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Matcha and Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

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Now that everyone has been baking bread during this crazy pandemic, we wanted to try this trend too. However, we wanted to bake a bread that is not so easy for us to get in our city – a Matcha and Milky Japanese Fluffy Bread. We’ve been reminiscing about our trip to Japan a lot and even have been planning to go back next year if life allows us. But in the meantime… Here’s our bread recipe

Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

We are definitely not bakers. Baking is an exact science and most of the time, we end up with a headache. So for this recipe, we decided to follow a recipe we found on youtube here and it turned out so good! We recommend following the video, it makes it so much easier to make and not end up with a disaster!

Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

As she explains in the video, the “Tangzhong” is crucial for this recipe. It’s what makes the bread so fluffy and soft, typical for a Japanese bread. You should cook your tangzhong mixture until you can see the lines of your whisk when you mix it.

Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread.

For the shape of your loaf, there is so many different ways to bake it. I decided to make a braided loaf, because I personally think it just looks nice and more put together, but feel free to use any technique you want.

Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

To get those layers of Matcha in your bread loaf, you will need to fold the dough and roll it multiple times. I fold it a total of 3 times, and I think it’s the perfect amount. It ended up looking very nice and fluffy!

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Matcha and Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 1 Loaf

Ingredients

Tangzhong

  • 1/3 cup bread flour can be replaced by all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup water

Bread Dough

  • 2 1/2 cup bread flour can be replaced by all-purpose flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp instant yeast
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 tangzhong
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 1/2 tbsp matcha power
  • 1 egg
  • sesame seeds optional

Instructions

For the Tangzhong

  1. Mix flour and water together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan until there is no lumps.

  2. Put your stove on medium heat and stir constantly your tangzhong mixture until it thickens. You should be able to see lines when you pass through you whisk in the mixture.

  3. When the tangzhong is ready, turn off the heat and transfer to a bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let cool completetly.

For the Bread Dough

  1. In your stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, and instant yeast. Once mixed, make a well in the middle and pour in your milk, egg and about 2/3 of the tangzhong mixture you made earlier.

  2. Using a spatula, mix all ingredients together until combined. Then, add the butter and attach your bowl to your stand mixer.

  3. Using the hook attachment, knead the dough on medium speed for around 10-15 minutes. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Your dough will be ready once you are able to gently strech your dough until translucid but without breaking it.

  4. Once your dough is ready, form a round ball and cut in 2. Make sure one of the half is a little bit bigger than the other one. Place back the smaller half in the mixer, and add your matcha powder. Mix again with the hook attachment until combined.

    Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

  5. Place each half in a seperate bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

  6. Once the dough has doubled, roll each of your dough the biggest you can, about 1/4 inch in thickness. Place the matcha half on top of the bigger half.

    Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

  7. Fold in the sides of the plain dough to form a rectangle. Roll your dough.

    Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

  8. Fold both sides and roll your dough again.

    Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

  9. Fold in half and roll your dough one last time to form a long rectangle.

  10. With a sharp knife, slide your dough in 3 long sections, but ensure to avoid cutting all the way to the top. All 3 sections should still be attached together. Braid the three sections and place in a well greased load pan. Cover with a plastic wrap and let rest for another hour.

    Matcha Milk Japanese Fluffy Bread

  11. Brush your eggwash on top of your loaf and sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Bake in the oven at 325F for 30 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into your loaf.

Spicy Garlic Fried Rice

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Spicy Garlic Fried Rice Recipe

This spicy garlic fried rice ticks all the boxes. It’s delicious, tasty, easy and fast to make, and so so satisfying to eat!

This fried rice is Japanese-style and is usually eaten on the side with other dishes. But if you’re feeling lazy, you can definitely eat it on its own.

What makes this fried rice a bit more unique than others is the addition of fried garlic chips that gives a burst of strong garlic flavours that leave you wanting for more!

In this spicy garlic fried rice, we also added dashi powder, an ingredient idea that we got from our favourite favourite Youtube/online chef ever, Pailin from Hot Thai Kitchen! Her recipe for garlic fried rice also inspired us to make our own spicy version!

