Buta No Kakuki, or Japanese braised pork belly is a delicious and heart warming dish that goes very well with rice or noodles. What is funny is that this braised dish is very similar to the Chinese braised pork belly dish and while flavors are slightly different from the ingredients used, the basic fundamentals of cooking this dish is the same - low heat, slow cook = delicious buttery braised meat.

There are many ways that the Japanese braised their Buto No Kakuki and a standard ingredient in this dish are leeks. Today my braised pork will be steamed to perfection. No hassle, just leave it on your steamer for 3 hours until the pork is tender and its natural jus surrounds the braise meat. Very delicious and very good for you. I have also added a bit of honey to give the dish a very full bodied flavor instead of just sugar and some 5 spiced powder.

Here’s what you will need:

500 grams of pork belly, cut into 4 inch lengths.
1.5 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 leek, chopped finely
1 teaspoon five spice powder (optional)
1/4 teaspoon of koshered salt

Method:
1. Marinade pork with ALL the ingredients overnight.
2. On a steamer plate, arrange slices of your pork around the plate and add a few teaspoons of marinate on top.
3. Steam on steamer, on medium-low, for at least 3 hours.

After 3 hours, serve with rice and your favorite vegetables. You’ll enjoy this dish especially during colder days :)

another alternative recipe would be to try adding yoghurt to tenderize the meat first - you can check that out here: Five Spiced Wonder Ribs.

The thing I would like to introduce here is the fresh Avocado Pesto, which goes perfectly with pasta and even as a sushi filling. But today, I am going to use it as a sauce for fettuccine - a type of flat Italian noodles that is like a thick soba. Feel free to replace the pasta with your favorite Japanese noodles, although I wouldn’t recommend using Ramen noodles :)

As you know, the usual pesto we all know uses fresh basil, pine nuts and olive oil. But you can make pesto out of anything in Italy. So I had some nice avocados hanging in the kitchen I thought I would make something different from them and created this basil pasta. It’s very rich, so you can just omit the pine nuts and add sundried tomatoes to balance out the flavor a lot more. Here’s how the recipe goes:

Avocado Pesto
1 ripe avocado
1 bunch of parsley
1 handful basil
a few sprigs of fresh oregano
a few sprigs of mint
4 sundried tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
juice from 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method:
Put them all in a food processor and start blitzing! Blitz! Blitz! Blitz! Until you have a nice paste. You can stop blitzing now although you’ll be tempted to go on. It will yield enough for 4 serving. Set it aside until ready to use. (Do cover it with a plastic wrapper to avoid any oxidization of the avocado which can turn into an unappetizing brown)

Cook some pasta: Fetuccine, Spaghetti, Spiralli, Linguine, Farfalle, etc etc etc.
When it’s al dente, drain the water and add 2-3 tablespoons of your avocado pesto in. Mix well and eat! :)

Kitchen Experiments

With the weather predictably cooling as the days go by, it’s time for something warm, nourishing and hearty. That means stews, soups, and casseroles are in again to warm the tummy. I saw a Kenchin-style soup online and I thought it would be awesome to share it with you guys. It’s all vegetarian because kenchin-style kinda means temple-style. The broth is made from miso paste and the rest of the ingredients comes with your preference. Usually autumn vegetables are used and as the season transcends to winter, ingredients change to what’s available during the season. But lotus root is a popular choice for Kenchin-style soups because it “sweetens” the soup as well as it is healthy for you.

