tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61618669877592178702024-03-27T15:37:44.853+09:00A Box of KitchenArudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-48074914177716467542013-03-28T20:44:00.002+09:002013-03-28T20:55:10.480+09:00Tomato blueberry smoothie<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Three posts in 2 weeks?! I must be hyper-energized lately, but I`ll take it as a good sign of productivity. Also, I just can`t help adoring my new kitchen windows that provide me with generous amount of good lighting. Maybe you`ll notice the difference from the pictures compared with those in my older posts. </div>
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Far from coming back with a "serious menu", this post is rather an embarrassingly simple recipe. Everyone, probably even a kid too, can make it. I know summer is still months away, but somehow I was into cold refreshing yogurt smoothie. Plain yogurt is a staple item for me, but my husband won`t even had a spoon of it unless I make it sweet. </div>
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So here`s what I found in the fridge. A box of fresh and crunchy tomato, a pack of frozen blueberries, and plain yogurt. </div>
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To add some tartness and sweetness, I added honey and lemon juice. The amount of honey in the recipe below this post might not be enough if you are used to storebought yogurt drink or fruit juice, so you might need to add more honey/sugar. </div>
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Put the lid on and blitz.</div>
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I just blitzed on a lower speed for about 5 secs only because I want some chunky bits left in it for texture. For me, the chunkier the better. Like this. Yum.</div>
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After his first spoon (I didn`t have the large straw for this kind of drink), he said with a very disapproving face, "Carrot?? Is this carrot??". Alright then, next time it would be carrot in his drink. </div>
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Enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/tomato-blueberry-smoothie?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank"><span style="color: #666666;">Print recipe</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><b>TOMATO BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE</b></span></div>
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<i>Serves 3</i></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><b>Ingredients:</b></span></div>
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200 g plain yogurt </div>
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1 cup frozen blueberries</div>
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1 cup chopped fresh tomato</div>
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2 Tbs honey</div>
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1/2 Tbs lemon juice </div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><b>Method:</b></span></div>
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Put all the ingredients in a blender and blitz to get the desired consistency.</div>
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Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-57286017582931313622013-03-25T22:24:00.001+09:002013-03-26T11:43:25.846+09:00Welcoming spring in Iwata<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few days earlier I spotted a place from the passenger seat of his bike and I just couldn`t get the image out of my mind. We just had to go there. And here what we`ve got after our first official outdoor photo-hunting day in Iwata. </div>
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Rivers seem to be easily find in Iwata. Japan has impressively clean rivers and the ones I saw in Iwata are no exception. This one actually has a branch on its left, but it`s too bad that our gears couldn`t accomodate our intention to get the whole view. </div>
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On the river bank, there is a park with a smiley face on it. I was so busy admiring the whole view that I didn`t notice that particular spot until my husband told me at home!</div>
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But wait, that wasn`t the place I actually intended to visit. The one I saw is right here. Spring is coming already!</div>
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Seriously, can you pass by this place without looking back?<br />
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After consulting with my flower encyclopedia (or something like that), here`s what I`ve found about the flower:</div>
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Japanese name: 菜の花 or "nanohana"</div>
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English name: field mustard</div>
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Sctientific name: <i>Brassica rappa</i> var. <i>amplexicaulis</i></div>
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Flowering time (in Japan): Feb-May</div>
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Nanohana are edible and they are easily found in supermarket as fresh ingredients and cooked item as well. The one I had somehow seemed to have bigger stalk than these ones in the picture. I don`t if it`s because they are not fully flowering yet or something else. <br />
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Looking up we got to see the pale moon above us.</div>
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Looking down we saw this equally beautiful flower. </div>
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Let`s just put the blame on me because I couldn`t find any info about it in my encyclopedia. Grrr....</div>
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Next to field mustard is a row of ume (Japanese apricot) trees. I though they were sakura trees. I hope you`re not confused because I am :p</div>
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This one is ume too, I think. </div>
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Evening already. The wind blew even stronger and it was time to go home. <br />
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See you again on our next journey (with some pictures on food too, hopefully!)!</div>
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Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-68865686551443827322013-03-21T23:10:00.003+09:002013-03-22T22:35:06.994+09:00A new beginning in Shizuoka<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Hello from Shizuoka! </div>
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We`ve been staying in Iwata-shi, Shizuoka for a week now and I`d like to show some pictures on our moving activities. During my long hiatus (2 months!), I got a new job in Shizuoka, tried to complete my works at lab before leaving, had farewell lunches/dinners with friends and colleagues, and...dealed with boxes, bubble wrappers, and cellotape. I could not believe that despite the tininess of our apartment room, we had like bazillion things to pack. It seemed as if things mysteriously kept coming out from every part of the room. </div>
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Let me start with the first D-day. The day when we sent our things to Shizuoka. It started with two trash trucks coming to our apartment to pick up our trash. For some reasons, we needed to throw away our bed, washing machine, tables, and some other stuffs. We would be much happier if we could find anyone who wanted them for free, but we couldn`t. So we just had to call the trash pick-up service and paid for 13,000 yen (about 130 USD). Quite a price for trash, eh.</div>
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Anyway, the trucks came early in the morning and there was our bed getting crushed within seconds by the roller. </div>
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And my (second-hand and veeeeery) old washing machine was taken by the other truck. It always sounded so loud when I used it that I always thought I run a helicopter with my laundry inside, but still I felt sad to see it in the truck. </div>
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And since that day until now, our life is practically washing machineless since the new one will only be delivered this weekend. There`s a huge pile of dirty laundry in our house now and I try to pretend that they don`t exist. </div>
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Then, the next truck came later in the day to pick up our stuff and send them to our new address. </div>
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Those two bicycles were our lifesavers during our first few days in Iwata
because I`ve sold my baby Giorno and my husband`s bike came only few
days later after our arrival there. </div>
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Anyway, after emptying and cleaning the room, we had to leave too. The second D-day it was. </div>
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I know I`ve never mentioned anything except that we lived in a tiny apartment. Just imagine two studio rooms combined and that was our home. This is one of the rooms. It was our bedroom/TV room/my computer room/dining room. The other room behind the doors, which was even smaller, was his computer room and our closets. We never invited guests to our house because we don`t want to scare anyone with the view, lol. </div>
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Now, as a tribute to my mini kitchen, which absolutely was and still is the important part of this blog, I want to introduce it to all of you. It`s definitely designed for one person, although two can still fit in as long as standing still is the only activity involved.When I was cooking there, I didn`t need to move my feet a lot. Just one or two steps away and I got what I needed. Reaching up and bending down were what I did more often I guess since everything were practically around me. </div>
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This is my very first own kitchen where I started to cook some real food. It was just some simple menu at the beginning, but things got more creative and serious after I got married. All the food I posted in this blog until the last one in summer 2012 were born here. It was in this very room where I first time realized that one uses all his/her senses simultaneously during cooking. The sight, smell, hearing, touch, and of course, <i>taste</i>. It was a tiny little kitchen, but it means big to me. I think I grew up in this room. And for that, I`m very thankful for what I`ve had. </div>
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Anyway, life moves on and so had I. We headed for Sendai station to catch our 6:30 AM shinkansen to Tokyo.</div>
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It was my first one-way ticket from Sendai. No return ticket. I felt all weird and sad because I always thought of Sendai as my home and not <i>going home</i> there was just weird and seemed unreal.</div>
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But again, I needed to move on. And when the Hayabusa came in, it helped. I forgot about feeling sad for a while and took out my camera. I love taking pictures of shinkansen. I think Hayabusa has odd-looking front part, but I`m always amazed whenever I see it.</div>
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So we hopped on, sat, and looked through our window saying goodbye to Sendai. It was a beautiful bright morning with a lot of sunshine. I guess it was not a gloomy sad farewell scene after all. </div>
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After arriving at Tokyo station, we transferred to a different shinkansen line going to Nagoya direction. </div>
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And when you travel to that direction and the sky is bright (and you`re lucky to get the right seat), you`ll see the Fuji-san on the way entering Shizuoka area. </div>
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No, I didn`t randomly pick up some pictures from the internet. I took this picture using only my (slow) point-and-shoot behind the window and still it looked unbelievably graceful. It was very hard for me not to sticking my nose on the window and quietly screaming WOW!</div>
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Oh, did you know that Shizuoka is the largest green tea producer in Japan? I guess I need to learn more about tea from now on. </div>
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The travelling had to end and life has brought me to this new family-typed home and kitchen. It has far more space for everything and this time we`re going to have a proper dining room. Or at least that`s what we`re planning for. </div>
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My husband and I will start working about 10 days from now and until then we`re busy opening boxes (again with the boxes and tapes!), dealing with lots of paperwork, buying new furniture and stuff, etc etc. <i>Now</i> everything seems a lot more real than before. </div>
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There are still not many pictures I took since we came here, but here is one I took during our way to a store. </div>
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I would definitely come back here later with better equipment and more time to spend. </div>
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Enjoy the spring, everyone! </div>
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Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-10092548055096309542013-01-14T16:42:00.001+09:002013-01-14T16:49:39.584+09:00Snowy January<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our day started when I opened the curtain and saw this through our window. It is one to zero degree (Celcius) here and we`re having a freezing snowy holiday. </div>
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I don`t usually get excited when the snow falls, but since it seems like we won`t have snowy winter this much again (or probably, at all) in Shizuoka, I quickly changed, grabbed my point-and-shoot, wore my rain boots (yes, those are all I`ve got) and headed outside to the winter wonderland enjoying every steps on the fresh layers of snow flakes. </div>
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This is where we usually get our daily groceries. </div>
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This lady was <u>not</u> the only person who was brave and skillful enough to ride a bicycle under this kind of weather. I barely could walk straight with the snow going inside my eyes, let alone riding something!</div>
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When I walked home thinking about making soup for dinner, I realized that I wanted to share a list of dishes I`ve made that might be good for cold days, although you can find them through my <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/p/recipe-list.html" target="_blank">Recipe list</a>. Some of the recipes, especially the old ones, don`t have measurements for the ingredients (yet I still call them "recipes"), but hopefully the images can still give you the ideas for making your own version of soup. </div>
