Aubergine (Eggplant) Kinpira

If you like braised eggplant with pepper and chilli, here is another rather similar dish - Eggplant Kinpira using only simple ingredients. Mirin is omitted in this recipe, you can add mirin or cooking rice wine, if desired.

Preparation:     5 mins Cooking time:  5 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

°         250g  aubergine (eggplant), cut into strips

°         1 tablespoon olive oil

°         some toasted sesame seeds

°         some chilli flakes (optional)

°         some coriander or Chinese celery (optional), for garnish  

Seasoning

°         3 tablespoons light soy sauce

°         60ml water or dashi stock

°         1 tablespoon sugar

Method

1.      Place all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

2.      Heat oil in a wok. Fry the aubergine or eggplant for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in the seasoning and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until it is dry.  

3.      Dish up, top with coriander or Chinese celery, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, chilli flakes and serve immediately.

Potato Kinpira

Simple, healthy and tasty! Another Kinpira recipe using potato! I omitted mirin in this recipe, you can add mirin or cooking rice wine, if desired.

Preparation:     10 mins Cooking time:  10 mins 

           

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

°         200g  potato, julienne 

°         4 slices carrot, julienne

°         1 tablespoon olive oil

°         some toasted sesame seeds

°         some spring onion (optional), chopped or shredded

Seasoning

°         2 tablespoons light soy sauce

°         3 tablespoons water or dashi stock

°         1/3 tablespoon sugar

Method

1.      Place all the seasoning ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.

2.      Heat oil in a wok. Fry the potato for 5 minutes.  Add in the carrot and pour in the seasoning and simmer for 1 minute or until it is dry.  

3.      Dish up, top with spring onion, sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Earth 'N' Ocean Salad (Hijiki Seaweed Salad)

A simple yet easy-to-do side dish, marrying the ingredients from the Earth which are carrot and edamame and hijiki seaweed from the blue ocean. Keep the water for blanching carrot and hijiki seaweed as soup base for noodle or clear soup, if desired.

Preparation:    15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         2 tablespoons (15g) hijiki seaweed, soaked with 500ml water for 15 mins, drained well  and blanched

°         50g carrot dices, blanched

°         50g edamame

°         3/4  tablespoon sesame oil

°         1/2  tablespoon sugar

°         1 tablespoon light soy sauce

°         some sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1.    Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Serve chilled if prefer. 

Spinach Nori Maki

 Spinach Nori Maki  

 Dipping Sauce - Light Soy Sauce and Wasabi 

Miso Soup (minimize wastage - using water from blanching spinach)

This is what I had learnt from Zen Vegetarian (Shojin Ryori Cuisine ) Cooking Class by Chef Danny Chu of Enso Kitchen on 3 April 2010 at  Onaka Healing Kitchen.  

Zen Temple Vegetarian Cooking is not just about cooking.  It is a whole new cuisine on its own, an experience…awareness of the senses, food, taste, presentation, meditation, reflection ...  I had blog about this  Shojin Ryori Cuisine cooking class at A different dinning experience - Vibrant Food for the Body and Soul

We were taught to blanch the spinach and then rinse in cold water, drain and squeeze out the water gently. As usual, I love short cut to save time. Via shortening the blanching time and leave the spinach to cook on its own while cooling off. So I skipped the step of rinse in cold water and save water too.

If you question whether this simple dish with few maki enough, just look at 250g of spinach shared by 2 pax, there lots of fiber. Besides spinach is full of iron and other good stuff. Sprinkling sesame seeds on it was my own idea to make the my food photo beautiful ...

To apply the Zen philosophy of minimize wastage been taught, I used the water for blanching spinach to make Miso Soup for 2 pax or add shiitake mushroom to make a clear soup or what ever ingredients available and to your liking. 

Preparation:        5 mins  Cooking time:      10 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°          250g spinach, crowns removed, blanched in salted boiling water

°          2 sheets nori

°          soy sauce and wasabi, for dipping

Method

1.       Attend the next available cooking class at ONAKA website.

2.       Alternative, you just check out Chef Danny Chu's Cooking Video! 

Woodsy Gobo Gohan

Quick and easy, awesome and yet wholesome brown rice with root and sea vegetables that anyone can whip up! Marrying Kinpira to One-pot Rice! Burdock Root or gobo is a nutritive powerhouse which is high in fiber and low in calories. It is also a blood purifier in herbal medicine but not suitable for pregnant and lactating women due to the plant's uterine actions.

