by : Reiko Japanese Food, Sweets

Assorted Ohagi
彩々おはぎセット

Remember the Konashi, Japanese sweets, I posted about a week ago?

https://sideb.culinarytribune.com/2022/11/06/konashi-wagashi

My friend brought almost all the main ingredients for the lesson, and she kindly left things for me that we did not use.

There were…

White bean paste,

Potato paste.

Chestnut paste, and

Azuki paste.

I made a half of the white bean paste pink by adding beet juice, and the other half yellow by adding turmeric.

Also, I added Matcha powder to the potato paste and turned it into green.

There was not a lot of paste.

So, I decided to make mini “Ohagi”.

Ohagi is another type of traditional Japanese sweets.

It’s sticky sweet rice covered with sweet bean paste.

Here is Azuki Sesame.

Chestnut.

Matcha.

Pink Rose.

Turmeric Pecan.

This was a fun one.

I just put together a little bit of every paste that was left.

I’m super happy with how they turned out.

Aren’t these pretty?

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by : Reiko Drinks

Kabosu Hot Rum Toddy
かぼすホットラムドリンク

I have to confess something first today.

The citrus fruit I talked about in the previous post and the one before that was NOT Sudachi, but Kabosu.

I was just informed by the source.

They are similar, and I did not know the difference.

But I got interested, and did some research.

I found out that there are differences.

Kabosu is a little larger than Sudachi.

They are grown in different regions.

The flavors are supposed to be a little different too.

They say Kabosu has a milder sourness compared to Sudachi.

Water, brown sugar, Kabosu juice, cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom.

A little rum was added to finish it.

I really liked the combination of Kabosu, brown sugar, spices, and rum!

This is a great drink to enjoy on a cold winter day.

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by : Reiko Sweets

Sudachi Almond Biscotti
すだちアーモンドビスコッティ

I got so excited when a friend gave me Sudachi, because it is very hard to find in the U.S.

Sudachi is a Japanese citrus fruit.

You don’t eat it as a fruit, but it is used to flavor dishes and baked goods.

I believe my friend had them shipped from Japan.

I got so excited, and I tried to find the best ways to enjoy them.

I had several ideas, but I decided to make biscotti.

The Sudachi zest was generously added to the batter.

They turned out amazing!!

It’s similar to other citrus fruit, but I can certainly tell the difference.

I was so happy that I got to taste the Sudachi so well with this.

The Sudachi flavor was absolutely wonderful and went well with the almonds.

I also made icing with Sudachi juice.

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

Grilled Matsutake
焼き松茸

Matsutake is considered a delicacy in Japan.

It’s something that is enjoyed only during the fall season, and yes people spend big bucks for it.

I was lucky because a friend gave them to me as a gift.

And she even gave me Sudachi as well.

Sudachi is a citrus fruit that typically accompanies Matsutake.

I simply grilled the Matsutake.

When the ingredient is tasty, you don’t want to do too much to it.

This one plate meal consisted of grilled matsutake, herb chickpea salad, cranberry-pecan Kabocha salad, mushroom soup, and toasted Boule.

Kabocha, homemade vegan mayo, salt, pepper, maple syrup, dry cranberries, pecan nuts.

Chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumber, yellow pepper, cumin, mint, basil, olive oil, white vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper.

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Sweets

Konashi Wagashi
こなしを教わる

I’m fascinated by Japanese sweets (wagashi).

I was not always so.

But in the U.S. I cannot just go to shops and buy them like I would in Japan, so that probably makes it even more special now.

I recently met someone, who works at an upscale Japanese restaurant, and she kindly offered teaching me how to make them.

She even brought the main ingredients that are hard to come by, which I was so grateful for.

Adding the lines was challenging.

Mine was far from perfect, but I really enjoyed this experience.

By the say, these are chrysanthemums, seasonally very appropriate.

We also made these.

They are plum flowers, which is usually made during the spring season, but that’s okay because they are still pretty, and I got to practice making something different.

Inside you’ll find sweet Azuki bean paste.

Let me tell you something.

These are not only pretty but also delicious.

Now I’m motivated to try making these by myself.

Wish me luck!

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by : Reiko Japanese Food, Koji, Mushrooms, Tofu

Onion Koji Porridge with Tofu Steak and Spicy Enoki Mushrooms
玉ねぎ麹粥、豆腐ステーキと無限ピリ辛えのきのせ

This was a comfort food for me.

I love Enoki mushrooms, and this marinated Enoki turned out great.

The only negative thing is that my husband won’t eat Enoki because he says he does not like the texture.

