Chawanmushi (Japanese Steamed Egg Custard) pictures (1 of 6)
Click the image to see next picture
This is a special post to my readers who have requested for a chawanmushi recipe. Chawanmushi or steamed egg custard (茶碗蒸し) is a popular Japanese dish, one that is mostly ordered as an appetizer at Japanese restaurants.
From the name of this dish in Kanji 茶碗蒸, I believe chawanmushi is originally a Chinese dish, but has since been perfected by Japanese chefs. The Chinese version of steamed egg custard or 蒸水蛋 is a lot simpler, but not as tasty as chawanmushi, in my honest opinion. The reason is very simple: chawanmushi is loaded with treasures that are buried at the bottom of the steamed egg custard while the Chinese version is usually plain! Plus, the use of dashi stock and sake are great seasonings for an otherwise plain steamed egg taste…
Click for more
Rolled Omelette (Tamagoyaki) pictures (1 of 9)
Click the image to see next picture
I have gone Japanese food crazy lately. It all started after my recent trip to Tokyo. While I always have food crushes, this time it’s more substantial. I am motivated to learn more about Japanese cuisine and to understand the basic techniques of making Japanese food, precisely Japanese home cooking.
My current love affair with Japanese food has gotten me some new kitchen utensils: a daikon grater, a tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) pan, and a sushi mat. I have also bought a couple of new Japanese cookbooks: Kaiseki Cookbook and Japanese Homestyle Cooking. (Both are great cookbooks!) And my pantry is now choked full of Japanese ingredients: sansho (Japanese variation of Sichuan peppercorn), konbu/kombu (dried kelp), bonito flakes, ponzu, and more miso…
Click for more
Near the Sensoji temple in Asakusa, Tokyo, where many street vendors set up stalls to sell various snacks and street food, chicken karaage (唐揚げ) is one of the popular offerings. A quick walk around and you can find many vendors with a big wok/pot of boiling oil, deep-frying their chicken karaage to golden perfection. I [...]
A few nights ago, I met up with my friends Steamy Kitchen and Delicious Life/Tastespotting at Izakaya by Katsu-Ya in LA. We ordered many delicious Japanese dishes, two servings of chilled sake and chatted our night away about food, blogging, people, and random stuff. We had such a wonderful time!
One of the dishes we ordered [...]
I am not sure what it is, it could be the heat outside, but I just don’t have much of an appetite lately, especially for lunch.
Lunch is tough because I am definitely not a sandwich and salad type of person (I frown at the very thought of them), but Chinese food and Malaysian food with [...]
How do you turn a bucket of plain old vanilla ice cream into something exotic and lickylicious without having to splurge US$3 per scoop?
Easy. Very easy!
I learned this trick recently and thought I would share it with you, especially now when it’s sizzling hot outside with temperatures pushing the 90’s or even 100’s Fahrenheit in [...]
I love Nobu’s black cod with miso, but it’s not easy to find fresh black cod in the market, at least not in my neighborhood. So I used Chilean sea bass instead. I love Chilean sea bass–the flesh is always so moist, tender, silky, and sweet. I also love the texture and the mouth feel [...]
My cheekbones have gone missing.
I have been looking for them in the mirror–during day time under natural sun light; indoor under soft tungsten light; in the office with bright fluorescent light–but they are nowhere to be found. They have indeed gone missing.
What I see in the mirror–and most evidently from my travel pictures–are fats, or [...]
