Name: Beni shoga (red pickled ginger)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 80g fresh ginger - julienne; 1/2 tsp salt; 80g apple cider vinegar; 20g white sugar; a drop of natural red food color

January 23, 2020

Beni shoga (red pickled ginger)

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

10 minutes

Total Time

20 minutes

Ingredients

80g fresh ginger - julienne
1/2 tsp salt
80g apple cider vinegar
20g white sugar
a drop of natural red food color

Instructions

1. In a small cooking pot, add the ginger, then add the boiling water. Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 1 min.
2. Drain and let it cool to room temperature.
3. Add vinegar, salt, sugar and red food coloring in a sterilized container/jar. Mix well.
4. Transfer the ginger into the container. Cover and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
5. The ginger will change color to a light pink.
Serve with Yakisoba, Okonomiyaki or anything else!

December 27, 2019

homemade “teuchi” udon

homemade "teuchi" udon

Persons

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

1 hour, 30 minutes

Total Time

2 hours

Ingredients

285g plain flour / cake flour (T45)
3g gluten powder
12g katakuriko/potato starch
130g water
18g salt

Instructions

1. In the mixing bowl of your KitchenAid, add flour, gluten powder and potato starch. Mix well with a hand whisk. Then fit KitchenAid with the dough hook.
2. In a small cup, add salt and water. Mix well until dissolved.
3. Slowly drizzle in water mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed while you mix at the lowest speed. Continue until the dough comes together into a shaggy dough.
4. Transfer the dough out to the work surface and knead by hand. Shape it into a rough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for about 1 hour.
5. Divide into 3 equal pieces on the work surface. Cover with plastic wrap. It is OK if the dough is not smooth at this stage.
6. Fit the Pasta Roller onto the KitchenAid mixer. Set it to position 1 (thickest). Flatten by hand one dough piece into a rough rectangle about 1.5 cm thick. Process at speed 1 and slowly feed the piece of dough through the Roller. Feed it through again at the same (thickest) setting 1 several times until the dough is silky and smooth. You may fold it in half before running it through. It usually takes me about 10 times and sometimes more. In the beginning the dough will be ragged. As you repeat, after more runs, it will get silky and smooth alright.
7. Once the dough is smooth, turn the dial to the next thickness setting 2 and run the dough through once or twice.
8. Repeat #6 and #7 with the rest of dough balls.
9. Attach the Spaghetti Cutter and run the dough through to cut it. Dust generously the noodles to coat them with potato starch and gently shape into serving sized bundles. Place on the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining dough pieces.
NOTE: you can also cut by hand. Check out the video below!
10. Get a large pot of water boiling. Add the noodles to boil there for 10min. Now you can stir them gently but only at the very beginning. It is better not to touch the udon after that, or they might become very fragile and break down into short bits. Strain and rinse the udon noodles with running water to remove the gooey texture from the surface. Immerse the washed udon back in boiling water to warm them up. Pull them out again of the water, serve in a bowl before pouring the hot soup.
You can enjoy the cold udon, directly after the cold water rinsing with tsuyu!

November 24, 2019

Quick and easy Tiramisu

Serving Size

25 x 18 cm

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Total Time

50 minutes

Ingredients

For the base cake

2 eggs
40g plain flour/cake flour (T45)
45g white sugar
10g unsalted butter
20g milk
You can replace to "lady fingers", if its busy day!
220g to 250g coffee - mix with sugar (about 35g)
280g heavy cream/whipping cream - soft peak
250g mascarpone cream
60g cream cheese
90g white sugar
1 tsp vanilla paste (optional)

For over the base cake

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder (mix with 1 tsp instant coffee powder if you like.)

For the cake top

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

Instructions

1. Cut a piece of parchment paper to cover the bottom and sides of a jelly-roll pan.
2. Sift flour into a medium bowl and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 190C degree.
3. Beat eggs with sugar in a medium bowl until creamy (about 3~5min) with an electric hand mixer.
4. Gradually add the flour and mix the batter until all the lumps are gone, using spatula.
5. In a small cup, add butter and milk and microwave for 10 to 15 sec at 600w. Mix to melt. Then add into the mixture (#4). Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure all the ingredients have been incorporated evenly.
6. Pour the batter onto the prepared sheet pan and spread into an even layer. Flatten the surface with the spatula.
7. Bake for about 10~12min or until light golden in color.
8. Remove from the oven, immediately loosen the edges of the cake from the pan gently. Flip the cake upside down. Peel off the parchment paper you just used for baking (you could even use printing paper sheets). Let the cake cool completely.
9. Place the sponge cake onto the plate you are going to use. Then spread coffee onto the cake evenly. Let it cool down to room temperature. Using a sieve, dust the cocoa powder (mix with 1 tsp coffee powder) over the cake.
10. In a bowl, add mascarpone, cream cheese and sugar. Beat until just combined and smooth. Gently fold the whipped cream (soft-peak) into the cream mixture and mix well.
11. Spread the cream mixture over the sponge cake. Dust the top with cocoa powder.
12. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight before serving.

May 21, 2019

Banoffee pie

Serving Size

21cm circle pie mold

Prep Time

1 hour

Cook Time

40 minutes

Total Time

1 hour, 40 minutes

Ingredients

For the cookie dough

50g plain flour or cake flour (T45)
50g wholemeal bread flour (T150)
20g almond powder
40g sugar
80g unsalted butter - softened
dash of salt to taste (optional)
1 can condensed milk (397g)
1 to 2 bananas - thinly sliced
250ml heavy cream (more than 35% fat is preferable)
25g white sugar
6g cremfix (whipped cream stabilizer) - better use this if your cream is less than 35% fat
chocolate shavings or cocoa powder to dust on top

Instructions

1. Make the caramel filling Place the can of sweetened condensed milk at the bottom of your pressure cooker. Fill with water until it covers the top of the can. Water should be at least 3 to 4cm over the can.
Cover and lock the pressure cooker. Turn the heat to high. When the pressure builds up, turn the heat down to low and cook at high pressure for about 15 to 20min. Finally turn off the heat and let the pressure come down naturally.
Remove the can (watch out it's hot!) from the cooker and let it cool before opening the can. Set aside.
2. Make the crust Add all the cookie ingredient into your food processor. Pulse several times to mix until mixture becomes crumbly.
Spread the cookie crumbs on the baking sheet appropriately and bake for 20 mins at 170℃ degree.
3. Meanwhile, perpare the tart ring (about 20cm dia.) by lightly greasing the edges of the ring with butter or cooking spray, and line the side of the ring with parchment paper. Place on the baking sheet.
4. Immediately transfer the baked crumbles into the bottom of the tart ring (on the baking sheet).
5. Spread it slightly up the sides of the tart ring too. Refrigerate the crust until you use.
6. Assemble the cake Pour and spread the caramel filling over the crust. Slice bananas thinly and lay them over the caramel.
7. Whip chilled whipping cream for a few seconds, add granulated sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form. Then spread the cream onto the sliced bananas.
NOTE : If your cream is less than 35% fat, I recommend you to add whipped cream stabilizer (I used "cremfix" here). In that case, mix the cream stabilizer to the sugar ahead of this step. Add when your cream is getting a soft peak.
8. Then top up with shaving chocolate or cocoa powder. Chill the banoffee pie in the fridge for a few hours before serving to set.

Notes

The base cookies are crumbly, so cut gently :)