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Here they are!</div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2010/12/chicken-braised-with-miso-and-tomato.html" target="_blank"><b>Chicken braised with miso and tomato</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2010/11/kimchi-nabe-kimchi-steamboat-dish.html" target="_blank"><b>Kimchi soup</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/01/spicy-miso-soup.html" target="_blank"><b>Spicy miso soup</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5167/5351992502_f72fd7cb54_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5167/5351992502_f72fd7cb54_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/01/cabbage-and-egg-soup.html" target="_blank"><b>Cabbage and egg soup</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/05/soto-sapi-yellow-beef-soup.html" target="_blank"><b>Turmeric beef soup</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/04/fish-head-soup.html" target="_blank"><b>Fish head soup</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/11/gyoza-soup.html" target="_blank"><b>Gyoza soup</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2012/06/ketupat-sayur-spicy-vegetable-soup-with.html" target="_blank"><b>Spicy vegetable soup with rice cake</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7378274440_cc62ee8a89_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7239/7378274440_cc62ee8a89_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/01/opor-ayam-chicken-in-coconut-soup.html" target="_blank"><b>Spiced chicken stew</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5093/5397784351_61a12d53fc_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5093/5397784351_61a12d53fc_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/02/oxtail-soup.html" target="_blank"><b>Oxtail soup</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/04/green-curry-with-chicken-meatballs.html" target="_blank"><b>Green curry with chicken meatballs</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2010/12/tomato-hotpot.html" target="_blank"><b>Tomato hotpot</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/10/mushroom-pot-pie.html" target="_blank"><b>Mushroom pot pie</b></a></div>
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<a href="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6178/6229365573_53b647b3e8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6178/6229365573_53b647b3e8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b> <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2012/02/onion-soup.html" target="_blank">Onion soup</a></b></div>
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Now get your spoon and have a happy slurpy soup day!</div>
Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-65696037631704354392013-01-05T17:21:00.004+09:002013-01-06T12:47:52.252+09:00My recycling debut in 2013<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello 2013! </div>
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My first post in this new year has nothing fancy at all, but I`d like to show you about our domestic holiday (if there`s such a thing). Other than some grocery trips or occasional shopping at the city, this holiday we have no adventurous trip, which certainly means no outdoor photographing either. But I`m not about to complain here as I can actually make use of the long holiday to rest after the hectic weeks last month and to prepare myself for a job interview next week (crossing all my fingers here). My husband is also facing his busy weeks preparing for his Master`s defense this month. So, things like sitting in front of our computers, typing, reading, sighing, drinking coffee, or asking him "how do you say this in Japanese?" like hundred times a day (obviously, this one is me) have mostly become our routines these days. </div>
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Now, because the temperature in our room in winter is about 6 to 10 degrees Celcius, I need to figure out ways to keep me warm during my "home office" routine. I have this cute little friend filled with hot water inside, a warm and
fluffy pair of shoes, a heater under my table, and layers of sweaters
wrapping me tight, so my feet and body have no complaints at all. </div>
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There was only one big problem I had. My hands seem to be left out in the open cold air and typing becomes a hard work since my fingers sometime get stiff when they`re too cold. </div>
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I know that this isn`t like the innovation of the year because obviously you can buy this item easily everywhere. My husband even have his own with warmers inside connected by USB to the computer. But I`d like to share this one-step recycling work anyway because apparently, I`m not afraid in embarrassing myself with my lack of craftiness. </div>
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So, the story is, I always lost gloves every, single, year, and it`s not like I`ve lost the whole pair, but always one of it. I ended up with many unpaired gloves only to finally tossing them away just because I couldn`t think of anything I wanted to do with them. But not this year, apparently. After finding out about his high-tech oh-so-warm gloves, I wanted ones too but I definitely don`t want cables hanging around everything. So I did some digging in my closet and (so far) I found two unpaired gloves. So I just <u>cut the tips open</u> and yaaay, now I have my "<b>typing gloves</b>"!</div>
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I needed to make sure if I could type with it well, and hey, it works great! My hands are warm and my fingers can work on the keyboard just fine! My fingers can even flip open the book pages without problems. Just wonderful. How come I didn`t come up with this stuff years before???</div>
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Naturally, I want both hands to be warm, so I cut open the other glove that I found. But, I prefer the first one than this one. Because the second glove is much thicker and bulkier, typing with it isn`t effortless and it feels a little heavy on the hand. </div>
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Now who cares if you wear unpaired gloves at home? Certainly not me ;) </div>
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If you`re thinking to make use of your old gloves for working at home too, start from the the thinner ones first and see how you like them. Needless to say, sewing the tips around would be the right thing to do (which I don`t, oops) so they don`t stray away and wander into your coffee :p </div>
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Stay warm, my friends!<br />
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p.s. The cup is not for an ad, but it happens to be my favorite coffee cup ;)Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-44677640306441330122012-12-23T21:56:00.000+09:002013-01-21T18:50:31.643+09:00An early greeting from Sendai<div style="text-align: justify;">
It might be still early for sharing the Christmas and New Year`s greeting, but while I`m enjoying some quality time on weekend after my experiment marathon, why not sit down and write about our recent photo-walking in the city?</div>
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Sendai Pageant of Starlight, or what people simply call "Illumination" is one of the famous annual events held every December where all the trees in some main streets and parks are decorated with lights and lit on every night until December 31. </div>
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The streets are crowded with visitors not only from Sendai but also from other cities despite the frostiness. My husband and I are not big on places packed with people, but for this spectacular view, oh, we`re so ready to join the crowd! </div>
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If you remember <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2012/09/the-summer-end-on-jozenji-avenue.html" target="_blank">my previous post on Jozenji avenue</a>, this is exactly the same place, only the trees are now without their leaves and everything looks glowing thanks to the magical transformation by the lights.</div>
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Beautiful. Not so many people here.</div>
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Now say cheese! </div>
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Busy. Busy busy busy. That was the word that kept coming out on his camera. But I think the camera was as happy as the owner!</div>
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These are probably the first white Christmas trees I`ve ever seen, but I was so into the colors that I wouldn`t leave them! </div>
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Now finally, here comes our greeting! </div>
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Thank you for all your visits to A Box of Kitchen this year (and the years before too, probably), which I truly appreciate, and we wish you a very happy, delicious, and successful 2013!</div>
Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-38024568363179529362012-11-25T23:06:00.001+09:002012-11-26T23:50:23.595+09:00Eat. Work. Ride. <div style="text-align: justify;">
Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! </div>
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I hope you all enjoyed the celebration with good food and surrounded with your beloved ones. </div>
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My disappearance for almost one whole season has made me think that my blogging days were over. Joining into a new research project and increasing my part-time works are what keep me busy like a bee. Not the queen, of course. Now add to those works a regular headache that comes every time I encourage myself to be more serious (and not stubbornly picky) in finding me a job for next year.So, I really apologize to my blogger friends because I haven`t visited their blogs for these past few months, but I promise I`ll drop by more often. </div>
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Do I still cook? Yes. And an incredibly fluffy souffle cheese cake is what I wish to share with you next time. Do I still take pictures of food? Err...yes...and no. Yes for lovely food I have outside. Like this beautiful sashimi rice bowl containing piles of tuna, salmon and the roe, shrimp, octopus, and sea urchin with a dollop of wasabi on top. Ah, just lovely. </div>
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But no for my cooking rituals. Not that I won`t take pictures again, but maybe I need to take a break for a while. And in the mean time, <i>this</i> is actually what I`ve been doing after works and during weekends. Here is me riding a 4-cylinder <a href="http://www.honda.co.jp/CB400SF/color/" target="_blank">Honda CB400</a> at my <a href="http://kadan.jp/site/kadan/" target="_blank">driving/riding school</a>, which I`d totally recommend to those of you who live in Sendai and are interested in getting driver`s license. I need to complete at least 17 hours of training sessions before taking the final test to get the license and I`m still like half-way from finishing everything. </div>
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Have I told you that I got my car driver`s license in summer? Well, if I haven`t, I did. Yaay! </div>
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But, as buying a car for me seems to be a long term plan, a motorcycle would be a better option for me. I`m perfectly happy with my current 50-cc scooter, which is apparently not a "motorcycle" according to the motorist terms, except that it`s difficult not to exceed the 30 km/h speed limit for 50-cc vehicles when riding on a big road along with the faster cars and sometimes the bigger motorcycles too. That`s why I`m planning on upgrading my commuter to 250-cc motorcycles and for that I need a new driver`s license, again. Now here`s the tricky part for me. What I want is being able to ride a 250-cc motorcycle, but the system in Japan requires me to practice riding on a 400-cc motorcycle and get a license with that. I couldn`t find any better chart to explain the driver`s license categories in Japan, but I hope <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_license_in_Japan" target="_blank">this Wikipedia link</a> can help you understand what I`m saying. </div>
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This handsome Honda weighs about 200 kg. I, on the other hand, weigh one forth of that and I (and the instructors) have lost count on how many times I dropped the bike, especially on my first days of training. And I still sometimes do until now. Dropping the bike must sound awful to you, but believe me, trying to lift it up is the hardest part for me. The second hardest? Putting it on the center stand. I`m not sure whether it`s because my lack of muscle strength (and height maybe?) or my ability in excelling the technique. Anyway, if it wasn`t for its weight, I would ask Santa to bring me this CB400 for my Christmas present as I`m seriously in love with it. </div>
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Now here are some videos during my practice showing some parts of the motorcyle riding skills that are going to be scored during the test. Riding a motorcycle in a straight direction with fast speed is easy, even for me on this 200- kg bike. It is, however, super difficult to ride slowly and maneuver it in a zig-zag direction while keeping it balanced. You`ll see in the video that I need to work harder in improving my skills. </div>
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<b>Cone weaves.</b> </div>
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I need to weave through a series yellow cones under 7 seconds. If I touch the cones or put my feet down during an actual test, the test will be terminated. </div>
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<b>Quick stop</b>. </div>
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Within a quite short distance, I need to speed up to 40 km/h and brake the bike so it stops before the second white line. I think my speed was still not enough, but my front tire passed the line. I`d definitely fail if this was a test. </div>
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<b>Slow ride on a narrow track.</b> </div>
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I need to ride on this very narrow track and finish it at least within 7 seconds, which means speeding up is not an option no matter how tempting it seems. </div>
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<b>Slow turns on multiple curves.</b> </div>
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I`ve got bruises and muscle pain from the fallings and bike droppings, but the part that made me utterly frustrated and literally sob is this one. Working on the throttle, clutching, back braking, turning, and
counter-weighting <i>simultaneously</i> is what it takes to pass the curves without putting down my feet. Or worse, falling down. After tons of failures and two extra sessions only on this part, I`ve finally made some progress and I really really hope I won`t mess up during my test later. </div>
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I can go on and on when it comes to my motorcycling practice, but the bottom line is, riding is so fun! Riding also makes me sweat and it`s like 7 degrees C outside. Another bottom line: I would probably stick with anything less than 200 kg even if my future license allow me to ride the bigger ones. And speaking of future license, please wish me luck so I can pass the test before the snow falls hard. </div>
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Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy preparing for the holiday season! </div>
Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-29956796860390863852012-09-18T21:59:00.000+09:002013-01-21T18:51:23.668+09:00The summer end on Jozenji avenue<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hi folks, is summer already ending at your place? In Sendai, we are still having humid and scorching hot days, although lately the nights and early mornings have been bringing some cool air into our house. When I started to have the feeling that this summer seems to never end, I saw some stores has already hung up Halloween decorations and there`s where I realized that fall is coming!</div>
