, still delicious but it was a bit too dry and caramelised!

Ingredients (serves 1 very hungry Alison with 2 too many dumplings!)
200g stewing beef
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, cut into 1/2cm discs
1 large mushroom, sliced thickly
1 tsp garlic paste
1 generous tsp marmite (you could use a beef stock cube)
200ml boiling water
2 medium potatoes
25g grated cheese
1 tbsp flour
2-3 tbsp maybe of breadcrumbs
1 egg

Method

In a large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil until hot. Add the beef and brown quickly on all sides. Add the chopped onions and garlic paste and fry until golden brown. Add the carrot and mushroom, and season with thyme and a good grating of freshly ground black pepper.
Meanwhile, boil the water and mix with the marmite or stock cube. Pour into the saucepan, bring to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer for one hour, adding about 100ml more of boiling water every now and then if you feel it needs it.
After starting the casserole simmering, halve the potatoes and boil in water for 15-20 minutes until tender. Remove from the pan and mash in a bowl with the raw egg, cheese, flour and breadcrumbs. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
After one hour, shape the potato mixture into balls, add a little more boiling water, and lay the potato dumplings on top of the casserole. Re-cover and continue to simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve immediately in a large bowl.

Zojirushi Breadmaker

2010-07-19T12:38:00.002+09:00

I'm now the proud owner of a Zojirushi breadmaker. This is something I've wanted for a number of years now, as it is impossible to buy wholemeal bread to my liking in Japan!

I used to have a breadmaker in England, and found it incredibly useful - it's even more useful here where I can't buy the bread I like! There are many fantastic bakeries in Japan, some chain bakeries (notably Kobeya) and many independent bakeries creating both rustic country breads and breads with unusual fillings or flavours, but nothing quite beats a decent wholemeal roll!

I'll add recipes as and when I experiment...! The recipes included with the manual encourage me to be really quite creative, but have needed adaptation to be suitably wholemeal - the wholemeal recipes they suggest tend to use only about 1/5 wholemeal flour, not really what I have in mind! But although some bread hasn't risen quite enough, every batch I've made has been really delicious!

I'm going to post these recipes on a separate website that I'm setting up, mainly for my own notes, Bread to make your mouth water.

Gammon and Chilli Bean Vegetable Casserole

2010-05-05T13:28:00.006+09:00

Nutrition Information (per serving)
Calories 147
Protein 11g
Carbohydrate 17.5g
Fat 3.5g
Dietary Fibre 5g

Ingredients (serves 5)
200g gammon, cooked and roughly chopped
1/2 onion (about 100g), chopped
425g (1 tin) Mexican Style Chilli Beans
1/2 white cabbage (about 280g)
1/3 kabocha (Japanese pumpkin, about 160g)
160g packet spinach, roughly torn

Method

Put the chopped onion in a saucepan. Soften in a little water over a low heat for about 3-4 minutes, until all the water has evaporated, and the onion is browned.
Steam the kabocha in the microwave for 8 minutes. Chop roughly, including the skin.
Add the chopped cabbage, kabocha, gammon and spinach to the saucepan.
Add the tin of beans, then fill the can with water to rinse it out, pouring the water into the saucepan.
Cover and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, and everything is hot.
Serve immediately.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

2010-05-05T11:16:00.007+09:00

This is a lovely refreshing and tasty soup, with a beautiful colour!

Nutrition Data (per serving)
Calories 61
Protein 1.5g
Carbohydrate 15g
Fat 0g
Dietary Fibre 4g

Ingredients (serves 4)
1 litre stock, made with a stock cube
500g carrot, sliced
40g fresh ginger root, peeled

Method

Crumble the stock cube into 1 litre of water. Add the sliced carrots and bring to the boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile mash the ginger root in a blender.
In batches, add the carrots and some of the stock to the blender. Puree until smooth, and transfer to a large container. Obviously the blender will get very hot.
Put the mixed carrot and ginger puree back into the remaining stock and mix thoroughly.
Reheat to serve, or I think it's better served ice-cold.

Note
This really is extremely refreshing ice-cold as the weather is getting warmer. It freezes well, and yesterday I just took it to work still frozen and had it later in the day as a kind of vegetable slush puppy (ice drink)! Delicious, and it's actually quite sweet too!

Egg and Potato Saute with Baked Beans

2010-05-05T08:48:00.010+09:00

This isn't my idea, but is adapted from the BBC Good Food website's recipe http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/5588/healthy-egg-and-chips. I found I had to change a lot of the timings. It is closer to sauteed potato than chips.

Nutrition Data
Calories 484
Protein 22g
Carbohydrate 83g
Fat 12g
Dietary Fibre 16g

Ingredients (serves 1)
150g new potatoes diced with skin (this is 2 new potatoes)
1/2 onion (about 100g), sliced and broken into semi-rings
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 egg
210g (1/2 tin) of baked beans

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200C.
Put the diced potato and onion rings into a baking tin.
Sprinkle over the olive oil and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle over the oregano.
Bake for 35 minutes until the potatoes are cooked and brown.
Make a gap in the vegetables and break in an egg. Return to the oven and cook for 8-9 minutes until the egg is set.
Meanwhile reheat the baked beans in a saucepan.
Serve immediately.

More bread-making practice needed...!

2010-04-04T15:46:00.002+09:00

Well, I tried making Delia's easy no-knead wholemeal bread today, but couldn't get it to rise. I used graham flour rather than wholemeal flour because it looked more suitably brown to me! I think the mixture was too wet, and I didn't use quite enough yeast. It tastes OK though, and is certainly brown, so not a complete disaster! A bit closer to the vacuum-packed German ryebread that I buy than actual bread...! I'll have another go soon - I think I can get optimal bread proving conditions under my kotatsu!

Oat, Fig and Nut Cookie Bites

2010-04-04T15:11:00.004+09:00

Today I did two variations of these. The first is the one that holds together better, and is easier to make. These are a little like a cookie form of my trail mix, but use more nuts.

Ingredients (makes 12-14 tiny cookies)
25g coarse porridge oats
25g almonds
25g macadamia nuts
40g sticky figs from a packet
about 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Method

Preheat an oven to 200C.
Put everything in a blender, and blend until finely chopped and sticky.
Form teaspoons of the mixture into balls and press into rounds.
Put onto baking paper on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack, and store in an airtight container.

Variation Ingredients
25g porridge oats
25g almonds
25g pumpkin seeds
40g dried apricots
1 tsp honey
about 1/2 tsp nutmeg

Note
Apricots aren't really sticky enough, and the pumpkin seeds don't bind so well. Prunes would also work well as the fruit, I think, and other more binding seeds instead of the pumpkin seeds. But the variation is also delicious.

Science Experimentation Day!

2010-04-04T09:26:00.002+09:00

Sometimes it feels like my kitchen is my laboratory, where I create weird and wonderful dishes, sometimes it looks like that, sometimes it tastes like that too! Those ones don't make it on to the blog, funnily enough...

But usually, I'm very happy with the results! Today the plan is to create some new concoctions, so watch this space!

Easy Wholemeal Bread

2010-03-28T21:29:00.001+09:00

It's very rare to find good wholemeal bread in Japan. Dark German rye bread, yes. But not wholemeal bread. I've just found this recipe for very easy wholemeal bread, no kneading required.
http://www.deliaonline.com/how-to-cook/bread/how-to-make-wholemeal-bread.html
I'll report back when I've found the wholemeal flour and have a chance to make it!

Tuna and Avocado Flower

2010-03-28T09:28:00.005+09:00

I had this stunning dish in a bar last night, and so wanted to recreate it quickly before I forgot... It looks so beautiful - it was a bar snack, but would be beautiful as a starter for a special meal.

