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Japanese Simmered Beef and Potaoes - Nikujaga Here's a dish said to be associated with Japan's greatest military hero, Admiral Togo Heihachiro. Togo was the commander of the Imperial Japanese Navy at the time of Japan's greatest naval victory - the defeat of the Russian fleet at the battle of Tsushima in 1905. Back then, Japan had a very close naval relationship with the UK - in fact, most of its vessels were British designed & built. Admiral Togo studied in the UK and while there, apparently grew fond of a stew of beef and potatoes commonly served in the British Royal Navy. Literally, "Nikujaga" means meat & potatoes although the "niku" used in the dish is almost always beef or pork (though you can use chicken - there isn't a hard line to be drawn here). "Jaga" is short for "jagaimo", meaning potato in Japanese. This word also has an interesting origin. The "imo" is indigenous to Japan and translates as a "taro root". A "jagaimo" on the other hand, is short for "jakarta - imo" because these potatoes found their way to Japan on board Dutch trading vessels from Indonesia - from there they were cultivated in northern Japan and particularly Hokkaido, where the climate and land isn't best suited to rice cultivation. As ever, the Japanese modified the dish to suit their own palates, so Japanese Simmered Beef and Potatoes - Nikujaga - is cooked in a soy-flavoured stock. It's really the stock that is the key to the dish - I used beef, potatoes, onions, carrots and some beans in this recipe but you can use whatever veg you have to hand to add to the potatoes - in Japan, Nikujaga is the kind of dish where every home has its own special recipe and its own variation on the theme (the Japanese call this "ofukuro no aji" meaning, "mother's taste"). I used a cut of beef called Beef Feather Blade in this recipe. It's beef taken from the shoulder and very finely sliced. It's very common in Japan but not so common outside of Japan. You should be able to find it in Japanese, Chinese or Asian stores. If that isn't convenient for you, you could always ask your butcher to prepare it for you. The vegetables in this recipe are cut into quite small pieces, expecially the carrot, so that everything can cook quite quickly. If you're about to fight a sea battle you probably don't have too much time to cook a stew - so the cooking time for this dish is short - 20 minutes. You can cook your Nikujaga in advance and then leave it all in the pan for a few hours so that the potatoes soak up more of the flavour from the sauce (what the Japanese call "shimi komi".) In fact, it tastes even better served the next day when it has had time to absorb more of the flavours of the sauce. Nikujaga will keep in the fridge for 2 - 3 days as well if you want to make a big batch and put some aside for another day. On the subject of potatoes, I used large baby potatoes in this dish (large enough to peel.) I find they are best for absorbing the flavours in the dish. If you can't find large baby potatoes, use a waxy potato rather than a floury one. Why? Because the floury variety tends to break up in the sauce while they are cooking. Just cut the potato a little bit bigger than when using a baby potato as this will help the potato keep its shape while cooking. (PS: Don't be tempted to leaves the skins on, the potato won't soak up so much flavour through the skin - bare is better!) Japanese Pork and Potato Stew AKA Nikujaga is substantial enough to be eaten by itself but in Japan, it's usually accompanied by bowls of rice. If this dish has got you in the mood for some Japanese Pork and Potato Stew AKA Nikujaga, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Japanese Simmered Pork and Potatoes Nikujaga or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. You can find the written recipe below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 60g / 2oz green beans, rinsed 1 onion 2 medium potatoes 1 carrot 200g / 7oz beef feather blade (or a similar very thinly sliced beef) 250ml / 9floz water 1 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp cooking sake 3 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp mirin how to: remove the both ends of the green beans then cut them into thirds. remove the skin and ends of the onion. cut in half and then into slices about 1cm / 1/2 inch thick. peel the potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks. peel the carrot, then cut into small pieces diagonally. lay