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With the heat, the driving lessons, and tons of other excuses, I`m particularly looking forward for this fall and to getting back to cooking/baking since I seemed to be nowhere near my baking tools practically the whole summer and even my husband lost his appetite for baked goods. Other than that, I just have to go outside to photograph the fall colors of Sendai before leaving to Shizuoka. For now, please let me share these views that I recorded on a windy but cozy afternoon on Jozenji avenue, one of Sendai`s landmarks where the street is lined with zelkova trees that provide shade and refreshing air in the summer heat. </div>
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This green scenery actually transforms into another amazing view in winter because the leafless trees would be decorated with hundreds of lights that are lit during snowy nights in December. This too is definitely in my to-photograph list, but in the mean time, you can take a peek to see how magical they are through <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bum2x/sets/72157625455791063/" target="_blank">my husband`s Flickr page</a>. </div>
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Now back to present time, which is summer, don`t you want to get married and kiss your husband under those trees? And if you do, apparently you`re not alone. Like this couple, who happened to came and have their photographs taken near where my husband and I sat. </div>
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Congratulations to the newly wedded couple! </div>
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A beautiful afternoon with beautiful shady trees and a beautiful bride. </div>
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I must have been very lucky to be there that day. </div>
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I feel like I had not appreciated Sendai`s beauty as much as I should have been before and now I wish I could bring all these places with me when I leave. </div>
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Anyway, have a lovely day and hope to see you again soon!</div>
Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-55490331888153663572012-08-14T22:32:00.003+09:002012-08-14T22:41:59.857+09:00Stir-fried shrimp with lemongrass and an early announcement<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello everyone! How are you doing there? I hope you all are well hydrated and having nutritious food to combat the heat. <br />
On my side, I`m in the middle of my 5-day summer holiday, which will end tomorrow and I`ve been attending driving lessons right from the beginning of the holiday. I`ve always been happy and contented with my little scooter, but it seems like I have to get a car-driving license this year because..here comes the announcement:</div>
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My husband got a job in Shizuoka prefecture and we are going to move there next spring!</div>
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After all the years we`ve been spending in our beloved Sendai, we finally have to move to other city and Shizuoka now becomes the next stop in our journey. We`ve been checking out about life in Shizuoka and looking for possible areas to live in. Although currently I`m still trying to land a job there, living in Shizuoka seems to require us to commute on a car regardless of where I will end up working. So, here I am, dealing with my fear and confusion in car driving and hoping to get the license as soon as I can. </div>
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Now on the kitchen side, I just made this very aromatic shrimp dish, which was really quick to make, and I hope you`ll give it a try and enjoy it as much as I do.<br />
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Heat oil on a pan and add finely (or roughly) chopped lemongrass stalk (I left some of the stalk as is for visual purpose) and garlic, chili, and coriander.</div>
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I used to throw away the lemongrass stalk after finishing the dish, which was a shame as it`s actually edible especially for the inner white-color flesh at the bottom. Now I see it as a fibrous food and I usually finely chop it up and eat the whole part. <br />
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And by all means, add kaffir lime leaves too because they marry beautifully with the lemongrass. <br />
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Cook until the warm lemony fragrance filling up your whole kitchen.<br />
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Now stir in deveined shrimps (I like them with the shells on) and cook until they start turning color. <br />
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Season with soy sauce, honey, salt, and pepper.<br />
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Adding honey works very well in giving the balance to the savoriness as well as adding nice glossy touch. <br />
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And that`s it! </div>
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Now you have a plate full of plump and juicy shrimps coated with the aromatic lemongrass and garlic bits, which are finger-licking good and perfect for the scorching hot days. <br />
Enjoy!</div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/stir-fried-shrimps-with-lemongrass?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank">Print recipe</a></div>
</div>
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<b>STIR-FRIED SHRIMPS WITH LEMONGRASS</b></div>
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<i>Serves 2</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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10 medium-large shrimps, deveined</div>
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1 lemongrass stalk</div>
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4 cloves garlic</div>
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1 tsp coriander<br />
3 chili<br />
4 kaffir lime leaves<br />
3 Tbs soy sauce<br />
1 Tbs honey<br />
Salt<br />
Pepper<br />
<br />
<b>Method:</b><br />
1. Heat oil on a pan and add finely chopped lemongrass stalk and garlic, kaffir lime leaves, chili,
and coriander.<br />
2. Stir in deveined shrimps and cook until they start turning color.<br />
3. Season with soy sauce, honey, salt, and pepper.</div>
Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-86854451577309045882012-08-01T01:18:00.000+09:002012-08-01T01:33:04.225+09:00Vegetable rolls<div style="text-align: justify;">
It has been incredibly hot these days and I even have lost my appetite and gotten sick because of it during last week. I used to (shamelessly) boast to everyone here about my tropical nature that makes me almost heat-resistant and prevents me from getting the commonly known "natsu bate" in Japanese, or in my understanding, "summer sickness". And boy, this time, I was wrong. Very very wrong. It all started with me loosing appetite and not eating enough, continued with frequent dizziness, stomach aches, and fatigue, and ended with laying on my bed for two days realizing that after all these years, the heat finally beat me. What healed me? A bowl of super fiery spicy hot chicken curry. I don`t know if that was because I finally got hungry at that point or the soup really brought back my appetite, but the bottom line is I got well very soon after the soup treatment. I really don`t know what I will do without chili and ginger in my kitchen. </div>
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Now, with my appetite fully functioning, I finally have something fun and colorful to share with you. This is actually only my second time making Thai-style vegetable rolls, or third time if preparing the make-yourself rolls at a Thai buffet restaurant counts, but I think I really should make them more often. </div>
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Start with making the sauce. For this kind of rolls, I want the sauce to be light, sweet, savory, slightly spicy, and tangy. You can use your favorite sauces or condiments, but I used my leftover tsuyu or light soy sauce infused with dashi. Tsuyu is usually served with cold noodles like soba or somen, but I think it has a light sweet savory taste that should go well with the rolls. For the heat, I add Sichuan-style chili sauce or tobanjan. I also add lime juice to give some refreshing tartness. </div>
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Stir everything well and keep the sauce in the refrigerator.</div>
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I chose the all-plant option for the filling, so I used julienne bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers. It is common to include shrimps for the rolls, but I think meat should be great too. </div>
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My baby veggies. Look at these colors. </div>
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And these.</div>
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And these too. </div>
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What you don`t need to julienne are lettuce leaves and cilantro. I really love the lemony note from the cilantro. If you haven`t tried using it for making the rolls, then you should. Really.<br />
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After all the vegetables are prepared, immerse a sheet of rice paper in lukewarm water for a minute or until it has slightly softened (or follow the instruction on the pack). Overdoing this will make the paper too soft and very easy to get torn. But really, this is not about perfection (obviously, this is me talking), so a few holes here and there should not be problems as long as you can use it to wrap the veggies. </div>
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Spread the softened sheet on a chopping board or counter and arrange vegetables on it. I placed them on the middle, but slightly closer toward me. Also, I arranged some part of the veggies so that they came out from both ends. </div>
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Start rolling away while carefully wrapping the veggies as tight as possible and secure the edge by sealing the sheet with water. </div>
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Wet the blade of your knife with water and cut the roll to your preferred size. </div>
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Arrange the rolls on a plate and serve with the chilled sauce.</div>
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What I have here is a plate of the successfully made rolls (or at least I think so) and another one of random-looking rolls. Both looks clearly didn`t bother me and my husband (thank you, sweetie) because we just kept eating and eating. </div>
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Now, my friends, dip the rolls in the sauce and enjoy the crunch and yum moments! </div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/vegetable-rolls?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank">Print recipe</a></div>
</div>
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<div style="background-color: #ead1dc; text-align: justify;">
<b>VEGETABLE ROLLS</b></div>
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<i>Serves 2-3 people </i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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1 red bell pepper</div>
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1 yellow bell pepper</div>
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3 carrots</div>
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2 cucumbers</div>
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5-7 lettuce leaves</div>
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Cilantro</div>
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<u>For the sauce:</u></div>
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100 ml tsuyu (light soy sauce with dashi for cold soba or somen)</div>
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1 tsp chili paste</div>
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1 tsp lime juice </div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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1. Prepare the sauce by combining the tsuyu, chili paste, and lime juice. Keep in refrigerator until serving. </div>
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2. Julienne all vegetables, except the lettuce leaves and cilantro, and set them aside.</div>
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3. Wet the rice paper in lukewarm water until slightly softened and carefully spread it on a chopping board or clean counter. </div>
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4. Arrange the vegetables horizontally on the paper with some parts of the vegetables coming out from both ends.</div>
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5. Start rolling away and seal the edge with water.</div>
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6. Cut the rolls to the desired size and serve with the chilled sauce. </div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-14551390705374661122012-07-07T15:51:00.000+09:002012-07-07T22:40:39.898+09:00Horse mackerel with tomato and jalapeno pepper<div style="text-align: justify;">
Before I forget, I`d like to inform my non-blogger and/or non-Gmail user readers who told me that they have difficulties in putting comments on my blog. If you`re one of them, don`t worry. To leave a comment, you don`t need to have a blog, or a Gmail account, or any account whatsoever. If you don`t find the comment form, that probably because you`re on the Home page, not on the post page. So, all you have to do is click <u><b>the title of the post</b> </u><u>on top</u> of the post or <u><b>x comment(s)</b> at the bottom</u> of the post. Clicking them will bring you to a single-post page. Keep scrolling down and you`ll find a comment form at the end of the page. I`d really appreciate if you can leave your name (real name, nick name, initials, but preferably not anonymous) because it`ll be easier for me to refer you in my reply later. I`m pasting this info to my <b><a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/p/welcome.html" target="_blank">About page</a></b> now right on top on how to follow my blog. If you`re new to this blog, you might want to start from there first. <br />
Hope this helps and I can`t wait to hear from you!<br />
<br />
Now let`s have our food talk. <br />
It`s been a while since I posted fish recipes, so today I`d like to share one using horse mackerel or "aji" in Japanese. I usually buy the ready-to-use butterflied aji, which is very easy to find at our nearby stores, because handling fish from scratch still won`t budge from my to-avoid list. </div>
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Anyway, since this dish was for our Saturday`s brunch where I wasn`t even sure if I was fully awake when I made it, it won`t take rocket science to whip it up within 30 min assuming that you use ready-to-use fish or fish fillet. After all, I know nothing about rocket, anyway. </div>
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Here`s the fish where they are already cleaned and butterflied. But I rinsed them again and patted dry with kitchen paper. </div>
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Lightly dust the fish with corn starch to help it crisp up and hold its shape during frying later.</div>
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And by frying, I mean add a bit of olive oil on a frying pan over medium heat and put the starch-coated fish there.</div>
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I love hearing something sizzling on Saturday morning. Anytime before 12 is morning, right?</div>
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When the fish has turned white and curled in, set them aside on a plate. </div>
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The chars were unintentional and I love how they made the grilly look on the fish.</div>
