My Accomplishments

For the past few days, it is raining all over the country because the cold front is stuck over Japan. Yesterday morning, the probability of rain was 90%. However, I saw bright sunshine whole afternoon. Strangely, this sunsine encouraged me a lot :) I sometimes believe in probability and give up before trying something, but this shows the hope! Am I over the top?!

Today I will list the rest of my accomplishments this month.

On 8/12, I won My AJI award at Ajinomoto's rice bowl recipe contest using their umamichomiryo. Umamichomiryo is the seasoning that makes the food tasty. It is made of amino acid, which is the tasty flavor of tangle (an edible seaweed). My winning recipe is "Sausage and Vegetable Bowl". I used umamichomiryo to bring out the flavors of sausage and vegetables I used.

On 8/18, my "Japanese Spice Stir-Fried Beef, Mushrooms, and Asparagus" won the prize. The contest was held by Mercian (brewer) and they asked for the recipe that you can enjoy at home with their wines called uchigochi.





On 8/25, I won the outstanding performance award at metabo-help.com. Not the grand prize again... :( They asked for recipes to fight metabolic syndrome and help beat the summer heat. My award winning recipe is "Herb Chicken And Grapefruit Chirashizushi". I used grapefruit because it contains a fat-burning ingredient and it's sour taste goes well with sushi vinegar!

Then on 8/29, my "Mango Yogurt Soy Milk Mousse" was introduced at the very bottom of this page. I didn't win the prize though.

Yesterday evening, I left the gym ealier and that was right! It rained like cats and dogs for few hours when I got home!!! The forecast says the rain continues until tonight or tomorrow. I need to be careful.

I gotta go now.
Have a good weekend ;)

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Yakizakana (Grilled Fish)

Very humid outside! It is only high 78F (26C) but I feel very hot!

On Monday I used the fish roaster that comes with the stove. As seen in the left picture, it is very common to have the roaster in Japanese kitchen stove.

To tell the truth, I have just used it once, maybe few years ago... The reason I don't use it is because you need to wash it after each use... otherwise it smells fishy!

Last week, I won a free sample of grill cobble called "Ecotokukun". Usually we cover the grill plate with water, but you cover it with "Ecotokukun" instead. It prevents dirt and bad smell by absorbing cooking liquid. Also, it has a good insulation, so you can save one quarter of gas usage! Moreover, it cuts one quarter of CO2, which helps improve our environment.


I salt-grilled sanma (Pacific saury) and served with grated radish, lemon, and soy sauce. I always eat grilled fish outside at a restaurant, but now there is no need to hesitate cooking fish at home ;) No bad odor, no cleaning, saves a lot of time!!!

Today I went to the gym again.
I feel like I can go there everyday :)

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It's Not My Day!!!

Hi! I was going to write about my cooking stuff, but I am running out of time!

Today, I went to the gym after work as I planned. My boyfriend told me that he's gonna go out for a drink with his ex-co-worker (which means he doesn't need a dinner), so I did an extra work out! When I went back to the train station, I found the crowd, and it rapidly grew larger!!! Then there was an announcement about the injury accident or suicide which blocked the way home!!! Shit!!! They say they don't know when they can start the train..., so I took a different train, took a bus, and walked back to home!!! It was a two-hour journey! Another work out?! Such things have never happened on me, so I was very upset. Actually, I was carrying a big umbrella with me with my gym and office bags, because the rain was predicted tonight but it was off the mark!!! The forecaster apologized this evening. I saw while I was jogging... If I knew it earlier, I could have left my umbrella at work :( Oh boy!

I just checked the web and found that the train started after an hour! It was a tough decision because it doesn't make any change in terms of the time!!!

I think I let the stress out at the gym but gained again... I'm gonna take a hot bath and forget about all those hassles!

Will write about my cooking tomorrow!!!
See you!!!

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Bite-Size Tomato Cup Sushi

Hello! It is raining and cold (high 77F) today. The weather is so humid that our laundry won't dry in the room :(

Today, I will translate my award winning sushi recipe which I won the outstanding performance award at "sushi project" by iCommons Summit'08 in Sapporo.

