Kimuchi Cha-han

Cha-han means “fried rice” in Japanese.  Add kimuchi to make a sour and spicy Korean flavored fried rice.

<kimuchi Cha-han> serves 2

• 1/2 cup kimuchi (Chinese Cabbage), roughly chopped
• 2 bowls steamed rice, cold
• 1 egg
• 100g beef, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup bean sprouts
• 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• chopped spring onions for garnish

1. Heat a wok over high heat.  Pour in vegetable oil, then stir in garlic and beef: cook about 30 seconds.  Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs. 
2. Stir in cooked rice and kimuchi.  Cook over high heat, and shake in soy sauce then toss rice to coat. 
3. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.  

  

You can add more kimuchi to your liking

  

Quick Risotto

Risotto was a dish that my host family made for me on the first night I came to Perth.  It was a tomato risotto, and she cooked it in the oven.  I was amazed to find how easy it is to make risotto, just place risotto rice and chicken stock in an oven dish with other ingredients and bake in the oven.  It turned out delicious.  

The other day I felt like risotto, so I made chicken, mushroom and spinach risotto -  a very typical flavor.  

Personally I prefer not to use too much cream, (even though it tastes nice, I worry about its high calories) so I add cheese right after cooking and mix it through.  It gives richer flavor.

<Chicken, Mushroom and Spinach Risotto> for two

•  1/2 Chicken breast
• 4~5 mushroom
• 1/2 cup risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• spinach leaves
• 1 garlic, chopped
• 1/8 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tbs white wine
• 1 tbs grated Parmesan cheese 
• 50 ml cream (optional)
• olive oil

Quick tips:  You can pre-cook risotto rice!  Cook rice with chicken stock first.  Saute onion, garlic, chicken and mushroom and stir in white wine.  Add cooked rice and pour chicken stock (water).  Simmer, then season.  Stir in cheese and cream.

Chicken & Tomato Curry

Is it only Japanese culture to eat hot food in summer?  In hot days we cook steaming udon noodle soup, hot and spicy curry, and grill yakitoki (skewered chicken dish) etc.  We, of course, eat cold food too such as cold soba noodle, so-men noodle, and cold pasta dishes, but you get to see tv ad of curry a lot during summer in Japan, and it’s one of the thing that tells you “hey, summer is just around the corner”.

Therefore I like eating curry in summer.  I add lots of summer vegetables and make it as “summer curry”.  In winter, I would add some winter vegetables such as lotus roots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. 

Try this refreshing tomato curry at home!  It’s not that heavy thanks to this red summer fruit.

<Chicken & Tomato Curry>

• 400g chicken mince
• 1 medium onion
• 400g tomato tin - chopped
• 100g Japanese curry roux
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 bunch spinach
• 1 bay leaf

1. Wash spinach well, and drain. Chop roughly. Slice onion thinly.
2. Season chicken mince with curry powder. Heat olive oil in a sauce pan and stir-fry mince.
3. Add sliced onion. Cook over medium heat until onion is transparent.
4. Pour chopped tomato into the pan. Fill up 1/2 the tin with water, and add to the pan. Add bay leaf. Turn up the heat to high to bring to boil.
5. Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat to low and add curry roux. Stir through until the roux melts.
6. Simmer for 5~10 minutes. Stir in spinach and turn off the heat.
7. Serve with steamed rice.

Beef Yakiniku Donburi

At the Asian supermarket I saw some thinly sliced beef tongue too! I love beef tongue… it might sound gross, but it really tastes great if you lightly grill (yakiniku) with seasoning (salt&pepper) and eat with lemon juice. I will buy it next time

• 200g thinly sliced beef
• steamed rice

• 1 clove garlic - minced
• 2.5 tbs soy sauce
• 1.5 tbs sugar
• 1 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• 1 tbs sesame oil

Chicken Donburi

This is not really teriyaki, but taste similar.  The chicken is actually like yakitori, just without skewers.

I just dropped a soft poached yolk on the top so that it breaks once you mix with chopsticks and it actually become a kind of “sauce” to this donburi.  Japanese chili powder (ichimi, Shichimi) goes well with this.

• 1 fillet chicken thigh wih skin
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 tbs sake (cooking wine)
• 1/4 tsp grated ginger
• 1/4 small onion
• spring onion (white part)
• 1 egg yolk

1. Cut chicken into cubes.  Mix soy sauce, sake and ginger.  Marinate chicken in the sauce overnight.
2. Slice onion, and cut spring onion into 5cm length.
3. Heat little amount of oil in a pan, and grill spring onion.  Remove from the pan and set aside.
4. In the same pan, grill chicken pieces over medium high heat.  When the bottom of the meat starts to get colored, turn it over and add onion in the pan.
5. Once meat is cooked through remove from the pan.  (onions still stay in the pan)
6. Add 1 tbs of water into the pan, and simmer for few minutes.
7. Arrange chicken and spring onion on steamed rice.  Pour onion and sauce over.  Top with poached egg yolk.

You can arrange it as Oyako Donburi ↓↓↓

At stage 5, leave chicken in the pan and add 2 tbs of water.  Simmer.  Break 1 egg into a small bowl and beat.  Pour egg mixture into simmering water.