I Made Tori Zosui (Chicken Porridge) For The First Time!

I noticed that I have been doing a lot of impromptu cooking lately. I had friends coming over for dinner last week and they were bringing pasta over for dinner for me to make. Lately, I have been staying away from a lot of foods that I used to love like spaghetti and some meats so I wanted to make something different for myself. Therefore, I didn't really want to have spaghetti and sauce for dinner so I got a little creative! 

I decided to make chicken porridge or tori zosui in Japanese. It's a delicious, hearty, and healthy dish that I decided to make! 

When I decide to make this again (hopefully soon), I can post the recipe! ^-^

All it consists of is chicken stock, dashi, mirin, steamed rice, chicken, freshly grated ginger, and some salt and pepper for seasoning!

"Grilled" Miso Onigiri with Recipe! (焼きおにぎり)

One of the first recipes I ever tried was making onigiri and I have loved it ever since! I love trying to make different variations of onigiri and although I have made grilled miso onigiri before, I thought I would make them better than ever before! I am going to apologize ahead of time because I didn't take a lot of pictures because I didn't think about putting it on my blog until after I started making it! >.< I will do a full recipe for this one of these days!

Here is what you will need:

For the Chicken Karaage:

-1 boneless chicken breast cut into bite-sized pieces

-1 Tbsp. soy sauce

-1/2 Tbsp. ginger juice

-1/2 Tbsp. sake

-1/2 beaten egg

-1 Tbsp. flour

-1 Tbsp. potato starch

-Vegetable or canola oil for frying

For the Yaki Onigiri:

-Freshly steamed rice

-2 tsp. toasted black sesame seeds

-1 Tbsp. shiro miso

-1 Tbsp. mirin

-1/2 tsp. brown sugar

-A pinch of instant dashi powder

-2 tsp. sesame oil

First I made the chicken karaage. I cut the chicken and placed it in a glass container. Then I added in the soy sauce, ginger juice, and sake and mix well with your hand. Make sure to tightly cover the container  and placed it into the fridge for marinate for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, toast some black sesame seeds and set them aside. Also cook the rice for the onigiri and set it aside as well. You should also prepare the oil on the stove for frying.



After 30 minutes, drain the now marinated chicken and place it back into the container. Add in the beaten egg, flour, and potato starch and mx it well with your hand.



Using kitchen chopsticks, gently place a few pieces of chicken in the pot at a time and allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes or until a nice and crispy golden brown. When they are done, place them on to a paper towel to get rid of the excess oil. Do this until all of the chicken is gone!

I don't have pictures for this part, but I will explain what I did. Get a medium sized bowl and place some of the rice in it with the rice paddle and add some of the toasted sesame seeds. Using the rice paddle, mix the rice with the sesame seeds until mixed thoroughly.

Next, get a piece of saran wrap and place it on your hand. Use the rice paddle to pick up some rice and place on the palm of your hand. Place a piece of the chicken in the middle of the rice and place a little more rice on top. Close the rice in the saran wrap and mold it into whatever shape you want it to be. Without actually touching the onigiri, unwrap it and place it on a plate and repeat until all of the rice is gone!



This is how they should look! Almost there! :P

Okay, I have some pictures for this next step!




For the miso sauce, combine the miso, mirin, brown sugar, and dashi powder and mix it well using kitchen chopsticks.




Next, turn the burner on medium heat and add in the sesame oil. When the oil is hot, place two onigiri onto the pan and cook both sides until light brown.



Get your kitchen brush ready because this next part has to be done quickly!



Gently brush on the miso sauce and flip them using tongs and then brush it on the other side and flip it again. Pay close attention because the sauce can burn VERY easily! Do this to either half or all of your onigiri and...THEY'RE DONE! :D



At first I only "grilled" half, but after trying one, I grilled the rest!!! xD



These onigiri are so delicious and lasted about three days before my boyfriend and I ate them all!



Here is what they look like on the inside!

Onigiri is so versatile, you can be really creative when it comes to what you want to have in the center! Please try it and see what you like best! ^-^

My Versions of Gordon Ramsay's Asian Dishes!!!

I really look up to Gordon Ramsay and after watching an episode of his Ultimate Cookery Course dedicated to quick Asian recipes, I knew I had to try them out for myself! The episode I referenced is here! It's really a great show! Although, being a bit of an Asian food buff, I did notice a few things that I would change about the recipes...they turned out great! :D

First, I made Gordon Ramsay's Chicken Stir Fry with Rice Noodles. Here is what I used:

-A box of flat and wide rice noodles

-1 boneless chicken breast (butterflied and chopped into strips)

-1 head of broccoli

-2-3 garlic cloves (finely diced)

-Soy sauce to taste

-2 beaten eggs

-1/2 lime (to squeeze)
-Peanut oil for cooking
-Hot chili oil

And...it turned out amazing!!! I made this twice in one week! The lime really gives it a nice zest! I even made a version with mushrooms and it was fantastic! You can really be creative with this dish! :D


The second dish I tried was called Noodle Soup with Poached Egg and Onions!

