Wednesday 30 September 2009

Dumpling soup

Dumpling soup recipe





Ingredients

*Dumplings 5-6

*onion 1/2

*water 3 cups

*Chicken soup stock 3 table spoons

*soya sauce 1 table spoon


Instructions

1. put everything in a pot, cook them for 10 mins or so with medium fire.

Tuesday 29 September 2009

study day

September is finishing soon!! :(




Study day.


I did some research.


Updated my blog after few weeks of sabori.


I had dinner at classic curry again with friends ! :)




Monday 28 September 2009

sweet pork and daikon recipe


I tried to study today but I failed.

I watched a movie "Up" at night.

It was such a good movie! I loved it Y


Ingredients

*radish 1/2

*pork 100g

*water 1 cup

*Japanese soup stock 1/2 package

*soya sauce 1 table spoon

*mirin 1 table spoon


Instructions

1. cut the radish into pieces.

2. put all the ingredients into a pot, place a lid and cook till the pork and radish absorb the soup.

Sunday 27 September 2009

Japanese style hamburger steak/和風ハンバーグ recipe



Today's dinner

*Japanese style hamburger steak

*sweet pork with radish

*pickled miso cucumber

*white rice

*miso soup


Japanese style hamburger steak recipe





Ingredients

*minced pork 150g
*minced beef 150g
*onion 1
*egg 1
*bread crumbs 3 table spoons

sauce
*radish 1/2
*soya sauce 5 table spoons
*mirin 5 table spoons
*sake 5 table spoons
*suger 1 tea spoon

**Instructions for hambergur steak**

1. chop the onion into small pieces, heat up a pan with some oil and cook the onion.

2. leave the onion and let it cool down. then, mix it with meat, egg and bread crumbs.

3. mix them well with hands, then make shapes.

4. heat up a pan with some oil and cook the shaped hambergur stakes.
*first, cook them with stronger fire, once the stakes turned brown, make the fire low, place a lid and cook till they are fully cooked.


**Instructions for the Japanese sauce**



1. shave the radish
2. put radish and all the sauce ingredients into a pot and heat them up.
3. place them on the top of the hambergur steak Y

Saturday 26 September 2009

Classic curry again

I went to IKEA to look for a new quilt :)

After having some hot dogs at IKEA, I went to Classic Curry (Indian Restaurant) again with my boyfriend.

Butter chicken again :)

Friday 25 September 2009

Thank you Darwin

Finally submitted my Darwinism assignment!!




My boyfriend cooked lunch for me Y while I was working on my assignment.




tomato pasta, mashed potatoes and a sausage.




and asparagus Y





The dish especially looks nice with my readings as a background :p

Thursday 24 September 2009

After the fun time... Assignment punishment

assignment assignmenttttt....


I had dinner at Oriental Spoon (Korean restaurant) on the way back from state library in the city.
I ate bibimbap


がんばろー!!

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Japanese Camp ♪

21st-23rd of September was...



Japanese club camp !!



at Mornington Beach (I think?)










It was very cloudy at first, but became really sunny later on.



The beach house we stayed was big and cute:)


and...







This is the evil bush... My housemate and I were lost in this bush for 1 hour...↓↓







A lot of games (table tennis, air hockey,cards, guessing games) and
a lot of drinking and

a lot of funnnnnnn :)


But...

my assignment is due in 2 days...

Sunday 20 September 2009

Miso pork/ 肉そぼろrecipe

**Today's dinner**



*miso pork (肉そぼろ)
*boiled veggie
*niku jyaga (肉じゃが)
*miso soup
*white rice


Miso pork recipe






Ingredients


*minced pork 500g
*carrot 1
*long beans 5
*onin 1
*garlic 1 tea spoon

*soya sauce 3 table spoons
*mirin 2 table spoons
*sugar 2 tea spoons
*miso 4 table spoons




Instructions

1. chop the carrot, long beans and onion into small pieces.

2. heat up a pan with some oil and garlic, cook the pork, then add all the veggies.

