Tako Su

Obon has finished….!  Obon is one of holiday season in Japan where people go back to their hometown and pray for ancestors.  During Obon you are not supposed to kill any living creature (including a fly) because it may be your ancestor visiting you in a form of the creature.  I feel so bad now because I forgot about Obon and killed a small spider 2 days ago.  It’s hard to remember these things while living in Perth.  😐

Above photo is marinated octopus, cucumber and wakame seaweed in vinegar sauce.  I call it tako-to-kyuri-to-wakame-no-sunomono, but I think you can just call it tako-su.  It’s typical summer salad (or should I say side dish) in Japan.

It is hard to find octopus legs in Perth, but in Japan we eat it very often.  If you go to kaiten sushi bar you’ll see octopus sushi, which is a nigiri sushi with a slice of cooked octopus leg.  Octopus leg is always available at supermarket too.   It is usually sold cooked though.  I don’t get to see raw octopus legs much over there unless I go to a fish market.

I think octopus legs are kind of gross food here?  That’s why I can’t buy it from any grocery shops?  Most Asian grocery shops don’t sell it too.  I usually buy it from seafood shops.

<Tako Su>

• Octopus Leg (cooked) 100g
• Cucumber 1
• Wakame seaweed (dry) 1 tbs
• White Wine Vinegar 2 tbs
• Sugar 1 tbs
• Soy Sauce 1 tsp
• Ginger 1 slice

1. Soak wakame in water until soften, and drain well.
2. Slice cucumber thinly. (or thick if you prefer crunchy texture)  Slice cooked octopus leg.  Slice ginger into long matchsticks.
3. Mix vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and ginger.
4. Marinate octopus, cucumber and wakame in the dressing in the fridge for 1 hour or more before serving.

IKEA Food for FREE!

I’m quite surprised to know that not many people are aware of IKEA’s current promotion – “I could eat an armchair” where the amount you spend at IKEA restaurant will be taken off your store purchase. (term & condition)  This offer ends this Friday, so if you are interested then rush to IKEA!!

I actually didn’t have anything particularly that I wanted to buy, but since sister-in-law is here from Jakarta we took her to IKEA for lunch yesterday.  We ate around $33 worth food, and got $33 worth IKEA items for free!

It’s not only IKEA, but many shops in Perth are starting Sunday trading from next week.  Perth is changing.  I remember when I came here in 2003….  I had a huge culture shock when I found out shops are closed on Sunday.  For me, weekends are the time people go shopping!

Hmmm…. by the way, I’ve already started shopping from Japanese online shops….  I’m gonna ask my dad to bring them to Bali then I can take them home here in Perth.  (thank you, dad)  I wasn’t gonna buy many things, but it’s so hard….  There are so many things that I want to buy from Japan!!  On my last homecoming trip to Japan, we had total of 50kg allowance for check-in luggage, but we had to leave half of what we bought there because our luggage were already over 50kg.  So, imagine how many things we bought during our stay there….  It’s crazy.

It’s kinda shame that there is no Daiso in Bali.  Well, but we are not going to Bali for shopping.  We are going there to RELAX and EAT 🙂  I can’t wait!

Thank You Everyone!

First, I’d like to say thank you to everyone who messaged me through this blog and email.  I feel much better and strong knowing that I’m not alone and there are people who read my blog from many countries.  It’s kinda amazing feeling.

🙂

I’m gonna write about an amazing food I had last night.  This is banana-cheese-pastry thingy (I don’t know the proper name!) that my sister-in-law brought from Indonesia.  It’s so yummmmmyyyy.  It’s from Bandung city (in Indonesia), she said.  It’s got a whole banana and cheese inside, kind of melty, and doughy throughout with crispy pastry on outside.  I don’t know how to explain the taste, but it’s somewhere between sweet and savoury.  Very interesting.

There are many food in the world that I haven’t met.  I do want to go to many countries and try these things out someday.

Oh, I’m actually going to Bali in November this year.  Believe it or not, it will be my first trip to Bali!  Even though I have an Indonesian husband, I’ve never been outside Denpasar airport.  Actually, my husband has also never been to Bali before!  Haha.  So it will be our first Bali experience.

Going to Bali is kind of the thing that I can look up to.  It had been a rough idea of me and my dad who is in Japan, but  now we are booking air tickets and accommodation in Bali.  My husband, Hiro, and I are meeting my dad in Bali who will fly from Japan by himself.  It will be great holiday for all of us.

What I want to do in Bali – I’m not pretty sure about it yet, as I have no idea what Bali is like, but I think we’ll get massage and eat lots of local food.  Near the beach, probably.  I can’t wait to take my dad to eat Indonesian food.  I’m sure he will love it!

Little Depressed Here…

I’m gonna write about me now.

I’ve been down recently.  It happens to me sometimes – I don’t know if it is because of my blood type AB, or my star sign Pisces, or the weather, or the flu I’m starting to catch – but I just can’t feel right and have to cry until my tear stops.

Crying has been my method of getting rid of stress since I was a child.  I feel good after crying everything out.

I really have a doubt that I may have depression.  Actually I’ve thought about it when I was little too.  Sometimes I feel that everything around me is so miserable, but I can’t talk about it to anyone else.  I thought no one would understand.

