Tonkatsu Recipes

Tonkatsu is so popular in Japan that there are even restaurants that only serve tonkatsu and similar items such as kushikatsu (bite-sized fried bits of pork and other things on a skewer). Tonkatsu - ton is pig or pork, and katsu derives from the word cutlet. While Tonkatsu is typically served with a sweet brown sauce, we like ours drizzle with mayo.

Since Tonkatsu is a simple dish that requires very few ingredients, the quality of the ingredients are important. In this case it’s crucial that you use a good piece of pork, otherwise you may end up with a tough leathery meat. I like using  boneless center-cut pork chop. Another key ingredient for tonkatsu is panko. You can buy panko at the Asian store of any supermarket. Just look at the international section.

Ingredients:

4  pork chops (about 3/4" thick)
some flour for dredging
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg beaten
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
oil for frying

1. Remove the fats from the meat. Using a mallet or rolling pin, give the meat a few bashes to tenderized and flatten out the meat. Salt and pepper both sides of each cutlet then dredge them in flour, making sure to get an even coat on the sides. Shake off excess flour.
2. Get two shallow bowls and beat an egg in one, and add the panko to the other. Heat up the oil into a heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium heat.
3. Coat a cutlet in egg then transfer to the bowl with the panko. Shake the bowl to evenly coat the cutlet, and then press on the cutlet to get a nice thick coating of panko. Flip and press on the other side then repeat with the rest of the cutlets
4. Once the oil is hot, gently lower the cutlets into the oil, once the cutlets are golden brown on one side, carefully flip them over and brown the other side. Continue cooking until the golden brown and the meat is done. Transfer to a paper towel lined wire rack and let it rest of about 5 minutes before cutting into it.
5. Serve it with your favorite salad.

Chicken Karaage Recipes

I always have a fondness for karaage, Japanese take on fried chicken. It’s crisp, juicy and has an Asian flavor to it. This is a very simple and tasty way of fried chicken. And best of all, they are pan-fried which is much more convenient than deep fried. I used breast meat to make Karaage but I think it will taste even better if you use dark thigh meat.

Ingredients:

3 pieces chicken breast – cut into 1” cubes
3 tbsp of soy sauce
2 tbsp of sake (optional)
2 cloves of garlic – grated
1 tbsp ginger juice
salt and pepper to taste
A small onion (optional)
5 curry leaves (optional)

For Coating:

3 tbsp sesame seeds
Cornstarch or sweet potato starch

1. First of all, mix all the ingredients to marinate the chicken together for an hour.
2. In a plate mix the sesame seeds and cornstarch. Coat the chicken with the flour mixture.
3. In a frying pan, heat up some oil. Pan fried the chicken in small batches until golden brown on both sides. Drain the oil on paper towels.
4. You can serve the chicken with some sweet chili sauce or some mayonnaise.

Note: I added some red onions and curry leaves half way through the frying as I always like the taste of them in my fried meat.

Castella or Kasutera (Japanese Sponge Cake) Recipes

Kasutera is a sponge cake made of sugar, flour, eggs, and honey. It is a specialty of Nagasaki Japan, but the cake is originally from Spain. The name is believed to derive from a region called Castilla. During the 16th century, a Portuguese ship came into Nagasaki, which used to be the port of Japanese commerce.

Kasutera is made of natural ingredients, so its simple taste is a favorite of many Japanese people. There are now many kinds of kasutera, made with various ingredients. For example, there are kasuteras made with powdered green tea, cocoa, citrus and also brown sugar. I got the recipe from A Note From My Food Diary and I made a few minor changes to it.

Ingredients :

5 large eggs
180 grams granulated sugar
200 grams flour
1 tbsp of orange zest
50 ml whole milk
50 ml orange juice
4 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons oil (I used vegetable oil)

1. Prepared a square 8 x 8” square baking pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and grease it well. Preheat oven to 350 degree F and place a rack in the middle of the oven.
2. In a mixer whip eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes or until batter forms a ribbon when the wire whip is lifted, the color should be light yellow.
3. Turn down the mixer to medium speed; slowly pour the flour mixture into the batter. Next add the milk and then orange juice. Mix it well. Then add the orang zest, honey and mix it again well. Last, add the oil and make sure it is incorporated into the batter thoroughly.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Place it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes in 350 degree F. After that, lower the temperature to 325 degree F and bake for 45 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
5. Remove from the pan as soon as it is done. Place it on the cooling rack and let it cool completely. Wrap with plastic wrap overnight before cutting.

Tsukune/Chicken Patties Recipes

This tasty chicken patties, also know as Tsukune in Japanese. Come in round, oval-shaped or shape into meat patties. You might find some grill and serve in skewer and some serve in a thick layer of caramelized teriyaki sauce. Made from mixing ground chicken meat witha few other ingredients. Tsukune can be fried, simmered, or grilled. Tsukune is tender and juicy, bursting with flavor with every bite.

Ingredient:

1 pound ground chicken
1 small carrot – grated finely
1 egg yolk
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 ½ tsp of soy sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger juice
2 tbsp cornstarch


Sauce:

½ cup of teriyaki sauce
¼ of water
1 tsp of cornstarch

1. Put ground chicken in a bowl. Add egg yolk, salt, soy sauce, fresh ginger juice and cornstarch in the meat. Mix well.
2. Shape into meat patties. In a non-stick pan heat up some vegetable oil. Pan fried the meat patties on low medium heat for 2-3 minutes on each side.
3. Remove fried tsukune from the pan and drain oil on paper towels. Remove the remaining oil from the frying pan.
4. Put in all the sauce ingredients in the pan. Bring it up to boil and once its boil put in the tsukune. Simmer until the sauce thickens and almost dry. Remove and serve with warm rice.

Soft Cotton Cheesecake Recipes

This cheesecake really lives up to its name. It is super light and soft as cotton. My neighbor Nancy said this is the best cheesecake she ever had and as for Carlos he said it’s a bit too light and spongy for him. Nevertheless, he still eats it. To me it’s really good and it’s not as heavy as the normal cheesecake. I will definitely bake this again.

Ingredients
(A)
250g cream cheese
110ml fresh milk
100g butter

(B)
100g plain flour, sifted
20g corn flour, sifted
60g sugar
6 egg yolks
1 orange, zest and juice

(C)
6 egg white
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
60g sugar

1. Prepare a 9" baking pan, line the bottom with parchement paper, and greased the side with some butter.
2. Put (A) ingredients in a double boiler. Double boil till until cream cheese and butter melted. Remove from heat and let it cool
3. When it's cool add in all the ingredients (B). Stir until its smooth. Set aside.
4. Whisk (C) till thick and glossy (soft peaks form), fold into cream cheese mixture till well combined
5. Put baking tin into a large roasting pan half filled with hot water and steam bake at 350 degree F for an hour or till golden brown and cooked.
6. Remove cake from the oven, invert the cake onto a cake rack and leave to cool completely before cutting it.

Note: The cake will fall a little after cooling.

Strawberry Daifuku Recipes

I love mochi especially the sweet stuffed kind known as daifuku. It’s a Japanese dessert that looks like a ball made out of glutinous rice flour. This dessert kind of reminds me of a Malaysian kueh that fills with ground peanuts and sugar that we can buy from the kueh seller. I am not sure what it's called but we used to call it 'powder kueh' or 'Chee Pah' as your face, hand and clothing will be full of white powder when you eat it. When Diana’s was in Japan I told her she doesn’t have to bring anything home for me except for some Mochi and she did. I get to eat it all by myself.

I was at Annie’s blog the other day and saw a beautiful picture of Daifuku and I was craving for it. Since I have some leftovers red bean paste in the fridge I decided to make some for myself. Actually it’s not that difficult to make. My daifuku didn't turn out perfect but nevertheless they were delicious and chewy. The sweetness of the red bean paste goes really well with the tangy fresh strawberry.

Ingredients :

1 cup glutinious rice flour
2 tbsp of sugar
2/3 cup water
Some cornstarch (for dusting)
some store bought red bean paste
6 - 7 small strawberries - cut the steam away

1. With wet hands, take a small amount of red bean paste, press it into a thin disk and wrap it around a strawberry. Repeat with remaining berries and set aside.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, mix together glutinious rice flour, sugar and water. Mix well.
3. Microwave the mixture on high for two minutes. Remove and stir quickly. Return to the microwave and cook for another 2 minutes. The dough will bubble up and inflate, but be careful not to overcook or the dough will be too tough.
4. Divide dough into 6-7 equal portion by use a tablespoon. Make sure the plate or counter top are dust with cornstarch as the dough is very sticky.
5. Dust your fingers and palms with cornstarch and flatten a piece of dough (it will be quite hot so be careful) and put in the filling, then wrap dough up and seal the opening with a tight pinch. Repeat until all dough is used up. Chill the mochis before serving.

Note : You can add different flavor and coloring to the mochi dough. Just add the flavor and color into the mixture before you microwave it.

Sushi Roll Recipes

Carlos and I both love Japanese food. If we want some good Japanese food we will drive all the way to Delaware for it. There are times I will try to make some if I can find some very fresh tuna fish. This time I tried something different. I made some sushi with Prosciutto and lobster. Some of you might think its weird combinations but actually it turn out pretty well.

For recipe and step by step of making sushi please refer to this website