Search this site

Jacket Potato with Japanese Curry This recipe combines three great foods from different countries - Japanese curry, the British baked jacket potato and German frankfurters. It's a great dish for an autumn or winter's day when you need something a bit soulful and warming - nutricious and a little bit peppery and spicy. I like to think that the flavour of these 3 great foods merge into something much greater than the sum of the parts. So, how do you make this happen? Here are the mechanics: I cooked my jacket potatoes using a microwave at 850W, but you can also use an oven or air fryer if that is what you prefer. The frankfurters were Herta brand which are widely available in the UK and I guess in many other countries as well. I used Java medium hot curry cubes by House Foods as I like the heat and peppery flavour but you can use another brand such as Golden Curry by S & B as well. This recipe should be a hit with confirmed Japanese curry lovers and may even convert a few doubters too! If you would like to try this out, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Jacket Potato with Japanese Curry or by scrolling to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. PS: Japanese curry cubes come in consumer size packs but also much larger catering packs as well. The cubes inside the catering packs are much larger. The ingredients given below refer to cubes taken from the consumer packs. ingredients: serves 2 2 Japanese Java curry cubes 1/2 medium onion 1 clove garlic 4 small-medium fresh tomatoes 4 frankfurters 1 tbsp sunflower oil salt and pepper 300 ml / 10 fl oz water 2 medium size potatoes 2 squares of kitchen paper how to: Cut and dice the onion and garlic. Slice the tomatoes in half and remove the hard stem from the top of each half. Cut the frankfurters into quarters. Put the sunflower oil in a hot saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Fry over a medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the tomato and fry for another minute. Add the water, bring the pan to the simmer and simmer for 2 minutes. Use a spoon to break up the tomatoes in the pan. Remove the tomato skins if you wish but otherwise retain. Add the frankfurters, the curry cubes and the tomato ketchup. Cook for 2 minutes over a medium heat. Set aside. Next prepare your jacket potatoes. Make holes in the potatoes using the tines of a fork or the point of a sharp knife - about 15 - 20 little holes should do the trick. Wrap each potato in a square of kitchen paper in a sheet. Microwave on High (850W) for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, grate as much cheddar cheese as you like for a topping. Return to the potatoes. Turn over and microwave for another 4 minutes. Test for softness by giving a little squeeze. Unwrap the potatoes. Cut a cross shape through the tops and use your fingers to open each potato up from the centre. Place each potato on a serving plate. Ladle over the curry sauce and spoon the cheddar cheese over the top. Serve immediately. Jacket Potato with Japanese Curry

Tonjiru "There's a pig in my soup!" This could the start of a corny joke...but it's not. In Japan this dish - T onjiru , literally means "pork soup". People living in Western Japan and Hokkaido also call this B utajiru  - literally, pig soup! The key ingredients in this dish are (no prizes for guessing one of them!), pork and miso. The other ingredients can be populated from whatever happens to be in your veggie rack or your fridge when you when you prepare the dish - potato, sweet potato, carrot, onion etc etc. When I made the Tonjiru in the photo above, I used new potatoes, gobo (burdock in English), shiitake mushrooms and daikon. (You could just as easily use English winter vegetables like turnip or even sprouts - the idea is to fill the dish with healthy goodness and nutrition - there's no obligatory content apart from the pork and miso). The ingredients for this dish also differ regionally in Japan - people on the southern island of Kyushu use deep fried tofu and in Hokkaido, you'll often find people throwing in a handful of shredded cabbage. Ironically, the history of Tonjiru probably goes back a few hundred years when the eating of meat was prohibited in Japan. It's likely that Tonjiru started out as a dish containing wild boar meat, which wasn't always banned from the table. (Japan has an interesting history of meat bans which I'll be posting an article on soon). As you can imagine, Tonjiru is a winter dish when people need to eat something more substantial than miso soup. I hope you try this out! You can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Tonjiru or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. If you want to try something a little more modern, you could do worse than take a look at my Japanese Corn soup here . Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. Tonjiru ingredients: (makes 2 portions) 2 slices, belly pork (approx. 250g) 3 fresh shiitake mushrooms, 35g gobo (burdock) 150g daikon (white radish), peeled & sliced into bite size pieces 70g carrot, peeled & sliced into bitesize pieces 2 baby potatoes, peeled & cut into bite size pieces 1/3 packed of konyaku, cut into bite size pieces 650ml japanese dashi stock* 1.5 tbsp sesame oil 0.5 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp miso a little shichimi (japanese chilli) & 1 spring onion, finely chopped for garnishing (i used a japanese dashi bag to make the dashi stock but you can make your own japanese dashi stock — see my recipes for how to make dashi stock in the recipe section of the site) how to: rinse the shiitake mushrooms, remove the stalks & cut into bite size pieces peel off the skin of the gobo (burdock), pare it into thin strips, then soak it in water for 5 mins heat the oil in a pan, add the carrot, pork, potatoes & daikon (white radish) to the pan and stir fry for 2-3 mins add the stock, mushrooms, konyaku, mirin & soy sauce and cook for 10 - 15mins over a medium heat dissolve the miso in a small bowl with a little of the dashi from the pan, then add to the pan & simmer for 10 mins garnish with spring onion & shichimi your ton-jiru dish is ready - serve with a bowl of rice Tonjiru

Chinese style Chicken Chukadon If you read my blog now and again, you'll know that the Japanese are big fans of Chinese food. Most ramen shops in Japan will have some Chinese style dishes on the menu as will eateries that cater for the "casual diner". Chinese inspired dishes are normally labelled "chuka" which means "chinese-style" and this recipe is one such dish - Chinese style chicken donburi. This is a great one bowl meal - I used chicken breast, six vegetables plus garlic and ginger. The flavourings include a little "ajinomoto" brand Chinese stock, soy sauce and oyster sauce. I thickened the sauce a little using potato flour. (You can use cornflour instead if you don't have potato flour but you'll need to use more to get the same consistency). The chicken is marinated for 10 mins and all in all, this dish takes about 30 mins to get to the table. I hope you give it a try. If you fancy trying it out - you can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Chicken Chukadon or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to take a look at another "chuka" style dish, then look no further than my Seafood Chukadon recipe. Chicken Chukadon ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 400g cooked rice 1 chicken breast 1 tbsp + 1 tsp potato flour* 1 tsp Japanese cooking sake 3 chinese cabbage leaves, chopped 1/2 onion (70g), sliced 4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced 50g carrot, peeled & thinly sliced 10 sugar snaps, rinsed 10 bamboo shoots slices (tinned) 1 garlic clove, minced 5mm slice ginger, peeled & minced a little salt & pepper 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp + 1tsp soy sauce 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce 240ml + 1 tbsp water 2 tsp chinese stock powder (ajinomoto) or bouillon powder (swiss vegetable stock) * if you don’t have potato flour, corn flour is fine as a substitute how to: cut the chicken into a bite sized pieces, then marinade with 1 tsp each of soy sauce, sake & potato flour set aside for 10 mins heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, add the minced garlic, ginger and chicken pieces & fry for 2 mins add another tbsp of oil to the pan, add the carrot, onion & sugar snaps & fry for 1 min add the bamboo shoots, mushrooms & chinese cabbage & fry for 1 min add the salt, pepper, water, stock powder, soy sauce & oyster sauce, mix and bring to the boil dissolve 1 tbsp of the potato flour in 1 tbsp of water, add to the pan and stir well until the sauce thickens place 1/2 the rice in each serving bowl. ladle the chicken and vegetables over the top and spoon over the sauce Chinese style Chicken Chukadon

Japanese style Chicken in Lettuce wraps Hello everyone. Here's a recipe for those days when you want something nutricious but not too filling - no tortillas or pitta, just some lettuce for the wraps and pan fried chicken and bell peppers for the filling. Get round the table with family or friends, a little chat and then spoon some chicken into a leaf, wrap and pop it into your mouth now and then - there's no better way to spend a lazy lunch time! This dish can be ready to eat in fifteen minutes so it's just the job for a quick, light lunch or supper meal. If you want to try your hand at this, you can find the written recipe just below and the Youtube tutorial by clicking Asian style chicken Lettuce wraps or scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy wrapping! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to try out a different lettuce wrap recipe, check out my Miso minced pork in Lettuce wraps . Japanese style Chicken in Lettuce wraps ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1 spring onion 1 bell pepper (red makes for the most decorative effect) 1 clove of garlic 1 cm thick piece of ginger, peeled 2 boneless chicken thighs (350g / 12 oz in weight) 1 tsp Chinese Shaoxing wine 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tbsp potato flour for the stir fry sauce; 1/2 tbsp sugar 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp oyster sauce 1 tbsp vegetable oil for frying 8 - 10 gem  lettuce leaves, rinsed* *you can use other leaves but I find gem lettuce leaves are the perfect shape and form for this finger food how to: finely slice the spring onion halve, deseed & slice the bell pepper. mince the garlic and ginger. cut the chicken thighs into thin slices put the  chicken in a bowl. add the chinese Shaoxing wine, soy sauce & potato flour.  mix together well, then marinade for at least 15 minutes. put the sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil & oyster sauce in a bowl. mix together well and set aside heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a frying pan.  add the marinated chicken slices, the garlic & the ginger. stir fry for  2-3 minutes add the sliced bell pepper and stir fry for another minute add the sauce mixture to the frying pan. continue stir frying for 1 - 2 minutes lastly add the spring onion. stir fry for another 30 seconds transfer the to a serving plate. serve with the gem lettuce leaves on a separate plate. use a dessert spoon to spoon the chicken and sauce onto a leaf for a great finger food Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Lion Head meatballs with Chinese leaves This is a Japanese version of a Chinese dish that goes by the name of "Lion's head" meat balls. Apparently, the meat balls wreathed in cabbage are said to resemble the head of a lion. I'm not sure any self-respecting lion would be happy with the comparison but they would probably gobble up a few of the meatballs given half the chance as they are rather tasty. The Japanese version of this recipe tends to keep the flavours quite subtle - no wham bam of garlic and ginger, just a laid back flavour that you can really savour. Of course, if you find it too subtle, you can always up the seasoning to suit your taste. This dish typically has the meat balls fried or braised but I simply pop them in the broth and simmer them for a few minutes - that makes this dish quick and healthier too! I serve this with bowls of freshly steamed white rice but it goes equally well with noodles too. If you 'd like to try this recipe, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Lion Head meatballs with Chinese Leaves or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. (PS: leave any leftover meatballs in the broth over night and they'll make the flavour even better the next day!) For another Chinese inspired dish, why not check out my Bang Bang Chicken with Noodles . Lion Head meatballs ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1 clove garlic 1 x 5mm slice ginger 2 spring onions 250g minced pork 1.5 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp chinese cooking wine* 2 tsp plain flour 1 tsp sesame oil 4 chinese leaves 2 shiitake mushrooms 1 bundle of vermiccilli a little pepper 1/2 tsp salt** 2 tbsp soy sauce 1/2 tbsp vegetable bouillion or chinese stock 900ml water *you can use Japanese cooking sake or a dry white wine as a substitute **optional according to your taste how to: mince the ginger & garlic finely chop the spring onions combine the minced pork, ginger, garlic, spring onion, flour, cooking wine, sesame oil & soy sauce and mix well in a bowl roll 1 heaped dessert spoon of the mixture into a meat ball (you should be able to make 10-12 balls) remove the ends of shiitake mushrooms and slice cut the chinese leaves into bite sized pieces pour the water and stock powder into a pan, bring to the boil and cook the meatballs for 2 mins add the shiitake & leaves to the pan and cook for 2 mins add the pepper & soy sauce to the pan and salt to taste add the vermiccilli to the pan and cook for a further 2 mins your dish is now ready for the table serve with freshly steamed rice Lion Head meatballs with Chinese leaves