3. Once veggies are cooked (wait till carrot becomes softer), add all the sauce ingredients, stir well.




I have to pack for tomorrow's camp Y

Saturday 19 September 2009

Home party


My housemate's friend came over for dinner last night and so My housemate cooked Traditional Taiwaneese food for us :D :D



Starting off with my favorite fried rice, she cooked some chicken dish, pork rib soup, boiled egg (similar to Japanese dish called chawan mushi) and dessert!!

We also had some ume shu (Japanese sake), Gorgerous geisha tea (from T2) and strawberry milk alcohole drink (this didn't go well with food :p but it was nice as a dessert drink).




The food she cooked was all choooo chooo super yummy!



:D:D



After dinner, we watched a Japanese movie "okuribito/ depearture" DVD.




We watched the movie half way through.
After that my housemate and her friend went out for some Taiwaneese night event and I went to my friend's friend's B'day.





We all came back around 1:30 am.


we were so tired but we started chatting in the kitchen and ended up going to bed around 3am .







Then this morning, we all woke up around 8am! So early!





Whenever I drink alcohol, I tend to wake up early. I don't know why...



Anyway,


When I woke up in the morning and went into the kitchen, breakfast was ready for me :D



My housemate prepared breakfast and eventually lunch as well.

she is so sweet!!





After the breakfast, we watched the last half of the Japanese movie "Departure"and we cried a lot!!! (except for my housemate's friend).

We also played soccer, valley ball, basket ball in the living room using my housemate's soft toy (and eventually my neighbour came and complained the noise :p)

We also played cards.

It was a lot of fun!!!


After that, we left our house for Japanese camp meeting dinner :)



We had Korean food for dinner at the meeting.



I love Korean food.

We enjoyed the meal till.... my housemate found some small plastic in our dish... (we shared one dish) aww...






I haven't cooked for 2 days!: )



I'd better finish up my assignment due next week...

It's so sad to have an assignment during holiday...

Friday 18 September 2009

Holiday began

Nice weather again :)





My housemate and I went to some International afternoon tea event held by uni in the afternoon.

This event is meant for Japanese students and local and international students studying Japanese to meet each other.


I met some people from Uni's Japanese club at the afternoon tea and they invited me to join the Japanese club camp coming up this monday! (even though I'm not the member of the club :)





It's actually interesting that most of the Japanese club members are non-Japanese students studying Japanese in uni while other clubs like Chinese clubs, Manalysian clubs or Singaporian clubs are mostly made of people from their own countries. anyway.




I had a good time at the afternoon tea because all the food offered there was awsome!!!!!


I loved sashimi sandwich and coroquette kind of dish.. Y





At night, housemate's friend came over for dinner and she cooked Taiwaneese food for both her friend and me!! yum yum yum...

I didn't need cook anything on my very first holiday :)





Thursday 17 September 2009

my poor glasses

I stepped on my glasses...

fried rice addiction & soya honey chicken recipe

I'm a fried rice addict.






I've been eating fried rice everyday since monday.


Last night, my housemate cooked my favorite fried rice again Y Y

and I had fried rice for today's lunch too.




When I frist came to Melbourne, I used to cook fried rice everyday and gained 8kg.

My mom was so shocked to see me +8kg when I went back to Japan for a holiday.

After that, my mom prohibited me from cooking fried rice everyday.



Since then, maybe for 2 years, I haven't eaten fried rice much.


BUT


My love & passion for fried rice have come back again!!


I'm so addicted to fried rice...






YLast night's dinner Y




*special fried rice cooked by the fried rice master, my housemate
*miso soup
*fresh tomatoes
*soya honey chicken
*chineese cabbage with BBQ sauce


Soya honey chicken recipe





Ingrediets

*chicken breast 200g
*soya suace 2 table spoons
*mirin 1 table spoon
*honey 1 table spoon
*sugar 1 tea spoon
*garlic 1 tea spoon


Instructions

1. cut the chicken into small pieces
2. put all the ingredietns + chopped chicken pieces in a bowl, leave them for a while.
3. heat up a pan with some oil, cook the chicken and the sauce.




