Mum's Blueberry Muffins

These are my favourite blueberry muffins. They are moist and delicious!

2 cups of flour
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp of custard powder (not necessary)
3 tsp of baking powder
3/4 cup blueberries or any berry, fresh, frozen or canned (well drained)

Whisk together:

2 eggs
3/4 cup of oil or melted butter
3/4 cup milk

Combine dry ingredients with whisked liquid. Do not over mix. Put in patty cases. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes.

Oven Baked Saucy Chicken

Ingredients:
500g chicken pieces
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1/3 cup honey

Mix together ingredients in a bowl. Coat chicken in marinade and soak for over an hour, overnight if time. Bake in the oven at 190 degrees Celsius for 23-35 minutes.

Adapted from a recipe by Annette Sym, Symply too Good to be True.

Baked Chicken with Zucchini and Tomato

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halved
4 medium tomatoes halved, or 2 vines of mini tomatoes
2 zucchinis, quarted and sliced
1/2 bunch spring onions, chopped
6 shiso leaves (optional), sliced thinly
1/4 cup whole olive dressing
2 cloves garlic, crush
Ground pepper
Salt
Olive oil

Salt and pepper the chicken breasts. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan with olive oil. Place the chicken breasts on top, lined up in rows.
Sprinkle the zucchini on top to cover the pan. Place the halved tomatoes along the side of the pan. Sprinkle over the garlic, shiso leaves and spring onion. Pour over the dressing evenly. Finish with cracked pepper. Pour a little more oil over the top.
Place in the oven for 40 mins at 190C.

Lemon and Thyme Pork Steaks

10 Pork steaks, salt and peppered
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Green peppers, finely chopped
10 Okra sliced diagonally length ways in half
1 tsp chicken stock
3/4 cup water
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper
thyme dried, 1/2 tsp
5g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tomato chopped in large chunks
4 tbsp spring onion, finely chopped
1 leaf of green shiso herb (optional)

Saute onion and garlic in pan with olive oil for 2-3 mins. Added green pepper and Okra and stir. Sprinkle over chicken stock powder and add water. Squeeze lemon into the pan and add thyme. Bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 mins. Add the tomato and remove from heat.
Meanwhile, in a separate pan, fry pork steaks in a little oil until slightly brown on both sides. Do in batches. Add the steaks to the pan of vegetables, and simmer for 3-4 mins, or until steaks are done. Do not boil vigorously or the steaks will go tough.
Serve vegetables on a plate, top with shiso leaf, then place the pork on top of that. Ladle the tomato and soup mixture and pour over the steaks. Sprinkle with spring onion.

Renee's Potato Salad

6 medium potatoes with skin on
6 small precooked sausages
6 gherkins or Dill pickles, sliced
3 tbsp gherkin juice
4 boiled eggs, sliced
3 tbsps mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
Handful of cherry tomatoes

Cook potatoes whole in the microwave with the skin on (6-10 mins). Cut into 2cm chunks.
Boil sausages, and slice into chunks.
In a bowl place all ingredients and pour gherkin juice over and mix. Add salt and pepper. Add mayonnaise and fold in together. Top with remaining egg and tomatoes.

Yoghurt and Pineapple Mousse

Here's the recipe for the cheesecake-looking mousse pie I made for Erinn's birthday posted on my Times to Remember blog: Erinn's Birthday Pie

Base:
1 pkt of coconut sable biscuits
1 pkt of soft plain cookies
2 tbsp butter, melted

Crush biscuits in blender. Pour over melted butter. Blend well. Press into a high sided pie dish. Refrigerate.

Filling:
300g tub of cottage cheese
1/2 cup condensed milk
200g plain yoghurt
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
10g gelatin
1/4 cup boiled water

Put the cottage cheese in the blender and blend until smooth. Add condensed milk and yoghurt and blend again. Pour mixture in bowl with pineapple and fold together. Add gelatin to the boiling water and stir until dissolved. Add to mixture and stir well. Pour over the biscuit base and refrigerate until set.