Spicy Garlic Fried Rice Recipe

The idea of adding Dashi powder to fried rice is brilliant! It adds so much umami and flavour to the dish. And if you’re familiar with dashi, the aroma it adds to any dish is just so amazing! So thank you Pailin, our fellow Canadian food blogger, for the idea to add dashi powder to fried rice!

This spicy garlic fried rice recipe is super easy, super delicious, and you can customize it all you want by adding any kind of protein of your liking. We hope you enjoy and happy eating!

Spicy Garlic Fried Rice Recipe
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Spicy Garlic Fried Rice

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 head garlic 1/2 chopped, 1/2 sliced thinly
  • 3 tbsp canola oil to fry garlic chips
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp dashi powder
  • 1 tbsp hot water
  • 2 tbsp canola oil to stir-fry the fried rice
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp crushed cayenne pepper
  • 3 whole eggs
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 5 cups cooked white rice
  • chives for topping

Instructions

  1. To make the fried garlic chips, heat 3 tbsp of canola oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once it is hot (you can check if it's ready by putting in one small slice of garlic to see if it sizzles), throw in the thinly sliced garlic and fry for about 1-2 minutes, or until slightly golden brown. Quickly remove from heat and set aside on a strainer or kitchen paper to cool.

  2. To make the sauce, dissolve 1 1/2 tsp of dashi powder in 1 tbsp of hot water in a small bowl. Add in the soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder and combine well. Set aside.

  3. Beat the eggs in a bowl and set aside.

  4. In a large wok or frying pan, heat 2 tbsp of canola oil and 1 tbsp unsalted butter over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted and started bubbling, add in the chopped garlic and stir-fry until the garlic is tender and fragrant. Add in the crushed cayenne pepper and stir-fry for about 15 seconds. Add in the cooked white rice, mix well and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the sauce mixture and mix well until well combined and the rice is uniformly coated with the sauce. Stir-fry for another minute and push all the rice towards one side of the wok or pan. Throw in the beaten eggs into the empty side of the pan and let cook for about 30 seconds. Once the eggs are about 3/4 cooked, scramble it and combine with the fried rice and mix well. Season with salt and sugar and mix well. Remove from heat.

  5. To serve, transfer fried rice into a large bowl and top with fried garlic chips and chopped chives.

Cheeseburger Spring Rolls

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Cheeseburger Spring Rolls Recipe

This cheeseburger spring roll is definitely of the most epic fusion recipes! Tender, flavourful ground beef, onions, pickles, tomatoes, and delicious melty cheddar cheese wrapped in crispy, light spring roll wrapper. This is too yummy and THE perfect dinner party appetizer to serve! It’ll definitely get your guests super interested and be the talk of the party!

This recipe is super simple, and all you need to know is how to roll a spring roll properly, which we describe with pictures in the recipe!

Cheeseburger Spring Rolls Recipe

What makes this spring roll a cheeseburger spring roll is obviously the filling, which consists of ground beef, onions, pickles, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese. And just like a cheeseburger, the filling is completely customizable to your liking. If you like a lot of onions or pickles, then you can add more. If you like it very cheesy, then the more the better!

And if you want to make the whole dish taste even more like a cheeseburger, you can eat the spring roll wrapped in a Romaine lettuce leaf and dip in some ketchup. So good!

Cheeseburger Spring Rolls Recipe

This cheeseburger spring roll is such a great fusion appetizer dish, and is definitely an easy favourite in a dinner party! We hope you enjoy and happy eating!

Cheeseburger Spring Rolls Recipe
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Cheeseburger Spring Rolls

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 16 spring rolls

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb ground beef
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 cup onions chopped into small cubes
  • 1 tbsp canola oil to cook the beef and onions
  • 1/3 cup pickles chopped into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup tomatoes chopped into small cubes
  • 1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
  • 16 spring roll wrappers we used 215 mm X 215 mm wrappers
  • canola oil for frying
  • 1/2 Romaine lettuce optional, for a side
  • ketchup for a sauce

Instructions

  1. To make the filling, in a bowl, combine the ground beef, soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, brown sugar, white pepper, salt, cornstarch and chopped onions and mix well.