Wednesday 16 September 2009

鳥のからあげ弁当/ fried chicken bento lunch box





I brought bento (lunch box) to uni today :)

It was such a nice warm weather!

It's good to have lunch outside on a sunny day like today.



I don't quite like the food in Uni's cafeteria.
So whenever i have to have lunch at uni, I try to bring my own lunch.
If not, I go home during the lunch break and eat lunch at home.
(my house is just 10 mins walk from uni :))



Actually.. I hadn't brought my own lunch to uni for a long time. :(




It's all because my stupid rice cooker.



Whenever I cook rice with my rice cooker, rice becomes so hard that I really have to microwave it before I eat.


But in Uni, I can't use microwave unless I become a member of the student union (they charge me money to be a member)


So, I can't bring my lunch to uni. :(


I guess I can still bring sandwiches, but I prefer having rice for lunch.



well, but the problem is all solved now because my very very nice housemate let me use her rice cooker!

Her rice cooker is so nice.

rice is still soft even after you leave it for a day!!
I can eat it without microwaving it!

I love it Y








Today's lunch















*chicken karaage(Japanese style fried chicken)
*carrots tempura (deep fried carrots)
*white rice with salmon flakes
*chineese cabbage
*grapes
*mochi mochi saltana bread (I made this for the first time. I'll upload the recipe once I practice and come up with the best recipe :p )








***Chicken Karaage recipe***serves 1 or 2






Ingredients

*chicken breast 200g
(I used chicken breasts, but chicken legs are more suitable for karaage because the leg meat is softer. when you use chicken legs, remove the meat from the borns and use it)
*soya sauce 2 table spoons
*sake 1 table spoon
*ginger 1 tea spoon
*dried shaved bonito 1 table spoon

*flour 3-4 table spoons


Instructions

1. put the chicken in a bowl with all the ingredients except for flour. leave it for a while (10-15 mins)

2.pour flour into the same bowl, stir them with spoon.

3. deep fry the chicken (at least 3-4 cm of oil in a pot)

Tuesday 15 September 2009

sashimi and carrot tempura dinner


Today's dinner Y

*Salmon sashimi
*carrots tempura
*miso soup
*white rice





My housemate bought super nice fried rice from some Malaysian shop on a way home today :)

"you should try!" she said.

So, I tried.

It's spicy and so very very addictive!!
I asked her if i could have some more :p

so so good :D

We both love fried rice YY


She also bought some salmon sashimi.





SASHIMI YYYY






We both shared salmon sashimiYYYY

We put too much wasabi !!!


But it was nice.
I hadn't eaten sashimi for so long :)




Carrots tempura recipe





Ingredients

*carrots 2
*flour 3 table spoons
*water 1-2 table spoon

Instructions

1. cut the carrots into small size chunks. put them in a plastic bowl and microwave them for 1 min.

2. put flour and water in, stir well.

3. deep fry in very hot oil (at least 2-3 cm of oil)

eat with soya sauce.






Monday 14 September 2009

Special fried rice dinner



My housemate cooked me fried rice for dinner today YYY !!!!!

I had my orchestra rehearsal as usual tonight (last rehearsal before the break!!) so I came home around 9pm.

It's a bit annoying when I have to cook dinner after I come home from reheasal because it's gonna be really late by the time I get eat dinner. :(

So, I usually cook dinner before the rehearsal.
But today, my housemate smsed me and said

she can cook dinner for me!!



So sweet YYY


and so Today, dinner was already ready for me when I came home YYY

HAPPYYYYY YYY



and and the fried rice she cooked was really really REALLY REALLY YUM!!!!!!!!!


:D :D :D :D :D :D :D


I ate 2 bowls of fried rice!!!

I just couldn't stop eating...



I'm gaining so much weight nowadays... fat fat fat

But who cares.

I love fried rice.

and it was super yummy!!





