美食, 野菜, 薩摩芋, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Sweet Potatoes, Waffles

Sweet Potato Waffles

August 3, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

I wonder whether the Belgian had ever thought of using sweet potatoes in their waffles! LOL
Sweet potatoes are actually a very adaptable ingredient and it provides plenty of natural sweetness and beneficial nutrients!
So here we go with waffles with a twist!

Sweet Potato waffles

INGREDIENTS:S: (For 3~4 people)

Sweet potatoes: 700 g
Water: 200 cc (1 cup)
Sugar: 80 g
batter: 40 g
Milk of fresh cream: 50 cc (1/4 cup)
Dry raisins: 2 tablespoons
Oat meal: 3 tablespoons

RECIPE:

Slice the sweet potatoes.
Put them inside a large pan.
Cover with water.
Put a lid on.
Heat the water. When it starts boiling reduce fire to low and cook.

Once the sweet potatoes have become soft enough, take out of pan.
Peel them.
Mash them with a spatula.
If you like your sweet potatoes with a fine grain sieve them.

Add butter, raisins, oat meal and sugar. Mix well.

Add the egg yolks and mix well.
Add the milk or fresh cream little by little and mix well every time.

Separate mashed sweet potatoes mixture into a number of balls, each of a size big enough to make one waffle.

Brush butter (not included in the recipe ingredients) onto the inside surface of the waffle maker.
Put one ball on the waffle maker and top it with a portion of butter.
Close the waffle maker gently and cook.

Once cooked, bear in mind that it is comparatively soft. Take care when taking it out.

Eat with a fork or spoon!
The kids will love them!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in kanzai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

美食, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Gotemba City, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, Sake Brewery, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Negami Brewery-Kaido Maru Daigin Junmai Yamahai

August 3, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Negami Brewery in Gotemba City lies in a privileged location at an altitude of 550 metres on the slopes of Mount Fuji in Gotemba City.
This allows them to brew nectars during an unusual large portion of the year.

This enables them to concoct limited brews far into the year for the greatest pleasure of sake lovers and colectors.
This Yamahai Daigin Junmai is very limited indeed: 300 bottles (720 ml) only!
And the label is a real beauty reminiscing about a famous Japanese lore character!
Anf the label has been intelligently wrapped around the bottle instead of being glued! Needless to say that I carefully unwrapped it for safekeeping!

Negami Brewery-Kaido Maru Daigin Junmai Yamahai

Rice: Yamada Nishiki and Yahan Nishiki
Rice both milled down to: 55%
Yeast: Shizuoka N-2 + brewery’s own yeast
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu)
Dryness: 0
lImited to 300 bottles
Bottled in June 2012

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Fruity backed by strong alcohol. Almonds, apricots.
Body: fluid and sirupy
Taste: Strong fruity attack alternating from dry to sweet and vice versa before verging on the dry with a puissant alcohol and assertive junmai petillant.
Complex. Vanilla, cofee beans, cherries, almonds, apricots.
Takes on an even drier turn with food although spicy food will bring out a sweet reaction.
Very pleasant to drink.
Disappears quickly along with stronger dry almonds and coffee beans.
Cherries making a comeback away from food.
Dark chocolate taking a late ride accompanied by a fine and deep sweetness.

Overall: A beauty definitely difficult to judge objectively. The fact it is a yamahai makes for even more indecisiveness. Very much a “mistery sake”. Would make blind tasters pull at their hair!
In any case, a rare discovery! Pity I didn’t buy another bottle which I could have hidden in the refrigerator for a special occasion!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box,
Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Cooking Cute, Timeless Gourmet, Bento Bug, Ideal Meal, Bentosaurus, Mr. Foodie (London/UK), Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

Croquettes, 美食, 野菜, 薩摩芋, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Croquettes: Japanese Recipe

August 2, 2012 dragonlife 10 Comments

Croquettes (called “korokke/コロッケ in Jaoanese), especially made with potatoes (versions made with thick white sauce are also very popular) must be one of the most celebrated comfort foods all over the world.
I don’t exactly know when they first appeared in Japan but people here certainly consume them with a vengeance! I stopped counting books and magazines entirely dedicated to the delicacy in this country!

Now, sweet potatoes (satsuma imo/薩摩芋 in Japanese) offer a very interesting variation and should be appreciated by all members of a family with the added sweetness!

Sweet potato croquettes/Satsuma Imo No Korokke/薩摩芋のコロッケ!

INGREDIENTS: (for 2 people or 8 small croquettes)

Sweet potato: 1 (200 g)
Chicken breast: 80 g (after having taken skin and fat away)
Onion: 50 g (finely chopped)
Salad oil: 1 tablespoon (for frying)
White sesame seeds: as appropriate
Egg: 1 large
All-purpose flour: 2 tablespoons
Black pepper: a little
Salt: a pinch
Soy sauce: 1 teaspoon
Sesame oil: 1 teaspoon

RECIPE:

Cut away both tips of the sweet potato.
Wrap it in a wet kitchen paper towel.
Cook in a microwave oven at 600 W for 4 moinutes and 20 seconds to soften it.
You may do this inside a steamer, too.

Peel the potato and mash it in a bowl.
You may want to leave out a few solid bits for a better bite that you will mix with the whole later.
Keep the mashed potato aside in its bowl.

Chop the chicken breast finely.
If you haven’t done it yet, chop the onion finely.
You may chop them together.