the the beef in a pile on a cutting board and slice in half. next, add the water, sugar, cooking sake, soy sauce and mirin to a medium frying pan. turn on the heat. add the potatoes, carrot and onion. bring to the boil and simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes. when the time is up, test the vegetables with a skewer to see if they are cooked through. if the vegetables are still firm, simmer for another 2 - 3 minutes. add the green beans and beef to the frying pan. spread the beef around the pan so that it cooks evenly. simmer about 3 -4 minutes more with the lid on. remove the lid and check that the beef is cooked. serve with bowls of fresh steamed rice. Japanese Simmered Beef and Potatoes - Nikujaga

Japanese corn soup Here's a quick, healthy Japanese soup for you to make. I always thought this soup was French as it is called "corn potage" in Japan. but the strange thing is that I haven't ever seen it made here in the UK or on the continent. So perhaps it is a Japanese original after all! Maybe calling it "potage" encourages us gullible Japanese to think it's extra special because it's French when it's really not! It is certainly more popular in Japan than elsewhere! Origins apart, this is a delicious creamy soup that makes quite a substantial lunch dish - you could eat it as it is or with a slice or two of toast and feel quite satisfied. You can prepare this soup in under 30 mins. I use some bouillon stock in the recipe but a vegetable stock cube will do just as well. I always blend the corn well into the soup myself but you can leave it unblended if you prefer whole kernels - alternatively, blend and then add a few kernels for a garnish instead of croutons - or mix kernels and croutons. However you dress this soup, I am sure you will love the taste - it is very oishii and moreish. Interested in a new soup in your kitchen armoury? You can find the written recipe j ust below and for the Youtube tutorial video click on Japanese Corn soup or scroll to the bottom of the page. If you're looking for something a little more traditional but no less tasty and nutricious, try my Tofu and Root vegetable soup by clicking AKA Kenchin Jiru . Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. Japanese Corn Soup ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 250g frozen sweetcorn 20g butter 1 small sliced onion, approx.130g 1tsp bouillon 1/2tsp salt a little pepper 250ml water 250ml milk some crutons and / or extra corn kernels for garnishing how to: melt the butter in a pan and saute the onion for 3 mins add the sweetcorn and stir for 2-3 mins add the bouillon, salt, pepper & water and cook for 15 mins with the lid on turn off the heat and add the milk, then blend the soup using a hand mixer until it’s smooth (you can leave the kernels unblended if you prefer) simmer for 5 mins over a medium heat garnish with some crutons and / or more corn kernels your corn soup is ready to serve Japanese corn soup

Japanese berry fruits sandwich Here's my latest Japanese berry fruit sandwich - raspberries and blueberries held in a layer of sweet whipped cream and ricotta cheese. These "sando" really should carry a public health warning as they're completely addictive! Japanese sando are simplicity itself to make - 15 minutes and they're done and ready to gobble up. If you want the presentational look of the ones in the picture, the trick is to fill the sandwiches with fruit but leave a cross shape in the middle of your slice of bread (about the width of 2 berries). after you've cut your sandwiches into quarters, you then push more fruit into the cream along the edge of the cut. If you're not so bothered about the appearance, just fill them completely with fruit, then slice - they won't look quite so attractive but they will taste every bit as good. Serve at teatime, coffee time - actually just anytime you fancy a fruity treat. My only other tip is to resist overfilling your sandwich. An authentic Japanese sando isn't stuffed to bursting point - the idea is to retain the shape and proprtion of a traditional sandwich. ps: Kids absolutely love these, so they make a great party platter as well. You can find the written recipe just below and for the youtube tutorial click Japanese berry fruit sandwich or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want more fruit sando inspiration, take a look at my Fruit Sando with Strawberry and Kiwi . Japanese Berry fruit Sandwich ingredients: (makes 2 sandwiches) 4 thin slices of soft white