Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japanese. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Taiyaki


Most of the time if I hit down to Takashimaya, I will buy some Taiyaki from Mr. Obanyaki located at basement 2. So far I think is the best taiyaki I have try among other store having selling too but not as tasty as their. The filling is generous and the price is definitely reasonable and affordable.

I'm so curious to make my own Taiyaki too after I saw some blogger post some home make using the Taiyaki mold but sadly I can't find any in Singapore so I went to taobao and bought one. After I received my new toys, I went google and search for recipe. The only recipe I found is from this popular youtube video name cookingwithdog.
Recipe with video guide: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD7JjeupVt0&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PLAA05E501B9175B11


I try the recipe given and follow exactly the ingredients stated, the Taiyaki taste slightly crisp and nice when it is fresh and hot when it's done but it will turn hard and masticate when is cool off. I throw the rest into the bin because I doubt nobody in my family will help to clear.

I try the second time again and modify the recipe myself and yet I get the same result again, a tough and hard Taiyaki. After that I gave up and keep the mold for months without using it because I can't find any good Taiyaki recipe. For what I know, pancake recipe can be use for this Taiyaki too.


I happen to found a book name called 卖甜点完整配方 at the Clementi National Library. In the book contain the top 5 famous street dessert - Imagawayaki (車輪餅), Eggy cake (雞蛋糕), Eggy shape waffle(雞蛋仔), Dorayaki (銅鑼燒) and Taiyaki (鯛魚燒). Without hesitate I borrow this book back home happily.

I try the taiyaki recipe and finally I manage to dish up a decent of Taiyaki. The taiyaki is so spongy, fragrant and most importantly it does not turn hard when it is cold. It still taste soft and delicious the next day. I'm so surprise with the result of this recipe. Now I have no excuse to keep the mold quietly. =p

I haven't try the other recipe as I don't have the mold. The next one I would like to try will be 雞蛋仔 after I manage to get the mold on hand first.

Is not easy to get a nice and good taiyaki shape because the mold I bought is not the electric type, is a portable mold that need to cook under the stove and controlling the fire is quite a challenging task. I was sweating away while standing in front of the stove to make sure taiyaki is not burn. I try and did my best to make the appearance look like the commercial made. Hahaha!

Recipe source from a book: 卖甜点完整配方 
Can be bought online at: http://www.books.com.tw/exep/prod/booksfile.php?item=0010437041

Ingredients A:
- 200gm eggs
- 100gm sugar

Ingredients B:
- 100gm cake flour
- 40gm potato starch
- 4gm baking powder

Ingredients C:
- 50gm vegetable oil

Ingredients D (Filling of your choice):
- Red bean paste / Azuki bean paste
- Chocolate / Nutella
- Kaya / Jam

Method:
  1. Sift all the ingredients B in a bowl.
  2. Using a electric hand mixer and whisk the egg in a bowl, add the sugar gradually and whisk till batter turn pale and light colour.
  3. Add in the flour mixture into step 2 and mix with a spatula. Follow by the oil.
  4. Let the batter rest for 30 minute.
  5. After 30 min, heat up the mold under the stove in low-medium heat. Brush a thin layer of oil and clean away the excess oil from the mold using kitchen towel paper (this is to prevent the surface of the cake will have a patch of uneven colour tone look). *It's okay to leave the oil without wipping away if you don't mind of the uneven taiyaki colour tone look.  
  6. Pour the batter on the mold, put the desired filling on the batter and let it cook until small bubbles start to appear, pour another layer of batter on top of the fillings and cover the mold.
  7. Flip the mold over the other side and let it cook for about 3 min. Open up the handlers and have a peek of the taiyaki to check if is cook. Cook until taiyaki turn slightly brown.
  8. Remove from the mold and serve it while is still hot / warm.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Tonkatsu Ma Maison


I always walk pass Mandarin Gallery building when I go to town but I seldom go inside the mall. So one of the weekend while I was shopping at town so I decided to discover this mall. Well inside the mall has more branded shop and is not really crowded at all. I like the cozy and peaceful surrounding in this mall.