Heat a frypan. Heat the oil. Fry the onion and chicken together.
Once the heat has penetrated the meat and onion add some salt and pepper (not included in ingredients above) to your preference. Add soy sauce and fry until the chicken and onion are properly cooked. Do not overcook!
Let cool down for a while.

In the bowl containing the mashed potato add the cooked chicken and onion, the flour, the salt, the black pepper, the egg and the sesame oil. (You may add spices of your liking then!)
Mix the whole well.

Divide the mixture into 8 equal quantities.
Spread oil on the palm of your hands and make 8 patties of similar size and shape.
Flatten them a bit for equal cooking.

Coat one face only with sesame seeds.

Pour some oil on a frypan.
Fry croquettes sesame-coated face down first.

Cook for a little while. Cover with lid. When the bottom face is cooked to a nice brown color (lifting up the lid from time to time is no problem!) turn over and continue frying.

To check if yor croquettes are properly cookd, press their middle with a finger. The finger shouldn’t sink easily.

Place croquettes on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
Serve them as soon as possible as they are.
No need for sauce or extra seasoning!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Baird Beer, Bars, Beer, 美食, 酒, 観光, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Numazu City, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2012/08/02): Upcoming Seasonal Releases

August 2, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Upcoming Seasonal Releases

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Into the scorching heat of summer we will be releasing from the cool confines of our Baird Beer cellar the following seasonal brews.

Upcoming Baird Beer Seasonal Releases:
*HT-3 Natsumikan Lager (5.5%):

This month marks the third year anniversary of the opening of our Harajuku Taproom. To commemorate we have brewed a special lager fruited (fresh peels and squeezed juice) with Shizuoka natsumikans. It will be tapped at noon sharp, Saturday, August 4, thus kicking off the Harajuku Taprooms two-day birthday celebration. Plan to join the staff and fellow enthusiasts for what promises to be a weekend of great beer and food and much merriment.

HT-3 Natsumikan Lager is draught-only and available exclusively at the Harajuku Taproom.

*Asian Beauty Biwa Ale (5.5%):

Biwa is “the small, yellow, edible, plum-like fruit of the loquat tree.” We had no idea what it was until our partner-friend-carpenter-farmer, Nagakura-san, brought some in several years ago for us to taste and then brew with. It is an extremely subtle fruit that harmonizes sweetness with tartness. Asian Beauty Biwa Ale is coyly fruity, spritely effervescent and yet delicately firm — like a true Asian Beauty!

Asian Beauty is available in both kegs and bottles (360 ml). It will begin shipping on Monday, August 6.

*Workingman’s Dark Mild (3.5%):

This is the quintessential English session ale. In good British pub fashion, it will be available only as real ale dispensed via handpump. It will be poured exclusively at our Taproom pubs beginning Friday, August 10.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Croquettes, 美食, 野菜, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Korokke, Potatoes, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products

Croquettes: Japanese-Style Recipe

August 1, 2012 dragonlife 10 Comments

Since I’m planning to run a series of recipes on potatoes and sweet potatoes, I thought it would be a good idea to first re-introduce the Japanese basic way of preparing Croquettes or “Korokke” as they say in thos country!

Here is the basic recipe prevalent in restaurants and homesteads.
Naturally it can be expanded and modified at will.
I will not bother you with measurements this time as the method is the point of this posting!

INGREDIENTS:

-Potatoes (you will have to decide which variety! In Japan, “Danshaku” are best!)
-Onion
-Minced meat (of your choice!)
-Salt and pepper
-Flour (of your choice)
-egg
-Milk
-Breadcrumbs (fresh if possible)
-Oil
-Lard (skip if you don’t like, but a pity!)

RECIPE:

-Boil the potatoes with their skins.
Peel the skins off just out of the water when very hot. This way, the potatoes will not be too wet.

-Mash the potatoes roughly with a wooden spoon/spatula. Add salt and peepper and mix roughly. Cover with cellophane paper to keep the potatoes warm as long as possible.

Chop the onions finely and fry in lard if possible for better taste. If you don’t like lard, use oil. You could add chopped garlic and small pieces of bacon.
Add minced meat of your choice. Season with a little salt, pepper, sugar and soy sauce according to you preferences. Fry until the minced meat is cooked.

-Add the mashed potatoes. Mixing them all atogether at the same time fry until potatoes have become dry enough.
Let cool completely and transfer to a storage dish. Cover with cellophane paper and leave overnight in the refrigerator to allow taste to permeate the potatoes. This is an important point as not only it will enhance the taste but make the croquettes easier to shape.

-Spread a little oil over your palms and shape croquettes to you preffered size.

-Roll in flour and “shake” croquettes so that not too much flour adheres to them.

-Prepare (you might better do that first, LOL) the croquettes egg dip by mixing beaten egg, flour and milk to your preference.
Dip the croquettes in the batter completely.

-Roll the croquettes in the breadcrumbs.
One way to make breadcrumbs is to use real bread which had turned completely solid, soften it in milk, let it dry again and crush it into powder!

-Deep-fry croquettes at 170 degrees Celsius until they have reached a colour of your liking.
As everything is already cooked inside, don’t worry if they are not enough cooked.
Point: add a little sesame oil to your frying oil for extra taste.

There are all kinds of sauce and decoration you cane serve croquettes with, unless you like them plain with a little mustard for example.

Here is a little suggestion for good taste and appetizing presentation:
Prepare a light white sauce/bechamel in the aurora style sauce with plenty of white pepper and boiled green peas.