Zaru Soba 日式蕎麥涼麵

Let’s slurp the simplicity of chilled soba noodles with just a handful of ingredients and minimal cooking time. It’s a light and refreshing delight that’s simply delicious!

Curious about the term “Zaru (ざる)”? It’s a nod to the traditional bamboo tray or strainer used to serve these chilled noodles. This handy tool allows excess water to drain away, ensuring your noodles stay cool and perfectly textured. (While I may not have a bamboo soba strainer, I’ve found an easy-cleaning alternative that helps me recreate this perfect cold soba dish.) And stay tuned for more refreshing cold noodle content! ✨

INGREDIENTS
- 1-2 bundles of soba noodles
- Seaweed flakes for garnish
- Ice cubes to serve (optional)

TO MAKE DIPPING SAUCE
-3 tbsp soy sauce
-2 tbsp mirin
-1 tbsp sake (or cooking wine)
-12 tbsp cold water

OTHER INGREDIENTS FOR DIPPING SAUCE
- Grated ginger
- Spring onion
- Sesame seeds

METHOD
1. Cook soba noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes (according to packaging instructions). Once cooked, drain and rinse under running cold water to get rid of the excess starch.

2. Transfer the rinsed soba noodles to a large bowl of iced water and let them chill for a few minutes. Drain and set aside.

3. Prepare the dipping sauce by combining soy sauce, mirin, sake, and cold water.

4. Serve soba noodles with dipping sauce on the side. Add ginger, spring onion, and sesame seeds to the sauce. Dip soba noodles into the sauce and enjoy!

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Hainanese Chicken Rice 海南雞飯

Originating from the Hainan province in China, Hainanese Chicken Rice features tender, juicy poached chicken and fragrant rice cooked in a flavourful chicken stock. While it's a staple in Hainan, it's also widely enjoyed across Southeast Asia, with each region adding its own unique twist to the recipe.

I'm excited to share my homemade version with you here. While it may seem complex, it's actually quite straightforward to make at home. The key lies in careful preparation. Once you have all your ingredients ready, the cooking process comes together seamlessly! I couldn't resist devouring all three chicken thighs in one sitting - the flavours were just that good! 😋

 

INGREDIENTS

- 3 chicken thighs (about 580g)

- 3g lemongrass

- A few pieces of Lime leaves (or pandan leaves if you have)

- 5 slices of ginger

- A pinch of sea salt

- 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine

- 2 tsp dashi powder

- 3 tbsp chopped spring onion

- 1 tbsp Turmeric powder

- 1 tsp Galangal paste

- 1200ml water

- Sliced cucumbers (optional)

 

METHOD

 

1. Fill a large pot with water and add spring onions, lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger slices, salt, galangal paste, dashi powder, turmeric powder, and Shaoxing wine. Stir to combine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

 

2. Once boiling, gently submerge the chicken thighs into the water, lifting them in and out a few times. Once the water starts bubbling, cover with a lid and simmer on the lowest heat for 8-10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it sit covered for 30 minutes.

 

3. After 30 minutes, transfer the cooked chicken thighs to an ice bath for 10 minutes to halt the cooking process and give the skin its desired texture. Reserve the poaching liquid (chicken stock) for later use.

 

To check for doneness, insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the drumstick; if the juices run clear, it's cooked through.

 

4. Remove the chicken from the ice bath and drain well. Use a sharp knife to debone the chicken thighs.

 

5. In a rice cooker, combine jasmine rice with the reserved chicken stock (maintaining a ratio of 1 part rice to 1.25 parts liquid) and cook according to the rice cooker's instructions.

 

6. While the rice is cooking, prepare the dipping sauces.

 

7. Once the rice is ready, serve the sliced chicken alongside the cooked rice, accompanied by cucumbers (optional) and prepared dipping sauces. Enjoy your Hainan Chicken!

 

GINGER & SPRING ONION SAUCE

- 2 tbsp finely chopped ginger

- 3 tbsp finely chopped spring onion

- Salt for seasoning

- 5 tbsp hot oil

 

Combine the finely chopped ginger and spring onion in a heatproof dish. Heat the oil in a small pan until hot. Pour the hot oil over the ginger and spring onion mixture, season salt and stir well to combine.