So unfortunately or fortunately, they were all mine.

This was a little spicy, a little sweet, and super tasty.

This easy porridge was made with rice, water, dried Kombu, and onion Koji.

The onion Koji quickly adds a wonderful umami flavor.

The tofu steak was added for a little protein and the firm texture.

Doesn’t this look great?

The meal was completed with napa cabbage soup, pickled beets, braised Kabocha, and a cup of hot green tea.

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by : Reiko Bread

Vegan Pan de Muerto
メキシコの死者のパン、パン・デ・ムエルト （ヴィーガン）

One of the things I love about living in the U.S. is that I am exposed to various cultures and I get learn new things.

Yes, with all the social media today, you can do so in any country today, but it is still different in the U.S. where there are actually people living here that are from other countries and bring their own culture and food!

I knew a bit about a Mexican holiday, the Day of the Dead, but it was only a few days ago I found out that they enjoy a certain type of bread to celebrate it.

The shape definitely got my attention first.

It’s a unique one.

I did a little reading, and this is what I learned…

The round shape represents the circle of life and death, the crossed two pieces are bones and tears, and the ball on top is the skull of the deceased.

It’s so intriguing!

The Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 and 2, and you are supposed to enjoy this bread during the week leading up to it, so I was pressured to make it this weekend.

And I’m glad I did.

I looked at various recipes, and the main flavor used by almost all was orange.

I also saw anise being used in many recipes.

I did use orange, but I decided to go without anise because simply because I didn’t have it at hand.

Instead, I added the almond flavor.

They turned out amazing!!

They are so light and soft, and extremely flavorful, while not being oversweetened.

I absolutely loved it.

I saw some pan de muerto that had some kind of cream sandwiched, and I wanted to try it myself.

I sweetened my homemade vegan cream cheese with sugar, and then flavored with a little almond extract.

This was so good.

I used this recipe (English) as a base and veganized it.

https://theothersideofthetortilla.com/2020/10/pan-de-muerto-recipe/

Here are what I did differently….

-I used egg replacer for the egg

-I used coconut oil for the butter

-I used bread flour and all-purpose flour, half and half, simply because I didn’t have enough bread flour (I loved how it turned out, so I may do this again next time too.)

-I used orange zest and juice instead of orange blossom water

-I used soy milk for the whole milk

-I used almond extract for the vanilla extract

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by : Reiko Bread, Gluten Free

V/GF Baguette
米粉バゲット

I’m not on the gluten-free diet, but I do enjoy baking GF bread.

The main ingredient is rice flour.

I was a bit skeptical, but it turned out beautiful!

The outside is crusty, and the inside is moist and chewy.

I had something perfect to try on my beautiful baguette.

I found this vegan caviar at World Market.

I like the store because they sell products from many other countries.

This caviar is from Denmark!

I thought it was a good product.

I was happy with the look and the taste.

Oh, and the price was not bad either.

I was happy with the results, and I will definitely make it again.

I hope the next one creates some holes.

I used this recipe (Japanese). ↓

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFqBR4UiE_c

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by : Reiko Potatoes/Squash, Soup/Stew

Cauliflower Potato Thyme Stew with a Secret Ingredient
カリフラワーじゃがタイム煮込み、秘密材料入り

This is a dish I made as part of my Sunday meal prep.

That’s when I try to make several vegetable and protein dishes for the week with whatever I have in the fridge.

As a result, they usually end up with a no-name dish.

And it’s also often the time when a really great dish is created.

This dish is one of them.

It’s a rather long story.

But in the morning, I made this for breakfast.

A few days ago I finally bought Marmite which I had been wanting to try for a long time.

When I first tasted it, I didn’t think it was for me.

I don’t know what I expected, but it tasted totally unexpected.

But I didn’t want to give up on it too quickly, and asked people if they knew a good way to use it.

Someone sent me a recipe where you roast potatoes with Marmite.

I didn’t have any potatoes at hand, but I had dried hash browns, and I decided to use Marmite for it,

It turned out…

Hmmm, how can I put it…

Interesting?

It wasn’t bad, but it was not great either.

Since I didn’t think either I or my husband would eat the leftover, I decided to use it to create a different dish.

That’s how this stew was born!

I just threw things in, but it turned out super tasty!!

Marmite definitely gave depth and richness in the flavor.

I will leave a note here for future reference for myself…

Cauliflower Potato Thyme Stew: olive oil, garlic, ginger, cauliflower, water, Marmite hash browns, soy milk, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, sugar, salt, pepper, thyme

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