Tofu Quiche

Try this tofu quiche if you are thinking to bake something savory.    It contains okara, which is a white/yellowish pulp that remain in the filter sack during tofu making process.  As this is considered as a “waste”, most of tofu shops can give it you for free, if you ask.  Although this is considered as a “waste” , it has been part of the traditional cuisines of some Asian countries includes Japan, and since 20th century it has been used in the vegetarian cuisine of Western nations as well.  Also, okara is very healthy food as it is low in fat, high in fibre, and also contains protein, calcium, iron and riboflavin.   The texture of this dish vaguely resembles polenta.  

Serves 6 (22 cm pie mold)

• 6 eggs
• 1.5cup okara
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 3 rashes bacon, leaned
• 1/2 cup Mozzarela cheese, shredded
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 shee ready-rolled frozen puffy pastry, thawed

Baked Scotch Egg

I don’t eat meat so often.  It’s not that I don’t like or can not eat, I just don’t feel like eating them.  For me, hearty vegetable soup or grilled seafood make me more excited than bacon or saucy steak. … lots of people must be thinking that i’m so weird :p

However, my partner can’t survive without meat, so I need to cook meat often at home.  Now, thanks to him, I eat steak quite often.  I actually like Australian beef than Japanese beef.  Japanese beef usually is fat marbled, which means that it contains various amounts of intramuscular fat and has an appearance similar to a marble pattern.  This marbled meat gives tender texture and it melts on the tongue, and it is considered as high quality meat in Japan and usually expensive.  But, I like tough red meat here.  Australian beef is called “oz beef” in Japan and quite well-known there too.

When I was a kid I liked eating hamburg, and my mum sometimes put boiled egg in the middle.  (or cheese)  This is kind of my childhood food, and I make it here too for myself (and partner :p)

Using a pound cake mold…

• 600g beef mince
• 1/2 onion
• 1 egg
• 2 tbs breadcrumbs
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbs tomato sauce
• 4 boiled eggs

* Preheat oven to 200

1. Mix all the ingredients, except boiled eggs, in a bowl until the mixture become sticky.  Season well.
2. Cove the bottom and sides of a pound cake mold with mince mixture, and place boiled eggs.  Top up the mold with the rest of mince.  Pad the top lightly to make sure there is no gap or hollow inside.
3. Spread another 1 tbs of tomato sauce on the top, and cook in the oven.

Any left over can be used to make a gourmet beef burger.  Toast 2 slices of bread (or a roll) and sandwich sliced scotch egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato and any sauce.  Easy meal, no waste of food!

Double Cheese x Ham Omelet

As I mentioned before, I love egg!  Egg is one of my favorite food since I was little.  Egg is very nutritious, and has a good source of energy.  Eating too much eggs might give you high cholesterol, but eating one egg a day is a good diet.

I also like plain omelet, but prefer putting something in the middle.  I put anything: mushroom, spinach, tuna, mixed veggies, potatoes, rice (omelet rice), minced chicken/beef etc…  I will show you my basic omelet recipe here, Double Cheese + Ham.

• 3 eggs
• 3 tbs milk or cream
• 2 slices ham
• 1 tbs cream cheese
• 1 tbs shredded cheddar (or Mozzarella) cheese
• 1/2 small tomato
• salt, pepper, margarine

Omu-soba

Similar to omu-rice, omu-soba is a dish which yakisoba (stir-fried noodle) is wrapped in thinly cooked omelet.  This is not really yo-shoku (Japanese Style Western Food) nor Japanese food.  Someone made up this dish like “hey, if you can wrap up rice with omelet, why don’t we do that for yakisoba too?”

Yaki-soba is Japanese style stir-fried egg noodle (thin).  It’s usually cooked with thinly sliced pork, onion, carrot and cabbage, and topped with ao-nori and bonito flake, then served with red pickled ginger.  We use yakisoba sauce which you can easily buy from supermarket in Japan.  The sauce is quite exensive in Asian grocery shops in Perth, so I normally season the noodle by myself.

< Yaki-soba > for one

• 1 portion of yakisoba noodle (or any thin egg noodle)
• onion, carrot, cabbage, beanshoots, some meat or seafood (up to you)
• 2 tsp Worcester sauce
• 1 tsp tomato sauce
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp oyster sauce
• salt & pepper
• tomato sauce + Japanese mayonnaise + ao-nori to garnish

1. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a frying pan.  If you are using thinly sliced pork, cook the meat first.  If you are using some other meat/seafood, saute sliced onion and carrot, then add meat/seafood.  Season with salt&pepper.
2. Add roughly chopped cabbage.  Stir-fry for about 1 min, and add yakisoba noodle.  Try to loosen up the noodle with chopsticks, and drop 1~2 tsp water.  Stir, turn down the heat and cover with lid.
3. Once the water is absorbed into noodle, take off the lid and turn the heat to medium.  Pour the sauce and stir-fry.  Season if required, and set aside.
4. In another frying pan, cook thin omelet.  Turn off the heat.
5. Place yakisoba noodle onto the omelet.  Place a plate on the top of frying pan (the serving side down), and flip it around.
6. Curl the edge of omelet in and completely wrap up yakisoba.  Drizzle mayo, tomato sauce and sprinkle ao-nori.

U-maki

• 1/2 ~ 1 packet of frozen unagi
• 4~5 eggs
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 tsp mirin 
• 2 tsp sake (cooking wine)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• salt