Preparation:        15 mins  Cooking time:    30 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°          200g brown rice, washed and soaked and drained

°          1 tablespoon barely

°          500ml water

°          100g gobo/burdock root, cut into thin match-stick length

°          4 shiitake mushrooms, sliced

°          25g carrot, peeled and cut into match-stick length

°          2 pieces konbo (4cmx 6cm)

°          4 tablespoons light soy sauce

°          1½  tablespoons cooking rice wine (optional)

°          ½  tablespoon sugar or to taste

Garnish

°          some coriander leaves or spring onion shreds

°          sesame seeds and chilli flakes or shichimi (optional)

Method

1.       Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.

2.       When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion, sesame seeds and chilli flake or shichimi and serve hot.

Miso Soup with Mashed Tofu and Edamame

I really love what I read in Shojin Ryori Cuisine where the Chef would crush the tofu used for the miso soup. It is the unique aspect of Shojin cooking that is to emphasize the practice of equanimity.  Hence, I whip up this miso soup with crushed tofu and tell this to my kid.  What I cook miso soup now, I tend to remember this crushing tofu and the association with equanimity, so it is kind of a beautiful reminder ...  

Preparation:     5 mins, Cooking time:  15 mins  

           

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

°         8 dried kelps in knot

°         1  thin slice ginger (optional)

°         500ml water

°         100g silken tofu, mashed

°         ¾ -1 tablespoon miso paste

°         some edamame soybean, for garnish

°         finely chopped spring onion or coriander leaves, for garnish

Method

1.      Place the dried kelps, ginger and water in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the kelps and ginger, if desire. Stir in edamame soybean, miso paste, mashed tofu and bring to a boil

2.      Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls, garnish with spring onion or coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Nori Chazuke

I had a Nori Chazuke (Chazuke) from a Japanese Restaurant, which is rice topped with julienne seaweed and wasabi where you just need to pour in some clear broth before eating it. A simple dish and I tried to re-create it using Shojin Dashi (Vegetarian Dashi) broth.  In this recipe, I added chilli flake for garnish and just a piece of nori instead of julienne nori.  As for the mushroom and kelps from the Dashi stock, used them to make side dishes.

Preparation:     5 mins, Cooking time:  20 mins

           

Ingredients (serves 1)

°         1 bowl cooked plain white rice

°         wasabi, to taste

°         some julienne nori

°         some toasted sesame seeds

°         some matcha powder

°         some chilli flake (optional), for garnish

Vegetarian Dashi

°         10-12 kelps in knot

°         25g dried chinese mushroom

°         1 slice ginger

°         500 ml water

°         2 tablespoons light soy sauce

Method

1.      Place the mushroom and water in a bowl and leave it to soak for 2-8 hours.

2.      Place kelps, ginger, mushroom and water from soaking the mushroom (strain) in a pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove the kelps, ginger and mushroom. Season to taste with light soy sauce.  Ladle vegetarian dashi into a tea pot.

3.      Place a bowl of rice on a serving plate or bowl, top with nori, sesame seeds, wasabi, mataha powder and chilli flake and serve with the vegetarian dashi.

Silken Tofu with Wasabi

For kid - without wasabi ... 

I read about Goma-dofu (Sesame Tofu) - a special dish where the tofu is made using sesame paste and kuzu powder (Japanese arrowroot potato). It is served with dashi and wasabi.  So, I replace the sesame tofu with silken tofu and serves with dashi and wasabi.

Preparation:      10  mins,  Cooking time:         5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)
°         1 tube silken tofu (250g), steamed or blanched, drained well cut into six sections
°         wasabi
°         some roasted sesame seeds (optional), for garnish

Quick Dashi Sauce
°         45ml water or dashi stock
°         1½  teaspoons sugar
°         1½  tablespoons light soy sauce
°         7.5ml cooking rice wine (optional)

Method

1. To make the sauce: add 30ml water with sugar in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir in cooking rice wine and light soy sauce.
2. Place the tofu on individual serving plates and pour in dashi stock.
3. Top with wasabi, sprinkle some sesame seeds on it and serve.

French Beans Salad with Miso Tofu Dressing

Simple and fun to serve as side dish or salad! Omit tofu and replace with oil if desired.  Add few shreds of carrot for a colourful presentation.

Preparation:      10 mins  Cooking time:   5 mins

Ingredients (serves 2-4)

°         150g French bean, trimmed, cut into small section and blanched

°         Some sesame seeds and chilli flakes or shichimi for garnish

Miso Tofu Dressing

°         100g silken tofu

°         ½ tablespoon miso paste or to taste

°         1/3 - ½ tablespoon sugar or to taste  

°         Few drops of sesame oil (optional)

Method

1.       Combine the miso tofu dressing ingredients in a bowl. Mix and mashed well.

2.       Add in the French beans and mix well. 

3.       Garnish with sesame seeds, chilli flakes or shichimi and serve. 

Simple Gomoku Gohan (Japanese One-Pot Mixed Rice)

I had GOMOKU YASAI KAMAMESHI  @ Miyako and decided to re-create it. Well, this is like Gomoku Gohan (five ingredients mixed rice) cooked using dashi stock. To skip the process of making dashi stock, I added the ingredient for shojin dashi (fish free stock for vegetarian) which consist of shiitake and kombu plus the carrot to the rice and cooked together.