The recipe is derived from Bento.com, but frankly, you can use whatever ingredients you want. You can even add meat into your soup if you want, after all, we are not monks here :P

So here’s the recipe:

# 5 1/2 ounces (150g) burdock root
# 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
# 2 1/2 cups (600ml) water
# 1 block konnyaku, about 10 1/2 ounces (300g), cut into bite-size pieces
# 3 tablespoons sesame oil
# 10 1/2 ounces (300g) daikon radish, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
# 7 ounces (200g) carrots, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
# 3 1/2 ounces (100g) lotus root, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
# 2 tablespoons soy sauce, for preparation
# 2 1/2 cups (600ml) konbu stock (see below)
# 4 tablespoons sake
# 1 block firm tofu, about 14 ounces (400g)
# 4 tablespoons soy sauce, for the soup
# 3 1/2 ounces (100g) baby spinach or other leafy greens, cut into 2-inch (5cm) lengths

1. Scrub the burdock root thoroughly and scrape off the skin with the back of a clean knife. Cut the burdock into bite-sized pieces, place immediately in cold water, soak for 5 minutes, then drain.

2. Soak the shiitake in the water for about 30 minutes until soft. Drain, and reserve the water. Remove the stalks, and then cut the caps into 1/4-inch (5mm) slices.

3. Boil the konnyaku for 2 to 3 minutes, then drain.

4. Heat the sesame oil in a saucepan, then add the burdock root, shiitake, konnyaku, daikon, carrot, lotus root, and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

5. Add the shiitake water, konbu stock and sake to the saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove any froth from the surface, and cook on low heat until the vegetables are tender.

6. Without draining the tofu, crumble into lumps and add to the saucepan along with 4 tablespoons of soy sauce.

7. Add the baby spinach to the saucepan, and cook until wilted.
Konbu stock

* 1 2/3 cups (400ml) water
* 1 piece dried konbu, 4 inches (10cm) square

1. The white powder on the surface of dried konbu adds to the flavor, so do not wash the konbu before use, simply lightly wipe with a damp cloth.

2. Place the water and the konbu in a saucepan, and leave to soak for 2 or 3 hours.

3. Place the saucepan over medium heat. Just before the water boils, remove the konbu. Use the konbu-flavored water as stock.

See how similar they both sound? Croquettes are originally western, adapted by the Japanese for the Japanese. Some Korokke has mince meat in them some are just made of potatoes and other bits and pieces of vegetables. Anyhow, I think Japanese croquettes are delicious! Here’s a vegetarian version of Korokke from my own. If you desire meat in your croquettes, just add mince.

Korokke
2 medium sized potatoes, boiled
1 medium onion, minced
1 small carrot, diced
1/4 cup of baby peas
1 egg
salt and pepper to season
bread crumbs
2 tablespoon oil

Optional: 200 grams of mince pork, chicken or beef

Method:
1. Boil potatoes until soft and mash them with a fork. I like to leave bits of small chunks for texture :)
2. Heat pan and saute the onions until soft and slightly caramelized, (you should add your mince meat here if you are using any and saute until they are cooked) add your peas, carrots and saute more for another 3-4 minutes. Take off heat and leave the pan aside.
3. In a big bowl, combine the mash potatoes, sauteed vegetables, salt&pepper, and egg. Combine the mixture until it is well amalgamated.
4. Shape a bit of the mixture with your hands until it resembles are small puck/disc and then dredge it with bread crumbs to coat.
5. Deep fry or shallow fry on medium heat (make sure your oil is not too hot) until golden brown. Serve! :)

Half boiled egg or soft boiled egg is a delicacy that is so simple, that it is quite cumbersome to achieve. A lot of attention needs to be paid to it unless you have a special half boiled egg cooker in your kitchen :)

This is absolutely my favorite-est ways of eating eggs and it’s great with toasts. Now, I don’t know if Japanese people eat this but i figured if they’d eat fresh egg dips for their Shabu-shabus and Nabes, they’d probably eat this as well. And tt’s hard to achieve because if you go over your time by just a minute, your half boiled eggs would turned into hard boiled eggs.

Okay, i am sure most of you know what hard boiled egg is. Half boiled or soft boiled eggs is a level before the egg achieving hard boiled status. The whites are half done and runny and the yolk is not dissimilar to the yolks on a sunny side up, runny. To achieve the perfect half boiled egg, you need to put two eggs in a medium sized pot and fill it in with cold water. Set it on the stove on medium heat and wait until it starts a gentle boil (not rolling boil). Turn off heat immediately and remove the pan to another cool stove or counter with a coaster. Let the eggs sit for 2 minutes and immediately take it out with a spoon.