Ingredients (serves 1)
5 very thin slices of daikon (mooli/Japanese radish)
1/2 ripe avocado
1/2 rounded tsp green pesto
about 20g very fresh raw tuna
a little red onion
about 2 tsp flying fish roe (tobiko)
a sprig of something dark green

Method

Peel a small piece of daikon and slice it into 5 very thin rounds - you can use a knife or vegetable peeler for this. If it is thin enough you will see the veining on the daikon.
Arrange on a small plate as a 5 petaled flower.
Thinly slice a little red onion into slivers.
Roughly chop the raw tuna into about 1cm cubes.
Mash the half avocado with about 1/2 rounded teaspoon of green pesto. Mix in the tuna.
Arrange the avocado mixture on the daikon petals, top with the slivers of red onion, and scatter the flying fish roe on top.
Chop something green on top. I just chopped a bit of green salad leaves on top, but you could use basil or parsley.
Serve immediately!

Trail Mix

2010-03-21T17:02:00.007+09:00

This is a really delicious and healthy snack. No measurements are given, because it's such a matter of taste!

Ingredients
Coarse oats
Almonds, chopped into thirds
Pumpkin seeds
Raisins
Dried blueberries
Dried figs, chopped into quarters
Dried coconut
Anything else you might like!

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C.
Spread the oats in a fairly thin layer on a baking tray, and toast for 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Pour into a large bowl, and mix in the other ingredients.
Store in small containers for snacking!

If you like healthy snacks, you might want to take a look at the Sunday Snacks Event - Healthy Snacks.

And also some of my previous posts:
Cheesy Potato Marmalade Balls
New Potato Asparagus and Bacon Hot Salad
Melted Camembert with Toasted Walnuts
Balsamic Figs Ham and Blue Cheese
Mackerel on Rye Bread
Low Fat Lemon Pepper Houmous

Celery, Cucumber and Ginger 'Juice'

2010-03-21T16:11:00.005+09:00

It's difficult to call this one a juice, because it's really rather chewy! But it is very fresh-tasting, and ginger is very good for promoting good blood circulation. Of course if you had a juicer you could make it clear, but then it wouldn't have the fibre!

Nutrition Data
Calories: 36
Protein: 1.5g
Carbohydrate: 8g
Fat: 0g
Dietary Fibre: 2.5g

Ingredients
Stalk celery (about 60g, with or without leaves)
1 Japanese cucumber, or 1/3 English cucumber, unpeeled (about 90g)
Piece of root ginger, unpeeled (about 15g)

Method

Wash the vegetables.
Break the vegetables up into the blender with a little water, and blend until as smooth as possible.
Drink immediately!

Tip

If you don't want to drink it immediately, then store it in a vacuum flask. This keeps it cool and dark, so that you don't lose too many nutrients.

Spinach, Avocado and Tofu Smoothie

2010-03-21T15:41:00.010+09:00

OK, so as from this last week, I'm on a bit of a health kick, and feeling really energetic all day as a result!

This very green smoothie really is filling! It also supplies about 20% RDA calcium, nearly 200% RDA Vitamin A, about 70% RDA Vitamin C and about 30% RDA iron.

Nutrition Data
Calories: 272
Protein: 13.1g
Carbohydrate: 17.8g
Fat: 19g
Fibre: 8.9g

Ingredients (serves 1)
120g spinach
1/2 avocado
150g soft silken tofu

Method

Wash the spinach and tear roughly into the blender bowl.
Add a little water and blend until finely chopped.
Add the avocado and silken tofu and blend until smooth, adding water until it's a consistency you like.
Drink immediately!

If you like spinach, you may also like to look at the Healing Foods Event - Spinach.
Also my previous spinach posts:
Spinach, Cucumber and Avocado Salad
Sesame Sauteed Spinach

Tips

So now you have half an avocado that you need to keep without it going brown. Don't brush with lemon juice, but keep the half with the stone and wrap it in foil, making sure that the foil is pressed down well over the cut side. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
If you don't want to drink it immediately, then store it in a vacuum flask. This keeps it cool and dark, so that you don't lose too many nutrients.

Cheesy potato marmalade balls

2010-02-22T10:47:00.010+09:00

Ingredients (makes 5 or 6)
2 medium potatoes
50ml milk
honey according to taste
3 cheese slices (for melting)
marmalade for topping

Method

Cut the potatoes into 1cm pieces and put in the LeKue steam case for 5 minutes in a 600w microwave. Carefully mash as much as you can and then microwave for another 3 minutes.
Mix in the cheese slices, milk and honey. Microwave for another 2 minutes.
Mix well, put spoonfuls onto cling film and twist and squeeze into balls.
Unwrap and decorate with marmalade.

Honey Castella

2010-02-21T20:02:00.006+09:00

Ingredients
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
50g soft light brown sugar
40g white flour
half teaspoon baking powder
10ml milk or 10g mascarpone
5g soft unsalted butter
10g/ml honey

Method

Line the bottom of the steam case with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180C.
Beat the egg with the sugar and butter.
Beat in the flour and baking powder until smooth and mix in the milk and honey.
Spoon into the LeKue steam case.
Bake with the case open for 15 minutes and then close the case and continue baking for a further 5 minutes.
Turn out immediately onto a wire rack and cover with a clean kitchen towel until cool.
Serve in thin slices.

New Potato, Asparagus and Bacon Hot Salad

2010-02-21T19:52:00.005+09:00

Ingredients
4 new potatoes
4 pieces asparagus
4 pieces of lean bacon or proscuitto ham
1 thick triangle processed cheese (I used processed mozzarella)
Black pepper

Method

Wash the potatoes, but don't peel. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Wash and cut the asparagus diagonally into bite-sized pieces.
Cut the bacon or ham into small pieces.
Put the potato pieces into the LeKue steam case and into a 500w microwave oven for 2 minutes.
Add the asparagus and bacon and continue cooking in the microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes.
Add the processed cheese and microwave for one more minute.
Stir and add freshly ground black pepper to serve.

Yuba

2010-02-15T11:09:00.008+09:00

It's time to introduce this little known food - yuba.

Yuba is sometimes known as tofu skin, but in fact is just the skin that is formed when you boil soy milk.

It can wrap fillings and be fried, or eaten on its own like this with a little soy sauce and ginger or wasabi. It's really creamy and delicious!

Orange Caramelized Onion & Potato Frittata

2010-02-15T09:58:00.008+09:00

Nutrition Data (for the whole frittata, serves 4 with a salad)
Calories 800
Protein 42g
Carbohydrate 98g
Fat 25g
Dietary Fibre 14g

Ingredients
3 large onions, chopped
100ml orange juice
1 tablespoon marmalade
about 250g potatoes
5 medium eggs, beaten with a teaspoon of dill and a good grating of pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil for greasing the pan

Method

Wash and scrub the potatoes and boil them whole in a pan of water until tender. Chop roughly into cubes.
Meanwhile, boil the chopped onion in the orange juice and marmalade until brown. Right at the end of cooking time, as the orange juice has evaporated, stir well to get all the dark brown caramel to coat the onions.
Beat the eggs.
In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and coat the pan, making sure that the sides of the pan are oiled. Add the potatoes and onions and pour over the beaten egg.
Leave on a medium heat for about 10 - 15 minutes without disturbing, until the egg is set.

Bite-Sized Pepper Steak

2010-02-15T08:35:00.006+09:00

OK, the picture really doesn't do this justice... The beef isn't really burnt, but it's a really wet day today and the lighting on this photograph is terrible.

