Reiko

by : Reiko Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta, Sandwiches

Fueling One Teen At A Time! Yakisoba Roll
男子必須？焼きそばパン

This is one of the most popular snacks among the male teens in Japan.

I remember that when I was in high school, a lot of boys would go buy this role (often more than one) for their afternoon snack.

Why is it popular?

Well, it’s DOUBLE CARBS: bread and noodles!

First, you make fried noodles, Yakisoba.

Typically it’s garnished with red ginger.

It’s easily found at many Asian stores in the U.S. now, but I decided to go with pickled beets for the color instead the red ginger, because it’s natural; red ginger is actually ginger colored artificially.

I actually really liked the look of the beets.

They reflect light and are very pretty.

You scoop up noodles.

Stuff the bun with as much as Yakisoba.

I used a homemade bun.

I actually never had a Yakisoba roll in my life even when I was in Japan, probably because I always associated it with a guy food.

But I actually really liked it.

Tasty, and of course very filling.

Anyone interested??

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September 1, 2018

by : Reiko Sandwiches

Heart Waffle Sandwiches
ハートワッフルサンドイッチ

This was last night’s dinner at our house.

I enjoy breakfast food for dinner, and I was originally thinking about having just waffles.

But then, I still wanted some veggies, and I decided to make them into sandwiches.

All the waffles were buttered and syruped lightly.

I made several different kinds.

This one is my BLT-inspired TGT (tempeh-mixed greens-Tomato) version.

The tempeh was sliced thinly and baked in the oven.

This was my first time to get my tempeh at Trader Joe’s, and I was happy with the quality.

And their package design is always fun.

I happened to have freshly made mayo, and I added chopped tarragon.

As usual, I put a lot inside, so it was hard to close.

But this was delicious!!

Here is another version.

Cashew “cream cheese”, fresh fig, and arugula.

I was so excited when I found fresh figs being sold at Trader Joe’s yesterday.

They were called “Black Figs”, and from California.

It’s so hard to find figs in Minnesota, so it’s always a nice treat when I get to eat fresh figs.

Loved the combination of the saltiness (from the “cheese”), sweetness and juiciness (from the figs), and the bitterness (from the arugula).

This one was created at the request from my husband, who wanted sausage in his sandwich.

In this sandwich you’ll find BBQ sausage and crunchy coleslaw.

It was really good, and I even enjoyed it.

For some reason I really struggled to take pictures of these sandwiches.

Some foods are harder to take good pictures of than others, and I guess this was one of them.

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August 31, 2018

by : Reiko Sweets

Lemon Ring Cake
レモンリングケーキ

I made this cake a little while ago.

For some reason I’ve been missing the chance to make a post about it.

When I found the pictures yesterday, I felt I should do so immediately, because the pictures are rather “summery”.

Can you tell I like blue x white dishes?

This lemon cake was very lemony.

The cake sponge itself tastes lemon, and it’s served with lemon icing.

There are various shapes of cake, but the ring is one of my favorites.

It looks so elegant.

EAT CAKE.

I cut up this piece for a picture, but mine is usually double the size (lol).

I dressed up this cake rather simply with pistachio and herbs.

I really like the natural look.

I had a little cake batter left, and I got to make a few cupcakes as well.

Still enjoying this piece from the Pioneer Woman Collection.

Not only is this plate pretty itself, but it also makes whatever you put on look great.

That, in my opinion, is a good plate.

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August 26, 2018

by : Reiko Main Dish, Uncategorized

Farmers Market Heirloom Tomato Tart
ファーマーズマーケット・トマトタルト

It’s still August, but it definitely feels like the end of summer here in Minnesota, especially when you are out early in the morning.

So when I found the beautiful heirloom tomatoes at the local farmers market, I had to get some.

Heirloom tomatoes are something that screams summer to me, and I wanted to enjoy them before the summer is completely gone.

Right away I knew what I wanted to make.

A tart is a great way to showcase them.

