066 - Onsen Tamago!

Whenever I wake up in Japan, all I can think of is the delicious food I’m about to have for breakfast. and for lunch. and for dinner. and for supper. and this won't ever stop lol.

Just so happens that it just happened to me last week. Surprise people! I went AWOL to Japan lol.

Anyway, as usual, the food was great, the atmosphere was awesome (hate the torrential rain though, they’re nasty), and I got a lot of things I loved. What do I loved? You know, anime stuff, and…FOOD. Just look at THESE

Evangelion Sachiel Bun! - USJ Osaka

The filling of the above bun; PIZZA!

Takeaway bento from Shin-Osaka station and Starbucks Sakura Latte

The most famous Takoyaki at Dotombori - Osaka

Grilled Mackarel, Icefish tempura, pickles - Tokyo

Sweet potato, Tamagoyaki, Radish Salad, Kelp Salad - Tokyo

Hijiki Rice with Natto and Tororo - Tokyo

Anko Cat Taiyaki - Tokyo

The BEST Menchi Katsu ever! - Tokyo

Yakitori - Tokyo

Harajuku Crepes! - Tokyop

Japanese parfait - Tokyo

Breakfast - Osaka

Breakfast - Tokyo

Breakfast (again) - Tokyo

COFFEE JELLY OMG - Tokyo

Breakfast (AGAIN) - Tokyo

Tempura Udon - Tokyo

Black Sesame Seed Ice Cream - Tokyo

Dango! - Tokyo

Turkey Legs! - Tokyo

Grilled Crab Legs - Kyoto

Spicy Chicken Katsu Kare! - Tokyo

Hot Soba with Chikuwa Tempura - Tokyo

FRESHEST STRAWBERRY I EVER ATE - Tokyo

Hot Soba with Extra Rice and Fried ..(i forgot what it was) - Tokyo

Kitsune Soba! - Tokyo

Takeaway bento, 9 flavors - Osaka

Chicken Katsu Kare - Tokyo

Beef Bowl with Extra Onsen Eggs - Tokyo

Salty Vanila Ice Cream - Tokyo

Breakfast (AGAAINN) - Tokyo

Grilled Mochi - Kyoto

I was lucky to savor a lot of great food Japanese has to offer. Just so happens that a lot of that food was during breakfast time. You see, I was staying at Akihabara Washington Hotel, and they have an awesome array of Japanese food for breakfast. If you’re more of a continental breakfast kinda fella, you’re in for a bad time.

Back to the topic, so the hotel had all these eggs. They have regular, omelette, and, my favorite, soft boiled onsen style. Onsen is term used by the Japanese to refer to the Hot Springs. The water at an Onsen has always been a steady 60-70 degrees centigrade or so. Some genius came up with an idea to cook eggs with the Onsen water, and guess what? Culinary awesomeness was born.

Onsen Tamago (Tamago is Japanese for eggs, if you don’t know that already) is characterized by its silky whites and soft yolk. This is perfect for people who want to poach eggs without the hustle!

For 2 servings, you will need;

·         2 Eggs. Keep them refrigerated.

·         Water. Enough to keep the eggs submerged. and an extra 200 ml of Room Temperature Water

·         Ice. To be used later after cooking

Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Fill a large pot with water, and set it to boil over the stove.

Step 2 – Once the water boils, take it off the heat, and add 200 ml of Room Temperature water, and put the Eggs in. Set the timer for 12 minutes PRECISELY. Cover, and let sit.

Step 3 – After 12 minutes had passed, transfer the eggs into ice water to cool for another 3 minutes.

Step 4 – SERVE!!

If THAT ain’t easy, then I don’t know what is! This is seriously one of the easiest egg recipe around! I love to enjoy this over a bowl of steaming hot rice, give it a dash of soy sauce, sprinkle some green onion, and BOOM. Orgasmic taste.

Ever wonder how the egg texture is like? Savor this

Give this a go, and let me know how it turns out!

Cheers

xx

048 - Vanilla Panna Cotta

Hey Sweetie! Let me put some sugar on yer lips!

Yes, this week recipe is, well, you guessed it, DESSERT!

Let me introduce you to the wonder that is... 

VANILLA PANNA COTTA. 

Panna Cotta is an Italian dessert made by basically cooking cream and sugar. The real recipe is said to have the mixture cooked in a bain-marie on a low temperature. But this method is hard. Like, Halo 4 ‘Legendary’ difficulty HARD.

So, in order to make it easier, a lot of restaurant outside of Italy basically made Panna Cotta by cooking Milk, Cream, Sugar and Gelatin and letting it set in the fridge before serving, resulting in a very wobbly looking but fine tasting Dessert.

I tried out this recipe because it just so happens that I found a Halal. Yes, you read that right. HALAL Gelatin Sheets!! This is not a sponsored message, but I got it at Grand Lucky Superstore at SCBD, and I haven’t found it anywhere else. 

But but, if you can’t find one, you can use the widely available Agar. Bear with me though; the result will be a lot firmer and less wobbly.

============================

For 1 Servings, you will need:

50 ml of Whole Milk

150 ml of Cooking Cream

1 ¼ tbsp of Sugar

1 tbsp of Vanilla Extract

1 Sheet of Gelatine (Can be substituted with 1 tsp of Agar Agar)

=============================

Ready? Here We Go!

Step 1 – Get a sauce pan on medium heat. Pour your milk, cream, and sugar. Let it come to a simmer. This should take around 2-3 minutes.

Pour your cream/milk mixture in. Hmm hmm.

Sugar goes in

Stir!

Step 2 – Once the liquid starts to simmer; add the vanilla extract and grab your Gelatin and mix it with the liquid. It should melt right away. You can use a whisk to ensure the mixture blend completely.

Vanilla

Gelatin action

Step 3 – Pour it into a mold, and let it harden in the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

Step 4 – To knock the Panna Cotta out of it's mold, dip it in hot water for around 30 seconds to loosen the edges. After that, grab a sharp knife, slowly stab and run along the edges to loosen it. and...VOILA!

Step 5 - Serve!

Panna Cotta is definitely one of the creamiest desserts ever. Pair this with a Stawberry Coulis and you got yourself a party!

Cheers

xx