Tag Archives: サツマイモ

Doughnuts/Donuts: The best in Shizuoka at Hara Donuts!

February 4, 2010 dragonlife 8 Comments

It is the first time in my life I found something worthwhile writing about doughnuts or donuts as they are sometimes spelt!
I’m not going to rant about the dangers of fast food and sugar absorption, but these are the reasons why I have been avoiding the wares sold by the many famous chain shops (no names!) for so long!

There is only a single Hara Donuts Shop in The whole of Shizuoka Prefecture.
They originated from Kobe City where the original shop is still kiciking and alive. Apparently there are more in large citieslike Tokyo, Nagoya and Kobe. Look out for them!

The original recipe for Hara Donuts was created Mrs. Hara, the owner of a tofu store in Kobe City in 1968.
Now the interesting thing is that all ingredients, even including sugar are made or found in Japan!
Moreover soy milk is used instead of milk! Great for lactose allergics!
The sugar content is low and only real sugar cane sugar is used. No “Company Miracle Recipe Mixture”, preservatives, colorants and what’s not there!
Although it could be considered a chain company now, all donuts are made on site from scratch with the same selected ingredients!

Count a minimum of 10 regular donuts and at least 5 seasonal donuts everyday!
They also make great vegetable donuts!

I chose before taking them withmy coffee to the tiny cafe behind the oven room.
This one (sorry for the fuzzy pic!) is the straight Hara Donut.

This one is a seasonal spinach donut!
Very light but surprisingly fullfilling!
Well-balanced with just enough sugar!

The cafe at the back is tiny and can sit only a maximum of 12 guests.

It’s cozy and extremely clean.
The toilets, a bit small, are state-of the art! (all computer-activated!)

All non-smoking incidentally!
Coffee and tea, cold or hot and in different varieties are available.
Just order your donuts and drink together and a smiling staff will bring it onto your table! Pay at the counter first.
As for take-out, don’t be surprised if you fnd out queuing, it is popular!
Especially with ladies.
Being situated along Aoba Koen-Tokiwa Koen/Aoba-Tokiwa Street Park across Showa Street, it will give you the opportunity to stroll at leisure before reaching the place!

HARA DONUTS
420-0034 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 2-4-5, Tokiwa-Cho Emple Court, 1F (along Aoba Koen?Tokiwa Koen)
Tel.: 054-2708653
Opening hours: 10:00~19:00 (or if donuts are sold out!)
HOMEPAGE

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Vegan Japanese Dessert: Sweet Potato, Apple & Gardenia Seeds Kinton

February 4, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

It is always a bit complicated for vegans and vegetarians alike to create desserts without using eggs or dairy products, unlessyou start using derivatives and susbstitues, which is not always a good idea.
The Japanese must be, without knowing it, the greatest creators of vegan desserts thanks to such techniques as found in the making of wagashi!

One variety of wagashi is called Kinton.
Kinton, or きんとんin Japanese is a Japanese tradtional dessert made with chestnuts/kuri/栗 and sugar.
Originally created in Gifu in the late 1870’s it is now found and available almost everywhere in Japan for the pleasure of all, vegans and vegetarians included.

Kuchinashi (Japanese) or Gardenia jasminoides (also known as Gardenia augusta) is a fragrant flowering evergreen tropical plant, a favorite in gardens worldwide. It originated in Asia and is most commonly found growing in Vietnam, Southern China, Taiwan and Japan.
The fruit is used as a yellow dye, which is used for clothes and food (including the Korean mung bean jelly called hwangpomuk).
Medicinal uses:
Gardenia jasminoides fructus (fruit) is used within Traditional Chinese Medicine to “drain fire” and thereby treat certain febrile conditions.

Kuchinashi no Mi/Gardenia fruit.

Kuchinashi no mi/Gardenia fruit, dried as found in Japanese stores.

I took the precaution to go through these preliminary explantaions before introducing the following dessert:

Sweet Potato, Apple & Gardenia Seeds Kinton!

INGREDIENTS:

-Apple: 1 large
-Sweet Potato/Satsuma Imo: 1 medium
-Lemon juice: 1/4
-Sugar: 1 tablespoon
-Gardenia seed/Kuchinashi no Mi: 1

RECIPE:

-Peel the sweet potato, cut in four legthwise and across again every 2 cm. Leave aside in clear cold water.

