Umeboshi, you really disappoint me!

I was super excited last winter when our old neighbor (I call her Obachan) told me she will teach me how to make umeboshi. I love ume and delicious organic umeboshi ate always welcome with a simple bowl of rice. I was even more enthusiastic after she gave us some of her umeboshi, thinking that if I could made some as simply delicious I’ll be very happy. And with all the plums we can harvest every year I can have enough for a whole year and offer plenty to our friends. On the due date I harvested the plums, with the guidance of Obachan I prepared them, plenty of them. After a week the juice (umezu) started to fill the container. Everything was doing good and smelling delicious. Then a few weeks later two of the containers were covered with mold and the juice was corrupted, I threw them away. Half of my production gone… I gave extra care for the remaining ones and it looked perfect. Last weekend was beautifully sunny and windy so I decided to dry half of the remaing plums. I carefully manipulate them, dry them and put them in a bin. Again they smell delicious and I was excited about trying them. Since a few were smashed I decided to extra rhe flesh and prepare a dip of umeniku 梅肉 for cucumber and rice balls (onigiri). And then I tasted them…

They looked really good (see on the picture), they were a bit salty but I guess that is ok, but worst of all they had a little mold or rotten after taste, something earthy and not right… I threw them again. I have a last chance with the one that haven’t dried yet but I’m very skeptical.

It is very rare I mess up with food. Sometime a recipe doesn’t go as supposed but there always a work around and it is always edible but here… So many fruits wasted really pissed me off. But I not through! I will try again next year!

my umeboshi, looking good hum... tasting horrible... — my umeboshi, looking good hum… tasting horrible…

July 27, 2016

Summer vegetable soup

The summer is chilly so far and the rainy season is surprisingly not yet finished. It is very nice to eat a warm dinner at night and summer vegetables soup is always a good pick. Ready in less than 15min, full of delicious vegetables, warm and tasty with infinite variety, it is really easy to prepare. For the bouillon I use a veggie bouillon base when I don’t cook leek or onion. As for the veggies: whatever I find at the farmers market. This time green beans, flat beans and tomatoes. While the bouillon is heating up I wash and prepare the beans, cut them in small pieces and add them to the bouillon. I also add the tomato (peeled) cut in two halves. When it is boiling I add some optional little pasta (here Sicilian little soup pasta) and cook until the pasta are ready: about 11min. Serve directly and add for those who like, some gratted parmegiano. That’s it!

July 26, 2016

Kaya cookies

Still with this coconut milk! It’s incredible how much you can try with just a can! I’ve had some nice tries and some that just didn’t work as they were supposed: coconut milk salted caramels. That’s how I ended up with a sort of kaya instead of the caramels. Delicious, addictive… My kaya is basically coconut milk and caramel that I cook to obtain something a little creamy and brownish. After that I mix flour, baking powder, I used a beat of wheat bran for the texture, a bit of butter and 2tbs of kaya. Stir well and make little coin size cookies that I bake 13min at 170-180deg. Simple and delicious though again the baking kind of weaken the coconut milk flavor.

July 25, 2016

Coconut milk and spices scones

Once the coconut can is opened, better use it! It’s really rare I use canned food but for coconut milk it is really nice (and for chick peas). The milk is really rich and creamy. So after I used a few for the curry I’ve been cooking with it a little bit. And first thing I dud was to prepare some scones for breakfast. I replaced the milk in the recipe with coconut milk. I added vanilla, cardamom seeds and some fresh gratted ginger. Baked and serve with some kind of homemade kaya: coconut milk cooked with sugar until creamy. It was delicious but it seems that the coconut milk loses a lot of taste when baked., so the spices gave most of the flavor to yhe scones.

July 24, 2016

Vegan coconut milk curry

Yes I know, the picture is not the most pleasant, but really taking pictures of risotto and curry is not an easy task! But both are super delicious! Since yesterday I had this recipe in mind and just tried it: perfect for our palates that don’t like spicy-hot food. It starts with simple brown rice, cooked as you like. Then I used 1 yellow zucchini, a handfull of shelled cooked edamame, fresh coriander plenty, a small bulb of fresh ginger, 4tbs of coconut milk, 1tsp of curry powder, salt, a bit of oil. In a pan I heat the oil and add the zucchini cut in chuncks (suze and shape you like), cook at high heat, when it starts to golden on one size I stir and reduce the heat. Add the coconut milk, the ginger gratted, the salt and the curry powder. Stir well, add the edamame. If the mixture is getting to liquid (water in the zucchini) add a table spoon of flour or starch and cook a little longer while stirring. Remove from heat and add the fresh coriander chopped, serve with the rice. Have a nice weekend!

July 23, 2016

Summer?

The last days have been so chilly and rainy that it looks like the end of summer already, but not in Tokyo in Paris… And it calls for some nice warm dinner. I found some beautiful pieces of Spanish mackerel and I simply grilled them skin side without any additional and finished with 1min clean side for a golden touch. So simple and delicious. I served the fish with an edamame mashed potato. I boiled fresh edamame and one large potato. With a fork I mashed the potato adding a little of olive oil , add some peeled edamame in and stir before serving. Extra decoration with a few more edamame. Where is the summer? I want it back!

July 22, 2016

Zucchini spread

I really love “aperitif” time, this moment before diner when you can have a sit, sip a fresh drink and eat a few things. It is for me part of the dinner, so anytime we have aperitif, diner is much lighter: a salad, a soup… I love to prepare snacks for that moment that are tasty and healthy (no peanuts/potato chips at home) and vegetable spreads are always a good option when I prepare baguette. They are very easy to prepare and variations never make them boring. When in a hurry the avocado spread is the best, when I have more time and I have adequate veggies I can prepare new things. This time I had big zucchinis so I cutted one in big chuncks, put them in a pan and cooked under cover at medium eat without adding water, oil nor anything, I also keep the skin for a vibrant green spread. Once the zucchini is soft, I drained them well and blended them to puree. Add a very little bit of olive oil, and seasonned with plenty of thyme. Served with frshly baked baguette and a bit of fresh ricotta (from a local farm) with salt and pepper. Addictive!

July 20, 2016

Simple Japanese one-plate

Well, Japanese is may be a little to much but at least it’s Japanese taste and local products! I don’t like fatty meat but I must say that pork belly is always perfect to flavor simple vegetables. It’s very easy to find thin slices of pork belly in Japan, they ressemble a lot bacon slices. They are perfect for cocotte cooking for the bottom layer. Once they are cooked and the fat has melted it is a perfect base for cooking vegetables. It goves an incredible taste. Most of the time I use it mainly as flavoring and don’t eat the meat myself (A. does) but when the fat has completely disappeared and the meat gets crunchy then I don’t mind eating it! I actually find it quite good!!! It’s nice also because it’s perfect any time with seasonal vegetables. This time I cooked capsicums and in the end of the cooking added green beans cut in 3cm bites and finally deglazed in soya sauce. Delicious with plain white rice!

July 20, 2016

Back to normal

The quick trip to France followed by a weekend in Ohara to recover from the jetlag, enjoy the fresher air in the country, see friends and celebrate Sea day with a swim in a warm and beautiful ocean, it’s time to go to the lab again, stay seated 12h in front of my computer and regret there is no outdoor pool nearby (why on earth would they shutdown the beautiful pool we had on campus just when I arrived????)… Hopefully there are the colorful one-plate full of Japanese tastes with fresh shiso, soya sauce, rice, grilled tuns and raw summer veggies! While everyone here and there will go on holiday, we will keep working and moving: next biz trip already planned and departure in 10 days!

July 19, 2016