I think hormone is playing the majority, but it could be my blood type AB? Most of the time I’m ok, thinking positively and easy-going.  But suddenly I feel that no one really cares about me and I’m alone.

I think I need to be bit more busy.  If I have really nothing to do, I start thinking about many things in my head.

If I was alone, I’d probably go to another place and do things, like volunteering in Africa.  I could go to a temple in Kyoto and do meditation for weeks.  There are many things I could do…

Hang on.   Now I think that I can still do these things.  It’s my life, and is not over yet.  When I was a teenager I was enjoying everyday because I had a big dream of coming to Australia.  Now I’m here in Australia, and have husband & beautiful Hiro.  My situation here should be a pretty good one.  I feel something is missing, it’s because I have nothing I can look up to future.

Writing about it here made me feel much better.  Thanks Umeboss blog.  Now I’m gonna list up in my diary what I can do in coming years.

Hinata Gallery Cafe 2012

There will be an exciting event for people who love hand-made craft, art, music, Japanese foods and culture in Bibra Lake.  This event, called “Hinata (sunny side) Gallery Cafe”, will be held on 8th of September 2012 at Perth Waldorf School, Bibra Lake.

There will be stalls selling hand-made crafts, arts, etc as well as Japanese foods and drinks.  I’ve never been to this event before, but apparently it’s held annually.  I hear all the things at this event are very well-made and good quality.  Above of all, nothing can beat the warmness of handmade things.

There will also be an opportunity to experience Japanese calligraphy, and listen to Japanese musician playing and watch Japanese film.

Cafe will open from 10:00 to 19:00, Craft/Workshop open from 10:00 to 16:00, Music Concert will start at 16:00 for 30 minutes, and Film will start from 16:30 until 18:30.  Yes, it’s a whole-day event!

So, write down the date “8th September 2012” on your diary and experience the whole culture and entertainment of Japanese artists!

Chocolate Cake

decorated Chocolate cake 🙂

Layers of cocoa sponge with freshly whipped chocolate cream and rich ganache, covered with whipped chocolate cream and topped with fruits and ganache balls.

I like making cake with lots of fresh fruits 🙂

Garnished mint leaves are from my garden.

Happy birthday 〜！！

Kayaku Gohan

As you may know, Japanese people eat lot of rice.  Nowadays they don’t eat as much as they used to, but rice is still a must-have food for most people there.

I was raised in a typical Japanese family who eat rice for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  My grand parents had rice fields (now my dad’s inherited them), so rice was always there in the kitchen.  Because of that, I also became a person who needs to eat rice everyday – at least once a day.  Otherwise my body doesn’t feel right.

Here in Perth, Japanese rice is so expensive.  They are available at Nippon Food and other Asian grocery shops, but I’ve only bought a discounted bag with broken packaging before.  I usually just use Sunrice medium grain rice.  It’s cheap and ok.  I sometimes mix mochi-gome (mochi rice = sticky rice) to the medium grain when cooking so that the rice becomes more like Japanese rice; sticks together. I like the mochi-mochi texture.

Kayaku-gohan is steamed rice with various ingredients and seasoning cooked together.  I must say it’s one of my favourite food.  I can go several bowls at once!

You can find abura-age (fried bean-curd) in freezer section at Asian grocery shops.  Konnyaku is usually in the fridge, or sometimes sold at room temperature on the shelves.

<Kayaku Gohan>

• Rice medium grain 3 cups
• Mochi Rice (sticky rice) 1/2 cup
• Chicken Thigh 50g
• Carrot, small 1
• Konnyaku 1/2 pack
• Abura-age 1/2 sheet
• Shiitake mushroom, dried 2 〜3
• Ginger 1 small block (about 10g)
• Soy Sauce 2 tbs
• Sake 1 tbs
• Mirin 1 tbs

1. Soak dried shiitake in 1/4 cup of water for 30 minutes.  Keep the shiitake water.
2. Slice chicken, carrot, konnyaku, abura-age, shiitake, and ginger into small pieces.
3. Place them in a sauce pan with the shiitake water, another 3/4 cup water (so 1 cup total), soy sauce, sake and mirin.   Bring to gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.  Leave to cool.
4. Place washed and drained rice into a rice cooker.  Level the surface. Scoop the chicken and vegetables and place on top of rice – level surface – to cover the rice.  Add the stock from “3” to the rice cooker.
5. Add more water to adjust : I always use my finger to measure the water amount when cooking rice.  Place your index finger 90° to the rice, and add water up till the first line on your index finger.
6. Turn on the rice cooker.  When rice is cooked, leave at least 10 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Baby Food Recipes

I’ve been writing this website My Baby Are What since Hiro started eating solid.  Before I fell pregnant I didn’t really have any interest in kids and babies –  I didn’t even like them much 🙁  But now everything changed including the way I see and feel about other babies and kids.  When I was a teenager some of my friends already had babies, but I really had no idea how to treat and talk to these little people when I visited.  Should I speak in a baby language, or should I just speak as I speak to adults?  How to play with babies?  What do I do?!  What I could do was just to keep staring at babies with a smile – and that made both babies and me tired and uncomfortable.