***We don't have rehearsals during the uni break (2 weeks from next week! yes!) but I really need to practice hard... because our concert is coming up really soon after the break!!

I decided to do sectional practice with my friend during the break :)****

Sunday 13 September 2009

cheesy chicken dinner & happy news

One of my good friends in Japan is getting married this December!!!!!

I'll be in Japan for holiday by then... I can attend her wedding YYYY

Ah such a happy news..... Y



Today, I went to 3zzz radio station in Fitzroy.
It's a community radio station having so many different programs run by different languages.



Japanese radio program is one of them and...


I'll be a member of Japanese radio pragram from next week :)


First I'll start working as a marketing coordinator.



Then, I'll be an announcer too from next year.




Very exciting  




Japanese Radio broadcast
92.3FM Sunday 12:00-13:00


online recorded version
www.3zzz.com.au/staging/programs.html


I'm so happy that suddenly there are so many working oppotunities out there for me : D
I'll do my best!





Today's dinner Y







Cheesy chicken


Ingredients


*chicken breast 1 piece (200g)
*herbs - basil, oregano, 1 tea spoon each.
*tomato ketchup 2 table spoon
*mastard 2 table spoon
*garlic 1 tea spoon
*soya sauce 1 tea spoon
*sake 1 tea spoon

*cheese 1 slice



Instructions



1. open up chicken breast so that you can put cheese later on (don't put the cheese yet)

2. put all the ingredients except for cheese in a bowl. Leave the chicken inside of the sauce for a while.

3. take the chicken out of the bowl, insert the cheese in between the chicken

4. heat up a pan with some oil. cook the chicken. flip over and make both sides of the chiken fiarly brown (make sure the cheese won't come out). medium to low fire

5. close the lid and cook till the chicken is cooked.

Saturday 12 September 2009

cheesy prawns

Today's lunch Y



*cheesy egg prawns
*white rice with a pickled plum
*miso cucumber pickles





★☆Cheesy prawns Recipe ☆★



Ingredients

*egg 1

*frozen prawns about 6

*cheese 1 slice

*Nori (sea weed) 1 piece

*soya sauce 1 table spoon

*garlic 1 tea spoon


Instructions

1. pour boiling water on frozen prawns to defrost them, then get rid of the water.

2. mix all the ingredients with the defrosted prawns.

3. heat up a pan with some sesame oil, cook them just like when you cook scrumbled egg.


Add sweet chilli if you like.







**Today's Herald Sun news article on victorian emergency volunteers ↓↓**

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/our-volunteers-are-there-with-a-helping-hand-whenever-it-is-needed/story-e6frf7kx-1225772106837


It's already spring now in Melb!
I love warm weather YY
But warm weather can be dangerous in Melb.
Because it's very dry here, there's higher risks of bush fire : (

Let's support victorian emergency volunteers by sending messages : )

there's a facebook fun page too!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Victorias-Emergency-Services-Volunteers/127446518987?ref=ts

Friday 11 September 2009

minced cutlet/ メンチカツ



Onions are a bit burned :p
I love cutlets Y
I love deep fried food Y



Today's dinner Y

*Minced cutlet with long green beans (インゲン)healthy!

*wedges

*tuna & mashroom tomato soup

*fresh mini tomatoes

*ume cucumber pickles

*white rice with flakes


Minced cutlet with green beans recipe
(roughtly 10-15 cutlets)

inside of the cutlet

cooking deep fried food can be a bit troublesom. But if you cook deep fried food from scratche at home (rather than buying fried chicken and stuff from shops), it does taste better and it is healthier Y

Ingredients

*minced beef 500g
*onion 1
*long green beans (インゲン)roughly 7
*garlic 1 table spoon
*soya sauce 1 table spoon
*mirin 1 table spoon


*bread crumbs roughly 1 or 2 cups
*egg 2
*flour roughly 1/2 cup


Instructions

1. cut the onion and the beans into small pieces, mix all the ingredients together very well (except for the bread crumbs, the egg and the flour)

2. make round shapes.