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I won`t blame you if you add salt to the fried fish and then..poof! They`re gone. It`s not your fault. </div>
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But if you can hold yourself a bit, here`s a little extra work Parsley, cherry tomatoes, and lemon. </div>
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Those colors are what my eyes need to open up. I feel healthy already just looking at them. </div>
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Chop up parsley and tomato, but leave a few whole tomatoes for serving later. Stir in olive oil and squeeze in lemon juice. Add the zest too if you want. Throw in sliced pickled jalapeno peppers and season with salt and black pepper. </div>
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Stir everything to combine and adjust the seasoning to your liking. When you`re done, add it to the fried fish you prepared earlier. </div>
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The fish is crispy on the outside but still juicy inside and the addition of sweet-tangy-hot salsa will make you chew them up quicker and add more on your plate. My husband enjoyed this with a plate of rice, but I wish I had some baked potatoes that day. It seems like I have to recreate this soon! </div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/horse-mackerel-with-tomato-and-jalapeno-pepper?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank"><b style="color: purple;">Print recipe</b></a></div>
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<div style="background-color: #ead1dc; text-align: justify;">
<b>HORSE MACKEREL WITH TOMATO AND JALAPENO PEPPER</b></div>
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<i>Serves two persons</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
<div style="background-color: #ead1dc; text-align: justify;">
4 horse mackerel, cleaned and butterflied</div>
<div style="background-color: #ead1dc; text-align: justify;">
1-2 Tbs corn starch for dusting</div>
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1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes</div>
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2-3 whole cherry tomatoes</div>
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2 Tbs lemon juice</div>
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1 cup chopped parsley</div>
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3 Tbs sliced pickled jalapeno pepper</div>
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1 Tbs olive oil </div>
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Salt</div>
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Black pepper</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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1. Clean and butterfly horse mackerel. Lightly rinse and pat dry with kitchen paper.</div>
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2. Lightly dust the fish with corn starch.</div>
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3. Add a bit of olive oil on a frying pan over medium heat and fry the fish.</div>
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4. When the fish has turned white and curled in, set them aside on a plate. </div>
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5. In a bowl, stir chopped parsley and tomato, olive oil, lemon juice (add the zest too if you want), and sliced jalapeno pepper. </div>
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6. Season with salt and black pepper. </div>
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7. Serve the fish with the tomato and jalapeno salsa. </div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-47179421587004435162012-07-04T01:42:00.000+09:002012-07-04T23:31:42.654+09:00Tokyo Banana Tree<div style="text-align: justify;">
It`s late now, but my eyes are still wide opened and I`m too awake to be sleepy. So, I guess I`d better use my energy to post something here because I happen to have something unusual to show you. One thing got my full attention when I came to Japanese stores was the vast options of baked goods and food specialties that are meant for souvenirs. But what impressed me most was the visual presentation. The food itself looks already delightful on its own, but the packing brings it to a higher level in aesthetic department. It`s obvious that in Japanese culture, you enjoy the food with your eyes <u>before</u> you actually eat it. And when we want to bring them as souvenirs or presents, the visual gorgeousness surely add up the whole happiness for both sides. Although environmentally speaking I`m not too keen on the individual packaging, especially for the bite-sized cakes or cookies, sometimes I think it comes in handy under some circumstances. </div>
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So, the coffee table in our laboratory is often filled with some food specialties brought as souvenirs (called "omiyage or お土産" in Japanese). As usual, they`re usually pretty and neat. But this one was very interesting that once I saw it, I brought one home because I knew I just had to take some pictures of it.<br />
If you come to Japan, chance is you`d hear about <a href="http://www.tokyobanana.jp/index.html" target="_blank">Tokyo Banana</a> and you`d probably won`t leave Japan without bring some home with you. Alright, I`m a little exaggerating here, but the point is, it`s super famous. It`s actually a banana-shaped banana sponge cake with bananaey custard filling. But recently, with the opening of Tokyo`s <a href="http://www.tokyo-skytree.jp/en/" target="_blank">SkyTree</a>, the Tokyo Banana maker released <a href="http://www.tokyobanana.jp/info/banana-tree.html" target="_blank">Tokyo Banana Tree with Choco Banana custard filling</a>...with leopard printing on the cake!</div>
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I`m definitely not into leopardy stuff (because honestly, I`m so much more into cows!) and I really have no idea how the leopard connects with the banana or cake. If you have some info on it, please share with us here because I`m so intrigued right now. <br />
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Is this art giving you some new ideas for your next kitchen projects already? </div>
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Done with the outside. Now the inside.<br />
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The thick custard had a quite strong accent of banana, although I wish the chocolate flavor stood out more. But generally, you won`t disappoint anyone with presents like this :)</div>
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Now I`m getting hungry and I think I want to grab a banana (the fruit, not the cake) before going to bed. </div>
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Nite nite! </div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-91181206660280477382012-06-26T23:38:00.002+09:002012-06-27T14:42:25.014+09:00Green tea and chocolate soy ice cream<div style="text-align: justify;">
This Sunday I`m going to take an exam for Japanese language proficiency and I`m supposed to <strike>meditate</strike> s-t-u-d-y, like right now. I <i>was</i> studying, but then my husband offered me to have a cup of ice cream I made this weekend (again!) and just like that, I`m now much more interested in sharing about it with you.So, it will be his fault if I end up abandoning my textbooks tonight. </div>
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Ice cream talk now. I`ve been wondering why I can`t find ice cream made of soy milk here in spite of the various products of plain soy milk or the flavored ones. I`ve learned that when the food I want is not available at the stores, or is not affordable for me, that means either I just forget about it or make it myself. Obviously, with my new toy in the kitchen, I did the latter one. Another reason why I make my own ice creams is I can adjust, aka. reduce the sweetness. I don`t actually often buy ice creams (or the popular Japanese soft cream) because I always find they`re too sweet for me. If you follow my recipe here and find that it`s not sweet enough for you, feel free to adjust the sweetness. </div>
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Just for a reminder, in making ice creams, I still don`t cook/heat anything and I don`t add eggs. </div>
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Start with dissolving the matcha (green tea) powder with soy milk gradually in a container. </div>
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The mixture will be frothy at first, but that`s alright. </div>
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While dissolving the matcha powder, stir honey or sugar in. </div>
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Add the remaining soy milk and pour the whole mixture to a different container while pushing it with the back of a spoon through a sieve repeatedly until no lumps are visible.</div>
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Taste it, stir in more honey or sugar if necessary, and add a pinch of salt. When you`re done, chill the mixture in the refrigerator 2-3 hours.</div>
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After the mixture is chilled enough, start churning it in an ice cream maker. </div>
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..until it has turned thick. </div>
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Transfer the ice cream to a container and keep it in freezer for 2-3 hours.</div>
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<i>Shouldn`t I be studying now?I can feel the books staring at me. Ugh.</i></div>
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Alright, to shorten this post, this is the chocolate soy ice cream that I made the next day. The method is pretty much the same, only this time I used cocoa powder. </div>
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This is how I kept the ice creams in one container. </div>
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And I didn`t do this on purpose. </div>
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Scooping time! </div>
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I`m sorry for showing you this green-brown messiness, but in my defense, the messiness is my signature. </div>
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Creaminess-wise, this soy ice cream is somewhere between sorbets and dairy cream-based ice creams. Much lighter than the regular ice creams, but still "creamier" compared to sorbets. It has a soft crunchy texture that might bring sorbets to mind, but the milkiness of the soy ice cream might make the difference. </div>
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I remember how I can feel the sweet stickiness remaining in my mouth
when I eat the regular ice cream, which I don`t find in this soy ice
cream. It melts and it`s gone very quickly. I don`t know if this is good
or bad, but if you`re looking for a lighter version of ice cream like
me, then this one is probably for you. </div>
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Enjoy!</div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/green-tea-and-chocolate-soy-ice-cream?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank"><b style="color: #4c1130;">Print recipe</b></a></div>
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<b>MATCHA (GREEN TEA) SOY ICE CREAM</b></div>
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<i>Makes about 500 ml</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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1 1/2 Tbs matcha (green tea) powder </div>
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450 ml plain soy milk</div>
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4 Tbs honey</div>
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A pinch of salt</div>
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<b>CHOCOLATE SOY ICE CREAM</b></div>
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<i>Makes about 500 ml</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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3 Tbs cocoa powder</div>
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450 ml plain soy milk</div>
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6 Tbs honey</div>
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A pinch of salt</div>
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<b>Method: </b></div>
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1. Dissolve matcha or cocoa powder and honey gradually with soy milk in separate containers.</div>
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2. Pour the mixture through a sieve repeatedly until no lumps are visible.</div>
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3. Add a pinch of salt, stir a bit, and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.</div>
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4. Churn all
the ingredients in an ice cream
maker according to the manual for 30 minutes or until the mixture has
thickened up.<br />
5. Transfer the ice cream to a freezing container and keep it in the freezer for another 2-3 hours before serving.</div>
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<i>Note: If using only one freezer bowl, make the ice cream one flavor a day. </i></div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-36077725940044189812012-06-22T23:59:00.000+09:002012-09-18T22:07:44.144+09:00A night to celebrate and share<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today is kind of a special day for me because....it`s my birthday!<br />
For my birthday this year, we had an almost spontaneous celebratory dinner at <a href="http://www.4129.net/" target="_blank">Higashiyama BBQ</a> (ひがしやま焼肉) and we really enjoyed our whole evening there!</div>
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We ordered this Korean namul or vegetable dish that consisted of gosari (bracken fern stem), bean sprout, spinach, and julienned daikon. </div>
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And of course, the Star of the night: the beef.</div>
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The beef was incredibly tender, but the beef tongue, which appeared on the picture above as small chunks, were a big hit too!</div>
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It`s amazing to see how health-conscious my husband is becoming now as he only ordered the small portion of rice (same like me!) and had a small amount of beef. By small I mean like 3 thin pieces of beef and 5 small chunks of tongue. We were in a BBQ restaurant and that`s all the meat we had!</div>
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Other than the health-concerned reason, though, we actually reserved some space for the next treat: Korean seafood and garlic chives (nira) pancake or usually called as chijimi in Japan. There were like 9 pieces of it and we started getting full before finishing the last 2 pieces. </div>
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Now, for the birthday <strike>girl</strike> me, the restaurant provided this dessert for free! Judging from the picture on the menu, the regular size of the dessert is
probably 2 or 3 times bigger than this. Since it was only two of us, I specifically asked them to
make it smaller and I was glad that I did because this was the right amount for us! What`s inside? Roll cakes, ice cream-filled cream puff, marshmallows, frozen fruits, whipped cream, and strawberry syrup. Saying those words makes me feel guilty, but under the name of annual celebration, we enjoyed them a lot. </div>
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Other than being free, it came with sparklers too!! I think both of us were so excited to see the sparklers on the dessert that we shamelessly kept saying "COOL!" when it was served on our table. It turned out that we got to get photographed with this dessert+sparklers by the waiter as a birthday present from the restaurant. Free dessert and a photograph. Double cool, right?! </div>
