Honey Rose Chia Drink
I have a few bags of chia seeds in my pantry, and I realized I should probably use them before they go bad. One of the things I like using them for is making drinks with them. Not only are they very healthy, but the …
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Homemade Yogurt
My mom gave me her yogurt machine (Sambo brand) because her first few batches had failed and she gave up. So it was up to me to experiment. My first batch didn’t do as well as I had hoped–it was too sour because I let …
Tasty Tuna Sandwich
I often make tuna sandwiches when I’m craving fish but don’t want to go out and do an entire fish meal. My husband, who only likes fish in specific instances, really enjoys this tuna sandwich. The secret is just to add a dash of dried herbs to give it that oomph, and also to use a nice mayo like Kewpie. If you can’t get Kewpie mayo, adding some sugar to regular mayo can mimic it.
Ingredients:
- 1 small can of Tuna (5 oz)
- 3 tablespoons mayo
- Pinch of salt, to taste
- Pinch of pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or dried basil
- 1 Brioche bun
Optional:
- Egg
- Sprouts
- Tomato
1. Mix can of tuna, mayo, salt, pepper, and dried herbs together and combine well.
2. Place in brioche bun and top with optional toppings. Enjoy!
Kimchi Fried Rice
Leftover rice is never wasted in this house–and there’s nothing better than kimchi fried rice to use it up. I used the kimchi I made this past fall (recipe here) now that it’s been properly fermented and pickled. You can use any meat you like, …
Taco Rice Recipe
Taco rice (takoraisu) is another example of a yoshoku dish, a Japanese western style meal that gained popularity and the country made it their own. It was invented in the 1960’s by a Japanese chef who enjoyed tacos. I usually make this when we have leftovers …
Spicy Chili Miso Hummus Platter
I finished the rest of my first jar of Abokichi’s Chili Miso Oil so I broke out the SPICY Chili Miso Oil for today’s lunch (but I’m pretty sure you can also do this recipe with their Curry Miso Oil too.) I like hummus because it makes for a wonderfully light lunch, or smeared on toast to pair with eggs for breakfast, and incorporating this condiment in place of Tahini puts a wonderful spin on it. My husband and I both like it spicy, so this was perfect. If you prefer it not spicy, then their regular Chili Miso Oil only packs a little heat.
This recipe is also, incidentally, vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 can of Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), drained
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
- 2 tablespoon Spicy Chili Miso Oil
- 1/2 avocado, sliced (optional)
- 5-6 cherry tomatoes, quartered (optional)
- Fruit/berries (optional)
- Bread/crackers/vegetables for dipping
1. In a food processor, combine garbanzo beans, garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon Abokichi Spicy Chili Miso Oil and blend until smooth.
2. Place hummus in a serving dish and top with avocado and cherry tomatoes. Serve with sliced French bread, crackers, or vegetables for dipping and fruit to cut the heat.
2018 Jumbo Coturnix Quail Hatch-A-Long and Grow-A-Long
Saturday February 17th, 2018 I’ve been wanting to raise quail for a while, especially for quail eggs for my bento. I am on the fence about raising them for meat, but will probably have to process the males when the time comes. In any case, …
Wiggly Jiggly Purin Recipe (Custard Pudding)
This is a recipe I’ve been wanting to do for a while–I had convenience store purin when we were in Japan and they’re so addictively delicious. Smooth and creamy, and not as rich as flan, it makes for the perfect dessert, portioned out in little …
Duck Liver and Heart Pate
I reserved the heart and liver of the two muscovy ducks that we processed, because I am a fiend of offal and really wanted to make a pate. Due to the muscovy’s large size, foie gras de canard (duck fatty liver) is usually made from the livers of moulards–a sterile hybrid between a muscovy duck and a mallard derived duck like the peking. The peking duck has the fat content, while the lean muscovy duck brings its size into the new mix of genes.
My muscovies free range, which means that they’re even lower in fat than the ones that live the entirety of their lives in a box (click here to read about the pros and cons of keeping muscovies). The tender liver, lacking much fat, is closer to that of a chicken’s, with the delicate flavor of duck that I so love.
I used an egg to stretch the pate and give it a smoother texture, so I suppose this is like a hybrid between chopped liver and pate. I capped it with a layer of butter, so that it will keep for longer and the pate won’t oxidize and dry out from coming into contact with air.
It came out beautifully, the duck hearts were surprisingly tender, and I ended up with two adorable little ramakins of it. I didn’t have any rendered duck fat, but I would have used some of that in place of part of the butter for a deeper duck flavor. Muscovy has a sweetness to it that I find quite delicious. Serve with melba toast or sliced French bread.
Ingredients
- 2 muscovy duck livers
- 2 muscovy duck hearts, chopped
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons diced shallots (or red onion)
- 1 pinch thyme
- 2 tablespoon sherry or bourbon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter (or 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon duck fat)
1. Boil an egg, peel and put to the side.
2. In a pan, place 1 tablespoon of butter and sautee shallots over medium heat until fragrant. Add pinch of thyme, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook liver and hearts until just done (overcooking will lead to toughness) and add 1 tablespoon of sherry or bourbon to the pan. Immediately remove from heat.
4. Place egg and all the contents of the pan into a food processor. Add two tablespoons of cold butter (or 1 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of rendered duck fat). Process until desired consistency.
5. Place pate into ramakins. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and pour over the pate. Refrigerate until butter cap is set.
Duck Blood Cake From Scratch
This might be a bit beyond some modern western palettes (so if you’re squeamish, I suggest you stop reading now. You have been warned!) but duck blood and pig’s blood is a part of traditional Chinese and Taiwanese cuisine. Blood cake is a mixture of …