  2. Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a frying pan over medium high heat and add in the ground beef mixture. Stir-fry and cook while also breaking the ground beef into little, separate pieces with the edge of a spatula. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or until the beef is fully cooked and the onions are tender. Remove from heat, transfer to a large mixing bowl, and let cool for about 5 minutes.

  3. Add the chopped pickles and chopped tomatoes into the bowl of ground beef filling and mix well.

  4. To assemble a spring roll, lay a spring roll wrapper on a flat, clean surface as pictured. Add 2 tbsp of the ground beef filling mixture and spread it evenly along the lower side of the wrapper, as pictured.

  5. Sprinkle some cheddar cheese evenly on top of the filling, as pictured.

  6. Roll the wrapper starting from the bottom corner, up towards the filling and tuck the bottom corner tight underneath the filling, as pictured.

  7. Continue rolling tightly until about halfway up the wrapper. Fold in the left and right sides of the wrapper towards the center, as pictured. Make sure it is well folded for a tighter, clewaner spring roll.

  8. Wet the upper corner with a little bit of room temperature water. Continue rolling the wrapper tightly up towards the upper corner, as pictured. The water in the upper corner of the wrapper should help you seal the spring roll.

  9. Repeat steps 4 to 8 for each spring roll until all the fillings are used. You can also use more cheese if you prefer it more cheesy.

  10. Heat oil in a deep pan or frying pot over medium heat. Add enough oil to be able to submerge and deep fry the spring rolls. Once the oil is hot enough (you can test by dipping a wooden chopstick into the oil and see if there are bubbles forming around it, or by putting a small piece of the spring roll wrapper and see of it bubbles), add in the spring roll by batches, depending on how big is your frying pan and how many you can fit. Make sure not to overcrowd the frying pan. Fry the spring rolls for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden and while occasionally rolling each of them in the oil to get an even golden color all around each spring roll. Remove from heat and use a cooling rack to cool the spring rolls or lay them on a plate lined with kitchen paper.

  11. Serve the spring rolls with some Romaine lettuce (optional) and ketchup.

Fried Spam Musubi Rice Dog

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Fried Spam Musubi Rice Dog Recipe

This Fried Spam Musubi Rice Dog is a such a fun fusion dish and a perfect party food! Crispy panko crust, fluffy soft white rice inside, and salty savoury ham in the center. All this goodness topped with Japanese mayo, flavourful furikake, and fragrant green onions. What a dish!

This dish is basically our Asian/Hawaiian take on the popular corn dog. Spam is kind of like a sausage and it’s often used in the Hawaiian dish called Spam Musubi, which is basically white rice and a slice of grilled spam wrapped in nori.

Fried Spam Musubi Rice Dog Recipe

We first tried Spam Musubi when we travelled to Hawaii and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s a Hawaiian dish with Japanese influences consisting of cooked marinated spam, cooked white rice, wrapped in nori or seaweed. It’s a great for a snack or a quick lunch!

And as you know if you often read our recipes, we like to fry anything. So we thought, why not fry some spam musubi!? And since it’s so similar to corn dogs concept wise, except that it’s Asian style, we decided to call it a rice dog just to make it more fun! It’s a great marketing strategy to promote this dish in a party setting!

Fried Spam Musubi Rice Dog Recipe

And the toppings. Hmm the toppings. It’s so important in this dish since the Japanese mayonnaise, the furikake, and the green onions add so much flavour and add such a great balance to the dish.

This Asian/Hawaiian inspired corn dog is delicious dish with great fusion flavours, and just overall a really fun dish to eat! We hope you enjoy it and happy eating!