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So this is the birthday present to bring home! A birthday card with a postcard-sized photograph of us and the dessert. Thank you!!</div>
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Just a little introduction for those who are not familiar with Japanese calendar, in Japan, in addition to the regular calendar system, another year-naming system based on the year number of a Japanese imperial reign or era is commonly used in daily life. Currently, we are in the 24th year of Heisei era. So, as shown above, my birthday this year is written as:</div>
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平成24年(Heisei era-year 24, meaning year 2012) </div>
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6月(month 6, meaning June) </div>
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22日(day 22)</div>
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Finally we left the restaurant feeling very full and happy! Next, before heading home, we strolled around a bit near the Sendai station to play with the night shots. The weather was good, the wind was almost absent, and the sky...oh...just look at the sky!</div>
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Here is a picture taken by my husband. No matter how many times I came here (and I`ve been living in this city for 7 years!), I`m always amazed with this fantastic view of taxis lining super-neatly! If you come visit Sendai Station, you really have to see this spot yourself, although it`s probably hard to miss as the location is pretty much right in front of the station. </div>
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What a wonderful night we had! Now I`m a year older and happier. And hopefully healthier.</div>
Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-65439044644186867552012-06-18T23:28:00.001+09:002012-06-20T19:01:13.591+09:00Pineapple banana frozen yogurt and coffee ice cream<div style="text-align: justify;">
A while ago after I saw the gorgeous shots of <a href="http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/strawberry-cheesecake-ice-cream/" target="_blank">strawberry cheesecake ice cream by Nami of Just One Cookbook</a>, I couldn`t stop thinking about getting myself an ice cream maker. Although I`m usually more into frozen yogurt than ice cream, the idea of making such desserts at home sounds terrific to me. And hellooo...summer is so close already! </div>
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I`m really glad that Nami also gave the Amazon link for her ice cream maker because I was totally clueless about any ice cream maker. Although it turned out that the one that I wanted isn`t available here and there is a 100 USD shipping charge if I purchase it from Amazon US (unbelievable, right?!), I decided to purchase <a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1014511882">the older version of the Cuisinart ice cream maker</a><a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/Cuisinart-Cream-%E3%82%AF%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B8%E3%83%8A%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88-%E3%82%A2%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B9%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0-%E3%83%95%E3%83%AD%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA%E3%83%B3%E3%83%A8%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B0%E3%83%AB%E3%83%88%EF%BC%86%E3%82%BD%E3%83%AB%E3%83%99%E3%83%A1%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC-CIM-60PCJ/dp/B0052C0MQI" target="_blank"> </a>through Amazon Japan and my new toy is here now! Yeehaaa!</div>
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My first ever homemade ice cream was blueberry ice cream using the recipe that came with the manual. The recipe was a quick and simple one as it doesn`t involve any cooking. Just chill the ingredients and churn them altogether in the freezer bowl. I`m also a bit hesitant about including eggs in making ice creams, so I decided to make no-cook and eggless ice creams. Using this method, my blueberry ice cream turned out okay for a starting point and I`m so excited to learn and create more. </div>
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My second product is this coffee ice cream, which is still no-cook and eggless version. I also used decaffeinated instant coffee as I don`t want to stay awake all night after devouring it. I was initially worried about the texture of ice cream because I omit the eggs and the cooking process, but the result was still pretty much satisfying. My husband and I super lllllove this ice cream both for the taste and texture and I had to keep an eye on him because otherwise he would easily finish the whole batch I made. I guess I don`t need to go to Baskin-Robbins for a cup of coffee ice cream anymore! </div>
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After having nonstop sugary and creamy days, for my next trial, I made frozen yogurt using pineapple and banana. The idea is to use as many fruits as possible and borrow their natural sweetness for the dessert. For the fruit, I initially intended to use pineapple only, but then I thought that I needed something to give more thickness in the mixture and that led me to include banana. </div>
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So this is where I have the pineapple and banana cut into chunks and I was ready to puree them until.....</div>
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</div>
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I remembered that I forgot something. The yogurt. So typical me.</div>
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7393412962_6bb29e02d8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7098/7393412962_6bb29e02d8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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After everything has turned into this pale yellow smoothie texture, I tasted it and decided to add a few tablespoons of honey. Sweet and sour. I`m happy now. </div>
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7393413388_b869eca8bd_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7393413388_b869eca8bd_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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So I did still add more sweetener here, but comparing it to how much sugar I used for my previous ice creams makes me feel better. </div>
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Here it comes my magic bowl!</div>
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I set the mixing paddle in the freezer bowl, which had been kept in freezer overnight, put the lid on, turn the machine on, and pour the puree through the spout. </div>
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I set my timer for 30 minutes and let the magic happens. </div>
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While waiting for that, I chop some of the pineapple chunks that I have reserved. </div>
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After 20 mins or so, the puree thickened up and started to reach the top of the paddle. How exciting is this!</div>
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The frozen yogurt turned thicker and thicker and before I turned off the machine, I sprinkled in the chopped pineapple and churned it for another 5 minutes. </div>
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Voilà! It`s done! The mixture might seem too gooey at this step, but after another hour in the freezer (not the bowl), it set nicely. </div>
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Oh, I`m totally in love with my ice cream maker. </div>
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I`m not sure if I`ve ever tried sorbet, or at least a decent one before, but this dessert looks more like sorbet than frozen yogurt to me, especially if I compare it to Golden Spoons` products. I`m not sure why, but probably the absence of milk or double cream in it have something to do with that. And speaking of sorbet, the day when I made this dessert and finished my photo-work, I found that Nami has posted her <a href="http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/pineapple-sorbet/" target="_blank">pineapple sorbet with banana</a> too! Maybe the weather has made us think of exactly the same fruits :D</div>
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なみさんへ:同じようなデザートを作っちゃって、すみません!</div>
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I apologize for the wilted look of the mint leaves, but I hope it doesn`t suck out all the sunshinyness of the dessert. A verdict on the taste, next time I probably will use less banana for this as the banana turned out to have very strong aroma that almost overpower the pineapple. But all in all, the result made me smile from ear to ear!</div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/pineapple-banana-frozen-yogurt?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank">Print recipe</a></div>
<div style="background-color: #ead1dc; text-align: justify;">
<b>PINEAPPLE </b><b>BANANA</b><b> FROZEN YOGURT</b></div>
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<i>Makes approximately 1 liter</i></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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1 pineapple, cored and cut into chunks </div>
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<i>Reserve some of the pineapple chunks and chop up </i></div>
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2 banana (or less), cut into chunks </div>
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400 g plain yogurt (I used non-fat)</div>
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4 Tbs honey</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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1. Puree all the ingredients and chill the puree in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.</div>
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2. Churn the puree in an ice cream maker according to the manual for 30 minutes or until the puree has thickened up.</div>
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3. Five minutes before stopping the churning process, add the reserved pineapple to the frozen yogurt.</div>
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4. Transfer everything to a freezing container and keep it in the freezer for another 2-3 hours.</div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/coffee-ice-cream?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank">Print recipe</a></div>
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<b>COFFEE ICE CREAM</b></div>
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<i>Makes approximately 1 liter</i></div>
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<b><br />
</b></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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400 ml double cream</div>
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200 ml milk</div>
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150 g sugar</div>
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3 Tbs decaffeinated instant coffee</div>
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1/2 tsp salt</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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1. Chill all the liquid ingredients in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.</div>
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2. Dissolve instant coffee with some part of the milk. </div>
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3. Churn all the ingredients, including the dissolved instant coffee, in an ice cream maker according to the manual for 30 minutes or until the mixture has thickened up.</div>
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4. Transfer everything to a freezing container and keep it in the freezer for another 2-3 hours.</div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-66622495891951821272012-06-16T18:15:00.001+09:002012-06-16T22:31:03.490+09:00Ketupat sayur (spicy vegetable soup with rice cake)<div style="text-align: justify;">
It was a cold Sunday night when my husband and I were craving for a bowl of spicy soup and we ended up drooling over our imagination of a bowl of spicy vegetable soup with rice cake pieces underneath. That dish is called "ketupat sayur" or "lontong sayur" in Indonesia and you can read about the ketupat/lontong description, including how to make the rice cake using a very simple trick, <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/01/rice-cake.html" target="_blank">in my post here</a>. I realized that although I`ve made several dishes served with the rice cake, ketupat/lontong sayur wasn`t among of them. So I made them the next night and next thing I knew, each of us was holding a bowl of it devouring all the goodness. As my rice cake was rather in rectangular (ketupat) pieces than cylindrical (lontong) ones, I decided to call this dish as ketupat sayur, even though the rice cake wasn`t an original ketupat rice cake and the soup contained quite different vegetables. </div>
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Let`s cook now!</div>
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First thing to do is gather all the spices you have at home and I`m half kidding saying that. </div>
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You can see the spices I used in the list I provide at the end of this post, but you certainly can experiment with your favorite spices. I also love adding
dried shrimp or shrimp paste to this kind of spicy food. If you are not
big with the "stinkiness" of the shrimp paste, then I recommend you to
use the dried shrimp instead as it gives a much milder shrimpy aroma. </div>
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</div>
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Last year me would have blitz all these spices in a food processor until they turned into paste, but this year me is <strike>lazy and</strike> happy enough with the chop-chop work. </div>
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Next, heat oil in a pot and cook all the spices in the list and add the shrimp too until oh-so-good smell fills the whole kitchen. </div>
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After the solid, here comes the liquid. I use coconut milk powder dissolved with water, but you can also add chicken or beef stock for more flavor. One thing to consider with the liquid volume is you`d better add the coconut milk to fill only one third to half of the pot because you need to leave some space for vegetables later. If you need to, you can add the coconut milk or water again later after all the vegetables are in. </div>
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7378277570_6eea4804d8_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8144/7378277570_6eea4804d8_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Stir and adjust the taste. For seasoning, I use fish sauce, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. </div>
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By the way, to make this dish as a vegan diet, just omit the dried shrimp/shrimp paste and fish sauce and use water instead of chicken/beef stock.</div>
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Veggie time!</div>
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<a href="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7378277198_87011192b3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7378277198_87011192b3_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I always use pre-packaged boiled bamboo shoots, so what I do is just wash and chop them. </div>
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For the 1000th time, I`m sorry to show you this shimeji mushroom again.