Thai spicy minced Pork with Basil-Pad Gaprao I published a Japanese take on a Thai green curry a couple of weeks ago and here is another Thai recipe that my Thai friend, Pam, taught me. This time, it's Thai spicy minced Pork with Basil - Pad Gaprao in the local tongue. When my friend Pam makes this recipe, it really is a little too hot for my tender Japanese taste buds to cope with so my version dials down on the heat and adds a little more sweetness. If you can find some Thai basil, that's great as it has a distinct flavour compared to what is grown typically in the UK but the homegrown version is an acceptable substitute if there isn't an Asian/Chinese store near you that stocks the Thai version. I put green beans in this recipe because I like the colour contrast but that's up to you - you could use a different vegetable of you prefer. (PS: I like my green beans to be a little crunchy but if you prefer yours softer, then put them in at the first stage rather than later on.) I used one small chilli in this recipe but do use more if you like a hotter flavour. The egg is optional - the original Thai version features a fried egg but if you prefer something a little more calorie-lite, then you can do without. Those caveats apart, this is a quick tasty way of enjoying the flavours of Thailand with little effort - door to door, it probably takes about 20 mins to get this ready to eat. If you'd like to try this out, you can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Thai spicy Minced Pork with Basil-Pad Gaprao r scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you likeThai foods, check out my Thai Green curry recipe. Thai spicy minced Pork with Basil - Pad Gaprao ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 1/2 pointed sweet pepper 50g green beans 4 cloves garlic 1 dried or fresh chilli (adjust the amount to your taste) 1.5 tbsp vegetable oil 250g mince pork 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 tsp soy sauce 2 tsp brown or palm sugar 3 tbsp water 15g basil (or thai sweet basil - bai horapha - if available) 2 eggs 2 servings of Thai jasmine rice how to: cut off both ends of the green beans then cut into small pieces halve the pointed sweet pepper longways, and thinly slice slice and then mince the garlic cut the chilli pepper into small pieces heat 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil in a pan, stir fry the garlic & chilli for 30 seconds add the minced pork & stir fry for 1-2 mins, then add the pepper & green beans & stir fry for 3-4 mins add the fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar & water & stir fry for a further 1-2 mins or until the green beans are cooked but still a little crunchy add the basil & stir for 30 seconds heat 1/2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a separate frying pan and fry the eggs serve with jasmine rice, topping the rice with the egg Thai spicy minced Pork with Basil-Pad Gaprao

Japanese soba noodles / Zaru Soba There are some days when you just want to eat something cold, aren't there? You get home, hot and maybe a little sticky and the thought of a hot meal is just, well, meh..that's when you need to try out chilled soba noodles. The Japanese call this dish zaru soba and it is a big summer favourite in Japan. It's healthy, nutricious and, best of all, cooling on a hot day - it's vegetarian friendly too. You can make the dipping sauce and keep it in the fridge, so putting the meal together can be done in minutes. Then it's just a matter of putting a little of each garnish into the sauce, taking some noodles in your chopsticks and giving them a good dip. I've used shiso leaves, nori and spring onions as a garnish but you can use your imagination here. Some Japanese like to add a little wasabi to the dipping sauce as well for a mustardy kick. You can find the recipe below and the youtube tutorial by clicking Chilled Japanese soba noodles / Zaru Soba or just scroll to the bottom of the page. If you want to find out more about shiso leaves and how to grow them, take a look at my "grow your own/make your own" section of the website. Happy slurping! Kurumi XXXX. Chilled Japanese soba noodles ingredients: (makes 2 servings) 4 portions dried soba noodles 3 spring onions 8 shiso leaves 1.5 nori sheets, finely shredded for the dipping sauce 600 ml water* 2 tsp japanese stock granules* 1.5 tbsp sugar 2 tsp japanese rice vinegar 1.5 tbsp japanese cooking sake 6 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp mirin *Use Japanese vegan stock instead water and japanese stock granules for vegan dipping sauce how to: to make the soba, boil plenty of water in a large pan. put the soba into the pan and cook for 5 minutes or according to the instructions on the packet (if the water comes back to the boil, add a cup of water and adjust the heat to stop the water boiling - siba noodles shouldn't be boiled) when the soba is cooked, drain it through a colander and rinse it well in cold running water. (on a really hot day, you can chill the noodles further with ice cubes) to make the dipping sauce, put the the dashi, rice vinegar, sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce into a small pan with water (600ml). bring to the boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes. finely shred the shiso and chop the spring onion. when you eat, add a little of each shiso, spring onion and nori into the dipping sauce, then add the soba. now, you can officially slurp! Japanese soba noodles / Zaru Soba

