Ma-Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐）

Ma-po tofu is one of the most popular Chinese dish in Japan, and naturally we cook it in household. Japanese Ma-po tofu is mainly hot spicy because of red chili, but after I came to US I found authentic one is rather spicy from Sichuan pepper which has unique and strong flavor.
In Japan, we use Sichuan pepper on eel, but it's hardly used other than that.
I started making Ma-po tofu with a garlic, green onion, sugar, and bit of Gochujang (Korean spicy miso paste) and a lot  Sichuan pepper. Add super soft silken tofu at the very end after stir fry everything else. You can make it thick by adding diluted starch in the end if you like.

Coconut Milk Jelly with Mango Puree（ココナッツミルクゼリー、マンゴーソースで)

Both coconut milk and mango puree are canned. So easy, and soooooo yummy !
Hiding such a special dessert in the fridge for dessert brings me such a excitement and happiness :D

Idly and red beat sambar （イドリーとビートのサンバー）

I purchased Idly butter from Indian shop, and steamed it with microwavable Idly maker.
Red beat Sambar is my favorite !

Asparagus （アスパラガス）

It's spring ! The season for asparagus :)

Salmon Teriyaki （鮭の照り焼き）

I made this recently, and I wanted to eat this again !
The point to success is 1. small amount of very thick sauce made of soy sauce, sugar and sake, 2. grated white radish and ginger.

Chickin Roast and Kong-Xing Tsai sautee (チキンローストと空心菜炒め）

Toaster oven roasted chicken and Kong-xing Tsai (center empty vege) sautee.
It seems that spring is Kong-xing Tsai season. I've got fresh one from Mountain View farmer's market.

Small Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta （アスパラと小エビのパスタ）

Light and refreshing pasta for Sunday brunch !

Orange Jelly （オレンジのゼリー）

I just added gelatin and honey to orange juice to make orange jelly. Top with more honey and mint make it special!

Ramen (ラーメン)

Ramen is getting really popular in US, and we can buy very good packaged raw noodle and sauce.
I made Cha-shu  with chicken. It's usually made of pork, but chicken is less fatty, and quick to make.

Non Kneed Bread (こねないパン)

Here is NY times non knead bread again !
This time, it was too cold still, and the bread did not expand enough.
I should have followed fast version of recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/dining/081mrex.html

Sheek Kebab (シシケバブ)

I like juicy Sheek Kebab, but I could not make it juicy and plump. Then I found a recipe online which made it in exactly I want ! I steamed saffron rice with sliced almond and raisin.

 How to make Sheek Kebab:
- mix minced meet (chicken, beef , or lamb) with grated onion, salt, a lot of spice, and half spoon of baking soda.
- mold it and bake it in oven or toaster oven.
- mix yogurt, chopped onion, cilantro, and salt to make Tzajtziki sauce

Asparagus Salad (アスパラガスのサラダ)

This is what my grandma used to make.
Mix lightly boiled asparagus, boiled egg, chopped red onion, mayo, and vinegar.
 Egg and onion remove the green smell of asparagus which I don't like much.

Crispy Teriyaki Salmon with Grated Daikon (鮭の照り焼き、大根おろし添え)

wow ! this is yummy !
Saute salmon in fry pan with sufficient amount of oil to make the surface crispy.
After take out salmon from the pan, put soy sauce, sugar, and sake in the same fry pan to make sauce.
I used to cook salmon in the sauce, but I found it's better to cook salmon and sauce separately.
Then,  on the plate, put grated Daikon (Japanese white radish) on top of salmon.

Shishito and Shimeji Pasta (しし唐としめじのスパゲッティ)

I just added sauteed Shishito pepper and Shimeji mushroom to regular Peperoncino.
Peperoncino is Italian fried noodle, I would say.
To make Peperoncino, stir fried boiled spaghetti with lots of good olive oil, garlic and red chilli flake. When any starch is fried with oil, it tastes yummy, so you cannot be stingy about oil for this dish.

Ceviche and Sashimi dinner (セビーチェ、刺身)

I do this super easy dinner on Sunday.
Buy salmon Sashimi cut and make both Ceviche and Sashimi, and it looks gorgeous !
I saw TV program in Japan saying that Sashimi taste better when it sliced thinner,
so I'm trying to cut it as thin as possible.
I bought some Japanese ceramics in Tsukiji market in Tokyo in very inexpensive price.
There are some retail priced ceramic shops both in in-market and out-market shopping district in Tsukiji market. Tsukiji market is the world biggest fish and vege/fruit maket, but surrounding area is filled with all sorts of food industry related retail shops. It's such a vibrant place !
After I started using these Japanese plates, I noticed they make meal look so good !

How to make Ceviche:
- sliced Sashimi quality fish and add squeezes lemon or lime, chopped cilantro, and red onion.

Shimeji and Red Beet Salad (しめじとビートのサラダ)

I'm exploring new combination of vegetables for salad.
Sauteed Shimeji mushroom and sliced red beet goes pretty well.

Colored Green (カラードグリーン)

I started trying out American green veges such as colored green, kale, etc
They are usually a bit bitter, and tough, but I've heard that it's terrific for health.
There are many kinds colored green and kales, and I'm still trying new kinds, but I prefer spinach or cabbage :p

However, this recipe was really delicious. Saute colored green with garlic and caper.

