Refreshing Cucumber Stick - Japanese

I grew up in a family that eats only a little bit of meat. We probably could have been vegetarian if we didn't have my brother who is the only fan of meat. I didn't like any kind of meat when I was little. Then I learned to like chicken, then pork, then beef. Now that I married to an Aussie, I cook lots of meat. But still, my love for fresh and good quality vegetables still exists in the center of my heart!

This recipe is a imitation of my mom's recipe. It is really easy and makes you feel really good as you eat it.  Taste especially good when it's cold!


Refreshing Cucumber Stick

1 Cucumber
1/4 Sesame Oil
1 TBS salt
Shichimi to taste
Sesame

1. Wash cucumber and put it on a cutting board
2. Pour over salt. Roll it with both of your hands (it helps to reduce the astringency of the cucumber)
3. Cut it into sticks
4. Put them in a bag with the rest of the ingredients. Rub well. Add some salt if needed.
5. Put them in the fridge and let it rest. Serve when it is cold.

The Basic - Japanese Katsu Curry

Who DOESN'T Japanese curry?? Yes, nobody!  This is not just my husband's favorite but all of his friends and my friends both Japanese and non Japanese. It is easy, and super delicious, and very cheap. If you make katsu it takes a little bit extra time but it will make you extra happy too, so I think it totally worth making it!



Katsu 
chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1egg
1 cup flour
1 cup Japanese bread crumbs
Oil to deep fry

1. Cut the chicken thin. salt and pepper them.
2. Coat with (1) flour (2) egg (3) bread crumbs
3. Deep fry until golden brown


Japanese Curry
1 onion
2 carrots
2 potatoes
salt and pepper to taste
water - enough to cover the ingredients in a pan
Curry cubes - you can buy them at the asian store
1 tsp soy sauce - my secret ingredient!

1. Cut all the veggies into bite sizes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, put everything and cook until soft with salt and pepper
3. pour water to cover all the ingredients. Let it boil for 5-10 minutes
4. Add curry cubes. Stir until think.

Then you just serve with rice and put katsu on top!

*If you are not making katsu, you can cut up the chicken with the veggies and cook altogether  by following the same procedure.

Dad's Recipe - French Creamy Chicken

This is my dad's recipe. When he was younger, he used to travel to Europe and eat different foods, and meet different people and touch different cultures. So according to him, this is something similar to what he ate when he was in France. I don't know how close it tastes to the real one, but this dad's recipe tastes absolutely great! So I decided that this should be one of our family recipe.

French Creamy Chicken

Chicken Breasts
1 pack cream (the kind you use for whipped cream)
1 onion
spinach
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp consomme

1. Cook chicken both sides on the pan until nicely brown. At the same time, cook sliced onion on the side of the pan.
2. Pour over cream. Add salt, pepper and consommé and cook until cream gets thicker
3. Add spinach and cook until soft
4. Done!

This time I put it on rice but you can serve with bread, pasta, anything!

Kimpira Gobo

This is one of the very traditional Japanese dishes. Kimpira means strong, energetic, and gobo is a type of very unique Japanese vegetable. You might be surprised if you see actual gobo before it is cooked, because it looks like a root - and it is a type of root! And it's nutritious, and very very healthy. This is one of my very favorite dish. If I eat this with rice, I can not stop eating!



Kimpira Gobo

1 1/2 sticks gobo
1 carrots
2 TBS sugar
1 1/2 TBS soy sauce
1/2 TBS mirin
sesame oil
sesame

1. Cut gobo and carrots very thin like the phone
2. Heat sesame oil in the pan, and cook gobo and carrot to let it coat with sesame oil
3. Add sugar and cook a little more
4. Add soy sauce and mirin. Cook until liquid is gone.
5. Done!

Easy Mini Meatballs + Butter Tomato Mushroom Sauce

This recipe is easy and yummy, and easy! We had potluck with our friends today and I brought this, and it was all gone in few minutes! I especially love the sauce.


Easy Mini Meatballs + Butter Tomato Mushroom Sauce

Meatballs
500g minced beef
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
5 TBS milk
1 egg
2 TBS flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Oregano to taste



Sauce

2 TBS Olive oil
Mushrooms (as much as you want)
1 diced canned tomato
5 TBS ketchup
2 TBS butter
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp consomme powder


1. Cook minced onion until brown and let it cook down. In a small ball, mix bread crumbs and milk to soften the bread crumbs.
2. Combine all the meatball ingredients and kneed it until it feels a little sticky.
3. Shape into one bite size meatballs. Cook well on the flying pan. Put them aside on a plate.
4. Slice mushrooms. Heat olive oil on the same pan and cook mushroom.
5. Add all the sauce ingredients in the pan. Add back the meatballs and cook together for 15 minutes with low heat.
6. Done!

Butter Honey Muffin

It is a nice breakfast on the weekends! Only takes 20 minutes to make! You don't use sugar, only honey. It's got very rich, and sweet taste.


Butter Honey Muffin

70g butter
90g honey
1 egg
100g flour
1/2 baking powder

1. Put butter in a ceramic bowl and microwave it for 30 seconds. Add honey and mix. Then add beaten egg little by little and mix.
2. Whisk together flour and baking powder in another bowl. Add it to the butter and mix lightly. (Do not mix too much!)
3. Pour into muffin cups / baking pan and bake for 15 minutes.



Butter Honey Muffin

Char Siu

Make the sauce

Marinate the pork for 2-3 days

They will turn into shiny brown

Bake! The sauce tend to burn a little bit, and it is sticky and bitter on the bottom so I usually put some toothpicks to give it a space in-between.

Cut it into as thin/thick as you would like!

This is one of our favorite recipe! Before I even tried to make char siu, I thought it is going to take a lot of effort to make one. But to be honest, this is one of the easiest recipe! You only need 3 steps - Cut, Marinate and bake! We love to have this with home-made ramen, or just slice them and put them on top of rice, sprinkle some cut seaweed, then some mayo. It would be a perfect Saturday lunch!

Char Siu

500g - 1kg Pork
200g Sugar
140cc soy sauce
Shredded ginger to taste
1 TBS oyster sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
(3 crushed cloves garlic)



1. Cut the pork 2-3 cm thickness
2. Mix all the ingredients in a pan
3. Add the pork. Seal the pan. (I usually double the saran wrap so the whole fridge won't smell like char siu)
4. Marinate it in the fridge over night. Turn upside down, and marinate it one more night.
5. Bake at 420°F for 40 minutes.
6. Done!

Spaghetti Fried Potatoes - Sea salt Lemon + Rosemary Flavour

Spaghetti Fried Potatoes - Sea salt Lemon + Rosemary Flavour

1. Cut potatoes really thin
2. Wipe off the starch with paper towel
3. Deep fry little by little - make sure the oil is hot enough so the potatoes will be crunchy
4. Mix with Seasalt, Lemon juice and Rosemary
5. Done!

Chinese Beef Broccoli

Chinese Beef Broccoli

3 tablespoons cornstarch, divided
1/2 cup water, plus
2 tablespoons water, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb boneless round steak or 1 lb charcoal chuck steak, cut into thin 3-inch strips
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
4 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1 TBS oyster sauce2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
hot cooked rice


1. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons water and garlic powder until smooth.
2. Add beef and toss.
3. In a large skillet or wok over medium high heat, stir-fry beef in 1 tablespoon oil until beef reaches desired doneness; remove and keep warm.
4. Stir-fry broccoli and onion in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes.
5. Return beef to pan.
6. Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, ginger and remaining cornstarch and water until smooth; add to the pan.
7. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
8. Serve over rice.