Adapted from the low fat recipe by Annette Sym. I totally recommend her recipe books, not only for low fat recipes, but also because they taste so good and have great ideas!!
Symply Too Good to be True, 1,2,3 and 4. Check out her website:
Symply too Good to be True

Spicy meatballs with Gnocchi

Meatballs:
1\2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
500g mince
1 egg
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp coriander (fresh or dried)
1 tsp dried cumin
1 tsp basil
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Fry onions and garlic in olive oil until soft. Cool and mix with other ingredients. Knead with the palm of your hand, turning over many times to make it a smooth paste. Roll into small balls and place on an oven tray lined with wax paper. Bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 10-12 minutes.

Main dish:

1 onion, sliced
3 green or coloured peppers, sliced in strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 of a pumpkin, peeled and chopped in small cubes
1 tomato peeled and chopped (optional, I do this when I have a surplus of tomatoes that need to be used up)
1 can of stewed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes (If using 4 or 5 fresh tomatoes, omit)
1 tsp of chicken stock (try to use one without msg)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper
1 pkt (500g) prepared Gnocchi

Saute onion, garlic and green pepper in 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the pumpkin and coat with oil. Add the chopped tomato and/or can of stewed tomatoes. Season with chicken stock, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp thyme, 1 tsp coriander, 1 tsp curry powder, salt and pepper. Add water to cover the vegetables and bring to the boil. Add meatballs when done and simmer together.
While simmering, bring a large pot of water to the boil and add the Gnocchi. Boil until they float to the top (usually around 2-3 minutes), then drain. Mix in with the meatball mixture. I usually simmer it down so it becomes a little pasty, but if you like it more soupy remove from heat sooner.
Serve with sour cream if desired.

Double Chocolate Muffins

I don't know if you have heard, but Japan has had a butter shortage! My husband found a block of butter finally...after 3 weeks! (But only one per customer!) So this is what I did with it....
These were so yummy! Moist and delicious. My kids and their friends raved about these muffins. I haven't had much success with chocolate muffins before...they always end up dry, but these are just perfect. This is one of Alison Holst's Recipes from her book 'Marvellous Muffins'. I highly recommend this book....all of my favourite muffin recipes come from here. She has worked these out to perfection! Here is the book to buy on Amazon:
Alison Holst's Marvellous Muffins

Ingredients: (New Zealand uses 250ml cups)
1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda (Newbies: NOT baking powder)
1 cup caster sugar (I used ordinary Japanese red label sugar because caster is hard to find)
1/4 cup cocoa

100 grams butter
1 egg
1 cup yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.
Melt the butter. (I do this in the microwave) Add the remaining ingredients and mix until smooth. (I usually beat the egg first, adding the cold ingredients and melted butter last).
Add the combined liquids to the dry ingredients and fold together until the flour is dampened, but not smooth. (Never over mix!) I add choc chips and fold in.
Divide evenly between 12 medium sized greased muffin pans .

Sprinkle with choc chips if desired before baking. (YES!)
Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 12 mins. (It took 16 mins in my gas fan forced oven).
Leave to stand in pans for 3 minutes before removing and cooling on a wire rack.
Yum yum yum!! Serve with whipped cream...of course!

Baked Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 stalk broccoli, chopped
6 chicken breasts sliced in half lengthwise
3/4 cup uncooked rice
1 can Campbell's mushroom soup
1 cup water
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
salt

Saute onion, peppers and broccoli in olive oil. In a 2L casserole dish combine vegetables, soup, water, rice, half of the paprika and pepper. Rub salt and pepper into the chicken and place on top of casserole. Sprinkle the remaining paprika.
Cover and bake at 190 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is tender.

Spiced Chicken

600g skinless chicken breasts, cut in large chunks
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced with the grain
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
5 Okra or asparagus, halved
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp crushed ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tsp dried coriander
2 tsps paprika
1 tsp cumin
pinch of chilli powder
2 tsp chicken stock powder
4 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup low fat milk

Saute chicken in olive oil. Add onion and other vegetables, garlic and ginger, until the chicken pieces are nearly cooked. Add all the spices and stock powder. Add tomato paste and stir. Slowly add milk to pan until thickened.

