Takuan is pickled radish commonly seen garnishing Japanese meals. It’s the bright yellow, crunchy, sweet, salty tsukemono (Japanese pickle) that is accompanying most bento, in sushi rolls, or even just on top of plain freshly cooked rice.
The bright yellow color is traditionally from turmeric, but commercially produced takuan gets its neon yellow color from food coloring.
I usually just buy takuan from Tokyo Central or Mitsuwa but I had been super busy lately that I just didn’t want to drive the 20 miles or so to get one.
I happen to have all the ingredients for a quick daikon pickle so I decided that I’ll make it one day after work and let it sit in the fridge, picking out a piece whenever I want to eat some.
The first time I tried to make takuan, I dried the daikon first before pickling but that was too much work and didn’t turn out quite as I wanted it to.
This recipe just involves salting the sliced daikon, rinsing and squeezing it of excess water, then placing it in a jar with the sugar/vinegar mixture. That’s it!!!
A note though that if you let this sit for a couple of days or so, it tastes so much better! I try to do double or triple the recipe so that I’ll have enough to last that long! 😊
This is one of the dishes I prepared for our Noche Buena last night and a few readers have asked me how to make it, so I tried finishing it up today, in case you want to make it for New Year’s Eve. 😊
It is a smaller version of a roasted whole pig we used to have when I was little. Whenever there is a big celebration, like town fiesta or Christmas, our aunts would have a lot of food on the table, complete with a roasted whole pig. It was roasted all day on a makeshift pit big enough to accommodate it. When done, we would all fight over the crispy, crackly skin as that was the best part!
This size is much more manageable and practical, as a whole pig won’t fit in a standard US home oven. Not to mention I’m not sure where I could get a whole pig, not that I want to know. 😱
Unfortunately, I was busy preparing several dishes and cakes at the same time I was making this that I wasn’t able to take step by step photos.
This pork roll is easy to prepare but you’ll just need time and a couple of special ingredients.
First, is a big slab of pork belly with skin on. I got mine from a Filipino grocery store, Seafood City in Irvine, California. I got lucky since they just received a delivery when I shopped there. It was around 18 pounds, frozen solid. I left it in the refrigerator for a few days to defrost completely. I bought it Saturday night and prepared it Thursday.
Next, you’ll need some lemon grass. I grow several herbs in the backyard including lemon grass, but if you don’t, try any Asian grocery store or farmer’s market. The photo above was taken after I took most of it for this recipe, so it looks kinda scraggly. 😊
Other ingredients are only vinegar (I used kombucha vinegar because I had some), garlic, onion, salt, and pepper.
You will also need a good kitchen twine to tie this up and preferably, a husband or a wife or someone who can help with the tying process. I used the thick twine, the one on the left, to secure this pork roll.
To serve, you’ll need some lechon sauce. We use the Mang Tomas brand photographed above, you can buy it in Asian groceries.
And of course , you’ll need lots of time!
Hands on time is about 30 minutes the day before, to prepare the pork roll. Then you’ll need to chill this for at least 8 hours(but not more than 24 hours), and then the baking time is about 6 hours. Do a little math so you can have it ready by the time you want!
*note: To serve at 7 pm, I start baking at around 12:30pm as it takes about 6 hours or so to cook.*
3-5 stalks of lemon grass, tops and bottoms trimmed, then pounded with a meat tenderizer or back of the knife blade.
1 big red onion, peeled and sliced (about 1 cup)
Procedure:
1. Place the pork on a cutting board over the sink and pierce with a meat tenderizer (or fork or knife). Turn over and pierce the skin side too.
2. Pour vinegar little by little while rubbing it all over the pork. Turn the pork over and repeat with the remaining vinegar. Don’t worry about how much you’ll use as excess will just run into the sink. We do this to help dry out the skin and to help remove unpleasant odor. That in turn will make the skin crackly and crunchy and just delicious!
3. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the pork. Be generous as this is only flavoring the pork will have aside from the aromatics.
4. Turn the pork skin side down and place the lemon grass, onions, and garlic straight down the middle, horizontally on the long side.
5. Roll up the pork (I called my husband to help me), making sure the skin doesn’t overlap. It should touch in a circle, end to end – don’t make it into a pinwheel as the skin inside won’t be crisp.
6. Tie the pork in 1-2 inch intervals with kitchen twine. I held the pork roll stable and my husband tied it up. Team work!
7. Any onion or garlic that fell out, I pushed back into the roll.
8. Place the pork roll on a large baking sheet, uncovered, and chill around 8 hours (but not more than 24 hours) in the refrigerator. I prepare this at night and leave it in the fridge overnight.
9. Remove pork roll from the fridge and preheat the oven to 200F. Bake at 200F for 3 1/2 hours. This helps to dry the skin out thoroughly and start the cooking process slowly.