 

CILLI SAUCE

- 1 tbsp finely chopped chilli

- 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic

- 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

- 1 tbsp chicken stock with oil layer (from poaching chicken)

 

Combine the above ingredients and mix thoroughly.

 

SWEET SOY SAUCE

- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

- 1 tbsp chicken stock (from poaching chicken)

- 1 tsp sugar

 

Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat, add dark soy sauce, chicken stock, and sugar. Stir until combined.

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Cold Peanut Sesame Noodles 花生麻醬冷麵

This is one of my popular posts on instagram and I know you all love it! SAVE this mouthwatering cold noodle recipe to chill out this summer.

INGREDIENTS

-1 pack Asian noodles of your choice

-Cucumber strips (optional)

-Sesame seeds to garnish

 

FOR THE SAUCE

-1 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean red pepper powder)

-1 tbsp sesame seeds

-1 tbsp chopped spring onion

-1 tbsp chopped garlic

-2-3 tbsp vegetable oil

-2-3 tbsp soy sauce

-1 tbsp white vinegar

-2 tbsp peanut sesame paste

-2 tbsp water

 

Feel free to adjust the ratio for your liking.

 

In this recipe, I used Taiwanese peanut sesame paste (花生麻醬). You can easily find other similar peanut sesame paste options in most Oriental supermarkets. Alternatively, regular peanut butter can be used as a substitute. Not recommend using Tahani as I feel its flavour is quite different.

 

 

METHOD

1. In a heatproof bowl, combine Gochugaru, sesame seeds, spring onion, and garlic.

2. Heat 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil over medium high heat until it shimmers, then pour the hot oil over the spice mixture.

3. Add soy sauce and white vinegar to the spice mixture, stirring well until thoroughly combined.

4. In a separate bowl, mix peanut sesame paste with water until smooth. Adjust the water amount to achieve the desired sauce consistency.

5. Combine peanut sesame sauce with spice mixture sauce together.

6. Cook noodles until al dente, then rinse them in ice-cold water to halt the cooking process. Drain the noodles and place them in a noodle bowl.

7. Pour the sauce over the noodles. Top the dish with cucumber and sprinkle additional sesame seeds before serving. Enjoy!

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You can also pour this mouthwatering sauce over steamed vegetable like this. It's an ultimate sauce!

Taiwanese Style Seafood & Noodles Stir-Fry / Squid Chow Mein 台式章魚炒麵

Introducing another delicious but lesser known Taiwanese dish - Taiwanese Style Seafood & Noodles Stir-Fry 台式海鮮炒麵

 

Taiwan is an island in the Pacific Ocean with a strong fishing heritage, so Taiwanese people eat seafood a lot and love it so much. Seafood & noodles stir-fry is a very common and stable dish that you can order at roadside markets or local restaurants, the ingredients usually consist of various types of seafood together such as prawns, squid or octopus, sometimes with pork strips. (海陸炒麵)

 

Since I just bought a pack of squid legs from my local butcher, I decided to replicate this local well-loved Taiwanese cuisine at home. It’s saucy, satisfying to eat, full of umami; the squid legs tasted great with sweet and svoury flavour and I do love it! Just can’t wait to make it again soon.

 

I referred to the recipe from @e.g.kitchen but modified the ingredients a bit. Highly recommend to use ‘You Mian’油麵 (Taiwanese style yellow noodle) for making this dish if possible. Here I chose Japanese yakisoba to substitute Taiwanese You Mian as it has similar looks.

 

INGREDIENTS (Serving 2)

-270g squid legs, add salt to release slime and rinse off with water.

-1/2 carrot, julienned.

-1/2 onion, sliced.

-4 cloves garlic, sliced.

-1 pak choi, sliced.

-2 packs yakisoba.

-50ml rice cooking wine.

-200ml water.

-2 tbsp soy sauce.

-1 tbsp oyster sauce

-1/2 tsp white pepper

-1 tbsp vinegar

 

METHOD⁠⁠

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat, add carrots, garlic and onion slices, stir fry until softened and fragrant.