Now, I don’t say babies and kids are my top interest, but I like watching them play and know how to (try to) communicate with them. Thanks to Hiro. 🙂

Hiro loves eating.  He wants to eat all the time.  Because he asks for food so often, I had to consult with community nurse about it.  He is not fat, but I’m afraid he’ll be like a giant pig if he continue eating like this.    But, his attitude towards food makes me feel it worths to cook for him every day.

Now, I’ve stopped writing on MyBabyAteWhat and am combining it with this Umeboss.  I will post recipes of baby’s food with more photos here.

It may take a while till I upload all the recipes because I can’t be in front of computer so often, but once I do I hope you enjoy reading them!

Birthday Cakes

It’s been a little busy week for me – making birthday cakes 🙂

For birthday cake, I always make the same one; sponge with freshly whipped cream and lots of fresh fruits.  That’s my favourite cake in Japan, and people who ask me to make cakes seem to be the same.

Strawberries are getting cheap here as spring approaches.  I love the combination of strawberries and cream!

This is the another one I made last week.  Pink-themed cake 🙂

I mixed strawberry jam and fresh strawberries to the cream when I whipped.  It tasted fantastic and sweet so I didn’t need to add sugar to it.

Yum yum…..  I made extra for myself, and that’s a real treat for my tired body and brain 😀

Hijiki Nimono

This is a very classic Japanese dish; hijiki-no-nimono (stewed hijiki with vegetables and fried bean-curd)  which is often used to fill bento box as well.  Hijiki is a type of seaweed and is good for skin and hair – very healthy!  Unfortunately hijiki is not available at stores in Perth because of Australian import laws, so you will have to bring it from Japan by yourself (import non-commercially is currently allowed).  If you have a friend who is flying to Japan then you can ask him/her 🙂

Hijiki-no-nimono can have any ingredients – but I usually cook with carrot, konnyaku, aburaage (fried bean-curd), chicken thigh and chikuwa (fish-cake).  You can also add soy beans or/and snake beans.  Since I didn’t have chikuwa in my fridge, I cooked without it.

You can find abura-age and chikuwa in freezer section at Asian grocery shop.  Konnyaku is usually in the fridge, or sometimes sold at room temperature on the shelves.

It’s a great accompaniment to steamed rice 🙂

Here is the recipe :

<Hijiki-no-Nimono>

• Dried Hijiki 17g
• Chicken Thigh 50g (no bone. with or without skin)
• Carrot 1 (medium)
• Konnyaku (black) about 90g (I used 1/2 of normal packet)
• Aburage 1/2 sheet
• Soy Sauce 1 tbs
• Sake (cooking wine) 1 tbs
• Mirin (sweet cooking wine) 1 tbs
• Dashi Powder 1 pinch

1. Soak dried hijiki in cold water for at least 30 minutes.  Drain.
2. Cut chicken into small pieces.  Slice carrot, konnyaku and abura-age.
3. Place all the ingredients in a pot.  Turn on the fire and bring to gentle boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer with lid on for about 10 minutes.
4. Serve with steamed rice 🙂

Ginger Chicken

Ginger chicken – I used chicken thigh and marinated in teriyaki-style ginger sauce before grilling.

What you need to be careful when grilling marinated meat is that it burns easily.  And especially for chicken, you don’t want the meat burnt and black but the inside remains uncooked.  I heat up the frying-pan then turn down just before cooking the chicken.  Cook over low heat – because the pan was hot, the bottom of the meat should have nice-looking colour.  Then flip it over.  Cook over low heat again for few minutes, then add little amount of water.  By adding water, the chicken will be surely cooked through.  The full recipe is below ↓

The meat is soft and juicy!  This dish isn’t a saucy one, but because it’s been marinated the flavour is inside the meat.

The bed of cabbage laying beneath the chicken is also cooked in the teriyaki-style sauce, so you pick a piece of chicken with little amount of flavour-soaked cabbage, then enjoy all together.

Here is the recipe;

<Ginger Chicken>

• Chicken Thigh 2 fillets
• Cabbage Leaves 2 leaves
• Soy Sauce 1 tbs
• Sake (cooking wine) 1 tbs
• Crushed Ginger 1 tsp
• sesame seeds to sprinkle (optional)

1. Place chicken fillets in a container or a plastic bag. Add soy sauce, sake and ginger to it, and rub gently.  Leave in the fridge for 2 hours or so (or you can leave it overnight – it’s ok)
2. Drain chicken (keep the marinade).
3. Heat up a frying pan over high heat.  Add oil, then turn down to low.  Place chicken and grill until the bottom is coloured.
4. Flip it over.  Cook over low heat for 3 – 4 minutes.  Add 1 table spoon of water, then cook until the water is gone.
5. Remove the chicken and place on a chopping board.  (keep the frying pan)
6. Slice up the cabbage leaves.  Place the cabbage & remained marinade sauce into the frying pan, and cook until the cabbage is soft.
7. Slice the chicken.
8. Spread the cabbage on a plate, then arrange the chicken on top.  Pour the sauce (from the pan) over.  Serve with steamed rice.

