CT Side-B – Page 117 – Unexpected greatness on the other side of the culinary world

Vegan Fish and Chips
V魚のフライ、フィッシュ・アンド・チップス

Who knew you can still enjoy Fish and Chips as a plant eater?!

And this plant-based fried fish is absolutely delicious!!

I didn’t know the existence of something called “banana blossoms” until I saw a friend’s Instagram picture where she was posting her vegan fish and chips.

It doesn’t have a strong flavor, I wanted to add some “ocean” flavor,

So I marinated it in a mixture of water, dried kelp (Kombu) sheet, kelp powder, sugar, and salt overnight.

Often times vegan “meat” or “fish” recipe results in disappointment, but this was one of the success stories.

I was very happy with the result, and I will definitely make it again!

The texture and the taste are so on point.

Here are some of the pictures to show you the inside.

The batter of this fried fish was also a huge success!

Beer apparently makes a big difference.

I also added a lot of spices to the batter to add extra flavor.

Since I liked it so much, I will leave the list of ingredients.

Beer batter:
1.5 cup all purpose flour
1 ~ 1.5 tablespoon baking powder
salt
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
coriander
ground mustard
celery seeds
Cajun spice mix
1 bottle beer

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July 12, 2019

by : Reiko Potatoes/Squash

Kabocha Tacos
かぼちゃタコス

I love Kabocha squash, and one of my favorite ways to prepare is to cook it in sweet soy sauce-based broth.

You can enjoy it as it is, but I also like to use it for other dishes.

These Kabocha tacos were fantastic!

On the tortillas you’ll find sweet Kabocha squash, tempeh, vegan sour cream, cilantro sauce, and pico de gallo.

This is a good example of fresh and tasty whole-food plant-based meal you can easily prepare at home.

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July 11, 2019

by : Reiko Breakfast

Black Bean Walnut Fig Muffins
黒豆胡桃無花果マフィン

I made these muffins a while ago, and I totally forgot to post it.

I was looking at old pictures, and when I saw this picture, I remembered how good these muffins were, and I wish I had some for breakfast tomorrow morning!

These muffins were packed with black beans, walnuts, and fig jam.

I believe I added whole wheat flour to the batter, so these are substantial, hearty, and perfect for a meal.

I think it’s time to make some again!

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July 10, 2019

by : Reiko Japanese Food, Rice/Grains

Fried Rice with Watermelon Pickles
西瓜ピクルス炒飯

Fried rice with homemade watermelon pickles.

Well, technically rice was fried with watermelon pickles, scrambled tofu, and Japanese Shiso basil.

I really enjoyed the crunchy texture of the pickles.

You don’t have to do this, but I like to serve my fried rice shaped like this.

This is how I remember a lot of Chinese restaurants serving fried rice in Japan.

The fried rice was served with nectarine arugula salad, miso soup, and iced coffee.

A well-balanced nutritious lunch plate!

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July 9, 2019

by : Reiko Japanese Food, Noodles/Pasta

Shoyu Ramen
醤油ラーメン

Ramen has become super popular in the U.S. the last several years.

I am loving the trend, but unfortunately it’s still challenging to find vegan ramen.

I have tried vegan ramen at some ramen shops, and while I appreciate their effort, there have been only a few times I truly enjoyed.

So when I want ramen, I usually make it at home.

What’s important for good ramen?

Well, you have to have the right noodles for sure.

And good broth, of course.

These are the base.

For toppings you can basically use anything you like.

I hope everyone had a great start to the week!

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July 8, 2019

by : Reiko Bread

Vanilla and Raspberry Melon Bread
メロンパン、バニラとラズベリー味

“Melon Pain” or melon bread is a popular type of bread in Japan.

Slightly sweet soft bun wrapped with sweet crunchy cookie.

You will see the lines on top, which mimics the melon-like look.

My mother would make melon bread for us, but hers always had melon flavor from melon extract.

But today you will find melon bread with all kinds of flavors.

These (two pics above) were right before going into the oven.

The red one is raspberry flavored, and the white one is vanilla.

You can see the crunchy cookie top on the soft bun.

The contrast in the texture makes this bread so interesting.

Melon bread has been quite challenging for me to veganize.

This is my second attempt, and I’m getting better; the buns were perfect actually, whereas, the cookie part can still use some improvement.

They are actually quite good, but they are just not the same as my mother’s.

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July 7, 2019

by : Reiko Other

“Steak” Tacos with Cherry Salsa
”ステーキ”タコス、チェリーサルサ添え

The inspiration came from the sweet cherries I had in my fridge.

This salsa (or pico de gallo) was fruity and super refreshing!

Cherry salsa: cherries, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeno peppers (pickled), cilantro, salt

I also made spicy Yuzu sauce.

This was not my initial plan, but at the last minute I decided that I wanted homemade tortillas.

Cumin and oregano homemade gluten steak, cherry salsa, and a drop of Yuzu cream on warm tortillas.

Super tasty!

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July 6, 2019

by : Reiko Beans/Lentils, Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Creamy Mango Stew
マンゴーシチュー

The inspiration came from one product.

It’s savory fermented mango sauce from Trader Joe’s.

When I saw an Instagram friend’s post about this, I put it on my list right away.

It has a beautiful orange color.

Creamy.

Slightly spicy.

It has the undertone of mango, but it’s not sweet.

But it definitely has the “fermented” flavor and creates depth in whatever you use this for.

Another interesting ingredient in this stew was this spice, labeled as “Shiro.”

My husband found it at a Middle Eastern grocery store.

The gentleman at the store told us that it’s chickpea flour mixed with various spices, typically used to thicken stew.

This is very flavorful but not too spicy.

Creamy Mango Stew: canola oil, ginger, garlic, onion, red pepper, potato, water, bay leaves, garbanzo beans, Trader Joe’s Mango Sauce, “Shiro” powder, cumin, pineapple salsa, sugar, salt, pepper, salt, pepper, kasuri methi

The braised tempeh (crumbled) was the last minute thought, but I absolutely loved the additional sweet crunchiness.

This stew makes a perfect dinner.

(And this was delicious the next day, too!)

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July 5, 2019

by : Reiko Japanese Food, Rice/Grains, Tempeh, Tofu

Onigirazu Rice Sandwich
テンペターメリック豆腐おにぎらず

This style of rice sandwich became extremely popular in Japan about five years ago.

It’s called “Onigirazu.”

At that time it seemed that everyone in Japan was making this.

I’m always a bit behind of trends, and now five years later I made my first Onigirazu.

You can basically use anything you like once you have roasted seaweed sheets and slightly salted rice, but for this one you’ll find tempeh, turmeric tofu, and Shiso (Japanese basil) coleslaw.

They were a bit loose but held the shape just fine.

I think this was a success!