Taco Pie

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion chopped
500g mince
2 chopped green/red peppers
1/4 cup frozen green peas
350g tomato puree
1/2 cup water
1 beef stock cube
1 tsp oregano
3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1/2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
1/2 cup 75g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (85g) polenta (corn grits)
3/4 cup (180ml) milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (90g) grated cheddar cheese

Heat 1 tbsp in olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft. Add mince and brown. Stir in tomato puree, water, stock cube, oregano and two types of chilli, paprika, salt and pepper. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally until thickened.
In a bowl, sift flour and stir in polenta. Add combined milk, remaining oil and egg. Beat until smooth. Move meat to an oven proof dish, and pour topping on top. Cook in oven at 180 degree Celsius for about 15 minutes, sprinkle cheese and cook a further 5 minutes until cheese has melted. Sprinkle with paprika.

Meat Loaf in Blankets

This meatloaf is great to serve when you have guests. The original recipe calls for quail eggs, but I never stick to recipes and just use what is in the fridge! The picture above has hen's eggs cut in half.

Ingredients:

800g beef mince
1 large onion
1/4 cup of chopped green pepper (or any other vegetable)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1-2 tbsp milk
1 egg
Salt and pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp salad oil
8 boiled quail eggs or 4 boiled hen's eggs, peeled
8 strips of bacon

Fry onion in a pan with olive oil. Set aside to cool. Soak breadcrumbs in a few tablespoons of milk. Mix the mince, salt, onion, breadcrumbs, egg, pepper, nutmeg and other vegetables in a large bowl. Knead well.

In a pound cake shaped tin or dish, line the bacon so the sides hang over the edge, making sure the bacon covers the whole of the bottom of the tin overlapping as you lay it. Push in half of the meat mixture and lay the eggs in a row along the centre. Cover with remaining meat mixture and pat down with your hand. Fold the edges of the bacon over the top and press into place. Cover in aluminium foil, and bake at 220 degrees Celsius for 40-45 minutes. Poke with a toothpick to see if ready, if the juices run clear it is ready. (The colour of the bacon often gets transferred to the meat to make the meat look red and uncooked, so just checking the colour of the meat will not give you a good indication of whether it is ready or not. ) Cool for a bit before turning out on a board and slicing.

Thick Carrot Soup

A comforting winter dish. This can be a puree or a soup depending on how much water you choose to add to the finished product.
Ingredients:
4 large carrots
1 tbsp chicken stock powder
40 g butter
Salt and pepper

Peel and chop carrots and boil until soft. Let cool in water. (I never do that, by the way, as I am always in a hurry! Not good for the blender....). Pour into a blender with the soup stock and blend. Do this in 2 or 3 batches until all the carrot is mashed. Return to the pot, and add butter and salt and pepper and heat until the butter is melted. Delicious!

Home-made Pork and Beans

I love my baked beans! I can't buy them in the shops here so I usually have to drive 2 hours to Costco to get them or order them online...but recently they haven't had any at Costco!! So, I have had to resort to making my own. They taste pretty good, but take a long time to make. I like to use my rice cooker so I can walk away and let it stew without worrying about it burning.
Ingredients:
2 cans Navy beans (I use any white bean, sometimes soya beans as they are readily available here)
4 rashers bacon
300g pork cubes
flour
1 onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp chicken soup
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 can cut tomatoes
2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp Maple Syrup (I use Golden Syrup from New Zealand)
1 tbsp honey
Salt and pepper

Coat meat in salt and pepper and flour. Fry meat in oil until browned. Remove and place in rice cooker. Fry onion and garlic in butter, and add to the rice cooker. Place chicken soup, tomato paste, bay leaf, cut tomatoes and paprika in rice cooker. Turn on and cook for 40 minutes. Add Maple syrup, honey and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until most of the liquid has disappeared.