Although I've never been vegetarian (I like sausages too much!), my family and friends know that I eat very little meat as it is, but instead add smaller quantities (usually ham) to vegetable dishes.

As a child, I hated beef, and I still never choose it in restaurants because it's never cooked as I like it. Since I came to Japan, and discovered the sliced medium roast beef in the supermarkets, I now eat it every few months just as it is. It is still pink, but is actually cooked, and really melts in the mouth.

Today, I decided to make pepper steak for the first time - I don't think I've ever eaten it before. For this many mouthfuls, I used a 100g piece of steak.

Ingredients
100g piece of good quality steak
a lot of freshly ground black or mixed peppercorns
about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
about 4 tablespoons of mirin
olive oil for frying

Method

Cut the steak into bite-sized pieces.
Grind the pepper onto a plate.
Coat both sides of the steak with the pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and add the steak pieces. Brown both sides.
REMOVE FROM THE HEAT.
Quickly pour in the soy sauce and mirin (exact quantities don't matter, just roughly 2 parts mirin, 1 part ssoy sauce). It will bubble vigorously and thicken a little. It will also produce an impressive flame if you forget to remove from the heat... Make sure that the beef has been coated in this sauce. Tip: use the sauce to cook the beef to your liking, rather than the browning stage - the bubbling sauce will quickly cook the beef through.
Serve immediately.

Ham and Mustard Twice Baked Creamy Jacket Potatoes

2010-02-14T12:29:00.007+09:00

I'm not going to give any measurements because you will need to use more or less depending on the number and size of the potatoes, and according to taste. If you can get baby new potatoes, they would be best.

Ingredients
Small potatoes
Mascarpone cheese
Dijon mustard
Proscuitto type ham, chopped
Salt and black pepper

Method

Bake the potatoes until they are soft. (I have a magic baked potato setting on my oven).
Take out from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes until they are cool enough to handle. Turn the oven up to 230C.
Slice off the top of each potato and eat it to keep you going until the potatoes are ready.
Using a teaspoon, carefully scoop the potato out of the little jacket potatoes into a bowl.
Mash with the mascarpone, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper, stir in the chopped ham. Taste and add accordingly.
Using a teaspoon again and your fingers, pile the mixture back into the potato skins, and press the skins back into place if you tore them. Grate lots of black pepper over the top.
At this point you can wrap some of these up with cling film and keep in the fridge for a couple of days until you are ready to reheat.
Bake the potatoes in the 230C oven for about 10 minutes until the mixture is hot.

Cod and Poached Egg on Wholemeal Toast

2010-02-14T10:06:00.005+09:00

Now that was a delicious breakfast! I steamed some cod in the microwave for a couple of minutes, mashed it with some fresh dill, and piled it on one small slice of wholemeal bread. I put a poached egg on the other piece of wholemeal bread.

Lentil and Vegetable Gratin (improved!)

2010-02-07T13:27:00.012+09:00

I originally posted this recipe as Lentil and Courgette Gratin back in September last year, when I didn't have an oven. Since moving house, I bought myself an oven and have been making this recipe a lot recently. I have made some amendments/improvements to the recipe, and am now even more happy with it.

It's a very healthy recipe: it's very high in fibre and low in fat, as the crispy base is not made from pastry but a combination of red lentils, oats and now also wheat bran. The wheat bran came into the recipe by chance, as I only had half of the amount of oats needed.

Nutrition Data (per portion)
Calories 313
Protein 21g
Fat 10g
Carbohydrate 37g
Dietary Fibre 14.5g

Ingredients (serves 4)
Crust

125g/4ozs red lentils (in Japan, sold on Rakuten or in some import food shops such as Nissin)
10ml/1dsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled & finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
15ml/1tbsp tomato purée
25g/1oz oat flakes and 25g/1oz wheatbran
10ml/2tsp of your favourite dried herbs

Filling
250g vegetables such as courgettes, leeks, broccoli or cauliflower (or a mixture), diced
2 eggs, beaten
15ml/1tbsp wholemeal flour
50ml/2fl ozs skimmed milk
pepper
50g/2ozs Cheddar Cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/375^oF/190^oC.
2. Cook the lentils in twice their volume of water for about 20 minutes, until they are fairly soft and the excess water has dried out. Beat well with a spoon.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onion and sliced garlic for about 6 minutes until soft and golden brown.

4. Remove from the heat and mix in the cooked lentils, tomato purée, oats, wheatbran and herbs. Season well. The mixture should be thick enough to hold together. If the lentils are a little wet, return the pan to the heat to dry them out.
5. Press the mixture into the base and up the sides of an 20cm/8″ flan dish. It is easier to do this with your hands than with a spoon. Pre-bake at 190C for 20 minutes until it is slightly dried out.

6. For the filling, lightly steam the vegetables for 4 minutes or until tender.
7. Blend the eggs with the flour, then add the milk. Stir in the steamed vegetables and season well.
8. Spoon the filling into the pre-dried flan case. Sprinkle with grated cheese.

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling has set.
10. Serve hot or cold with jacket potatoes and salad, or with soup.

Tips

This can be taken out of the tin, cooled on a wire rack, then cut up and frozen in individual portions. Unwrap and reheat from frozen at 200C for 30 minutes.
Finely grating the cheese makes it go further.

Kenchinjiru, Japanese Zen Buddhist vegetable soup

2010-01-11T10:53:00.009+09:00

I got this delicious recipe from the excellent Just Hungry website. Very little was changed - just the type of stock (not having kombu dashi, I used niboshi dashi) and the quantities of vegetables - I didn't want to be eating it for the rest of the week! However I didn't scale it exactly by half, using the same quantities of tofu, konnyaku, satoimo and burdock (gobo)... My half quantities would serve 3 people. I just ate it on its own and it was filling, but you could have some brown rice with it. No nutritional information for this recipe, but it is very low in calories and fat and very high in fibre.

However, unfortunately this recipe is going to be difficult/impossible in Britain unless you live close to a very good Japanese supermarket and can get burdock root, or unless you grow it! And you're certainly going to have to use normal white potatoes! But I certainly recommend trying this kind of clear soy sauce soup with vegetables, konnyaku and tofu - it is very tasty and filling.

Baked Sugared Crusts

2010-01-01T21:01:00.003+09:00

No picture, but this is a very cheap and sweet snack. When I made the Flower Snacking Plate, I was of course left with a whole lot of crusts. Crusts are also sold in big bags in Japanese bakeries from free to about 100yen.

Put them on a baking tray, sprinkle with a very little brown sugar and bake at 180C for about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack so that they crisp up. Store in an airtight container.

Toshikoshi Soba

2010-01-01T20:12:00.007+09:00

In Japan, on New Year's Eve, it is traditional to eat soba (buckwheat noodles). This link explains some of the traditional beliefs about toshikoshi soba http://www.jpn-miyabi.com/Vol.12/toshikoshi-e.html.

I didn't eat soba on New Year's Eve, but I did have it for dinner tonight! This isn't a traditional soba recipe - this is just what I wanted to add to my soba... Again apologies for the photo, the colours really aren't coming out in artificial light.

Nutrition Data
Calories: 458
Protein: 34g
Carbohydrate: 55g
Fat: 13g
Dietary Fibre: 5g

Ingredients (serves 1)
60g dried soba (buckwheat noodles)
400ml of dashi (stock)
1 heaped teaspoon of red miso
200g firm tofu
50g cooked thick slice of gammon, chopped
1 teaspoon dried wakame seaweed

Method

Heat the stock until boiling, turn down the heat to simmer and add the soba noodles. Cook for 5 minutes until al dente.
Meanwhile, cube the tofu and add to the pan along with the wakame and chopped gammon. Stir in the miso and serve.

