Chawanmushi (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard)

Chawanmushi is a classic Japanese steamed egg custard that is served in a cup. A delicate and savoury appetiser for the family. I made the Dashi broth with bonito flakes and Korean Ottogi Sea Tangle (kelp) The Dashi broth is what makes the egg custard tasty and the texture of the egg custard is silky smooth and wobbly. You can add any fillings you want to the egg custard. I have just prawns and carrots in the fridge, so I have just this two ingredients for the fillings. The prawns and carrots lend a contrasting  mouthfeel to the dish. A beautiful appetizer to serve to the family or when you have guests. It appeals to both adults and children. This is served in Japanese Restaurant when we order their set meal .

I will prepare this dish whenever I have bonito flakes and kelps in the house. Flavourful Japanese steamed egg which hubby and I love very much.

Love the silky smooth wobbly

texture

the prawns and carrots

add character to the dish

Bonito flakes

and kelp for making

Dashi broth

Chawanmushi
Ingredients
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups Dashi broth
4 med sized sea prawns - removed shell and deveined
1/2 carrot - sliced into thin slices
4 ginkgo nuts

seasoning
1/2 tsp mirin
 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp soy sauce

Toppings can be 1/2 tbsp ikura ( salmon roe ) 2 pieces of uni ( sea urchin ) but since I do not have them, I just add spring onions as garnishing :)

Method:
Prepare the dashi by boiling bonito flakes and kelps. Dashi creates a savory umami flavor from these ingredients and you don’t need to season the food much if you have good dashi. You can add shiitake mushroom and anchovies and boil these four ingredients to get a good dashi.

Whisk egg and seasoning and 1 1/4 cups Dashi broth together till well combined.
 Sieve the mixture.  Prepare a medium sized ramekin or 2 chawanmushi cups,  add in the fillings  , first the prawns and then ginkgo and carrots.  Pour in the sieved egg mixture.

Prepare a boiling steamer.  If using ramekin, cover with aluminium foil ( to prevent water from getting into the egg custard.  Steam for 15 mins under low heat.  Take out and garnish with spring onions or with ikura and uni .

Enjoy !

Gyeran Mari/Korean Egg Roll With Bonito Flakes

Cooking simple and yet delicious, this is it. Gyeran Mari, Korean egg roll which is fun to make and is attractive in outlook which appeals to both adults and children. When I run out of ideas what to cook for dinner, I will look through the recipes in my blog.  I spotted Gyeran Mari and thought it would be great to make this roll since I have some packets of bonito flakes and roasted seaweed after the Korean grill dinner. My food must not only look good to the eye but must taste good too. It is really fun to make this korean egg roll and I believe that practice makes perfect. This is my fourth time making it and I still needs to perfect my skill in making them as I tend to overcook the egg. I added bonito flakes for extra flavour.

you need a rectangle pan for making this korean egg roll

using a silicon spatula makes folding easier

practice makes perfect...

garnishes the top with bonito flakes

gives extra flavour to the egg roll

For the recipe, click  Gyeran Mari

Jerky Meat /Bak Kwa Side Dish

This is a very delicious and refreshing side dish. I saw this on my friend's instastories and I knew I had to try it. Since I have made some pork jerky/ bak kwa for CNY, I took some to made a side dish for di ner. It is a very easy to whip up dish. Appetising side dish that I have added to our dinner menu. Thank you Sonia of Nasi Lemak Lover for sharing this drool worthy side dish.

Ingredients :

2 pieces of pork jerky/Bak kwa - cut to bit sizes
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 tbsp chopped red chillies
2 tbsp of chopped red onions
1/2 tbsp of chopped spring onions
1/2 tbsp of calamansi juice

Method:
Mix all the above ingredients till well combined.
Serve as a side dish.

Braised Pork Belly With Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms And Potatoes And Carrots

I love mushroom of any sort....I mean edible ones LOL. I bought some fresh shiitake mushrooms from the supermart and it is locally grown .  I normally would have used the dried ones to make this dish but I can't wait to soak them soften for this dish. Thus , I used the fresh ones instead for this braised porkbelly.  It is easy to whip up and a dish full of flavors.  Hubby's favourite dish. For me I love the mushrooms and the flavorful potatoes which has the tasty gravy absorbed into it.  I added some carrots too.  Though the recipe is actually the chinese a pork dish  which the Hokkien called " Tau Yu Bak " whereby the porkbelly is used to braise with dark soy sauce, white pepper and garlic till the porkbelly has soften.  As usual , I would like to add in mushrooms, potatoes and carrot making this dish no longer the authentic dish but just a dish with lots of other stuff though the method of cooking is still the same.  1.5 hours of slowing cooking brings out the wonderful aroma of this braised porkbelly dish.  You can serve this dish with plain porridge or rice or even goes well as a dish for the sourdough bread I used to make.