Feel Like Japanese Tonight

It’s sometimes hard to cook what I want to eat everyday.  D is such a nice husband and likes to help me cooking dinner, but his choice of food is quite different from what I want,,, most of the time :-p  He’s been into hash brown wrap with bacon and egg, and we had that for lunch today.  Since I had time to cook today as Hiro had 2 naps during the day, I made some Japanese food for dinner. 😀

The mail dish is this ginger chicken (recipe) – I used chicken thigh and marinated in the sauce before grilling. It’s served on a bed of simmered cabbage which is also cooked in the teriyaki-style sauce.

This is one of my favourite dish – simmered hijiki seaweed with chicken and vegetables (recipe).  It’s shame that you can’t get hijiki from shops in Perth as it’s not permitted to import commercially 🙁  You need to import by yourself from Japan!  I still have 2 more packets which I brought from Japan in Feb this year.

It’s a typical nimono (simmered dish), but hijiki is great for your skin and hair and is very healthy.  I made it with chicken, carrot, konnyaku and abura-age (deep-fried bean curd), but you can also add soy beans and/or snake beans.

This is pickled cabbage.  It’s one of the dish my grandma used to make at home.  It’s made with just cabbage and salt, but is a great companion to steamed rice 🙂

I will post recipes of these three dishes …

Bagel. Bagel. Bagel.

I’m little furious at the moment.  And upset.  And disappointed…

A cafe contacted me saying that they are looking for a bagel supplier.  So I went down there to drop off some samples.

I kinda knew what was about to happen.  It happened to me before, actually.  People here like soft bagels….  or bread because it’s easier to eat as a sandwich.

When I dropped off the bagels they tasted and said my bagel is tasty.  And asked if I could make it bigger.

They gave me a sample of the bagels they are after….

From the looking I knew it’s just like a normal bun, in a shape of bagel.  I tasted it – it definitely contains egg and milk, probably butter as well.  And, I don’t think it’s been boiled before baked!

Very soft, and I felt I was eating a white bun.  Is this what they want??

Hmmm….  If I could make my bagels into this I could be very successful! Haha.  They wanted to place big order every week.   But I don’t think I will do it 🙁  I just want to stick to what I think it’s good.  A water bagel.

Had My Hair Cut

I had hair cut!!

I went to Nao’s place again.  (previous post)

I wanted to cut my hair short (my hair was below my shoulder and sooo damaged!), and I did.  Well, it turned out not as short as I was thinking, but I like my hairstyle now.

I did cut, colour and 4 foils (we call it “highlight” in Japan).  Because my hair tends to go reddy colour, I chose ash brown to dye my whole hair + golden brown for the highlights.

One thing I like about going to a home-based salon is that I feel more relaxed going there.  Price is often cheaper too. Nao has done a great job on renovating the room – automatic shampoo chair is one of them.  I’ve been to some home-based salons (Japanese) before, and they usually don’t have this type of shampoo chair.  You’ll have to do it either at the laundry sink or use their shower room to wash your hair by yourself.

When Nao washed my hair she did little massage with hot towel, and it was great.  I really needed it!

Now my hair is all new and I just love easy shampoo!

CN Mart in Myaree

Near the entrance of Hulme Court, just off Mc’Coy street, there is a new Korean grocery shop in Myaree.  This CN Mart (Corean N oriental grocer) is owned by the same owner as Hanaro Mart (just few minutese drive from CN Mart), and they have wide range of food, drinks and household items.

Most items are Korean, of course, but they carry lots of Japanese food as well.  I used to go to Hanaro Mart often to buy a tin of boiled azuki bean.  Korean one is much cheaper than Japanese one, and it taste the same.  My friends also go there to get some cosmetics and massage items.

Why they have 2 shops in the same suburb?  It’s because owner wanted to separate the items each shop carries.  CN Mart carries grocery items, and the original Hanaro Mart (address below) carries  only liquor, including Japanese sake and shochu.

I wanted to buy kinako (soy bean powder) but I couldn’t find anywhere.  Nippon Food in Subiaco always didn’t have it in stock.  So I called CN Mart and they said they have the Korean version.  They actually got 2 types, roasted and non-roasted.  I didn’t know the difference as we only have one type of “kinako” in Japan, but the staff said the roasted one is more common and is for mochi etc.  That’s what I was after!  So I bought it.

I also bought Korean sake (cooking wine).  Just wanted to try if there is any difference between Korean and Japanese.

The owner is super friendly and kind.  I’m sure I will be using this shop very often.

Hanaro Mart

7/67 North Lake Road, Myaree WA
0411 38 1101

CN Mart 

Hulme Court, Myaree WA
08 9317 4885

Chocolate Cheese Bagel

A season for bagels has arrived!

I just to want to write about my new flavour here…  Chocolate & Cheese bagel.

At first it may sounds a strange combination, but it tastes yummy!  Well, I like it.  The reason of making this flavour was that my sister-in-law baked chocolate & cheese brownie, and it was delicious.  Rich, tangy flavour with deep chocolate sweetness….  so I thought bagel may go with the sweet & tangy combination as well.

It’s best to eat hot, without any spread.  If anyone is interested, let me know if you like it too!

