CT Side-B – Page 137 – Unexpected greatness on the other side of the culinary world

Mock Fried Oysters
MODOKI！牡蛎フライ

I’m not a huge fan of “mock” anything, as “mock” meat tends to stray too far away from whole-food.

But last time I was in Japan I bought this cookbook called “MODOKI (means “mock” in Japanese)”, as the ingredients are still mostly whole-food.

I’ve been interested in this recipe for a while, and finally I decided to give it a try.

Oyster was one of my favorite seafood before I switched to the plant-based diet, so I was pretty excited.

How did I like them?

Well, I absolutely completely LOVED them!!

These are insanely awesome!

They look like oysters, and the taste and texture definitely remind me of those of oysters.

But what’s so great about them is that they are simply DELICIOUS!!

I hardly ever buy cookbooks anymore, but I’m so glad I picked this up the last time I was back in Japan.

Please do not ask for the recipe, as its ownership belongs to the book’s author, Ms. iina. Thank you.

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September 22, 2018

by : Reiko Bread, Breakfast

Country Autumn Muffins
オータムごろごろマフィン

Last weekend I made muffins because…

I got Baker’s Field‘s flour!

Baker’s Field is a local bakers that bake bread AND mill flour for other bakers.

When I first tried their bread at Fig and Farro, a vegetarian restaurant, I absolutely loved it.

Then I quickly found out that they sell their bread at selected grocery stores and co-ops, and I’ve been buying their bread (my favorite is Table Bread) regularly.

I was also recently informed that my favorite vegan bakery, Eureka Compass Vegan Food now sells their flour! (Eureka uses their flour for their muffins.)

So you can imagine how excited I was when I finally got a bag in my arms!

County Autumn Muffins.

I wanted my muffins to be savory with chunks of veggies.

What went into the batter were braised Kabocha squash, roasted red onions, and sauteed collard greens.

The muffins tasted delicious, better than usual, and I believe the flour had something to do with it.

The flour was milled only two days before!!

You would have to think the freshness contributes to the taste, right?

I really enjoyed these muffins for breakfast, although they make great snack, too.

Packed with all the good stuff!

Recommended beverage: Homemade Cold Brew Coffee. Hot. Black.

I also baked Boule bread using this flour, following the recipe I’ve used multiple times over many years.

I never failed with this recipe even when I made a few measuring errors, however, this time the result was definitely different.

The dough was very loose, the bread was flat when it went into the oven, and it stayed pretty flat.

I got confused and did some Google research.

Quickly I learned that freshly milled flour is lighter compared to store-bought flour.

So if you measure your flour using a cup like I did, you end up with too little flour.

A little note to myself: Use weight (g) next time.

Yes, this bread was flat, the texture was different, but I refuse to say I failed, only because this bread was DELICIOUS!

I think this particular flour creates such a depth in the taste.

I can’t wait to try their other types of flour (bread flour, whole wheat, etc.) and experiment!

They really renewed my interest in baking.

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September 21, 2018

by : Reiko Sandwiches

New Delhi Sloppy Joes
ニューデリー・スロッピージョー

I was going to call this “Sloppy –polar Indian boy‘s name”, but my husband stopped me from doing so, because he warned me that I would probably offend a large number of people.

“Who wants to be called “Sloppy”?”

I guess…

Instead, I decided to call this “New Delhi Sloppy Joes”.

The filling is this “Z” Keema Curry, full of delicious Indian spices.

I always like my sloppy Joes on crusty bread, which makes the sandwich taste so much better.

French baguette is one of favorite crusty bread, but this ↑ Vietnamese baguette has been my latest favorite as a sandwich baguette.

The crust is unmistakably crunchy, yet, the inside is so soft, light, and airy.

It’s absolutely perfect for sandwich like this.

I recently found out that the bakery section in the local Asian market makes these baguettes on-site and sells them 75 cents a piece!

I don’t know about you, but the traditional Sloppy Joe often tastes one-dimensional, and as a result the sandwich does not excite me.

So I always want to add something in order to add some interest to its taste and appearance.

It could be something crunchy, something fresh, some fat, some heat, some tanginess… something!

This time, the something was this tangy cilantro-radish sauce, similar to tartar sauce.

This was so delicious, and my husband and I both devoured it.

Since it was my first time to try this baguette, I actually took some inside crumb out so that the sandwich wouldn’t be too “bready”.

Now I know that it was not necessary.

The bread is so light as I said, you don’t feel like you’re eating too much bread at all.

I liked this variation of Sloppy Joes so much that I went back to the Asian store to get more Vietnamese baguettes.

I’m now thinking about making a “Tokyo” version.

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September 20, 2018

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

Deconstructed Bahn Mi Rice Bowl
解体バインミー丼

You have all the ingredients for your banh mi sandwich, but you are missing the right bread for it.

What would you do?

Make deconstructed bahn mi rice bowl!

I talked about this Trader Joe’s super firm tofu before.

This is REALLY firm and dense, and when cooked, the texture resembles that of chicken.

That’s why I say it’s a good first tofu to cook for tofu beginners.

We are definitely not beginners, but we still like it, as it’s different from other tofu.

Looks good, doesn’t it?

In addition to the tofu, I also prepared crunchy tempeh.

You first start with brown rice, and then add everything that would make banh mi otherwise.

Fresh crunchy veggies are a must.

How did I do?

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September 19, 2018

by : Reiko Sweets

Miss You Portland Cookies
愛しきポートランド・クッキー

I was in the mood for cookies.

