It’s a delicious stew that is purely Japanese because of the ingredients used. But you can definitely put whatever you please in and it would still be very good.

Watermelon and salt? Kit Kat?

Things have swerved far from the usual cocoa bean materials. I love Kit Kats, especially their dark chocolate ones but I cannot fathom the flavor of watermelon and salt. Maybe the sweet and the savory works is the key element here. Or am I missing something.

Has anyone tried this?

Pic from Kyotofoodie.

Curry Bread is very popular in Japan as a snack or on-the-go foods.

It’s easy to make curry bread/curry pan because what it basically is, is a bun with curry filling. The same curry filling used in Curry udon, etc.

Check out this food show on the difference between curry bread and meat buns…:)

Gyozas, as I have covered previous is essentially dumpling stuffed with meat and other vegetables. It can be eaten pan-fried or boiled. I personally like both and it is one of my favorite comfort food of all time. :) Folding gyozas into the correct shapes can be a little learning curve but once you get the hang of it, it is easy. :)

Check this video out:

If any of you have watched Lunch Queen series, you would probably remember this scene where the chefs thought about using demi-glaze instead of tomato sauce as topping for the soft omelette. I must say, I was craving to taste that dish, even hankered on trying it.

Has anyone tried Omurice with demi-glaze yet?

Miso is a verry staple ingredient in any Japanese home and to be honest, it’s one of the best seasoning for fish and meat. I was inspired by Chef Nobu’s Miso-glazed Black Cod for this steak’s seasoning and the results were incredibly good!

I like my steaks cooked medium rare because only then are good cuts worth its salt, so to speak. It is pointless to cook your steaks till it’s well done because then, it’s no different from eating leather. When it comes to red meat, especially good cuts, either cook it medium rare or buy a cheaper cut and cook it until it falls deliciously apart otherwise, stick to chicken thighs.

So, back to my miso-glazed steak. What I did was a fairly simple process but let’s start with the glaze, which essentially is made up of these ingredients:

1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon mirin
1 garlic clove, grated
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon of oil
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
a teaspoon, or more, of water to further thin the miso paste if it’s too thick

Mix these ingredients together with a whisk until you get nice paste.

Take your steak and generously rub half of the miso paste on and leave it marinade for 20 minutes.

Heat your pan, I used non-stick because it’s convenient, on high with a bit of oil until it is very hot. Once the pan is hot, pan-sear your steak on one side for 3 minutes. Do not move it around, do not poke at it however tempting. After three minutes, turn the steak over and cook for a further 2 minutes and no more..

You should have a nice char on your steak after turning it around, brush the remaining miso glaze over the steak and repeat on the other side.

Let the steak rest for 5 minutes before serving. The miso marinade is enough for two steaks but you can definitely double or triple the portion without any doubts.

The other day, I found a very interesting article called, for the lack of a better name, The Miracle Fruit. What this fruit does is that it rewires the taste buds completely that sour foods taste sweet. Lemons, for example would taste like candy with a citrusy flavor but without the sour bite to it.

Some guy in New York is having a Miracle Fruit party and had most of his guests rampaging through his personal fridge and downing condiments to experience the incredible sensation on their tongues, after foods offered were trialed and tested. The down part to this is that each fruit costs $3 and while that may not be so bad the company that sells it only sells it on a minimum order of 30 fruits, which would amount to $90 bucks + $30 for shipping. Pretty steep for 30minutes of taste rewiring.

But here’s the great thing, someone at ThinkGeek found the Miracle Fruit in pill form and are selling them at $19.99 for a box with two tabs. It is a sensation everyone should try and YOU must get some!

Read more about it in Wikipedia: Miracle Fruit

Kaiseki (懐石, Kaiseki?) or kaiseki ryōri (懐石料理, kaiseki ryōri?) is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner analogous to Western haute cuisine. There are two types of Japanese meal styles, Kaiseki or Kaiseki Ryori where the latter is use mostly in banquets.