Since I have lived here, I just don`t know how to live without it. Or any
mushrooms, as a matter of fact. </div>
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Stir and simmer for about 15 minutes while adjusting the taste if necessary. </div>
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After you`re done adjusting the soup taste, last thing to add is bean sprouts. Since the sprouts are very quick to cook, just turn off the heat, and put a lid on for 10 minutes to let the sprouts cook with the heat and steam.</div>
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Although I haven`t had the original ketupat sayur for certainly a long time, I still can remember how it tasted and adding these bean sprouts in the ketupat sayur dish really gave me a whole new pleasant experience. </div>
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Alright, the vegetable soup is done and now is time to arrange the dish.</div>
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What you need for ketupat sayur other then the vegetable soup is rice cake. My husband is always in charge with the rice cake making. So here`s the rice cake he`s made by pressing hot steamed rice in a tupper bowl lined with cling wrap and let cool for a while. </div>
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Cut the rice cakes, place them in a bowl, and add fried tofu strips. Please remember that this rice cake is basically a compact version of regular cooked rice, so although the rice cake pieces in the bowl seems not enough, it`s actually very fulfilling. </div>
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You can add the fried tofu in the soup instead, but I personally prefer this way. </div>
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Next thing to do is ladle the soup over and garnish with green onion and fried onion. I don`t have fried onion in hand, but I really wish I had. </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
It`s spicy, red, full of vegetables, and fulfilling. You certainly can serve the soup with regular cooked rice or even noodles, but in my opinion, the nice compact consistency of the rice cake brings a different texture to the whole dish. </div>
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I hope you will give this a try and love it too!</div>
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Have a nice weekend!</div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/ketupat-sayur?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank">Print recipe</a><b><br /></b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<b>KETUPAT SAYUR</b> (spicy vegetable curry with rice cake)</div>
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<i>Serves 3-4 persons</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<u>Spices </u></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
6 cloves garlic, chopped</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 onion, chopped</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 chili </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
4 Tbs chili powder </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 Tbs grated ginger</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp cloves</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp cardamom</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 star anise</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1/2 tsp turmeric</div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 Tbs dried shrimps</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 Tbs fish sauce </div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
500 ml coconut milk (or 1 cup coconut powder dissolved in 2 cups water or chicken/beef stock)</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 cups bamboo shoots, chopped</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2 cups shimeji mushroom</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3 cups bean sprouts</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1 tsp brown sugar</div>
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Salt</div>
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Pepper </div>
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</div>
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Fried tofu strips for garnish</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Chopped green onion for garnish</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Fried onion (recommended, but not shown here) </div>
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Cooked rice for rice cake (check out the method <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/01/rice-cake.html" target="_blank">here</a>)</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
1. Heat oil in a pot and cook all the spices until fragrant.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
2. Stir in coconut milk.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
3. Add chopped bamboo shoots and shimeji mushroom to the pot.</div>
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4. Season with brown sugar, salt, and pepper and let simmer for about 15 mins with occasional stirring..</div>
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5. Add bean sprouts to the pot, turn off the heat, and put a lid for about 10 mins to let the sprouts cook.</div>
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<u>To serve with rice cake</u></div>
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1. Cut the rice cake into desirable shapes and arrange the pieces on a bowl.</div>
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2. Add fried tofu strips to the bowl, pour over the soup, and garnish with chopped green onion and fried onion.</div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-25590475003960942232012-06-05T01:56:00.001+09:002012-06-05T02:26:56.616+09:00Tamago kakegohan (hot steamed rice topped with raw egg)<div style="text-align: justify;">
After repeatedly whining about my foodless posts these days, I finally had something post-able today that doesn`t include my scooter. But as you might already guess from the title, I must warn those of you who are <u>not</u> into eating raw eggs. I`m perfectly aware of how the sight of raw eggs eaten as they are can be quite challenging in some cultures. I myself did not grow up in "raw food" culture, except for some vegetables. First time I saw this raw egg served on a bowl of hot steamed rice called <b>tamago kakegohan</b> in Japanese was on TV during my first year in Japan and I kept saying, "Why? Why? Why???". Years passed by and I still couldn`t make myself have it despite how intriguing it looked to me. It was only recently that I finally challenged myself and later decided that this tamago kakegohan is certainly one of my comfort Japanese food next after (or before??) natto. </div>
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So, if you think you are not comfortable with this particular food, then you might be better stop scrolling down your mouse and browse my other recipes instead :) </div>
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And for those of you are curious and interested in trying, I need to say these few things loud and clear first. </div>
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1. Only eat raw eggs when they are still fresh. As fresh as possible. In Japan, most of the eggs in the stores are stamped with the "use before" date, which usually also indicates the safe period for raw consumption. But please confirm the safety instruction on the pack if you`re not sure. For me, I usually only eat them raw within 3-4 days after I bought them and kept in the fridge. Longer than that, the eggs will be served as cooked dish or baked items. </div>
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2. If you are pregnant, sick, or are having problem with your immunity system, don`t eat the eggs raw unless you have consulted with your doctors. I`m not knowledgeable enough to tell you what`s good or bad, but generally speaking, one needs to be extra cautious about the food choice during such conditions. <br />
3. If you live in Japan, it`s very likely that you won`t have any problem with finding "suitable" eggs for raw consumption. But if you don`t and you`re not sure about the food safety, pasteurized eggs seems to be a good option. I found this tips from <a href="http://www.lafujimama.com/2012/02/tamago-kake-gohan-egg-over-rice/" target="_blank">Rachael of La Fuji Mama</a> (thank you, Rachael!), so you might want to hop over her blog to see her version of tamago kakegohan too. <br />
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Now I`m finished with the cautions, are you ready for the adventure?<br />
First thing to do is to stay away from your stove. Instead, go get a bowl of hot steamed rice, make a little well in the center, and crack in a fresh egg.<br />
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Sometimes I don`t bother to make the well and I just place the egg right on top of the rice. <br />
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The simplest way in making tamago kakegohan is probably by drizzling soy sauce or sprinkle salt over. <br />
But I never do that and I don`t know why. I always add something for topping. What I`m showing you here is sesame seeds and dried shrimps. If I had kimchi, I would have added it in too. <br />
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Then, I <i>have to</i> add ra-yu, or chili-infused sesame oil. Whatever topping I use, ra-yu is always in it. <br />
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I sprinkle a bit of salt too as this whole set would be quite bland without it. When I want the nuttiness from the sesame seed and sesame oil to stand out, I usually opt for salt rather than soy sauce. <br />
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On top of everything, I added shredded nori (seaweed) paper and sprinkled some more sesame seed. <br />
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Done! How long was that? 5 seconds??<br />
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Now here`s my most favorite part of the eating ritual. <br />
Dig the chopsticks in to break the egg underneath, stir it in circular movement until the rice is gradually coated by the creamy egg. Then, hold your breath...<br />
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...and scoop the eggy rice now...yum yum yum!<br />
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This rich, creamy, and comforting bowl of rice despite of its simplicity is a real no-fuss food, which is also my go-to menu after a hectic or exhausting day. This dish seems to be popular as breakfast menu among Japanese, but I often make this for my express dinner. One thing I feel inside every time I have this bowl of tamago kakegohan in my hands is, "Ah, it`s good to be home". </div>
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Hope your adventure goes well too!</div>
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<b>TAMAGO KAKEGOHAN</b></div>
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<i>Serves 1 person</i><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
1 bowl of hot steamed rice<br />
1 fresh whole egg<br />
1 Tbs sesame seeds<br />
1 Tbs dried shrimps<br />
2 tsp Ra-yu (chili-infused sesame oil) <br />
Shredded nori paper<br />
Salt<br />
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<b>Method:</b><br />
1. Prepare a bowl of hot steamed rice (Optional: make a well in the center). <br />
2. Crack a fresh egg in the center or on top of the rice.<br />
3. Sprinkle sesame seeds, dried shrimps, and salt over.<br />
4. Drizzle ra-yu (chili-infused sesame oil)over.<br />
5. Sprinkle shredded nori paper and some more sesame seeds.</div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-76162066868503082222012-06-02T01:48:00.003+09:002012-09-03T22:38:57.164+09:00Reintroducing my Baby G<div style="text-align: justify;">
I`m back! But still not with food to share, sooowww-rrryyy....! </div>
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I think I`m really having a crisis in my cooking department as I can`t even think a single home-made dish to blog about. And to make things worse, whatever I baked turned out to be disasters. What is happening to me?? Have you ever experienced that? </div>
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So, while I`m crossing my fingers (again) hoping that my cooking and food-blogging days will be back soon, I`d like share some detailed pictures of <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2012/04/hello-again.html" target="_blank">my Baby G scooter</a> I`ve written about last month. </div>
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As I`m a newborn baby in motorcycle world and this Giorno is my very first scooter, I know practically nothing about the technical matters. But as someone who now commutes on a scooter everyday, I do have some thoughts on the design as well as the featured functions that I`d like to share. This <a href="http://www.honda.co.jp/GIORNO/" target="_blank">Honda Giorno</a> is the latest version of 4-stroke 50-cc Honda scooter released in
January 2011. It seems that Honda will release this Giorno under a
different name in US too called <a href="http://powersports.honda.com/2013/metropolitan.aspx" target="_blank">Honda Metropolitan</a>. So if you`re in US and already eyeing that, maybe these pictures can give you more previews to consider before getting one. If you`re a motorcyclist or a scooter-lover, hopefully you`ll find this post enjoyable. But if you`re not a motorcycle person at all, I still hope that this post will give you some new insight about a one-person commuter alternative with much less fuel consumption and carbon emission than an SUV. </div>
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Let`s start with the front view. </div>
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If you`re familiar with Honda`s classic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Super_Cub" target="_blank">Super Cub</a>, you`ll probably see the resemblance between the Giorno`s headlight and the Cub`s. After parking it side-by-side with my husband`s 110-cc Super Cub, I noticed that the Giorno`s headlight is bigger and rounder like a big bubble. The winker lights on the right and left also have round shapes making them look like two small bubbles. Now, if there`s only one keyword to describe Giorno`s design, it is: CURVY. Almost every part of the body is curvy and that fits me really well as I didn`t want a scooter with strong lines and pointy sides. I also love the U-shaped line on the front cover as it reminds me of my dream <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_New_Beetle" target="_blank">Volkswagen`s new Beetle</a>.</div>
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This is the left handle where the headlight switch, winker light switch (slide right/left to turn the light on and push to turn off), and klaxon are placed near to it.</div>
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Next to the right throttle is the electric starter button. This scooter has a kick starter on its left side, but the mechanic told me to always use the electric starter and I`m more than happy to follow that. Simply hold the left brake, push the starter, and off you go!</div>
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Another closer look of the headlight and winker light. </div>
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And this is probably the part I love the most. I wouldn`t ever guess that I could fall in love with a speedometer! But with a speedometer as cute as this, how could not I?? The font type and color really add up the total cuteness of the scooter not to mention how BIG the whole speedometer is. I probably haven`t seen enough scooters or other 50-cc motorcycles in my life, but this speedometer is definitely the biggest one I`ve ever seen. </div>
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As in other speedometers, it shows the fuel amount (the full amount is 4.6 liters), speed in km/h unit, overspeed indicator, and starter lamp. The manual says that the scooter runs for approximately 70 km/liter at 30 km/h speed, which is the speed limit for a 50-cc motorcycle according to Japan`s traffic regulation. But my husband said that given that the scooter doesn`t run on that speed constantly, that is sometimes at 40 km/h and sometimes stopping for a few minutes during red lights with the engine still on, it should consume slightly more fuel than what stated. He predicts that 50 km/liter seems reasonable enough and I`m still confirming on that. </div>
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As for the lamps on the lower right, the lower lamp blinks for a few seconds when the key is turned to ON position. The upper lamp is an overspeed indicator as it blinks when the scooter runs faster than 30 km/h.</div>
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The rear view. Again, everything looks round. The backlights, the seat, the rear holder, and the compartments. It`s plural?</div>
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It is! First, tadaaaa...the inner compartment where I can keep my helmet, gloves, important motorcycle-related documents, and a tire lock, which I never use. I`ll explain about this in a minute. </div>
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The second compartment is placed behind the front cover. This compartment is actually shallower than what I`ve expected, but it still comes in handy for keeping some stuff. Here I have my raincoat on the left and a 500-ml water bottle on the right. On the middle there are two connected hooks where I usually hang my hand bags. One small thing I`m not keen on these hooks is its height from the floor. I wish they were at a higher position so my long-shouldered bags don`t have to touch the floor. But hey, they are still much better than nothing at all, arent`t they? </div>