Tofu, Tomato and Eggplant Gratin

This is an easy grilled cheese plate for a quick meal or side dish.
Slice 2 large eggplants into 6mm thick rings. Salt eggplant then fry in 2 tbsp olive oil until browned on both sides. Set aside.
Drain tofu and wrap in paper towels to soak up extra liquid. Slice into cracker sized chunks.
Rub olive oil around a gratin dish. Layer eggplant, tofu and sliced tomato to fill the gratin dish. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with grated cheese and grill in the oven until cheese has melted.

Just for Fun! Picnic Sandwiches

Most people know how to make sandwiches...but the dainty sandwiches in Japan are something special! When I first arrived here I used to complain that the sandwiches weren't 'meaty' enough. It just seemed like something was missing...but now I have come to love the bite sized sandwiches here.
The sandwiches at the top: Hard Boil 3 eggs. Chop and mash with 1 tsp mustard, 2-3 tbsp mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Butter each slice of bread lightly, line half the slices with ham (cut to touch the edges), spread egg mixture on top. Chop up one firm tomato and add 4-5 tiny pieces per slice. Top with remaining slice of bread, cut into small triangles or strips, and wrap in plastic wrap to keep fresh.
The sandwiches at the bottom: Boil 3 potatoes until soft. Smash with a fork until almost mashed. Add 3-4 tbsp mayonnaise, finely chopped gherkin (or ready made relish), salt and pepper. Butter each slice of bread lightly, line half the slices with ham (cut to touch the edges), spread potato salad over top, top with one slice of lettuce and remaining slice of bread. Cut as desired.

Classic Sponge Cake

It has been 20 years since I made this sponge!! Jo pleaded for me to make him a sponge cake, so I decided to accept the challenge after all those years. To tell you the truth, I had forgotten how basic it was, and how good it tasted!! Don't get me wrong, 'basic' doesn't mean 'easy'. There is not much to a sponge, but HOW it is made is extremely important. This recipe comes up a little 'rustic' compared to the bought variety of sponge. This is by no means the perfect sponge pictured here, like I said, it has been 20 years. But it tasted great. Actually, Jo is the one who did all the beating so I thought he did really well.
The recipe is not a roll cake recipe, but Jo insisted I roll it up....so I did! As you can see there is no swirl in the middle, and the cake makes a full circle because I didn't bake it in a roll cake tin. (A roll cake tin would be wider and allow the sponge to be thinner). It worked out fine all the same. I got this recipe from my faithful Edmonds Cookery Book - the essential guide to cooking for New Zealanders!
As the ingredients are few, it is important you use the best quality.
I prefer Fielder's Cornflour, and I just happened to have 1/2 a cup left in the box to make this! I will have to get some more when I am home. Any cornflour will do, but experiment with different brands until you find the right consistency you like.
Caster Sugar is preferred because it dissolves quickly. I can't buy this in Japan, so I used the ordinary red packet of white sugar.
I only ever use Yotsuba Cream. I am very fussy with my cream, having been brought up on cream skimmed straight off the top of the milk vat. Yotsuba Cream is 47% fat, with no additives or preservatives.
You will need:
3 eggs (I used Medium)
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
2 tsp standard flour
1 tsp baking powder
2oog carton of cream
1/4 tsp vanilla essence
Can of peaches, or fresh fruit

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius or 180 degrees Celsius for a fan forced oven.
Line the tin with waxed paper.
Separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites until the peaks just fold over when the beater is removed. Slowly add the caster sugar, beating as you add. Continue to beat until the mixture is stiff and the sugar is dissolved. Add the egg yolks. Beat until well blended.
Sift together cornflour, flour and baking powder. (Sift 2 or 3 times for an evenly risen sponge).
FOLD the cornflour mixture into the eggs very gently. Use an up, down and over movement - DON'T STIR.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for 15-20 mins.
TIPS:
* Sponges are ready if they spring back when touched lightly in the centre.
* A sponge always shrinks slightly away from the sides when cooked.
* Allow to cool for 5 mins in the tin before turning onto a cake cooler. Remove lining paper.
* Always have eggs at room temperature.
* From the moment the dry ingredients are added until the time the sponge is put into the oven, speed is essential.
* Some recipes say to drop filled tins before and after removing from the oven.