-Peel the apple, cut into 8 wedges and slice again every 5 mm. Drop in a stainless pot. Add lemon and sugar. Cover with lid and simmer on a low fire until softened.

-Cut the kuchinashi no mi/Gardenia seed in two and insert it in a small cooking bag (gauze as for bouquet garni).

-In a different pan, drop the sweet potato with ebnough water to boil them. Add teh kuchunashi no mi/gardenia seed. Boil until the sweet potato is soft enough to be easily skewered with a bamboo/wooden toothpick.

-Throw the water of the sweet potato out. Keep cooking the sweet potato to let their water evaporate.

-Add １/３ of the apple to the sweet potato and mix well.

-Serve the sweet potato topped with the cooked apple.

NOTES:

-Roast some some walnuts and top the dessert with them!

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Vegetables Facts and Tips 5: Sweet Potatoes (amended & expanded)

December 23, 2009 dragonlife 2 Comments

satsuma-1

SYNOPSIS:

I started this series (14 articles so far) quite some time ago to help my vegan and vegetarian (I’m not!) friends and omnivores as well because of the obvious health benefits.
Since then, I’ve learned and discovered a lot more information that could not ignored.
Therefore I plan to amend and expand all 14 former articles before I can continue introducing a lot more vegetables!
Incidentally、 nothing, pictures included, is copyrighted in my food blogs, so please feel free to use anything!
1) POTATOES, 2) TOMATOES, 3) BROCCOLI, 4) CARROTS

Sweet Potatoes or “Satsuma Imo” were first introduced to Japan in the Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) in 1604 by the Chinese. It was then introduced in Kyushu in 1609, an area that grows 80% of the total Japanese production.
As rightly pointed out by Comestiblog, sweet potatoes should not be confused with yams or yama imo/山芋 in Japanese.
Sorry for making this basic mistake myself in sｐite of 33 years in this country!

It has been recognized in this country fおｒ a long time for both its nutritional and pharmaceutical qualities.

satsumabeni_haruka

There are over a hundred species in Japan, but the most popular edible ones (not the ones exclusively used for making shochu) have red skins and light yellow flesh.

Beni Azuma, mostly eaten in Eastern Japan. Turns very sweet upon cooking.

Naruto Kintoki, popular in Western Japan. Considered elegant and sweet.

Tosabeni, also attributed “No 14 value (top)”, is very sweet and is a “brand name” sweet potato.

Cheese cake combination with Tosabeni Sweet Potato!

Manamusume, another “No 14 value” brand sweet potato.

Gorou Shima Kintoki, particularly popular as baked sweet potato.

Kogane Sengan, considered as the top shochu sweet potato.

Tanegashima Mukashi Mitsu, a sweet potato with a beautiful orange colour and elegant taste.

Tanegashima Murasaki Imo, as above, but with a beautiful purple colour.

Annou Imo, rich in carotens, with a beautiful orange colour and very sweet.

Annou Imo cuisine!

Purple Sweet Road, an interesting name for a sweet tasty hybrid.

The same as above as hyokan Japanese jelly!

satsumatanegashima

My personal favorite is the “Tanegashima Gold Imo” grown in Taneko Island south of Kyushu. It has the particularity of being red when raw before chaning to a rich golden color when cooked. Among other varieties, the violet yams are getting increasingly popular.

yummy
Tanekoshima yam (deep yellow), “common yam” (light yellow) and Murasaki/Violet yam.

The Missus particularly likes to mix the three above as a cold salad with mayonnaise or cream-based dressing.

FACTS:
-Season: September to November
-Main elements: Carbohydrates, Carotene, Vitamin B, C, E. Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, vegetal fibers.
-Beneficial to digestion. Good for the skin!
-Lose very little of its beneficial elements even after a long cooking.

TIPS:
-Choose specimens with nice color and a “fat/roundish” aspect!
-Plunge yam in cold water as soon as you have cut them. They will not lose their color!
-Boil, bake or steam long enough before taking skin off. Discard skin!
-Leaves can be eaten!

