Oishii Yo!

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Homemade Gyouza I made with the kids.

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Kashiwamochi are rice cakes wrapped in kashiwa (Japanese oak) leaves. Kashiwamochi are traditional Japanese sweets eaten on Japanese Children's Day which is May 5th. This day is Japanese boy's festival called tangonosekku. It's traditionally the day to celebrate and pray for the health of boys.

Yield: 6 pieces
Ingredients:
3/4 cup joshinko (rice flour)
2 Tbsp sugar
6 Tbsp hot water
1 Tbsp katakuriko (potato starch), mixed with 2 Tbsp water
3/4 cup anko (sweet azuki bean paste)
*for decoration
6 store-bought kashiwa leaves, if available

Preparation:

Put joshinko rice flour and sugar in a bowl. Add hot water gradually and knead the dough until becomes as soft as ear lobes. Place a wet thin cotton cloth in a steamer.

Divide the dough into small pieces and place on the cloth. Steam the dough for about 15-20 minutes over medium heat. Remove the steamed dough to a bowl and mash with a wooden pestle. When it's cooled down, knead the dough by hands.

Add katakuriko and water mixture in the dough little by little, kneading by hands. Divide the dough into 6 balls.

Flat each dough by hands and place a small ball of anko filling on the dough. Fold the dough in half to make a semicircular cake, sealing the edge. Repeat the process to make more rice cakes.

Again, steam the rice cakes over high heat for about 10 minutes. Remove the rice cakes from the steamer and let them cool.

Wrap each rice cake with a kashiwa leaf if available. Unwrap before eating the rice cake. Kawashiwa leaves are used for decoration.

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Mushroom mix

Thursday, April 28, 2011

This is how simple a dish can get....you'll need simple ingredients as well. Delicious and quick enough to make!

shiitake mushroom
shimeji mushroom
butter
soysauce
pepper
green onions (optional)

1. In a wok on high heat, saute the shiitake mushrooms in butter until browned. Transfer mushrooms into a bowl.

2. In the same wok, saute shimeji mushrooms in butter.

3.Lower heat, pour in shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce. Mix, sprinkle with a dash of pepper and garnish with green onions (optional)....dekiagari!

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Sweets for heart's day

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

In Japan, it's common for Japanese women to give chocolate to men on Valentine's Day. Men on the other hand, give various gifts to women on March 14th which is called White Day. This tradition, sweet as it may sound started as a marketing tool for chocolate companies in Japan. Japanese women are encouraged to express love to men by giving chocolate and other gifts on February 14th. This doesn't mean just lovers, a daughter to a father or a sister to a brother can give chocolates too.

This year, the kids and I made some for Papa and the other men surrounding us. Lotte cocoa and white chocolate were our base chocolate flavoring and glaze. See what else we made here.

Lamingtons for hubby. ♥

A Lamington is a sponge cake in the shape of a cuboid, coated in a layer of traditionally chocolate icing then desiccated coconut.They are easy to make, try this recipe.

Papa(ぱぱ) .I LOVE YOU. Sarina(さりな)

My 4-year-old daughter wrote this on the box for Papa. We made some more to be given to Ojisan (grandpa). We made mini sponge cakes, white chocolate hearts and chocoball sprinkles.