Post from: Blisstree

Indian Lemon Curd

“The wasabi arrived today… just in time for lunch! However, I wasn’t eating sashimi or soup.. I was eating yakisoba!  Wasabi is pretty strong stuff, so a pea-sized dab should be enough.

Let’s give it a taste!

Dear lord… what have I done?! I need relief, fast! Give me that KitKat!
(Note: I didn’t actually intend to eat the wasabi, but after taking all of these pictures I took a nice big bite of fried noodles… forgetting the wasabi was still on them. UGH!)

Is anyone else alarmed by how bright green the powder shown on this box is?

It’s a little melty from being in the mail, but how does it taste?

Hmmm…..

…Oh.. Oh my! That’s delicious!
……
……

I wonder…

Note:  nobody was willingly injured in this experiment but I cannot confirm or deny the existence of permanent scarring as a result of any combinations eaten.

Post from: Blisstree

Choosing onigiri for me is a bit of a lottery.  I can’t read a lot of the wrappers so I just take a random selection.

This time I came up with quite a surprise.  Chicken Kimchi inside.  Since when does a Korean dish belong inside a Japanese rice ball.  Unusual but very good.

Post from: Blisstree

Kimchi Onigiri

Japan has a particular breed of curry that is sweet, predictable and not particularly hot.  They are a distinct breed of curry that is not like curry I have had anywhere else in the world.  Whether you like it or not, it has to go with a particular type of pickles.

These pickles are always a shade of red (sometimes too much so, like my photo).   They are made of a mix of crunchy vegetables like Daikon and Renkon.  They are sweet – almost too sweet, but with the curry they taste great.  Another pickle that is often served with Japanese curry is a very small onion that is pickled sweet as well.  Curry, Pickles and Rice are a classic cold weather dish that anyone in Japan will be able to smell from a mile away.

Post from: Blisstree

Curry Pickles

When you think of Japan, do you think of sushi, tempura, green tea or maybe even soba.  One of the less noble of the Japanese classics is Kewpie Mayonnaise.  I have no idea of the history behind it.  All I know is that there would scarcely be a kitchen in Japan that does not contain a bottle of Kewpie Mayonnaise.

In some ways it Kewpie is just like any factory mayonnaise you have used in the past.  It is creamy, sweet, salty and absolutely loaded with fat.  The only difference between Kewpie and its foreign cousins is that it is creamier, sweeter, saltier, and loaded with even more fat.

Japanese people will squeeze out the Kewpie on anything that sits still long enough to eat, that is if nobody is looking.  This is because it is necessarily seen as a low class, junk food.  In a country where even most fast food can be recognised by it’s original ingredients, Kewpie mayonnaise is a total mystery. 

It has earned its position in Japanese kitchens primarily because it is versatile, easy to use and, in moderation, very nice to eat.  It makes the difference between a dry tonkatsu and a feast, between an inedible mound of shredded cabbage and a pile of delight.  It is probably the only substance known to man that guarantees to add more than it’s own weight to your body mass.  How this is possible I don’t know, it is just science.

Kewpie mayonnaise comes in all different sizes from one squeeze wonders, all the way up to 2 litre jumbo bottles.  All of the bottles that I have seen are ugly looking half clear and squashy numbers with star shaped nozzles on top.  This makes it way too easy to absolutely smother your food with cool Mr Whippy swirls of mayonnaise.

All in all, Kewpie Mayonnaise is something that should really be tried.  But don’t tell your high class connoiseur friends that I told you.  Lets keep this one a secret.

Post from: Blisstree

Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise

I posted another samosa recipe here, and I like that one better. The F&W recipe is somewhat lacking in flavor, I had to double the seasonings and was tempted to triple it. And after tasting it, I find that I’m not too fond of caraway seeds in samosas.

I will use their very easy tamarind chutney recipe though, a no-brainer.

Post from: Blisstree

Party Food: Samosas from Jehangir Mehta

The recipe that follows is a personal favorite, developed from memories of a particular achara my parents loved and usually gave out as gifts at Christmastime. Be sure to use the freshest ingredients possible. I let a papaya sit once in the fridge for a week before using it and…. ugh, forget it. The recipe after the jump!

1 2-lb. green papaya, about 4 1/2 cups shredded
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup red bell pepper, julienned
1/4 cup thinly sliced (crosswise) shallots
1 large clove garlic, sliced thinly crosswise, centers discarded
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup carrots, thinly sliced or cut decoratively, or julienned
1 1 1/2-inch piece ginger, julienned
1/4 cup pineapple chunks, fresh or canned, halved if you want
1 cup vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt, or to taste

Peel the papaya and discard seeds. Shred using the small holes of a six-sided grater or the fine-shredding disc of a food processor. I like doing mine by hand and yes, it takes forever. Put the shredded papaya in a bowl, sprinkle with the teaspoon of salt and toss. Let sit for an hour or so, then squeeze the papaya by the handfuls, discarding the juice. Bring vinegar, sugar and salt to the boil in a saucepan. You can use white distilled vinegar, or apple cider, or Filipino vinegar — I use whatever’s on hand — but you do have to tailor the sugar and salt to your taste, depending on which one you use. What you are trying to achieve is a nice balance of sour to sweet to salty, with sweet and sour dominating. When the mixture reaches the boil, stir with a whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Put everything in a large bowl, pour the vinegar mixture on top and combine well. Refrigerate, covered, and let cure for a day or so before serving. You can also can this using these basic canning instructions. Though I know some people are comfortable leaving home-canned achara in their pantry, I take the extra precaution and refrigerate my jars, opened or not.

Serve achara just like you would any relish or chutney. It is the perfect accompaniment to grilled meats and sausages, fish or poultry.

Post from: Blisstree

Filipino Achara / Atsara

To make this palate refresher, you need

1/4 fresh pineapple, cut into chunks
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced thinly
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
the juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1 tablespoon dry-roasted and chopped shrimp paste/belachan (optional)

Toss everything in a bowl except for the chopped shrimp paste. Let stand 2-3 minutes, then toss in the belachan if using. Serve with grilled meats or fish, or over some hot rice. Quick and healthy!

Post from: Blisstree

Pineapple and Cucumber Pachidi

Pickling liquid:

1/2 cup rice vinegar (or brown rice vinegar, which I prefer)
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon nanami togarashi, or to taste

4 cups water
1 tablespoon vinegar
8 ozs. lotus root, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices

Combine pickling liquid ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Boil water and vinegar in a non-reactive saucepan. Add a few slices of lotus root and boil for 1 minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander. Repeat with the rest of the lotus root slices.

When all the lotus root slices are done, mix with the pickling liquid. Pack into a jar and refrigerate.

Variation:
For lotus root and carrot pickles:

Carrot slices (about 1/8 inch thick), salted for 30 minutes then rinsed

Add to the pickling liquid at the same time as the lotus root slices.

From Koshur Saal:

Lotus roots are tuberous roots of the lotus water lily, family Nymphaeaceae, botanical name Nelumbo nucifera. Lotus root is an underwater root that grows to be as long as four feet. The root is dark reddish brown and needs to be peeled prior to using. The flesh is creamy white.

And here’s nutritional data about the lotus root from NutritionData.com.

Lotus root, like most tubers, has a starchy quality to it — but it’s low carb and has adequate fiber content. It’s a great accompaniment to grilled dishes.

Post from: Blisstree

Lotus Root Pickles