3. prepare 3 bowls, put the flour, the egg (stired), the bread crumbs in each bowls.
one by one, put flours around the round shaped meat, then dip into the stired egg, then put bread crumbs.

4. deep fry in the oil. they are cooked once they rise up from the bottom of the pot and float on the oil.

**Eat with Japanese bull dog suace (fruit & veggie sauce) or ketchup
Y

Thursday 10 September 2009

Manly

I'm waiting for my housemate to be home Y

Because... we took away a (looks) very nice japanese cheesecake last night so that we can eat it together today.






Talking about housemate, I remembered that I always wanted to share a house with friends from other countries.


I once studied in English school in Sydney for 1 month when I was 19.
It was before I came to Melbourne.



The school was located just outside of the Manly beach.


Some of my classmates from France and Brazil, they always brought their swim suits and surf boad to class so that they can go to the beach straight after the class.


I leaned not only English but French and Portuguese from my friends :)

I even took up French after I went back to Japan.



My stay in Manly was awesome!!

Except for the fact that I stayed with a host mother who was working full time and always away.

There were some food in the freazer though, I remember I used to buy chips everyday for dinner.


She was a very nice lady though, I knew that my classmates shared a house and lived together, I also wanted to live with them.


But, because my stay in Manly was only 1 month, I didn't have chance to try "house sharing".


I didn't even have a mobile phone at that time (my Japanese phone couldn't be used overseas) and I spent hours waiting for my friends outside of the ferry station when my friends didn't show up for a while. (summer time just started on that day)


Few days before I left Manly, I remember that I discovered a Japanese ramen shop near my English school.

The man making ramen was Japanese and we talked in Japanese.
It was the first and last time I spoke Japanese during my stay in Manly.
I was relaxed.

The ramen tasted very nice.

But more than that, the miso soup which the Japanese man made tasted like real homemade miso soup and reminded me of home.


On the way home (Japan), I promised that I would never ever forget about people I met and things I did with them in Manly.


I promised that I would come back to Australia someday...





And I did :)

Now, I'm studying in Melbourne.

Wednesday 9 September 2009

Taiwaneese restaurant *peko - peko*

I had a long day today.

3 hour tutes, 1 hour internship lecture and 15 mins consultation.

plus, I've been working on some online marketing work.
sleepyyyyy


zzzzzz....




Today, I went to a Taiwaneese restaurant called "peko-peko" for dinner with my housemate.

My housemate is a Taiwaneese :)

About a week ago, she promised me to take me to a real Taiwaneese restaurant because I've never eaten real Tiwaneese food before.

She actually took me to the restaurant before, but it was closed on that day.

:(


But today, I finally ate there Y

:)


The name of the restaurant is "peko-peko" (means hungry in Japanese).

It sounds so easy, but I can never remember its name.
I always make a mistake and call it "mogu-mogu" (munching sound in Japanese)





why...?




Anyway :)



The food there was sooooooooo Good !!!


I especially loved the Taiwaneese sausage
(It's completely different from Australian sausages or Japanese sausages. It's sweet!)


*ah I forgot to take a picture of the sausage!! hmmm next time...



And the dessert was soooooooooooooooooo good too YYYY

black rice + sweet beans + sesame ice cream


It looks a bit "interesting" though, it did taste very very nice YYY
(my dad uses the expression "interesting" when he doesn't like the food he ate)




On our way home, we talked about our childhood dreams and our future.

Both of us are graduating next year, so we have to think what to do after graduation.


When we were small...


She wanted to be a musician.

I wanted to be a piano teacher.

I also wanted to be a school teacher.

She wanted to be a school teacher too.


We both laughed.


Even though I know her for only few weeks, I feel like I've known her for few years.

She is always cheerful and so makes me happy :)

If you think about sharing a house with a stranger in Japan, the whole idea seems so weird and dangerous.

But living with someone, having a housemate is actually a very good experience to have while living overseas.


When we were about to reach our home, she said to me,

"I'm happy to meet you and know you, tomo."


"I'm happy too."