Fried Spam Musubi Rice Dog Recipe
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Fried Spam Musubi Rice Dog

Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Spam & Marinade

  • 1 can spam 340 grams
  • 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp canola oil

Fried Spam Musubi Roll

  • 3 sheets roasted seaweed or nori
  • 1 1/2 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 whole eggs beaten
  • 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • canola oil for frying

Toppings

  • Japanese mayonnaise
  • furikake
  • green onions

Instructions

Spam & Marinade

  1. Cut the spam into 2x2x7 cm rectangular prism. One can of 340g of spam should yield about 6 rectangular prisms.

  2. In a flat-bottomed bowl or container, combine low-sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar with a whisk until the sugar is well dissolved. Lay the spam prisms flat in the container, making sure there is enough space for each spam prism’s bottom side to be covered with the marinade. Marinate each side of the spam prism for 5 minutes. Once all sides are well marinated, remove spam prisms from the marinade and set aside to dry off excess liquid.

  3.  Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry the spam prisms for 1 minute on each side, or until slightly browned. Remove from heat and let cool.

Fried Spam Musubi Roll

  1.  Cut nori seaweed sheets into 6 rectangles of 7×12 cm. We used 3 nori sheets to get 6 rectangles.

  2. To make a spam musubi roll, lay one nori seaweed rectangle coarse side up flat on a cutting board. Spread about 2 tbsp of cooked white rice on the coarse side of the nori sheet. You should get a flat, thin, uniform layer of white rice that covers the whole coarse side of the nori. To make spreading the rice easier, you can use the back of a wetted metal spoon.

  3. Lay a saran wrap on a flat surface and place the nori rectangle on the saran wrap rice side down. Place a cooked spam prism at one end of the nori rectangle, aligning the 7 cm edge of the spam prism with the 7 cm edge of the nori rectangle. Spread about 1 tsp of cooked white rice along opposite end of the nori rectangle. Gently roll the spam prism and the nori sheet towards the opposite end using the saran wrap to avoid the rice from sticking to the board and to your hands. You should have a sushi-looking roll with spam inside, covered with a layer of nori sheet, and white rice on the outside.

  4. Cover each side of each spam musubi roll with all-purpose flour. Then, dip the roll into beaten egg, covering all sides of the roll. Cover the roll generously with panko breadcrumb and set aside.

  5. Repeat steps to make the other spam musubi rolls.

  6. Add enough oil into a frying pan to get about ½ inch of depth and heat over medium high heat. Fry each spam musubi roll for about 30 seconds to 1 minute each. Make sure to regularly turn the rolls around while frying to get an even goldening on each side. Remove from heat and set aside to drain off excess oil.

  7.  Enter a stick into each fried spam musubi rolls.

  8. Garnish with Japanese mayonnaise, furikake, and green onions. 

Hawaiian Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese

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Hawaiian Style Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese Recipe

The perfect grilled cheese! The salty ham, the gooey melted mozzarella cheese, and the sweet juicy pineapple together in a grilled cheese sandwich!? What more can you ask for? The mix of flavours and textures is just blend so well together and it’s so so easy to make!

Hawaiian Style Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese Recipe

So this recipe is largely inspired by the famous Hawaiian pizza. You know, that type of pizza with pineapple on it that has people debating and everything.

Well, we are on team YES for pineapples on pizza. And definitely YES YES YES in a grilled cheese!

Hawaiian Style Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese Recipe

We just find the pineapple in this grilled cheese just adds such a nice balance to the whole dish. Its sweetness cuts through the saltiness from the ham and cheese, and its juiciness and freshness makes the fattiness from the mayo and the cheese a bit more balanced. So YES to the pineapple please!

Hawaiian Style Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese Recipe

This Hawaiian style pineapple and ham grilled cheese recipe is perfect for a lazy brunch, a quick lunch, or a busy week night dinner, or a nice late night snack.

The amount of cheese that we put in the recipe is according to our preferences. Some people like less, some people like more, so you can definitely adjust it to your liking.

Hawaiian Style Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese Recipe

Now that we’ve discovered the amazingness of pineapple in grilled cheese, we’re definitely gonna make this recipe a regular for our meals. We hope you guys try this cause we just absolutely love it, and happy eating!