Juicy tomato and rich tuna melt in your mouth good.

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Bite-Size Tomato Cup Sushi

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 60min (includes rice cooking time)
Number of servings: 8

Necessary Equipment:
suihanki (Japanese rice cooker)

Ingredients:
8 tomatoes about 4cm (1.5inch) in diameter
1 cup uncooked Japanese rice (short-grain rice)
A
* 1.5 tbsp. rice vinegar
* 0.5 tbsp. sugar
* 0.5 tsp. salt
B
* 30g (1oz.) drained canned tuna
* 1 tbsp. finely-chopped pickle
* 1 tbsp. finely-chopped onion
* 1 tbsp. drained canned whole corn kernels
* 1.5 tbsp. mayonnaise
* salt and pepper
parsley flakes

Directions:
1. Cook rice and place in a bowl. Add A while the rice is hot and slice through rice using rice paddle to separate the grains. Will use moderate amount.
2. Slice tops off the tomatoes, and scoop out the pulp and seeds. Discard seeds, chop the pulp, and keep aside.
3. Mix the chopped pulp (2.) and B.
4. Stuff moderate amount of sushi rice into tomatoes, place the tuna mixture (3.) on top, and sprinkle parsley flakes.

Preferably refrigerate before you serve!

My original recipe in Japanese is here.
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Last time I said I was interviewed by Hana TV, and the copy of the broadcast (on August 6th) has arrived few weeks ago! I forgot to mention it in my blog. My speech wasn't that good but it is a good memento!!!

The gym is closed today (it is closed every 10th and 26th), so I went to see my dentist for cleaning/check-up!
Am I keeping myself busy?!

See you again!

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GYM

Hi! It is raining and we only have high 77F (25C) today. It seems like the fall weather has come. The forecast says it won't be back up to 90s any more. I hate the hot humid weather but how sad... I haven't worn all my summer clothes yet :(

You know what!? I just joined a gym last Friday! Don't say that I'm influenced by Olympic athletes! (well... maybe a little though.) I have been there everyday since then, so I have sore muscles. But I realized I like to jog and work out! Hope I can continue like I cook everyday. I need to burn fat, and improve my strength and metabolism! Right now, I have a low basal metabolic rate, which means I am more likely to gain weight if I eat much.

Anyway, I lost the prize at Haagen-Dazs's contest. I thought my work is creative... The prize was gift cards for the ice cream, so I am sure that I don't need them now but I am dissatisfied with the result :(

Okay. Time to go to bed.
Good night!

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Anchovy Garlic Tamagoyaki

Yesterday I quickly left the office on time. I was thinking of shopping gym shoes but I didn't and went home. And that was right! Suddenly, thunderstorm arrived!

Today, I will write about my unique tamagoyaki! 2 people have tried it and said good! It goes good with white rice!

Tamagoyaki (dashimakitamago or atsuyakitamago) is a Japanese rolled omelet. It is often served for breakfast with white rice and miso soup. Also, it's one of the most popular dishes for bento (lunch box).
My mom makes sweet tamagoyaki, but some people make salty one. The flavor differs from house to house. In addition, to make it colorful, we sometimes add fillings in it.

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Anchovy Garlic Tamagoyaki

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 10min
Number of servings: 2

Necessary Equipment:
tamagoyaki nabe (rectangular omelet pan) regular frying pan is okay if not available
makisu (bamboo sushi-roll mat)

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 garlic cloves
2 anchovy fillets
olive oil
parsley flakes

Directions:
1. Remove core and finely chop garlic clove. Chop anchovy fillets as well.
2. Heat olive oil in a frying pan, add garlic and anchovy (1.), stir constantly until fragrant or beginning to turn golden. Turn off the heat and allow them to cool slightly. Be careful not to let the garlic burn!
3. Beat eggs in a bowl, add cooked anchovy garlic (2.) and mix well.
4. Heat a tamagoyaki nabe (or a frying pan) on medium heat, oil the pan, pour 1/3 of egg mixture in the pan and spread over the surface. Cook it until half done and roll the egg toward one direction. Move the rolled egg to one side, oil the empty part of the pan and pour another 1/3 of egg mixture in the space and under the rolled egg. Cook it until half done and roll the egg again. Repeat these until the omelet becomes thicker.
5. While it is hot, shape rolled omelet into a rectangle using a bamboo mat, allow it to cool it down.
6. Cut it into thick (about an inch) pieces, sprinkle parsley flakes.