Flower Snacking Plate

2010-01-01T19:58:00.004+09:00

I really need to improve the lighting for taking photos in this new house - they're coming out really insipid-looking...

This came from an idea I saw in a magazine whilst I was away.

Cut the crusts off 5 or 6 pieces of bread and roll each piece thinly with a rolling pin.

Arrange 4 or 5 pieces around the edge of a round metal tin and press the final piece into the bottom. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180C for 15 to 20 minutes until the bread is crisp and browned at the edges. Leave in the tin for a couple of minutes and then put on a wire rack to cool.

Put the bread 'flower' on a plate and fill with ham/cheese rosettes, cooked vegetables, fruit and boiled eggs etc.

Is this really tofu?!

2009-10-19T15:29:00.007+09:00

A friend recently gave me a souvenir from Sendai. Sendai is famous for beef tongue, but this was tofu marinated with onions and soy sauce to have the flavour and texture of beef. Delicious and very unusual!

New rice and seasonal gifts

2009-10-19T11:33:00.005+09:00

This is the time of year in Japan when rice is harvested. I've just bought some new brown rice (packaged on 12th October so pretty fresh!) New rice (新米） has a little more flavour, contains more water and has a bit more bite. Seasonal food is very important in Japan, and many people send gifts of natural produce that are special to their particular region of Japan.

In Britain and many other countries, it would be too expensive to send fruit and vegetables by post. But in Japan, there is a fantastic network of relatively cheap next day delivery services, where you pay by size and maximum weight. I'm lucky enough to have some very kind students that sometimes give me fruit and vegetables from their families' farms or hometowns, most recently some delicious potatoes from Hokkaido.

Red Grapefruit Water Ice

2009-10-19T11:10:00.007+09:00

This idea came about by chance, as I left a grapefruit too close to the back of the fridge, and it partially froze. If you freeze a whole grapefruit, run it under hot water and cut the peel away, it can be sliced and eaten like sorbet - very refreshing. I've also just tried freezing segments of satsuma on a tray and then putting them into bags - works the same way, but much easier to eat! They would also be nice instead of ice cubes in a drink.

Melted Oozing Camembert with Toasted Walnuts and Brandied Raisins

2009-10-13T22:36:00.002+09:00

It's taken me a couple of goes to get a photo of this recipe and so be able to add this post, I'm usually too hungry to hang around taking photos!

Nutrition Information
Calories: 325
Protein: 12g
Fat: 10g
Carbohydrate: 34g
Dietary Fibre: 7g

Ingredients
2 slices of rye bread (total 62g)
2 segments of camembert or brie (total 34g)
8g walnuts (4 halves)
3 teaspoons of brandied raisins

Method

Roughly crumble the walnuts into a saucepan and dry fry until hot and toasted.
Put the rye bread on a microwaveable plate, a piece of camembert on each slice, and sprinkle over the brandied raisins and the walnuts.
Microwave for 40 seconds until the camembert is just oozing. Flatten the camembert slightly.
Eat immediately!

Brandied raisins

2009-10-13T22:34:00.005+09:00

As the weather starts to get cooler, and as a memory of making the Christmas cake in England, here is a very simple recipe for brandied raisins.

It has been a family tradition to make the Christmas cake in about September or October, in order that it is well-matured by Christmas. A good dark fruit Christmas cake will actually last about a year undecorated, believe it or not - and be absolutely delicious for it! Even decorated with marzipan and royal icing, I have memories of still eating absolutely delicious Christmas cake in March..!

The secret is in the brandy. It is preserved with brandy. From the three weeks prior to making the cake (when you are soaking the raisins in brandy) to the months after baking the cake (and before decorating it), when you are carefully unwrapping the cake and sprinkling it with a tablespoon of brandy on a weekly basis - it is steeped in brandy - this cake is good stuff!

A few years ago, my mother did some of these raisins over ice cream, and believe me, they're wonderful! It's very simple - just put some raisins in a container, pour over a generous amount of brandy (you don't have to cover the raisins, but enough to swill them around in), shake well and keep in the fridge. Every few days when you think of it, open the container and toss the raisins a bit more. After at least a week, you can start eating them! However, they do last almost indefinitely if they remain covered with brandy...

As I say, they're delicious hot or cold on ice cream or on Melted Camembert with Toasted Walnuts and Brandied Raisins.

Tofu and Wakame Miso Soup

2009-10-11T08:47:00.005+09:00

It was about time that I put a recipe for my miso soup on here. Recently, a friend of mine gave me some homemade niboshi dashi which is a dried stock mixture of grated dried anchovies and grated kombu. It's best to use a fish stock for this recipe if you substitute, although I've used chicken gravy granules before successfully enough...

Servings for this recipe vary... I had it all for myself for breakfast, but depending on when you're eating it and what you're eating it with, it could probably serve up to 3 people!

Nutrition Data
The thing I would note most with this is that whilst miso soup is very healthy, and much healthier than many other food choices available, it is worth choosing low salt varieties of stock and miso. This nutrition data is only for the tofu and the miso, and with the assumption that you eat it all!
Calories: 146
Protein: 10.5
Fat: 7.2g
Carbohydrate: 10g
Dietary Fibre: 2g

Ingredients
400 ml of dashi stock (use the instructions according to your recipe)
6 pieces of wakame seaweed
150g silken tofu
1 heaped teaspoon of miso

Method

I made the dashi by putting 2 rounded teaspoons of the homemade dashi in a saucepan with 400ml of water, and heating it to simmering point.
Whilst it is heating, cube the tofu and add this, together with 6 pieces of wakame.
Take out a tablespoon of dashi and mix the miso in this, then quickly stir it in just as the dashi is simmering.
Serve immediately.

Note
If I was doing this properly or for other people, I would have strained the dashi before adding the other ingredients, but I don't usually bother when I'm being quick.

Fruit and Nut Oat Bars

2009-10-04T12:23:00.005+09:00

Like most people living in small apartments in Japan, I don't have an oven, making do with a 2 ring gas stove, a microwave, a rice cooker and a blender. Wanting to make a healthy-ish snack today, this is what I came up with...

Nutrition Data (per portion)
Calories: 199
Protein: 5g
Fat: 9g
Carbohydrate:28g
Dietary Fibre: 3g

Ingredients (makes 3 bars)
25g almonds
25g dried apricots
25g raisins
25g fresh pineapple
2 tsp pineapple juice
10g butter
50g rolled oats

Method

In a blender, finely chop the almonds, dried apricots, raisins and pineapple.
In a saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the oats and pineapple juice. Mix in the fruit and nut mixture and form into a ball.
Put some clingfilm in a square container and press in the mixture.
Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes and cut into bars.

Balsamic Figs, Ham and Blue Cheese

2009-10-02T12:30:00.008+09:00

I had this same snack minus the balsamic vinegar last night, when I got home from work. It definitely needs a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar and lemon zest to bring out the flavour of the figs, which otherwise get dwarfed by the flavour of the raw ham and blue cheese.

Nutrition Data
Calories 130
Protein 5g
Fat 4.5g
Carbohydrate 21g
Dietary Fibre 2g

Ingredients (serves 1)
2 fresh figs
15g cured ham (eg parma ham)
10g soft creamy blue cheese (I used Arla Danablu, but a mild dolcelatte would be good)
1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
a little lemon zest (optional)

Method

Quarter the figs and put on a plate. Roughly tear over the raw ham, and crumble over the blue cheese.
Sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar and lemon zest.
Serve immediately.