My husband recently bought me a new set of kitchen knives, and I love them.

The wood block that holds the knives looks great in our kitchen, too.

This serrated knife is a life-saver when it comes to slicing tomatoes.

Isn’t it just beautiful?!

I served individual tart pieces with some fresh green leaves and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.

This was absolutely delicious!

The flaky tart, cashew cream “cheese”, fresh tomatoes, and sweet and tangy balsamic glaze…

Mmm, mmm, mmm…

Cashew cream “cheese”: cashew nuts (soaked in water), lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, soy milk, nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt

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August 25, 2018

by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast, Sandwiches

Piled High Breakfast Sandwich
高積み朝食サンドイッチ

When it comes to the sandwich, I’m all for “the higher, the better”.

My husband and I used to like to get the sausage breakfast sandwich in the skyway.

It was delicious.

I’m not a huge fan of “fake meat”, but I liked their sandwich because their vegan sausage was house-made.

So when I found out that the chef was sharing how to make his breakfast sausage, I jumped on the opportunity to learn to make it myself.

You can do the same by watching this YoutTube video.

I needed to get a few ingredients (e.g., wheat gluten, vegetable shortening), but the instructions were easily to follow.

I added a few extra spices (thyme, chopped fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, paprika, brown sugar), but other than that I pretty much followed the instructions.

They turned out great!

I even decided to bake my rolls for the sandwiches.

Homemade buns are so much better than the store-bought ones.

These buns are soft and light, and slightly sweet, just the way I like.

I know some people like their breakfast sandwiches simple and go for just a bun, sausage, eggs, and cheese.

But I’m very much the opposite, and I love a lot of veggies (and colors) in mine.

Can you tell what are all there?

On the bun you’ll find fresh spinach, homemade sausage, turmeric tofu steak, more spinach, tomato slices, and mashed avocado.

As I said, I’m not a huge “vegan (gluten) meat” fan, and I really don’t NEED it.

But I do have to admit that the unique texture, the saltiness, and the spices/flavor that come from it does add something extra to the dish.

I would not use it as a main ingredient or eat a large quantity, but when used in a mostly whole-food dish as a little addition, it can be valuable.

Also, my husband does like these meat substitutes, and I would rather see him eat home-made (scratch-made) ones instead of the ones made in factories.

In addition, when you make it home, you know exactly what’s in it and you can adjust the flavors, which is definitely a plus.

By the way, this was my husband’s plate.

Can you tell what’s different from mine (the other pics above).

Have a great weekend everyone!

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August 24, 2018

by : Reiko Japanese Food, Mushrooms, Potatoes/Squash

“East Meet Midwest” Okonomi-Yaki
もっと？モダン焼き

Okonomi-Yaki is a popular savory pancake in Japan.

The most used ingredient is cabbage.

Other than that you can basically add anything, but the popular ones are pork and squid.

This time king mushroom (cooked with garlic), purple cabbage, and chive went into my Okonomi-Yaki batter.

You mix them well.

Typically you can start cooking it into pancakes at this point.

But you know me, I like to give a little twist.

Since I was making this for breakfast (Okonomi-Yaki is usually NOT a breakfast food, but it doesn’t mean you can’t eat it in the morning!), I thought “why not adding some hashbrown potatoes?”

Since I live in the Midwest, Idaho potatoes seem like a great candidate for a partner of my Okonomi-Yaki.

I cooked the potatoes until browned and crispy.

Doesn’t it look yummy?

The idea is that you don’t add the potatoes to the batter, but you place the potatoes at the bottom, and pour the batter over the potatoes.

So you cannot really see the potatoes well in the picture, but they are there, at the bottom.

The pancakes were served with two types of Japanese Sauce (one is Japanese style worcestershire sauce and the other is a little sweeter and thicker sauce specifically made for Okonomi-Yaki), homemade vegan mayo, dried seaweed called Ao-nori, and chopped fresh chive.

This was so tasty!

I love king mushrooms in my Okonomi-Yaki.

My husband says it tastes like octopus.

I do agree.

It has the seafood-like texture and taste.

Here is a close-up picture.

You can see the potatoes.

When I think of it, I do make “east meet west” kind of dishes often.

It’s usually not so much of an effort or a project, but many dishes naturally turn out to be that way (lol).

I’d like to think this is a good reflection of our happy East-meet-Midwest marriage!

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August 23, 2018

by : Reiko Asian Food, Noodles/Pasta

Lemongrass Noodle Soup
レモングラスヌードルスープ

I was in a mood for noodle soup, but with a little South Asian twist.

When I was checking my spice drawer, I noticed this little jar of lemongrass.

I bought it a long time ago, and I’ve never actually used it yet.

This lemongrass flavored soup was so refreshing when paired with fresh lime.

It was a perfect summer lunch.

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August 20, 2018

by : Reiko Bread, Mushrooms, Sandwiches

King Roll
キングロールサンド

Doesn’t my King (mushroom) Roll look good?

I really love everything about king mushrooms.

Its firm texture is so unique and substantial that it can easily take the leading role.

I’ve never tried king mushrooms with mayo together, but it was so good.

Homemade vegan mayo is really a game changer.

First I cut the mushrooms into bite size pieces and sauteed them with a lot of garlic.

Then they were dressed with a mixture of vegan mayo, lemon juice, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.

But before I go on, I should talk about my beautiful buns.

I bought these hot dog pans many years ago.

Actually I quickly regretted because I’m not a big fan of hot dogs, and I didn’t think I would ever make buns for hot dogs.

I’m so glad I kept them.

So excited that I got to use these pans for the first time.

The buns turned out great!

Homemade buns are really the best.

They were light, soft, slightly chewy, slightly sweet, and super tasty.

I think a big part of my not liking hot dogs (even when I was eating meat) was that I didn’t like how those store-bought buns tasted.

The King (mushroom) salad was generously placed on the lightly toasted bun.

Yum!

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August 15, 2018

by : Reiko Asian Food, Japanese Food, Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta

Tonkotsu-Style V-Ramen
とんこつ風Vラーメン

I grew up eating ramen a lot.

It’s so popular in Japan, and when I found out that a lot of Japanese people post ONLY ramen pictures on their Instagram page, I was not surprised.

Some of them go out to eat ramen every day, and they don’t run out of new ramen shops to try!

Anyway, I’ve become a little more serious about ramen myself recently.

When I found this dried ramen noodles at Amazon which had great reviews, I had to order a package.

I also got myself a new bowl.

I always wanted to have a traditional ramen bowl.

I typically like a lot of toppings on most dishes, but when it comes to ramen, I’m probably a bit more traditional and stick with a few.

The most popular ramen topping is probably “Char Siu” or barbecued pork slices.

Instead of pork, I prepared yummy portabella mushroom slices.

The mushrooms were so delicious; a bit sweet and a bit spicy from these Japanese “shichimi” spices.

The noodles were cooked perfectly.

Ramen looked so good in my new bowl!

Made me feel like I was back in Japan.

I really liked these noodles as they are so authentic.

They have the right chewiness, flavors, and look.

The soup turned out to be super tasty too.

Tonkotsu ramen is known for its rich flavored soup.

“Tonkotsu” ramen became quite popular in the U.S., but I’m not sure if people really know what that means.

Tonkotsu literally means “pig/pork bones”, and you make your soup from them.

(My vegan version contains no pork or any type of meat, but it does have a similar rich flavors that are very satisfying.)

“Tonkatsu” is another popular Japanese dish in the U.S., and I sometimes hear people say “Tonkatsu” ramen, but that’s incorrect, unless the ramen is served with “tonkatsu” as a topping.

Tonkatsu is “pig/pork cutlet”.

Just a little not-so-necessary piece of information (lol).

But if you say “Tonkotsu ramen” correctly, you will certainly look like someone who knows your ramen (lol).