Japanese Tsukemen - cold ramen recipe

Usually when we talk about Japanese ramen, we think of a big bowl of broth with ramen inside, serve hot... but cold ramen exists too! It is served separately from the hot broth.

This recipe is so good, I really love taste - sour & salty taste blends well with pork!

Ingredients
100g pork belly slices
1 small dried red chili pepper

400ml water
1/2 tbsp chicken stock powder
2 tbsp sake
1 long scallion
1 clove garlic, medium size
1 fresh ginger root, 2"

3 tbsp soy sauce

40g Shiitake mushrooms
40g Shimeji mushrooms
1 leek

1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp vinegar

2 bags fresh ramen or Tsukemen noodles


1 soft boiled egg, click here for recipe
1 scallion, thinly sliced

bonito flakes

Instructions
1. Remove pork belly skin if there is any
Divide it into 3" wide portions

Crush garlic and ginger with a wooden spoon, do not chop them at all
Slice red chili pepper into thin rings

Slice the leek diagonally

2. In a cooking pot, without oil, fry pork belly until fat releases
Add in red chili pepper, stir fry until fragrance releases

3. Add in water, chicken stock powder, sake, scallion, garlic and ginger
Bring to boil, when boil turn down the heat to low, let it simmer for 10 mins

4. After 10mins, remove scallion ginger & garlic
Add in soy sauce, mushrooms & leek, let it simmer for 5 mins

5. Add sesame oil and vinegar
Turn off the heat and cover the lid to keep hot

6. In another pot, boil water to cook ramen/noodle for 1-2 mins
Discard water, rinse ramen/noodle under cold water

7. Serve ramen/noodle on a plate, place 1/2 boiled egg at the edge

Serve pork mushroom broth in a bowl, sprinkle bonito and scallion

8. Take some ramen/noodle into the bowl, dip the broth and eat

Enjoy!

Lemon layers dessert

I made some lemon curd, but what to use with it?

Using the concept of tiramisu, I can make some layers of lady's finger and lemon cream cheese :)
That was how I developed this lemon cream cheese

It is free to assemble everything in any size of serving container, it is nicer to serve in individual glass though. Multiply the quantity if you need to.

Ingredients - 8 tiny glasses (5.5cm diameter & 5cm height)
120g cream cheese
120g lemon curd*

24 lady's finger, click here for the recipe
250g lemon curd, click here for the recipe

* you may want to add more lemon curd if you want stronger taste

Instructions
1. Let cream cheese sits at room temperature for 1 hour or until it becomes soft

2. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese

Add in lemon curd, little by little

3. Taste it before you want to add extra lemon curd


Assemble
- Place lady's finger at the bottom
- Place lemon cream cheese
- Place lady's finger
- Place lemon curd
- Place lady's finger

Enjoy!

Coffee cream

It is easy to find 40% fat cream during Christmas season, so I bought some and try to make this coffee cream for my chocolate cake!

Ingredients
100g whipping cream (40% fat)

10g soluble coffee powder
40g sugar

300g whipping cream (40% fat)

Instructions
1. In a small pot at medium low heat, dissolve coffee and sugar in 100g whipping cream, once it is dissolved, turn off the fire

Leave it cool down, then store in the fridge for 1 hour

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk 300g whipping cream until it forms soft peak
Add in the coffee cream mixture, whisk until the firm peak

Ready - You can now use it to pipe the cake

Enjoy!

Oyakodon - Japanese chicken & egg rice

After making Japanese beef rice (click here for recipe), I want to make chicken rice :) 

Using chicken thigh is the best, since the meat is really tender and smooth, serving with silky egg is wonderful!

Ingredients (2 servings)
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
2 tbsp dashi stock, click here for recipe
1/8 tsp sugar

50g chicken thigh, no skin no bone*
50g onion

2 stalks parsley, cut into 2cm pieces

2 eggs

rice


Toppings:
shredded Nori seaweed
1 fresh egg yolk

*We used 100g chicken thigh since we eat this dish as unique dish

Instructions
1. Prepare the rice, with slightly less water => the broth will soak the rice & make it softer when serving

2. In a medium-small sauce pan, place soy sauce, mirin, dashi stock and sugar, mix well so that sugar dissolved completely in the pan

3. Slice chicken thigh into small pieces, place them into the sauce pan, flip the chicken to another side so both side soak the sauce

4. Slice onion finely and separate between layers
Place them into the pan

5. Turn on the heat to boil the chicken, cover with a lid

Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, eat the eggs briefly

6. When the chicken starts turning its color to become cooked, flip the chicken to the other side

When it's nearly cooked, add in parsley

7. Distribute the beaten egg over the pan, let it cook until 50% done to have silky egg effect when serving

Note: for safety reason, you can cook the egg completely

8. Place rice on a serving bowl

Then place the chicken egg mixture onto the rice

9. If you add an egg yolk, make a little hole in a center of the bowl, place the yolk

You can also add the shredded nori seaweed 

Enjoy!