HEALTH FACTS:

-Combined with burdock root, or shiitake, or carrot, or spinach, helps combat colds, helps enhance skin health, helps combat llung and intestine cancer.
-Combined with devil’s tongue tuber, or hijiki sweet seaweeed, or beansprouts, or apple, helps combat cancer, constipation, obesity, and artery hardening.
-Combined with Judas ear mushroom, or shiitake, or seaweed, or hijiki sweet seaweed, helps lower blood cholesterol, helps combat obesity and diabetes.
-Combined with strawberries, or lemon, or pimentoes, helps combat stress, helps skin rejuvenation and intensifies appetite.

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Macha & Tofu Tiramisu Cupcake

December 19, 2009 dragonlife 4 Comments

There is little need to say that cupcakes are universally popular.
Now if you can add or combine macha and tofu into them and come up with a tiramisu concept as a whole you are bound to please a lot of people! LOL

Macha & Tofu Tiramisu Cupcakes!

INGREDIENTS: For cakes

■ Sponge Cake:
-Eggs: 2
-Sugar: 40 g
-Tofu or soy milk: 1 tablespoon
-All-purpose flour: 40 g
-macha: 2 teaspoons (6 g)

■Syrup
◆Sugar: 15ｇ（10ｇ）
◆Water: 2 tablespoons
◆Macha liqueur (if available):　１　teaspoon

■Cheese Cream

-Cream cheese: 200ｇ
-Anko/sweet bean paste powder: 100g
-Tofu or soy milk: 50 cc/ml
-Preserved cherry blossom (for decoration): 15
-Sugar (optional): 20~30 g）

■ Macha powder (for the finishing touch)

RECIPE:

-Soak preserved cherry blossoms in water to soften and then soak water off between two sheets of kitchen paper. Choose the best 6 of them and heat inside the microwave oven for 1 minute to ope/”bloom” them. Keep the rest aside.

-Take cream cheese out of the fridge.
Mix the flour and macha powder.
Line the oven plate with baking paper.

-Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
-In a bowl beat the eggs and sugar together until mixture whitens.

-Add tofu (or soy milk). Mix in with a spatula. Add macha and flour mix and mix in with the spatula.

-Bake for 15 minutes at 170 degrees Celsius.

-While it is baking, mix all the syrup ingredients in a small bowl.

-Take the sponge cake out of the oven and let it cool down completely.

-With a spatula, mix cream cheese, sweet bean paste powder, tofu and non-heated cherry blossoms. If not sweet enough, mix in more sugar.

-Divide sponge cake into 12 portions to fit inside cups.
-Line each cup with with one portion of sponge cake. Brush plenty of syrup on each.

-Fill with cheese cream up to half. Place one more layer of sponge cake. Brush plenty of syrup on the sponge cake again. Fill up each cup completely with cheese cream.
Leave inside fridge to chill them properly (one hour is enough, or it would harden too much).

-Before serving sprinkle macha powder all the surface and decorate with a cherry blossom.

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Tiramisu: Japanese Style

December 16, 2009 dragonlife 9 Comments

Cheese Tiramisu by Takagi

A Foodbuzz Friend of mine going by the name of Bazooka Gourmet thought that Tiramisu originated from Japan.
Unfortunately it didn’t.
But it is a fact that it is a very popular dessert in Japan.
As the Japanese are incredibly adept at improving original recipes I thought it could be an interesting idea to see what was avalaible in this country!

Here is what I found:

Matcha Tiramisu

As served at Pizzeria Morita (Osaka shi, Fukushima Ku, 5-6-33, Inou Bldg. 1F. Tel.: 06-6450-0630) and TACY CAFE (Osaka shi, Kita Ku, Umeda, 1-12-6, Iima 1F. Tel.: 06-6342-1687)

By Kasarin no Tsurezure Diary

Marron Tiramisu by ABC Cooking Studio

Chocolate Tiramisu by PATISSIER Louise

Tiramisu Ice Cake by Chat de Roll

Damier Tiramisu by Kawajie

Another Matcha Tiramisu by Hand-made Kiki

Tiramisu Cupcake by Sanae Pon

Christmas Tiramisu by Soy

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Sweet Potato Muffins

December 15, 2009 dragonlife 6 Comments

Here is another simple recipe for a cake where “East Meets West”:
Sweet Potato Muffins!