Crack open with a small metal spoon and scoop the beautiful half boiled eggs into a bowl. Eat with salt (or soy sauce) and pepper. YUM!

The yellow runny yolk on clouds of half cooked whites never fail to cheer me up :)

Pictures from my own food blog.

Gari or pickled ginger usually served as a palate cleanser with sushis are delicious and packs a punch. I made my own gari the other day but I forgot to take pictures. I followed a recipe online about it but I don’t remember where i procured the recipe anymore. But i am still very determined to share it with you because gari is so easy to make.

As we all know, gari has a pinkish color to it. It’s a natural coloring that fresh young ginger imparts when it is soaked in vinegar. But it would have to be with young ginger if you want that color. Otherwise, older ginger would taste just fine but without the color. Oh and the older the ginger, the spicier too. :)

So here’s a recipe for gari that I hope you will find useful in your kitchen:
2 fresh ginger roots, peeled and cut into manageable knobs
3 cups vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon salt

Method:
1. In a 2L sterilized jar, put your ginger knobs in. Make sure the ginger are pat dry first if they’re a little too wet.
2. Mix vinegar, sugar and salt in a pan and cook until it comes to a boil and all the sugar and salt crystals are dissolved.
3. Pour it into the jar containing the gingers. Let it cool, cover and store in the refrigerator. Pink hues will be visible after a while. If not, that’s fine too, the ginger pickle is still as good :)

I saw an interesting recipe of Japanese meatball soup with Hasukai (chinese/napa cabbage) online, which I thought sounded quite delicious. Well, I love soups because it makes me warm and fuzzy inside when I have some :) I decided to make myself some meatball soup as well and it turned out absolutely delicious even though I did not have any napa cabbage with me. I call it my Asian Meatball Soup.

This recipe is very simple and heartwarming, especially on a rainy summer’s day. Sure you’ll sweat like a pig but the aftermath is nothing short of bliss!

Here’s my very simple Asian Meatball Soup to share:

First, you will need to marinate the minced pork with -
200g minced pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
pepper to taste
a few drops of sesame oil
1 teaspoon of cornflour

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Set aside until ready to use.

Now, you will need to bring 2 cups of water and 1 inch knob of ginger to boil. Once the water starts boiling lower heat to medium and start scooping up bits of the minced pork with a spoon and drop it into the boiling water. Repeat until all minced pork is used up. Lower the heat to medium low and let it cook gently for about 10-15 minutes.

Add a bunch of glass noodles into the cooking broth and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes or until the glass noodles are rehydrated. You can use any kinds of noodles if you want but be sure to cook the noodles in another pot as to not cloud the broth. Add a bunch of cilantro and serve. You may want to season with a bit of soy sauce before you eat too :)

I also posted this recipe on my foodblog, to which you can check out as well.

I remember when I was reading Doraemon, one of Nobita’s favorite snack is pudding. lol! Well i have a pudding recipe to share and it’s the silkiest, melt in your mouth pudding you have ever had. It’s called Panna Cotta. You can eat it with fresh fruits, caramel, chocolate sauce, etc. This is the perfect pudding. You can serve it during a dinner party as well and i can assure that you will wow your dinner guests.

This recipe is easy to make and the outcome always look professional ;)

Here goes:

Panna Cotta:

* 1/3 cup milk (skim or normal)
* 1 ounce envelope unflavored powdered gelatin
* 2 1/2 cups heavy cream (35% Cooking Cream)
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoon rose water

Method:
1. Pour milk into a small bowl, and stir in the gelatin powder. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, stir together the heavy cream and sugar, and set over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, watching carefully, as the cream will quickly rise to the top of the pan. Pour the gelatin and milk into the cream, stirring until completely dissolved. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir in the rose water and pour into six individual ramekin dishes OR six wine glass.
3. Cool the mixture uncovered at room temperature. When cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before serving.