Butternut squash coconut curry

During the autumn season we can find pumpkin and butternut squash everywhere here, it is good to make some special dish by using these seasonal ingredients!

I found this recipe nice because we both like curry, it has been a while I haven't cooked any Indian dish :(

Ingredients (Serves 4-6)
1 medium (about 1.25kg) butternut squash 

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large shallot, peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1/2" knob fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 jalapeño chile, chopped (seeds optional, for extra heat)
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional)*
2 small dried red chilies (optional)*

1 tbsp tamarind paste/lemon juice/vinegar
400g coconut milk
1 cup water
salt

* for extra heat, I didn't add them

Instructions
1. Dice the squash into bite size pieces

Note: you can peel off the skin if you don't like but I didn't, as it is edible

2. Warm the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat
Add shallot, garlic and ginger, stir regularly until the shallots are soft and translucent

3. Add in coriander, cumin & fennel seeds, turmeric, chile, cayenne, red chiles
Stir to release fragrance, cooking for 2-3 minutes

4. Add in squash, tamarind paste/lemon juice/vinegar, coconut milk, water and salt

5. Bring to a boil then lower heat, simmer for about 45 minutes until squash is tender and just beginning to break down => The squash will thicken the curry as it cooks down

Note: If you want an extra-thick and creamy curry, puree a cup or two of the squash with an immersion blender and mix it back into the curry

Serve hot with basmati rice
Enjoy!

Lemon curd

I like Lemon dessert because it is refreshing, like sour and sweet combination. This lemon curd is delicious, can be used as bread spread, serve with yoghurt or cake... 

close up of lemon curd, it is thickened after simmering in a saucepan

You can pour lemon curd over a cake - yummmm!

Ingredients - Make about 1 1/2 cups
3 eggs
2 egg yolks 
1 cup sugar 
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
1/2 cup lemon juice 
150g unsalted butter

Instructions

1. Place the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large saucepan, whisk well

Then cook it over medium heat, stir until sugar dissolved

2. Reduce heat to low, add in the butter, stir continuously until melted

3. Continue to stir and let it cook for 4–6 minutes or until the mixture is thickened 

=> check:

- if it coats the back of a spoon

- when you stir, you need more force

3. Turn off the heat, use seive to strain lemon curd into a medium bowl (cover with plastic wrap) or directly in air-tight jar (close lid), let it cool at room temperature

Store it in fridge maximum 1 week

Enjoy!

Soy sauce ramen

After trying my first ramen recipe,  I am more courageous and confident to try other ramen recipe :) This recipe is delicious, it is less heavy.

This recipe is from a Japanese cook. Thanks so much!

Ingredients (2-3 servings)
2-3 packages fresh ramen

Soup:
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2" ginger, minced
2 tsp bean paste (either spicy or not according to your taste)

2 cups chicken stock
2 cups Dashi, click here for the recipe
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tbsp sake
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Toppings: (Add any ingredients below according to your taste)
sea weed
scallions, finely chopped
corn
ramen egg, click here for the recipe
bamboo shoots
roasted pork

Instructions1. Prepare toppings

2. In a pot (at least 1L), prepare soup -
Heat up sesame oil over medium heat, add in garlic and ginger, fry until fragrant releases
Add in bean paste, stir and let the fragrant releases

3. Add in chicken stock, dashi stock, soy sauce, sake, salt & sugar, bring to boil
When it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low, let it simmer

4. Strain the soup by cheese cloth and pour the soup back to the pot
Simmer the soup until serve

5. Prepare ramen -
In another pot, boil water

When water starts boiling, cook ramen for 2 mins, it is still firm, but when serving with soup and soak in the soup, noodle will become softer

6. Assemble -
- Place ramen in a serving bowl
- Pour soup
- Place toppings

Serve hot!
Enjoy!