(long entry ahead)

Sushi is the most famous Japanese dish outside of Japan, and one of the most popular dishes among the Japanese themselves who usually enjoy sushi on special occasions.

During the Edo period, "sushi" refered to pickled fish conserved in vinegar. Nowadays sushi can be defined as a dish containing rice which has been prepared with sushi vinegar. There are many different types of sushi. Some popular ones are:

Nigiri
Small rice balls with fish, etc. on top. There are countless varieties of nigirizushi, some of the most common ones being tuna, shrimp, eel, squid, octopus and fried egg.

Gunkan
Small cups made of sushi rice and dried seaweed filled with seafood, etc. There are countless varieties of gunkanzushi, some of the most common ones being sea urchin and various kinds of fish eggs.

Norimaki
Sushi rice and seafood, etc. rolled in dried seaweed sheets. There are countless varieties of sushi rolls differing in ingredients and thickness. Sushi rolls prepared "inside out" are very popular outside of Japan, but rarely found in Japan.

Temaki
Temakizushi (literally: hand rolls) are cones made of nori seaweed and filled with sushi rice, seafood and vegetables.

Inari
Inarizushi is a simple and inexpensive type of sushi, in which sushi rice is filled into aburaage (deep fried tofu) bags.

from japan-guide.com

So, i made Norimaki type and for the fillings, there're tamago(egg), crabstick mayo, tuna, avocado, sausages, carrots and cucumber.

Making Tamago
this time around, the sifu's here to make, i'm the amateur.. haha.. so i just snapped the pics of the tamago..
Recipe : (this can make about 2 big pieces of tamago)
6 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 tbps sugar
1 tbsp salt

whisk everything together. Heat a flat pan. if u have a square pan, it's wonderful, if not, u'll have to make do with the cacatness of the pan. anyway, pour in some oil, then pour in the egg mixture (like as if u're making... crepe)

fry it thin, n make sure it's .. cooked

fold it over (like pohpiah / springroll) 3-4 times.. using 2 metal spatulas would be easier i guess. u see, if u use a square pan, the side of the eggs would not be wasted. when it's round and folded, the side is thinner than in the middle.. em. get what i mean ?

this is the 1st layer..

ok i didnt take the following pics.. u'rs suppose to pour in egg mixture in the pan (like the first step), but keep the folded eggs.. then when u fold like in pic 2.. u fold with the folded egg earlier.. after that, u just repeat it again and again until u have a thick folded egg... that looks like.. this

this one's abit wet.. no.. oily.. hehe

tamago, tuna and mashed crabstick with mayo

cucumber and carrots and sausages.. all in strips

special ingredient : avocado. it's not frequent.. actually we dont really eat avocado at home.. so.. this is the additional stuffs that we added in...

How to roll Norimaki

u need sushi rice, seaweed, sesame seeds, mayo and other stuffs that u wanna put in.. and also the sushi mat..u can't possibly roll it without the sushi mat

ok.. cook the rice according to the instruction behind the sushi rice pack.. or, u can use normal rice and cook it the normal way. then add in japanese vinegar. u can get them in most supermarkets.. the one in jusco has a starter pack that includes : vinegar, sushi mat, 10 seaweeds, and japanese soy cause and wasabi. u cant get those if u've got nothing at home..i mean as in, if this is your first time making sushi.

make sure u cool your rice before making sushi, or else it would stick on your hands and it will make the seaweed soggy..

ok spread some rice on the seaweed.. leave about 1 - 1/2 inch at the top. Tip : spread some mayo on your fingers before spreading the rice, this will prevent the sushi rice from sticking on your hands..

after the sushi rice is spreaded, add in some toasted sesame seeds on the rice.. as much as u want, as little as u want.

now u're free to add whatever u want..

add more lah...

ok, but dont be so greedy and add so much k, it'd be hard to roll later.. then move the seaweed up to the tip of the sushi mat.. and leave about 5mm of it outside of the mat..

