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 ;)
I have had many requests to share hospital food in Japan so I decided to make this video. Meals during maternity stay were well balanced. How is in your country?! However, I'm glad I didn't have to admit myself to the hospital for TPL (threatened premature labor)...
Kewpie Fruit Jelly (any flavor you like is OK) キューピー フルーツジュレ
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WAKODO Microwave Pancakes (for Babies)
Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 10min
Number of servings: 4 mini pancakes
What you need:
1 Box WAKODO Microwave Pancake Mix (for Babies)
4 tbsp. milk or soy milk
Kewpie Fruit Jelly *any flavor you like is OK
banana *any fruit you like
Directions:
1. Put 1 package of cake mix and 1 tbsp. of milk in a small bowl, then mix well until smooth.
2. Pour the batter into the mold. Drop the mold lightly on the counter to raise air bubbles out of the batter.
3. Microwave at 500w for 50 sec.
4. Remove the pancake from the mold. Repeat the steps to make the rest of the pancakes.
5. Leave to cool, then decorate with jelly and fruit of your choice.
Just make sure you pan fry it on a very low heat or it can burn easily.
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NO OVEN! Cheese Tart in a Frying Pan
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1hr + cooling time
Number of servings: 8inch (20cm) frying pan
NOTE: Ingredients are listed in both American and metric measurements. However, please use a kitchen scale (metric measurements) to get a perfect result.
Ingredients:
((Crust))
50g (4 tbsp.) butter *room temperature
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
100g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
((Filling))
100g (1/2 cup) cream cheese
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
100ml whipping cream
1 egg
2 tbsp. lemon juice
a few drops of vanilla extract
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
Directions:
((Crust))
Cream the butter in a bowl. Add sugar and mix until white and creamy. Add egg and mix well. Sift in flour then mix well with a spatula. When the crust starts to crumble, use your hands to mix together until formed. Press the crust evenly into the bottom and up the sides (about an inch high) of the frying pan. Lightly prick the bottom of the crust with a fork.
((Filling))
Microwave the cream cheese at 500w for about 30 seconds until soft. Put in a bowl and mix until creamy. Add sugar, whipping cream, an egg, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and flour in order and mix well until smooth.
((Cooking))
Fill the cream cheese filling into the crust. Cover and cook on very low heat for about 30 minutes. The bottom of the crust burns easily, so you may want to place the pan on a wet towel to cool down the pan a little bit after every 10 minutes or so. Cool completely and chill in the fridge before removing from the frying pan, or the crust can crumble.
You can bake in the oven at 180C (350F) for 30~40 minutes.
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Yakisoba at a Festival
Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 10min
Number of servings: as many as you want
Ingredients:
Yakisoba noodles (steamed Chuka noodles)
thinly sliced pork
cut vegetables (cabbage, carrot, green pepper)
Yakisoba sauce
salt and pepper
cooking oil
Aonori (green laver)
Beni Shoga (red pickled ginger)
Directions:
1. Heat cooking oil on a pan. Add pork and season with salt and pepper. Then cook the meat until they start to change color.
2. Add cut vegetables until they are coated with oil.
3. Add Yakisoba noodles and some water to separate the noodles.
4. Season with Yakisoba sauce.
5. Serve on a dish, sprinkle with Aonori, and garnish with Beni Shoga.
If you make ham and eggs in a Microwave (if you know the exact minutes you want to cook), you can make perfect ham and eggs without fail (burning black)!!!
Perfect for a quick snack, college dorm breakfast, as well as Bento lunch box :)
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No Fail Perfect Ham and Eggs in a Microwave
Difficulty: Super Easy
Time: 3min
Number of servings: 1
Ingredients:
1 egg *cold out from the fridge
2 slices ham
1 tsp. water
Directions:
1. Put 1 tsp. of water in a microwavable dish.
2. Place a slice of ham, place an egg, prick some holes in the egg yolk with a pick or a fork (to avoid exploding), then place another slice of ham.
3. Cover with plastic wrap or a microwavable lid, and cook at 500W for a minute and a half. *You want to adjust and find the cooking time of your preference.
You can make it without a ham on top, or make a simple sunny-side up using this technique.