Cuddly Animal Farm

The other day I packed some snack and drinks to a bag and headed to Swan Valley. It felt like a short trip, although it’s just 30mins drive from my house. I took Roe Hwy to get there, and the road was awful – lots of trucks and bumpy road which was under construction – not a great path to take for a trip :p

The destination of the trip was Cuddly Animal Farm which is just off West Swan road, but we stopped at the chocolate factory as it’s on the way to the farm anyway.

At the chocolate factory there’re many people inside – queueing to get some free-tasting chocolate!  Everyone thinks the same… but I was surprised to see the queue being so long. They just stood there with a piece of tissue paper in their hands, waiting to grab a handful of free treat.  I did the same…

The Margaret Chocolate Factory now has a shop in Perth City as well. (info → http://www.chocolatefactory.com.au/)

After the attraction we headed to the farm. The weather wasn’t great but luckily not raining.  We paid at the entrance, and went inside a shed filled with ducklings, rabbits, guinea pigs, and little baby pigs.  You can feed them (except bottle-fed animals such as pigs) and the food (cabbage and bread) was free to take as many times as you want.  I grabbed a bucket of cabbage and bread, and went inside a cage of rabbits. But I had to get out the cage soon because Hiro was very scared of them :-(. He gets excited to see animals and seems to like them, but he is afraid of them when they get closer.

We walked around the farm. Saw a pony, donkeys, alpaca, horses, sheep, lambs, ducks, etc etc.  After awhile Hiro began to be ok with them being close to him, and started to touch donkeys and rabbits. And he loved feeding rabbits – kept giving leaves of cabbage.  It was nice to see him doing it. I felt it was very much worth to come here.  He looked like a brave boy!

The farm opens 7 days a week, except Christmas Day & Boxing Day.  They do travel-farm service as well, and I’m thinking about it for his 2nd birthday party.  There is a farm B&B next door (owned by the same owner, I think) and if you stay there you get unlimited access to the farm.

Swan Valley Cuddly Animal Farm
128 John St, Henley Brook WA
0424 209 730
www.cuddlyanimalfarm.com

Rolled Cabbage

Japanese calle it “roll cabbage”, but this dish is basically a ball of hamburg wrapped with cabbage leaves.  This is usually cooked in soup until the cabbage is really soft and almost melts. Sometimes served with variety of sauces such as tomato sauce, teriyaki sauce, and savoury bechamel sauce.

One of the reason I don’t cook this roll-cabbage too often is that it’s bit troublesome to make.  First you need to sautee vegetables then mix with meat.  Cabbage leaves need to be blanched in boiling water first so that it doesn’t rip when wrapping the meat mixture inside.  After all the preparation you will need to then cook the rolled-cabbage in a pot for 2 hours.  (or you can use slow-cooker instead)

But I made them anyway.  I felt like eating rolled cabbage, and I thought Hiro could also eat one.  It takes time, so if you want to make this chose the day you have time to spend in the kitchen.

<Rolled Cabbage>  makes around 20

• cabbage 1 whole
• pork & beef mixed mince (or you can use just pork/beef mince) 400g
• onion 1, medium
• carrot 1/2, medium
• celery stalk 1/3
• unsalted butter 2 tbs
• tomato sauce 1 tbs
• salt 2/3 tsp
• pepper to taste

1. Chop up onion, carrot and celery.
2. Melt butter in a frying pan, and sautee the vegetables with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes over low-medium heat.  Remove from the pan and spread on a flat plate.  Let it cool. (or you can keep them in the fridge until you are ready to cook rolled-cabbage)
3. Remove the core from a whole cabbage.  Boil water in a large, deep pan.  Add a pinch of salt into the water, and place a cabbage.  Cook until the cabbage is well-cooked and soft.  Cabbage leaves should be easily come off.  Place the cabbage leaves into a bowl of iced water.  Repeat with the remaining leaves.  Pat it dry.
4. Place mince meat in a bowl.  Add salt, and mix well.  Add pepper, tomato sauce, and sauteed vegetables.  Mix well.
5. Place a cabbage leaf on a kitchen bench or on a chopping board. Place 1 tablespoon of meat mixture on the cabbage leaf.  Roll up tightly.  You can push the one end towards inside to close up.

Chose a pot that is wide.  Place rolled-cabbage into the pan, ensuring that all of them are nicely and tightly fit inside the pan.  (photo above)  Make sure the end of cabbage leaves are facing bottom.  Pour water to just cover the rolls, and place a lid.  Cook over high-medium heat.

Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 2 hours over low heat.

*Add more water if needed.

Japan Eclipse 2012

This may be a little old story to write about, but I just saw some photos of eclipse which was visible in Japan on May 21, and found that it interesting to actually see all the variety of sunglasses they were sold at stores.  Yes, the photo of eclipse is the most amazing thing, but so are the sunglasses/googles.

Eclipse sunglasses and googles were at the shops everywhere and millions of people rushed into the stores to grab one for themselves.  By the 21st, lots of shops sold out them and come people still tried to look at the eclipses with naked eyes (which was not recommended and people rushed into eye clinics afterwards).

I heard the story from my mum and friends, but I didn’t know there’re so many kinds of sunglasses and googles out there.  From character things to funny looking ones….  I just have to agree because it’s Japan!