Prawn Tempura Musubi Rice Balls - Onigiri This recipe combines two of Japan's most famous foods - the humble musubi rice ball and prawn tempura. In Japan, these little darlings are known as "tenmusu" which as you might have guessed is the shortform of "tempura musubi". They are said to have their origin in Nagoya in the 1950s and have since spread nationwide. It's easy to see why they are so popular. They look cute and they can be eaten as a snack, a canape, a lunch or supper or put in a bento box. They are one of my family's fave ways to eat musubi rice balls. Of course, it goes without saying that they taste great too! Although the idea of making prawn tempura might seem a little daunting, especially for the beginner, I make this recipe much easier to try by using ready made frozen prawn tempura. Instead of having to make a tempura batter and deep fry the prawns yourself, you simply pop these in the oven for about 20 minutes. Other than the prawn tempura, you'll need some cooked Japanese rice, a few sheets of dried nori seaweed and some soy sauce and a little sugar and salt. I presented my prawn tempura musubi on a charming Arita Ware side plate provided by Arita Ware side plate by UTSUWABI the Japanese company Utsuwabi. Utsuwabi has a 75-year history of selling beautiful Japanese tableware made in Japan by the artisan potteries for which the country is famous. Utsuwabi has an English language website and can deliver worldwide. If you're thinking of a great Christmas present for the Japanophile in your life, this could be ideal! If you are interested in fine Japanese tableware, you can go to their website by clicking the following link: https://utsuwabi.com If you fancy trying your hand at making Prawn Tempura Musubi Rice Balls, you can find the Youtube tutorial by clicking Prawn Tempura Musubi Rice Balls - Onigiri. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. ingredients: (makes 4 Prawn Tempura Musubi Rice Balls) 240g / 8.5oz cooked rice 4 frozen prawn tempura 2 nori seaweed sheets a few small green salad leaves a little salt 1 tsp sugar 2 tsp soy sauce 1 sheet of cling film how to: First, cook your rice. You’ll need 240g / 8.5oz of cooked rice to make 4 prawn tempura rice balls. Cook 4 frozen prawn tempura in your oven according to the instruction on the packaging. Fold and cut 2 sheets of nori into 3 strips each. You will only need 4 strips of nori so you can keep the leftovers in an airtight container for use another time. To make the sauce, combine the sugar and soy sauce and mix well. When the prawn tempura are ready, remove from the oven. Now you are ready to start making your prawn tempura musubi rice balls. Lay the square of cling film on a small plate. Spoon 1/4 of the cooked rice onto the middle of the cling film. Give the rice a generous sprinkle of salt. Place 1 or 2 small leaves onto the rice. Next place one prawn tempura onto the leaf/leaves. Now, gently wrap the rice and prawn tempura in the cling film and mold the rice into a triangle shape around the bottom of the prawn tempura. Unwrap the cling film. Pour a little of the sweet soy sauce mixture onto the prawn tempura. Next, take a nori strip and lay it over the musubi rice ball. Turn the rice ball over and remove the cling film. Fold the ends of the nori over and then gently place the finished prawn tempura musubi on a plate. Use a little pressure to flatten the bottom and this will make sure that the nori strip sticks to the bottom of the musubi. Repeat three more times. Serve immediately. Prawn tempura Musubi Rice Balls - Onigiri

Thai Massaman curry As you might have guessed if you look at my blog from time to time, my family love a good curry. This recipe is for a Thai Massaman style dish which is a particular favourite - maybe because it is on the mild side but also, I think, because it incorporates some sweetness, saltiness and sour flavours into the mix - just like a Japanese curry. Massaman curry is really a fusion dish being part Thai, part Indian and part Malay. The essential ingredients are the tamarind (for the slightly sour flavour), Thai Massaman curry paste and nuts. I use fish sauce as well in my recipe to add a little umami as well. The key to a good massaman is to get the flavours working to create a base sauce before you add the other ingredients. How do you do this? - By mixing the Massaman curry paste (which Thai or Chinese supermarkets now stock) with some veg oil and some of the coconut milk and heating until it begins to boil - when you do this, keep an eye on your pan - when the oil begins to separate from the paste, you'll smell a quite magical aroma suddenly coming off the sauce - that's the time to turn the heat down a little and start adding your other ingredients. 