Kintoki bean mini croquettes on a bed of cole-slow…

They are more bean based falafels than croquettes, but they are as nicely crispy.

Kintoki red beans and sesame seeds, soaked overnight.

In the blender, the beans and seeds, garlic, salt, pepper… When the paste was smooth, I’ve added bell peppers.

Cooked in the frying pan. Photos were not in that order… but there is some auto-correction for photo montages too, it seems.

A red cabbage waiting to get the shred… The thinner, the tastier.
I think certain food processor apps do that quickly, but I don’t have that equipment.

I grated with this tool. That would be a bit slow to grate the whole cabbage.

A randomly mixed harissa tomato sauce.

To put on the patties.

Krrr krrr krr…. very pleasant grazing.

Tropical cream beet soup

A healthy reinvention of the Mitteleuropa pink delight. It’s full of Asian Summer veggies and the sour cream is replaced by coconut and lemon.

Shopping surprise : those 2 Nagano grown beets for 100 yen. It’s extremely cheap for Japan as I usually say tiny beets for 500 yen a piece. And is it not a Winter plant ? Well, I’m not a gardener. I only know beets from feeding the pigs. I guess the season is long and they can be store months, which is why I had the image of a cold weather food.

But there is no reason to shun them, even in extreme heat. Raw and chilled, they are very refreshing.

Garnish : cucumber, Kintoki red beans, nagaimo yam, enoki mushrooms.
The beans are cooked of course. The rest is raw.

Soup : beet root, creamy coconut milk, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, ice cubes.
Just throw into the blender.

One more spoon of coconut cream (solidified in the fridge).
Mmmm… it’s deliciously sweet, nearly a dessert. And it’s fun to discover the crunchy bits.

Black power 3 (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Ultra-simple and very nutritive dish. Only 3 ingredients : black pepper, black soy beans and black neri-goma (pounded sesame, tahini). Kuromame is there Japanese name.These beans are huge and very hard. I soaked them 48 hours to minimize cooking and that still took hours. It's better to make big batches. But the taste and texture are really great. The sesame kuro nerigoma brings its velvety feel and nutty richness. Mmmmmm ! … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Refreshing cold miso soup with somen noodles and nameko sticky mushroom (via Gourmande in Osaka)

This is really delicious and that makes you forget the heat and humidity. What is left ? Superb blue sky and great weather. Nameko are those orange sticky mushrooms. I already showed you some : Nameko the sticky/jelly mushroom This time I have huge ones : And you can see that "glue". When they are boiled that becomes a jelly : Serve them very cold ! About mushrooms… This is vegan dashi. Dashi is the Japanese all-purpose stock, made from dry fis … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Full veg’ lunch : falafel, kimchi, hijiki… (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Bright food for a dark day of rainy season. It's nearly vegan (kimchi is not, no problem for me) and fully yummy. First dish : hijiki and carrot ying-yang. They are boiled. Hijiki are black seaweeds. Under there is a sauce of mirin, soy sauce, sesame seeds and fragrant sesame oil. Once mixed : Kimchi salad. 2 days ago, I had a small left-over of kimchi and most of the juice. I mixed in cubes of daikon radish and cucumber. It's less spicy than kim … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Zucchini farro (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Farro or spelt, the ancestor of wheat. Perfect for a lukewarm salad meal, Zucchini "saisi" in garlic herbes de Provence and olive oil, not cooked, no raw, on the way… Farro cooked in the rice-cooker. Dressing it up with tomato passata, capers, olives, negi leeks, then the zukes plus a good drizzle of olive oil. Served with two proteined sides. Orange with sweetened azuki beans. … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Egyptian gumbo z’herbes (via Gourmande in Osaka)

This is my contribution for the Daring Cook Challenge of May. It is hosted this month by Denise from the blog "There’s a Newf in My Soup". See recipes and other participants' gumbos here : click. I also made : chicken sausage gumbo Second version : O' z'herbes… It's a vegan gumbo, for Lent. I added Egyptian ingredients to it. It's a fusion of two dishes that are actually very close to one another. That tasted great. The roux, really roux in col … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Edamame tofu, 3 ways to enjoy the pastel green flan (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Tofu made of edamame, you can buy it or make it (next post). Classic, with grated wasabi and nama shoyu soy sauce. Unmold it, pour a crown of sauce around, a chestnut of wasabi on top. Seasonal, with kinome on top and a sweet tsuyu (reheat kombu dashi stock with a little mirin and soy sauce, bring to boil, let cool). Sweet for the small flower. Drizzle honey on it. Top with dry fruits (goji berries). You can have it as a dessert. Actually, that w … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Jajamen (Morioka style udon noodles, a vegetal variation) (via Gourmande in Osaka)

A vegetal version on jajamen, a dish from Morioka, a city in the prefecture in the North of Japan. Chinese migrants brought there the recipe of zha jiang mian and the Japanese variation took a new name. The most obvious difference is in the type of noodles, but Chinese noodles are also served in Japan. The principle : you stir-fry ground pork, you add a special fermented bean spicy sauce. You serve it on noodles, with raw or cooked veggies, etc.. … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Okayu for the Woman New Year (via Gourmande in Osaka)

Once upon a time in Japan, there was 正月 Shogatsu (new year) and 小正月 Koshogatsu (little new year). If you click, you arrive on the Japanese wikipedia page, which is exact (as far as I know), but if you pass on English version, it is about something unrelated. In those time, the Moon ruled the world. The little New Year was at full moon… now we say that would be January 15th. Some say 14th. Well now… The little new year was also called 女正月 Onna … Read More

via Gourmande in Osaka

Mabo Tofu, azuki variation (via Colorfood Daidokoro Gourmande in Osaka)

I replaced the meat by azuki beans in the classic tofu dish. That makes a purely plant based meal. You can see the beans between big chunks of onions. Lots of garlic, ginger… even more grated ginger on top of the plate. My genmai (brown rice) looks fluffier than usual. It's because it's Milky Queen rice that I have now. It's the first time I see it in brown rice version. I should write a post about the different Japanese rices. I usually prefer … Read More

via Colorfood Daidokoro Gourmande in Osaka

Dry yellow tofu -Chick pea bread

Do you remember the Burmese / Shan yellow tofu I made a while ago ? It’s here :

Making Shan Tofu with modern kitchen equipment

Shan tofu with ra-yu sauce

Fried Yellow Tofu (Burma dinner)

I had some paste left and frozen. When I defrost, the bag leaked so I got dryer grounds. I cooked in micro-wave (added salt and nutmeg) and obtained that sort of “cake”.
I liked the steamed one a lot, but this one is sooo great ! I have eaten up 2 servings.

Plus shiitake mushrooms, chili peppers and shishito peppers, tomato sauce (with garlic, olive oil and fresh thyme).