Tōrō Nagashi (灯篭流し)

We have uncertain weather these days. I think it rained all days last week like rainy season.

On Saturday (8/20), we had Tōrō Nagashi (灯篭流し) event near home. It was postponed to that day since it rained hard on Friday.

Tōrō nagashi (灯籠流し) means to flow lantern. It is a Japanese ceremony in which participants float paper lanterns (chōchin) down a river. This is primarily done on the last evening of the Bon Festival: festival based on the belief that this guides the spirits of the departed back to the other world.

The boat in the river carried all the lanterns. Sorry for the bad quality...





My darling and I don't have a tradition of doing this, so we watched the lanterns floating along the river. They were beautiful but the flow of the river was so slow that they were still.



Do you have any traditional event in summer in your country?!

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Prune And Banana Yogurt Cake - Video Recipe

This is my favorite healthy high-fiber cake using prune and banana ;) Prune prevents an iron deficiency. Yogurt is good for your intestines.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzlvRBQcYl4

When I say healthy, it doesn't mean fat-free or sugar-free because moderate amount of fat and/or sugar is not at all bad for your health, and makes the cake tasty delicious :D



You can substitute the prune with apple! Yummy, too!!!

Happy beauty cake for women!!!

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Prune And Banana Yogurt Cake

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 45min
Number of servings: 20cm (8inch) pie dish

Ingredients:
100g (3.5oz.) prunes
1 banana
50g (1.7oz.) butter
5 tbsp. sugar
2 eggs
150g (5.2oz.) plain yogurt (unsweetened)
100g (3.5oz.) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
butter
flour
powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (392 degrees F). Butter and flour a 20cm (8inch) pie dish.
2. Thinly slice banana. Tear prunes into small bits. Keep butter in room temperature.
3. In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar. Then add eggs and plain yogurt and mix until smooth.
4. Sift in flour and baking powder a small amount at a time, and mix well.
5. Pour half of the mixture in the dish, arrange prune bits and banana slices on the mixture, pour the remaining mixture over them.
6. Bake at 200 degrees C (392 degrees F) for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned. (Depending on the heat of the oven, cooking time may differ, so please watch out.)
7. You can either eat at room temperature or chilled! Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve with a scoop or vanilla ice cream if you want ;)

↓レシピ（日本語）
http://cooklabo.blogspot.com/2010/08/blog-post_12.html
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It was really interesting that people liked my talking oven. hehe

Talking oven is kind of standard in Japan. Especially when you get a Microwave Oven it talks. LoL

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Katsu Curry - Video Recipe

Katsu Curry (we call it Katsu Kare) is Japanese curry and rice with Tonkatsu. I received many requests for this recipe, so I finally cooked it :D


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtQ58knNt2U

Instead making regular Tonkatsu, I made it with cheese in between. Yummy :)



I hope you all like it!!!

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Katsu Curry

Difficulty: Medium
Time: 45min
Number of servings: 6

Ingredients:
((Cheese Tonkatsu))
12 thinly sliced pork for Shogayaki (ginger pork)
2 slices of cheese
salt and cracked black pepper
* flour
* beaten egg
* Panko (bread crumbs)
vegetable oil for frying
((Katsu Curry and Rice))
6 Tonkatsu
150g (5.3oz.) thinly sliced pork
300g (10.5oz.) onion
250g (8.8oz.) potato
120g (4.2oz.) carrot
850cc water
115g (4.4oz.) House Vermont Curry (medium hot) *Japanese curry roux
1 tbsp. cooking oil
6 servings steamed Japanese white rice
Fukujinzuke (relish for Japanese curry) if preferred
parsley flakes

Directions:
((Cheese Tonkatsu))
1. Cut each sliced cheese into three. Sandwich the cheese with 2 slices of pork for each Tonkatsu and season both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Flour the pork lightly, dip in beaten egg, then coat with Panko. Use one hand for coating flour and Panko, and use the other to dip in egg to keep one of your hands dry.
3. Fry them in oil at 170C (340F) until cooked golden brown. (Turn the pork over to cook evenly.) Remove the Tonkatsu from the oil and drain.
((Katsu Curry and Rice))
1. Use House Vermont Curry (medium hot) or you can substitute it with any other Japanese curry roux!
2. Cut thinly sliced pork into bite size pieces. Slice onion. Cut potato and carrot into bite-size pieces.
3. Heat cooking oil in a large stew pot, saute the sliced onion over medium heat until it softens. Then add the pork.
4. When pork is cooked, add potato and carrot, add 850cc water, bring to a boil, skim the scum, cover, and turn the heat down to low and cook for about 15 minutes. (You can add a consomme cube and/or laurel leave if you prefer.)
5. Turn off the heat, add House Vermont Curry (medium hot) curry roux, and mix well until completely melted. Then put on the heat and simmer for about 7 minutes until thickened.
6. Cut Tonkatsu into bite size pieces.
7. Serve curry on a hot bed of rice and Tonkatsu pieces, sprinkle parsley flakes, and garnish with Fukujinzuke if desired.

↓レシピ（日本語）
http://cooklabo.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_23.html
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Thank you for watching!!!
I am really happy to hear when people say they like it :)

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