In the present day, kaiseki is a type of art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food. To this end, only fresh seasonal ingredients are used and are prepared in ways that aim to enhance their flavor. Local ingredients are often included as well. Finished dishes are carefully presented on colorful plates that are chosen to enhance both the appearance and the seasonal theme of the meal. Dishes are beautifully arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers, as well as edible garnishes designed to resemble natural plants and animals.

Originally, kaiseki comprised a bowl of miso soup and three side dishes. It has since evolved to include an appetizer, sashimi, a simmered dish, a grilled dish, and a steamed course, in addition to other dishes at the discretion of the chef.

* Sakizuke: an appetizer similar to the French amuse-gueule.
* Hassun: the second course, which sets the seasonal theme. Typically one kind of sushi and several smaller side dishes.
* Mukozuke: a sliced dish of seasonal sashimi.
* Takiawase: vegetables served with meat, fish or tofu; the ingredients are simmered separately.
* Futamono: a “lidded dish”; typically a soup.
* Yakimono: Broiled seasonal fish.
* Su-zakana: a small dish used to clean the palate, such as vegetables in vinegar.
* Hiyashi-bachi: served only in summer; chilled, lightly-cooked vegetables.
* Naka-choko: another palate-cleanser; may be a light, acidic soup.
* Shiizakana: a substantial dish, such as a hot pot.
* Gohan: a rice dish made with seasonal ingredients.
* Ko no mono: seasonal pickled vegetables.
* Tome-wan: a miso-based or vegetable soup served with rice.
* Mizumono: a seasonal dessert; may be fruit, confection, ice cream, or cake.

I am sure many of you have had a Japanese kaiseki before, maybe not as elaborately but the simple Japanese bento is a form of casual kaiseki. If you have had the pleasure of staying in a ryokan, you would also have had the pleasure of being served kaiseki style – the picture above is an example of a breakfast kaiseki in a ryokan.

Takoyaki is not really hard to do, you just need the special moulds and you’ll be ready to make your own version of takoyakis (or any -yakis, for that matter). The key ingredient in making a good flavorful takoyaki is of course the batter. The batter is the matter in this case as even in the largest takoyakis, the takos/ filling only make up for 40% of the ball.

As most of you living in Japan would know, takoyaki is very much Japanese not only for it’s name but also its taste. A distinctly Japanese taste that you can only get from dashi stock. So the key in making a good batter is to make good dashi stock – feel free to get pre-made packet stocks. Understandably, they are more convenient but personally, stocks are easy to prepare and are multi-purpose. I would suggest making your own and season it to your liking. A good dashi stock recipe comes from Just Hungry, the Japanese-International food site that I have raved about. I like the website very much because the author, a Japanese herself, explains each recipe’s background in a very detailed manner. You can be sure that the Japanese recipes you get from her blog are tried-and-true. I have personally made use of her dashi stock recipe – which is simple and flavorful and would recommend that you use this stock in your takoyaki :)

To make takoyaki batter, you will need:

# 1 2/3 cup flour
# 2 1/2 cup dashi stock
# 2 eggs
# 1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix the above ingredients together well.

To make takoyaki filling, you’ll need:

# 1/2lb octopus, cut into 1cmx1cm cubes, roughly
# 1/4 cup chopped green onion
# 1/4 cup chopped pickled red ginger
# Other filling options: shrimp, crab and eel (you can use meat but to me, takoyaki is all about seafood)

For the topping:
# fried bonito flakes
# shredded nori
# Worcestershire sauce or takoyaki sauce
# mayonnaise

To make takoyaki balls you will need a takoyaki griddle/pan that looks like this:

Takoyaki Pan

But here’s the thing, if you don’t have one and don’t want to invest in one, you can transform your takoyakis into mini okonomiyakis on your non-stick pan. They are as delicious :)

Here’s a video on how to make your own takoyaki like a street vendor, homestyle :)

There is a recipe in this video, you can also use that version. But I have tried that batter above and I give it my thumbs up. :)

A Chinese rice dish in Japanese style: