Chicken Hearts

While I was in Japan I used to eat many parts of chicken including hearts, liver, and gizzards, especially at yakiniku and yakitori restaurants.  I love chicken hearts and gizzards as they have texture when biting.  Chicken hearts used to come with chicken livers when I shopped at a butcher near my house back in Japan.  Although I don’t hate livers, I used to pick only hearts to eat as they are chewy, and my family used to complain about it.

When cooking livers and hearts we normally cook them with only ginger, soy sauce and mirin.  Ginger helps to remove any distinct smell that meat may have (though hearts don’t really have any gutsy smell), and the sauces give teriyaki-style sweet and salty flavour to the dish.  It really goes well with steamed rice!

And here in Perth, I found chicken hearts and chicken gizzards at local Woolworths.  I had to buy those. (and they’re super cheap)

How to cook… you will need:

• Chicken Heart … 500g
• Grated Ginger … 1 teaspoon
• Soy Sauce … 1/8cup
• mirin … 1/8cup

1. Place a frying pan over high heat and spray oil.  Cook hearts (out from the package) for 3 minutes.
2. Add ginger, soy sauce and mirin to the pan.  Cook over medium heat until the sauce reduces and get caramelised.  Turn off the heat.
3. Serve with steamed rice!

Silver Sushi in Palmyra

Since we’re in Chinese NY weeks and I didn’t want to go to crowded Chinese restaurants last weekend, I decided to try a Japanese restaurant in Palmyra.  We found a coupon (scroll down↓↓) for free sushi rolls there so it was a bonus. 🙂

I know this place used to be many different restaurants in the past, but the inside seemed to be the same with just different wall decors.  This place is not fancy but good for casual dining and getting take away.

On their menu you could chose Donburi style or Bento Box style for some dishes.  They also had Izakaya type food that some other Japanese restaurants don’t have, such as grilled mackerel, grilled squid and some tsumami (something like tapas) menu.

We ordered Chicken Katsu Don, Teriyaki Fish Don and Teriyaki Chicken Don, and a free 5-pieces-sushi rolls. (bit boring, I know!)

The pricing was ok.  Oh my, the size of the donburi was biiiiggg.  And the taste, I must admit I really enjoyed it.  They tasted different to those you get from other Japanese restaurants.  The teriyaki chicken had flame-grilled flavour, and the teriyaki fish was so crispy and meaty! !

With that pricing, I will be definitely coming back!!

Oh, for a free 5-pieces sushi roll, open shopadocket website on your phone and show to the restaurant staff. 🙂

Remember, this offer is till 07 March 2017!

Silver Sushi
Unit 6, 369 canning highway, palmyra, Bicton, Perth, WA
0451 898 859

Open Wed – Mon for lunch and dinner

Mochi Ice Cream

If you love Japanese snacks you may have tried Yukimidaifuku – ice cream covered with thin mochi skin.  I used to eat it while I was in Japan, especially in winter.  “Yuki-Mi” literally means “watching snow”, and this ice cream used to be on the shelves at the shops during the winter.  Now you can find it through a year.

I haven’t seen Yukimidaifuku around Perth for awhile, but today I bought a similar product from Spudshed in Jandakot.

They are in the ice cream isle, and few kinds of flavours’re available.  Vanilla, green tea, black sesame, coconut… I forgot to take a photo. :p

Black sesame and coconut flavours were on sale and it was around $3.90, so I bought a box of black sesame. I couldn’t leave vanilla so I bought a box of those too.

There are 5 individually packed mochi ice cream inside a box.  The original price was around $5 so they are bit pricy, but if you love mochi and ice cream I’d say you should try one.

Pepper Lunch 🍴

As you may know, Pepper Lunch has been one of popular Japanese eat-out place across the world.  Its “DIY” concept makes this place unique, where you get served your rice and meat/seafood on a hot plate and you cook while you eat at the table.

Luckily, we also have 4 Pepper Lunch restaurants in Perth WA now, and this restaurant has been one of my favourite place to eat out.  Your clothes may get smelly after dining, so be prepared!

!

My favourite is sizzling Japanese curry with hamburg and chicken, and kimuchi pepper rice.  I normally order a meal that comes with drink and one side of your choice (I always go for a salad).  The food (especially the curry) on the hotplate (teppan) get little salty at the end as it keeps cooking on the hot plate, but it can be a fun part..

One down side is that there’s no kids menu.  Hope they make one someday!

Korokke

Do you have heaps of potatoes in the kitchen?  Do you fancy of crispy fried snack?  Then look no further!  Korokke (croquette) is the dish you are after.  They can be your afternoon snack, light lunch, or even a side dish to accompany steamed rice and miso soup with special Korokke sauce. 🙂

Korokke are deep-fried potato cake coated with panko (bread crumbs). All the coatings are same as katsu – plain flour, egg wash, and Japanese bread crumbs.