Hawaiian Style Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese Recipe
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Hawaiian Pineapple & Ham Grilled Cheese

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  • 6 slices cooked white ham
  • 4 slices white bread
  • 6 tsp mayonnaise
  • 4 tbsp tomato pasta sauce
  • 4 slices canned pineapple ring
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tbsp canola oil

Instructions

  1. Gently dap the pineapple rings with a kitchen paper or cloth to absorb excess moisture and water. Cut each of the 4 pineapple rings into two to get 8 halves and set aside.

  2. To assemble one grilled cheese sandwich, spread 1 1/2 tsp of mayonnaise on one side of a bread slice. Place the bread slice mayonnaise side down on a cutting board. Add 2 tbsp of tomato pasta sauce and spread evenly. Place 3 slices of white ham and add 4 halves of the pineapple rings (the configuration of placement is flexible as long as they fit in the sandwich). Add 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and cover with a slice of bread. Gently press on the sandwich with a flat bottomed spatula.

  3. Heat 1 tbsp of canola oil in a pan over medium heat. Place the grilled cheese sandwich, mayonnaise side down, on the pan. Gently press on the sandwich with a spatula to flatten it slightly and let cook for 3 minutes or until the bottom side is browned and crispy. Before turing the grilled cheese around, spread 1 1/2 tsp of mayonnaise on the top side of the sandwich. Turn the grilled cheese around and cook for another 3 minutes or until browned and crispy. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make the other grilled cheese sandwich.

Steamed Egg with Garlic and Pickled Cabbage

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Steamed Egg with Garlic and Pickled Cabbage Recipe

A custardy, silky-smooth steamed egg topped with yummy garlic soy sauce and pickled cabbage. A delicious treat that’s super easy to make and so satisfying to eat!

This recipe the combination of two Asian dishes that we love: Japanese chawanmushi and Chinese douhua. We were inspired by chawanmushi’s soft, custardy texture, and by savoury douhua’s flavourful toppings.

Steamed Egg with Garlic and Pickled Cabbage Recipe

This recipe is very easy, and the only thing to pay attention to is the steaming time. You want just the right steaming time to get the steamed egg to be cooked enough to hold together, but still get that silky smooth texture.

In this recipe, we used a 7-inch shallow porcelain bowl to steam the mixture in, with a steaming time of about 10 minutes on medium heat. The steaming time will vary with the size, type, and material of the bowl you use to steam the mixture in. It should be around 10 minutes in general, but to be sure, gently shake the bowl once you take it out of the steamer and the steamed egg should jiggle slightly without any visible uncooked liquid. It will also harden slightly as you let it cool to room temperature, so you shouldn’t overcook it.

Steamed Egg with Garlic and Pickled Cabbage Recipe

The pickled cabbage we used is the Chinese pickled cabbage. The brand we bought already had the picked cabbage cut into small bite-sized pieces. You might have to chop them smaller depending on the brand you use.

We love how easy this recipe is and how some simple ingredients can make such a delicious dish. We hope you enjoy it and happy eating!

Steamed Egg with Garlic and Pickled Cabbage Recipe
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Steamed Egg with Garlic and Pickled Cabbage

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 300 ml chicken broth low sodium or unsalted
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tbsp Chinese pickled cabbage

Instructions

  1. In a bowl, beat the eggs for about 1 minute or until smooth and there is no more large strands of egg whites. Transfer into a measuring cup, and you should have about 150 ml of beaten egg. Transfer to a large bowl.

  2. Add about 300 ml of chicken broth to the beaten egg and whisk well until well combined. The amount of chicken broth should be double the amount of beaten egg (ratio of 1:2). Pass mixture through a strainer and transfer to a shallow, heat resistant bowl. Scoop out the bubbles that form on the surface of the mixture using a spoon.

  3. Cover the bowl with saran wrap and steam on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let chill to room temperature. It should be ready when the steamed egg jiggles slightly when you shake the bowl and there is no liquid on the surface. Note that the steamed egg will harden as you cool it to room temperature, therefore it is important not to overcook it.

