Soba

We had cold soba a different way tonight. The soba had cucumber, okura, beefsteak plant and greated daikon on the top.

Frozn Fruit

One of our snacks in summer is frozen fruit. I just put peeled bananas and cut pineapples on wooden chopsticks and then put them in the freezer. My husband likes banana the most.

Peaches

I bought peaches that were carefully packed at the store a few days ago. I had checked every morning and waited until they were ripe. When they smelled full of sweet scents and they looked ripe enough, I put the peaches in the fridge for a couple of hours and then ate them. They were juicy and soft. It was worth the wait.

Gyūdon

I cooked gyudon (beef on rice) today. The seasonings are soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. These are a golden combination for Japanese cuisine. I can eat lots of rice with it.

Burdock Salad

When I make burdock (gobo) salad, I steam fine strips of gobo and carrot. When they are cooked, I add sesame sauce that I mix with soy sauce, ground white sesame seeds and a little mayonnaise. This salad is crunchy and full of sesame flavor.

Mabo Tofu

I cooked one of my favorite recipes today, mabo tofu. I minced some ginger, garlic and green onions and fried them with sesame seeds oil in a pan.
When there was a savory smell, I added some ground beef.
When the beef was brown, I added some miso (soybean paste) and dou ban jiang (spicy paste) and then fried it well.
I added some seasonings and water. I cut up some tofu and mixed it in the pan. I prefer kinu (silken) tofu that is softer than momen (cotton) tofu. I like having a smooth texture for mabo tofu.
After cooking it for 2 or 3 minutes, I added some cornstarch and water to make the soup thick. After a few minutes, it was done.
I like this spicy mabo tofu with rice. I have never tried real Chinese mabo tofu. I am sure my recipe is adjusted to Japanese taste but I am pretty happy with my mabo tofu so far.

Crêpes

I like making crêpes. I pour a little batter on the pan and then rotate the batter in the pan to make it even. I wait a few seconds, then flip it and move it onto a plate and repeat... I made 20 crêpes for lunch today. I made a cheddar cheese crêpe sandwich on a hot pan by heating some cheddar cheese in between two crêpes. The cheese melted and was delicious. I tried it with chocolate too. I also ate some crêpes with lemon juice and sugar. There were so many crêpes though that we couldn't finish all of them.