Mabo-doufu or Spicy Beef and Tofu on Rice

2009-10-02T10:57:00.008+09:00

As always, I am cooking with minimum ingredients so this is my version of mabo-doufu, or spicy beef and tofu. Often recipes include sake, and chicken stock. It's eaten hot, served on steaming rice. This is a Chinese-Szechuan dish, very popular in Japan. This looks to be quite high in fat - I wasn't sure how lean my beef was, although I chose a pack that looked lean, for the nutrition data I probably overestimated the fat content, calling it 75% lean meat, 25% fat.

Nutrition Data (per serving, including rice)
Calories: 658
Protein: 33g
Fat: 34g
Carbohydrate: 66g
Dietary Fibre: 6g

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 tsp olive oil
1 teaspoon ginger paste
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 spring onions, snipped (reserve 2 teaspoons of green top for a garnish)
2 heaped teaspoon of spicy bean paste (toubanjan）/you could probably use a mixture of chilli flakes and sauce
200g minced beef/ you could use pork or TVP
2 heaped teaspoons red miso
300g of silken tofu, chopped into chunks
2 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
100ml water
2 tsp of cornflour or potato starch mixed with a little water
400g cooked brown rice to serve

Method

Cook the rice according to instructions.
Put the olive oil in a small pan, with the garlic and spring onions. Fry over a low heat for about 2 minutes, add the ginger paste and spicy bean paste and fry for another minute until thick.
Add the ground beef and fry until it changes colour. The beef will quickly produce more fat for frying. Stir in the miso paste.
Stir in the water, soy sauce and tofu being careful not to break the tofu too much; cover and cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the cornflour paste and heat for about a minute more until thickened slightly.
Put the hot cooked rice into bowls, and top with the mabo-doufu. Sprinkle with the reserved spring onion tops.
Serve immediately.

Fruit Nata de Coco

2009-09-23T12:17:00.011+09:00

If ever you get the chance to try Nata de Coco, I well recommend it. I ate it for the first time a couple of weeks ago at a Denny's restaurant. It's made from fermented coconut milk, is sweet and has a juicy chewy texture. It's zero fat, high in fibre, and extremely low in calories (64 calories per 100g).

Since eating it, I was hooked, and started to try and buy it. It is made in the Philippines, and it appears from the web that there was a major craze for it in Japan back in 1993, and at that time could be bought just about everywhere. I had more trouble tracking it down, at least in its natural non-additive form, but eventually found it in a Seijo Ishii store in this tin.

This is the dessert that I made with it, using 100g nata de coco, 1 ruby grapefruit, and 100g black grapes.

Nutrition Data
Calories: 235
Protein: 3g
Fat: 0g
Carbohydrate: 59g
Dietary Fibre: 9g

I bought this nata de coco jelly dessert from Jusco this evening: whilst there was a lot less nata de coco in it, it is a 0 calorie dessert (as you can see!) and yet has 3.2% dietary fibre, pretty good eh?!

Sliced beef, the ultimate fast food!

2009-09-23T11:52:00.004+09:00

Living in Japan, I am often struck by what a convenient country this is... When you go to a supermarket, there is a huge range of freshly-made meals and salads to tempt you. The same goes for the 24 hour convenience stores. And because of demand, turnover is very high - meaning that your meal was probably prepared no more than a couple of hours ago. In England, there are considerably more frozen ready-meals with lots of additives, but just not the same choice in fresh food.

I'm not really a big meat-eater, but sometimes I really like the fresh sliced cooked beef that I can get in the supermarkets here. I'd never go to the effort of cooking the beef myself, mostly because I would never be able to cook it to the same perfection as I can buy here. In England, on the odd occasion that I ate beef, I would always have it well-done. Here, it's delicious served medium-rare and it really melts in your mouth. It comes pre-packaged with a small salad, sliced onions and a light gravy. I love it!

Lentil and Courgette Gratin

2009-09-13T07:39:00.006+09:00

Sadly I can't make this dish these days. Like many (most?) people living in a small flat in Japan, I don't have an oven. My cooking is done on 2 gas rings and in a microwave. But this dish was a favourite of mine in the UK. The recipe originally came from Sainsbury’s Healthy Eating Cookbooks: Beans, Nuts & Lentils by the vegetarian food writer Sarah Brown, and I found a copy of the recipe at http://hopeeternalcookbook.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/courgette-lentil-gratin/ - see for pictures and other nice recipes.

It's a very healthy recipe: it's high in fibre and low in fat, as the crispy base is not made from pastry but a combination of red lentils and oats.

Nutrition Data (per portion)
Calories 315
Protein 21g
Fat 11g
Carbohydrate 37g
Dietary Fibre 8g

Ingredients (serves 4)
Crust
125g/4ozs red lentils
15ml/1tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled & finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
15ml/1tbsp tomato purée
50g/2ozs oat flakes
15ml/1tbsp lemon juice
10ml/2tsp chopped mixed herbs (sage/thyme/marjoram)
Filling
250g/8ozs courgettes, diced
2 eggs, beaten
15ml/1tbsp wholemeal flour
50ml/2fl ozs skimmed milk
salt & pepper
50g/2ozs Cheddar Cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 5/375^oF/190^oC.
2. Cook the lentils in twice their volume of water for about 15 minutes, or until they are fairly soft. Beat well with a spoon, then drain excess liquid if any remains.
3. Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the onion for 3-4 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and mix in the cooked lentils, tomato purée, oats, lemon juice and herbs. Season well. The mixture should be thick enough to hold together. If the lentils are a little wet, return the pan to the heat to dry them out before adding or add a few more oat flakes.
5. Press the mixture into the base and up the sides of an 20cm/8″ flan dish. It is easier to do this with your hands than with a spoon.
6. For the filling, lightly steam the courgettes for 4 minutes or until tender.
7. Blend the eggs with the flour, then add the milk. Stir in the cooked courgettes and season well.
8. Spoon the filling into the flan case. Cover with grated cheese. (Tomato slices can also be added to decorate if you wish.)
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the filling has set.
10. Serve hot with jacket potatoes and salad.

Chipotle Spiced Baked Beans, Rice and Egg

2009-09-07T12:02:00.007+09:00

On the trend of Mexican spiced breakfast dishes, but missing my regular brown rice breakfast, I made this for lunch... Very filling! You could add whatever chilli spice you like. The chipotle spice was a present, it has a very smoky taste. I actually cooked double the quantity and then refrigerated the other portion for breakfast tomorrow. Because of my job, I tend to eat a substantial breakfast about 10am and then 3 or 4 much smaller snacks at 2-3 hour intervals! I eat a bit more on days off because I get up earlier...

Nutrition Data (for 1)
Calories 449
Protein 19.4g
Carbohydrate 77.9g
Fat 6.5g
Dietary Fibre 13.5g

Ingredients
1/2 x 420g can of baked beans, drained of most of the tomato sauce
25g frozen peas
1 eggs, beaten
Chipotle chile ground spice, according to taste
150g cooked brown rice
2 plums
1/2 tablespoon sweet jalapeno sauce

Method

Roughly chop the plums and stir in the sweet jalapeno sauce. Put in a small serving bowl in the fridge.
Put the drained baked beans and frozen peas in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the beaten egg and continue to heat, stirring until the egg is cooked throughout the mixture. Add chipotle chile spice according to taste.
Stir in the cooked brown rice and heat until hot. Taste again, and add more chipotle spice if wanted.
Serve in a bowl with the plum salsa side dish.