Decoration: Once sponge has cooled, cut off any over risen parts and eat them, yum.
Whip the cream and vanilla until almost firm. Never over-whip cream, it will become lumpy and grainy looking. If you are used to whipping vegetable fat based creams, be extra careful with real cream - it whips faster. Stop whipping when you think, 'Just a little more...', the cream will harden as you handle it.
Spread cream over sponge leaving a 1 inch space over one edge furthest away from you.
Place fruit in a thin line in center of sponge. Don't over do it, one piece is plenty once rolled.
Lift up edge closest to you and roll sponge away from you. Be ruthless with the first roll forcing it down - the sponge is surprisingly resilient. Roll the rest of the way gently shaping as you go.
Sprinkle with powdered (icing) sugar to finish if desired.

A Light Lunch - Baked Tomatoes

I have seen this recipe in my book for years, but never had the desire to make it. Until, one day the only thing I had in the cupboard was tomatoes, bacon, onion and cheese! This is really quick, and really tasty!! I guess the taste is like Pizza without the base. I was very satisfied with this light lunch.
Ingredients:
1 Large Tomato (around 240g)
3 rashers of bacon
1/2 large onion (I used a new white onion)
1/2 cup grated cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
Core the tomato and cut in half. Fry onion and bacon in 1/2 tbsp olive oil for 2-3 mins. Season with salt and pepper. Place on top of each tomato halve and cover with cheese. Place in an oven proof dish and grill in the oven toaster until cheese is browned. Preparing it in a gratin dish makes it easier, and more presentable to eat it straight from the dish, this way you will retain all the flavour of the tomato. Yum!!

Fruit Tomato and Chicken

In Japan they have the largest variety of tomatoes that I have ever seen! My favourite kind is the 'fruit tomato'. They are only available from Spring through to the end of Summer, and are slightly larger than a 'midi' tomato and very firm, with a dark red colour. Their fragrance is very strong, and as their name suggests, they are very sweet. These are perfect in salads, and sandwiches as the juice doesn't run. Jo loves them sliced on his toast with salt and pepper. They don't make good cooking tomatoes because the skins are a little tough, so in this dish they are added right at the end so they only heat up a little, but keep their texture.
For those of you living in Japan, I get mine from the local Coop. They sell them in boxes of around 30, for about 1,500 yen. These are what I would call the 'perfect' tomato!
This dish can be made with any kind of tomato, but if only you could experience the flavour of these tomatoes!
Margot was with us a few weeks ago, and as I don't like being stuck in the kitchen when guests are here I made this dish because it is quick and simple.
Ingredients:
500g chicken, breast, chopped in large chunks
flour to coat
8 midi 'fruit tomatoes', quartered
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup sake (or dry white wine)
salt and pepper
olive oil
Rub salt and pepper into the chicken pieces, and coat lightly with flour.
Heat oil in a pan on a low to medium heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrances comes out. Be careful not to brown. Remove from pan, add chicken and brown. Cook for about 5 mins, then add sake and return garlic to the pan. Cook for a further 2-3 mins. Lastly, remove from the heat and add tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Mabo Tofu

Mabo Tofu is a Chinese dish that has been adapted for the Japanese taste. It is supposed to be a hot chili, but mine is always mild.
Ingredients:
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 leek, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced garlic
500g mince
1 block of tofu, cut into cubes
1 tsp chicken stock
3 tbsp sake
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp chili sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp pepper
Sesame oil
Fry onions, leeks, garlic and ginger in a little salad oil. Add mince and brown. Sprinkle over chicken stock and sake, and 1 cup of water. Bring to the boil. Add soy sauce, chili sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, then tofu. Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 mins.
Mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and add to the pan slowly to thicken. Take off the heat, sprinkle with sesame oil.