ok.. then roll it like u're rolling poh piah..use your finger tips and push the seaweed (that's left outside earlier) in... i know, typing it seems to be easier than making it.. hehe

then roll it... em... well i dont know how to say this. but.. it should turn out like this..(below)

yeah.. it must look like this.. hahaha..

then.. cut into half, then half of the half.. and half of the half of the half... HAHAHA.. ok.. u should get about 8 pieces..

yup... 8 pieces... oh yeah, make sure your knife is sharp, or else it's hard to cut it ...

assorted norimaki sushi.. haha..

well i think making sushi is fun to try (oh this is my.. 5th time making it.. hahah i think).. and.. u can put whatever u like in it.. this time we just made it simple, if my mum's at home, she would fry some chicken meat and put in.. oh yeah! we did have some left over luncheon meat from lunch, so we added in as well...

it's really up to your imagination and creativity

have fun!

oh n Happy New Year to you and your family and friends! enjoy lots..

long time no see Mr. Oven.. i've came to visit u again.

oh well, i just wanted to bake something after coming back from a discussion in college.. because it wasnt such a happy discussion.. so... just had the urge to make somthing..

recipe :

Ingredients
125g unsalted butter
3/4 cup water
100g dark chocolate, chopped coarsely
20g cadbury chocolate
1 cup caster sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup plain flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder

about 2 bananas, halved
whipping cream for deco, whipped
scraped chocolate for deco

Preheat oven to slow (150 C). Grease a 7" cake pan.

Stir butter, water, chocolate and sugar in medium saucepan over heat until smooth. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Whisk in egg with sifted flours and cocoa.
Pour mixture into pan, bake in slow oven about 45 minutes. Stand cakes for 5 minutes; turn, top-side up, onto wire rack to cool.

Using serrated knidfe, split cooled cakes in half. Place bottom layers on wire rack over tray. Spread whipping cream, add in halved bananas; cover with cake top. Spread whipping cream over the cake and smoothen it.

Add scrapped chocolate at the sides and top. and eat !!

ok.. mm.. cake was nice.. but there wasnt enough bananas in between. the texture of the cake seems pretty densed. do u know how can i make it more ... fluffy ? as in .. not so densed ? i was thinking maybe its because of the way i mix the chocolate mixture and the flour.. mm ... well.. what do u think ??

yeemei made her version of chocolate banana cake as well some time ago. but hers, the banana was sliced.. and buried in the cake (ho ho ho, buried.. what a word)...

earlier tonight, i made sausage cheese flan..yups..another creation out of the recipe book..i wonder if i'll be able to try out all the pastry recipes in a year's time..haha..pretty ambitious..

mum helped me out alil today..its pretty easy..as usual, it's the waiting time that kills..

recipe..recipe..

Shortcrust Pastry A
ingredients..
..250g flour
..150g butter
..pinch of salt
..60-80g water

method..
1. cut the butter into small pieces n mix it with flour til crumbly.
2. add in sugar *(i know there's no sugar in the ingredient..but i added sugar instead of salt..sounds more logical..hehe.could b printing error in the book) and then water. mix to form a dough. shape it into a ball n press it flat. wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 30mins.
3.roll out dough btw 2 plastic wraps to 3mm thickness and it is ready for use.
*weight of pastry is 480g

Sausage Cheese Flan
ingredients..
..300g shortcrust pastry A
filling
A
..160g onion,sliced
..3tbsp oil
B
..40g asparagus,chopped
..30g red capsicum,diced
C
..2 chicken sausages,sliced *i used black pepper 1s..yummy..
D
..80g parmesan cheese, grated
E
..3 eggs
..200g milk
..150g whipping cream
some salt, pepper and ground cinnamon..

method..
1, roll out the pastry btw 2 plastic wraps to 3mm thickness. line a 9-icnh pie mould with the rolled pastry. prick the pastry with fork. chill in the fridge for 20mins.
2. line the pastry shell with foil or greaseproof paper and baking beans. bake at 190C for 15mins. remove the foil and beans and bake for another 5 more mins. set aside to cool.
3. fry A until becomes browned and soft. set aside to cool.
4. place B in boiling water abd cook for 2mins, drain the water. leave it to cool.
5. place A,B and C over the pastry. Sprinkled on top.
6. mix E until well blended and pour into pastry shell.
7. bake at 200C for 20-25 mins.

and tada...looking good..

and..the almost perfect slice..