INGREDIENTS: for 12 cakes

Pastry:
-Cookie/thin flour: 230 g
-Salt: a little less than １/２ teaspoon
-Sugar: 50 g (to be included with the flour)
-Baking powder: ２ teaspoons
-Sodium bicarbonate: １/４ teaspoon
-Cinnamonpowder: 1 teaspoon
-Nutmeg powder: １/２ teaspoon
-Eggs: 2
-Sweet Potato (mashed): 230 cc/ml
-Melted butter: 2~4 tablespoons
-Milk: 150 cc/ml
-Sugar: 50 g (to be incuded with the eggs)
-Walnuts: 50 g

Topping:
-Brown sugar: １＋１/２ tablespoons
-Flour: 3 tablespoons
-Butter: ２/３ tablespoon
-Cinnamon powder: １/４ teaspoon

RECIPE:

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius (400 F)
Coat the paper muffin cups insides with a thin layer of oile just enough to facilitate later unwrapping.
Bring all inf\gredients to room temperature.

Prepare topping first:
In a bowl drop the brown sugar, flower, butter and cinamon.
Work ad mix the lot with the tips of your fingers.

In another bowl drop the flour, sugar, baking powder, sodium bicarbonate, cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder.
Mix and sieve through a fine mesh chinois.

-Wrap the sweet potato inside cellophane paper and heat in a micriwave oven until soft. Take of skin if any. Mash the sweet potato adding the milk to them.

Add the eggs and extra sugar and mix well.
Add melted butter and mix well.

Add the sweet potato puree to the flour mixture.
Mix with a spatula.
Do not worry if you don’t attain a perfectly smoothe paste.
Mixing the whole tooo much would result into a hard muffin!

Pour the muffin mixture into the cups or in the apparel as shown in picture above up to two thirds of their depth. Sprinkle with topping.
Bake for 15~20 minutes.
Check if they are properly cooked by stabbing them with a thin wooden stick.

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Sweet Potato Cupcakes

November 11, 2009 dragonlife 2 Comments

SWEET-POTATO-CUPCAKES

I need no say how cupcakes are popular all over the world.
That is the main reason why I from now and then feature a cupcake recipe.
Japanese-style cupcakes seem to be still new. They naturally come with different ingredients. Have you ever thought of making one with sweet potato.
Sweet potato is satsuma imo/薩摩芋 in Japanese and they originally came from Central America.
The recipe below is very simple and should be easily expanded:

Sweet Potato Cupcakes!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 large 10×10 cm cupcakes (can of course be divided into smaller ones)

-Sweet potato: 200 g
-Sugar: 30 g
-Dry raisins: 30 g
-All purpose flour: 50 g
-Butter: 60 g
-Egg: 1
-Baking powder: half a teaspoon
-Powdered sugar: a little

RECIPE:

-Set a microwave oven on “vegetables cooking” and heat the sweet potatoes. Peel their skins off. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

-In a food processor drop in flour, sugar, butter, egg and baking powder. Blend. Add sweet potato and blend.

-Add raisins and mix roughly. Pour into cups. Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 25~30 minutes.

-Once baked sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Easy, ain’t it?

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Japanese Cakes/Wagashi 14: Satsuma Imo/Sweet Potato

August 7, 2009 dragonlife 9 Comments

SATSUMA-WAGASHI-1

Satsuma Imo or Sweet Potatoes are often used in Japanese cakes/Wagashi.
The great advantage is that it makes for completely vegan cakes with an almost endless source of variations.

Here is the basice recipe from you will be able to improvise!

INGREDIENTS:

-Satsuma/Sweet Potato: 400g (peeled)
-Sugar: 75 g
-Agar agar powder: 3 g
-Salt: a pinch
-Water: 20 ml

RECIPE:

SATSUMA-WAGASHI-2
-Cut the sweet potato into small pieces and wash under clear cold water to take off astringency.
Boil in a pan with 20 ml of water until soft.

-Just before the potatoes are completely cooked, add sugar agar agar and salt. Bring to boil and swith off fire. Bear in mind there will is very little water. Do not burn the poatoes!

-Transfer potatoes into a frying pan and fry until they get smooth..

-Return to boiling pan and heat to get all excess water out.

-Pass through a sieve, or process.

