Eatyet’s Weblog

I was inspired by Japanese ‘big rolls’, which are usually large (1 + 1/2 sheets of nori to wrap around) with an omelet center and other stuffing. This is a smaller, quicker, lazier version with all the fillings cooked together as one. Making nori rolls gets easier with practice and bamboo rolling mats. Also remember to use plastic wrap on the bamboo mat to help keep it clean.

Nori Egg Roll (3 rolls)

• 2 cups cooked sushi rice (1 cup raw)
• 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (if unseasoned, add 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt)
• 3 sheets of nori
• 3 eggs
• oil for pan
• 1 1/2 cup raw baby spinach
• 4 shitake mushrooms
• 2 tsp mirin
• 3/4 tsp salt
• sesame seeds (optional)

1. Mix rice vinegar into warm (cooked) rice, set aside. Beat the eggs with half the salt in a bowl, set aside.
2. Cut mushrooms into thin strips and roughly chop up the spinach if the leaves are large.
3. Heat up a small pan (cast iron or nonstick 6-8in) medium high, add oil (2 tsp), then mushrooms, spinach, mirin and salt; cook until spinach is wilted.
4. Pour spinach mixture into bowl of beaten eggs and mix to combine.
5. Heat pan up again medium high, add more oil to coat pan. Pour eggs into pan, spread out the spinach and mushrooms.
6. When edges set after a minute or so, fold 2 opposite sides towards the center, ending with something rectangular in shape.
7. Turn heat low and finish cooking till it’s no longer runny in the center. You can try to flip it over or just put a lid on it for a minute or so. Cut egg into 3 equal long strips.
8. Spread 1/3 of the rice on 3/4 of the nori sheet.
9. Put a strip of egg on the part of the sheet with no rice.
10. Roll it up starting from the egg end, using the bamboo mat to roll and press.
11. Cut roll up into 6 or 8 pieces, and sprinkle on sesame seeds.

-L

Some of the orzo got a little burnt, resulting in the variations of color.

Orzo, being a rice shaped pasta, gives you the quick cooking time of pasta and the applications of rice. You can make a fast faux risotto or a substitute rice salad. I prefer not to cook orzo in a large pot of water like you would most pasta. I like to toast the dry orzo in a pan with some oil till golden brown before adding liquid to it. This ensures the pasta won’t become too soggy and adds more flavor to the finished dish.

Porcini Orzo (for 2 or 4 as sides)

• 1 small onion diced
• 1 pint cremini or button mushrooms diced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 oz dried porcini (+ 2/3 cup hot water)
• 1 cup dry orzo
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp of chopped rosemary or thyme
• 1/2 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• pepper to taste

About 3oz or however much that looks like to you.

1. Soak porcini in hot water for about 15-20mins, when softened, cut the porcini into semi large pieces, reserve the liquid (you can strain it through a coffee filter to get out all the grit).
2. In a wide pot or sauté pan on medium high heat, add in oil to coat pan. Then add the diced onions, stir, and cook till translucent with slight browning on edges.
3. Add bay leaf and orzo to the pan, stirring a lot to make sure the orzo is coated in oil and doesn’t get burned.
4. When orzo looks toasted, add in diced mushrooms and salt, stir and cook till mushrooms have shrunk.
5. Add in porcini and its liquid, the peas, along with the 1 1/3 cup of water. Stir thoroughly and bring to a simmer, turn heat down to low and cover for 9-11mins.
6. There should be no liquid left after that, but if it’s too dry and the pasta is kind of hard, stir in another 1/4 cup of (hot) water and cook on medium low till it’s absorbed. If there is too much liquid after the initial cooking, just cook it uncovered till it dries up.
7. Stir in chopped herbs and pepper at the end.

-Lina

  Soba salad with smoked mackerel.

The first day of the heat wave, I was mostly hiding out in my room with the air conditioner. I wasn’t willing to cook a big meal or even stand in front of the stove for long. Soba noodles are noodles made with buckwheat flour; it has slightly nutty flavor, and is all around healthy. The cooking time is only three minutes in boiling water. In colder weather I love soba in hot broth. In summer, they can be eaten chilled with cold dipping sauce. I like it hot or cold with tororo (grated yam). And of course as a salad one dish light meal.

Soba Salad (for 2)

• 6oz dried soba (2/3 of most small packages)
• 4 cups (roughly) baby salad greens
• 1/2 small onion (thinly sliced)
• 1 scallion (thinly sliced)
• 3 tbsp dried wakame 
• smoked fish or leftover meats (optional)
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• ponzu + olive oil or salad dressing or…

soy citrus dressing:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 minced garlic clove
• juice of 1 lemon or lime
• few drops of fish sauce (optional)
• few drops of sesame oil
• 2 tsp olive (or canola) oil
• 3-4 tbsp water to dilute

Cook noodles in boiling water for 3mins, drain and rinse under cold water till completely cooled. Set aside and let water continue to drain away. Rehydrate wakame in some hot water, let it sit for 2mins or so, then drain. Toss cold noodles, vegetables, fish, and wakame together with dressing, top with sesame seeds.

