Easy, Tasty, Fun, Creative and Kawaii Japanese Food Recipes and Cooking Hacks Blog with How-To YouTube Cooking Show Video Tutorials. Bento, Healthy Sweets and More!!! Make Your Life Easier ;)
DECO CHOCO is the chocolate (usually the chocolate bar) decorated with sprinkles and cute sweets. Something like this one.
There was a DECO CHOCO contest (by Meiji: one of Japan's leading confectioneries) few years ago. I came up with an idea making a 3D photo frame and I won a silver prize! At that time, I could only use Meiji's product but this time I used sweets from many other manufacturers.
I will list all the product details below but you can use any kind of chocolate bars and sweets to attach.
You can cover with a plastic wrap and save it. It lasts for more than a year in a cool place BUT it is not safe to eat after 3 days. LoL
It will be a great Valentine's Day gift for your loved one :)
--------------------------------- DECO CHOCO Photo Frame for Valentine's Day
Difficulty: easy
Time: 1 hour
Number of servings: 1 photo frame
Ingredients:
((Photo Frame))
3 Meiji Milk Chocolate Bar (明治 ミルクチョコレート) *of course you can use any other brands!
((Decoration))
any sprinkles of your choice
chocolate pen (明治 チョコペン/スイートペン)
Meiji Apollo Strawberry Chocolate (明治 アポロ)
Meiji Vanilla Cookies (明治 バニラサブレ)
Meiji Marble Chocolate(明治 マーブルチョコレート)
Meiji Fran Meltykiss Green Tea Chocolate Cookie Stick Pocky (明治 フラン メルティーキッス仕立て とろける抹茶)
Meiji Kinoko No Yama Strawberry and Cream (明治 大粒きのこの山 たっぷり苺の練乳仕立て)
Meiji Galbo Mini (明治 ガルボ ミニ)
Fukui Ichigo Chocobo (いちごチョコ棒)
HAITAI PACIFIC Stone Chocolate (ヘテパシフィック ストーンチョコ)
Tirol-Choco Bihada Tirol (チロルチョコ 美肌チロル)
Fujiya Peko Poko Chocolate (不二家 ペコポコチョコレート)
Bourbon EVERY BURGER (ブルボン エブリバーガー)
Lotte CRUNKY Positive Joy Caffe Latte (ロッテ クランキーポップジョイ 香るカフェラテ)
Lotte CRUNKY Ball Nude (ロッテ クランキーボール ヌード)
Takaoka Flat Heart (Takaoka フラットハート)
Glico Collon (グリコ コロン 濃厚ダブルベリー)
Directions:
Build the photo frame with 3 chocolate bars and attach the sweets of your choice.
Please see the video. It is much easier to follow :) hehe
Note:
Meiji's Yam Yam, Choco Baby, Poifull, Petitie 5-1 Choco, Takenoko No Sato… etc., colorful candies, gummy candies, are also cute. BUT don't use cotton candy. I tried and it looked pretty bad like mxxx…
I bought them all in packages but it is wise to go to Sweet Factory or any other sweets shops where they sell by measurement and get just one or two each. More colors and shapes you use, cuter it become!
I bought some of them at DAISO (dollar shop). They have weird imported sweets like stone chocolate and flat heart. Oh, btw, I was looking for Meiji Twinkle Chocolate (明治 ツインクル) but I couldn't find it. It should be cute to add on your photo frame, if you know ;) hehe
Mozuku (Cladosiphon okamuranus) is noodle-like seaweed which is mainly produced in Okinawa. It is rich in fiber and minerals! Mozuku is usually sold frozen, so please check the freezer at Asian grocery stores. I hope it is available!!! For this recipe you need plain (non-flavored) Mozuku, so don't get the one soaked in vinegar!
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 5-10min
Number of servings: 2
Ingredients:
100ｇ (3.5oz.) Mozuku
60ｇ (2.2oz.) carrot
3 Japanese green pepper
3 shiitake mushroom
2 bacon strip
1 tbsp. soy sauce
salt and cracked black pepper
2 tsp. sesame oil
2 tsp. toasted white sesame seeds
Directions:
1. Wash mozuku and drain well (cut into bite sized pieces if too long). Thinly slice the shiitake mushroom. Cut carrot, green pepper, and bacon into thin strips.
2. Heat sesame oil in a frying pan, cook the bacon until crisp. Add and stir-fry carrot and green pepper until slightly softened. Then add and stir-fry shiitake and mozuku.
3. Season with soy sauce, salt and cracked black pepper, sprinkle toasted white sesame seeds (or ground sesame seeds), and serve.
This recipe won a grand prize at the easy recipe contest organized by Ajinomoto. I received the prize from chef Wakiya Yuji (脇屋友詞) who is famous for creative Chinese food in Japan.
For the seasoning, I used chicken stock and white miso. The chicken stock adds a nice and rich flavor and white miso makes the dish slightly sweet and tasty!