-Wet the inside of a refrigerator recipient before spreading cellophane paper inside. Pour the potato puree into the recipient and fold the cellophane paer on top, leaving no air between cellophane paper and potato. Chill inside refrigerator.

SATSUMA-WAGASHI-3

Before eating unwrap cellophane paper and cut into preferred shape.
This is where the fun begins!

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Chicken and Sweet Potato in Sweet and Sour Sauce, Japanese Style

June 30, 2009 dragonlife 2 Comments

CHICKEN-SATSUMA-1

I’ve been posting recipes for vegans and vegetarians for quite a while and since I haven’t any introduction of a fish or else ready right now, I thought an easy chicken recipe was in order! Great with a beer in this hot weather!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 persons
-Chicken thigh: 180 g
-Salt, pepper, Japanese sake (rice wine, or white wine if not available) for the chicken marinade: to taste
-Sweet potato (satsuma imo): 150 g
-Cornstarch: according to your preferences
-Cashew nuts: 30 g
For the sweet and sour sauce:
-Sugar: half a large tablespoon
-Soy sauce: half a large tablespoon
-Rice vinegar: 1 large tablespoon
-Water: half a cup, 100 ml
-Ginger: 2 slices finely cut
-Cornstarch: 1 teaspoon
Others
-Oil for frying
-Black sesame seeds and finely chopped thin leeks for topping

RECIPE:
CHICKEN-SATSUMA-2

Take unwanted fat from chicken and discard. Cut into one bite size.
Put into a bowl with salt, pepper and Japanese sake. Let marinate for 10 minutes.

CHICKEN-SATSUMA-3

In another bowl, cut sweet potatoes.Leave skin on. Not need to add water as they are to be fried immediately. If dirty, wash thoroughly with clear cold water and dry them.

CHICKEN-SATSUMA-4

Pour some oil on a frypan and fry sweet potato and cashew nuts on a low fire. Take cashew nuts out once they have attained a nice light g\brown colour. Cook sweet potato on low fire until a knife get through them easily. Fry them a little more over a strong fire and lay on a kitchen paper.
Keep the frypan with its oil for the chicken!

CHICKEN-SATSUMA-5

Prepare the sweet and sour sauce:
In a different deep pan pour in Sugar, Soy sauce, Rice vinegar, Water, Ginger, and Cornstarch. Heat over a low fire, stirring slowly all the time with a wooden spoon.
Careful about the timing. If you heat it too long,it will solidify!

CHICKEN-SATSUMA-6

Drop the sweet potato and cashew nuts in the sweet and sour sauce. switch off fire and wait for a while.

CHICKEN-SATSUMA-7

Take chicken out of its marinade and sprinkle it with cornstarch.
Fry the chicken in the frypan used for the sweet potatoes and cashew nuts (add oil only if absolutely necessary!).
Fry until crispy, then add to deep pan containing the sweet potato and cashew nuts in sweet and sour sauce.
Cook on a low fire long enough for taste to spread equally.

CHICKEN-SATSUMA-8

Transfer onto a plate and season it with black sesame seeds and finely chopped thin leeks.

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Vegetables Facts and Tips (5): Yams

January 18, 2009 dragonlife 6 Comments

The Japan Blog List

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satsuma-1

Yams or “Satsuma Imo” were first introduced to Japan in the rykyu Islands (Okinawa) in 1604 by the Chinese. It was then introduced in Kyushu in 1609, an area that grows 80% of the total Japanese production.

It has been recognized in this country fro a long time for both its nutritional and pharmaceutical qualities.

satsumabeni_haruka

There are over a hundred species in Japan, but the most popular edible ones (not the ones exclusively used for making shochu) have red skins and light yellow flesh.

satsumatanegashima

My personal favorite is the “Tanekoshima Gold Imo” grown in Taneko Island south of Kyushu. It has the particularity of being red when raw before chaning to a rich golden color when cooked. Among other varieties, the violet yams are getting increasingly popular.

yummy
Tanekoshima yam (deep yellow), “common yam” (light yellow) and Murasaki/Violet yam.

The Missus particularly likes to mix the three above as a cold salad with mayonnaise or cream-based dressing.

FACTS:
-Season: September to November
-Main elements: Carbohydrates, Carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, vegetal fibers.
-Beneficial to digestion.
-Lose very little of its beneficial elements even after a long cooking.