Feb 28 2012

Chicken Karaage At Home

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Apple

Crispy little morsels of flavour packed chicken. You definitely should try it.

Its crispy like KFC chicken but without the gut loads of extra fat and unknown ingredients, and a lot better flavour.

Plus its the best way to get a crispy chicken hit when your allergic to KFC.

Dead serious. I’m actually allergic to KFC chicken. Not the chips – so it’s not the oil they cook it in. Just something to do with the chicken.

Never found out what exactly because they wouldn’t give me any details when I enquired as to what ingredients they use. Concerning!

Needless to say I’ve stuck to Chicken Karaage ever since, lol.

I’ve tried Chicken Karaage at a bunch of different places along the Northern Beaches and they all seem a bit bland. Without having been to Japan myself I can’t confirm traditionally how strong the flavours should be but I make mine so you can recognise all the flavours without having to stop and think about it.

Like many of the recipes I cook this dish is quick and simple to prepare.

Karaage is a Japanese dish but its easier than cooking hamburgers if you ask me! Plus the flavours aren’t exotic so you could get away with serving this to people who are a little afraid of new foods.

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Feb 7 2012

Shabu Shabu

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Apple

Oh this week has been so long. And it’s only Tuesday!

We had a couple of guests for the weekend though, my Axey’s sister and her boyfriend crashed for a couple of nights before they flew out to Thailand for their holiday. Lucky things!

I like to introduce people to new foods so we dined on Japanese Shabu Shabu. Couple of mishaps, I burnt three of my fingers putting the noodles into the electric wok (which I thought was off.) Made things a bit difficult to eat with one hang covered in aloe vera, ice and tea towels!

Dinner was a success though. Great tasting food that everyone can cook to their liking and socialize at the same time. Best thing about it – it stops you from eating too fast! Such a westerner problem.

For four people with leftovers for two the next day:

2 x packets of thin sliced beef. I’m not sure on the exact weight as they were from the asian grocer in Dee Why, Mao Sheng (opposite Woolworths)

3 x finely chopped shallots

1 x roughly chopped leek

1/2 x packet of Soyco Japanese flavoured Tofu

1 x 400g can of bean sprouts (you can use fresh or canned, personally I actually prefer canned)

1/2 x packet of Enokitake (long, thin white mushrooms. Can be found in the fridge section at asian grocers)

2/3 x packet of Hikaru soba noodles, these can be purchased from Coles and Woolies

For the broth:

2 x sheets of dried kombu (I believe this can be bought from Coles and Woolies now as well, at least in Sydney in the asian section. Otherwise asian grocers will have it)

2 x litres of water

1 x teaspoon white miso paste

1 x teaspoon soy sauce

2 x tablespoon sake

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Jan 31 2012

Okonomiyaki

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Apple

Okonomiyaki. Just saying the word makes me smile.
Known as a “Japanese pizza or pancake” its my favourite dish to whip up quickly on a weekday for dinner.
A layer of crunchy cabbage cooked in a light batter, topped with bacon, shallots and Chinese sausage. Smothered in Bulldog sauce and a little bit of Kewpie mayo. Yummo!

Oh and can’t forget the fried shallots! Sprinkle them everywhere!!

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Jun 14 2011

Pork Gyoza

Posted on June 14, 2011 by Apple

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not a patient person. I rush at practically everything I do and I'm a perfectionist. Sometimes I even annoy myself with my strange need to have everything organised and done in the smallest amount of time possible.

These Gyoza, I managed to prepare in my lunch break. I ducked home quickly from work and mixed up the filling then prepared each gyoza ready to chuck in the pan when I got home after work.
Took me about 30-45mins to prepare. I feel like I should be listening to some motivational music while I work away, like Grease Lightening or something.

I love anything that doesn't require a lot of ingredients. When there are too many ingredients I usually forget to buy one and then the whole dish takes a different direction.
But these pork gyoza consist of just 4 ingredients.

Pork Gyoza:

Ingredients:
1x pack of merino gow gee pastry (there's about 30 in each pack).
500g x pork mince
40g fresh minced ginger or ground ginger
1 cup x finely diced cabbage

Read on! >>>

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Apr 17 2011

Mitarashi Dango

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Apple

There’s a lot of things I love about Japanese food and culture. One of them being that if you have the sounds down pat, pronouncing Japanese words is quite simple. Mi-ta-ra-shi Da-n-go.
They don’t seem to have all those confusing silent letters everywhere like the English language.
Another thing I love, is how simply some of their amazing dishes are to make.

Which brings me to: Mitarashi Dango

“Mitarashi dango is a type of dango skewered onto sticks in groups of 3-5 and covered with a sweet soy sauce glaze. It is characterized by its glassy glaze and burnt fragrance.” – wiki