Instead of using Gyoza wrappers, you just mix in chopped Udon noodles. Very easy and filling, perfect for everyday meal, as well as for Bento lunch box!!!
You can PRINT OUT or SAVE the high resolution magazine data 💕
Japan UP! Magazine Feb' 2018 Issue 👍
If you have re-created my recipe please don't forget to #ochikeronjapanup I am looking forward to seeing it 😋
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Udon Gyoza
Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 30min
Number of servings: about 25 pieces
Directions:
1. Chop udon noodles into little pieces.
2. Put the chopped Udon, ground pork, and A in a bowl, then mix well by hand (hand is better but using a spoon is okay) until all ingredients are combined and smooth.
3. Heat cooking oil in a frying pan. Form the mixture into bite-sized round patties and place them on the frying pan. Cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Flip them over then cover again and cook on low for 3 minutes.
4. Serve with a mixture of soy sauce, a little vinegar, and a drop or two of la-yu if preferred.
You can marinate Udon Gyoza in the sauce to put in Bento lunch box.
Shumai or Siu Mai is a dim sum favorite, with an easy pork/shrimp filling. Canned ingredients (scallops and crab meat) give nice flavor. You can eat them without soy sauce dipping ;) Perfect for parties and Bento lunch box!!!
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Easy n' Delicious Shumai Dumplings in a Frying Pan
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 40min
Number of servings: about 30 pieces
Directions:
1. Put the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and mix well by hand (hand is better but using a spoon is okay) until all ingredients are combined and smooth.
2. Place the filling in the middle of the wrapper. Then form an "o" with your left hand and push the filling into the "o" to shape into a little cylinder. Drop onto a counter to flatten out the bottom. Use a spoon to fold in the edges. Top with a green pea if you like. (please watch the video)
3. Heat cooking oil in a frying pan. Place the Shumai and cook on high heat until the bottoms become a bit brown. Add 100ml water, when it becomes to a boil, cover, and steam on med-low heat for 10 min until cooked. Uncover and cook until the water is gone.
Serve with a mixture of soy sauce and a little yellow mustard if preferred.
Many of you know that I love earrings. Here are some simple earrings I made. They just require 2-3 minutes to make. I buy complicated ones to save time but don't want to pay for the simple ones! If you buy SWAROVSKI earrings at jewelry shops, you need to pay 3 times or more while you can save money if you make them by yourself ;)
I hope you can find Earring Findings and Supplies shops around your place :)
FYI: I bought mine at PARTS CLUB in Shinjyuku. http://www.partsclub.jp/
What you need to make a pair of earrings:
chain-nose pliers (to reach into tight places, at difficult angles)
2 SWAROVSKI Pendant Crystals
2 pinch bails (bail opening and prong length varies, you need to choose the right ones depending on the crystals)
2 earring hooks
Directions:
1. Mix egg, Dashi broth, and soy sauce in a bowl. Add flour, chopped dried shrimp and shredded cabbage, and mix well.
2. Heat sesame oil in a small frying pan. Spread 1/4 of the batter in a circular shape, cover, and cook on low for about 1.5 minutes. Then flip it over, cover, and cook the other side for 1.5 minutes.
3. You can serve it as is or serve with a sauce your kids' like.
You can stock the pancakes in the freezer for a week.
Directions:
1. Defrost Edamame (the best way to defrost is to leave at the room temperature for 1-2 hours. however, if you don't have time, you can use microwave). Wash rice and leave for about 30 minutes. If you are using pre-washed rice (Musenmai) you don't have to wash it.
2. Place the rice in a pot, add water to the appropriate level indicated in the pot, add A, then mix well.
3. Clean Kombu with moistened towel and place it on top of the rice. Place the pot into the rice cooker. Cover and press the button to start.
4. Meanwhile, remove the edamame beans from the pods.
5. When the rice is cooked, take the Kombu out from the rice cooker, then mix in Edamame, and serve.
Edamame (green soybeans) are perfect meal starter, commonly served at Japanese restaurants.
This video will show you how to cook fresh Edamame with Shells with Perfect Saltiness.