Here are the recipe :

<makes about 10)

• 3~4 large potatoes
• 1/2 large brown onion
• 200g beef mince

• plain flour to coat
• 1 or 2 egg
• panko (Japanese bread crumbs) to coat

• oil to fry
• sauce to serve (see below)

1.

First, peel the potatoes and cut into pieces so they cook quickly.  Place in a large pot with water to cover, then cook over high heat until the potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, chop the onion, and sauté in a frying pan with 1 table spoon of oil.   Add beef and cook.  Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the water from the pan of potatoes, and place the potatoes back into the pot.  Mash the potatoes and add the onion and beef.  Mix well.  Season to taste.

2.

Once the potato mixture is cool enough to handle, shape them into balls then flatten the centre.

Place flour and panko in a separate shallow plate.  Beat egg, and place in another shallow plate.

Coat the potato cakes with flour, shake the excess off, then dip in the egg wash.  Quickly place into the plate of panko to coat.  Repeat with the remaining.

3.

Heat oil in a deep pan or a frying pan.  Deep-fry the korokke until golden.

Korokke snowman ….  Just wanted to get a feeling of snow/cold as it’s 41 degrees today here in Perth!!!!

To serve:

Korokke are usually served with tonkatsu sauce, Worcester sauce, or tomato sauce.  Or just as is.  You can make a imitated tonkatsu sauce by just mixing tomato sauce & Worcester sauce (1:1).  Add Japanese mayonaise if you are mayo-lover!

Happy New Year 2017!!

Another year passed and here is 2017!

Wish everyone a wonderful year ahead 🙂

Japanese x Italian = Yum!

Whisk Creamery opened its second shop in Northbridge, and it has been a most-talked-about place by Japanese foodies here in Perth.  It’s not just because this Italian-owned gelato & sweet shop serves freshly made yummy gelato, but also this Northbridge store has unique menu that catches Japanese people’s eyes.

TAIYAKI soft serve corn….!!!

Who can resist this?  I chose matcha green tea (comes with cooked red beans inside) + fruits/marshmallow topping, but you can customize the flavour of gelato and topping.

The good size Taiyaki dessert amazed me – the Taiyaki pancake is cooked in store (they may cook the taiyaki in batches in the morning), and it was soft and tasty, especially around the tail part.  I loved the taste of gelato – good strong Matcha flavour & taste!

The inside of the shop is not huge, but it has friendly atmosphere.  They, of course, do takeout too, and other sweet & drink menu is amazing…  On my second visit I tried Gelato Fritto (A deep fried banana gelato ball, with crunchy batter and hot caramel fudge syringe.).  NICE. (though it was smaller than I was imagining)

I haven’t tried but I must try Black Sesame (kuro-goma) gelato which is only available at Northbridge store.  They have a trendy sense in creating menu!

Whisk Creamery Northbridge
246 William Street
website
PH: 08 9227 7041
EMAIL: GELATO@WHISKCREAMERY:COM:AU

An Dango

Here in Perth it’s Spring and the weather has been strange – hot day, then rainy day, then cloudy day then again hot day! Hmmm I know Summer is just around the corner but I am not really looking forward to these scorching hot days..

Today was a hot day, and usually I would take my kids to the park in the early morning or to the swimming pool but we had someone come over to fix the garden today so we stayed home. Staying home with 2 kids means lots of food preparation. To combine the “cooking” and “playing”, I involved them in cooking and this is one of the things we made together – dango.

I love dango – I love the chewy texture! In Japan we normally use “shiratama-ko”  or “joshin-ko ” to made dango, but I do not have neither at home. Instead, I stock up this rice flour from Coles.

Erawan Glutinous Rice Flour. It has to be this green package! It’s just over $2 a packet and so easy to make sticky dango snack.

The recipe is roughly measured, so please adjust the amount of water. And, I mixed tofu to the mixture this time, but you don’t need tofu if you don’t have. Just water and this flour is fine.

<recipe> makes around 20

• Erawan Glutinous Rice Flour … 1 cup

• Tofu (silken or momen) … 50g

• Water … around 1-2 tablespoon

• Anko (or some alternative shown below)

1. Drain the tofu from water, then wrap with kitchen paper. Microwave for 30 seconds ~ 1 minutes. This drains more water from tofu.
2. Place flour into a bowl. Add cooled tofu, then smash the tofu and mix well.  Add water bit by bit to adjust the consistency of the mixture. It should be as firm as your earlobes.
3. Boil water in a deep pan. Shape the mixture into small balls (1.5cm) then press lightly in the centre to flatten a bit. Drop the balls into boiling water.  Once the balls start to float, count 10 seconds then take them out of the water, and then drop them into a bowl of cold water.
4. Drain the dango. Skewer them onto toothpicks, then place anko on top.
5. Enjoy ♬

I made koshi-an (strained smooth Anko) but you can just buy a can of Anko from Asian grocery store, or you can eat dango with kinako (sweet soybean flour) or sweet soy sauce (Japanese soy sauce + sugar).   It’s all up to you!

Miyu Life Store in Carousel Shopping Centre

As I was taking my kids to the free indoor play area in Carousel shopping centre the other day, I noticed this shop Miyu opened right next to the playground.   This is another shop that sells 100yen goods from Japan (exclude cosmetic products), like Fuji Mart and NEUGO.

Miyu’s first store is located on Newcastle street in Northbridge, so I guess this is their second shop in Perth.  I’ve never been to the Northbridge store, and for me with two children it’s much easier to go to this one inside a shopping centre.

The size of the store is about the same as NEUGO.  I found some goods from Seria and Can-Do (both are popular 100 yen shops in Japan) there.  I thought they have quite good range of products and it was easy to spot items as they display products tidily and according to the category.

They also sell cosmetics and Japanese-brand nappies.  Cosmetic products are not from Japan though, there’re Chinese written on the packaging.

I just did some online shopping from Japan few weeks ago, and I already own some of the items sold at the store (yes, I always go to 100 yen shops in Japan to buy things for the house), so I didn’t really buy things – except this binoculars.  I’m not sure if $2.80 is cheap for binoculars, but my boys always fight over one pair of binoculars at home and I really needed to get one more.  Plus, I thought I can trust the quality of product sold in Japan.  This binoculars are Can-Do brand (100 yen shop in Japan).

Looks alright, for being a 100yen item. So now my boys have one each. 🙂

MIYU Life Store in Carousel shopping Centre, Cannington WA.
(in front of indoor play area, near JB Hi Fi and Pumpkin Patch)

MIYU Life Store in Northbridge WA.
47/188 Newcastle street, Perth
(08) 9228 1905

Yoshiko – Japanese Hair Stylist in Northbridge

*** Yoshiko has moved to another salon since Jan 9, 2017.  Details below. ***

It’d been a while since my last visit to a hair salon – my hair needed a rescue!

I brought lots of hair-colouring boxes from Japan to dye my hair by myself, but after few boxes I realised I really needed to have my hair colour fixed by a professional.  Sadly I started to have few white hair (by having two boys at home..) and I found it’s difficult to dye these white hair!  And the colour of my hair was really light brown and I knew they’re all damaged.

I was going to go to HairPlus in West Perth, but then I heard about this Japanese hair stylist Yoshiko from my friend so I made a booking for haircut & colouring with her.

She used to cut people’s hair at home, but now you can see her in Northbridge.  She rents a chair at Eternity Hair Design hair salon on William street just for her customer.  The place is conveniently located in heart of Northbridge.

I think it’s a good idea to rent a chair – she doesn’t work at this hair salon but she just uses a corner of this shop.  Customers need to make bookings in order to meet her as she doesn’t stay at the shop when there’s no booking customer.

Some Japanese magazines to read + nice tea.

She’d been a hair stylist in Japan for 9 years, and has been in Perth for 7 years now.  All the products she uses at the salon are from Japan.

Hair Cut for Men $25 (inc shampoo)
Hair Cut for Women $25 (shampoo +$10) (for people who has super long hair +$5)

Colour $60~$75

Hair Bonding Perm $150~ $170 (cut +$20)

Treatment $20

Booking essential to 0423288620 (Yoshiko)
Mon ~ Sat 9:30 ~ 18:00

I coloured my hair darker, and trimmed the length….

I really love itttttttt!  My hair was really damaged but now it’s much easier to style.  Thanks Yoshiko san, I will definitely be back!

***

Yoshiko now locates in Lathlain.  Same as before, she only takes her customers and booking is essential.

0431 421 322 (Yoshiko)

Sparrow Indonesian Restaurant

Another Indonesian restaurant in Perth after a post about Manise Cafe.  Sparrow Indonesian Restaurant has also been in Perth WA for a long time. After moving from Northbridge many years ago, now with a new owner the restaurant is located on Lord street in Highgate.

Although the restaurant is pretty small inside, I like going to this restaurant because the food is nice, the price is pretty reasonable and also there’re ample parking spots on the side streets.

As soon as you go inside the restaurant the friendly staff would greet you and take you to the seats.  The owner is not Indonesian but he is very nice and during my visit there’re lots of laughs and smiles from customers.  🙂

At Sparrow, I ordered Laksa Ayam (yes, it’s not really an Indonesian food but I couldn’t resist it) and my partner ordered Nasi Kuning.  We also ordered Tahu Tek to share.

Nasi Kuning – combination yellow rice with friend chicken, egg, and chilli pickles.

Tahu Tek – fried bean-curd omelet with peanut sauce.

The omelet was nice but the peanut sauce was bit too rich for me.  My partner (Indonesian) really enjoyed it though.

While I was there, the owner was talking to all the customers that 10% discount would apply to new customers.  I hadn’t been there since the owner had changed but my husband had gone there couple of times with his friend so he told the owner it’s not his first time, but we received 10% discount anyway.

Great service, great food, and great price.

Try to avoid a peak lunch hour or book a table beforehand as the seats are limited.

Sparrow Indonesian Restaurant
301 Lord Street, Highgate, Perth,WA
(08) 9228 2238

***

We recently went there for lunch again and here are some more photos:

Ayam Bakar (grilled chicken in tasty soy sauce)

Mie Goreng with vegetables.  Kids shared this dish.

And, as usual we ordered Tahu Tek.  On my last visit I didn’t really like it much, but for some reasons I started to crave for it few days later.  Now it’s one of my favourite dish!

Manise Indonesian Restaurant

If you keep walking William street in Northbridge towards Hyde Park, you will find this small Indonesian restaurant on your left side.  This restaurant has been here since I came to Perth (2003) and has been one of Indonesian people’s favourite eating place in Perth.

They renovated the interior couple of months ago, and now it looks more tidy and clean compared to what I remember.

We ordered Tahu goreng kecap (deep-fried tofu with special sweet soy sauce) to share for entree 😉

Crispy!

I’d been longing for their chicken dish called “ayam goreng rica”.  It’s basically a fried-chicken dish with spicy tomato sauce. Chicken is crispy and the spicy tomato sauce (homemade, of course) really goes with steamed rice!!

My partner was thinking between his usual dish or Chef’s Special dishes which had many choices such as deep-fried beef ribs, tempeh goring & mie bakso.  He went with the usual – Kondro Bakar (grilled beef ribs topped with homemade peanut sauce).

Food is so nice here.  I’m drooling again as I write…  Their hearty food is perfect in this season (or in hot summer too with spicy kick!)  I’m planning to go back there again soon. 🙂

Manise Cafe Indonesian
Shop 2, 449 William Street,Northbridge, Perth, WA
(08) 9228 2432

Japan MUST BUY 04 – MUJI Aroma Diffuser

I’ve shopped around for a diffuser for my house online and at local shops here in Perth butI couldn’t find “the one” until I met this diffuser in Japan.

Mujirushi brand is quite popular around the world for its’ quality and simple-yet-modern-looking products.  I’ve loved this brand since they opened in Japan when I was in high school. 😀  Whether it’s a pen, notebook, photo album or chocolate ring snack, all of my friend had at least one of Mujirushi items at school.

I love this Muji aroma diffuser because it looks simple and go with any interior.  I love this because it inputs 100~240V which means I can use this in both Japan & Australia.  I love this because this diffuser works great!!!

They have two sizes, and I got a smaller one at home.  By using ultrasonic waves to create a mist, this diffuser effectively spreads scent throughout your home and you can use the integral LED as a Light source, as well.

Pure essential oil is recommended for this diffuser.  I bought a set box of a diffuser and 2 bottles of pure essential oil – orange & lavender.  I LOVE THIS!

MUJI AUS website

Oh, and MUJI’s beanbag is so popular!!! If you go to Muji shop please try it – I understand why it’s one of the best beanbag in the world!  (too expensive for my budget at the moment ! 🙁 )

Japan MUST BUY 03 – Mascara

Although Japanese cosmetics are popular and well-known around the world, you may not put a mascara on your shopping list when visiting Japan.  But did you know that common & popular mascara in Japan these days are “Oyu-Off” – you can easily remove the mascara with warm/hot water and don’t need any make-up removal liquid?

With heat technology, mascara on your eyelashes gets removed with warm/hot water in the shower, and it won’t damage the eyelashes like make-up removal liquid does.  And, it won’t come off with cold water or sweat, so no need to worry about racoon eyes!

My favourite mascara is this ↓ Yokubari Mascara.

It’s, off course, “Oyu-Off” (off with hot water), and it also contains lash-boosting serum!  While wearing mascara, you are also caring your eyelashes.  It’s a bonus!!

Japan MUST BUY 02 – Mushuda

Mushuda – this is basically like mothball.  Hanging or placing this inside your closet or clothes drawers will protect your clothes from insects.  I must buy this every time I go back to Japan, because I can’t find any mothball here in Perth that doesn’t stink!!!  Typical mothballs are stinky and leave your clothes that smell..

In Japan, you can find non-scent or scented mothballs that tell you when they expire.

Mushuda, Misesuroido, and Tansu-ni-Gon are well-known brands.

I normally chose non-scent, but this time I bought floral aroma for my drawers.  Size of each depends on whether it’s for a walk-in closet, a small closet, or for drawers.  And, when it expires (usually after 12 months), letters shows up saying “please change”.

By having them inside the closet, I can be sure that my clothes are safe from insects 🙂

Japan MUST BUY 01 – Gekiochi Kun

Ok, so from today, I will write about things that I recommend you to buy from Japan.  Some items may be also available in other countries. 🙂
These are the things I thought are useful and I just want to share with you!

Here is the first item I recommend you to buy when you go to Japan:

Gekiochi Kun

Gekiochi Kun – melamine form sponge that removes stains with water and no detergent required.

There are many sizes and shapes available, but the standard one looks like this.

White square sponges.  This REALLY removes stain.  REALLY.

If you’ve never used this before, try this.  With just water, it removes stain very easily.  It’s like using an eraser!

There are other “non-Gekiochi Kun” melamine form sponges sold in Japan, and they also works good to me.  You can even find at 100 yen shops.

This was one of my “Must Buy List” from Japan this year.

Things to Buy in Japan

I recently came back from my holiday in Japan, and it was sooooo great.  It’d been 2 years since my previous Japan trip, and I had so many things in my head that I wanted to buy, eat and do in Japan.

It was April, and being spring, it’s sakura season in Japan.  This must be the most popular season to visit Japan – there’re so many people at the Kansai airport and my husband had to queue for 2 hours at the immigration :p  I had to wait outside for 2 hours with 2 kids…. and we arrived at Hotel Nikko (only one hotel that’s connected to Kansai airport) past midnight…  It was a tiring start but we had so much fun during our 3-week-stay.

Our packed 3-week-holiday included visiting castles (national treasure Hikone Castle is 15 minutes drive from my house), Anpanman museum (my kids’ favourite character’s amusement park), and Tokyo Disney Resort.  And, of course lots of eating & buying.  I pre-bought many things online so I didn’t need to shop around while I was there.  On the day we arrived my house, there’re 20 boxes of things I’d bought online.  So most of my “shopping” was done before arriving Japan.  And for the rest we shopped at local shopping centres and mostly at 100 yen shops.

….

Now I’m back to Perth Australia, and I want to show people here that what people can/should buy when they go to Japan.  There’re about 30 items and I’m gonna write about them on each post.

stay tuned! :))

NEW Talking Clock from Japan

I recently came back from my holiday to Japan, and I have these CUTE bilingual alarm clocks for sale!

Why not wake up every morning with this cute alarm clock that talks Japanese & English?

At a glance it looks like a robot or a cute ornament, but it actually talks and tells you what time it is.  It’s a radio clock (RCC) that is automatically synchronized by a time code, so you can assure that it’s telling the correct time  anytime.

Pressing its nose once tells you what time it is, and pressing twice tells you the date and day in set language (Japanese or English).

I have white & blue available.

Yuento Talking Alarm Clock
$50.00

New in original packaging.
Yuento brand.

• Size：W8.5xH9.2xD10 cm
• Weight :150ｇ
• Material：ABS
• 40/60kHz
• 12hour display
• Alarm
• Snooze
• Talking (Japanese/English)

I can post to you (postage will be calculated by weight of the order by Australia post), or if you live in Perth metro area I can arrange a drop-off at some place.  (sorry, no pick-up from my place!)

Please email me at me<at>umeboss.com ~ 🙂

NEW Cute Onigiri Lunchbox from Japan

I recently came back from my holiday to Japan, and I have these CUTE lunch boxes for sale!

Onigiri lunchbox KOUME
$15.00 → $10.00

Cute 2-layered lunchbox.  Microwave safe.
90×85×60mm（top: 150ml, bottom: 100ml）

New in original packaging.  Made in Japan.
Hakoya brand.

Onigiri lunchbox Norio
$15.00 → $10.00

Cute 2-layered lunchbox.  Microwave safe.
110×105×65mm（top: 300ml, bottom: 170ml）

New in original packaging.  Made in Japan.
Hakoya brand.

• * * * * * * * * *

I can post to you (postage will be calculated by weight of the order by Australia post), or if you live in Perth metro area I can arrange a drop-off at some place.  (sorry, no pick-up from my place!)

Please email me at me<at>umeboss.com ~ 🙂

Bento lunch boxes for kids

I’m sure people are aware of the word “bento” – it’s a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine.  Creating unique bento (kyaraben) is not only common in Japan nowadays but people around the world are also giving lots of ideas to create attractive lunch for kids each day.

Kyaraben is so amazing, and this is the best way to encourage kids to finish up their lunch boxes.  It gives them interests in food too, I think.  I’m wanting to give my kids kyaraben but unfortunately I’m not a creative person… and I don’t have time to google around to get ideas for kyaraben each morning.  (I wish I could!)

For those who are like me, picking up the right bento box could be an easy answer.  There are so many kinds of lunch boxes out there these days, and some of them are really useful and creative.  If you are local living in Perth, check out this shop that sells all kinds of bento items – BabyBento.

Being a mum to two and living in Perth WA, she created this online shop 2 years ago and now she is selling her items at some markets on regular basis.  You can also buy items online and get them sent to your door.

And this is my favourite.  I just saw her using this lunch box today for her kids, and it looked super cute and tidy!  She put 3 mini pancakes on the left side, and halved banana on right top, then vegetables, fruits and finger cheese sticks in other 3 compartments.  Perfect!

If you want to have a look at these items, she comes down to Maylands Wanderful Sunday Market on 3rd Sundays every month which is held at Maylands Sport and Recreation Club located at 50 Clarkson Rd, Maylands WA.  

I’m so inspired now and am thinking to make something creative for my son tomorrow 🙂

Baby Bento
http://www.babybento.com.au
Facebook

Tempura Soba (Prawn & Vegetable Tempura)

A summer staple food in Japan – cold soba noodle with dipping sauce.  Great to eat in a hot day!

There are few different types of noodle you can use for this “cold noodle + dipping sauce” dish.  Soba, udon, somen, and chu-ka noodle.  What are the differences?

Soba is made of buckwheat, and is grey-ish colour.  Somen is very thin white Japanese noodles made of wheat flour, less than 1.3 mm in diameter.  Udon is a type of thick wheat flour noodle.  Chu-ka noodle is egg noodle which is often used for ramen.

At my house in Japan I used to eat udon a lot.  I seldom ate soba while I was in Japan (and now still) – I’m not sure why it is, but I guess it’s because people near Kansai in Japan eat more udon than soba noodle for some reason.

Here in Perth I got some cha-soba noodles from a local Asian shop.  Cha-soba noodles are soba noodles made from buckwheat and wheat flour with the added ingredient of fresh green tea leaves.  You can smell green tea aroma from the noodle and they are really refreshing.

To accompany cha-soba noodles, I made some kakiage (mixed vegetables tempura) with chopped prawn.   If you have tempura flour it’s super easy to make, but even if you don’t, it’s not that difficult.

Here is the recipe for prawn kakiage:

<Recipe> makes about 10 kakiage

• prawn (no shells & heads) … 1/2 cup
• chopped vegetables (I used onion, zucchini) … 1/2 cup
• plain flour … 3 tablespoons
• corn flour … 1 tablespoon
• salt … 1/4 teaspoon
• water … 50ml (or adjust the constancy)

1. Chop prawns.
2. Mix flour, salt and water in a mixing bowl. Add the prawns and vegetables and stir.
3. Heat oil in a shallow frying pan (about 3 – 5cm) to 170℃.
4. Using two spoons, carefully drop the tempura mixture into the oil.  Fry over medium heat for both sides.
5. Serve with cooked cold soba noodles.

NEUGO Japanese Store in Perth

There’s a new shop in Coventry Village selling 100yen items from Japan.  Some stores such as Fuji Mart in Subiaco sells 100yen items as well, but this store NEUGO sells Seria brand.

Seria is one of 100yen shops in Japan, just like Daiso and CanDo, and has many shops across Japan.  I love the brand image of Seria and its items as its theme is “natural” “European taste” .   Very cute.  They, of course, also sell some Japanese plates & cups which are made in Japan, as well as some Japanese food & drinks.   I just love their variety.

At NEUGO, the store looks pretty clean and tidy.  All items are arranged according to their categories such as “cleaning”, “kitchen”, and “bathroom”, which is easy for customers to find where items are.

I haven’t been back to Japan for 1.5 years and it wasn’t difficult for me to find something I want to buy there.  For example, this small scissors with magnet is perfect for the fridge.  Super strong suction-cup hook (comes with 4) looked handy too.

All items are $2.80 each, and until 31/Jan/2016 they are doing $5.00 off (with a minimum purchase of $20).  You can find this discount voucher inside the store.

With 1500 different products to chose from, anything you need for unique lunchbox making and handy cleaning items, you may find them here.

NEUGO Tokyo Style
Shop 130, Coventry Village, Morley WA
0452 535 528
Facebook

Bûche de Noël

It’s that time of the year again!  It’s a time to express our love to family and friends, time to reflect on the past year, a time to set new goals for the upcoming year….  I wish 2015 was a great one for you.  Mine was great 🙂 Not many posting on Umeboss this year though… so it will be one of my goal for 2016 “write more posts for Umeboss”.

This month has been an event-full one for me : lots of cake-making, a family trip to a town of dolphins Bunbury, my son graduating kindergarten and family gatherings.

After making these 4 huge cakes for my son’s Japanese kindergarten’s Christmas party, I had some leftover of sponge and whipped cream in the fridge.  Then I remembered when I was little I used to make this cake Bûche de Noël for Christmas.

Bûche de Noël  is the French name for a Christmas cake shaped like a log, and is a traditional dessert served near Christmas, especially in France.  It’s fairly easy & fun to make.  I used to just buy a Swiss roll cake from a store, and cover with whipped chocolate cream.  I loved the decorating part – making the pattern resembling skin of log using a folk, and place these “kinoko-no-yama” chocolate on top.

It was a fun “cooking” as a little girl, and tasted good too 🙂

You may find this chocolate “kinoko-no-yama” in Perth too, (Korean version maybe available as well) but I didn’t even want to go out to buy extra ingredients for the cake – I just wanted to make now!  So here it is;

Very simple 😀
It actually should have a Holly leaves as a decoration, but I substituted with mint leaves and M&M….   Some “kinoko-no-yama” on top and side of the log would look much nicer, I think.