  4. Heat canola oil on a pan over medium high heat and stir fry the garlic until slightly golden. Add in the pickled cabbage and stir fry for about 1 minute. Add in the low-sodium soy sauce and sesame oil and combine well. Pour the mixture over the steamed egg and serve.

Pork & Shrimp Congee (Rice Porridge)

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Pork & Shrimp Congee (Rice Porridge) Recipe

When people think of congee, some may think it’s simple, plain, flavourless, or even boring. I mean, it’s basically just rice and water, right? Well, not necessarily. Congee can be fun and most of all, it’s the ultimate comfort food!

This pork & shrimp congee, or rice porridge, is packed with flavours and texture thanks to the juicy ground pork and shrimp and the savoury toppings. It’s the perfect breakfast or rainy afternoon snack!

Pork & Shrimp Congee (Rice Porridge) Recipe

We believe there are two important elements in making a good congee: the liquid you use to cook the rice and the toppings.

Instead of using plain water, use some kind of broth, such as chicken or pork broth. The broth is what’s gonna give your rice porridge that depth of flavour and transform it from plain to yummy! In our recipe, we use the juices and flavours from the ground pork as well as some additional chicken broth powder to cook the rice with. But you can definitely use some kind of other broth that you prefer.

Pork & Shrimp Congee (Rice Porridge) Recipe

And when it comes to congee toppings, more is more for us! This is where all the extra flavours and textures come from. The toppings we used in our recipe is our personal preference, but you can definitely use other popular toppings like 1000 year-old eggs, vinegar, or fried Chinese doughnuts!

We hope you enjoy this recipe and happy eating!

Pork & Shrimp Congee (Rice Porridge) Recipe
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Pork & Shrimp Congee (Rice Porridge)

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Congee (Rice Porridge)

  • 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/4 lb ground pork
  • 8 medium shrimps
  • 5 cups water
  • 1/4 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp chicken broth powder

Toppings

  • fried shallots to taste
  • soy sauce to taste
  • sesame oil to taste
  • 2 salted duck eggs cut into bite-sized pieces
  • green onions to taste

Instructions

  1. Add the uncooked white rice into a strainer and wash the rice by running cold water through the strainer until the water runs clear. Drain off excess water and set aside.

  2. In a large pot, heat the canola oil on medium high heat and add in the ground pork. Stir-fry while separating the grand pork into small pieces and let cook for about 3 minutes. Add in the washed uncooked white rice and stir fry to combine well. Add in the water and cover. Let simmer on medium low heat for about 50 minutes while stirring occasinally to avoid the rice from sticking to the pot. After about 50 minutes, the texture should be thicker and the rice grains should be soft and almost blend together with the thickened soup. Remove from heat. Note: The congee will get thicker as you let it cool. If it gets too thick, you can add a little bit of warm water.

  3. Serve congee in a bowl and add toppings to taste.

Bubble Milk Tea (Boba Milk Tea)

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Bubble Milk Tea (Boba) Recipe

Like a lot of people out there, we crave bubble tea almost daily. It’s practically an addiction! But we all know how expensive boba is in North America (up to 6-7$ per drink where we live!) and our wallets just can’t sustain our cravings for this yummy drink.

So why not make one at home? We decided to give it a try and wow! We never knew it was this easy to make at home and it’s just as delicious as the store-bought bubble tea!

So for our first boba recipe, we decided to make the classic, and our favourite, black milk tea.

Bubble Milk Tea (Boba) Recipe

The flavour and texture of your boba will depend on the tea, the milk, and the sweetener you use.

The tea: We used Tetley’s orange pekoe black tea for its strong flavour and rich colour. You can use your favourite black tea but we suggest something with strong flavour in order for the tea taste to not be diluted by the milk and ice.

The milk: In this case, we’re not using real “milk”. We chose to use Coffee Mate’s non-dairy powdered creamer for a richer and milkier flavour and a slightly richer texture. Also, many of the original boba shops in Taiwan and in North America use non-dairy powdered creamer. And since we want to kind of mimic the drinks from our favourite bubble tea shops, we decided to go with this option.