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A closer look on the key panel. Other than the engine key, handle lock, and seat lock, the panel is equipped with a key shutter, which is a common feature for motorcycles here. This key shutter is a very convenient way to lock the motorcycle, thus becomes the reason why I never use my tire lock, which I got from the shop for free. </div>
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Last, the side view. In <i>my</i> opinion, there are two main things that make a two-wheeled motorized vehicle a scooter other than they have to look like Vespa or Lambretta. I`m sorry. I just feel really weird writing long post about scooter without mentioning those names. Now, which parts of Vespa and Lambretta define the scooterness? <u>One</u>, the design that makes the rider sits on the motorcycle as if sitting on a regular chair or a car seat where the rider`s knees don`t need to stay far apart. No fuel tank in the middle, just nothing.A good reason too why scooters are more popular among female riders compared with other motorcycles. <u>Two</u>, the tires are small. Much smaller than a kid bicycle parked next to my Baby G. </div>
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I know there are other scooters with different seat design, riding position, and bigger tires, but for me, it takes me those two things above to call something a scooter. </div>
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I`m finished explaining about my Baby G, but I`m dying to show you my two dream 50-cc scooters. After having the "cute", someday I want the "bold and fun" too :)))</div>
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Like this handsome<a href="http://www.yamaha-motor.jp/mc/lineup/scooter/vox/color/" target="_blank">Yamaha Vox</a>...</div>
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Or this super fun-looking <a href="http://www.honda.co.jp/ZOOMER/photo/01/index.html" target="_blank">Honda Zoomer</a> (or Honda Ruckus in US). </div>
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Did I say two or three? Three, right? This is the third one. I`m still not sure about this <a href="http://www.yamaha-motor.jp/ev/ec-03/" target="_blank">Yamaha`s electric motorcycle EV-03</a>, but totally curious. </div>
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Thanks for bearing with me and my scooter-talk! Enjoy your weekend, everyone!</div>
Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-81347662278913823802012-05-05T22:04:00.000+09:002012-05-05T22:35:47.344+09:00Saturday in colors at Michinoku Park<div style="text-align: justify;">
Japan is currently enjoying the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Week_%28Japan%29" target="_blank">Golden Week</a>, which will end tomorrow, and I am one of those who luckily have the luxury to enjoy it. My Golden Week this year is quite different with my previous ones as I spent some quality time with my friend Mi-chan instead of my husband. I know that she loves taking pictures, so I asked her if she would join me visiting <a href="http://www.thr.mlit.go.jp/m-park/english/index.html" target="_blank">Michinoku Park</a> where the tulip flowers are fully blooming. I was really glad when she said "Let`s go!" and today we finally made the trip.</div>
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As usual, I don`t really have the explanation about the flowers or the pictures, but I`m really keen on sharing the colors with you. </div>
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Here is what welcomed us when we entered the park:</div>
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The flowers:</div>
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And the visitors:</div>
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To Mi-chan, thanks for this wonderful trip and being super patient with me! </div>
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</div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-74389400941235927452012-05-01T23:05:00.001+09:002012-05-01T23:37:25.505+09:00Hanami: Part 2 (Ogawara-machi)<div style="text-align: justify;">
To extend the sakura stories from my previous post, these are some photos from our sakura trip at Ogawara-machi, a place famous for its sakura sightseeing spot located about 30 km to the south from Sendai. </div>
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First thing first. Breakfast. Nope, brunch. We had this brunch near the station where we would depart. </div>
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Carbs, checked. Protein, checked. Fat, checked and checked. </div>
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I overate. Not a good start for a long-walk trip, but ready to go now!</div>
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We went there by train and the one-way trip took about 30 min from Sendai Station. </div>
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When the train was approaching the Ogawara area, we could see the sakura trees already lining up beautifully. </div>
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This is what we have expected to see when we got there. It was Saturday, sunny, and very warm. Although the sakura season is almost over, that kind of weather certainly attracted many people to visit this place. </div>
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Ah. He`s already busy there.</div>
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And look what he saw up there! </div>
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I think this is the most loved spot at Ogawara. As far as you can see along the river bank is sakura, sakura, and sakura. I`m so glad I finally have this picture here. </div>
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Now this is what hanami is all about. Enjoying the food with your loved ones surrounded by the beauty. </div>
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Looks very cozy there, doesn`t it?</div>
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But we weren`t there for a picnic, so we kept walking. Calorie-burning and cardio-walking. And photographing. We walked for about 4 hours and took a 30-min rest for a light lunch.</div>
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Here`s what we`ve got from the rest of our walk and hereafter I`ll let the pictures tell the story to you themselves. </div>
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The sun was setting down and we finally had to end the trip and catch the train home. </div>
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It was a very, very amazing trip.</div>
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Before this trip, the last time I visited this place was three years ago where I happened to meet a guy I knew before. We talked for like a minute and just like that, I had a crush on him and our story begins from there. Now we are happily married and that`s what hanami and Ogawara-machi mean to me. </div>
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See you next year, lovely sakura!</div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-65515598860814989582012-04-29T23:31:00.001+09:002012-04-30T18:22:47.238+09:00Hanami: Part 1<div style="text-align: justify;">
April in Japan is time for "hanami (花見)", which literally means "flower watching". During hanami, people usually spend sometime outside under the sakura trees having picnics with friends, family, or colleagues. This April is my 8th hanami, but it was only recently I realized that I didn`t have any decent pictures of the sakura, except for <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/04/blossoming-hopes.html" target="_blank">this one</a>. Thinking how ridiculous that was and that April is about to end, I was so determined to go sakura hunting while I can. As a result, although I could only got the pictures from two places, I was very happy with what I`ve got. The first place was in my campus where I work and the second one was in Ogawara, 30 km down the south from Sendai. For now, I only share some pictures from my campus and I will share the other pictures from Ogawara in the next post. </div>
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These pictures were taken on an overcast day where I was hurrying shooting with my camera before the rain started to pour. One thing I learned is this kind of weather actually give the best lighting situation, although probably it still depends on what kind of mood you want to have from the pictures. Gloominess due to the low light was what I`ve thought would come out of the pictures, but I was wrong! Especially for the close-ups (although not macros), with the soft light blotchlessly lit everything up, they look rather dreamy and soothing to me. I`ve heard about the photography tips recommending shooting on an overcast day, but when I actually experienced it I was glad that was true! Another lesson: never leave your macro lens at home if you have any.</div>
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I hope you all enjoy this virtual hanami and stay tuned for the next sakura trip!</div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-74309988872557600752012-04-29T21:53:00.000+09:002012-05-14T20:24:33.041+09:00Shrimp scampi<div style="text-align: justify;">
When it comes to shrimp, I have to be in my best mood. My husband is not big on shrimp shells and feet as he had a terrible experience with them and thus, I`ve never left them as is ever since. I don`t know if I don`t do it right, but for me deshelling and deveining the shrimps usually take more time and patience than the cooking itself. That`s why cooking shrimps is never on my to-do list when I`m under the weather. But the funny thing is, as much as I find the cleaning part is annoying, most of the results awed me so much that I`m more than willing to repeat the whole process. </div>
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This shrimp scampi is one of those tedious but scrumptious menu I`ve tried. But I`d like you to know that I half-heartedly call it tedious because once you`ve went through the cleaning part and put the shrimps on the pan, the dish will finish like in a blink of an eye (an eye that will take like 5-10 mins to do so). </div>
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Alright, without further ado, here`s how to prepare our Sunday night`s shrimp scampi.</div>
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Deshell, but leave the tails intact, and devein the shrimps. Leaving the tails on prevent the shrimps from curling in too much during cooking. Or if you prefer to have the shells on, you can just slit the back of the shrimps and devein them. </div>
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Wash the shrimps and drain the excess water. </div>
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Our key ingredients today, other than the shrimp itself: lemon and coriander. </div>
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You just can`t go wrong with them. </div>
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By the way, I always freeze my coriander because it`s a rare ingredient here. That`s why the coriander looks wilted in the picture. For those of you who live in places where you can get coriander effortlessly, you`re lucky, my friends. </div>
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To the shrimps, add lemon juice, chopped coriander, chopped garlic, and chili. Deseed the chili if you want milder heat. Add salt and pepper to season, but you can add these later during cooking. </div>
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Stir everything and heat a bit of oil over medium heat. </div>
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Add the shrimps and everything to the heated pan and cook for 5-10 mins with occasional stirring until the juice has thickened.<br />
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See? Only a few steps and you`re done! </div>
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These lemony shrimps are definitely to be served many times in our house. I probably will sigh again during the cleaning, but the happy (and yummy) ending is totally worth the effort. </div>
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I feel like summer is coming already! </div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/shrimp-scampi?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: purple;">Print recipe</span></b></a></div>
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<b>SHRIMP SCAMPI</b></div>
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<i>Serves 2 persons</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">20-25 medium shrimps, deshelled and deveined </span></div>
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<b> </b><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">2 Tbs lemon juice </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">5 cloves garlic </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">2 tsp coriander, chopped </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> Pepper</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span><b style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Method:</b><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">1. Deshell and devein the shrimps but leave the tail intact. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">2. Wash the shrimps and drain. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">3. Add lemon juice, garlic, coriander, salt, and pepper to the shrimps and stir well. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">4. Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan and add the shrimps and the marinating juice Cook until the juice has thickened.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-34553188786142299422012-04-15T22:12:00.001+09:002012-04-16T20:11:22.294+09:00Hello again!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Gosh...I really thought my blog would go rusty as I seemed to abandon it for quite sometime now. To be honest, though, other than being occupied with some works, I`ve been losing my appetites for cooking and experimenting with food. As a result, we`ve been eating outside awfully a lot these days. I know, it`s sad. Eating outside (very often) is sad. Not being able to share what I`ve created in my kitchen with you is even sadder, especially when I come to realize the reason I started this blog in the first place. However, when I talked about this to my husband, he just told me not to worry much and he`s sure I`ll be busy again with my stove, oven, and mixer very soon. I guess he`s right. Or I hope he is. He has to be. </div>
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In the meantime, for a happy talk, I have a great news to share. Plus, I really have to show off my new lovely baby to you. </div>
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I actually had been planning to get a motorcycle driving license since last year, so somewhere around <u>last summer or fall</u>, I bought two books for practicing the exam. After running out of excuses not to study, I was finally able to force myself to cram in all the stuff and kanjis in my head just last month. Armed with (my husband`s) electronic dictionary, my husband (he`s far more fluent in Japanese and experienced in riding/driving than me), and the books, I studied for several days during my spring vacation. You heard me right, my vacation was all about studying and taking the exam. I knew nothing about riding motorcycle or driving or traffic signs, except for red means stop and green means go. So, cramming in all new stuff within days for an exam with no less than 90% passing score was a big challenge for me. Not to mention the riding itself!</div>
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But those gazillion cups of coffee and hard work totally paid off since <b>I passed the exam! Hoorraaay!! </b></div>
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To take the exam, I had to attend a lecture and riding lesson at the driving license center (which just sounds like "police office" to me). It started from 8:30 am, continued with the exam at 1 pm, and finally I`ve got my license almost at 5 pm. Phhewwww! It was a very exhausting day, but certainly one of the happiest moments in my life. And apparently his too, as he seemed even much happier than me! </div>
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When I got home that day, I quickly browsed for 50-cc scooters on the internet and it was a very exciting process! I`ve fallen for this Honda Crea Scoopy:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from Goobike.jp</td></tr>
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...then I thought the blue one was cute too...</div>
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...and then later came the Yamaha Vino, which looks much shinier and rounder, ...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from <a href="http://www.yamaha-motor.jp/mc/lineup/scooter/vino/color/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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...and that`s it! I wanted Vino. The beige one. Or the blue one. Or red? </div>
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After deciding, on a Saturday noon, we went to a motorcycle dealer and guess what I saw. For the first time ever. This Honda Giorno scooter. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from <a href="http://www.honda.co.jp/GIORNO/" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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In a glance I thought I was looking at Vino, but I wasn`t. And just like that, I forgot the Vino already. Next thing I knew, I rode my baby ivory Giorno home. Wohoohooo!<br />
