My Version of RunnyRunny999's Zosui Recipe!

I have to mention that one of my favorite channels on YouTube is RunnyRunny999. He makes such amazing Japanese food and I love to try his recipes! Please check out his channel here!

Zosui is a Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and water. They are delicious and guarantee that none of your leftovers go to waste. This recipe is absolutely perfect for the fall or winter or for any other occasion. I decided to add chicken to it because I had some leftover and it was a great addition to this recipe!

Here is what you will need:

-1/2 sliced onion

-1 or 2 julienned carrots

-1/2 pack enoki mushrooms

-1/2 pack shimeji mushrooms

-Leftover rice (1 1/2 cups or more)

-About 2 cups bouillon stock

-About 3 1/2 Tbsp. heavy cream or milk

-Olive oil for frying

-Salt and pepper

-Leftover chicken (or cut chicken breast into small pieces and stir-fry)

First, turn the stove on medium hugh and then add some olive oil to a (preferably) non-stick pan and throw in the onions and stir-fry them until they become tender. 

Next, you add in the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry until they are all cooked through. In this case, I also added in some leftover chicken that I had in the fridge. 

I didn't take a picture of it (these photos are about a year old), but next you add in the bouillon stock and mix it well. Then you add in the leftover rice and simmer it for about a minute. 

Now you add in the heavy cream or milk and mix it well until it has thickened enough. You can add some salt and pepper to taste. It's DONE!!! :D

This is so delicious! Especially on a cold winter day or when you're sick! 

One thing that I like to do with the leftovers is put it into a oven safe bowl, sprinkle on some sharp cheddar cheese, and broil it in the oven until the cheese melts. This tastes fantastic! Especially if you're a cheese lover like me! :)

I hope you enjoyed the recipe! Please give it a try!

You can check out runnyrunny999's original recipe here!

Thank you for reading!!! ^-^

Whatcha Eating? Sukiyaki

I know that it's spring time, but I couldn't help talking about my favorite winter time dish...sukiyaki!!! What is sukiyaki??? Well, if you don't know, it's sure worth finding out and that's why I'm here!

Sukiyaki is a popular Japanese soup/stew that is typically served in the nomimono (hot pot) or iron cast skillet. It consists of meat that is usually beef, and uses vegetables such as carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, spinach, leeks, green onions, edible chrysanthemum, and typically includes tofu and kannyaku (shirataki) noodles.

These ingredients are cooked on a slow, but steady simmer all together in the pot on the center of the table. A tasty mixture of soy sauce, sake (or mirin), and sugar is added to create an unforgettable umami taste. Umami = "pleasant or savory taste" in Japanese. After everything is cooked, you dip the piping hot ingredients into a small bowl of raw beaten eggs. I know that it may sound a bit strange to eat raw eggs, but in Japan it's quite the norm. Also, because the food is so hot, the egg does cook a little when it is dipped. Whenever I make sukiyaki, I always make sure that I buy organic eggs just in case though :P

I like to look at it as a family affair because everyone can help prepare the ingredients and add the ingredients to the pot in an aesthetic way. So not only is this dish simple and delicious, it also brings people together <3

I have made sukiyaki several times over the course of a few years and took pictures of the first two times that I made it. I wanted to share them with all of you! ^-^

My first time making sukiyaki occurred when I was at my mom's house. I was so excited to make it and at the time no one in my house was very accepting of Japanese cuisine, but I knew my sister would want to try it so we made it together! Here are the photos:

This is before I became more organized with my cooking! These are the (scattered) ingredients that I used the first time I made sukiyaki! I used beef, konnyaku noodles, firm tofu, carrots, dried shiitake mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, spinach, napa cabbage, leeks, and shungiku (edible chrysanthemum).

Stirring the beef until it's almost fully cooked.

This is what I meant by aesthetically pleasing. When making sukiyaki, it's always fun to organize all of the ingredients in the pot so that it looks well put together. The only thing that you must know is that the meat should NEVER touch the konnyaku noodles because it will make the meat tough. 

You can see how some of the ingredients begin to wilt and shrink a little as they cook. In the second picture, the shungiku was added at the end because it cooks very quickly. I can almost smell it now...

This is what it should look like when it's done! The aroma and taste are so memorable...you should definitely give it a try! I plan on posting a recipe the next time I make it! :D

Pictured above is the finished sukiyaki on the right with some steamed white rice and beaten eggs...yummy! 

Now here are a few pictures of the second time that I made sukiyaki!

Looks like this time I decided to try some new ingredients like bok choy, celery, fresh shiitake mushrooms, and a type of seared or smoked tofu. It looks like I might have used shirataki noodles instead of konnyaku. 

It appears to be just about done due to the shungiku on top of the beef...

And here is the finished product! ^-^

One other thing that I wanted to mention about sukiyaki and ultimately Japanese food culture is that nothing goes to waste! It's amazing, but there is a use for just about everything! After most of the sukiyaki is eaten, you can warm up some pre-cooked udon noodles and add them to the savory broth and make soup! Or you could add rice to it to make a tasty zosui (boiled rice soup)!

All in all, sukiyaki is a very versatile, irresistible Japanese dish that can easily become a family tradition.  It's fun and delicious for everyone!!! ^-^

Thanks for reading!!! <3