I love pickles.
When I thought I had tried every kind of pickles, I found something new!
Well, it was technically called “tsuke-mono,” Japanese style pickles.
When I saw Kabocha Tsukemono in Kyoto, Japan, I had to try it.
It was pleasantly crunchy, and the combination of sweetness, saltiness, and tartness was perfect.
My pickled Kabocha turned out great!
Love the bright orange color as well.
It’s been a while since I baked Shoku-pan, Japanese Pullman bread.
I made a calculation error and ended up with a tall loaf instead of two regular loaves.
But it’s minor.
I kind of liked the look of this loaf.
I hope you can tell how soft and fluffy the inside is from this picture.
Last night I watched a movie called “Toast.”
It’s a 2010 film based on the memoir of Nigel Slater, a British chef/food writer.
It was interesting to learn that his mother was not a good cook at all, yet, he developed strong passion and love for food at an early age.
Whenever dinner failed, she would make toasts, and he said something like you cannot be mad at someone who makes you a toast which is crispy outside and once you bite into it you taste this wonderful softness inside.
I totally agree.
So happy to be able to enjoy a toast with my homemade vegan butter again.
It’s easy to make Japanese curry if you use the pre-made roux which you can buy at any grocery stores in Japan and many Asian stores in the U.S.
I do use it because it’s convenient, but when I have time I like to make from scratch.
This curry turned out to make me feel somewhat nostalgic because it tasted like the kind of curry prepared in the early Showa era, when premade roux did not exist.
(I’m only imagining though because when I was born the pre-made roux did already exist.)
I also added Koya-tofu Katsu.
During our recent stay in Japan I cooked Koya-tofu a lot as it was easily accessible.
It has a great firm texture and is juicy at the same time.
I liked it so much that I brought some home.
This time I made my own Panko simply because I didn’t have any at home.
The extra crunchy Panko made this katsu extra tasty.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
This year I decided to make a chocolate cake with a hint of whiskey, served with lots of berries.
It’s vegan AND gluten-free.
I was never a fan of gluten-free baked goods, but many vegan restaurants in Japan we ate at served gluten-free desserts, and they were so good!
They were not just delicious for gluten-free, but delicious period.
Not only is this cake vegan and gluten-free, it’s packed with ingredients that appeal to me.
What if I tell you the main ingredient of this wonderful ganache is tofu?
Surprisingly we didn’t have Japanese style breakfast too often while we were in Japan.
It was just easy to have a toast in the morning.
But we did take our time and enjoy breakfast when we stayed at my parents’.
I was so appreciative of their support for our diet.
My mom would make sure there were good plant-based food in the fridge every morning for us.
This morning I was in the mood for Japanese-style breakfast.
Rice, miso soup, and natto…
During our stay in Japan one of the first things my husband would do whenever we visited a new city was to look for a restaurant that would serve vegan pizza.
Let me tell you, it was not easy.
He did manage to eat pizza several times during our 2-month stay there, but often times it was a basic “Marinara” pizza.
So when we got home, I knew I wanted to make him a “real” pizza with toppings, sauce, and “cheese.”
This pizza was loaded with crispy tofu, onion, and green peppers.
For the sauce I made sweet and spicy gochujang-miso sauce.
Fresh arugula was added once the pizza was cooked, and then homemade cashew cheese was added.
So good!
Move over Matcha because Hoji tea is coming!
Well, I’m joking because I’m still a big fan of Matcha, but I’m not completely kidding either.
I strongly believe Hoji tea can be the next big thing in the culinary scene.
Hoji tea is a Japanese green tea, but it’s very different from all the other green teas as it is brown-colored instead of green and has a wonderfully warm roasted flavor.
While I was in Japan, I got to try many Hoji tea flavored sweets and I absolutely loved them.
This Hoji French toast was just what I needed this morning.
Happy to be back home, but still reminiscing about our recent Japan trip.
We just got back from a two-month vacation in Japan.
We started in Okinawa, where we stayed for 4 weeks.
And then we moved up North, while stopping in Fukuoka, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Kawaguchi Lake, and finally Tokyo.
We did visit a lot of cool sites, but we didn’t have to rush and we were able to simply enjoy some down time as well.
This was our first time being away from home this long, and we didn’t know exactly how we would feel.
But it turned out to be a great vacation, and I feel super re-charged physically and mentally.
Since I got up early this morning (my body is still adjusting to the different time zone) and we didn’t have any food in the house, I baked some bread for breakfast.
I didn’t really miss home during our vacation, but I am happy to start cooking/baking again in my kitchen.
I was in a mood for a tall sandwich with layers of roast slices and fresh veggies.
I need to practice slicing roast, but this turned out just fine.
Crusty bread, mayo, Dijon mustard, kale, tomato, roast slices, and vegan Gorgonzola.
I don’t make croquettes often, but when I do, I like to make sandwiches with them.
The crispiness of the croquette is a nice touch.
Crusty bread, vegan mayo, kale, tomato slices, V-meat cheddar croquette, Japanese Worcestershire sauce, purple cabbage.