Oven Baked Cheese Hamburgers

Jo loves to help me make these hamburgers. The kids don't like the Shiso herb in the middle, so we make some without it too. The carrot makes the burger juicy and adds a sweet flavour. Cooking them in the oven on a drip tray makes cooking easier, allowing you to do it all in one quick batch, and also reduces the amount of fat used.
Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
500g mince
1 carrot, grated
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1 egg
6 leaves of Shiso herb, cut in half
12 cubes of cheddar cheese
olive oil
Fry onion and garlic in 1/2 tbsp oil. Cool. Grate carrot into a bowl and season, add thyme and mix. Add onion & garlic, mince, nutmeg and egg. Mix well until the mixture becomes pasty. Form into large balls, then toss from hand to hand to help keep the burgers tender. Poke your finger in the centre and press a shiso leaf and a cube of cheese in the middle, then cover up by closing the hole. Smooth surface and place on a grilling tray. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp olive oil and bake in the oven at 230 degree Celsius for 14 mins.

Bacon and Egg Pie

Mum used to make this often when I was growing up. It is a popular dish around here. Now they have frozen pie sheets, it is very quick and easy to make.
Ingredients:
2 frozen pie sheets
1-2 tbsp flour
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables (I used frozen red and orange pepper, and frozen corn)
6-7 slices of bacon
2 tbsp chutney
7 eggs
Salt and pepper
Line a pan with waxed paper.
Thaw pie sheets at room temperature for 10-15 mins. Don't let it sit out longer, sheets should remain cold or they will become tough. Roll out on a floured surface with a rolling pin to fit the size of the pan. Press one sheet in the pan so that it covers the sides.
Sprinkle onion, mixed vegetables over pie sheet. Dot chutney over. Place bacon strips over the top. Break eggs evenly over the bacon and prick the yolks slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with the other pie sheet and seal the sides. Poke a few holes in the top. Brush with milk.
Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 45 mins.

Maguro (Tuna) Steaks

These steaks are very juicy and flavoursome and they have no bones so are very easy to eat. The raw tuna has a succulent flavour and taste less fishy compared to the canned variety. The whole family love these and they make a quick easy meal.
Coat the steaks in salt and pepper then fry in olive oil until brown on both sides, reduce heat and add 1 tbsp of garlic butter and cook for a further 2-3 mins. Yum!

Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil
1 onion sliced
1 tsp minced ginger
500g thinly sliced pork
1/4 cabbage, roughly chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
3/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
4 tbsp soy sauce
Fry meat in oil with ginger until browned. Remove from pan. Add onion and garlic and fry until soft. Add cabbage and coat in oil. Add Sake, mirin, soy sauce to pan, cover and simmer until softened a little. Return meat to the pan and simmer for a further 3-4 mins.

Tofu Lasagna

Make the meat sauce: Fry onions and garlic in olive oil. Add mince and cook. Add chopped yellow and red peppers, basil, a can of tomatoes, a jar of tomato puree and a tube of tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper (I use 3 different kinds of pepper and 2 kinds of salt). Simmer until the right consistency.
Boil the spinach. (In tonight's case: boil the macaroni too), then squeeze and chop into smaller pieces.
Mix tofu, 1 egg and Parmesan cheese in a bowl until creamy. Season.
Toss cooked macaroni in olive oil and a tablespoon of Pesto.
Layer: Lasagna noodles, meat sauce, tofu, spinach, ground pepper, grated cheddar cheese. Layer 3 or 4 times if using only lasagna noodles, otherwise add the macaroni, meat sauce, tofu, spinach, ground pepper, grated cheddar cheese. Finish with tofu mixture on top and sprinkle grated cheese. Bake at 210 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