30 mins cooking time later, you'll be rewarded with a delicious pan of Massaman curry. I normally serve this dish with some Thai jasmine rice but it works well with just about any rice, long grain or short. If this has got your digestive juices flowing, you can find the youtube tutorial by clicking Thai Massaman curry or scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is just below. Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX. If you want to check out another of my Japanese curries with a South East Asian accent, why not try my Torokeru Chicken Coconut Curry recipe . Thai Massaman curry ingredients: (makes 4 servings) 5 boneless chicken thighs 1 medium onion 350g potatoes 1 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp massaman curry paste 1 tin of coconut milk a half tin of water 2 bay leaves 5 cardamon pods 50g cashew nuts 2 tbsp fish sauce 1.5 tbsp palm or brown sugar 1 tbsp of tamarind for making 2.5 tbsp of tamarind juice* * you can also use ready made tamarind juice from asian stores if you can find it how to: soak the tamarind in hot water and leave for 10 mins, (you will use the juice later) halve & slice the onion, peel the potatoes and cut into big bite sized pieces. repeat with the chicken thighs heat the vegetable oil with the massaman curry paste in a pan, then add 2 tbsp of thick coconut milk from the top of the tin, stir well over a medium heat until the mixture becomes aromatic & the oil begins to separate add 1/2 the tin of coconut milk and the chicken to the pan and cook for 2 mins add the potatoes, onion, bay leaves, cardamon pods, fish sauce, cashew nuts, sugar, the rest of the coconut milk & a half tin of water to the pan then add 2.5 tbsp of tamarind juice, and cook for 30 mins, stirring occasionally serve with thai jasmine or other rice Thai Massaman curry

Celery and Carrot Kinpira My latest recipe is full of veggie fibre and goodness. This style of cooking is what the Japanese call Kinpira which is a technique which involves finely cutting vegetables julienne style and then braising them in a blend of mirin and soy sauce. The standard recipe is called Kinpira Gobo which uses gobo (known in English as burdock root.) For my alternative recipe, I used carrot and celery as burdock root isn't that easy to find where I live in the UK as it is in Japan. In addition, you get the added benefit of a quicker cooking time when you use carrot. If you want to spice this dish up a little, you could add a finely chopped dried chilli but I prefer it without the added heat. In Japan, this is served as a vegetable side dish along with maybe tofu or fish but it can serve equally well as a light lunch with some rice. So, if you like the sound of more veggie in your life, you can find the youtube tutorial for this dish by clicking Carrot and Celery Kinpira or just scroll to the bottom of the page. The written recipe is here . Happy cooking! Kurumi XXXX If you want to check out the traditional dish, just click on Kinpira Gobo to find my recipe. Carrot and Celery Kinpira ingredients: (makes 2 servings as a side dish) 200g carrots 2 stalks of celery 2 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp mirin 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds how to: cut the celery stalks into 4 pieces each and then cut julienne style cut the carrots in half or the same length as the celery, thinly slice lengthways, then cut julienne style heat the sesame oil in a pan, add the celery & carrot, then stir fry for 1-2 mins add the mirin & soy sauce and simmer until the liquid is almost evaporated, stirring occasionally when there is just a little liquid left, turn off the heat and add & mix the sesame seeds serve with rice as a side dish or starter Celery and Carrot Kinpira

Japanese meat balls - Niku Dango Here's a recipe which sounds better in Japanese, "niku dango", than in English - plain old meat balls! But Japanese meat balls - Niku Dango are actually far from plain - they're made of minced pork cooked in a sweet soy sauce. They'll grace any dinner table or you can just pop them in a lunch box for a nourishing midday meal. Alternatively, you can also put these on skewers & cook them over the barbecue. I've truly never come across anyone who doesn't like them. Not only do kids love them, but they are simple enough for kids to get their hands dirty and make them too. Pair with a bowl of white rice and a salad - nutricious and delish as well. What more can I say, except...you can find the written recipe just below and the Youtube video tutorial by clicking Japanese meat balls - Niku Dango or scroll to the bottom of the