bread 70g blueberries, rinsed 120g raspberries, rinsed 130ml whipping cream 2 tbsp ricotta 1 tbsp sugar how to: whisk the cream until it holds firm peaks add the ricotta & sugar, then whisk again briefly to mix cut the crusts from the bread spread 1/4 of the cream onto each slice place the raspberries & blueberries on one slice but leave a cross shape in the middle - about the width of 2 berries side by side place one slice on top of the other, press lightly enough to form your sandwich but not so hard that the filling oozes out from the edges carefully slice the sandwich into quarters open the sandwich and set each quarter on end to expose the sides without fruit if you want the best decorative effect, push more whole berries into the cream your berry fruit sandwiches are ready. these are an ideal teatime accompaniment to a cup of tea or coffee Japanese berry fruits sandwich

Japanese fruit sandwich Fruit sandwiches, known as "fruits sando" in Japan, are a very popular snack/light lunch and ubiquitous across the country's cafes and convenience stores. They first appeared at smart coffee houses in the Ginza, Tokyo (the capital's poshest retail district) during the 1920s and 1930s when white bread, strawberries & cream were considered luxury items by most people. "Fruit sando" are also simple to make at home: all you need is some soft white bread, fresh fruit (strawberries are the most popular filling) and some cream. Strictly speaking, the base of the sando, the bread, should be milk bread (what the Japanese call "shokupan"). Milk bread is a fluffy, very soft style of white bread beloved of the Japanese. Honestly, if you're paying Y1,000 (£7 /$8.50) for a fruit sando in a cafe in Tokyo I'd expect shokupan too! But a lot of people make fruit sando at home with plain white bread and they still taste pretty damn good. Moving on to the contents of a fruit sando - I am not a fan of overfilling the sandwich with cream but you can vary the amount if you fancy a bigger creamy hit. (There are substitutes for cream - you could use mascarpone and some recipes even use custard combined with cream). I use a little honey to sweeten the cream but again, you can substitute vanilla essence or sugar if you prefer. The fruit on display here are strawberries and kiwi but once you've got the basics down, the sky is the limit with what you can put in a fruit sando! So, why not give one of these fruity beauties a go? You can find the written recipe just below and the Youtube tutorial by clicking J apanese Fruit sando or scroll to the bottom of the page. Go on, get fruity! Kurumi XXXX. If you prefer, you could try my Japanese Berry fruit Sando recipe here . Japanese fruit sandwich ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 4 thin slices of white bread, crusts removed* 1 tsp honey 150ml whipping cream 3 strawberries, sliced into 3 pieces 5mm x 2 kiwi slices how to: whisk the cream until the peaks stand add the honey to the cream and briefly whisk again spread 1/4 of whipped cream on each slice of bread put the kiwi slices in the center and place 4 strawberry slices around it form your sandwich and cut into quarters Japanese fruit sandwich

Teriyaki Sauce What could be more Japanese than teriyaki sauce, you ask? Well, a lot of things actually as teriyaki sauce isn't really Japanese at all but American! In Japan, the term "teriyaki" refers to a method of cooking fish that has been marinaded in a sauce. But "teriyaki sauce" itself isn't really a thing in Japan. In America on the other hand, it is near ubiquitous - history has it that it was first made by Japanese migrants to Hawaii in the ninetheeth century and has never looked back. I use teriyaki sauce a lot in general cooking and especially barbecues but I prefer to make it myself so that it's a little less sweet and a little looser (and carries less calories) than the processed product. So, here's my "easy" teriyaki sauce recipe. This is a cinch to prepare and cheaper than buying a ready made teriyaki sauce - better still, there are no preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilisers or additives or anything else that really shouldn't be there. Nonetheless, you can store this in the fridge for 2 -4 weeks. You can use this teriyaki sauce as a pre-barbecue marinade for chicken, steaks, fish veggies or tofu - it's great with just about everything! I'll be posting some of my recipes using this sauce soon as well. If you want to give this a try, you can find the quick youtube tutorial by clicking Teriyaki sauce or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to browse a recipe using this sauce, why not try my Pork stuffed Peppers ? Teriyaki sauce ingredients: (makes 150ml of teriyaki sauce) 6 tbsp soy sauce 6 tbsp japanese cooking sake 3 tbsp sugar 6 tbsp mirin how to: combine the the soy sauce, sake sugar & mirin in a pan bring to the boil and simmer for 6-8 mins until the sauce thickens slightly then remove from the heat Teriyaki Sauce