You used leftover sponge for this, but you can buy a Swiss roll cake from store (like I used to do) and cover with whipped chocolate cream.  Place the cake in the fridge to set the cream (about 15 minutes) then draw a pattern using a folk.  Then, you will have a lovely0looking Christmas cake for yourself.  Please try!

Mini Bagel Pizza

I just took out some mini bagels from freezer and made bagel pizza.  Easy n quick snack for little people who seem to have endless energy…

Handy mini plain bagels are the must-have item in my home!  I keep them in the freezer all the time.  (check out my bagel shop Bagelier)

Yes, they are little bit over cooked….  but still worked to fill my boys’ tummies!

Any topping will do, but this time I just used some basic stuff : bacon, onion and olive.
Try adding Japanese mayonnaise to pizza 😀

<Mini bagel pizza>  makes 4

• 2 frozen mini plain bagels
• 1/4 cup Grated cheese
• 1 tablespoon Chopped bacon
• 1 tablespoon Chopped red onion
• sliced olives, some tomato sauce & Japanese mayonnaise

1. Microwave bagels for 30 seconds.
2. Slice the bagels in half.
3. Top halved bagels with cheese, bacon, onion and olives.  Squeeze few drops of tomato sauce & Japanese mayonnaise on top, and grill until golden.

http://bagelier.com

Bibimbap

Surviving school holiday?  I put my 4-year-old to a school swim program but going to a pool everyday with a 1-year-old is starting to give me a headache :-{  My 4-year-old can’t swim yet and 1-year-old wants to dip in the water too, so I have to be in the water splashing around with 2 boys.  After a quick shower we head home and have lunch, and surprisingly they don’t sleep at all at home so it’s been full-day-with-2-boys this week.  I need some stamina to keep up…!

Bibimbap was one of the food that came to my mind.  I just wanted to mix up the meat, veggies, rice & gochujang chilli and eat all up with a glass of chilled green tea.  Sounds nice in a hot day doesn’t it.

“Bibimbap –  it’s a Korean dish where meat, assorted vegetables and fried egg are placed over steamed rice.  You mix everything up as you eat, and though it looks messy that’s how it’s supposed to be eaten.  Usually gochujang (Korean chilli paste) and/or sesame oil is added, but I serve this dish to my kid without any extra sauce.”

I wrote a recipe for bibimbap here before, and I’d say that is more standard way to eat bibimbap as it has kimuche on it.  I love kimuche, especially in summer.  I crave for spicy food in hot days!

There are so many kinds of bibimbap and you can make endless variations to this dish depending on your preference and dietary requirements.  I must say this is my favorite Korean dish and I often order one at yakiniku restaurant in Japan. 🙂  I love the one with tobiko (frying fish roe) in a hot stone bowl (ishiyaki-bibimbap) but when I make at home I make everything simple.

On this recipe I didn’t use kimuche (simply because I didn’t have it in my house) but it turned out to be a family friendly dish.  Extra gochujang chilli for adults.

Beat the heat with chilli!

<Bibimbap>  serves 1

• 1 cup of Steamed Rice
• 1/2 cup of Beef mince
• 1/2 cup of Bean-shoot & carrot, shredded
• 1/2 cup of Broccoli
• 1/4 cup of Green beans, shredded
• 1 Egg
• minced garlic, sesame oil, gochujang chilli paste, soy sauce, sake

1. Beef mince :  Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, and cook beef mince over high heat with 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.  Add 1 teaspoon of Sake and 1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce, and cook until the meat is done.  Drizzle sesame oil.
2. Bean-shoot : Blanch bean-shoot & shredded carrot.  Drain well.  Mix with 1 teaspoon of minced garlic and drizzle with sesame oil.  Season with salt.
3. Broccoli : Blanch broccoli florets.  Drain well.
4. Green beans : Blanch beans.  Drain well.  Shred.
5. Egg : Fry an egg to your liking.
6. Serve : Place steamed rice in a serving bowl.  Top with beef, bean-shoot&carrot, broccoli and beans.  Place fried egg on top.
7. <optional> Sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve with gochujang chilli paste.

Melville Matsuri 2015

I need some opinions please!!

Melville Matsuri is happening very soon and we are getting busy to sort things out. Food seems to be the high interest for people, as I received several questions about food.

What food do you expect to see at the Japan-themed festival?

So far, we have Takoyaki, Japanese curry, Japanese-style sausage sizzle, Rice balls, Rice burgers, Japanese cakes, Japanese sweets Wagashi, and Kakigouri (shaved ice).  Do you think they’d be enough?

In Japan, people expect to see Takoyaki, Yakisoba, Okonomiyaki, Crape, Grilled squid (Yakiika), Grilled corn (Yaki-toumorokoshi), Kakigouri … so on…   I wish there is a stall selling Yakisoba at Matsuri but so far no Yakisoba.

