Salmon & Prawn Tempura Maki Sushi

I have been craving for some sushi for a longer time and I knew that I wouldn't be able to sleep well tonight if I didn't get it today ;). I don't usually make sushi with raw salmon at home and I always let the professional sushi chefs do this job for me. One reason is because I don't really like to deal with fish in the kitchen and another reason is because I know that the sushi chefs can do it better than me :).



Strangely enough I got this urge to make sushi with raw salmon today. So I bought frozen salmon this morning, defrosted it and then cut it into long strips. I had to wear rubber gloves though, because I knew that I if I didn't I would have the imaginary feelings that my hands smelled like fish and in the end I would feel nauseated and refuse to eat the sushi ;). I am weird, I know...;)!



I was quite happy with the maki sushi, even the salmon maki tasted great. If you want to have my sushi recipe you can click this link here.



Nami from Just One Cookbook wrote a great post about prawn tempura with step-by-step pictures and instructions. I used instant tempura flour this time, but if you want to make tempura from scratch, do visit her site, it's worth it!

That's it for now. Nighty night, everyone :)!

Tsukemen - Japanese Dipping Noodles

I made Tsukemen today. I knew I had to make Tsukemen after I saw this video below from Cooking with Dog :).

It's really delicious! The portion looks huge in the picture, but it's actually not as much as it seems. These little bowls are in reality quite tiny - I bought these beauties in Daiso Singapore. I really shopped till I dropped there, such a pity that I couldn't buy as much as I wanted, as I would have to carry all those back to Germany and would in the end have difficulty with the luggage.



Ingredients - serves 2

Source: Cooking with Dog



2 bags of fresh ramen

100g pork belly slices

400ml chicken Stock

2 tbsp sake

1 clove garlic

1 piece ginger root



1 tsp dried red chili pepper, sliced into rings

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 long green onion

40g Shiitake Mushrooms

40g Shimeji Mushrooms

½ tsp sesame oil

1 tsp vinegar



Toppings

1 soft boiled egg

Chopped Spring onion leaves

Katsuobushi shavings (Bonito flakes)

Grated garlic

Smiling Onigiri Bento

I was running out of ideas of what to make for today's bento, so I resolved to do something easy - onigiri...! I had to add cute features to the onigiri to make them look sweeter though ;).

This was my husband's lunch. He loves wok dishes, unlike me who prefers noodles and soups. So I made him chicken and vegetables stir-fried in hot bean sauce and for myself I made Tsukemen which literally means dipping ramen. I saw the cooking video from the Cooking with Dog channel in YouTube and directly fell in love with the look of it. But I will save this for another post...

Little Teddy Bento

I am back....:D)!!

And with a good news too :)! Finally I've got my German driver's license after sweating blood and sweat for 3 weeks ;). Well, I am exaggerating a little bit, but getting a driver's license in Germany is not very easy and certainly not within 3 weeks. I have to say I am really quite proud of myself that I did manage to get it in such a short time, especially because everything was done in German (including the horrible theory test which I passed with NO mistakes, Yay :D)!!!). I did the practical test two days ago. I wasn't sure if I would pass it, since I had never driven in my life before I did this intensive driving course and I have to admit that my sense of orientation and directions is rather questionable ;), so I was EXTREMELY happy when the examiner told me that I passed the test...:D)!!



I especially have to thank my MIL for her support during the three-week period. Because of her I was able to focus only on driving and felt like that I was staying in a 5-star hotel :). I think without her, I wouldn't be able to do it...!

Anyway, back to bento now :). My MIL is a very good cook and she makes the most delicious western dishes, however, after eating western dishes for three whole weeks, I have been craving for something Asian. My choice fell to Indonesian Beef Rendang - beef simmered in coconut milk with various spices. I also made tomato and rucola salad with vinaigrette dressing and the teddy rice was seasoned with chili oil and sambal oelek. The flowers under the teddy are made out of goat cheese and gouda cheese. I used my new food picks which I bought in Daiso Singapore some time ago to decorate the rice.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone :D)!

Linguine with Spicy Mushroom Sauce and Shrimps Bento

Hello everyone! Here I am again...:D)!! I have been away for about a month from the blogsphere due to summer holiday.  Some people were rather concerned that I was away for some weeks without any news. I'd like to use this chance to say thank you to these people who have written me kind e-mails and also to people who have been commenting in my blog while I was away or just to silent readers in general. Apologies if I have not responded to your questions or e-mails sooner. I spent my summer holidays shopping and eating delicious foods ;) and had no real chance to be online. Now I am back in Germany I am again busy(and crazy like hell despite my still ongoing summer holiday) due to the driving course which I am currently attending. Doing everything is German is really not that easy. In one week's time I will do the theory test (and I have around 900 questions (and answers) which I have to somehow learn by heart *O*!!). Wish me luck...!

Anyhow, I don't think stuffing my head with horrible, technical, car-related information the whole day would do me any good, so I stole some time today to make a bento meal for my parents-in-law ;) - I am staying with them at the moment as my driving school is very close to where they live (and far away from where I live ;)).

I got this gorgeous, sakura-patterned bento box from CasaBento yesterday. My MIL was so thrilled when she saw this box. The quality is great and it's roomy too, perfect for a picnic.

You can buy this bento box by clicking the link here: Fantasy Yume Sakura Picnic Bento. It's €25,99, I think a reasonable price for a good-quality, not to mention, lovely bento box.

I needed to make something that was not time-consuming as at the moment I am using most of my time filling out dreadful 'Fragebogen' - German for 'questionnaires' (of course car-related). My MIL suggested that I should make pasta which I made for her for Mother's Day last year, this pasta here: Linguine with Spicy Mushroom Sauce and Prawns. It's very easy to make and a real treat! Give it a try, it's totally worth it!

Until next time and have a wonderful weekend... :D)!