Nectarine, Chickpea and Green Pea Couscous Salad

2009-09-07T10:59:00.007+09:00

Nutrition Data (per salad portion)
Calories 208
Protein 7.7g
Carbohydrate 40.8g
Fat 0.8g
Dietary Fibre 5.5g

Ingredients (serves 6 as a salad, or 3 as a main course, which means my diet will be a little unvaried over the next few days...!)
200g dried couscous
Spice to taste (I used 1 rounded teaspoon of Sainsbury's 'Taste the Difference' Rose and Harissa Rub, which I bought in the summer, a spicy blend of crushed chillies, coriander, cumin and rose petals)
1 x 400g tin chickpeas (ceci/garbanzo beans), drained
100g frozen green peas
1 large nectarine, chopped
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced with a potato peeler

Method

Put the couscous and spice in a measuring jug (200g comes up to the 250ml mark). Pour in boiling water to the 500ml mark. Stir and leave for 5 minutes until the water is absorbed.
In a large bowl, mix the chickpeas with the couscous.
Stir in the frozen green peas, chopped nectarine, and thinly sliced carrot.
Serve.

Mexican Style Sausage and Egg Tortilla Wrap with Plum Salsa

2009-09-07T07:58:00.004+09:00

In future, to reduce the fat content in this otherwise healthy dish, I'll make it with lean ham instead. 40g of the sausage I used accounted for 33% of total calories, 40% of protein, 2% of carbohydrate and a whacking 69% of fat. By substituting 40g of lean ham, you would reduce the calories to 336, increase the protein to 16.6g, the carbohydrate would stay pretty even at 48.4g, but the fat content would halve to a healthier 8.5g. This is good as breakfast because the combination of protein and fibre really fills you up and keeps your energy levels up!

Nutrition Data
Calories 403
Protein 15.4g
Carbohydrate 48.6g
Fat 17.3g
Dietary Fibre 8.5g

Ingredients
1 corn tortilla
40g cooked sausage, chopped (I use 2 thin lime and herb sausages)
1 medium egg
15ml of sour cream
15ml chilli sauce (I use 'Very Hot Cajun Sauce', but you could use a sweet chilli sauce)
15ml of jalapeno sauce/salsa (I use 'Mexican Hot and Sweet Jalapeno Sauce')
3 plums
100g cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded (I use a potato peeler to do this)

Method

On a large plate, arrange the shredded cabbage and carrot.
Chop the plums and mix with the jalapeno sauce/salsa in a bowl.
Brush the tortilla with hot chilli sauce.
Beat the eggs with the sour cream in a saucepan and stir in the chopped cooked sausage. Scramble very quickly, stirring continuously, over a high heat until just setting on the surface of the hot pan, but still wet (about 20-30 seconds). Remove from the heat immediately whilst stirring (it will continue to cook) and spoon onto the tortilla.
Roll the tortilla, place on top of the shredded vegetables and spoon over the plum salsa.
Serve immediately.

Chilli Sauces

2009-09-06T15:42:00.004+09:00

I am a huge fan of Mexican food, having visited there twice, and like using different chillis. One of my brothers recently gave me these fantastic chilli sauces from around the world. Mexican-inspired breakfast recipe to follow tomorrow!

Mackerel on rye bread

2009-09-06T15:38:00.000+09:00

Ingredients (makes lots of portions)
1 x 120g can of mackerel in olive oil with pickles, drained and rinsed
25g room temperature butter
2 teaspoons of the tiny capers
rye bread to serve

Method

Drain and rinse the can of mackerel and put it in a bowl.
Add the butter and capers and mash together (or use a food processor)
Spread onto rye bread.

Caramelized Onion and Potato Frittata

2009-09-06T11:04:00.020+09:00

Nutrition Data (for the whole frittata, serves 2 with a salad)
Calories 512
Protein 25g
Carbohydrate 59g
Fat 22g
Dietary Fibre 8g

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
about 250g potatoes
3 medium eggs, beaten with a teaspoon of dill and a good grating of pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

Method

Wash and scrub the potatoes and boil them whole in a pan of water until tender. Chop roughly into cubes.
Meanwhile, fry the chopped onion in 1 teaspoon of olive oil until brown.
Beat the eggs with a teaspoon of dill and a good grating of pepper.
In a frying pan, heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and coat the pan, making sure that the sides of the pan are oiled. Add the potatoes and onions and pour over the beaten egg.
Leave on a medium heat for about 10 - 15 minutes without disturbing, until the egg is set.
This can be served hot or, even better, cold from the fridge. I like to wrap up a piece of this tortilla when I go out for early morning walks in the countryside. Whilst this is delicious on the day you make it, it is much much better the following day straight from the fridge.

Note 1
This time I used my small tamagoyaki pan measuring 14cm x 19cm x 3cm to try and get an evenly shaped frittata, and the mixture completely filled this pan. However, the depth meant that the egg didn't set so well on top in the middle, and I had to turn it over to set it at the end when I smelt it was getting overdone on the bottom! I've also added sausages to this in the past.

Note 2
Made this again. This time I only used 2 eggs and a slightly smaller onion. I drastically speeded up the cooking time by mixing the whole mixture together as I poured the egg into the tamagoyaki pan and half scrambling for a couple of minutes. Just as it was beginning to set on top, I flipped it over into a larger frying pan. It probably took less than 5 minutes to cook (after cooking the potatoes and onions of course!) Reckon it would still serve 2 with a salad.

Japanese pear

2009-09-06T09:04:00.008+09:00

It's high time I talk about this particular fruit. I live in an area which is famous for its pear orchards, and this is their season.

To a British person, when I first saw it 4 years ago, this looked like an oversized Russet apple. I was used to seeing the giant Japanese apples anyway, that take so long to get through, but this still gave me the thoughts, 'How on earth is anyone supposed to eat something that size?! It's like it's a fruit grown for a family of 4! How many portions of fruit does that count as?' However, one taste, and you know it's not an apple at all, but a particularly juicy pear, closest in taste to a Comice pear. And it's going to take you about 20 minutes to eat it.

Breakfast!

2009-09-06T08:50:00.006+09:00

This is my usual breakfast, it is absolutely delicious! It's very much just like a particularly simple risotto.

It's just very hot brown Japanese rice with grated cheese stirred in. I take the rice out of my rice cooker about 5-10 minutes early, so that the rice still has some moisture and is slightly al dente. I use Japanese rice, but I hear that Italian risotto rice works well as a substitute for Japanese rice as it is short grain. You want to use a mild to medium cheese for the best taste. Sometimes I add kimchi to this...

Cabbage, Carrot and Ham Stirfry

2009-09-06T07:47:00.005+09:00

This was very tasty! I made it for supper when I got back from work last night. Knowing I was going to be tired, I cut up the carrots and garlic in the morning and kept them in the fridge, I never want to mess around with fiddly preparation at the end of a working day - the meal has to be ready quickly!

Nutrition Data
230 calories
Protein 1g
Carbohydrate 16.5g
Fat 13g
Dietary Fibre 5.5g

Ingredients (serves 1)
1/4 cabbage (about 250g), shredded
1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 clove garlic, sliced thinly
8 slices (about 30g) of dry cured ham (nama ham in Japan), not separated and torn into small, thick pieces
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
about 2 teaspoons olive oil
pepper

Method

Put a teaspoon of olive oil in a saucepan and fry the ham and sesame seeds for a couple of minutes. You could use bacon (and less oil), but I rather like the taste of the cured ham, even when cooked. Plus it was what I had in my fridge!
Add the carrot, garlic and cabbage and the rest of the olive oil, and fry for about five minutes until the carrot is just tender and the vegetables are turning golden brown.
Serve immediately with a good grating of mixed pepper.

Kimchi - one of the great foods!

2009-08-30T16:28:00.006+09:00

Let me introduce you to kimchi, one of the world's greatest, tastiest, healthiest foods!