The sweetener: In this recipe, we used regular granulated white sugar because we want to keep the sweetener flavour neutral. If you want to give it a little bit of flavour, you can use brown sugar or honey instead of granulated sugar. However, you do have to adjust the quantity of the brown sugar or honey to add since they do not have the same sweetness as granulated white sugar.

We hope you enjoy this recipe of bubble milk tea and hope you’re as excited as we are to be able to make this yummy drink at home!

Bubble Milk Tea (Boba) Recipe
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Bubble Milk Tea (Boba Milk Tea)

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Tapioca Pearls

  • 1/2 cup uncooked tapioca pearls
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar

Black Milk Tea

  • 2 bags Tetley's orange pekoe tea or black tea of your choice
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp granulated white sugar
  • 5 tbsp Coffee Mate powdered non-dairy creamer
  • 1 cup ice

Instructions

Tapioca Pearls

  1. To make the tapioca pearls, bring 3 cups of water to a boil in medium pot. Stir in 1/2 cup of the uncooked tapioca pearls and boil on medium heat for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, remove from heat. Drain off the water into a bowl and add 1/2 cup of brown sugar into the drained water and mix well. Transfer the tapioca pearls back into the pot and add in the brown-sugar-water mixture. Cover with a lid and let sit for 30 minutes or until chewy and cooked (removed from heat).

Black Milk Tea

  1. In a large cup, place 2 bags of orange pekoe tea and add in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Let the tea seep for about 5 minutes and remove the tea bags. Stir in 2 tbsp of granulated white sugar (to taste) and 5 tbsp of powdered non-dairy creamer and mix well. In a shaker, add 1 cup of ice. Add in the tea mixture into the shaker and shake well until all the ice melts and the milk tea is foamy.

Bubble Tea Assembly

  1. Add the cooked and sweetened tapioca pearls to two medium-sized glasses evenly (note that you can also add in the sugar syrup in which the tapioca pearls sit in). Add some ice to each glass (optional). Gently add in the milk tea and mix well.

Spicy Furikake Air-Fried Potatoes

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Spicy Furikake Air-Fried Potato Hash

This spicy furikake air-fried potato hash is AH-MAZING. It’s the most perfect blend of Asian and Western. Perfectly crispy potato cubes, stir-fried in a flavourful mix of garlic, onions, green onions, and spicy furikake mixture. YUM!

If you are not familiar with furikake, it is basically a Japanese seasoning consisting of dried fish, sesame seeds, and chopped seaweed. You can put them on cooked white rice or as a topping for some dishes to add some nice big umami flavours.

The flavours come from the dried fish, so it is something that you might have to get used to especially if you don’t like fish. But adding some of this seasoning to potato hash just gives the dish an extra umami-ness and more dimension to the flavours that’s super addicting. We bought the dried fish (bonito flakes) in our local Japanese supermarket. If you can’t find any where you live, you can buy them online.

Spicy Furikake Air-Fried Potato Hash

And yes, this recipe does require an air-frier to cook the potatoes. You can definitely fry them or bake them in the oven. But we prefer using the air-frier since it makes great crispy potatoes without using too much oil.

This is the perfect Asian and Western fusion recipe if you’re craving for some flavourful brunch or yummy side dish. We also like to add some poached eggs into the dish for some protein and it goes super well together!

We hope you enjoy the recipe and happy eating!

Spicy Furikake Air-Fried Potato Hash
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Spicy Furikake Air-Fried Potato Hash

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 400 grams Yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 tbsp canola oil to air-fry the potatoes
  • 5 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 green onion chopped
  • 3 tbsp dried bonito flakes (katsuboshi)
  • 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 nori sheet 20 cm x 18 cm or 8'' x 7''
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp canola oil to toss the potatoes

Instructions

  1. Peel of the skin of the potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1.5 cm (2/3 inch) cubes and let soak in a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes. Drain off the water and pat the potatoes dry using a clean kitchen towel.