 

an almost sweet victory..despite the minor glitches as always..d cheese that i used smelled pretty funny...so i decided to reduce the amount..and turns out the effect was not too mouth-watering..it tasted good..but could have been better though..

and...the crust wasnt thick enough..just a tad bit too thin..above all..it was good..haha..

bro was hapily fiiling his already bloated tummy with the sausage flan..in less than an hour..almost nothing is left..i had to keep 1 slice in a tupperware and keep in safely guarded in my room..so that San can have a bite and comment tomorrow..haha..

give it a try ..will u?

On Christmas eve..i had the sudden urge to bake these Orange Flans which i've been talking about for sometime now..boy..was it time consuming..i spent almost 4 painstaking hours to complete the whole procedure..haha..sounds like an operation..ended up with very tired neck and back..amatuer..haha..

remember this picture?

Yah..those are my orange flans...they are NOT EGG TARTS..haha..all though they look alike..

SO..the recipes..

*the pastry had to be made separately..so this is gona be quite along list..

Sweet Pastry B recipe...
Ingredients...
A
..70g icing sugar
..150g butter
B
..1 egg
C
..260g flour
..1 tbsp milk powder

Method..
1.mix A until well combined and add in B and cream until smooth
2.add in sifted C and mix until well blended.
3.refrigerate for 30mins or until firm
4.take out and roll between 2 sheets of plastic wrap to the desired thickness and size.
*normally used for making big pie and tart.
* makes more than 10 tarts in those regular tart moulds..

Orange Flans recipe
Ingredients..
..1 portion sweet pastry B
Filling..
A
..4 eggs
..80g sugar (or lesser..depending on preference)
..150g whipping cream
B
..150g orange juice
C
..1orange zest, grated

Method..
1. roll out the pastry btw 2 sheets of plastic wrapto 3mm thickness and line the greased pie moulds with the rolled pastry. leave them to chill for 20mins.
2. line the pastry shells with foil or greaseproof paper and baking beans. bake at 190C for 15mins.remove the foil and beans, then, bake for another 5mins.leave them to cool.
3. filling: whisk A until well blended. add in B and mix until well combined, strain the mixture. add in C and mix well.
4. pour the filling onto the pastry shells. bake at 190C for 25mins or until set.
5. leave them to cool before removing them from the mould.

I had fun when i watched the tarts bloating in the oven..so excited that i even asked my mum to come watch it happen..haha...

Mum sensed something amidst behind all the excitement..she grabbed my recipe book and found the answer to my tart bloating phenomena..

"Over baking will puff the custard up. Wrinkles will appear when the flan is cool and the custard shrinks"

True enough..it happened..and the 1st tray had the most damaging effect..

too much of tanning...

Despite the light burns..it tasted good..maybe alil too sweet..but good thing the others turn out well..mum gave me the best rating compared to my other previous experiments..haha..

i think 190C maybe just too much of heat for this tart..or maybe its just the effect of my oven at this temprature..high fever..hehe..so i have to reduce the heating time n temprature to 20mins at 160C..have to keep an eye on this tarts or they'll turn bad...haha..

try it..dont give em to much of tan like me..haha..

mel did one a few days back i think, i decided to make that again. it seems pretty fun.. eheh

Ingredients

Pastry
200g flour
100g butter
a handful of finely chopped coriander
60g water 

Filling
4 hard boiled eggs
3 crabstick
mayonese
1 tbsp dijon mustard
chopped coriander
salt n pepper (optional)

mix flour and butter till resemble fine crumbs, u can use a dough mixing thing, or use for to break the butter n mix with the flour.
add in coriander and mix again
add in water, abit at the time.. use hands and knead it into a doughball. keep in the fridge for 30 minutes.
take out, roll, flip, fold, roll, fold, fold a couple of times n roll.. roll out into a sheet, then keep in the fridge for 30 mins again.
take out, press with mould and bake at moderate temperature (180-190 C) for 15 mintues or till golden brown.