Here is what I used:

-Shiro miso paste

-Instant dashi granules

-Freshly grated ginger

-Dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked in hot water for 20 mins.)

-Soy sauce to taste

-1 egg

-Thinly sliced portobello mushrooms

-Udon noodles

-Fresh spinach

-Green onions
-Sake 

My favorite part was to pile on the mushrooms, udon, and spinach, followed by the rest of the soup! I added shichimi on top of course! ;)



I will post the recipes for these delightful dishes when I make them again!!! xD

Yaki Soba with Recipe!!!

Yaki soba is Japanese fried noodles and it's so easy to make! I used RunnyRunny999's recipe to make this delicious meal! Please visit his cooking channel on YouTube; it's one of my favorites!!! :D

I also need to apologize in advance because I didn't expect to post this on my blog so I did not take enough pictures! >.<

Here's what you will need: 

-Cabbage (I like to use Nappa)

-Carrots

-An Onion

-Chinese Noodles (or soba)

-Pork belly (or chicken)

-Sesame oil for the noodles

-1 Tbsp. oyster sauce

-1 tsp. soy sauce

-1 tsp. ketchup

-1 tsp. honey

1 tsp. sugar

-Salt & pepper

-Aonori (optional)

-Benishouga (optional)

*For this recipe, the only things that I measure are the ingredients for the sauce*

Okay, first prepare and measure everything ahead of time so you don't have to spend too much time at the stove! Cut the meat and vegetables into bite-sized pieces.

Next, bring a pit of water to a boil and parboil the veggies until soft. This will make them sweeter and make them as crispy as you want them! Dry them off and set them aside. 

Now, it's time to make the tasty seasoning sauce! In a bowl, combine the oyster sauce, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, sugar, salt, and pepper. Be sure to mix everything well! Set it aside.

Now, in a non-stick wok or pan, add in the chopped garlic on medium high heat and stir until fragrant. Next, add in the pork and continuously stir until completely cooked. 

After the pork is cooked, add in the vegetables and continue stirring until everything is mixed well. Set it all aside on a nearby plate. 

There is no need to wipe the pan! Parboil the noodles, drain, and add some sesame oil to them and mix it using kitchen chopsticks. Add the cooked noodles to the pan and stir fry for about a minute. Add in the meat and veggies and stir until everything is well blended. Now add in the seasoning sauce and stir until completely combined! IT'S DONE!!! :D

It's perfect just the way it is...

It goes well with tea...

Below is the version with the chicken! I also put some aonori and benishouga on top! ^-^

This recipe is so simple and it tastes fantastic!!!! You should give it a try! You can also add in or sub other veggies to make your own unique yaki soba! :D

Omurice with Recipe!

I made Cooking with Dog's version of Omurice over a month ago and never got to share it on my blog! I will remedy this now! Cooking with Dog is my all time favorite YouTube channel so please check them out!!! :D

What you will need (2 servings)

-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

-Salt & pepper

-1/4 of an onion

-4-6 button mushrooms

-1-2 garlic cloves

-Frozen peas

-4 eggs

-2 tsp. whipping cream or heavy cream

-Canned tomato

-1/2 bouillon cube

-1 Tbsp. sake

-1 Tbsp ketchup

-1 bay leaf

-Olive oil

-Steamed rice

-Baby salad greens (optional)

-Parsley Leaves (optional)

Prepare all of the ingredients! Make sure when you rinse the peas, you add a little salt to them, chop up the bouillon cube!

I need to apologize in advance for not having all of the pictures of what I did when making this recipe! Check out Cooking with Dog's YouTube channel HERE to see this part! >.<

Okay, although it's not pictured, I will mention what to do next!

Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and add in the heavy cream, salt and pepper, mix well, and step aside.

Put the olive oil in the pan and heat the stove on medium heat, add in the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Then add in the onions.

When the onions are transparent, add in the chicken and continue to sauté the mixture.

When the chicken starts to brown, add in the mushrooms and continue to stir. Next pour in the sake and allow the alcohol to cook. Now add in the canned tomato, the shaved bouillon cube, and the bay leaf. Still continuously so the sauce doesn't burn!

Reduce the sauce a little and add in the peas. And continue to stir. When the sauce begins to sizzle, remove the bay leaf. 

At this point, add some salt and pepper and taste it to make sure that it's right! :)

Stir continuously and add in the rice and stir it to combine!

Split the mixture up into two equal sections and put them aside. 

Once again, I didn't take any pictures of this next part! Wipe the pan and add in olive oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom. Next, test the pan using the egg mixture to make sure that it's on the right heat. It should be around medium low. Now add in the egg mixture and stir vigorously with chopsticks for about 5 seconds and then swirl the egg mixture around so it completely covers the entire bottom of the pan. 

When the eggs are half cooked, add in the rice mixture and use a spatula to wrap the egg around the rice and carefully flip it onto a plate. Add some ketchup on the top and IT'S DONE!!! :D

It's so yummy and easy to make!!! It is really delicious!!!!!!! 

Kyle gave his approval...that means it's gotta be good! ^-^