Tag Archives: Vegan

Cakes, 美食, Dessert, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Wagashi, 和菓子

Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子8: Recipe-Beni Mochi

December 6, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

BENI-MOCHI-1

Here is a simple Japanese Cake/Wagashi Recipe that can be adapted to all shapes by vegans and vegetarians! Beni Mochi.
Beni Mochi, or 紅餅 in Japanese, means “Red Mochi”.

INGREDIENTS: 16 pieces

-Rice flour: 250 g
-White sugar: 80 g
-Water: 100 ml/half a cup (for white mochi)
-Brown sugar (take care in choosing the colour): 80 g
-Water: 100 ml/half a cup (for red mochi)

RECIPE:

BENI-MOCHI-2

Divide rice flour into two equal parts (125 g) and pour into two different bowls.

BENI-MOCHI-3

In a deep pan, drop red sugar and add water. Heat over fire until completely melted. Switch off fire. Add rice flour and mix well.
Repeat same procedure with white sugar.

BENI-MOCHI-4

In a steamer, put mochi pastes (take care no to mix them) on a steaming paper and steam for 10 minutes.

BENI-MOCHI--5

Take out. Let cool. Make two balls and keep in different bowls.

BENI-MOCHI--6

Shape the mochi as above or according to your preference. Put them back inside the steamer on steaming paper and steam for 10 more minutes.

BENI-MOCHI--7

Let cool and serve!
Are best enjoyed with Japanese tea, hot or cold!

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With a Glass,
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Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, 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, My Bento Box, 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

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-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子7: Creation 2-Hanabira Mochi

December 5, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

WAGASHI-HANABIRAMOCHI

Here is another traditional Japanese Cake/Wagashi: Hanabira Mochi (菱葩餅 in Japanese)!
Hanabiramochi is a Japanese sweet usually eaten at the beginning of the year. Hanabiramochi is also served at the first tea ceremony of the New Year.

The name “Hanabiramochi” literally means “Flower petal mochi”. The original form of Hanabiramochi is Hishihanabira, a dessert that was eaten by the Imperial family at special events coinciding with the beginning of the year.

Hanabiramochi was first made in the Meiji Era (8 September 1868 – 30 July 1912), but it is now a familiar New Year wagashi.

The exact shape of Hanabiramochi is strictly defined by tradition. The white mochi covering is flat and round, folded over to form a semicircular shape, and must have a pink color showing through in the center of the confection, fading to a white at the edge. Unlike a daifuku, the mochi must not completely seal the insides.

In the center of a hanabiramochi is a layer of anko, a sweet bean paste, commonly the white kind made from sweetened mung beans. In the very center is a thin strip of sweetly flavoured gobo (burdock root) which protrudes from the mochi on both sides.

Each element of the hanabiramochi is significant.

The red colour showing through the white mochi is not only appropriate to the celebration of the New Year but also evokes the Japanese apricot/plum (ume) blossom, which in turn represents the purity, perseverance, and renewal associated with the New Year.

The gobo represents pressed ayu, a fish exclusive to East Asia, and a prayer for a long life.

A vegan way to celebrate the New Year!

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子6: Creation 2-Sakura Mochi (& Recipe!)

December 4, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-2

Sakura Mochi (桜餅) is a variety of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery consisting of a sweet pink mochi (rice cake) and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of sakura (cherry blossom).

Sakura Mochi (桜餅) or Cherry Blossom Mochi has been popular all over Japan since the beginning of gastronomy in the Land of the Rising Sun.
The style of Sakura Mochi differs with the regions in Japan.
Basically, the east of Japan such as Tokyo uses shiratama-ko (白玉粉/ rice flour) and the west side such as Kansai uses dōmyōji-ko (道明寺粉/glutinous rice flour) for “batter”.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI
Anko is folded inside a mochi sheet and again inside an edible cherry tree leaf.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-3

Here the anko is inside white mochi, then folded in cherry tree leaf and topped with an edible cherry flower.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-4

A smaller, very cute Sakura Mochi: the colored mochi contains anko and is presented inside an edible cherry tree leaf.

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI-5

Sakura mochi as sold over the counter in the Kansai/West Japan Region.
They are also called Sakura Dango/Cherry Balls (no comment, please!LOL)

SIMPLE RECIPE
This recipe is for making Western-style sakuramochi. Serves 8.

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup red bean paste
red food coloring (optional)
8 sakura leaves pickled in salted water

PREPARATION:
Wash pickled sakura leaves and dry.
Boil water in a pan.
Mix glutinous flour in the water.
Cover the pan with a lid and leave it for 5 minutes.
Place a wet cloth in a steamer and put the dough on the cloth.
Steam the dough for about 20 minutes over medium heat.
Remove the steamed dough to a bowl.
Mash the dough slightly with a wooden pestle, mixing sugar into the dough.
Dissolve a little bit of red food color in some water.
Add some of the red water in the dough and mix well.
Divide the pink mochi into 8 balls.
Flaten each mochi ball by hands and place red bean paste filling on the dough.
Wrap the filling with mochi and rounds by hands.
Wrap each mochi with a sakura leaf.

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子5: Creation 1-Birthday Cake

December 3, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

WAGASHI-VARIETIES-1

Here is an example of what could be done by a Japanese chef as Wagashi/Japanese Cake!
This particular Birthday Cake creation is the work of Chef Maeda at Kouseido in Osaka City!
Will look around and post other creations whenever I can!

Here is a breakdown of the above:

WAGASHI-VARIETIES-MOMO

“Momo”/Peach

WAGASHI-VARIETIES-MIKAN

“MIkan”/Orange

WAGASHI-VARIETIES-TSUBAKI

“Tsubaki”/Camelia

WAGASHI-VARIETIES-SAKURA

“Sakura”/Cherry Blossom

WAGASHI-VARIETIES-ICHIGO

“Ichigo”/Strawberry

WAGASHI-VARIETIES-MELON

“Meron”/Melon

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子4: Recipe-Mochi

December 2, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI
Wagashi/Sakura Mochi

Mochi/餅 is probably the most ancient sweet/cake confectioned by humans in Japan as its main ingredient is glutinous rice.
It is the more popular as it can be eaten and made all year round.
Kinako/黄粉 is a powder made from roasted soy beans (next article).
The combination of the two and other ingredients such as sweetmeats/anko/餡子, also made from soy beans, make for a valuable, tasty and nourishing food!
Read notes below!

Here is a simple way to make mochi.
Bear in mind that mochi can be eaten fresh as it is, especially with wagashi cakes, and that it can be mixed with other ingredients for colouring. It can be also dried and grilled and also included in soups and other recipes such as mochi pizza!

INGREDIENTS:
Glutinous rice: 3 go (Japanese measure): 540 cc (2.8 cups)
Kinako (to taste)

Notes on kinako and glutinous rice:

MOCHI-KINAKO

Kinako (黄粉 or きなこ), also known as soybean flour, is a product commonly used in Japanese cuisine. In order to create the soybean flour, soybeans are toasted and ground into powder. Its flavor is commonly compared to that of peanut butter.

Kinako, being composed of soybeans, is a healthy topping and flavoring which contains B vitamins and protein. It can also be used as a drink;. For example, warabi mochi is a famous kinako-covered sweet.

I will introduce a recipe soon!

MOCHI-TRADITIONAL

Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice) is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous (Latin glūtinōsus) in the sense of being glue-like or sticky and not in the sense of containing gluten; on the other hand, it is called sticky but should not be confused with the other varieties of Asian rice that become sticky to one degree or another when cooked.

RECIPE:

MOCHI-1
Wash the rice and let it soak in water overnight.

MOCHI-2
Pour water in steamer. Bring to boil. Set a clean cloth inside. Drain rice. Pour rice inside cloth. Dig a “well” in the middle for better cooking.

MOCHI-3
Steam over a medium fire for 20~25 minutes.

MOCHI-4
Pour hot water inside pestle bowl and leave the wooden sticks inside water for long enough to have all of them well impregnated with water. Throw water away just before next step. This will insure a better mochi!

MOCHI-5
Check rice for an even cooking. No water should be left or the mochi will be runny. If you make a small quantity, softer rice than usual is better as it will tend to dry faster than a large quantity.

MOCHI-6
Now this is the hard part!
You will need three adults to press hard on the rice with the wooden sticks at the same time to crush the rice completely. It might take as long as 10 minutes.

MOCHI-7
Now that the rice has been softened, one can continue on his own or work in shifts. Pound the rice in the middle 10 times. Turn over the rice from outside to inside and continue always around the clock.
Important: always pound in the middle, never on the sides or you will break the bowl!

MOCHI-8
That is how it should look. Make balls by twisting rice out.

MOCHI-9
Roll mochi in kinako mixed with sugar to taste. They are ready to be eaten!

MOCHI-10
This is how they are served in Japan for children (and adults!)

MOCHI-11
If you want to preserve them for a while before eating, roll them in rice powder. Rice powder will come in useful if you want to fashion the mochi into thin sheets or else.

MOCHI-12
That is how they look grilled!

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子3: Recipe-Shiro Anko/White Sweetmeats

December 1, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-1

In my previous article, I introduced the recipe for “red sweetmeats” or just “anko” in Japanese, an important ingredients in Wagashi.
But the red/violet colour is not always wanted.
Another popular way to make anko is to use “ingen mame”/kidney beans (US), or string/French beans (Europe).
Note that soy beans/”daizu” are not used in this recipe!
The advantage are multiple, as the “white” (actually beige) colour can be modified by adding green peas (green), pumpkin (yellow or orange), fruit pulp from papaya and mango (orange). Variations are practically unlimited!

INGREDIENTS:
Kidney beans: 500g
Sugar: 400g
Salt: three small pinches

RECIPE:

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-2
Put beans with 3 times their volume of water in a large pan. Let soak for two nights. Change water twice a day.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-3
Beans should have lost their “wrinkles” by then.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-b
Bring water to boil over strong fire. Simmer for 5 minutes over medium fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-4
Drain water, making sure beans don’t dry up. The skin of the beans should peel off easily. Take skins and dark spots away.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-5
Simmer again peeled beans until they get soft and start breaking up. Start on a strong fire to bring to boil, then lower to medium fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-6
Heat until most of the water has evaporated. Beans will pass through sieve more easily.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-7
Pass all the beans through the sieve. Wash and dry the pan.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-8
Add sugar to sieved beans and stir/mix over low fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-9
Sugar becoming liquid upon heating will give a watery aspect to the mixture. Heat over low fire, stirring all the time for 25 minutes.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-10
Once satisfied with the paste consistency, add salt, mix and stop fire.

WAGASHI-SHIROANKO-11
Transfer to another dish for preserving until use. Do it at once while it is still hot.
Make sure it does not dry up.
Cover with a lid.
If lid does not close well enough, wrap the whole into cellophane paper.

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子2: Recipe-Anko/Sweetmeats

November 29, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

WAGASHI-4

One main ingredients in traditional Wagashi/Japanese Cakes is “anko/餡子” (or more simply “an”) which can be translated as “sweetmeats” or “bean jam”.

I would like here to introduce a simple way to make one’s own “anko” at home:

INGREDIENTS:

Azuki/Adzuki/red beans (in Japanese: 小豆): 150 g
Sugar: 150g
Salt: a little

RECIPE:

a) Wash azuki lightly. Put in a large basin with an equal amount of water and turn on heat to high.

b) Bring to boil. If beans level is higher that of water, add water till beans are completely covered. Let simmer. Add water 2 or 3 times as soon as the water does not cover completely the beans and this until beans stop floating on water.

c) Drain beans, put them back into basin with same amount of water and turn fire to high. Repeat a) operation.

d) Cook as c) for 40~60 minutes.

e) Mash azuki beans lightly. Add sugar. Simmer and stir to mix, making sure the jam does not overboil.

f) Add a little salt (to your taste) and mix.
Let cool completely.
You can eat it as it is of course, but you will need it to make your cakes!
You can either sieve it to make it a very fine paste, sieve a part and mix it with the unsieved part, or use it as it is. In any case it will be easy to fashion!

WAGASHI-ANKO

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cakes: Wagashi/和菓子1: Introduction

November 28, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

WAGASHI-1

There is a traditional way of making cakes in Japan that ought to please no end vegans and people allergic to wheat flour and dairy products, namely Wagashi!

Wagashi (和菓子) is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits.

Wagashi is typically made from natural based (mainly plant) ingredients. The names used for wagashi commonly fit a formula—a natural beauty and a word from ancient literature; they are thus often written with hyōgaiji (kanji that are not commonly used or known), and are glossed with furigana.

Generally, confectioneries that were introduced from the West after the Meiji Restoration (1868) are not considered wagashi. Most sorts of Okinawan confectionery and those originating in Europe or China that use ingredients alien to traditional Japanese cuisine, e.g., kasutera, are only rarely referred to as wagashi.

WAGASHI-2
Assortment of wagashi for a tea ceremony

During the Edo period, the production of sugarcane in Okinawa became highly productive, and low quality brown sugar as well as heavily processed white sugar became widely available. A type of sugar, wasanbon, was perfected in this period and is still used exclusively to make wagashi. Wagashi was a popular gift between samurai, in significance much like a good wine. Wagashi is served as part of a Japanese tea ceremony, and serving a good seasonal wagashi shows one’s educational background.

WAGASHI-3
Wagashi in the shape of rape flowers/Na no Hana

There are many, many kinds of Wagashi.
I will (re-)introduce them in the next postings, followed by other postings on the basic preparation.

WAGASHI-ABEKAWAMOCHI-2
Shizuoka’s Abekawa Mochi

Just know that about every region in Japan has its own traditional Wagashi!

Avaibility:
Wagashi is widely available in Japan, but quite rare outside it.
–Minamoto Kitchoan (源吉兆庵)
Has a varied selection, and stores in New York City (shipping throughout the US), London (shipping throughout Europe), and Singapore, in addition to Japan.
–Toraya (とらや)
Has a full Paris store, stores in Japan, and sells a limited selection (yōkan only) at New York stores.
–Fugetsu-do
Family owned and operated in the USA, since 1903, Fugetsu-do now ships anywhere in the USA.

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Japanese Vegetarian & Vegan Cuisine Ingredient: Yomogi!

November 27, 2011 dragonlife 8 Comments

“Yomogi”, also called “Mochigusa” (mochi grass) has been picked, used and grown for ages in most of this country, first as a medicinal herb and second for food.
Its latin name is “Artemisia princeps”. It mainly grows in mountains on sun-exposed slopes. Not to be confused with “niga-yomogi”, the Japanese name for thujone, e.g. absinthe!

Preparation of wagashi/Japanese cakes made with rice flour, yomogi and anko/sweetmeats!

It blooms in June~July. Farmers have long used its roots as medicine, after pressing water out and drying them.
The leaves are considered to help against lack of appetite, thin blood, stomach colds, diarrhea, nose bleed, constipation and gout. They are aslo extensively used in baths.
As for medicine make Yomogi sake: Leave 300g. of leaves in 1.8 l. of sake for half a year. Drink a 20ml, 3 times a day.
Leaves can be applied on insect-bitten skin.

“Kintsuba/Sabre guard” wagashi made with rice flour, yomogi and sweetmeats (Miwa Supermarket, Shizuoka City)

There are many ways to enjoy them as food as well as medicine:
-Tempura
-Sasa Dango

Sasa Dango

In Shizuoka, you will also find many farmers selling a sweet in the shape of a hot cake with sweetmeats (anko) inside.

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Mochi: Vegan home-made recipe (expanded)

October 6, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

WAGASHI-SAKURA-MOCHI
Wagashi/Sakura Mochi

Mochi is a traditional Japanese dessert with has the merit to not use wheat flour or any dairy products. It is fit for everyone, vene vegans!

Here is a simple way to make mochi.
Bear in mind that mochi can be eaten fresh as it is especially so with wagashi cakes and that it can be mixed with other ingredients for colouring. It can be also dried and grilled and also included in soups and other recipes such as mochi pizza!

INGREDIENTS:
Glutinous rice: 3 go (Japanese measure): 540 cc (2.8 cups)
Kinako (to taste)

Notes on kinako and glutinous rice:

MOCHI-KINAKO

MOCHI-TRADITIONAL

RECIPE:

MOCHI-1
Wash the rice and let it soak in water overnight.

MOCHI-2
Pour water in steamer. Bring to boil. Set a clean cloth inside. Drain rice. Pour rice inside cloth. Dig a “well” in the middle for better cooking.

MOCHI-3
Steam over a medium fire for 20~25 minutes.

MOCHI-6
Now this is the hard part!
You will need three adults to press hard on the rice with the wooden sticks at the same time to crush the rice completely. It might take as long as 10 minutes.

MOCHI-7
Now that the rice has been softened, One can continue on his own or work in shifts. Pound the rice in the middle 10 times. Turn over the rice from outside to inside and continue always around the clock.
Important: always pound in the middle, never on the sides or you will break the bowl!

MOCHI-8
That is how it should look. Make balls by twisting rice out.

MOCHI-9
Roll mochi in kinako mixed with sugar to taste. They are ready to be eaten!
They can also be eaten with soy sauce and grated wasabi!

MOCHI-10
This is how they are served in Japan for children (and adults!)

MOCHI-11
If you want to preserve them for a while before eating, roll them in rice powder. Rice powder will come in useful if you want to fashion the mochi into thin sheets or else.

MOCHI-12
That is how they look grilled!

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Vegan Japanese Dashi/Soup Stock: The Basic Recipe (expanded)

October 6, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

So many times have I heard my vegan and vegetarian friends complain about the fact that most dashi/soup stock is not done according to their priorities in Japan, making it impossible for them to enjoy food in this country.
Fortunately, this is a big misconception. Vegan dashi exists and is very easy to make or request.
Now, to make sure that the same friends can savour Japanese food, either at home or with friends, here is the basic and simple recipe!
Please save or copy this recipe for future reference (I have more vegan soup recipes in store for you if you want them!)

Vegan Japanese Dashi/Soup Stock

INGREDIENTS: (multiply according to demands. This is the minimum quantity!)

Konbu as sold in Japan

Konbu out of its packaging

-Konbu/dried thick dark seaweed: ５ｃｍ×５ｃｍ piece (dried)
-Water: ４００cc/ml (2 cups)
-Japanese sake: 1 tablespoon (don’t worry, the alcohol will disappear upon heating/cooking!)
-Mirin/sweet sake (same comments as above!): 2 tablespoons
-Soy sauce: 2 and a half tablespoons

RECIPE:

Pour the water into a large pan. Drop the seaweed into the water.
Switch on the fire.
The moment bubbles appear on the surface of the konbu, the water will start sucking its essence out the seaweed.
At that time add soy sauce, sake and mirin.

Taste from time to time to decide when taste suits you best.
Switch off fire then and take konbu out.
Let cool completely, pour it inside a bottle. Seal the bottle properly and store inside refrigerator.
Use it as soon as possible.

The seaweed doesn’t have to be thrown away. It is edible as it is once cooked!
The Missus chops it and add it steamed rice or in finely chopped vegetable salads!

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Wagashi/Japanese Cakes at Mochi No Ie in Shizuoka City

October 1, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

If you happen to visit the Toro Ruins or the magnificent Serizawa Keisuke Art Gallery in Shizuoka City take the time to visit Mochi No Ie just inside the Toro Ruins Park!

You are in for a time slip!

The whole 180-year old farm house was brought piece by piece from Okkaizu/奥会津 City in Fukushima Prefecture some time ago!

It harbors a traditional Japanese restaurant serving local o-mochi/rice cakes and soba/buckwheat noodles at hours coinciding with the opening hours of the Serizawa Keisuke Art Gallery.

The watermill wheel was also brought all the way!

This is Japan!
Can you see the goldfish?

Beautiful noren representing a rabbit pounding rice cakes on the moon!
They have another shop inside Shizuoka City JR Station with the same noren!

Of course inside is all wood!

Traditional Japanese fireplace!
The whole house is a microcosm of country life in 19th Century Japan!

Green tea is served in cups with the design of the place!

The small shop inside the house where you can buy o-mochi and soba to take back home!

One can either sit at tables or on tatami straw mats.

They also serve soba (for another report) but they are famous for teir mochi/soft rice cake of various kinds.
The above is Karamimochi/からみもち, an appetizer version served with grated daikon and freshly grated wasabi!

You break the whole thing with your chopsticks and mix it before savoring it. Great with beer!
Moreover, it is vegan as they use only rice flour to make them!

A combination of two true Shizuoka wagashi/Japanese rice cakes: Abekawa mochi/安倍川もち made of rice flour covered with sweatmeats/anko/餡子, and Kinako mochi/きなこもち rice flour cakes served with dry soy beans flour.
Again these cakes are vegan!

For a closer view! A great healthy dessert!

The owners always kindly invite newcomers to visit the upper floor!

Up the wooden stairs…

A cute noren/curtain!

Upstairs is a real museum but you can eat there upon reservation and make it a wholy non-smoking private room!

Beautiful overview of the entrance garden!

Farm crop baskets!

Original drawings by Serizawa Keisuke!

I’d love to possess this fan painted by the same artist!

Many things to discover in dark corners…

I’m planning to visit their shop at Shizuoka Station soon, but I must come back here again soon to enjoy their soba!

To be followed…

MOCHI NO IE
Shizuoka Shi, Suruga Ku, Toro, 5-15-13 (Just inside the Toro Ruins Park)
Tel.: 054-263-1663
Opening hours: 10:30~17:00
Closed on Mondays

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Vegan Smoked Tofu Recipe!

August 27, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

It is sometimes a hard world for vegans when it comes to find new ideas and recipes, even you love tofu!
My good friend Sissi in Switzerland reminded me it might be time to republish some of my old recipes!
Here is a simple way to prepare and enjoy tofu as it was a big piece of cheese!

Vegan Smoked Tofu!

INGREDIENTS: for ? People

-Tofu: a large piece 300~400g or more
-Miso of your liking, as much as you wish
-Soy sauce, not too much (beware of the salt)
-Japanese Sake or mirin, a little just for the taste
-Spices, if you wish!

RECIPE:

-As the tofu shouldn’t be too soft, choose “momendofu”, or slightly solid.

-Place the tofu on a clean cloth.
-Top it with a clean plate or board.
-Put a heavy weight on top.
-Leave it like this for half a day. The tofu will reduce to half.

-Smear the whole tofu on every face with plenty of a mixture of miso, soy sauce and other ingredients of your choice. The more, the better.

-Wrap it carefully in cellophane paper and leave it in the fridge overnight.

-Take it out of the fridge and take off the cellophane paper.
-Let it dry for 2 hours at room temperature over a piece of kitchen paper.

-Smoke inside a Chinese smoking set for 1 hour.

-Very practical for smoking small quantities!

-Here you are! Enjoy!

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Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Vegan Imo Burger

February 28, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

The basic problem for most vegans (and vegetarians) is to find or create food with a sufficien/satisfying “bite”.
Imo or sato imo/taro in this case do provide that satisfactory sensation and can be presented in an appetizing manner for big appetites!

One such simple recipe is Imo Burgers!

INGREDIENTS: for 2~ people

-Sato imo/taro: 7~10 medium-sized
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
-Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
-Salt: about 1 teaspoon
-Black pepper: as appropriate

-Sweet and sour sauce:
-Water used for boiling the imo: 1 cup/200 cc
-Soy sauce: 2 tablespoons
-Cornstarch: 1 tablespoon
-Sugar: 1 tablespoon
-Fresh ginger juice: ~1 tablespoon

Fresh and tender mushrooms

RECIPE:

Peel and boil taro until you can pass a stick through easily.

Mash the boiled taro in a food processor.

This is how it should look. Don’t worry if somelittle pieces are left.

Transfer into a large bowl and add cornstarch, soy sauc, salt and black pepper.

Mix well with a spatula.

Moisten your hands and form burgers in your preferred shape.

Fry the burgers (on teflon so you don’t need any oil) until they reach a nice color.

Slice some mushrooms (any tender mushrooms are fine).

Add another kind of mushroom shred into strips or ribblens.

Mix the sweet and sour ingredients into a bowl.

Fry the mushrooms in a little oil until they get soft and add sweet and sour sauce and cook until the mushrooms are nice and soft.

Place the burger on a hot serving dish and pour sauce on op.
Enjoy!

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Vegan Sashimi at Yasaitei (18/02/2011)

February 20, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

It has been some time since I paid my last visit to Yasaitei.
I do have to show up there regulaly as they use only seasonal vegetables and other products, be they from the land or the sea!

My vegan and vegetarian (I’m not!) friends know this is a place where they can expect a full meal (thinking ofdevising one for the next article!) according to their priorities! Even the shochu and sake are OK!

All vegetables, from the very snack coming with the first drink!

Yasaitei might be an unpretentious izakaya, but it is a very elegant one!
The chopsticks are of great quality and the paper tablecloth is always decorated with seasonal motifs. Rape flowers/na no hana/菜の花 in this case!

So here is the vegan vegetable sashimi of the day!
Great colors as usual!

Ice plant, myoga (almost completely hidden as it was used as a support), celery, red cabbage (in Japanese, although it is dark violet) and mini radishes.

Daikon (sweet and juicy!) supported by chopped winter onion and a leaf of perilla/shiso. (Yellow carrot at the back.)

A side-view of the daikon support.

Cute urui/hasta montana and crunchy cucumber!

Always wondering what is going to be on offer next time!

YASAITEI
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-Cho, 1-6-2 Green Heights Wamon 1-C
Tel.: 054-2543277
Business hours: 17:30~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Reservations highly recommended
Seating: 6 at counter + 14 at tables
Set Courses: 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 yen
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)