My original recipe in Japanese is here.
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Cooking is an experiment!
Have fun!!!

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Translated Recipes

Yesterday, I was extremely drowsy a whole day... I couldn't even start writing my diary! This hot humid weather makes me tired :(

Today, I went out to eat lunch with my co-worker! This week, I went out twice, which is pretty luxurious to me because I always go out every two weeks!!!
We had a lunch menu at a Japanese restaurant: soba, yakionigiri (grilled onigiri), tempura, tamagoyaki (egg roll), and potato gratin. Each was served in a small portion, so you can enjoy by bits. I love in this way! They were all good!

Anyway, I used to label my translated recipes in the left sidebar, but I made a change! I linked my recipes from lists so that you can search and view them much easier. I hope you realize the difference ;)

Again, I am drowsy... good night!

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Artist Statement

It was nice and cool last night because the rain cooled down the temperature! However, we have high 90F (32C) again!!! I need to be careful not to catch a cold.

Today, my boyfriend came nearby, so I had a lunch with him at my favorite restaurant! I had taco rice and tomato + carrot smoothie. Having lots of vegetables makes me happy :) Yes, of course I am happy because I saw him, too ;)

Anyway, last week I said I am thinking of taking a food related class, but I changed my mind. The class was pretty expensive, and I found many pros and cons, which made me suspicious about it.

Then I asked myself: why I wanted to take the class? and realized that I care how people see me! I knew that before, but I reconfirmed it. It is a popular qualification, so maybe I made a rash decision!

Cooking is my daily work. At the same time, it's my artwork. I believe it is an economical art because you can eat! If I have an appetite, I can create. I never run out of ideas, at least I can eat normally. Every meal, I try to keep my own way to express my feelings and thoughts. I hope people see that in my dishes and enjoy :)

I know I might change my idea someday, but this can be my artist statement as of today!

So, I thought what I need now is not a class, but something for a change! Last Saturday, my boyfriend and I toured 3 gyms. I might start to go to gym. I used to go when I was a student and I know that I can cheer myself up and improve my work by getting some exercise!

Will see...

Oops. I was writing this last night but again posting this in the next morning. I'm not a night person!

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Healthy Shredded Chicken Salad

We have high 95F (35C) again today!

Last night, I had a good time with my friends. I got ambitious!!! I thought I need to try something new when I have time. Now I am thinking of signing up for a course that I wanted to take for a long time. I'm going to attend an orientation session the week after next... will see!


Today I will translate my gorgeous award-winning chicken salad recipe :) I won a prize at Pietro dressing - green (tasty soy sauce and grated onion based dressing that contains less oil and calories) contest before.

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Healthy Shredded Chicken Salad

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 15min
Number of servings: 2-3

Ingredients:
200g (7oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breast
A
* a pinch of salt
* 1 tbsp. sake
100g (3.5oz.) cabbage
40g (1.5oz.) cucumber
25g (1oz.) carrot
5 aojiso (perilla)
1 tomato
thin onion slices
toasted black sesame seeds
fat-free dressing of your choice

Directions:
1. In a heat-resistant container, rub A on chicken breast. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on Medium 500 W (50-60%) for about 3 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, then shred.
2. Cut cabbage, cucumber, carrot, and aojiso into thin strips, immerse them in ice water to make them crisp.
3. Slice tomato and place on a plate, put vegetable strips (2.) and shredded chicken (1.) on top, then sprinkle thin onion slices and toasted black sesame seeds.
4. Serve with fat-free dressing of your choice.

My original recipe in Japanese is here.
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You know what!? I just searched about the course I said I wanna take and found that it is extremely expensive compared to the other similar qualifications. Some people say that this association gathers the money for their operational costs :(
I think I need to search more before I decide...

Okay, have a good weekend ;)

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