(photos: google/rakuten.co.jp)

Iku Sushi Perth City

Iku Sushi opened just few months ago and is conveniently located just few steps away from Perth under ground train station.  I don’t usually go to city anymore, but recently I had a chance to try their food.

The place is not huge, but I liked the theme they are doing – ninja!  All staff wear ninja-like uniform, and they say their service is as fast as ninja.

Interior of the shop is lovely.  Cute old-Japan-style wall paper, and Japanese snacks and zakka toys on the counter.

“Iku” means “to go” in Japanese.  They use eco-feindly packaging for some food items, and the variety of menu is wonderful.

They set a huge fridge for drinks and cold dishes (such as sushi) for busy people to just grab and go.  I like the idea.  People who want to get hot food (such as teriyaki) proceed to the counter and place an order.

D & I ordered chicken karaage bento (L) and unagi bento (L) to take home.  Plus 2 large miso soup.

Miso soup came in this cup.

D was really curious about cheeseburger sushi, but maybe next time.

You can chose the size of bento box menu, and our large bento box came with 2 kinds of salads, 2 mini spring rolls, 2 sushi rolls, and big portion of rice and meat/fish.  Very volumy and I could only manage to eat half of it.

Look at the fun website for more details ↓↓

website

Shop WG.07, 140 William St, Perth
(08) 9322 6008

Teriyaki Spam Onigiri

Little onigiri (rice balls) with teriyaki spam.  I made them in nigiri-sushi style.

To be honest, spam is not my favorite meat.  But considering that it is a long-life food and can be always available at the pantry, I’d say it’s very easy snack to prepare anytime you want to eat.

Using spam is cheap too.  I’m saying this because it is actually nicer to use ham steak instead of spam.  Ham’s got better texture and juiciness (to me).  But, ham steak is more expensive than a tin of spam, and again, spam can be available in the pantry anytime.  So here is teriyaki spam onigiri.  If you like spam then this is a perfect snack for you (?!).

The key is the teriyaki sauce.  Caramelize the sauce until spam is shiny!

<Teriyaki Spam Onigiri>  makes around 10 – 12

• Spam 340g tin x 1/2
• Soy sauce 1 tbs
• Mirin 1 tbs
• Steamed rice (cooked & warm) 1.5 ~ 2 cups
• Nori sheet to decorate

1. Slice spam into 5mm thick squares.
2. Spray oil in a frying pan, and grill the spam both sides until coloured.  Remove excess oil with kitchen paper, if there is any.
3. Pour soy sauce & mirin into the pan.  Cook over low-medium heat until the sauce thicken and the spam is shiny.
4. Divide steamed rice into 10 – 12, and shape into flat balls.  Place spam on top of rice, then decorate with nori sheet.

Now they are ready to serve!

Onigiri always goes with Japanese tea.  I accompanied my spam onigiri with hot barley tea.

I served spam onigiri with seafood yakisoba.  D & I love yakisoba!  It’s not as oily as Chinese fried noodle (people say it’s rather dry though 😐 ) and sprinkle of bonito flake (katsuo-bushi) and ao-nori powder gives the final touch 🙂

Unique Menu at Sundays Everyday in Myaree

Every time I go to Sundays Everyday in Myaree I get amazed by their menu :))  They don’t only serve boring Japanese menu such as teriyaki and tempura.  They regularly create new menu so customers don’t get bored!

Last week I went there to get sushi rolls and sandwiches to takeaway, and saw interesting menu on the board that I may want to try out next time.

Chicken Ramen …  I don’t know if they mean ramen noodle soup with chicken, or that “chicken ramen” we have in Japan…  but I assume what they have is ramen noodle soup with chicken in it, because that “chicken ramen” we have in Japan is an instant noodle and I believe it’s impossible to import that noodle to Australia.  Hmmm I want to know whether I’m right or wrong.

Beef Mince Croquette Bento, Oyster Fry Bento, A Lunch, B Lunch, etc etc…  They all sound yummy.  Their food is volumy and I think their target marketing is men who works around Myaree area.  Or people who have huge appetite.  To me, I think they have lots of meat and deep-fried items in their menu, so I thought that’s who they are trying to sell their food to.

Okonomiyaki Bar sounds very interesting.  How they make it?  According to their illustration, it looks like a candy bar that you can hold and eat.  Haha, very unique.

Lok’s Kitchen in Thornlie

My in-law had been saying that shaumai at Lok’s Kitchen is nice, and I finally had a chance of going there for dim sum lunch.

Lok’s Kichen is located in the complex of Thornlie Square Shopping Centre in Thornlie.  It was Sunday and the place was pretty full when we got there.

We got quite lots of food on our table – shaumai, steamed prawn dumplings,  chicken feet, pork ribs, steamed tofu & prawn, fried squid tanticles, chili tofu, char siew pork buns, kailan with oyster sauce, and egg tartlets.

The shaumai was really nice. It was tasty and juicy.  I also loved fried squid tanticles. It was nicer than the one at Northbridge Chinese restaurant on Roe street. Chicks. Feet and steamed prawn dumplings are nicer in Northbridge restaurants though, I thought.

Chili tofu was nice too. I lives the crunchy skin. There was tofu and prawn inside. Although the name is chili tofu (I believe waitress said so) it wasn’t spicy at all.