It can be very colorful and festive recipe for Chinese New Year's day. Also, it is perfect for every-day bento box :)
BTW, at our wedding, we could luckily cater chef Wakiya's fancy and healthy Chinese cuisine from "トゥーランドット遊仙境 - Turandot Yusenkyo" restaurant in Akasaka.
--------------------------------- Chinese Style White Miso Stir Fried Seven Vegetables
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 20min
Number of servings: 2
Ingredients:
75g (2.6oz.) ham
100g (3.5oz.) onion
50g (1.8oz.) carrot
100g (3.5oz.) zucchini
100g (3.5oz.) bean sprouts
50g (1.8oz.) red bell pepper
6 dried cloud ear mushrooms (you can use 3 shitake mushrooms)
A
* 2 tbsp. white miso (it tastes different but you can use 1 tbsp. regular miso)
* 1 tbsp. sake
* 1 tbsp. mirin (sweet sake)
* 1/2 tbsp. chicken stock powder
* 1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tbsp. cooking oil
cracked black pepper
Directions:
1. Soak the dried cloud ear mushrooms in hot water for at least fifteen minutes. Then drain and cut into strips. Trim the bean sprouts at both ends if you prefer. Cut ham, carrot, zucchini and red bell pepper into strips. Thinly slice onion.
2. Mix A.
3. Heat cooking oil in a frying pan, stir-fry onion, carrot, zucchini, bean sprouts, red bell pepper, cloud ear mushrooms, and ham in order. Add A and stir-fry until the seasonings blend. Serve on the dish and sprinkle cracked black pepper.
Nanakusagayu is the seven herbs rice porridge that we eat in the morning of January 7th to bring longevity and health. Perfect for your stomach after a big meal ;)
Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 10min
Number of servings: 2
Ingredients:
70g Nanakusa (seven herbs)
250g (8.8oz.) cooked white rice (Japanese short-grain rice)
500ml water
a pinch of salt
Directions:
1. Wash Nanakusa. Lightly boil, then drain.
2. Cut off the roots of Nanakusa, and chop the rest into small pieces.
3. Lightly wash the cooked Japanese rice if you do not want a gooey texture. Don't wash if you like a thick porridge.
4. Bring the water to a boil, then add the rice. Add the Nanakusa, and lightly season with salt to finish.
Add toasted Mochi (rice cake) if you like! Mochi goes great with the porridge and fills your stomach ;)
I am finally posting this today!
My darling and I've been to Okinawa in December. (12/21-23)
It was a real busy three days and two nights trip, but we enjoyed ;)
The tour price was amazing! Everything (plane ticket, hotel, and bus tour) was $299!!! hehe
Day 1
Ryukyu Mura: authentic re-creation of an ancient Okinawan village (琉球村)
Goya (Bitter Melon) Beer (ゴーヤビール)
The photo shows how Okinawan people used to make Sata Andagi (サーターアンダギー): Okinawan Doughnuts
Datemaki is one of the dishes I cook for our Osechi-Ryori (traditional Japanese New Year's food eaten during the first three days of the New Year). But it is also great for bento :) It looks like Tamagoyaki (rolled omelet) but the texture is fluffier and tastes bit sweeter. Ready-made ones are very sweet but if you make it at home, you can control the sweetness, which is good for your health!
Each dishes that make up Osechi-Ryori has a special meaning celebrating the New Year (such as good health, fertility, good harvest, happiness, long life, etc...) and those dishes can last for a couple of days in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature in winter. Usually, they are served in jyubako (重箱: three-tiered bento boxes). In the first tier, we serve colorful festive dishes such as shrimp, black beans, sweet chestnuts, etc... In the second tier we serve sunomono (pickled dishes) and yakimono (grilled dishes). And in the third tier, we serve nimono (simmered dish) called Nishime (simmered Japanese vegetables).
Datemaki is for the first tier. I mixed some leftover minced vegetables from decoratively cut vegetables of Nishime to make them colorful and pretty!
Practice makes perfect, so I hope you learn how to make Datemaki by the end of the year ;)
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 30min
Number of servings: 4
Necessary Equipment:
blender / mixer
tamagoyaki nabe (rectangular omelet pan) regular frying pan is okay if not available
makisu (bamboo sushi-roll mat)
Ingredients:
A
* 4 eggs
* 50g (1.8oz.) hanpen (fluffy white fish cake)
* 2 tbsp. sugar
* 1 tbsp. sake
* 1 tbsp. mirin (sweet sake)
* a pinch of salt
* a bit of soy sauce
B
* 1 tbsp. minced carrot
* 1 tbsp. minced shitake mushroom
* 1 tbsp. minced mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley)
cooking oil
Directions:
1. Place A in a blender / mixer and process until smooth.
2. Add B and gently mix them with a spoon.
3. Heat cooking oil in a tamagoyaki nabe (rectangular omelet pan), pour the mixture in the pan, cover, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Check if the bottom is brown or not. If the pan is too hot, cool the pan on a wet towel to prevent burning. After the bottom sets, flip over and cook the other side.