Replace chicken with king oyster mushroom or add vegetable like burdock root, bamboo shoot to it, if desired.  The light green shiraganegi (Japanese-style spring onion) thinly sliced would be the classic garnish which can impact flavour and visual appeal to this rice dish.  I had added a little too much of spring onion for garnish, reducing it a little would make it more presentable.

Kids would like this too … Serves with miso soup, pickles and few side dishes to make a complete meal set.

Preparation:     15 mins  Cooking time:            15 mins

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         200g rice, washed and drained

°         450ml water

°         4 chinese dried mushrooms, reconstituted and diced

°         25g carrot, peeled and shredded

°         10 kelp in knot

°         3 tablespoon light soy sauce

°         1 tablespoon cooking rice wine (optional)

°         ½  tablespoon sugar or to taste

Garnish

°         some coriander leaves or spring onion shreds 

°         sesame seeds and chilli flakes or shichimi (optional)

Method

1.      Combine all the ingredients into an electric rice cooker, mix well and turn it on.

2.      When done, leave the cooked rice to rest, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and garnish with coriander leaves or spring onion, sesame seeds and chilli flake or shichmimi and serve hot.

Macha Soy Milk with Azuki Bean ‘N’ Glutinous Rice Ball

I passed by MOF Japanese Sweets & Coffee and saw a dessert that uses Macha, Azuki Bean and Rice Cake, it is something like red bean in macha soup with few oblong rice cake (looks like mochi or glutinous rice cube). It was too early and the eatery hasn’t open yet. So, I decided to re-create it when I reach home.

I had some red bean soup in the refrigerator anyway and I scoop out the red bean and add them to the soy milk with added matcha powder. Then, I add one traditional glutinous rice ball to it (which I think I had made it a little too big for a well balanced presentation in a Chinese Tea Cup). Shape it into a cube, if desire.

It is served in a traditional Chinese tea cup and just the right portion for a small dessert. So, if you think Red Bean Dessert or Red Bean Dessert with Glutinous Rice Ball is boring. You can give it a twist, just like this or create a totally new combination … 

Homemade Vegetarian Furikake

Homemade Vegetarian Furikake 

Sprinkle Vegetarian Furikake on Steamed Rice 

Vegetarian Salted Fish 

Furikake is a type of Japanese Condiment that is usually used to sprinkle on top the rice. You can create your own style … here is another variant …

The ingredients for the above Vegetarian Furikake are Vegetarian Salted Fish, White Sesame and shredded nori.  Quantity as per individual preference. Mix well and store in a container.  Use it for rice, congee or salad! 

p.s : still in hibernating mood … : )

Homemade Simplified Shichimi

Shichimi Togarshi is the Japanese spices mix that contains 7 ingredients.  For this version, I used black/white sesame seeds, 5 spices salt (or just salt and sugar) and dry chilli flake.  For a more spicier version, use more chilli flake …

Use it to garnish the dishes or as furikake (Japanese Rice Seasoning) …

Cucumber Pickles

Cucumber is on offer lately at the wet market. So, I bought some and make this crunchy pickle.  Skip step 1 if desired, but double the amount of vinegar, sugar and salt. It would be less crunchy.   This sweet and sour cucumber pickles would pair well with spicy dishes.

Lately, I have been playing with few pickles recipes as these recipes are simple and easy to whip up at home yet it can be stored in the refrigerator for few days to a week (made in advance).  On busy weekday meal, these pickled vegetables can be use for ichiju issai (a simplest Japanese meal meaning ‘one soup’ and one-side dish’) consists of a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup and picked vegetables (konomono). For example, a simple yet healthy  ichiju issai for vegetarian can consist of a bowl of brown rice, simple vegetarian miso tofu soup with 3 side dishes (Nappa Pickles, Pumpkin Pickles and Cucumber Pickles).   


Preparation:      5 mins, plus 1-2 hours standing time

Ingredients (serves 2)

°         100g cucumber juluenne

°         1 tablespoon cider vinegar

°         ½ tablespoon sugar or to taste

°         ¼ teaspoon salt

°         Some  roasted sesame seed (optional), for garnish

Method

1.      Sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt to the cucumber, mix well and leave for 10 minutes for the liquid to drain. Rinse and gently squeeze out as much moisture as you can.

2.      Combine the cucumber, vinegar, sugar and salt in a bowl and mix well.  Leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

3.       Sprinkle some sesame seeds and serve.