Kimchi is a Korean food that is very popular in Japan. It is a spicy pickle made from vegetables, garlic and red chilli, served with almost every meal in Korea. In Korea, I hear that there are more than 200 different kinds of kimchi; in a typical Japanese supermarket there are probably about 10.

Over the years I've tried many of them, some of them were way too salty and fishy for my taste. I like this fairly standard one made from cabbage.

According to Wikipedia, Health Magazine named kimchi as one of the top 5 'World's Healthiest Foods' for being rich in vitamins, aiding digestion, and even possibly reducing cancer growth. It is very high in dietary fibre, vitamin C and carotene, and is also rich in vitamin A, B1, B2, calcium and iron.

It is a probiotic and antioxidant food. Small scale studies show that it may have some efficacy in repressing avian flu H5N1 (well-fermented 3 year old kimchi mind you!), and they are now testing it's use against swine flu A/H1N1. I'm a little cynical about this... Both of these are viruses, not bacterial infections. However, I can see that if it strengthens your immune system, that has to be a good thing!

Over the last few years, I've been eating it a few times a week. Actually I think the first time I ate it was in okonomiyaki. I like it with grated cheese and brown rice for breakfast, and/or as a snack when I get home from work. If I put the rice cooker on with a little kimchi at the bottom of the rice, then oh, the delicious smell that greets me when I get home from work! (However, the rice actually cooks better if you add it at the end of cooking). Sometimes, I eat a little just as it is, especially if I have a cold! I certainly miss eating it when I'm away. All this has made my mouth water, guess what I'm going to have for tea tonight?!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi
http://eating.health.com/2008/02/01/worlds-healthiest-foods/
http://english.kbs.co.kr/News/News/News_view.html?id=Dm&No=63596

Creamy Mushrooms in a Roll

2009-08-30T12:36:00.006+09:00

Recently, one of my brothers gave me a couple of cookery books by Nigel Slater. I really like Nigel Slater's style of writing, and I find myself inspired by his recipes, wanting to adapt them to my taste. He says in his books that many of his recipes are adaptations of other people's recipes, so I have no qualms in doing the same...! Anyway, this is my adaptation of one of his recipes, adaptations made for my limited cooking equipment, time and using a lot less cream (and healthier sour cream rather than double cream)...

Ingredients (serves 1)
small piece of unsalted butter for frying
1 small onion, chopped
100g mushrooms, chopped (I used bunashimeji, sometimes called beech mushrooms)
1 crisp roll, or the end of a baguette
about 30ml sour cream (or two heaped teaspoons)
salt, pepper and paprika for seasoning

Method

Hollow out the roll or baguette end, reserving the bread.
In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the onions and fry over a medium heat until softened.
Add the mushrooms, crumble in the breadcrumbs and continue to fry until golden brown.
Stir in the sour cream and mix until hot. Season with a little salt, and lots of paprika and freshly ground mixed peppercorns.
Spoon into the hollowed out bread roll and eat immediately!

Egg Drop and Salmon Soup

2009-08-03T08:47:00.005+09:00

All quantities are approximate - it's really not important to measure everything out. I used a 400ml bowl because this was breakfast! If this was a side dish, then this would easily serve 2.

Ingredients (serves 1-2, multiply quantities as necessary)
400ml of water made into a light stock (I used katsuodashi which is stock made from bonito flakes, but any stock would be ok)
a dash of soy sauce (about 1 teaspoon)
1 - 2 teaspoons of seaweed, perhaps wakame (I used nebarumekabu)
1/2 teaspoon of potato starch or cornflour, mixed with a little water)
1 teaspoon ginger paste or grated ginger with juice
2 slices cooked or smoked salmon
1 egg, beaten

Method

Add the seaweed to the stock and heat until very hot but not boiling.
Mix in the soy sauce and ginger, and stir in the potato starch mixture. It will not noticeably thicken, but will just stop the egg from sinking to the bottom.
Add the salmon, and stir in the beaten egg, which will set immediately in strands.
Serve immediately.

Black Forest Chicken

2009-07-13T15:27:00.004+09:00

OK, so I know that this dish may make you question my sanity... Yes, it really is chicken in a cherry chocolate sauce...

I still had lots of cherries to use up, along with some dark chocolate, after making a Mexican dish, Chicken Mole the other day... Recipe for that to come when I've done some more experimentation with the chilli quantity!

Actually this tastes very nice with a green salad of mixed herbs, cucumber and segments of orange and yellow grapefruit, not included in the nutrition data.

Nutrition Data (per portion)
Calories 250.5
Protein 23g
Carbohydrate 19g
Fat 8.5g
Dietary Fibre 3g

Ingredients (serves 2)
26 cherries
25g unsweetened dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids)
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
130g skinless chicken breast, cooked
1/2 lemon, juice and zest

Method

Marinate the chicken breast in the lemon juice for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Remove the chicken and slice into bite-sized pieces. Keep the lemon juice.
Put 20 of the cherries in a blender with the chocolate, rosemary and balsamic vinegar. Blend until smooth.
Over a low heat, warm the sauce so that the flaked chocolate just melts. Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and cool.
Stir in the chicken and serve, garnished with the remaining cherries and some lemon zest.
Delicious with a green herb salad, diced cucumber and segments of orange and grapefruit.

Cherry, Rosemary and Onion Chicken on Rice

2009-07-12T11:08:00.012+09:00

I was going to make oyakodon for lunch again today, but realised that I hadn't put anything new on this blog for some time... A quick look at the fridge revealed that I had a large quantity of cherries that I needed to use up...

Nutrition Data
582 calories
Protein 25.5g
Carbohydrate 101.5g
Fat 11.5g
Dietary Fibre 5.5g

Ingredients
12 American cherries, pitted and chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
50g cooked chicken, sliced and cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon mirin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
100g brown rice, cooked

Method

Cook the rice according to directions.
About 1o minutes before the end, saute the onion and rosemary in the olive oil for about 5 minutes until golden brown, and then add the cherries and the sliced chicken and heat for another minute.
Pour in the mirin and soy sauce, continue heating for about half a minute until the liquid has reduced.
Serve over the rice.

Freezing Fruit, Vegetables and Meat

2009-06-15T20:16:00.005+09:00

I'm going to start this post now, and update it as and when...

Avocados
Usually, I buy avocados for a recipe either too far in advance and so they go bad in the duration, or on the day and I buy them overripe and so they're also already going bad. So today I mashed 2 nice ones up with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and some mixed ground pepper, put them in small plastic bags, getting rid of all the air, and froze them. They will keep for 3-6 months in the freezer.

Lemons
Whenever I use a lemon for juice, I always zest it and add the zest to a freezer bag in the freezer. But, there are many times when I need lemon juice and don't have it. Freeze lemon juice as ice cubes and then put in a freezer bag.

Sausages
When you buy a pack of these, it's worth cooking them all and then freezing them individually wrapped in foil, in a freezer bag. Take them out as required the night before. I chop some of them up before I freeze them too, to make preparation of some dishes even easier.

Fig, Melon, Mozzarella and Parma Ham Salad

2009-06-15T18:11:00.005+09:00

Ingredients
3 slices melon
1 fig, cut into 1/3s
mozarella slices
3 slices raw ham
a little maple syrup and lemon juice

Method
Arrange all the ingredients on a plate and sprinkle with a little maple syrup and lemon juice.

Poached eggs again

2009-06-15T07:33:00.002+09:00

About a year ago, I bought a microwave egg boiler, which I thought was a fantastic idea. It boiled eggs from cold to soft-boiled in about 5 minutes from the fridge. All was fine for about 8 months of occasional use until one day it blew up in the microwave, never to be trusted again!

