You remember those days when you wake up and you’re 15 minutes to start work and you’re less than ready? All you want to do is put on a shirt and some decent pants and run out of your apartment to catch a cab to work because it’s the 3rd time this month that you’re almost late because you’re hooked on your XBox 360. So you run down, hail a cab and realize that you almost knocked the cab driver with your wonderful morning breathe :P

Nevermind help is here for those mornings, and these gums are only available in Japan. The No Time Gum is a gum that contains tiny scrubs that cleans your teeth as you chew while imparting a peppermint freshness to your breath :)

Being late to the office has never been easier :P

Via InventorSpot.

This delightful sponge cake was introduced to Japan by the Portuguese. The cake is a popular street food sold all over Japan especially during festivals. Now a specialty of Nagasaki, the cake is thought to be originally from Spain, brought by way of Portuguese merchants in the 16th century. The name is derived from Portuguese pão de Castella, meaning “bread from Castile”. Castella cake is usually sold in long boxes, with the cake inside being approximately 27cm long. It is somewhat similar to English madeira cake, also associated with Portugal. Note that there are similar types of sponge cakes named after the same fashion, in French: Pain d’Espagne, in Italian: Pan di Spagna, in Greek: Pantespani (Castile is a former kingdom of Spain comprising its central provinces, thus “Pain d’Espagne’ is quasi synonymous to “bread from Castile”).

Castella is made of natural ingredients, so its simple taste is a favorite of many Japanese people. There are now many varieties made with ingredients such as powdered green tea, brown sugar, and honey. They may be molded in various shapes; a popular Japanese festival food is baby castella, a bite-sized version.

Just Hungry has a wonderful Kasutera recipe, it would do you good to check it out. Also the author of the blog is ahalf Japanese living abroad. She has lived in Japan throughout her childhood and said that she has fond memories of Kasutera during tea time :)

At first glance, i thought the name was very Thai like. But instead, this Japanese gassy alcoholic drink has been around for a while now. I believe you won’t be able to miss it. It’s cans’ design look like an energy drink. Flavors comes with lime, grapefruit, apple, orange, pineapple, grape, kiwi, ume (plum), yuzu and peach. It’s mostly sold in restaurants and bar.

I thought they could have a better packing really. Oh well.

The Japanese have been consuming this jelly(as dessert and as an ingredient in their daily consumption) for way over 2000 years! I personally LOVE Konnyaku jelly desserts because they’re so refreshing and clean tasting, you just want to pop them into your mouth all the time :)

Their texture is not unlike gelatin but instead of animal products, Konnyaku comes from a type of mountain potato. To make Konnyaku the potato is grind and mixed with calcium hydroxide or oxide calcium extracted from eggshells to obtain a sticky jelly like substance. So it is ALL vegetarian, no animals are harmed :) This fiber-ful food is not only delicious but also very good for you. It lowers cholesterol and maintains well being because we all know Fiber is good for you. In fact, Konnyaku is a diet’s dream because it expands 20-30 times its size in the tummy making you feel full and it’s low in calories too.

Konnyaku is also known as Konjac, konjaku, devil’s tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam.

You can usually find Konnyaku in Odens in Japanese cuisine but they are also used to make jelly desserts as I mentioned earlier. Because the Konnyaku jelly is flavorless by itself, it is a great medium to use for any type of flavoring. I used to make Konnyaku jelly desserts with fruits within. I just pop pieces of fruits into ice cube trays and pour some konnyaku solution in and wait till it sets in the fridge :)

The method of preparing Konnyaku Jelly is similar to preparing gelatin. You need to dissolve the powder with water according to instructions on the packet and dispense at your liking :)

Here are some Konnyaku product brand you can look out for in Japan:

Maybe you guys should look for some before summer’s over. It’s a great refreshment for those hot summer days :)

I heard that they are to die for. Is this true?

Soft white chocolate sandwich in between two langue de chat cookies, melts in your mouth like clouds. Has anyone ever tried this?

Well, for those of you who are interested in trying this confectionery, you’re in luck as they sell it online now. And for you who reads this blog but have never been to Japan, order one for yourselves. I already did :P

Their online shop can be accessed here: https://www.shiroikoibito.ishiya.co.jp/

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 :)

Tokoroten is made from strips of agar-agar, a gelatin like substance made from algae from the sea. To prepare the agar, all you need to do is dissolve it in warm water and then pour them into containers until they set before you cut them into noodles and serve cold with a vinegar base like dressing.

Unlike gelatin, agar contains no animal protein, so this completely vegetarian snack is refreshing as it is cooling for the summer, fit for ALL.

Check out a very simple recipe of Tokoroten from Obachan’s Kitchen and Balcony Garden blog :)

It’s a very detailed recipe on how to cut up your agar and using what devise :)

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

When you say ice cream, you think of flavors like chocolate, strawberry, vanilla, mint…things that are relatively “normal” for a dessert. In Japan, the whole ice cream scene is taken to a whole next level with flavors like Chicken Wing Ice Cream, Octopus Ice cream, Eel ice cream…and even Crab ice cream. How about that for dessert? :P

Check out this page of Japanese Ice Creams for the list of different ice creams you have never thought of before :P

I got wind about cucumber flavored pepsi out in Japan recently. I am quite curious about it. Will someone be nice enough to send me a sample of the Cucumber flavored Pepsi all the way to the northern hemisphere?? :P

I like cucumbers and I can imagine the flavors going quite well with other savory food. Oh and thanks Billy for pointing it out the cucumber pepsi and octupus ice cream :D He said the cucumber flavored pepsi goes very well with the Umeboshi pickles. What an interesting thing. You guys need to try it out and let me know how it goes.