When it’s cool you can serve it with your favorite fruits like I did, or you can just eat it on its own :)

From A Series of Kitchen Experiments

I love Soba noodles and I think they are very delicious and smooth to my palate. Which makes it my favorite noodle to use whenever I am stir frying or making soups. The main ingredient in Soba noodles are usually buckwheat. I can probably write an entire post about how health buckwheat is for you but we’ll just leave it at that - it’s healthy for you. However, pure buckwheat soba falls apart rather easily when cooked so a binder is use to make the soba noodles more stable. The usual ingredient used as a binder is wheat flour. According to the Japan Agricultural Standards regulations, the noodles have to contain at least 30% buckwheat in order to be called soba but noodles with a high buckwheat content are seen as more desirable.

In Japan, soba noodles are served in a variety of situations. They are a popular inexpensive fast food at train stations throughout Japan, they are served by exclusive and expensive specialty restaurants, and they are also made at home. Markets sell dried noodles and men-tsuyu, or instant noodle broth, to make home preparation easy.

Some establishments, especially cheaper and more casual ones, may serve both soba and udon (thick wheat noodles) as they are often served in a similar manner. However, soba is traditionally the noodle of choice for Tokyoites. This tradition originates from the Edo period when the population of Edo (Tokyo), being considerably wealthier than the rural poor, were more susceptible to beri beri due to their high consumption of white rice which is low in thiamine, and are thought to have made up for this by regularly eating thiamine-rich soba. Every neighborhood had one or two soba establishments, many also serving sake, which functioned much like modern cafes where locals would drop by casually.

To serve soba noodles, it is usually served cold during the summer with a dipping sauce and eaten with chopsticks. You can also serve it hot in broth as well.

Here’s a recipe I found for cold Soba noodles simply because we are in the summer:

1 lb Japanese soba noodles
1/2 lg Red bell pepper, cut in
-julienne strips
3 Ribs celery, sliced on a
-bias
3 Green onions, sliced on a
-bias
2 tb Vegetable off
2 tb Oriental sesame oil
2 tb Red wine vinegar
2 tb Plus 2 ts soy sauce
2 tb Plus 2 ts granulated sugar
2 tb Plus 2 ts Vietnamese chili
-paste, or to taste

Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold
water and drain completely. Toss noodles in a large bowl with bell
pepper, celery and green onions.

To prepare the dressing: Combine vegetable oil, sesame oil, vinegar,
soy sauce, sugar and chili paste. Pour over noodle mixture and toss
until evenly coated. Chill until ready to serve.

To me, there is no dispute that the kimchi belonged to the koreans and the japanese followed suit. But that’s alright, as long as we all know kimchi are from korea and the japanese just liked it so much, they made their kimchi too - a less spicy and sweeter version. Anyhow, I’d like to point out that kimchi makes an awesome base for soups or stews. I think it’s the perfect broth for a Nabe/ hotpot during the cold winter months.

I have posted a recipe on how to make your own kimchi before and really, once all that work is done, it’s an easy downhill all the way; from eating the kimchi as it is or cooking it with meats or as flavoring soups and broths.

I am going to share a simple chicken kimchi stew with you and the recipe is as follows:-
(you can use any meat or vegetable for this stew. It’s like a clean your fridge out type of stew and it tastes good no matter what :))
250grams of kimchi / 1/4 head of kimchi cabbage
3 cups of water
2tablespoon korean chili powder
2 cloves of mashed garlic
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Salt to taste
Green onions
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 chicken breast, sliced thinly and season with some salt pepper and cornflour

Other optional ingredients:
Tofu, chicken, beef, lamb, pork, turkey, venison, veal, broccoli, daikon radish, cabbage, carrots, turnips, potatoes, mushrooms, baby corn, etc.

Method:
1. Combine kimchi and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients in and let it cook for 10-15 minutes under medium heat.
2. Serve.

Yes, it’s that’s easy really :P