Japanese stocks for vegans and vegetarians Traditional japanese stock is called "dashi" which translates as "drawn out liquid" . Dashi uses combinations of fish and vegetable products. The fish product involved is invariably dried, flaked bonito - a fish that is a relative of the tuna and mackerel. You can buy bonito flakes in small packets online or in an Asian or Japanese store if there is one near you. Bonito flakes aren't cheap so to get the most out of them, a Japanese cook uses them twice. The first use produces what is called first (ichiban) dashi. Once this dashi is made, you can pour it through a sieve to recycle the bonito flakes to make "second dashi" which will not be quite so rich as first dashi but still good enough for general use as a stock. Once you've made your second dashi, you have another choice. You can either discard the flakes or you can, as many Japanese choose to do, simply add a little soy sauce and eat the flakes with rice (I do this all the time - why waste it?) However, if for ethical, dietary or environmental reasons, you prefer not to use a fish product, you can still make "dashi" stock. below, you'll find three stocks suitable for vegetarians and vegans on my site - take a look under "stocks" section of the recipes page. There's a kelp stock, a kelp and shiitake stock and my own stock using kelp and leaf vegetables which I use when I want a more delicate flavour. As an example you might use the richer flavours of the kelp or kelp and shiitake stocks as a noodle soup base or as a base for a miso soup. On the other hand, the more delicate stock would suit, for example, an "osumashi " consomme style soup. See the recipes on the recipes pages of my site or visit my youtube channel kurumicooks to watch the videos, Kurumi's Vegan stock or Kelp stock or Kelp & shiitake stock . Happy cooking, Kurumi XXXX

Onigiri with Miso sauce Here's a dead easy way to take an onigiri rice ball to the next level - mix a little miso with mirin and sugar. Then, call on your inner onigiri sculptor and form your onigiri rice ball. Dry fry, grill or barbecue them until the bottom of the onigiri is a golden brown colour and the rice has turned crispy. Flip and toast the other side. While that's happening, spread over a layer of the sweet umami sauce and you're done. I garnished these with white sesame but why not use your imagination and try something different? I used the dry frying technique but grilling and barbecue works very well too. My recipe makes enough sauce for 2 onigiri but I promise you, these tend to be gobbled up however many you make, so you may want to make more sauce! If you find yourself in an onigiri mood, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Yaki Onigiri with Sweet Miso or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you like onigiri, you might like onigirazu as well! Take a look at my Tuna Mayo and Avocado Onigirazu . Dry fried Onigiri with Miso sauce. ingredients: (make 2 yaki-onigiri) 260g cooked Japanese rice (wet weight) 1/2 tbsp miso 1/2 tbsp mirin 1 tsp sugar 1 tsp veg oil 1 tsp sesame seeds how to: combine the miso, sugar & mirin into a paste wet your hands, take up 1/2 the rice and form a triangular shaped ball repeat heat the oil in a frying pan, when it’s hot, wipe away the excess oil with kitchen paper dry fry the rice balls for 5 mins or until the bottoms are lightly browned and crispy turn and spread the miso paste over the tops while dry frying for another 4-5 mins sprinkle with some sesame seeds (optional) Onigiri with Miso sauce

Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl Fancy an easy to make main dish that's nourishing and uber-fashionable? Then why not try my Japan-Hawaiian fusion dish - the Teriyaki Chicken Poke bowl? I started by making some sushi rice (which gives the dish a little more flavour than leaving the rice plain). Then I fried some chicken and added the ingredients for a teriyaki sauce as I went so that the flavour was nicely infused by the time the chicken was done. Added to that, I made some sweet scrambled eggs (they don't have to be sweet but it helps vary the flavours if you don't mind the extra calories). Then for the vegetables, I marinated some thinly sliced cucumber and avocado in a little salt and rice vinegar. Next, it was simply a matter of covering the rice in this blanket of tasty morsels and putting it in front of a ravenous tummy. I garnished this dish with a few segments of baby tomato - just to give a little more veg (and some nice, contrasting colour for the photo, if i'm honest!) So, has this dish tickled your taste buds? If it has, you can find the written recipe below and the youtube tutorial by clicking Teriyaki Chicken Poke bowl or just scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you are searching for other poke bowl ideas, why not try out my Tuna and Salmon Poke bowl recipe. Teriyaki Chicken Poke bowl ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 400g-450g cooked rice 2 tbsp sushi vinegar 100g cucumber 1/4 tsp salt 1 small avocado 200g chicken breast 2 tsp plain flour 4 tsp vegetable oil 3 eggs 1 tbsp sugar for the teriyaki sauce: 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp cooking sake 1 tbsp mirin 1/2 tbsp sugar 2 baby tomatoes, sliced into thirds for garnishing (optional) how to: combine 1 1/2 tbsp of sushi vinegar with the rice & set aside halve the cucumber lengthways, deseed, then slice thinly place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, mix and set aside for 10 mins peel, destone & halve the avocado lengthways and finely slice. drizzle with 1/2 tbsp of sushi vinegar cut the chicken breast in half lengthways and slice thinly, then coat with the plain flour heat 2 tsp of veg oil in a frying pan and fry the chicken for 2-3 mins, then add the soy sauce, cooking sake, mirin & sugar. cook until the sauce has almost evaporated heat 2 tsp of veg oil in a frying pan, beat the egg and sugar together , then scramble the egg until firm squeeze the liquid from the cucumber put 1/2 the sushi rice in a bowl, add 1/2 the teriyaki chicken, 1/2 the sliced avocado, 1/2 the cucumber, 1/2 the scrambled egg on the rice and garnish with the sliced baby tomatoes repeat for your second bowl and your meal is ready! Teriyaki Chicken Poke Bowl

Tendon with Prawns The Japanese have a love of abbreviations and so it is with this dish - "tendon" is the short form of "tempura donburi", meaning "tempura served on a bowl of rice". As you probably know already, you can use most vegetables to create tempura - in this recipe, I used brocolli, red bell pepper, mushrooms and parsnip - the idea is to have a combination of colours and textures. I paired the veggies with some king prawns. I used ready made Japanese tempura flour for the batter in this recipe - you can make your own tempura batter - so this is just a short cut. I have to admit, ready made tempura flour does provide a really nice, crispy and light batter - I used the "Showa" brand which contains wheat flour and starch, pumpkin powder, egg yolk powder and baking powder - there are other brands you can buy such as Oh-Mai. This dish also boasts it's own sauce - you guessed it - tendon sauce! It's quite sweet and a little thick - it's also very easy to make. Once your tempura is ready, just arrange it on a bowl of rice and drizzle over some sauce. You can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Tendon with Prawns or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. (If you are interested in a DIY tendon sauce, you can find the Youtube tutorial for that Tendon sauce or at the bottom of the page. The written recipe is below as well. Happy frying! Kurumi XXXX. For an alternative tendon dish, you need look no further than my Fillet of Cod Tendon. You can find the recipe for that dish here . ingredients: (makes 2 servings) for the tempura: 400g-450g cooked Japanese rice 100g tempura flour 150ml water 80g parsnip 1/3 red pepper 2 tenderstem broccoli 2 fresh shiitake mushrooms, 4 king prawns 1 tbsp tempura or plain flour vegetable oil for deep frying some kitchen paper how to: slice the pepper in half peel the parsnip and slice it into thin discs (this will ensure that they cook quickly to prevent the batter burning) rinse the shiitake & broccoli and trim the stalk ends make five incisions down the underside of the prawns & lightly press down to straighten them (this will stop the prawns curling up when you deep fry them) coat the prawns with the plain flour mix the tempura flour and water well in a bowl set aside heat the veg oil to 180’C dip the vegetables & prawns in the tempura mixture, then deep fry them until a light gold colour (the parsnip will take longer, so reduce the heat a little and fry them longer) deep fry the prawns until golden, adjusting the heat if necessary arrange the tempura on a bowl of rice and drizzle over the sauce (the tendon sauce recipe is below.) ingredients for tendon sauce: 2 tbsp sugar 2.5 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp mirin 1/4 tsp Japanese dashi granules 40 ml water how to: put the sugar, soy sauce, mirin, water & dashi granules in a pan, bring to the boil and stir for 1-2 mins until the sauce has slightly thickened (if you want to watch the short tutorial, it's at the bottom of the page.) Tendon with Prawns Tendon sauce

Thai Green Curry One of the wonderful foods I have discovered since i came to live in the UK is (somewhat ironically) Thai green curry. From time to time I get together with a Thai friend and some of our mutual pals and cook up enough Thai green curry to feed an army! We've all developed our own little twists to our Thai friend's "old school" recipe. My twist is to make the curry less hot and a little sweeter - a little more like a Japanese curry, you might say. That's not to say the original isn't great but I have to confess, I prefer my curries a little on the milder side. So what is the secret to a fragrant Thai curry? What's the thing that sets it apart? In my opinion, it's grachai (also known as finger root, krachai, chinese ginger or galangal). Apart from the health benefits of this little wonder root, grachai imparts what I think everyone can identify as the unique taste of a Thai curry. You can find grachai in health food stores and asian supermarkets. You can also find it online. When i make Thai curry, I like to pair it with some Thai black rice or a mix of black & brown rice. Of course, fresh steamed Thai rice will be equally good - I just like the texture and nutty taste of black rice paired with Thai curry. If you'd like to try out my recipe, you can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Thai Green curry or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. For a Thai dish that's a little different, why not try my Thai spicy Minced pork recipe. Thai Green curry ingredients: (makes 4 servings) 400g chicken breast 120g green beans 1 sweet pointed pepper 50g thai grachai/krachai* (optional), rinsed 120g bamboo shoots (tinned, rinsed a few times then soaked in water) 1 tin coconut milk 1-1.5 tbsp green curry paste 2 tsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp fish sauce 1.5 tbsp brown sugar** 15g basil leaves *krachai/ grachai is a thai root vegetable with a very distinct, piquant flavour (it’s a member of the ginger family.) you can buy it from chinese and other asian supermarkets **if you have palm sugar, this is a better choice than brown sugar how to: halve the chicken breast in lengthways, then slice into bite sized pieces scrape the grachai to remove the skin, rinse again & slice thinly trim off the ends of the green beans & halve cut the pepper in half lengthways, deseed & slice thinly put the vegetable oil, green curry paste & 2 tbsp of the coconut cream from the top of the tin in a saucepan, stir over medium high heat until fragrant & darkened (this takes about 1-2 mins) add & fry the chicken until nearly cooked, then add the fish sauce & grachai and stir fry for 2-3 mins add the coconut milk, beans, red pepper & bamboo shoots and stir, then add the sugar and mix & cook for 5-7 mins add & stir the basil and serve with a rice variety of your choice Thai Green Curry

Japanese Java Cheese Curry Here's a recipe that shouldn't work but it really does. I have to admit that the first time this was put in front of me by my father-in-law many years ago when we had just been introduced, I thought, "what? cheese in a curry? maybe he doesn't like me.." and then I took a taste and realised how wrong I was to doubt the combination. It's like curry + western umami flavour - weirdly, it works very well. A spicy curry mixed with little chunks of soft, mature, cheddar cheese now makes it to our kitchen table at least once a month, rain or shine. For this recipe, I used Java curry cubes (medium heat) although you could use other curry cube brands, I've made this with all of them and it always works. Along with cubes of mature cheddar, I added onion, garlic, raisins and spinach and a little curry powder for extra spice. If you prepare