page! happy cooking! kurumi XXXX. ingredients: (makes 16-18 meatballs) for the meat balls: 300g pork mince 60g onion, minced 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp cornflour 1 small egg, beaten for the sauce: 1 tbsp water 1 tsp cornflour 1 tbsp mirin 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp brown sugar veg oil for shallow frying how to: to make the meat balls: mix the minced pork, onion and salt well in a bowl add the cornflour and mix add the egg and mix again rub a lttle oil your hands and form the mixture into 15-18 meat balls fill a frying pan with 5mm of veg oil and fry the meat balls for 2-3 mins turn the balls over and fry for another 2-3 mins - make sure they are cooked well remove the balls to some kitchen paper to make the sauce: put the brown sugar, mirin, soy sauce, water & cornflour in a pan and mix add the meat balls and coat with the sauce your niku dango meatballs are ready. serve with a bowl of Japanese rice Japanese meat balls - Niku Dango

Okonomiyaki..Japanese savoury pancake with bacon Whenever my sons visited Japan when they were children, this was the first thing they wanted to eat on arrival - Okonomiyaki. Of course, when Japan's own breed of savoury pancake was put in front of them, it had to be liberally doused with mayo and Bulldog sauce. Then there was quiet for about 10 minutes while the okonomiyaki was committed to the bottomless pit of their stomachs. One of the many good things about okonomiyaki is that they are very filling - I can't recall either of my sons demanding a second helping. Some of the other good things about okonomiyaki are: they're easy to make in a few minutes, the basic flour and egg batter is simplicity itself and you can put as many vegetables as you like into the mix and play around with other fillings as well - after all, the dish isn't called okonomiyaki (meaning, fried as you like it) for nothing! I make lots of different okonomiyaki, some just with veg, some with meat as well as some "fusion-yaki" like one with a cheddar cheese filling - very nice it is too. Once you've mixed your batter and contents and created your little bit of okonomiyaki perfection, you'll want to season it with some sauces (I've never ever met anyone who doesn't dress their okonomiyaki in something before they eat it.) The standard choices are Bulldog brown sauce or okonomiyaki sauce (which is like brown sauce but a little fruitier), mayo and some people like ketchup. I've met a few people who like to mix it up with some mustard as well. Finally, there is the katsuobushi question - to use or not to use. What is katsuobushi? It's dried and flaked bonito/tuna fish. You might have come across it in my recipes for Japanese dashi stock. The attraction of using a few katsuobushi flakes to top of your okonomiyaki is not only that they taste good (a sort of fishy/umami flavour that greatly enhances the pancake) but also that when you sprinkle the flakes onto the fresh out of the pan pancake, the flakes dance around in the heat rising off the dish - it's really quite pretty and just screams - "I'm fresh out of the pan - eat me!" If you'd like to try this this particular recipe, you'll find the written recipe and "how to" just below. For the Youtube video tutorial click here - Okonomiyaki with bacon or just scroll to the bottom of the page. Happy frying! Kurumi XXXX. (PS: you can also season okonomiyaki with powdered "aonori" seaweed flakes. I think however they don't suit the smoky. bacon flavours, so I didn't use any this time) Okonomiyaki with bacon ingredients: (makes 2 okonomiyaki) 150g / 5.3 oz sweet pointed cabbage (or any soft cabbage variety) 2 spring onions 50g / 1.7 ozcarrot 4 bacon rashers 1/2 cm piece ginger 130g / 4.5 oz self raising or plain flour 1 tsp Japanese dashi stock granules 150ml / 5 fl oz water 1 egg 1 -2 tbsp vegetable oil for the topping: okonomiyaki or brown sauce and/or mayo katsuobushi/bonito flakes how to: chop the cabbage into small chunks, finely, slice the spring onion, finely shred the carrot & the ginger put all the vegetables in a bowl and set aside in another bowl, thoroughly mix the self raising flour, Japanese dashi stock granules, water & egg add the flour/dashi batter to the vegetable mixture and mix everything together well heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan add 1/2 the okonomiyaki mixture and spread out to form a pancake. top with 2 rashers of bacon. cook over a medium heat with the lid on for 4-5 minutes turn over and cook with the lid on for further 4 minutes. your okonomiyaki is now ready repeat for your second okonomiyaki your okonomiyaki is now ready. place each pancake onto a plate and squeeze/spread over the brown sauce and/or mayonnaise as an option top with some bonito flakes Okonomiyaki..Japanese savoury pancake with bacon