Chicken Stroganoff

This is an adaption of a recipe I found in 'Symply Too Good to be True', by Annette Sym's. It is a great way to make Stroganoff without using sour cream, which is hard to find and expensive in Japan. I was really surprised how much it tasted like the real thing. I thought the gherkins would taste odd, but they matched really well.
Ingredients:
500g chicken breast, chopped and skinned
1 onion, sliced
1 green capsicum, sliced
1/2 red capsicum, yellow capsicum, sliced
1 cup mushrooms (I use Shimeji Japanese mushrooms whole)
375ml can evaporated light milk (In Japan you can't get light, but evaporated milk is sold in smaller cans, I just use one. If I don't have any I just use low fat milk)
2 tbsp tomato paste or 1/2 cup tomato puree
1 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tbsp paprika
2 gherkins, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tbsp cornflour
salt and pepper
Coat chicken in salt and pepper and fry in olive oil, add onion and garlic until softened. Add mushrooms and capsicums, cook a further 2-3 minutes. Add gherkins, chicken stock powder, tomato paste, paprika and stir well. Add 1/2 cup - 1 cup of water to the pan and stir. Bring to the boil, then simmer. Finally add can of milk and stir, heat but do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add cornflour stirred in water to thicken if desired (I like it without).

Salmon Pie: My favourite comfort food

There is nothing better on a cold winter's day than Fish Pie! Everyone makes it differently, and I love being invited to friend's houses to try theirs! In New Zealand, a lot of people make it with smoked fish, but as I can't find that in Japan I use fresh salmon, skinned and boned.














Ingredients:
1 tbsp garlic butter, Olive oil
500g Salmon, skinned and boned
1 onion chopped
1 cup white mushrooms or shimeji
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
3 tbsp flour
700ml - 1L milk
6-7 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 tbsp butter
1 cup grated cheese
1 tbsp grainy mustard
salt and pepper
In a large pot boil potatoes until soft. Chop salmon into large bite and coat in salt and pepper and fry in garlic butter and olive oil until cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion to pan and fry for 2-3 mins. Add mushrooms and mixed veges and cook until heated through. Add flour and coat, then gradually add milk stirring the whole time as it thickens. Add mustard and salt and pepper and stir in. Once it is thickened stop adding the milk.
Mash the potatoes with butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper.
Grease a casserole dish with butter and spoon fish mixture into it. Spread potato over the top and sprinkle grated cheese. Make sure the top of the potato doesn't reach the top of the dish or it will spill over in the oven. I often separate it into two dishes.
Bake in the oven at 200 degrees Celcius for 15-20 mins or until golden on top.

Niku Jaga: Beef and Potatoes

Any housewife in Japan knows how to cook this dish. It is one of the basics of Japanese home cooking. I fell in love with it when Mum made it for me in New Zealand before I had come to Japan. The potatoes soak up the flavour beautifully, it is a real Japanese comfort food.
Ingredients:
500g thinly sliced beef (This is sold already sliced in Japan. It is hard to buy it thin enough overseas so you may have to order it from the butcher)
1 onion sliced (in Japanese cooking they like to chop the onion in half through the core, cut off the ends and slice the onion with the grain in 1 cm slices)
12 small potatoes, peeled and halved
tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
1/2 cup soya sauce
1 tbsp honey
Ginger (optional)
Fry beef in oil (if adding ginger add a little with the beef) until browned. Don't over cook, leaving some parts red is fine. Remove from pan, set aside.
Add onions to pan in the same oil. Don't brown. Add potatoes after 2-3 mins and coat with oil. Add Sake and Mirin and fill pan with water to cover the potatoes. Cover and bring to the boil. Simmer until potatoes are almost done, about 10 mins.
Add the honey and soya sauce a little at a time checking the flavour. Too much soy sauce will ruin the dish, and too little will leave it tasteless. At this point the flavour should be slightly watery as it will get stronger as it boils down. Simmer uncovered until liquid has halved. Add beef in the last 5 mins to soak up the flavour.
Garnish with sliced ginger.