2. Add squid legs and rice cooking wine, cook over high heat until evaporated.

3. Add water, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and white pepper, cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add pak choi and noodles, stir well until softened. (about a further 2-3 minutes)

5. Add vinegar (optional) and remove from the heat, serve on a plate and enjoy!

 

 

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Sesame Bottoms 芝麻底煎餃

Who doesn’t love Crispy Bottoms? I mean, you gotta love it! Making dumpling skirt/wings is always my favourite cooking way when having pan-fried dumplings but today I am showing you another tip to enjoy a golden crust...with sesame seeds.

 

I first saw this idea from Clerkenwellboy's post and I know I had to make it. These sesame seeds on bottoms actually looked so gorgeous, they’d taste good with beautiful nutty flavour and satisfying crunch, I absolutely loveed it and will be making them more often. Just SAVE this and give it a try later!

 

INGREDIENTS

-Gyoza or dumplings of your choice (I use frozen prawn gyoza)

-Plain flour and water to make a thin batter.⁠

-Sesame seeds.

-Spring onions and chillies (optional) to garnish.

 

METHOD

1. Dip the gyoza or dumpling bottom in batter, then coat with sesame seeds.

2. Heat sufficient oil in a non-stick pan over medium heat, add gyoza in a single layer and cook until bottom begins to brown.

3. Flip and add water to cover around 1/4 of gyozas’ height, cook with a lid until water has evaporated. (About few minutes.)

4. Sprinkle with spring onions and chillies, serve with a dipping sauce.

 

Watch my Reels to see the tutorial!

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Natto Rice Bowl 納豆蓋飯

Have you tried Natto?

 

Natto is famous Japanese superfood, made from fermented soybeans and is often eaten for breakfast in Japan. Some people might find natto unappetizing at first glance due to its pungent smell and weird texture, it’s just like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. I remember my first time trying natto was when I had a traditional Japanese breakfast in Japan, since I have seen it a lot on many Japanese food/cooking shows, I was quite familiar with natto and just loved it on my first bite! Yes, the texture is slimy, stinky, sticky and maybe with a bit funky smell (However, strong-flavoured cheese is smellier to me.) but at the same time the taste that fermentation brings is unique, natto is also super nutritious loaded with vitamins, probiotics and rich in protein.

 

If you are interested to find out how it tastes like, you can get prepacked natto from Japanese or some Asian grocery stores. Best to eat it with a simple bowl of rice first. I love mixing natto with spring onion and raw egg, this is also a very classic mixture to enjoy natto with rice. So just being open mind to give this iconic taste a try, you probably would get addicted like me!

 

INGREDIENTS

-Steamed rice

-Store bought pack natto (thawed)

-1 egg yolk

-Finely chopped spring onions.

-Sesame seeds to garnish

 

SAUCES (Optional)

-Soy sauce

-Mustard

-Sesame oil

 

PREPARATIONS

1. Open natto package, stir in the included soy sauce and mustard, mix thoroughly with chopsticks.

2. Stir in chopped spring onions.

3. Add more sauces if you need more flavour.

4. Serve over rice with an egg yolk and more spring onions, garnish with sesame seeds.

 

 

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Watermelon Onigiri 西瓜飯糰

I know summer in London is unlike any other in the world but this year…the heat was on for one week only and the autumn is coming, can you believe that? And I have been wanting to make this Watermelon Onigiri, not sure if I still have chance for summer picnic but I do need to get my hands on it, otherwise this post would be set for next summer…in 2022.

 

INGREDIENTS

-Cooked short grain rice

-Pink vinegar mixture from radish pickles

-Aonori seaweed 

-Roasted black sesame seeds

 

The ingredients are simple. I use pink vinegar mixture from my homemade radish pickles to colour the onigiri. (Add less water than usual when cooking the rice to avoid watery while mixing with the pink vinegar.) Alternatively, you can mix the rice with Mentaiko明太子(cod roe), kimchi, or salmon seasoning to give it a shade of red. Shape it in triangle and leave the bottom with white rice. (Onigiri mold just made my life easier here!) Cover the bottom part with dried seaweed and decorate some black sesame seeds on top in the end. Aren’t they just looking so lovely?

 

Hope these onigiri cuteness would bring the summer back. At least once before autumn kicks it off.

 

Also here is the Reels to show you how I made it!

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