Now I've found that you can poach eggs really easily and incredibly quickly in the microwave. Just fill a cup with cold water to about a third to a half full, break an egg in, and microwave on high for 45 to 60 seconds depending on how you like the egg. Much better, and not at all messy!

Citrus Salmon with Strawberry and Mango Balsamic Dressing

2009-06-01T11:11:00.007+09:00

This is a variation on my previous recipe that I tried today, all shades of pink and orange! This time the salmon is steamed and cooled rather than panfried and eaten hot.

Nutrition Data
Calories 378
Protein 30g
Carbohydrate 55g
Fat 4g
Fibre 9g

Ingredients
1 ruby grapefruit
1 orange
1 skinless fillet salmon (about 100g)
4 strawberries
about 1/8 of a mango
about 2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
shredded dried chilli and lemon zest to garnish

Method

Steam the salmon and allow to cool.
Meanwhile peel and segment the grapefruit and orange and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle with shredded dried chilli.
Put the cooled salmon on top of the fruit.
Make the dressing. Put the strawberries, mango and balsamic vinegar in a blender and whizz for a few seconds.
Spoon the dressing over the salmon and fruit, and sprinkle with a little lemon zest.

Rolled Ham and Vegetables

2009-05-06T18:50:00.006+09:00

This recipe has been adapted from one in my housing company's monthly magazine. This is a popular bar snack in Japan. It's delicious hot, but I'm going to have it cold at work tomorrow sometime, together with some rolled omelette and edamame! Minus the beer of course...

Ingredients
3 slices parma ham or other raw ham
3 long green beans, cut in half and then finely sliced lengthways
same length of carrot, julienned
30g enoki mushrooms, the ones that look like pins
1 teaspoon of sesame oil for frying
For the dip (optional)
1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and mirin (recipe also uses same quantity of sake, but I didn't have any)

Method

Prepare the vegetables.
In a small frying pan heat the oil over a low heat.
Roll the vegetable strips in the ham.
Put in the oil seam-side down and fry until golden brown, turn and repeat twice or three times more - about 6 minutes.
Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

Coconut milk agar jellies

2009-05-06T14:10:00.006+09:00

These are the coconut milk kanten jellies that I made. After making the basic jelly mix below, I then made 4 variations. The one at the bottom right looks a bit lumpy, because the mixture was already setting.

The 4 variations, clockwise from top left: with chopped strawberries (add gradually, topping up with jelly mix as you go so that the strawberries do not sink to the bottom), added dessicated coconut, added dessicated coconut with chopped strawberries, basic mix. I wouldn't add the dessicated coconut again - I think it's better smooth.

Ingredients
4g pack of agar (kanten)
250ml of water
250ml of coconut milk
4 teaspoons honey

Method

Prepare any fruit that you want to add to the jellies.
Heat the water to simmering point and sprinkle the contents of the sachet in, stiring continuously. Continue stirring for 1 -2 minutes until the agar is fully dissolved and there are no lumps.
Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut milk and honey. Mix well.
Working quickly, pour the mix into individual containers, adding other ingredients.

Mixed Bean and Chicken Green Curry

2009-05-06T12:59:00.006+09:00

This is in fact an 'everything' creamy curry! I wanted to make something delicious and easy, in a large quantity to freeze for work. This did the job very well!

Nutrition Data (per portion, excluding rice)
Calories 245
Protein 15.9g
Carbohydrate 25.3
Fat 9.4g
Dietary Fibre 7.2g

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil
400g can red kidney beans, drained
400g can borlotti beans, drained (also known as cranberry beans or roman beans)
200g can sweetcorn, drained
130g frozen green peas
140g skinless cooked chicken breast, chopped
210g pack generic packaged green curry mix (I used S&B Green Curry)
150ml canned coconut milk
brown rice to serve
lemon zest for garnish

Method

Cook the rice.
Meanwhile, fry the onion in the oil until golden brown.
In a large saucepan, add all the other ingredients except the green peas. Add the onion.
Cook over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until hot. About 2 minutes before the end of cooking time, stir in the peas.
Serve on a bed of rice and garnish with lemon zest.
This freezes well.

Easy Agar Jelly (or Kantan Kanten, sorry!)

2009-05-05T13:10:00.010+09:00

As a child, I never liked jelly, possibly something to do with the way it wobbled...?! As a student I discovered the delights of vodka jelly, and little by little I grew to like it!

Some friends gave me a homemade fruity jelly yesterday, and it was delicious. But the interesting thing is it was made from agar (kanten in Japanese, written in hiragana). Agar (sometimes agar agar) is a type of seaweed which is used for gelling liquids. It is virtually tasteless, calorie-free (until you add the extras!), but contains iodine, calcium and iron and dietary fibre. Unlike gelatine which doesn't set properly if you add kiwifruit or highly acidic fruits, agar has no problems with setting. You don't have to leave it to set in the fridge, it sets in under 30 minutes even in temperatures as hot as 27C, and it doesn't melt. I've become a fan!

The above jellies I made using orange juice, strawberries and a hibiscus flower in syrup (thanks to a present from my brother!) In the fuure, I'm going to try using coconut milk and dessicated coconut, and a layered fruit jelly, and maybe one using other edible flowers setting the flowers at the bottom. I never thought I would get so into jelly!

In the UK, you can probably buy agar powder at health food shops, and it is on the Waitrose website, but certainly also on EBay, www.mountfuji.co.uk (search for kanten, I've used this website before, they are reliable), or in stick form at the Japan Centre in Picadilly www.japancentre.com (again, I've used this website before and they are reliable).

Ingredients
4g sachet of agar (kanten)
400ml water
200ml orange juice
fruit or flowers

Method

Boil the water and turn down to simmering point.
Slowly add the agar powder, stirring continuously. Continue stirring and heating for 1-2 minutes, or according the instructions on the packet, until it is completely dissolved and there are no lumps.
Remove from the heat and stir in the fruit juice.
Pour into 5 individual moulds, and add fruit. Leave for about 30 minutes to set.
Alternatively add the fruit, pour in a thin layer of liquid, let it partially set (1-2 minutes) and repeat to build up the layers.
Delicious chilled!

Melon, Proscuitto Ham and Blue Cheese Salad

2009-05-05T12:56:00.006+09:00

This is just to make me remember that the combination is basically good, but these are the ingredients I would use in future...
Ingredients
Thick slices of melon
Slices of proscuitto ham
Dolcelatte soft blue cheese
1 teaspoon each of olive oil and lemon juice

Method

Arrange 3 wedges of melon on a plate and the ham on top.
Scatter crumbled blue cheese over the top.
Combine the olive oil and lemon juice, and drizzle over the salad.

Chilli Bean Dip

2009-05-05T12:51:00.005+09:00

Ingredients
400g can red kidney beans, drained
1/2 onion, chopped
3-4 tablespoons of non fat set yoghurt or yoghurt cheese ( made from about 250g non fat regular yoghurt)
1 teaspoon chilli powder (I used chipotle powder - souvenir from a friend!)
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Drain the kidney beans.
Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.

Low Fat Lemon & Pepper Houmous

2009-05-03T13:51:00.009+09:00

High in fibre, this is a nice snack with crisp breads or vegetable sticks, spread onto bread, or just on its own! It freezes well.

Ingredients (serves 2)
400g can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans, ceci)
3-4 tablespoons of non fat set yoghurt or yoghurt cheese ( made from about 250g non fat regular yoghurt)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Freshly ground pepper

Method

Drain the chickpeas.
Put everything in a blender and blend until smooth.
Serve with crispbread, pitta bread, or vegetable sticks.