10. Increase temperature to 350F and continue baking for 1 1/2 hours. (*You can bake a cake together at this time since they’re usually baked at 350F).
11. Increase temperature to 450F and bake for 35 to 45 minutes more until golden brown and skin is blistered and shiny. (*You can bake a bread together this time as most breads bake at 450F for 30 minutes or so).
12. Remove from oven. Check that the internal temperature is at 170F – 200F. Let it sit for about 15 minutes before slicing.
13. Place on a cutting board, and carefully slice into rounds using a serrated knife. Be extra careful as the skin is crisp and your knife can easily slip.
14. Cut the rounds into bite sized pieces.
15. Serve with lechon sauce, or vinegar with garlic, salt, pepper, and slices of hot chili.
Early mornings in the Philippines, you’ll normally hear the man selling this warm, caramel tofu pudding calling out these words. He would have two metal pails balanced by a bamboo rod on his shoulders. Totally hard work, but surely, it made our day.
Kids and adults alike would wait patiently, holding their little cups, glass containers, and tumblers, for the taho vendor to come by their home. I remember a several times our nanny got a whole Coleman cooler (a gallon one I believe) for us. It’s that delicious!
Everyone asks for extra caramel, as it is the highlight of this sweet dessert/breakfast in a cup.
So…it’s been a while since I’ve had that taho that you can purchase. Taho here in the US is mostly an anemic cousin of the real stuff, flavor wise and texture wise. What to do but make it yourself, right?
I had been making soy milk and sometimes tofu for a while now but I never made a super soft, silky tofu like taho should be. It literally disintegrates when jiggled. I tried to make it but it just curdled, not really forming any solid you could scoop up. Oh well…
My co worker Lisette gave me this tofu mix a few months back. She said they use it to make taho, and you just need the sago pearls and the caramel and you’re good to go. Since my “from scratch” tofu pudding failed, I reached for the box and tried it.
It worked beautifully! See my photo below! And it’s super easy to make!
All you’ll need are the following:
For the tofu pudding:
1 box (6.06oz) Tofu mix
10 cups water
For the caramel:
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
For the tapioca pearls:
1/2 cup Tapioca pearls
5 cups water
To make the tofu pudding:
Mix 10 cups water with the tofu packet mixture in a large saucepan. That is the big envelope in the tofu box. Set over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
Stir constantly with a whisk. Lower heat and for 3 minutes.
Add the coagulant, which is in the smaller white envelope, into the mixture, slowly. Give it a quick stir. And stop.
Remove from heat. Cover. Set aside to set. Do not touch or move it while it is setting. I just left it to set in the saucepan I cooked it in. 😊
In the meantime, prepare the Caramel.
Place 1 cup dark brown sugar and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium low heat. When it comes to a boil, lower heat and simmer until the sugar is dissolved and the caramel is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool completely.
For the Sago Pearls,
Bring 5 cups water to boil. Add 1/2 cup sago. Simmer for about 20 – 30 minutes until translucent. Drain and rinse. Place in a bowl of water until ready to use.
To assemble your “taho”
Using a spoon, carefully scrape thin layers of the warm tofu pudding into a glass, cup, or bowl. You only want a few spoonfuls as we will be layering this with the other ingredients.
*If the tofu is getting watery, scoop out and discard the excess water.*
Next, place a spoonful or two of the cooked tapioca pearls in.
Then a spoonful or two of the caramel(I always add more when no one is looking! It’s super delicious!).
Continue layering until you fill the glass almost to the top. I am stopping midway as I might eat everything at one go.
Remember to wipe of any caramel that dripped outside the glass! It will be a sticky mess if you don’t!
You can eat this with a spoon, as we do, or stir it up and drink it like I see some folks do.
Either way, it is a nutritious and very delicious breakfast/snack/dessert.
Call it whatever you want, schnitzel, milanesa, katsu…I always go with what I called it growing up-TONKATSU. And it has to be pork chops! Chicken is only acceptable to me when I have no other choice. 😊
Served with very thinly sliced cabbage, freshly cooked white, sticky rice, and of course the essential Bulldog sauce (no, it is NOT made with bulldogs!), I am a happy camper! I can really eat this everyday and I won’t get tired if it!
My mom, being Japanese, used to make this when we were little. It is definitely a comfort food for me and my family. My son actually loves this as much as do so even if I try to avoid serving fried dishes, I do oblige and make this once in a while. I always top the cabbage with Kewpie mayo too!
Of course, this is also the perfect “milanesa” to top my Peruvian Tallarin Verde. But more about that in my later article!
You’ll need pork chops. As much as you like!