mash the hard boil eggs and crabstick together. make sure it's really smashed.
add in mayo and mix mix mix, then add mustard and mix mix mix.
add in coriander and salt and pepper if needed.
combine them really well, and make sure the eggs are thoroughly mashed.

put the filling in a piping bag, with a nozzle. pipe the filling out on the baked pastry..
if the eggs are not mashed till it's very very small, it's quite hard to press it out..

dough in various shapes...

done!! not very pretty tho..

mm

i think the dough's a bit flour-y...so..maybe u can reduce it..or add butter.. but the topping is nice.. the trick is..a bit of mustard..

enjoy!

another finger food. Bruschetta with Tomato. I made this a few years back, so i just add whatever that i can remember till it tastes good.. ahahhaha

1 baguette french bread
4 tomatoes (if u can get plum tomatoes, it's great)
1 big onion (the white one)
1 handful chopped coriander
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sweet vinegar

Dice the tomatoes and onions. mix well
Add in olive oil sweet vinegar and coriander. mix till well incorporated.
add salt and pepper..
slice the bread, spread some butter and toast it.
when it's done, scoop the tomato on top of the bread.. and EAT!

the tomatoes, onions and coriander

time to indulge!

it tastes really good when the bread's just toasted.. crunchy.. yum

i think it's better if u dont buy local tomatoes.. u have to find plum tomatoes, those which has less seed and water and has thicker skin, then u'd taste more of the tomatoes.. and delifrance's baguette is really nice.. just RM 1.++

and.. it's healthy !!!! ahhahaha

we had a christmas potluck yesterday, i made a few finger food.. one of them is this Chinese chicken Parcel.. from Jamie Oliver. recipe here

1 Savoy or Chinese cabbage
sea salt
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed
1 handful of fresh coriander
1-2 fresh red chillies
1 tablespoon fish sauce
4 trimmed boneless chicken thighs, skin removed, roughly chopped
1 handful of water chestnuts
zest and juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
extra virgin olive oil
sweet chilli jam, jelly or sauce
soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted
sesame seeds

Remove and discard the core and outer leaves from the cabbage, undo the remaining cabbage leaves and place them in a pan of salted boiling water for 2 minutes to soften. Cool them in a bowl of cold water, drain and put to one side.

In a food processor, whizz up your garlic, ginger, spring onions, coriander, chilli and fish sauce with a good pinch of salt. Then add the chicken, water chestnuts, lime zest and juice and sesame oil and pulse until you have a minced meat consistency.

Place a heaped dessertspoonful of the flavoured mince on to one end of each cabbage leaf. Fold it up and tuck in the sides, then roll up. Rub a bamboo steamer, colander or normal steamer with a little olive oil and place in the cabbage parcels. They may try to unfold themselves, but once you start putting them next to each other they will hold in place. When they're all in, sit the steamer over a pan of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the parcels and that it's just the steam that's cooking them. Put a lid on top and steam for about 6 minutes until cooked. If you're worried about the cooking time, take one of the parcels out and cut it in half to make sure that the heat has penetrated and that they're cooked.

it was quite easy to do.. actually i havent really cooked alot of chinese dishes, although i'm a chinese.. ahah.. because chinese dishes are .. generally harder to cook  u know u have to control the fire.. and all .. ok so this one was pretty easy, i'm quite happy that it turned out well and everyone ate..

not much pics taken of the food, cause too busy.. =.=

cabbage. after boiling n dipping in cold water

this is the end product! it's minced chicken inside.. it's nice.. hehe

good.. can make this for chinese new year again!

oh yeah !! u can serve with soy sauce with toasted sesame .. or thai chili sauce... nice