Tuesday 8 September 2009

yaki udon

Today's lunch Y
(I love this picture... looks cute)

*Yaki Udon (fried noodles)

*cabbage miso soup

*grapes





**Grapes were very sweet and cheap in safeway. $4.95 / kg! :)





I bought a Yaki udon package... so the sauce is not my original.



But next time, I'll invent my own sauce for yaki udon!


Yaki udon is easy to make even if you make it from scratch :)

and it's very tastyyyyy Y




I personaly love to have a half cooked egg on the top of the yaki udon.


It has to be half cooked!
and you mix the yolk with the noodles when you eat it Y






Ingredients

*minced pork 50g

*onion 1

*Boiled Udon for 2 people

*Yaki Udon sauce 2 packets

Instructions

1. cut the onion into thin slices.

2. heat up a pan with some oil, cook the pork and onions till onions become soft and transparent.

3. add Udon and 1/3 of water.

4. add the sauce, stir well.

My housemate is taking me to a Taiwaneese restaurant for dinner tomorrow.

Can't waitY

Monday 7 September 2009

Ebi pork fried rice

I love fried rice.




My most favorite fried rice is my grandma's fried rice.



Grandma's fried rice is the best fried rice I've ever eaten in my life YYY



My 2nd most favorite fried rice has to be my mom's niku soboro (miso flavoured minced pork) fried rice and also the Roasted pork fried rice from Rice bar (some Chinese restaurant near Uni).





And then I think this ebi pork fried rice can rank as the 3rd !!!!








Today's lunch Y






Ebi Pork fried rice ☆










and cabbage miso soup ☆
(cabbage becomes soft and sweet Y I love it!)






Ebi pork fried rice Y recipe serves 1


(I thought it serves 2, but I finished everything by myself. It tasted too good :p )






Ingredients


*cooked rice 2 bowls

*soya sauce 1 table spoon

*a bit of salt & pepper




Instructions

1. heat up a pan without oil. place the rice on the pan evenly.

2. sprinkle some sesame oil on rice and stir while cooking to let the oil spread evenly.

3. pour the pork& prawns & soya sauce. Stir well.

4. add the salt & pepper




**I think adding egg will be also nice Y **


Sunday 6 September 2009

Prawns & pork in chicken soup



I bought a packet of frozen prawns the other day!
So, I've been cooking prown dishes... Y



Today's dinner Y


*Prawns & pork in chicken soup
*miso pickled cucumber
*white rice and pickled plum



Prawns & pork in chicken soup recipe serves 2




Ingredients

*frozen prawns 6-10

*minced pork 200g

*onion 1

*chicken soup stock 2 table spoons

*water 1 cup

*soya sauce 1 table spoon

*mirin 1 tea spoon

*corn flour

*chinese chilli 豆板醤 1 table spoon





Instructions

1. chop the onion into small pieces, pour boiling water on prawns to defrost them.

2. heat up a pot with some oil, cook the pork and the onion.

3. add water, the defrosted prawns and chicken soup. Stir first, then leave them till the water boils.

4. once the water is boiled, take out the scum, add soya sauce and mirin. Finally, add the corn flour and the chilli.


Today's dessert is ....






Cookie & Cream ice cream again Y




**It's my mom's birthday today Y Happt birthday mom!! **



Saturday 5 September 2009

roasted veggies&egg risotto

Today's lunch Y
Roasted veggies (tomatoes & red capsicum) & egg risotto




Ingredients

together 1 cup
*cooked rice 2 bowls

*water 1 cup

*Konsome 1 cube

*egg 1

*cheese 1 table spoon-( optional )



Instructions

1. pour the water and rice into a pot, cook them till the water boils and the rice gets soft.

2. add Konsome, stir well.

3. add the veggies, stir well.

4. add egg, stir well.

(5. add cheese stir well.)


If you add cheese, it tastes more rich and thick.

If you don't add cheese, it tastes more refreshing.

I like both waysY





Today's dessert Y




Cookie & Cream Ice creamYYY


My favorite!!!!