I marinate them in lemon juice and fish sauce if I have time. Equal parts of lemon juice and fish sauce will make your pork chops taste really good, not fishy at all! Leave them in your refrigerator, covered, for a few hours, ideally overnight.
If you’re pressed for time, just salt and pepper them. It’ll taste good too!
You’ll also need flour. I start with about a cup of flour in a plate, and mix in a pinch or two of salt and pepper. This will be your first coating on the pork chops.
Next, you’ll need an egg or two mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Beat that well in another plate. This is your second coating.
Panko. Japanese bread crumbs. This will turn your pork chops into Tonkatsu.
Grab a bag, open, and pour some into a clean plate. A third plate. One for the flour mixture, one for the egg mixture, and one for the panko. Yup, this is your final coating before frying. 😋
Step 1: place a pork chop into the flour mixture, lightly press down on it to coat with flour,
Step 2: Turn over and coat the other side well.
Step 3: transfer to the egg mixture, coat well.
Step 4: turn pork over to coat the other side too.
Step 5: move on to the panko, coating one side thoroughly,
Step 6: turn over and press pork onto the panko to coat the other side. Repeat with remaining pork chops.
Step 7: heat a good amount of canola oil in a fry pan over medium heat.
Step 8: When hot, slide a couple of pork chops in. Let cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Step 9: Carefully turn over to cook the other side. I find this is easiest done with a metal kitchen tong.
Step 10: cook the other side until golden snd meat is cooked through.
Step 11: carefully remove tonkatsu onto paper towel lined plate or wire rack.
Step 12: thinly slice a small head of cabbage. Rinse in cool water snd drain thoroughly.
Step 13: arrange tonkatsu, cabbage, and rice on s plate.
Step 14: serve with Bulldog sauce snd Kewpie mayo! Enjoy!!!
One of the easiest recipe ever! As easy as – place everything in a saucepan, simmer until done and sauce is reduced to a thick, sweet syrup. And of course, the chicken cooked through.
This is another Brentwood UCLA recipe that I still constantly prepare. The original recipe is from my work spouse, Loraine Yokote. She has a lot of easy to prepare yet utterly delicious recipes that I love! I mean who won’t like easy recipes, as we mostly work away from home yet still need to feed our families when we get home, right?
This is perfect, specially for when you are crunched for time. Simmer this on the stove then prepare the sides (rice in a rice cooker needs no supervision, a salad will come together in 5 minutes…) and you will still have enough time to take a shower, or help with homework while dinner is cooking by itself. All around awesome, I think!
1. Place chicken pieces in a saucepan. *I used up a whole package of chicken drumsticks. There were 11 pieces and so I adjusted the amount of the other ingredients accordingly.*
2. Pour in water,
3. Soy sauce,
4. Sugar,
5. garlic and ginger, (I love garlic and ginger, so I added more than what the original recipe called for!)
6. and finally the sake. Stir, stir, stir!
7. Cover the saucepan and set over medium heat. Bring to a boil.
8. Lower heat and simmer for about an hour. The longer you cook it, the more tender the chicken will be. Watch the level of the liquid in the pot. You do not want this to burn.
9. After about an hour you will have this deliciously sweet, glazed chicken that goes perfectly with freshly cooked white rice! Or salad if that is what you like!
This is a very delicious dessert typically found in Southeast asian countries. Rice is a staple eaten 3 times a day in that part of the world – plus for dessert/snack too! Mangoes with Sticky Rice is a simple treat but truly memorable and I know that I crave it often, specially when I see ripe, super fragrant, mangoes at the grocery store.
There are several variations of this Sticky Rice in Asia.
In the Philippines where I grew up, my aunts would wrap the rice mixture in banana leaves then tie them up in pairs before boiling it until the rice is done. They would serve these “Suman” as our midday snack, dipped in sugar, topped with ube halaya, or fried and topped with more sugar. There is also Biko, which is sweetened sticky rice and coconut milk, baked in a pan and topped with caramelly coconut jam. Another of my very favorite sweet!
I tried it served as this recipe is, with a side of mangoes and decorated with an orchid flower, in Singapore. 😋
When there are ripe mangoes available, they are THE perfect partner to this simple Sticky Rice dessert. Just make sure the mangoes are perfectly ripe!
To add more ooomph to this already yummy dessert, I added a drizzle of some Coconut Rum just before serving. I personally do not drink alcohol but somehow I love baking with it! As is evidenced by this recipe, and my famous Rum Cake recipe: https://athomewiththeresa.com/2020/11/16/electric-lunchbox-bacardi-rum-cake/.
This dessert is something I’d gladly skip lunch or dinner for.
It is easy to make and sure to impress! I hope you try it!