Char siew pork bun was another my favorite. I’m sure they handmade them. They are smaller than usuall size, but the bun was chewy and fresh.  Custard tartlet was crispy outside and soft & fluffy inside.  Yum!

The staff was very friendly and I liked the place. Only one thing that I hesitate to go back there was that I saw a huge cockroach in the toilet….  It was a big turn-off 🙁  It was shame because the food was really good!

Lok’s Kitchen
Shop30, Thornlie Square Shopping Centre
Thornlie Ave, Thornlie WA 6108
(08) 9452 8488
Lunch:
Mon – Thu & Sun 10:30am – 2:30pm
Fri – Sat 10:00am – 3:00pm
Dinner:
Mon -Thu & Sun 5:00pm – 9:30pm
Fri – Sat 5:00 – 10:00pm

Hiro in Kid’s Tokei

Hiro at 08:50 (AM).

Website →Kid’s Tokei

Hiro at 20:41 (PM).

This one doesn’t look like Hiro…  but I remember he kept trying to move around.  The location was at the church.

He looks hilarious.

☺☺☺

Yuki Japanese Restaurant in Willetton

Yesterday early evening I took my family to Yuki Japanese restaurant to have dinner. It was a rainy day and I felt something hearty Japanese food. I thought I might have unagi because a Japanese cartoon I was watching with Hiro was an episode of unagi donburi.

It was Sunday night but I assumed the restaurant wouldn’t be so packed.   I was wrong… We arrived there around 6:30pm, and the place was already nearly full. The waitress said they’re fully booked but they can offer us a table if we’d be able to finish dining before 7:30pm. I’m pretty sure, I replied, because I knew Hiro wouldn’t be able to be here quiet and well-behaved for longer than 30 minutes.

D wanted chicken teriyaki, but teriyaki dish doesn’t come with rice and miso soup unless you pay extra for them. I think it’s ridiculous – who would eat teriyaki without rice? Is it Australian way?
Bento box comes with rice, miso soup, salad and sushi rolls, and the price is not much different with teriyaki dish if you add the extra fee for rice+miso soup, so we all ordered bento box.

I had Chicken Karaage bento box, D had Teriyaki Chicken bento box, and in-law had Fish Teriyaki bento box.  I didn’t see unagi on their menu.  Even if I did I probably wouldn’t order unagi because I know it’ll be expensive!

Karaage was quite small pieces.  I guess that’s how they do as smaller pieces are quicker they cook.  I loved the combination of dark sauce and Japanese mayonnaise.  I don’t know what the dark sauce was, but I think it’s something like teriyaki sauce….  The sushi rolls that came with bento box were three pieces, and they’re nice too.

I tasted D’s teriyaki, and I know now that they actually make the teriyaki sauce by themselves.  Some restaurants here use “teriyaki sauce” they buy from their supplier – they don’t make from scratch.

By the time we finished our meal, the restaurant was full and very busy.  It was just before 7:30pm so we could leave there in time.  I thought the price was bit expensive considering the food what’s in the bento box, but I guess it’s how they charge Japanese food in Perth.

Yuki Japanese Restaurant

7/113 Collins Road, Willetton 6155
(08) 9259 5544
Tuesday – Sunday
11:00am – 2:30pm
5:00pm – 9:30pm
Closed on Monday

Pancake Lunch in Bicton

Had a pancake at a little cafe in Bicton Central Shopping Centre.  There are few cafes in this centre, and this one is located outside, just at the corner.  Small one.

My friend had beef burger.  Apparently she comes here with her hubby often to have burger.  I shall try it next time!

Staff was so friendly too.

Baby Food Recipes

Since Hiro started eating finger foods I’ve been enjoying cooking for him more than for myself.  Now, as a one-year-old boy he eats variety of food (although he doesn’t like steamed rice and egg sometimes) 3 times a day + snack.  He loves eating!  I’ve taken him to Miss Maud lunch buffet the other day, and he ate as much as I did – bread, roasted vegetables, fruits, cheese …..  a lot of them.  And I didn’t even need to pay a cent for those food he ate as he is under 4 years of age.

As I note what he eats everyday on mybabyatewhat.com I cook variety of food each day.  Sometimes he doesn’t like the food and I have no idea what to give him instead, but most of the time he enjoys my food.
Here are few recipes of the food he likes : if you happen to have kids you may wanna try them out, I thought 🙂

<Potato Okonomiyaki>

• Cabbage, chopped, 1 tablespoon
• Spinach, chopped, 1/2 teaspoon
• Potato, cut in cubes and soft-boiled, 1 tablespoon
• Egg 1/2

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.

2. Lightly spray a small frying pan with oil.  Drop 1 table spoon of mixture into the pan and cook until the bottom is set and colored.  Flip it and cook another side until the hamburg is cooked through.

<Tuna Pumpkin Curry Rice>

• tinned tuna in spring water, drained x 1 tea spoon
• soft cooked pumpkin x 1 ~ 1.5 table spoons
• broccoli x 1 floret
• frozen mixed vegetables (I use corn, peas and capsicum) x 1 tea spoon
• tomato, skinned and seeded x 1 tea spoon

• super tiny amount of mild Indian curry powder
• steamed rice

1. Place tuna, pumpkin, vegetables and curry powder in a sauce pan and add water to just cover the food.  Cook until all the food is cooked and soft.  (add more water if needed)
2. Serve on a bed of steamed rice.