To make it completely vegan, leave out any fish/meat or fish sauce. You can add firm tofu or just leave it plain. I didn’t have any at the time, but thinly slice cucumbers would also be great. Wakame adds a really nice ‘sea’ flavor but if you can’t get any, you can also add other seaweeds like finely shredded nori at the end.

-Lina

I don’t like making pancakes usually, I find it labor intensive and messy. Yes, I have trouble juggling the act of pouring (batter), flipping, and keeping them warm. But German pancakes are ridiculously easy and foolproof every time. It’s not a pancake in the fluffy sense; it’s more like a crepe but thicker and has a crispy edge. You will need a well seasoned cast iron skillet and an oven, the physical labor ends when you pour the batter into the skillet and swirl (that is till you take it out and serve).

German pancake (adapted from Real Simple magazine)

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup yogurt(plain, and on the thin side) or milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• pinch of salt
• dash of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• butter, powder sugar, and cinnamon to top (optional)

Coat cast iron skillet with the oil and place in the oven and preheat to 450º (for at least 15mins). Beat all the ingredients together till smooth. Carefully pour the batter into the hot skillet and swirl it to cover the bottom, quickly push it back into the oven. Bake for 10mins or till puffed and golden (it will deflate once out of the oven). Butter and dust with cinnamon and powder sugar.

-L

According to wikipedia, clafoutis is made with cherries, while ones made with other fruits; are called ‘flognarde’. It’s supposed to be something in between a cake and custard. I tried using a Donna Hay recipe for Plum Clafoutis but I had only two eggs (called for three), no heavy cream and blackberries instead of plums. So with two eggs and a can of coconut milk I manage to make something clafouti-like; it’s on the creamy custard side but still holds it’s shape (not runny).

Blackberry Coconut Clafoutis (or Flognarde)

• 1 can (14oz) coconut milk (full fat)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 pint blackberries (fresh or frozen)
• organic shortening or butter for greasing pan
• sugar to coat pan

Preheat oven to 350º. Mix everything (except blackberries) till smooth. Grease a pan (I used an 8in square glass dish, but a large oval baking dish would be prettier), add about 2 tablespoons of sugar to the dish and swirl it around to coat. Pour batter into dish, and stud with blackberries. Bake for 40-45min till top is browned.

        Fresh organic blackberries aren’t on sale yet, and frozen ones work great here.

-L

Popcorn is always an easy satisfying tabula rasa waiting for you to fill in the blanks, and I have a large spice rack. Not to mention a whole world of sweet popcorn treats to explore.

Here I seasoned half with curry powder and the other half with smoked paprika. It’s separately seasoned (so there are yellow and red kernels) then tossed together with sea salt. You can also heat some butter/ghee (or Earth Balance, olive oil etc.), toast up some cumin seeds, dried chilies, and curry and pour over popcorn for a more intense curry flavor. Next time I want to try garam masala, salt, and sugar.

 -L

This might be a bad week for brittles with high humidity all weekend, but I wasn’t confident in making caramels (I need good candy thermometer).  I’ve sealed them up in a zip baggie and placed it inside an airtight container. But I have to open it up to get to them eventually. I first bought golden syrup to make cinder toffee. It’s basically the same process but the proportions are different with added coconut and sesame. Golden syrup is a great alternative to corn syrup (made from sugar), but you can use corn syrup or honey (and maybe maple syrup) as a substitute in this recipe. 

Coconut Sesame Brittle

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp golden syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut
• 1/4 cup sesame
• 3/4 tsp baking soda

Heat sugar and syrup in saucepan over medium high heat, stir with a large spoon or heat safe rubber spatula till you feel all the grains of sugar have melted. You’ll start to smell the caramelized soon, then mix in the coconut and sesame. Add baking soda and stir quickly and pour out onto parchment paper. Let cool completely then break apart.

-L

The hubby was ill all this week too, and now finally showing signs of improvement. Earlier in the week he wanted apple sauce, I had some apples in the fridge and figured I’d give it a try. At first I was wondering how long do I have to cook it to get it mushy, then I remembered I had an immersion blender (so it didn’t matter). Then later on I realized that I could’ve just blended the apples raw. But I guess cooking it gave it a smoother texture. The red apple skins made it a pretty rosy color and it was far better than store bought apple sauce. I’m feeling quite worn out this week and can’t think off the top of my head what else to do with apple sauce (pork chops, for the meat-eaters?).

