Tag Archives: Pumpkin

レシピ, Croquettes, 美食, 里芋, 農業, Food, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Kabocha, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine

Halloween Kabocha Croquettes

September 23, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Halloween might all be about pumpkins but when it comes to cooking kabocha is far better!
Croquettes are popular all over the world, so why not make some for Halloween!
The witches will make a special brew to drink with them!

INGREDIENTS (for 6 croquettes)

Kabocha: 500g
Milk: 2 tablespoons
Butter: 20g
Honey: 2 teaspoons
Cinnamon powder: a little
Salt: a little
Cheese or Camembert cheese: 20 g
Raisins: 10g

Flour: as appropriate
Egg: 1
Breadcrumbs: as appropriate
Sliced almonds: as appropriate
If you have them dried somen (thin Japanese wheat noodles)

RECIPE:

Cut kabocha into rough pieces.
Put inside oven dish.
Cook inside microwave oven for 8 mintes at 700 Watts.
Peel skin off.
Bear in mind kabocha will be very hot when you manipulate it!

In a bowl mash the kabocha.
Add milk, butter, honey, salt and cinnamon.
Mix well.

Separate the paste into 3 identical quantities.
Make two balls with the first quantity around cheese/camembert cheese.
Make two balls with the second quantity mixed with the raisins.
Make two plain balls with the third quantity.

Shape each croquette like a small pear.
Roll them in flour, then beaten egg and then breadcrumbs (or sliced almonds, or dried somen).

Heat oil to 180 degrees Celsius and deep-fy.

Serve 3 different croquettes on a dish and decorate with Italian parsley.

How about the above for a more elegant presentation with croquettes filled qith camemebrt Cheese!

So easy!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,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:

-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, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Halloween, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Kabocha, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine

Halloween Kabocha Pancakes!

September 17, 2012 dragonlife 3 Comments

The Japanese love pancakes, be they American or European style!
Have you ever tried making some with pumpkin or Kabocha?
Here is a simple recipe for Halloween parties!

INGREDIENTS: (For 2~ people)

Kabocha: 250 g (without the seeds)
All-purpose flour: 250 g
Baking powder: 1 tablespoon
Syrup (or sugared water): 2 tablespoons
Salt: 2 pinches
Milk: 450 ml/2 cups and a quarter
Egg: 1
Salad oil: 1 tablespoon
Honey: 2 tablespoons

RECIPE:

Cut the kabocha roughly and cook for 3 minutes inside a microwave oven.
Check it is soft enough before mashing it.
It does not have to be mashed down to paste.

In a bowl pour milk, beaten egg, syrup, salt and beat the whole well.

Add all flour and baking powder and mix well.
Add kabocha and olive salad oil and mix well till you obtain a smooth paste.

Use a non-stick frypan if possible.
Oil the frypan with a piece of kitchen paper imbibed with oil to avoid using too much oil.
Pour enough paste for a pancake and cover with lid. Keep cooking over low fire.
Turn it over after 20^30 seconds and cook again for same length of time.

Serve at once if possible!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

レシピ, 美食, 野菜, 農業, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Gratin, Halloween, Japanese Gastronomy, Kabocha, Pumpkin, 南瓜

Halloween Kabocha Gratin!

September 14, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Halloween will be soon with us again this year!
Have you ever thought of cooking all these pumpkins?
In Japan Kabocha is the most popular pumpkin as it is very solid, therefore easy to prepare in many ways!
How about a Halloween Kabocha Gratin, then?
A great comfort food for the whole family!

INGREDIENTS: (for 2 people)

Kabocha: 300 g
Onion: 100 g
Bacon: 60 g
Garlic: 1/4 teaspoon, grated
Olive oil: 2 teaspoons
All purpose flour: 2 teaspoons
Pizza cheese: as appropriate
Dried chopped parsley (or fresh, then chopped): as appropriate

For the white sauce (Bechamel)
Milk: 250 ml
Consomme powder: 1 teaspoon
Salt: 2~3 pinches
Nutmeg: a little
White pepper: a little

RECIPE:

Cut the kabocha into 7 mm thick slices (cut them in halves after that if too big). Place on a oven dish. Cover with cellophane paper and cook in microwave oven for 3~4 minutes at 600 Watts
Slice the onion thin.
Cut the bacon into thin 1 cm wide strips.

In a large skillet pour olive oil and fry bacon first.
Add sliced onoin and grated garlic. Fry until onion has taken on a nice light-brown color.

Lower the fire to minimum.
Add flour and mix well. Add milk and mix. Add salt, consomme powder and white pepper.
Mixing all the time cook until the sauce bubbles up.
Add kabocha and cook for 3 more minutes.
During that time heat oven to 250 degrees Celsius.

Transfer the whole into a gratin dish.
Cover with pizza cheese.
Bke for 10 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius.

When cheese has become a nice color, take the dish out. Sprinkle parsley over the cheese and serve!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

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Vegan Japanese Cuisine: Cauliflower and Lime

March 14, 2010 dragonlife 6 Comments

Vegansarus and vegan freinds should know by now that Japanese gastronomy is a whole fireld to study for their culinary priorities. Not only it provides ideas for nutritious food but alo elegance!

Cauliflower and Lime!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 people

-Cauliflower: a little less that 3 cups/550 cc, broken into small “branches/flowers”
-Sweet white miso: 1 tablespoon
-Rice vinegar: 1 large tablespoon and a little more
-Mirin/sweet sake: 1/4 teaspoon
-Lime zest: 1 lime
-Sugar: if wished for, as deemed as appropriate
-Water for boiling (with a little sakt)

RECIPE:

-Break the cauliflower into small “branches/flowers” and boil in salted water to the softness/hardness of your choice.

-In a bowl drop the sweet white miso, rice vinegar and mirin/sweet sake and mix. Check taste and rectify with sugar if deemed appropriate. Add thinly cut lime zest and mix.

-Choose a nice vessel and place the boiled cauliflower in it (look at the picture above). Pour the seasoning ver it, taking care of placing the lime zests on top in an artisitic manner (use chopsticks!).
A couple of very thin chives would do well for decoration!

Great with Japanese sake or beer!

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Vegan Japanese Cuisine: Lotus Root Steaks

March 13, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

This is the third (and not fianl, I hope!) of a series of vegan recipes for such friends as Vegansarus prepared with lotus root or renkon/蓮根 in Japanese. These should be easier and easier to get these days. They do provide a great bite on top of their nutritional value!

By cutting lotus roots into thick slices you can eat them like steaks!

Lotus Root Steaks!

INGREDIENTS: For 2~ paople

-Lotus roots: 2~ large ones
-Olive oil (EV): as appropriate
-Salt: a reasonable quantity
-Freshly ground black pepper: as much as you want!

RECIPE:

-Peel and cut lotues roots into 1 cm-thick slices. make sure of getting rid of any blemish. Wash them in clear cold water and drain thoroughly.

-Pour enough olive oil in frypan. More than less oil is better as it will be sucked in by the lotus root. Place lotus roots on oil. Cover with lid. Cook over a medium fire. Fry both sides of the slices until they have reached a nice brown colour.

-halfway through cooking, when lotus root slices are starting changing colour sprinkle salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.

When ready serve as they are, or with some reen leaf vegetables.
A little chili pepper or a final seasoning for people who like their food spicy!
Simple, isn’t it?

Great with Japanese sake or beer!

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Vegan Japanese Cuisine: Lotus Root Chips

March 12, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

This is the second of a series of vegan recipes for such friends as Vegansarus prepared with lotus root or renkon/蓮根 in Japanese. These should be easier and easier to get these days. They do provide a great bite on top of their nutritional value!

Potatoes are great as chips, aren’t they? Now, lotus roots are too! Moereover, they can be used for striking decoration in salads!

Lotus roots Chips!

INGREDIENTS: For 1 person

-Lotus root: 1~2 medium size
-Oil
-Salt

RECIPE:

-Cut the lotus root root into 2 mm thick slices and wash them lightly in water.

-Drain them thoroughly. Take out all excess water by pacing them between two sheets of kitchen paper.

-Fry them slowly in oil at about 150 degrees Celsius. keep in mind that overfried lotus roots (dark brown to balckish9 become sour and tasteless!

-Scopp them out when they attained the right colour and let them rest on a sheet of kitchen paper to take out excess oil.

-After letting them cool a bit, drop them in a (clean!) vinyl pouch with a little salt and shake them around for an even taste!

Great with Japanese sake or beer!

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Vegan Japanese Cuisine: Sweet & Spicy Lotus Roots

March 11, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

This is the first of a series of vegan recipes for such friends as Vegansarus prepared with lotus root or renkon/蓮根 in Japanese. These should be easier and easier to get these days. They do provide a great bite on top of their nutritional value!

Sweet & Spicy Lotus Roots!

INGREDIENTS: for 2 people

-Lotus root: a 20cm long piece
-Fresh ginger juice: 1 teaspoon
-Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
-Mirin/Sweet sake: 1 tablespoon
-Rice vinegar: 1 tablespoon
-Cornstarch: as appropriate
-White sesame seeds: as much as you want
-Salad oil (of your choice): 1 tablespoon

RECIPE:

-Slice the lotus roots to the thickness of your preference. A lttle thick will provide a satisfying bite.

-Coat the lotus root slices with cornstarch.

-Fry the lotus root slice in oil until both faces have attained a nice brown colour. let them rest on a sheet of kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.

-In a bowl, prepare the sauce by mixing the fresh ginger juice, soy sauce, mirin/sweet sake, rice vinegar.

-In a clean frypan drop the fried lotus root slices. Heat them again. Pour the sauce on them and fry until they become “sticky”.

-Serve them immediately with some white sesame seeds!

Great with Japanese sake or beer!

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Vegan Japanese Cuisine: Fried-Stewed Kabocha

March 10, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

I’ve already have introduced a similar basic recipe, but with dashi and and without precise ingredients quantities.
Many people in Japan believe that Kabocha originates from Japan.
Actually it was introduced to Asia a long time ago after it was discovered on the American Continent.
Even the etymology is not Japanese as it refers (apparently, but nothing sure about that!) to the varieties first grown and developped in Cambodia, according to the same Japanese who can’t get enough of them and mostly import them from Tonga, of all places!
Here is a more precise and little different recipe of this vey popular vegetable:

Kabocha no Itame-ni/南瓜の炒め煮/Fried-Stewed Kabocha!
Dedicated to my new friend, Vegansarus!

INGREDIENTS: For 2~4 persons

-Kabocha/Pumpkin: 500 g
-Leeks: 1/2 cup/100 ml/cc (finely chopped)
-Oil (of your choice): 3 tablespoons
-Fresh ginger: 5~6 thin slices (fresh ginger)
-Water: 1 ~ cup/200ml/cc~
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Sugar: 1 tablespoon
-Salt: 1/2 teaspoon

RECIPE:

First take the stem end out. It sounds evident, but you will make things hard for you if you skip that simple step!

Turn the kabocha over (now you understand why you have taken the stem out?). Cut in half through the middle. Take care not to slip and cut your fingers!

Having cut the kabocha in half, cut it again in half (fourth). The raw kabocha might be hard to cut. There is no need to use brute force. Cut it slowly!

This will make it easy to scoop out (and discard the seeds).

Cut each quarter again across as shown in above picture.

Then cut again as shown in above picture for individual pieces.

The next step is bit of a pain, but absolutely necessary.
Cut away the skin edges as shown in above picture.
Why?
-1) for a more even cooking.
-2) the edges will turn hard and will be diificult to bite through. You might even cut your lips. Believe me!
-3) the kabocha wedges will not break down upon stewing.

The kabocha wedges as they should be before stewing!

In a saucepan drop the oil, leeks and fresh ginger. Fry them for a while, then drop in all the kabocha. Fry for a while on a medium fire.

-Add water, soy sauce, sugar and salt. Lower fire. Cover with lid. Stew for 15 minutes or until the kabocha is soft. The point for better taste is the preliminary frying!

Please check the new postings at:
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Japanese Cakes/Wagashi 13: Kabotcha/Pumpkins

July 22, 2009 dragonlife 6 Comments

WAGASHI-PUMPKIN-1

Just found this recipe to please vegans (and others) with a sweet tooth:
Japanese Cake/Wagashi: Pumpkin/Kabotcha Wagashi!

INGREDIENTS: For 5 cakes
-Pumkin paste: 20 g
-Rice flour: 30 g
-Sugar: 12 g
-Water: 50 ml
-Sweetmeats/Anko (See Recipe here)
-Cornstarch: enough for operation
-Pumpkin seeds or pine nuts: 5 (for decoration)

RECIPE:

WAGASHI-PUMPKIN-2
-Peel skin from pumkin and heat pulp inside microwave oven until soft enough to make paste. Let cool down completely.

WAGASHI-PUMPKIN-3
-In an oven bowl mix well punpkin paste, rice flour, sugar and water until it becomes bubbly. Cover with cellophane paper and heat for 40 seconds at 700W inside microwave oven.

WAGASHI-PUMPKIN-4
-Work the paste until smooth.

WAGASHI-PUMPKIN-5
-Using cornstarch to work paste more easily as it will easily stick to yor fingers, divide the paste into 5 identical portions.

WAGASHI-PUMPKIN-6
-Divide sweetmeats/anko into 5 identical parts and fashion them into small balls.
Coat your fingers with a little cornstarch and completely wrap sweetmeat/anko ball with pumpkin paste as shown in picture.