  2. Transfer the potato cubes into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and mix well. Cook in the air-fryer for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are crispy and golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

  3. Cut the nori sheet into about 1 inch thin strips and set aside in a small bowl. Set aside.

  4. In another small mixing bowl, to make the seasoning mixture, combine the dried bonito flakes, sesame seeds, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

  5. In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium high heat. Add in the garlic and onions and stir-fry for about 2 minutes, or until they are tender and fragrant. Add in the green onions and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Add in the crispy potatoes, the nori seaweed strips, and the seasoning mixture. Toss everything together and stir fry until well combined and the potato cubes are evenly coated with the seasonings. Remove from heat.

  6. Serve with some more sesame seeds and green onions.

Crispy Baked Garlic Fries

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Crispy fries, delicious garlicky flavour, and no frying involved!! It’s such a great feeling to know that we can eat and enjoy one of our favourite food ever, guilt-free! And if we’re being honest here, it tastes just as good as fried if not better.

Crispy Baked Garlic Fries Recipe

As HUGE (huge is an understatement) fans of french fries, we find it super hard to control ourselves from eating them too often considering they are fried, and not the best for you. So when we finally figured out how to make the CRISPIEST fries, without frying involved, it was like a revelation! Can’t believe we didn’t figure this out earlier. We actually kinda prefer them baked now. It’s even crispier!

Crispy Baked Garlic Fries Recipe



Here are a few important notes for the yummiest, crispiest baked garlic fries:

  • Soak the potato sticks in very cold water for at least 10 minutes. This process removes the starch from the potatoes, which helps it get more crispy. Once they are soaked long enough, drain off excess water and make sure that they are completely fry by pat drying them using a kitchen towel or a paper towel.
  • Put the baking sheet lined with aluminum foil in the oven while it is pre-heating. When the temperature reaches 400 degrees Fahrenheit, you can spread the fries on the heated baking sheet and it will allow them to sizzle and help with the crispiness.
  • Make sure that the potatoes are well coated with a thin coat of oil (not excessively, since they will become soggy). This will prevent them from burning and help them become crispy. Make sure that the aluminum foil is well coated with oil in order to prevent the fries from sticking.
  • Turn the fries after about 12 minutes and bake for about another 15 minutesin order to get an even, golden brown color and crispiness on both sides.
  • Add the salt after the fries are finished baking. Seasoning the uncooked potatoes with salt might bring out the water in the potatoes and make them not as crispy.

Crispy Baked Garlic Fries Recipe

We love garlic powder so much. If we can, we’d put garlic powder on every recipe. Such a quick and easy way to get some yummy garlic flavours! We also added some toasted garlic bits for extra garlic flavours, for those of you out there who, like us, can never get enough of garlic! Of course, it’s optional, since the garlic powder itself is already flavourful enough!

Super easy, literally only like 3 to 4 ingredients, this Crispy Baked Garlic Fries is a must try!! We’ve been converted to baking our fries now since we don’t really see the point of frying them anymore. It’s healthier, and it tastes just as good or better! Plus, when you bake your fries you can infuse any kind of flavours you like into your fries, like garlic!

And if you’re big a big fan of potatoes, check out our Garlic Miso Butter Mashed Potatoes and Mexican-Style Breakfast Potatoes.

We hope you enjoy this recipe, and happy eating!


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Crispy Baked Garlic Fries

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 lb russet potatoes
  • 2 1/2 tbsp canola oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp toasted garlic bits optional

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and brush 1 1/2 tbsp of canola oil evenly on the surface. Place the baking sheet in the oven while it is pre-heating.

  2. Peel skin off potatoes and cut into fries-shaped sticks (about 1/3 inch thick). Soak the potatoes in a large bowl of cold water for at least 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes from the water, drain off excess water, and pat dry by using paper towels.

  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the potatoes, 1 tablespoon of canola oil, and the garlic powder. Mix until all fries are covered with oil and the garlic bits are mixed evenly.

  4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and spread the potatoes in a single layer. Bake for about 12 minutes on one side, turn the potatoes and bake for another 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle toasted garlic bits (optional) for extra garlic flavours.