Bonito Stock (Dashi)

Make 6 1/2 cups
- about 50 cm kelp (konbu)
- 2 L water
- 3 cups loose bonito flakes

1. Moisten a clean cloth and wring well. Carefully but thoroughly wipe the surface of the kelp. Kelp should never be washed since flavoris lost in the process. Place the cold water and kelp in a soup pot and slowly bring to a boil over a medium-low to medium heat. Regulate the heat so the water take approximately 10 mins to reach a boil.
2. When fine bubbles begin to appear at the edges of the pot, press your thumbnail into the thickest part of the seaweed. If it enters easily, the flavor has been properly released. If the kelp is still tough, return to the pot for 1-2 mins. Do not allow the water to boil while the kelp is in pot.
3. When the water boils, add 1/3 - 1/2 cup water
4. Add the bonito flakes
5. When the stock returns to a boil, remove it from the heat and skim the surface
6. When the bonito flakes sink to the bottom, strain to clarify. Do not wring the flakes.
7. The finished stock should be clear and free of ant bonito flake particles.

Savory Custard Cup (Chawan-mushi)

Japanese egg dish in which the egg, the soup stock, and the other ingredients are savored as a whole. The secret is to use as much stock as possible in proportion to the eggs. The custard should set but just barely, giving a gentle, almost liquid, sensation when eaten.

Ingredients (for serve 4) 155 calories
- 90g Spinach
- 120g boned chicken thigh
- 1 tsp sake
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 4 raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, washed and stems removed, or 4 fresh brown mushrooms, washed and trimmed

CUSTARD
- 2.5 cups bonito stock
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp mirin
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 eggs

Prepare
- Preboil the spinach in lightly salted water, drain, and refresh in cold water for 10 mins. Drain again and wring out any excess water. Cut the spinach 1 inch length.
- Cut the chicken into 1/2 inch squares and sprinkle with the sake and soy sauce
- Drop the shrimp in boiling water for a few seconds until they change color. Refresh in cold water, drain, pat dry, and quarter crosswise
- Quarter the mushroom caps.

Make the custard
- Heat the bonito stock, then season with the soy sauce, mirin, and salt.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, remove from heat and let cool to room temp.
- Beat the eggs lightly, add the seasoned stock, and strain mixture through gauze.
- Preheat a steamer over high heat.
- Devide the chicken, shrimp, mushroom, and spinach among 4 custard cups with lids.
- Pour in the custard and cover with foil.
- Place the covered cups in the preheated stamer over high heat. When the surface turns white (~3-5 mins), reduce heat to medium-low and steam for 15 mins.

Okonomiyaki

Personally, I like japanese food very much. Teenagers in my country tend to be influenced a lot of things from Japan, which come from comic, manga, series, singers, actors and even food. I used to visit Japan for 3 times and it impressed me.

In my second trip in Japan, I tried Okonomiyaki (it call "Savory Pancake"), it's amazing for me!. Staff at restaurant get our order and prepare ingredients for us, he fried Okonomiyaki on build-in griddles on the table in front of us. Each person becomes a chef, in charge of cooking his or her own pancake. After this trip I cook Okonomiyaki to my family and they said it delicious, here is recipe.^_^ It's very simply.to find ingredients and easy to cook.
















Pic from wikipedia

Ingredients (for serves 4) 920 cals
- 600g cabbage
- 8 raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 220g squid, cleaned and skinned
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 4 pinched salt
- 4 eggs
- Optional; 4 Tbsps tenkasu (deep-fried tempura batter crumbs)
- 2 Tbsps vegetable oil
- 300g pork belly, thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsps finely chopped beni-shoga (red vinegared ginger)

Toppings
- Okonomiyaki sauce
If not available, make the following substitute.
- 2 Tbsps tomato puree
- 2 Tbsps ketchup
- 1/3 cup Worcester-shire sauce
- 3 Tbsps dark soy sauce
- 1 Tbsps sugar
- 7 Tbsps bonito stock (dashi)
Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Thicken with 2 Tbsps cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsps water, return to a boil, remove from heat and let cool.
- Mayonnaise
- Dried bonito powder (ko-gatsuo) or dried bonito flakes
- Green-seaweed flakes (ao-nori)

1. Chop the cabbage coarsely. Cut the shrimp in half lengthwise. Cut the squid into bite size.

2. Devide all the ingredients into 4 portions and mix to make 4 separate bowls of cake batter.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, water and pinch salt in a bowl and then mix in the chopped cabbage.

4. Add the egg and mix well. Finally add the squid, shrimp and tenkasu and mix again.

5. Coat the bottom of large frying pan with vegetable oil and saute one-quarter of pork breifly over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, pour 1 bowl of batter in over the pork and shape into a round pancake about 1 inch thick and 8 inches in diameter.

6. Top with the red vinegared ginger and cook until the bottom begin to brown. Turn and brown the other side.

7. When cooked through, brush on a generous coating of Okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise and sprinkle with bonito powder and green-seaweed flakes. Transfer to a plates and serving each as soon as it is done.

S.A.R. Meeting

Here we go!

Pictures of S.A.R. Meeting, taken on 1 Feb 08 at Pae Kang Krung ja. Sorry for some pictures that so blur, next time will be better.

First pics for Mol and cool birthday cake!!

Thanks for Si who buy delicious chocolate cake for us!

Pic of the gang

Cool Puff Pastry recipe!

I used to try this recipe, and it work. try it!
It crispy, tasty and very easy.

Ingredients (makes 450g puff pastry)

- 225 g all purpose flour

- 150 ml cold water

- 225 g butter or pastry magarine

- pinch salt

1. Sieve the flour on to a work surface and make a well in the centre. Place the salt and water in the well and gently work the mixture together. Put aside and rest it for 30 mins.

2. Lightly dust a surface with flour and roll out the dough into a large rectangle 30 cm long by 10 cm wide, and 1 cm thick.

3. Slice the butter into 1 cm. thick slices - the same thickness as the pastry. Lay the slices over 2/3 of the pastry area.

4. Fold the uncovered 1/3 of pastry in towards the middle so that it covers 1/2 of the butter area. Fold the remaining buttered 1/3 of pastry into the middle. The pastry should now be 3 folds thick with layers of butter in between.

5. Turn the pastry sideways on. Roll into an oblong and fold again into three. Rest the pastry for 20 mins in a refrigerator.

6. When rested, roll the pastry out to a rectangle, fold into three and rest it a further 20 mins.

7. Repeat the process once more and rest again. The pastry is now ready to use.

Then you can use this basic puff pastry for spinach turnovers, Scampi Turnovers. Bake puff pastry for 20 mins, place yolk egg on the top for good color.