Anyway I hope the event will be a successful one!

Japanese Grocery Shop in Perth 2015

There are few posts that I wrote about Japanese grocery shops in Perth, and they are getting very old!  So here is an update …

Fuji Mart in Subiaco
A new Japanese grocery shop.  Easy access from Woolworths car park (90minutes free parking)!

Shop 13-14, 29 Station Street, Subiaco WA 6008
Tel : (08) 6162 8608

Mon-Fri 9:30 ~ 18:00
Sat 9:00 ~ 17:00
Sun 11:00 ~ 17:00
Public holidays closed

Yee Seng Oriental Supermarket
They occasionally sell new Japanese items.  The shop is located in Hulm Court, surrounded by some nice shops including Sundays Everyday, Ohnamiya, Perth Kimuchi, and UTOPIA.

36 Hulme Ct, Myaree WA 6154
Tel : (08) 9330 9096

Lion Oriental Food Co.
They sells variety of Japanese liquor as well as grocery.

13 Fitzgerald Street, Northbridge Perth 6003

Tel: (08) 9228 9898
website

MCQ at Coventry Village
“Farmer Jacks” inside Coventry Village in Morley.  Some items are much cheaper than other shops, such as Koshihikari rice, konnyaku, furikake rice seasonings and nori seaweed.  They sell a variety of frozen food and this is where I buy all the ingredients for oden in winter!

243-253 Walter Road, Morley WA 6062

And, nowadays Coles and Woolworths sell Japanese items on international isle.  They normally stock up basic stuff only such as nori seaweed, sushi vinegar and Japanese curry roux,  but some store sell unique one e.g. QP wasabi mayonnaise!  And sometimes you find a bargain – few weeks ago at local Coles, I got a pack of Japanese panko for $2.  Now I’m thinking to make delicious katsu 🙂

Potato Mochi

Fun of chewy mochi-like food?  I am!  That’s why I do Bagel business, haha.

I made this for my 1 year old son, but it’s a great snack, really.  I just couldn’t stop munching!

The key to make it chewy is mixing the potato mixture very well until it’s sticky.

<Potato Mochi> makes 20~30 small ones

• 2 Potatoes (about 300g)
• 1/2cup Grated tasty cheese
• 2tablespoons Corn flour
• 2tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise
• few drops of Tomato sauce

1. Peel the skin of potato, and boil until soft.  Drain, and mash while hot.  Add cheese.
2. Mix well.  Add corn flour, mayonnaise and tomato sauce.  Mix very well!  Season with salt to taste if needed.
3. Heat a frying pan and spray oil.
4. Shape the potato mixture into small flat coin shape, and grill in the pan over low heat.  When the bottom is coloured, flip over and cook another side.  Repeat with the rest.

Melville Matsuri 2015

Finally, a flyer for Melville Matsuri is ready !

Melville Matsuri is a community event for all ages to experience all aspects of Japan.  I’m very happy with how this event is forming – lots of activities !

There will be food & Japanese drink stalls, Japanese grocery stalls, yukata (Japanese casual summer garment) for sale, lots of demonstrations and workshops, and kids activities for all ages.  The best thing is that part of profit goes to local playgroups. 🙂

Check out our Facebook pages, and don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE with friends!

Chicken Teriyaki Mayo Donburi

This has been one of my regular dinner menu at home.  My family loves it, and it’s always a pleasure to see empty bowls after meal.

I’ve written few teriyaki recipes here, including spicy chilli version, salmon teriyaki, teriyaki spam onigiri, and teriyaki squid, but I realised I haven’t written the basic recipe for chicken teriyaki!  It’s so easy to make – and serving as donburi means less clean-up as everything is placed in a bowl 😉

After eating this, mayonnaise will be your best buddy whenever eating teriyaki chicken!

<Chicken Teriyaki Mayo Donburi> serves 3~4

• 4fillets (about 500g) Chicken thigh (recommend skin-on)
• 3tablespoons Mirin
• 1tablespoon Sugar (I used raw sugar)
• 1tablespoon Sake
• 3tablespoons Soy sauce
• 2 Egg, boiled
• 1cup Bean shoot (←optional)
• 1cup blanched Spinach to garnish
• steamed rice & Japanese mayonnaise to serve

1. Heat a frying pan, and spray oil.  Grill chicken over high heat to colour both sides.
2. Wipe any excess oil from the pan using kitchen paper.  Add bean shoots to the pan, and stir-fry.
3. Meanwhile, place mirin, sugar, sake, and soy sauce in a small pan, and bring to gentle boil.  Simmer until it thickens slightly.
4. Serve rice in donburi bowls.
5. Place bean shoots over rice, using a tong.
6. Place chicken into the sauce, and then place over the rice.  Drizzle extra sauce if required.
7. Garnish with halved boiled egg and spinach.  Sprinkle sesame seeds.
8. Enjoy with Japanese mayonnaise!