Walking around and I found a few restaurant which I want to give it a try. The first choice is this Ma Maison because the main highlight of the food is PORK. I love eating pork especially tonkatsu. I like the crispy texture and chewy thick meat. But not all Japanese restaurant serve good tonkatsu.



I was surprise that all the server are Japanese, how I knew it because of their essence when they talk. Appetizer was serve after the drink and is a grinded radish. I don't really like the raw radish taste even after I pour some soya sauce on it still didn't like it.


Upon arrive, on the table there are some seasoning sauce. Sesame salad sauce, spicy and sweet sauce. The spicy sauce is not spicy at all and I find it quite salty, I prefer more on the sweet sauce drip on my tonkatsu.

Jumbo Hire Katsu (S$29.80) come with a set of rice, soup and a dessert.

Tokusen Kurobuta Rosu (Black Pig) (S$31.80) come with a set of rice, soup and a dessert.

 
My friend suggest we shall order a hire katsu (fillet) and a black pig katsu (Loin) so we can taste the different. That's a good idea. The hire katsu is more tender, bigger (portion) and less fat. The rosu katsu (Loin) is more tough, it contain more fat and of course more juicy.
 
After all we prefer the hire katsu (fillet) because of the tender meat. Actually we should order both fillet (one hire and one black pig) so we can compare the tenderness of the meat but we realize that after we finish our meal.
 
Tonkatsu Ma Maison
333A Orchard Road
Mandarin Gallery
#02-35/36
Tel: 6733 4541
 
Operating Hours:
Mondays to Fridays: 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm
Saturdays, Sunday & P.H.: 11am – 10pm


Wednesday, June 5, 2013

SUN with MOON Japanese Dining & Cafe


I went online and search for a restaurant in orchard which I haven't try before. So I found this with good recommendation from the diner comment in blog and some other website all about food. We went on a weekend Saturday to this restaurant for dinner with my bff. I made a reservation a few days before I visit and I glad Sun with Moon allow reservation.
 
 
I like the ambient in that restaurant. The seat they gave us is roomy even though there are only 2 of us (see the pic above). The sofa seat come with pillows. I place the pillow behind my back and when I lead back I feel so cosy and relax. Shiok..
 
 
The service is pretty good, there is a waiter stand in that particular place to serve that area of diner. This is the first time I saw such service, normally in any restaurant the server need to attend to the entire diner in that restaurant. However when the food serve to us is not that incharge waiter, is another waiter serve the food to us. 
 

Different kind of utensil already place on the table so up to your choice of using traditional chopstick with clay spoon or fork and spoon.


Upon the food was serve to us by this nice and friendly waiter ask if we are first time dine in here and yes we are. So he told us how it goes, this mini glass hour placed on top of the bowl with the lid cover on, just wait for the sand to flow down until the top bulb is empty (about 1 minute) and the food is ready for consume. Isn't interesting? Hee hee perhaps to me.

Saba Salmon KM + Soup $22.80 & Salmon Tori KM + Soup S$19.80
The centre of the jar is actually filled with the soup but the soup is rather too little. It will be good if the soup can be refill. There are two ways of enjoying this food. First mix up all the ingredient with the rice and than you can either eat it just it is (dry version) or you can pour the soup into the mixed rice (soup version) according to the waiter explanation.

Overall the food is delicious. I like the rice is very fragrant and is not just white rice. I think they added some ingredient and cook together. Definitely will come back again for Japanese cuisine.

SUN with MOON Japanese Dining & Cafe @ Wheelock
501 Orchard Road
#03-15
Singapore 238880

Operating Hours:
Sun - Thu: 12:00 - 23:00
PH: 12:00 - 23:00
Fri - Sat: 12:00 - 23:30
Eve of PH: 12:00 - 23:30