Not the chewy type, but the shortbread type.

I happened to have beautiful fresh rosemary and decided to add it to the cookies.

The rosemary cookies were delicious.

Just what I wanted.

But then an idea came to me.

My husband and I took a trip to the east coast a few months ago.

I loved all the cities (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver) we visited, but I really liked the city of Portland.

So I wanted to bring something home before I left the city.

When I found this jam at the airport, I thought this was it.

As you know how the airport shops are, there were probably a dozen different brands’ marionberry jam being sold.

I had a hard time in choosing one, but I eventually decided to pick this one because it said “seedless”.

I never like seeds in my black berries.

I filled the cookies with as much jam as I could put in.

I loved these cookies.

I think I picked the right jam.

This marionberry jam was perfectly sweet and perfectly tart.

Portland was one of a few cities that was not only a great place to visit but also a city that made me want to live in!

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September 17, 2018

by : Reiko Rice/Grains, Soup/Stew

“Z” Keema Curry
Z キーマカレー

Keema Curry is typically made with ground meat.

I happened to have homemade plant-based “ground meat”, and I decided go for it.

My other co-star in this curry is zucchini.

I always try to find a way to sneak in some seasonal vegetables in my dishes.

Served with brown rice.

Delicious!

We’ve been having unexpectedly hot weather in Minnesota the past few days, and this curry was perfect.

It’s funny that we tend to enjoy eating spicy food on a hot day, but it’s always true.

And like any other curry, it tastes better the next day.

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September 16, 2018

by : Reiko Sweets

Hello Again! Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding with Brandy Vanilla Sauce
再会！チョコレートクロワッサンブレッドプディング、ブランデーバニラソースがけ

I was never a big bread pudding fan.

Until I tried one made with croissants.

So when I switched to the 100% plant-based diet, I thought I would never get to eat bread pudding, because who makes croissants without butter, right?

Well, lucky me.

I found someone who does make plant-based croissants.

Eureka Compass Vegan Food makes delicious croissants.

Here is a basket of plain and filled croissants I got from them last weekend.

Aren’t they beautiful?

Look how flaky it is.

Roughly chopped dark chocolate and dry cranberries were sprinkled on the bread.

“Custard” was added and the whole thing was gently combined.

A funny thing is that I was so focused on the bread, and when I got the vegan croissants, I thought my problem was solved.

And then I quickly realized that I still needed to figure out how to make the custard part (you know, you usually make this with eggs and cream?).

I did some research, but I couldn’t really find any recipes I wanted to try.

So, this was my total experiment.

I decided to use silky tofu as the base.

The “custard” was delicious itself, and I could have just licked the whole thing (lol), so that was a good start.

This was how it looked when it was just out of the oven.

Looking pretty good!

My bread pudding has to be served with vanilla sauce.

It’s a must.

This brandy vanilla sauce is super easy to prepare.

You just add brandy to your favorite vanilla ice cream and let it melt.

I usually like to leave a few frozen parts.

It turned out really tasty.

The recipe needs a little tweaking, but overall, my husband and I agreed that it was a success.

Definitely A for effort for sure (lol).

Update: The bread pudding was getting tastier and tastier, the longer it sat in the fridge. At this time I’m loving it!

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September 15, 2018

by : Reiko Sandwiches

Awesome Falafel Sandwich
最高ファラフェルサンド

Crunchy and juicy falafel, fresh vegetables, and minty lemonny V-“yogurt” sauce in a homemade bun.

Homemade bread makes any sandwich taste better!

This was super tasty and satisfying.

I used Trade Joe’s Falafel.

The ingredients are good, and it’s super easy and fast to prepare because you can microwave them.

The best thing about this is that the falafel keeps its crunchiness even after microwaved.

That was a nice surprise.

Doesn’t it look tasty?!

These trays came as a set of three.

Love all the colors.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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September 14, 2018

by : Reiko Mushrooms, Noodles/Pasta, Tofu

Mushroom “Tosage” Herb Cream Pasta
きのこハーブクリームパスタ

Plant-based comfort food at its best!

I often use firm tofu and crumble it to make “sausage” with it.

Extra Firm Tofu sold at Trader Joe’s is extremely firm and provides a great texture.

I would particularly recommend this to first-time tofu eaters, as the texture is similar to that of chicken.

The cream sauce was accented with fresh thyme and sage.

Love the combination of these herbs.

They never fail to help create tasty sauce.

I like any kinds of pasta, but if I have a choice, I almost always choose long pasta.

On the other hand, my husband prefers short past.

So I usually cook both, which is really not a big deal, because I cook them in the same pot together.

We’ve become quite skilled at picking up our own pasta.

The pasta was served with this simple salad and sauteed zucchini (no photo).

Have a great week everyone!

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September 9, 2018

by : Reiko Sweets

Diva Galette
ディーバ・パイ

I didn’t find my First Kiss, but I ran into Diva!

I’m talking about apples (lol).

I was at this grocery store where a large selection of apples were found.

I was hoping to find First Kiss, but no luck.

But when I saw Diva, I had to get it.

Why?

Well, when you see an apple that has a name like “Diva”, there is no way to not try it, right?

I thought a galette would be a good way to really enjoy this apple.

What a beauty!!

I always love the artisan-look (aka., amateur look (lol)) of galette.

The galette was delicious as it was, but I decided to dress it up a little (well, after all, it’s Diva (lol)), with soy vanilla ice cream and rum lingonberry sauce.