Couscous（クスクス）

Someday, I want to get Tajine pot and make sauce for couscous,
but for now, my Le Creuset does some decent job for me.
I put Chicken sausage, tomato, red/yellow pepper, and some spices into the pot,
and leave it for 30 min. Serve it on top of fluffy couscous.
It's warm and comfy food.

Tiramisu (ティラミス)

A friend (are you reading this blog ?) made Tiramisu before,
and I have been wanting to try since then.
I looked into online recipe, and this one was the easiest one, but turned out to be the most delicious Tiramisu I've ever had :)))

How to make:
- Separate two egg white and york, and whip egg white with sugar to make solid melange.
- In another bowl, mix egg york and Mascarpone cheese.
- Gradually add egg white melange into the Mascarpone mixture. While mixing, try not to break melange consistency. You can do folding motion in order not to break melange.
- Mix water, powder coffee, ram or some sort of liqueur, and vanilla essence.
- Dip finger biscuit into the coffee mixture. Don't soak it ! It'll break. Place it in to a final container.
- After the finger biscuit layer, put Mascarpone mixture. On top of the final layer of Mascarpone, sprinkle cacao powder, and keep it in fridge.
- I enjoyed it for 4 days, and it become taster better as time went by ! Enjoy !

Portabella Mushroom Sandwitch and Sardin Sandwitch

What can go wrong with 
- Roasted Portabella Mushroom + roasted onion + sliced tomato + melted cheese
and
- Spicy sardin + chopped onion + mayo + lemon zest + caper
They made a wonderful weekend breakfast !

Chole Curry, Okura Curry, and Puri

I finally succeeded in making Puri ( fried bread) today !
The point was using warm water in stead of cold water.

Crab Quiche

Crab Quiche without any pie crust !
i believe the dish has different name when it does not have crust, but don't remember now.
Green peas go well with crab meat.

Korean Bean Sprout (もやしのナムル)

I started keeping this dish all the time, and put it on noodle as topping or eat it as itself.
The key is to use Korean red chili which is sweet rather than spicy.

How to make:

1: mix Korean red chili, salt, sesame oil and sesame seeds in a container.
2: boil bean sprout, and put it into the mixture while it's hot.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Wing

Looks a bit scary, but these are really yummy !
Just deep fry chicken wings without putting anything, then dip them into sweet & spicy sauce which is sold in Chinese super market for a dollar or two.

Red Snapper Roast （キンメダイのソテー）

Roast red snapper like I roast chicken in a toaster oven !

Edamame and Goat Cheese Salad （枝豆とゴートチーズのサラダ）

I still remember the shock I got when I first time tasted beans salad at a cafe in Japan.
There is this fashionable cafe called "Afternoon Tea" opened up while I was in high-school,
and it was quite a event to go there to have lunch with saved up allowance.
"Afternoon tea" also has shops which are selling their bread, dinner wares, and home/bath apparel.
It's still quite popular in Japan.
Anyways, let's go back to the talk about bean salad.
Their lunch plate comes with bread salad bowl which is something like  garlic bread cubes, lettuce, rosemary  and Parmesan cheese tossed together.  Bread salad was also new to Japan at that time.
Bean salad  came as a side dish in a tiny bowl which looks very colorful with different kind of beans.
I think there are more kinds of canned beans, and it's easy to make bean salad with multiple kind of beans.
I use Japanese bean, Edamame, this time with red pepper and goat feta cheese.
It's very refreshing !

Easy Roast Chicken using a Toaster （トースターでローストチキン）

I started baking some meat and vegetable in a oven toaster.
After baking them for 30 to 40 min, everything from main to side is ready for dinner.
Chicken leg quarter spiced with fresh herbs and a clove of garlic is my favorite roast.
I accompany the chicken with potato or mushroom.
Depending on the size, put vegetable from middle of cooking or take them out so that they don't get so dry or burnt.
While baking chicken, juice or fat melting from meat, and I pour that on the meat from time to time so that meat doesn't get dry. Oh, herbs and spices can be contained under the skin. In this way, flavor will penetrate inside of meat while it's being cooked.

Golden Fish Sweet

This is souvenir from Japan. The golden fish is made of bean paste, and water is sugar jelly.
It's amazing how much effort you can put to cooking !

Red Cabbage & Sweet Corn Salad （赤キャベツとコーンのサラダ）

Since red cabbage is harder than regular cabbage, you can boil a bit as well.
I put a lot of salt to chopped red cabbage to dehydrate it.
Squeeze water from cabbage as much as possible, and add boiled sweet corn.
It's easy to dehusk corn with bread knife.
I added a bit of mayonnaise, lemon, and salt to finish it as lightly flavored coleslaw.

 

Today's dinner plate looked like this :

Tomato Mozzarella Spagetti

This is the laziest dish I make. TJ's tomato sauce & fresh mozzarella cheese.
Don't heat up mozzarella cheese. It should be warmed up in the sauce which produces the best milky and chewy texture.
My sister gave me this long microwavable container which I boil pasta in microwave.
You can get it in Japanese dollar shop like Daiso, but basically any large enough container which can accommodate pasta is fine.