your rice in advance, you can have this on the table within 15 minutes. The trick is to cook the curry sauce and drop the cubes of cheese in at the last moment so they soften but don't melt completely into the sauce. Then.... just enjoy.... If you want to try this recipe, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Japanese Java Cheese Curry or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you would like to browse other curry recipes, why not check out my Java Beef Curry ? Java Cheese Curry ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 400-450g cooked rice 1 onion (130g) 2 cloves of garlic a little salt & pepper 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp curry powder 450ml water 3 Java curry cubes 1 tbsp tomato ketchup 80g raisins 90g spinach 150g cheddar cheese how to: peel and finely chop the onion mince the garlic cut the cheese into 1 cm cubes heat the oil in a pan, add & fry the onion, garlic, salt & pepper for 1-2 mins add the curry powder and stir well until incorporated add the water, curry cubes & tomato ketchup, bring to the boil and cook for 2-3 mins add the raisins and cook, stirring continuously for 1-2 mins add the spinach and stir for 1 min add the cheese just before serving & turn off the heat (don’t cook the cheese as it will melt - you just want the chunks to be softened) serve with fresh steamed rice Japanese Java Cheese Curry

Japanese Potato Salad People tend to equate Japan with rice but potatoes (Imo as the Japanese call them) are a big part of the food culture. I remember looking forward to "imo hori" or potato digging on my auntie's vegetable patch when I was a child. Once the potatoes are dug, one of the favourite ways to eat them in Japan is in a potato salad. Now, potato salads are well known the world over and come in all manner of varieties but I like to think the Japanese version is up there with the best of them. It's also great to eat at any time of year. In this recipe, the potato is boiled and lightly mashed - I use the back of a spoon or a fork - you don't want a puree here - bits and lumps are good! Then, the mash is combined with sliced raw onion, cucumber and carrot and then seasoned with mayonnaise (I think the Japanese brand "Kewpie" is great in this salad but other brands work well too) , lemon juice, salt and pepper. The onion is prepared by immersion in one or two or changes of water to draw out the astringent flavour but retain the crunch. The carrot & cucumber are salted for a few minutes and then squeezed to draw out the liquid - nobody likes a watery potato salad, do they? What you get, is a rich, tangy flavoured salad with a creamy but crunchy texture - Everyone seems to love this salad & it's a great way to get kids to eat their veg. There are different versions of this salad with ham and boiled eggs to name but two but I prefer it as a veggie dish with nothing else added - but once you've made it, why not experiment and find your unique combination! If you'd like to make this, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Japanese Potato salad or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Salad days are here again...well, almost! Happy cooking, Kurumi XXXX. If you like this, then you might just like my Sweet Potato salad . Why not take a look? Japanese Potato salad ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 370g potatoes 50g carrot 90g cucumber 1/4 red onion 5 tbsp Kewpie mayonnaise* 1 tsp lemon juice 1 little pepper 1tsp salt 1 tbsp cress 2 leaves of lettuce *if you can’t find Kewpie mayo, try another brand instead. how to: peel and cut the potatoes into small chunks. put the potato chunks in a pan and cover with water. boil for 12-15 mins or until softened then drain peel the carrot & quarter lengthways, then thinly slice quarter the cucumber lengthways, slice off the seed stem (which prevents the salad becoming too watery) and thinly slice the cucumber put the carrot & cucumber in a bowl, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt, mix well and leave for 10 mins peel & thinly slice the red onion, cover with water in a bowl and leave to soak for 10 mins, changing the water once or twice squeeze the excess water from the carrot, cucumber & onion roughly mash the potato in a bowl, add the vegetables to the potato, add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt & pepper to taste and mix well your potato salad is ready! serve on the lettuce leaves, lastly sprinkling with the cress Japanese Potato Salad