<Salmon Udon Noodle>

• cooked udon noodle, about 1.5 table spoon, cut into small pieces
• salmon, small piece
• 1 broccoli floret
• carrot, small piece
• 1 tsp milk
• 1 tsp mixture of cornflour + water

1. Place salmon, broccoli, carrot in a saucepan, and cover with water.  Bring to gentle simmer, and cook until tender.
2. Add udon noodles and milk to the saucepan.  Simmer.  Add cornflour mixture to thicken.

<Tuna & Pumpkin Sandwiches>

• tinned tuna in spring water, drained x 1 tea spoon
• cooked pumpkin, 1.5 tbs
• 2 slices of bread

1. Mix the tuna and pumpkin.  Spread on 1 slice of bread, and place another slice on top.  Cut off the crust.  Cut into finger size.

<Chicken Meatballs>

• chicken mince x 1 table spoon
• tofu (I use Japanese tofu, either silken or firm) x 1 tbs
• soft cooked pumpkin x 1 tbs
• 1/2 egg
• 1 tsp cornflour (optional)

1. mix all the ingredients, and shape into flat balls.
2. spray oil lightly onto a frying pan, and grill both side until well-cooked.

<Soup with Tofu Dumplings>

• tofu (I use Japanese tofu, either silken or firm) 3 tbs
• plain flour 1 tbs
• cornflour 1 tbs
• chicken mince 1 tsp
• vegetables (brocoli floret, carrot, potato, onion etc)

1. Place chicken mince and vegetables in a saucepan, and fill water to cover the food.
2. Bring to gentle simmer, and cook until vegetables are tender.
3. Mix tofu and flour.
4. While the soup is simmering, scoop 1 tsp of tofu mixture and drop into the simmering soup.  Repeat with remaining tofu mixture.  Cook until the tofu dumplings are cooked.

McValue with Free Newspaper

Have a Breakfast McValue Meal® and you can get a free copy of The Sunday Times!

This offer starts from the 11th of April for a limited time only, and is only available until 10:30AM.  McValue Meal®  includes Hash Brown and Small Espresso Pronto as well.

I saw this ad on The Sunday Times I was reading at McDonald’s yesterday.  It was late afternoon and I felt like something cold – perhaps frozen coke or thick shake –  but I got $2 Chicken McBites and a chocolate sundae in the end.  I still got to read The Sunday Times for free coz someone had left it on the table.

Was I the only person who didn’t know that McDonald had started showing the calories of the each food item on the menu panel?  It’s just like Japan – everywhere you go you get to see the calorie of each food on the menu.  I heard that other fast food chains (KFC, Hungry Jack etc) are also going to show calories of each item on the menu board.  You know, it’s good thing that you get to know how much calories you are getting by eating the food, but at the same time you just have to compare this item is lower calorie than others and sometimes chose the item that you weren’t planning to order.  That’s what happens to me every time I dine at family restaurants and cafes in Japan.  I feel like eating cheesy chicken and vegetable pasta, but I end up ordering a healthy wa-fu mushroom pasta instead.  It’s just because I see the calories on the menu.

Anyway, get back to the free The Sunday Times thing.  You can also get a free copy from Spud Shed when you spend $5 or more at one transaction.  I’m not sure if all Spud Shed do this, but Jandakot one does! Sometimes you need to ask for it at the casher though.  Oh, and McDonald’s free newspaper offer is only available in WA too!

Nippon Food Subiaco April Special

Sale items for April (01 – 30) 2012 at Nippin Food in Subiaco!

• Dashi powder 60g $6.80 → $5.40
• Inari skin 12P $6.80 → $5.40
• Frozen Japanese sweets Azuki 8P $8.00 → $6.00
• Frozen Japanese sweets Matcha Green Tea 8P $8.20 → $6.20
• Frozen Japanese sweets Mochi Azuki 8P $8.60 → $6.60
• Katsu Sauce 500ml $7.90 → $6.30
• Shiratama-ko Powder (dango powder) 200g $6.20 → $4.90
• Sticky Mochi Rice 2.27kg $12.50 → $10.00
• Goma-dare (sesame dressing/sauce) 500ml $5.90 → $4.50
• Ponzu with Konbu Dashi 600ml $8.70 → $6.90
• Chewing Gum (black/ume) 9P $2.80 → $1.50

New Items:

• Japanese Rice (made in USA) – New Crop
• Frozen Tuna for Sashimi $34/kg
• Mix & Serve Pasta Sauce

etc…

Nippon Food Subiaco

Shop 26, 180 Rokeby Rd
Subiaco WA 6008

(08) 9380 6783

Open:
Mon – Fri 10AM – 6PM
Sat 9AM – 5PM
Sun 11AM – 5PM
Closed on Public Holidays

Japan – Channel 9 & Character Nippon

There will be a 30minutes of TV program showing about Japan’s earthquake on channel 9 (Perth WA) –

08 April 2012, 5:00PM on Channel 9 (Perth WA)

<Nippon – a country of unique characters>