If you get some fresh Edamame with shells, you want to cook them within a day or they can get bad and lose nutrients quickly. If you cannot eat them on the day you bought, you want to cook and keep them in the freezer. You can keep them good for about a month.
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How to Cook Fresh Edamame with Shells with Perfect Saltiness
Difficulty: Very Easy
Time: 15min
Number of servings: 4
Ingredients:
300g (10.6oz.) unshelled Edamame (green soybeans)
1200ml water
3 tbsp. salt
about 4% salt is the key to the perfect saltiness
Directions:
1. Cut off both ends of the pods with scissors (in this way salty taste will soak through them). Then rub the Edamame bean pods with 1 tbsp. of salt to remove the surface fuzz.
2. Put water and 2 tbsp. of salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil and add Edamame (leave the salt on). Cook for 3.5 min to 5 min. Little hard is okay. Do not cook more than 5 minutes or they lose the flavor.
3. Drain well in a strainer, then use a fan to cool.
You can keep cooked Edamame in the freezer for a month in a Ziploc bag.
You can of course change the flavor by adding the flavor you like.
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Easy Vanilla Milkshake using Marshmallows and Milk
Difficulty: Super Easy
Time: 5min + cooking time
Number of servings: 1
Ingredients:
140ml milk
40g (1.4oz.) marshmallows
Directions:
1. Place milk and marshmallows in a large microwavable measuring cup. Cover and microwave at 600 watts for 2 minutes.
2. Mix well until marshmallows melt. *you can add 1/2 tsp. Matcha powder or 1/2 tsp. instant coffee to change the flavor.
3. Leave to cool for about 20 minutes. Then freeze it over 3 hours until firm.
4. Mix until soft, then pour it into a cup to serve.
Serve the omelette as soon as possible or it will shrink after a few seconds.
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Soufflé Omelet
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 5 minutes
Number of servings: 1
Ingredients:
1 egg
a pinch of salt
1 tsp. butter
tomato sauce
Directions:
1. In a bowl, place an egg and a pinch of salt. Mix with an electric mixer for 5 minutes until white and fluffy.
2. Heat butter in a frying pan, pour in the batter, cook on medium for a minute, then cover and cook on low for about a minute.
3. Fold the omelette in half, serve on a plate, then pour some tomato sauce over it.
My parents have been to New Zealand and they bought me Manuka Honey as a souvenir. Manuka honey from New Zealand is touted as having powerful healing properties. Cold prevention, cavity protection, soothes a sore throat, heals burns and wounds, etc… I did not believe it at first but it really worked with me when I had a sore throat :D
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Homemade Ginger Ale
Difficulty: Super Easy
Time: 5min
Number of Servings: 1
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. ginger juice
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. lemon juice
ice cubes
soda (about 160ml)
mint leaves if you have
Directions:
1. Put grated ginger, honey, and lemon juice in a tumbler, then mix well.
2. Place some ice cubes, then top up with soda. Garnish with mint leaves if you have.
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1hr
Number of servings: 10 pieces
Ingredients:
((Dough))
400g (14oz.) potatoes
150ml milk
2 tbsp. butter
1 consomme cube or powder
150g (5.3oz.) bread flour
((Filling))
350g (12.5oz) chicken breast
1 chopped onion
2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. salt
pepper
((Batter))
bread flour
beaten egg
fine bread crumbs
vegetable oil for deep frying
Directions:
1. Peel and cut potatoes into medium chunks and place them in a pot with chicken breast. Add water until cover, then boil them until soft for about 20 minutes. Drain and mash the potatoes (in a pot) while hot. Add milk, butter, and consomme, then mix well. Shred the chicken with your fingers.
2. Heat cooking oil in a pot, add chopped onion, then cook until tender. Add the shredded chicken and finely chopped fresh parsley, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Put the pot with the potato mixture on low heat, add bread flour, then knead until combined. Leave to cool until you can handle it, then divide it into 10 portions.
4. Grease your hands with cooking oil, flatten the dough, place the filling in the center, then wrap the dough into a pear shape.
5. Coat with bread flour, beaten egg, then bread crumbs.
6. Deep fry in oil at 170C (338F) for about 6 minutes until golden.