Apple sauce

• 3 small apples (I had the kid sized organic ones from Whole Foods)
• 2/3 – 3/4 cup water (enough to submerge but not to cover all the apples)
• 1 tbsp sugar
• squeeze of lemon (1tsp more or less)
• dash of cinnamon
• pinch of cloves

Core and dice apples, with skins on (if organic, peel otherwise). Put in pot with water, sugar and spices. Simmer for 10min. Take off heat and use immersion blender to puree or put into blender/food processor. If it’s too thin, put back into pot and simmer till desired consistency and adjust sugar if necessary.

Apple sauce in tarts? I have to try that later.

 -L

Right now, I fear I will catch what the hubby has (fever, aches, and coughs). He never gets this sick usually. I’m keeping him hydrated, and made rice porridge (not the one pictured, that was from weeks ago). By the time he’s better, my immune system will probably give in. And this will be his instructions. I don’t expect him to be able to make anything more than just the rice porridge part.

Rice porridge

• Dashi:
• 2 quarts water
• 5×8inch piece of kombu
• 1/2 cup bonito flakes

• 1 1/2 cup white rice (long or short grain)

 small cooked piece of kombu, used bonito tea bag, pack of tea bags

Put water, kombu and bonito flakes (in tea bag/dashi bag/or tied up cheese cloth) in pot. Cover, bring to a boil on medium, let simmer for a minute or two, then turn off heat, and remove the kombu and bonito package. Kombu will expand when cooked. For a vegan dashi; use kombu and one dried shitake mushroom. Or simply make it with only water.

Rinse rice with cold water and add to dashi. If using a regular pot on stovetop, bring to boil and let simmer on low for 90mins to 2hrs. When using a rice cooker you can just put it in and let it run on porridge mode, but make sure you know what the maximum capacity for porridge is. If using a pressure cooker (making sure you are well with in the max fill line) secure the lid, and bring to a boil, locking in the lid. On medium low, let it cook for 20-25mins. After turning off the heat and letting the pressure dissipate, take the lid off, stir (add more water if it seems to be too thick) and simmer for another 5-10mins.

Kombu enoki relish

• Kombu leftover from dashi
• 1 large package of enoki (about 1 3/4 cup worth when chopped)
• 3/4 cup water
• 3-4 tbsp of soy sauce
• 2 tbsp of mirin
• dash of sansho pepper

Cut kombu into small 1/2 -3/4 inch pieces. Cut enoki into 3/4 -1 inch long segments. Combine kombu, enoki with water, soy, mirin in small pot and bring to a boil, simmer on medium till the liquid is mostly gone and you are left with a syrupy sauce. Sprinkle on sansho pepper at the end.

Nori sauce

• 4 sheets of nori, torn into small pieces
• 2 shitake mushrooms sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/4 water
• 2 tbsp of soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp sake (optional)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

Combine nori, mushrooms, soy, mirin, sake, and water in small pot and bring to a boil, simmer on medium till the liquid is mostly gone and you are left with a syrupy sauce. Sprinkle on sesame seeds at the end.

Spinach with sesame

• 2 cups baby spinach
• 1 clove garlic chopped
• 2 tsp oil (olive or canola)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt

Heat skillet on medium high, add oil, garlic and sesame seeds, then add in the spinach. Stir and cook till spinach just wilts, turn off heat, add in salt and sesame oil, toss and mix well.

Addition sides

• ume (umeboshi)
• fish (hot smoked mackerel or salmon, fish cake)
• egg (hard/soft boiled)
• edamame

Wish spring was here already.

Dulce de coco bread (¿pan de dulce de coco?)***

• 3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup semolina flour *
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp yeast
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp olive oil (or melted butter/organic shortening)
• 3/4 - 1 cup** dulce de coco (or any caramel sauce/dulce de leche)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup** chopped pecans (or any nut)

*I always add a tablespoon or two of semolina flour to regular flour when making bread instead of using special bread flour for extra gluten. I ran out of regular flour when I was making this and ended up using a half cup of semolina, resulting in a more elastic and yellow dough. It’s a good ingredient to have around for bread making and polenta (mixed in for a smoother texture).

**Adjust it accordingly to your preferences.

*** I never took Spanish in high school, hence the question marks.

This is after the first rising.

Mix together flour, semolina (or just more flour if you don’t have it), salt, sugar, and yeast. Beat eggs, water and oil together and mix into the dry ingredients. Work the dough together for about 10-15mins (mixing or kneading); it may need extra flour if it’s too wet or water if it’s too dry. The dough will be become smoother but still a little sticky. Loosely cover and set aside somewhere warm till it has doubled it size.

If you haven’t made the dulce de coco beforehand this would be the time to do it. In whatever pan you want to bake in (make sure it’s somewhat deep, you’ll need room for it to rise), pour in the caramel and nuts.

After the dough has risen, break off pieces about the size of small baseballs; roll them in the caramel and arrange them in the pan. Set aside in a warm place till they doubled in size again. In a preheated oven at 375º, bake for 25mins. After a short cooling, you can flip them out easily.

They taste best when warm, pulls apart easily too.

 - L

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