*NOTE that this recipe uses regular sized measuring cups, NOT the tiny ELB cup, unless specified.*
2 large ripe mangoes, cut from the pit and scooped out
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut rum, more if desired 😉
Procedure:
1. Place measured rice in a fine strainer and rinse under cold water until water runs clear, running your fingers through it to help in rinsing it.
2. Place rice in a bowl, cover with plenty of water and let soak for 4-12 hours.
3. Drain rice and place in the big bottom bowl of your ELB. Place this bowl, uncovered, in the ELB base.
See the difference in size? The one on the right is straight from the bag and the one on the left is after the rice was soaked overnight.
4. Place 3 ELB cups of water in the base, cover and let steam for about 1 hour, until your lunchbox shuts off.
5. Carefully open the ELB and fluff rice with a fork. Cover loosely and set aside.
6. In a small bowl, combine coconut milk, sugar, and salt.
7. Mix until sugar is completely dissolved.
8. Pour mixture onto the hot rice.
9. Place the bowl back in the ELB, add 1 ELB cup of water to the base, cover and let steam until done, about 15 minutes more.
10. Carefully open the ELB and stir the rice. Check to see if rice is done by tasting some. The best part, right? Adjust sweetness if needed by adding more sugar if you like. A reminder though that the mangoes will add sweetness to the dish too.
11. Slice each mango half into thin, lengthwise pieces. ⬇️
12. Mound rice on a serving plate and arrange mango slices around it, or on top of the rice. *I used a small cup to shape the rice into a small dome. Just scoop some rice into a clean, dry cup, level the top while gently packing the rice in. DO NOT pack too much as you want it fluffy, just enough to hold its shape. You could also just scoop some rice onto the plate and top with mangoes. It’ll still be delicious!
13. Pour coconut rum over and serve.
14. Sit back, put your feet up, and enjoy every bite!
Spicy Eggplant…this is one of my favorite dishes to order when eating out at an Asian restaurant. Of course with COVID-19 I had been cooking almost all of our meals at home for over a year.
Most of the meals I like to eat are easily made at home so I just had to recreate this recipe too as I have been craving spicy, salty, sweet foods lately. Must be because we are in this pandemic longer than anyone thought we would. This dish checks all the boxes – spicy, sweet, and salty – truly delicious with plain steamed rice. As a bonus, you get your veggie serving in there too!
You can make this vegetarian by cooking it as it is but my boys like meat and frowns if they cannot find meat in their plate so I did add a couple of handfuls of chopped meat in there. You can also make it spicier buy adding more chili paste. As always, feel free to tailor my recipes to your tastes!
For the Sauce: 2 tablespoons oyster sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce 2 tablespoons water 1 tablespoon plain white vinegar 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 teaspoon chili paste (sambal oelek) 1/2 teaspoon ground bean sauce (or hoisin sauce) 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
To finish cooking: 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 pound eggplant, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes 1 teaspoon garlic, minced 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 tablespoons water
*I added about 200 grams chopped pork to this recipe when I was taking photos of it for this article. You can leave it out if you want, but it sure makes it taste better!*
1. Prepare the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing well. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a wok to 350 degrees F.
3. Add the diced eggplant and cook, stirring once, for about one minute. Remove the eggplant with a slotted spoon and set on paper toweling to drain.
4. Remove all but about a teaspoon of oil from the wok. Turn the heat to high and add the garlic.
5. Add the chopped pork and let it brown for a few minutes.
6. Carefully pour in the sauce.
7. Let the sauce come to a simmer for 30 seconds.
8. Add the eggplant back to the wok and cook for 10-15 seconds while stirring.
9. Combine the cornstarch,
10. and water to make a smooth paste.
11. Stir it into the eggplant mixture.
12. Keep stirring until it thickens.
13. Let it come to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
I wasn’t able to take photos as I was preparing this soup since I upgraded my phone and it took forever to sync with the old one.
In the meantime, I was totally phoneless (is that even a word?). I could’ve used the big Nikon dslr but it definitely would be in my way.
This soup cooked up really fast, about 15 minutes total, so it was ready way before my phone was done. I didn’t realize I had 12,000 photos and almost as much videos in there as I take photos with the phone when trying out and testing new recipes. I need to go and delete some one day. One day….
Anyway, the recipe….this is similar to the Egg Drop Soup you’ll find in most Asian restaurants, but with the addition of tomatoes. Trust me, it is very good.
My husband really loves Egg Drop Soup and since March last year, we had not gone out to eat at all. Time to try making it at home.
Someone sent me this recipe to try and after a few tweaks, I think it’s just perfect. I added a cup of water as the chicken stock made my soup a bit too salty for my taste. You may use 6 cups of chicken stock if you prefer your soup saltier.
I only have that one photo of the soup in the serving bowl, but if I make it again, I will update with step by step photos like all of my recipes!
Enjoy and I hope you’ll like it as much as we did!