Braised Pork belly With Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms Potatoes And Carrots

ingredients:

350 -  gm of pork belly - cut into 3/4 inch thick bite size
1 carrot - cut into 1/2 inch cube
12 pieces of fresh shiitake mushrooms - ,cut off the stem and drain drain
2 potatoes - cut into small chunks
1 head of garlic - crushed

1 tbsp of thick soy sauce
1 tsp of ground white pepper
1.5 to 2 cups of water to be added in gradually
1 piece of Maggi chicken stock
salt to taste

Method:

Heat up stainless steel pot under medium low heat , once the pot is hot , add in the crushed garlic and the pieces of pork belly , keep stirring till the meat is half cooked and the liquid has more or less dries off.  Add in the thick soy sauce and white pepper and give it a quick stir .

Once it is aromatic, add in half of the 1.5 cups water and cover with lid and let the meat simmer till the water has almost dried off. Add in the cut potatoes and carrot and the balance of the water. Cover with lid and continue to simmer till the potatoes and carrots are cooked and the meat are tender.  Add in the chicken stock  , the fresh mushrooms and continue simmering till the mushrooms are cooked and the gravy has thicken.  Add salt to taste.

Dish up and serve with rice, porridge or eaten with sourdough bread.

 Enjoy!

 

Pan Fried Homemade Pressed Tofu With Shichimi Seasoning

I have been making my own tofu since the day I learned from Angie Tee.  Gosh, it was really kind of her to share her knowledge on making tofu.  I am a tofu lover and I eat a lot of tofu in a month. Homemade would be best for me since I cook them very often. Free from preservative and the taste and texture is so good that I will not buy commercial ones anymore.  

I add them to my Miso soup, Korean Jiggae , steam it with lots of fried shallots and soy sauce and so many other dishes  that I can cook with tofu. Today, I just pan fried them . Simple yet delicious. All I did was coat them with rice flour and sprinkle Shichimi seasoning on them while they are still hot from the pan.  Crispy edges , soft on the inside and oh gosh I can just go on eating them leaving none for hubby if he didn't stop me "  helloo... keep some for me "  LOL!

You can hop over to Angie's blog Seasalt With Food , she has many wonderful recipes that she shares there.  This is the fifth pressed tofu I have made so far.

it is a joy to hold this piece of homemade pressed tofu

coat each piece of tofu with rice flour and salt

before pan frying them with a little oil

on a non stick pan..the oil helps to give the tofu pieces

the crispy edges, yet soft on the inside.

the moment the fried tofu are out of the pan,

sprinkle shichimi seasoning on them

For the video on how to made your own tofu

click the link below

https://youtu.be/Uu-KNLt0wpw

Enjoy!

Ikan Nenas Masak Lemak Chilli Padi

I have frozen fish in the freezer which had been sitting for a month there for a month and I am running out of ideas what to cook with them. I googled and saw this mouth-watering fish dish, cooked in coconut milk with fresh turmeric , shallots, lemongrass and bird's eye chilli...oh I am sure hubby would love this dish though he doesn't eat fish much unless I remove the bones for him. Spoon fed in other words :p  He loves pineapple, so I will add pineapple to the dish. And while I was cooking this dish, he could smell the wonderful aroma of spices and he came running into the kitchen ... "what are you cooking, smell good !"  hahaha and he ran out of the kitchen reminding me " cook more gravy and rice ya "  LOL  Of course ,his mom cooked better than me when it comes to this kind of dishes.  His mom was a Nyonya so definitely she cooked better than me :)

Okay, it was a Threadfin I found in the freezer and I cooked this dish with it.  It is the simplest form of cooking a dish that is spicy and tangy.   Every mouthful of the gravy has a combination of flavours bursting in the mouth and we both had to have extra helping of rice.LOL

other than the coconut milk, this dish is quite healthy

as no oil is needed

once the ground ingredients  are fragrant, add in the thin coconut milk

and let it simmer under low heat

add in the fish last when the gravy has thicken slightly

and continue to simmer till the fish is cooked

add a pinch of  salt to taste

serve with rice

Ikan Nenas Masak Lemak Chilli Padi



pound together the ingredients (A) with pestle and mortar
ingredients (A)
5 dried chilli - remove seeds, soak in hot water till soften
6 shallots
3 red bird's eye chillies ( chili padi )
1 clove of garlic
1 inch length of fresh turmeric

1 medium sized Threadfin - clean and washed, rub a pinch of salt over the fish , cut into 2 pieces
1 lemongrass crushed
1/4 pineapple - sliced
1.5 cups of thin coconut milk
2 slices of tamarind slices or 1 tsp of tamarind paste
1 tsp of sugar
salt to taste

Method:

Sauted (A) , lemongrass and pineapple over medium low heat in a non stick pan, once the pineapple and the ground ingredients are fragrant, add in the thin coconut milk and tamarind slices and simmer under low heat until the pineapple has soften and the gravy has slightly thicken and fragrant. Add in the fish pieces and cover with lid and let it simmer under low heat till the fish is totally cooked.  Add a tsp of sugar and a pinch of salt to taste .Dish up and serve with rice.

Enjoy!