Tan Tan Tofu Nabe - Spicy Tan Tan Tofu Hot Pot with Miso & Sesame Sauce

Nothing cannot go wrong with a hot meal on a cold rainy day.

Ready in: 10 minutes

Ingredients for two:
[Sauce, prepare in a bowl]
1 tablespoon of miso paste
1/2 teaspoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of grind sesame seeds
1 teaspoon of chili sauce
1/2 teaspoons of grind garlic
1/2 teaspoons of grind ginger
1/2 tablespoons of sesame oil

[Soup, prepare in a pon]
400cc water
1/2 teaspoons of chicken stock powder

bok choi
green onions
1 block of Tofu
Pork or chicken meatballs, option

Step 1: Put soup, tofu and vegetables in a pot, and boil it.

Step 2: Mix ingredients for the sauce

Step 3: Serve

Ichigo Daifuku- Rice Cake with Red Beans and Strawberries

When I see this cake in a store, I feel spring has come.

Ready in: 20minutes

Ingredients for six:

6 strawberries, cut leaves off

180g of Azuki red bean paste, make 6 balls

Some corn starch to shape cakes

[Prepare in a bowl]

100g of rice flour

20g of sugar

120-140cc water

Required Equipment:

Microwave

Step 1: Prepare ingredients.

Step 2: Add water in the dry ingredients and mix it.

Step 3: Cover the bowl with a plastic and microwave it for 1 minute, and mix it. Repeat it 2-3 times until there is no powder left.

Step 4: Put some corn starch on a counter, and place the cake onto it. Divide it into six.

Step 5: Wrap a bean-ball with the cake.

Step 6: Cut the top using scissors.

Step 7: Place a strawberry on top.

Tofu no Kara Age- Deep Fried Tofu (Wings Imitation)

Feel like eating non meat tonight? Try Tofu fritters.

Freeze tofu more than 2 hours, squeeze it and break it into cubes. Handle it as chicken cubes.

Ingredients and instruction: Tori no Kara Age- Deep Fried Chicken (Wings)

Happo Cha- Herbal Tea with Jasmine Tea and Goji Berries

My Chinese colleagues in Tokyo introduced me to Ba Bao Chrysanthemum Tea long time ago. She told me that the tea had everything that needed to make a beautiful smooth skin.

Ready in: 5 minutes

Ingredients for 500ml:
[Prepare in a pot or bottle]
2 teaspoons of jasmine tea
1 handful dried chrysanthemum flowers
5 dried goji berries
3 dried dates
4 dried longan
5 dried raisins
400ml boiling water
Some rock sugar, optional

Required Equipment:
Tea pot or infuser

Step 1: Just pour hot water in the tea!

Kuromame Juice- Black Soybean Juice

Happy Halloween!

When I was growing up, I didn't know what soda or juice tasted like. My mom thought (and still thinks) soda and juice were evils and would kill you. Sweet drinks I drank were Yakuruto (probiotics drink), hot chocolate, fresh apple squeeze and black soybean juice.

Black soybeans are one of the power food in macrobiotics. It helps blood flaw, smoothen your skin, recovering from fatigue, and contains full of protein.

Ready in: 60 minutes, after over night of soaking

Ingredients:
1 cup of black soybeans
Water
Sugar
1/4-1/2 lemon juice


Step 1: Soak beans over night in water, and remove beans (you can cook beans with its juice or use beans in a different dish)

Step 2: Boil juice and add lemon juice, and sugar as sweet as you like

Pho

I used to work for a man who was from India. One day of a week, he took a vegetarian noodle soup for lunch. He wasn't vegetarian. His reason of eating vegetarian food was to get rest his stomach.

It's been almost 20 years, but I sometimes remember the conversation.

Our stomach works hard to digest meat. I like the idea of choosing food that is easy to digest to care about own body.

That is macrobiotics; listening to your body needs. 

Ready in: 10 minutes

Ingredients for two:

Rice noodles

4 shrimp or handful chicken, optional

Vegetables such as tomatoes, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, green onions, etc

Herbs such as lemon grass, mint and coriander

Lime

[Prepare in a pan for soup]

400cc of water

1/2 tablespoons of chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

1 tablespoon of Sake

Salt and pepper

Step 1: Cook noodles by following the package.

Step 2: Heat up the soup with shrimp.

Step 3: Place cooked noodles in a bowl.

Step 4: Place vegetables and herbs on top.

Step 5: Slowly, pour the soup in a bowl and put a lime on top. 

Soba Noodle Buddha Bowl

In macrobiotics, there is no strict dietary rule although it recommends people to eat less animal products or refined sugar.

Eat seasonal foods, listen to your body needs, and don't torture your body.