Oh well, I need to come clean, though. Despite my big and sudden crush on the scooter, my first time riding it on the road was definitely a not-so-fun experience. I got cold feet and felt so dreadful while driving it behind my husband who drove ahead as my guide that I had a meltdown once I got home (safely). But when the morning came, I fell in love again and I couldn`t wait to give it (and myself) another try. And I`m so glad I did! My next riding wasn`t so bad, although it still needs huge improvement, and I even started to enjoy the whole experience. </div>
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So, at the moment I am all about practing, practicing, and practicing while being careful and super slow on the road. You see, the book says 30 km/h max for 50-cc motorcycle and that`s exactly what I do. <br />
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With this addition, we are now a family of four and very exciting to welcome the sakura blossom!</div>
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Hope you had a great weekend too! Beep beep!</div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-17120853630033288442012-03-17T18:12:00.000+09:002012-03-18T17:25:52.546+09:00Cheese cookies<div style="text-align: justify;">
What a cold cloudy Saturday evening we`re having here! I remember telling you all in my previous post how I was ready to welcome the spring, but what really happened for these past two weeks was snow still occasionally came to cover everything in white. Like these. </div>
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Regardless of that chilly whiteness, I know the spring and sunshine will come to us eventually (they have to!), and in the mean time, let`s check out how I made my easy-peasy cheese cookies. The recipe is actually a modification from an English chocolate biscuit recipe in Nigella Christmas, which is a very good crispy cookie recipe that I keep making again and again. As I ended up having too much sweetness, I thought I wanted something savory this time. I actually have posted a <a href="http://aboxofkitchen.blogspot.jp/2011/06/garlic-cheese-seaweed-cookies.html" target="_blank">cheese cookie recipe</a> before, but this time I made it eggless, simpler, with much less salt content, but still with amazing result. </div>
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Now, savory cookie lovers, are you ready?</div>
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Grate cheddar cheese and set it aside. I llllove red cheddar. Just look at that color!</div>
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Due to my super low kitchen temperature, I usually soften my butter in the microwave. If you too use microwave, heat and check it every few seconds. Just be careful not to overheat it because you don`t want <i>completely</i> melted butter here. I do sometimes have my butter a bit melted at the base, but I just go on and the cookies turn out fine. </div>
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So, soften your butter and cream it in a mixing bowl until it has turned pale and much creamier.<br />
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Fold in the grated cheese now. </div>
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Sift in flour and baking powder until the mixture has turned into dough consistency.</div>
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My dough here looks very crumbly, but I learned that it will turn into a nice dough when I use my hand for the final mixing. I guess the heat from my hand helps resoften and melt the butter and thus combine with the flour. </div>
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Shape the dough into logs with equal sizes, wrap with a cling wrap, and keep them in refrigerator for at least an hour. </div>
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My kitchen counter and fridge don`t have large space, so I always make the logs short. Mine in the picture were about 4-cm in diameter and 10-cm long. If you`re in a hurry, though, you can just roll out the dough on the counter and cut it up with a cookie cutter like making sugar cookies. But for those of you who have the same space problem like me and don`t mind with simple coin shape, I think you`ll find this log-cool-cut method very helpful.<br />
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After an hour or so in the fridge, cut the dough into fat coins. Mine were about 2-cm thick here. </div>
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Cutting up a cold dough always makes me feel really good! By the way, you can keep the dough in the freezer for a longer storage time and bake later when you want. I usually make 4 logs, bake 2 logs, and keep the other 2 logs in the freezer. </div>
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Arrange the coins onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them in a preheated oven at 170 C for 20 mins. </div>
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Your kitchen and home will smell really great during the baking!</div>
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These cookies will melt in your mouth and you will have difficulty to stop after having one. </div>
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Oh I`m having a serious drooling problem and I guess I just have to make these again now. </div>
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Happy weekend!</div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/cheese-cookies?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank"><b>Print recipe</b></a></div>
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<b>CHEESE COOKIES</b><br />
<i>Makes about 3 dozens</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">200 g unsalted butter, softened</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">80 g cheddar cheese</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">240 g flour</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">1 tsp baking powder</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Method:</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">1. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Grate the cheddar
cheese and set aside.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">2. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Cream softened
butter in a bowl until it has turned paler.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">3. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Fold in grated
cheese, sifted flour, and baking powder.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">4. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Shape the dough
into logs (about 4-cm in diameter). </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">5. Wr</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">ap the logs
with cling wrap and keep in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or until the dough
is firm enough.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">6. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Open the wrap
and cut up the dough into fat coins (about 2-cm thick).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">7. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Arrange the coins
on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">8. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Bake at 170 C
for 20 mins.</span></div>
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<i style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Note: For a smaller baking batch, you can keep the leftover dough logs in freezer and bake them anytime you want to. </i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<i style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></i>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6161866987759217870.post-14158822915206650332012-03-04T13:03:00.001+09:002012-05-23T20:36:10.714+09:00Spicy vegetable soup with grilled turmeric shishamo<div style="text-align: justify;">
I think March is probably the most memorable month in a year for me and my husband as it reminds us of many important episodes of our lives. For now I`m not going to talk further about the personal sides, but Japanese academic and fiscal years start in April and end in March, so March is kind of the year-end month where people usually get busier to finish their works and anticipate the upcoming schedules for April as the New Year. And climately speaking, March is also the month when people prepare to welcome the beginning of spring where the snow melts quicker and the trees start to seem alive again. </div>
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Now, to celebrate the end of the frosty winter, I`m going to share one Indonesian-ish dish that I usually cook when I feel the urge to consume fibrous meal and one fish dish to make them as a beautiful set. </div>
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Let`s start with the soup first. </div>
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Heat a bit of oil on medium heat and saute onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, chili, and chili powder until fragrant.</div>
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Stir in shrimp paste. For whatever reason you have, you can substitute it for dried shrimp or anchovies (I sometimes do this) or omit it (sometimes I do this too), although it will slightly alter the final taste. </div>
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Pour in water-preferably hot-, stir in coconut powder until completely dissolved, and let it simmer. </div>
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If you use liquid coconut milk, pour in the coconut milk first, and add water until the liquid volume reach about 2 cups in total. You can even add water in the last step instead. We are going to add quite a lot of stuff to the pot after this, so you don`t want to overfill the pot with liquid right now. </div>
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I believe I don`t have many recipes here that include this bamboo shoot despite how frequent I use it. The only bamboo shoots sold in the our nearest store is the one that is ready to use packed in bag filled with water. According to the pack, that white powdery stuff sticking on the bamboo shoots is a kind of amino acid and thus no need to remove it. I hope you can find this bamboo shoots at the stores in your area. Too bad that I never buy fresh bamboo shoots so I have no idea how to handle it. </div>
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Anyway, cut the bamboo shoots-in random shapes, as you can see- and add to the simmering liquid in the pot. </div>
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Have you met nameko? My husband dislikes this mushroom for its sliminess, but I LOVE it for the same reason. The mushroom is covered with a slimy gelatinous layer, but crunchiness stays even after cooking. It kind of has a distinctive smell that some people probably are not fond of, so you might want to check it first before adding to the whole dish. I usually quickly rinse them with hot water and add them to whatever I`m cooking. Nameko work nicely in stir-fried dishes, but when you add them to soups, they will make the liquid thicker. </div>
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So, here is the soup already with nameko and bamboo shoots in it. Oh, I added shimeji mushrooms too but I didn`t have the picture. </div>
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Next is konnyaku. If you`ve been following my blog, you probably noticed how I often have konnyaku in my soups. It is recommended to blanch the konnyaku in hot water for a few minutes to remove unpleasant odor, but I usually dice it up, rinse under hot water, and add the cubes to the pot. </div>
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Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and a pinch of sugar while keeping the soup simmering. </div>
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When you`re done with the seasoning, put frozen long beans on top, remove from heat, and cover with lid for 5-10 mins until the green beans are softened.If you are using fresh long beans, cook it on low heat with the lid on for 5-10 mins depending on your liking of mushiness or crunchiness. </div>
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The soup is done! If you have omitted the shrimp paste or dried shrimp, it means your soup is a vegan version. But if you`re like me who still can`t fully commit to 100% vegan lifestyle, you can continue prepare this side dish. </div>
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I used shishamo fish, but you can use your own choice of fish. I use this turmeric seasoning recipe for many kinds of fish, or even chicken, and it always worked in our house. My husband especially is a fan of this turmeric seasoning. It`s quick and simple, but the result is very rewarding. </div>
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Wash whatever fish you use and pat dry before starting the seasoning. </div>
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Then, if you use small fish like these shishamo, just dump them in a bowl, add olive oil, turmeric, ginger powder-or grated ginger, even better!- pepper, and salt. Mix together everything until each fish is evenly coated with the seasoning. </div>
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Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and arrange the turmeric-coated fish onto it. Grill it for 20-30 mins or until the skin has crisped up. </div>
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Ah, look at this pair. If you`re an Indonesian, I`m 200% sure you`ll remember about sayur lodeh and ikan asin. But if you`re not, it means you need to give these dishes a try and see if you enjoy them as much as we do. </div>
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Happy Sunday!</div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/spicy-vegetable-soup?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank"><b>Print recipe</b></a></div>
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<b>SPICY VEGETABLE SOUP</b></div>
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<i>Serves 3-4 persons</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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5 cloves garlic, minced/chopped</div>
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1/2 cut onion, chopped</div>
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2 tsp grated ginger</div>
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1 tsp coriander, minced/milled </div>
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3 chilies (remove seeds for milder heat)</div>
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1 Tbs chili powder </div>
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1 tsp shrimp paste</div>
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2 cups hot water*</div>
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1/2 cup coconut milk powder*</div>
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150 g bamboo shoot, chopped</div>
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100 g shimeji mushroom</div>
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80 g nameko mushroom</div>
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100 g konnyaku, diced</div>
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100 g frozen long beans</div>
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Salt</div>
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Pepper</div>
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A pinch of sugar</div>
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*<i>Note: If using liquid coconut milk instead of powder, adjust the volume into 2 cups</i></div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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1. Heat a bit of oil on medium heat and saute onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, chili, and chili powder until fragrant.</div>
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2. Stir in shrimp paste.</div>
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3. Pour in water and stir in coconut powder until completely dissolved.</div>
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4. Stir in the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and konnyaku.</div>
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5. Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and sugar while simmering.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">6.
When finished with seasoning, put green beans on top, remove from heat,
and cover with lid for 5-10 mins until the green beans has softened.</span></div>
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<a href="https://sites.google.com/site/arudhisprintablerecipes/s?tmpl=%2Fsystem%2Fapp%2Ftemplates%2Fprint%2F&showPrintDialog=1" target="_blank"><b>Print recipe</b></a></div>
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<b>GRILLED TURMERIC SHISHAMO</b></div>
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<i>Makes 12 grilled shishamo</i></div>
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<b>Ingredients:</b></div>
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12 shishamo, washed and patted dry</div>
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1 Tbs olive oil</div>
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1 tsp turmeric</div>
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1/2 tsp ginger powder</div>
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1/2 tsp pepper</div>
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1/2 tsp salt</div>
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<b>Method:</b></div>
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1. In a bowl, mix together shishamo with the remaining ingredients until the fish is evenly coated.</div>
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<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">2. Grill for 20 mins or until the skin has crisped up.</span></div>Arudhihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02874429351297411042noreply@blogger.com8