4. Cover the bamboo sushi-roll mat with plastic wrap. While it is hot, score with a sharp knife to prevent breaking, roll the omelet, fasten with rubber bands and allow it to cool until it sets.
5. Cut it into thick slices and serve.
Ka'ililauokekoa is another Hawaiian love song. The song is about the love that forms between Ka'ililauokekoa (Kaua'i chief) and Kauakahiali`i (her husband).
As usual, I posted it on my YouTube account. I was going to dance it in Okinawa but I failed since I didn't have enough time and the weather was not that good...
Anyways, I will share this video with my blog buddies who keep in touch with me on a regular basis or Tipness club members who took this "hula hula" class. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel and send me a message. I will add you as my friend to share the video.
My year-end was so busy that when I realized it was already 2012...
I was cooking all day long and it was too bad that my darling bursted the boiling water for soba (at 23:55) so I had to clean up and cook in the end X(
I hope I have "enough time" for anything this year!!! LOL
Osechi-Ryori is traditional Japanese New Year's food eaten during the first three days of the New Year. Each dishes that make up Osechi-Ryori has a special meaning celebrating the New Year (such as good health, fertility, good harvest, happiness, long life, etc...) and those dishes can last for a couple of days in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature in winter. Usually, they are served in Jyubako (重箱: three-tiered bento boxes). In the first tier, we serve colorful festive dishes such as shrimp, black beans, sweet chestnuts, etc... In the second tier we serve Sunomono (pickled dishes) and Yakimono (grilled dishes). And in the third tier, we serve Nimono (simmered dish) called Nishime (simmered Japanese vegetables).
Traditionally, we spend few days to prepare Osechi-Ryori but I always spend few hours to complete mine. I use ready-made dishes for sweet dishes since my darling doesn't eat a lot. I put more effort into cooking the savory dishes.
So, this is my darling's favorite Nishime recipe for the third tier :) I use frozen Japanese vegetables to save time and money. I came up with this idea when I lived in New York, where you can not find ingredients easily. I hope you can make it in your country in this way.
For the seasoning, I used Yamasa's Konbu Tsuyu (3 times concentrated Konbu kelp seaweed soup stock) which is tasty and convenient. I'm sure it is available overseas at Asian grocery stores or online.
With just a little extra effort decoratively cutting vegetables, it becomes gorgeous, so try to make it fancy ;)
In the end of the video, I will show you my Osechi-Ryori from past years! Don't miss them!
I hope you all enjoy my video :D
---------------------------------
Easy Nishime (Simmered Japanese Vegetables)
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1hour
Number of servings: 5
Necessary Equipment:
1 large deep pot
1 medium pot
1 small pot
1 Otoshi But a (drop-lid - you can also use aluminum foil)
Ingredients:
1 large chicken thigh
250g (8.8oz.) Konnyaku
400g (0.9lb.) 1 bag of frozen Japanese vegetables (includes: taro potatoes, lotus roots, carrots, Shiitake mushrooms, green beans, bamboo shoots, burdock roots)
5 decoratively cut Shiitake mushrooms
1 Yurine (lily bulb)
5 decoratively cut carrots
A
* 3 tbsp. soy sauce
* 1 tbsp. Mirin (sweet Sake)
* 1 tbsp. Sake
* 1 tbsp. sugar
B
* 20ml 3 times concentrated Yamasa's Konbu Tsuyu
* 80ml water
C
* 30ml 3 times concentrated Yamasa's Konbu Tsuyu
* 120ml water
Directions:
1. Thinly slice or decoratively cut Konnyaku, and boil 2-3 minutes to remove bad smell.
2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, parboil to remove the fat, drain, and set aside.
3. Separate the frozen vegetables and keep frozen until just before you use them. NOTE: you don't need to use carrot and Shiitake mushrooms if you prepare decoratively cut ones.
4. In a large deep pot, put Konnyaku, chicken and Shiitake mushrooms. Add enough water to cover the ingredients, bring to a boil, then add A.
5. Cover with Otoshi-Buta (drop-lid - you can also use aluminum foil) and cook on low for 20 minutes.
6. Add lotus roots, bamboo shoots, burdock roots, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
7. Wash Yurine and separate into pieces. In a small pot, bring water to a boil, cook the Yurine pieces for a minute, quickly rinse with cold water, then drain. Bring B to a boil, add the Yurine pieces, and cook for 3 minutes.
8. In a medium pot, bring C to a boil, add taro potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add decoratively cut carrots and cook for another 5 minutes. Add green beans and cook for 2 more minutes.
9. In the third tier of Jyubako (three-tiered bento boxes), nicely arrange 6, 7, and 8 (drain excess liquid).
I started my cooking channel since 2011 to share beautiful Japanese food culture with you. Fun and easy-to-follow tutorials 👍I hope my recipes are inspiring to try out new things. Please search within my blog to find the recipes you need 😋