It gets really hot in Ottawa. Lately, I make lots of pickled vegetables and eat Yin food such as cucumber and tomatoes.

My body is telling me to stay cool this summer.

Add some ginger in the bowl to balance up Yin and Yang.

Ready in: 10 minutes

Ingredients for two:
200g Soba noodles
A few salad leaves
Pickled vegetables, such as peppers, red cabbage, ginger, and carrots (soak over night in sugar and vinegar)
Green onions as  decorations.
[Prepare sauce in a cup]
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of vinegar
1 tablespoon of sesame oil
2 teaspoons of Mirin or maple syrup


Step 1: Cook noodles by following the package.

Step 2: Put everything in a bowl and pour sauce on top.

Kocha Kinoko- Kombucha

One of my first Canadian friends asked me if I wanted Kombucha 6 years ago. Apparently, it was homemade. I thought it was interesting that she had a homemade Kombucha. Kombucha means a powdered algae tea in Japanese. It reminded me of my grandparent's house where I used to drink it. So I said, Sure!

She came back with a huge slimy jelly. It looked so gross! 

What the hell is Kombucha then?! This is my first impression of Kombucha.

I started brewing it by myself. It's actually not bad.

I find homemade one is less fizzy, it doesn't hurt my throat.

Ready in: 2 weeks or less, Ottawa is too cold to brew it fast!!

Ingredients for 1L:

1L water

80g sugar

2 cafainated black tea bags

Required Equipment:

Scoby

30-50ml store-bought Kombucha, or starter fluid (depending on the size difference of your scoby and jar)

Mason jar

Cheesecloth or paper towel or coffee filter

Elastic band

Towel, optional

Step 1: Make sure your mason jar is bacteria-free!

Step 2: Make dark tea in hot water or boiling water.

Step 3: Add sugar while tea is still hot, and cool it down to room temperature.

Step 4: Once it cools down, pour tea in a jar.

<Important> Do NOT put your scoby in hot tea. You will kill her!!

Step 5: With your surgeon-clean hands, slowly put a scoby in the jar. Add store-bought Kombucha or starter fluid. Cover it with a cheesecloth and elastic band. Let it sit in a dark place where you don't need to move it around. You may want to wrap the jar with towel to keep 20 degrees around the jar for a better result.

<Important> New scoby layer will start. At the beginning, it looks like grease on the surface. If you move the jar, you disturb the growth of the new scoby. 

Step 6: After 5-8 days, a new scoby layer starts growing. At some point, the original scoby comes on the surface. Once it gets about 3mm thick evenly, your Kombucha is ready to enjoy. Your Kombucha has a lighter color than black tea you made to start.

Keep a scoby in 30ml Kombucha, use it in your next brew as a starter

Optional Step: For the second ferment, put Kombucha in a sealable bin. For its flavor, you may want to add some fruits directly in the jar. Keep it sealed in the room temperature for 1-2 days. When you open the lid, you will hear a fizzy soda sound.

French Gallete

In a microbiotics diet, buckwheat is listed as a power food. It contains balanced vitamins and minerals.

As I mentioned in the article Harajyuku Kurepu- Crêpe, I thought a crêpe was a Japanese food.

A savory crêpe will make your weekend morning enjoyable!

Ready in: 45 minutes, including 30 minute batter resting time

Ingredients for four crêpes:

Vegetables and eggs for filling

Cheese and bacon, optional

Butter or oil

[Prepare in a bowl]

100g buckwheat (or 80g buckwheat and 20g flour)

One egg

2 pinches of salt

1.5 cups of water

Required Equipment:

Pan

Step 1: Prepare batter and rest it in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Cut vegetables in dice and cook in a pan.

Step 3: Heat up a pan and put some oil or butter. Pour batter.

Step 4: Once one side is cooked, make sure that the crêpe is removable from the pan. No need to flip over.

Step 5: Add filling on the crêpe and half-cover the filling. You may want to cover the pan with a lid to make sure your egg is cooked.

Meipuru Bata- Maple Butter

I know it's not Japanese food, but have to post this recipe! It's very Canadian and I love maple butter!
It's actually perfect macrobiotics food.

It's the season again!



Ready in: 2-3 hours

Ingredients:
2.5L of maple syrup

Equipment:
Cooking thermometer
Small strainer
Large pot
Large bowl
Wooden spatura
Ice cubes
6-8 maison jars

Step 1: Boil maple syrup in a large pot, and remove bubbles from the surface.

Step 2: Prepare icy water.

Step 3: When maple syrup reaches 240 degrees, immediately remove from the heat and put the pan into the icy water.

Step 4: Once maple syrup cools down to 160 degrees, start string using a wooden spatura.

30-40 minuts later

1 hour later

1.25 hours later

1.5 hours later

Step 5: Store it in jars.