Gratan- Macaroni Gratin

I hate the smell of cheese. I don't eat pizzas, any salad that contains any types of cheese, or anything that may contains cheese. I just cannot stand the smell of it. 

But.... I love my gratin with a thin layer of cheese. It gives a crunchy texture.

Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients for one baking pan:

2 cups of uncooked macaroni

Any vegetables, onions, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, peppers, corn

One chicken breast, cubes

One garlic clove, minced

1/4 cups of flour

1/4 cups of milk

1/4 cups of water

1 tablespoon of chicken stock powder

1/4 cups of cheese

1/4 cups of panko bread crumbles

Salt and papper

Few slices of bacon, optional

Required Equipment:

Oven

1 baking pan

Step 1: Cook macaroni.

Step 2: In the pan, put some oil (or bacon), and cook onions and garlic first. Cook all vegetables. Add chicken.

Step 3: Add cooked macaroni into the vegetable mix.

Step 4: Add flour and mix well.

Step 5: Add milk, water, chicken stock powder, and season it.

Step 6: Put it in a baking pan. For cheese lovers, you may want to layer it with cheese.

Step 7: Put cheese on top.

Step 8: Put panko on top.

Step 9: Put it in 350F oven for 10-20 minutes, and broil for 3 minutes.

Chikin No Kuzu Yasai Zuke- Roasted Chicken with Scrap Vegetables

I went back to Japan to spend time with my parents.

I asked my mom if I could be in her cooking class. She said, No you can't. My students pay to be there. Are you going to pay me? If not, it's not fair for others........

She asks me for help to type out her recipes on computer, has never paid me!

I stole her recipes and this is one of them.

It's funny that I know some tricks in cooking that are not explained in her recipes (I believe that she usually explains them verbally in class.) I've never learned cooking from her, but I grew up watching her cooking every single day 3 meals plus snacks.

Ready in: 40 minutes, excluding marinating time

Ingredients for two:
Two to four chicken thighs
200g of vegetable scrap
Salt
[Prepare in Cup]
1/2 cups of Dashi or chicken stock
2 tablespoons of Sake
2 tablespoons of Mirin
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
A few slice of ginger
One clove of garlic, sliced

Required Equipment:
Oven
Vegetable scrap, such as onion skin and bottom, carrot top, and anything you usually throw out
Ziplock

Step 1: Try to make thigh's thickness even.

Step 2: Layer it and put some salt, and mix chicken by hand. Leave it for 10 minutes on counter.

Step 3: Under water, wash salt off.

Step 4: Remove water from chicken. 

Step 5: Put veggie scrap, sauce and chicken in a ziplock to marinate at least 5 hours.

Remove air from the bag

Step 6: Start the oven at 350F.

Step 7: On a baking pan, lay scrap and put a grill on top of it. Place chicken on the grill, put it in the oven for 15 minutes.

Bata Roru- Butter Dinner Rolls

When I was growing up, this type of bread was used to make hotdogs and sandwiches at home. My mom of course baked bread. She used to tell me that we should eat food that you can name ingredients. 

That concept made me who I am today. 

I'm simple, real, and made with love!

Ready in: 3 hours 30minutes

Ingredients for dozen:

150cc warm water

80g coconut oil

One egg, save a bit to apply on dough

400g flour

6g salt

30g skim milk powder

40g suger

6g yeast

[Tartar]

1 boiled egg, minced

1/4 onions, minced

A handful of parsley or coriander

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of vinegar

Salt and papper

Required Equipment:

Baking pan

Parchment paper

Rolling pin or wine bottle

Cheesecloth

Plastic wrap

Large mixing bowl

Step 1: If you are using a bread maker, put everything in the machine. Make sure that you put ingredients in the order of it's listed above. 

If you are mixing by hand, put warm water, sugar and yeast together and wait till it's bubble up. Them mix everything in a bowl. Make sure you rise your dough on a bowl with hot water for 45 minutes.

Step 2: After the first rise, divide the dough into 12, and and rest them under a plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Using a roll pin, spread a dough ball into kind of a triangle. Roll from the long-side to short-side.

Step 3: Start your oven at 315F.

Step 4: Place 12 rolls on a pan that you put parchment paper, cover it with a plastic wrap

and  a cheesecloth on top. Put the pan on a bowl with hot water for 30 minutes. This is your final rise.

Step 5: Apply beaten egg on top of the roll, splay water on top of the rolls, and place the pan in the oven at 315F for 10-15 minutes. You may increase the temperature to 350F after 10 minutes.

Step 6: Voilà!

Step 7: You may want to make sandwiches with them. 

Purin- Custard Pudding

My friend called it English custard pudding, but it's Japanese pudding! You can find a large selection of custard, chocolate or milk pudding shelf at a store in Japan. We love pudding!

Ready in: 45 minutes, excluding chilling time

Ingredients for 5 Cups:

200 ml of whipping cream

200 ml of milk

4 eggs

50g of sugar

vanila essence

Caramel Sauce

Water and sugar, heated in a small pan

or

Maple syrup

Equipment:

Baking pan

Paper towel

Step 1: Heat up cream and milk in a pot. Do NOT boil it. Turn the heat off.

Step 2: Beat eggs very very well, add it to the pot, and mix it well. Add some vanila essence as well. AGAIN, do NOT boil. 

Step 3: Put the mixture into cups.

Step 4: In a baking pan, place some some sheets of paper towel, and put a bit of water. Place the cups on it.

Step 5: Without any pre-heating, bake it in 225 F for 20 minutes, and increase the heat to 300 F for 10-15 minutes.

Well-chilled tastes better!

Step 6: Put some syrup or caramel sauce on top,

Jyaman Potato- Baked Potatoes with Bacon and Egg

In Japan, the combination of potatoes with bacon is called "German Potatoes". This dish is a very popular pub food.

I put eggs on top to make it rich breakfast.

You can also cook it in the oven.

Ready in: 20 minutes

Ingredients for two:
2 potatoes
3 slices of bacon
2 eggs
Cheese
Green onions
Black pepper

Step 1: Slice potatoes very thin and soak them in water for 10 minutes. Drain the water.

Step 2: Cut bacon and cook it in a frying pan. Remove it from the pan onto a plate.

Step 3:  In the same pan, cook sliced potatoes till golden.

Step 4:  Add the cooked bacon onto the potatoes.

Step 5: Put some cheese and crack eggs on top.

Step 6: Cover the pan till the eggs are ready.

 

Harumaki- Non- Deep Fried Spring Roll

Deep fried sprin rolls are nice and crunchy, but this non-deep fried recipe must feel you good eating "healthy"!

Ready in: 50 minutes, including 30 minutes in oven

Ingredients for 10 rolls:
1/2 carrot- cut into 1" strip
Hand-full of dried mushrooms
Some bambooshoots, if you can find
100g of ground pork, if you want
1 cup of cooked vermicelli
Hand-full of chives
Any other vegetables
Seasonings
3 tablespoons of oyster sauce
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of sake
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon of minced ginger
Sesame oil to fry everything
Paper
10 spring roll paper
Cornstarch + water as a glue
<Serving with>
Sweet chili sauce
or
1 tabespoon of ketchap
3 tablespoons of vinegar
2 tablespoons of sugar

*Prepare your oven for 400F.
*Soak dried mushrooms in water for 30 minutes.

Step 1: Cook vegetables in a pan, and season them.

I use 2 different types of dried mushrooms

Step 2: Make a roll.

Roll it just like a burrito

Make a mixture of water and cornstarch, and use it as a glue

Step 3: Place them on a oven pan, and brush oil on top of them. Cook them for 30 minutes.