Wednesday, July 23, 2008

A little bit of rice and alot of plastic | Onigiri

I love Onigiri. Every time i've been to Japan i love consuming as many rice balls as i can find at convenience stores, grocery markets, and train stations. There is just something supremely awesome about rice, filling, and seaweed. Well i decided to give it a try in my own house, since there aren't a lot of places in the USA that sell fresh Onigiri, expect Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley which usually sells out when they're fresh.

I looked up a few recipes and finally decided to try a super one recipe for plain rice with a bit of Talapia, Tamari, and Salt as a filling. I pulled out all of the plastic trays (from Daiso) and got out the picked vegetables incase there was room/rice left over, wishful thinking.

Step 1: All things cooked and ready for assemblage


Step 2: Packing the rice bottom layer into the plastic molds. Next is carving out a spot in the middle for the filling. and Lastly more rice on top all packed down tightly.



Step 3: All rice and filling used up and dusted with Rice Seasoning and Salt



Step 4: Cutting the Nori to go around the Onigiri



Step 5: Nori wrapped and all done!



And it wouldn't be Japanese Cooking if you didn't have the cutest container to take it somewhere and show it off in. I bought this at Daiso in Union City back in March and this was it's christening. It held two of my GIANT Onigiri and made me smile all day while i looked at it on my desk.




Next is a Vegan Japanese Potato Salad and Veggie Onigiri to go with my new Bento craze... Mmmmm...

Friday, July 18, 2008

Tips from "La Dolce Vegan" by Sarah Kramer

Just wanted to share a few tips i thought were AWESOME while trying out "La Dolce Vegan" by Sarah Kramer. There were some tasty recipes that will be tested out and shared through August.

Tips

Baking Powder...to make sure your baking powder still has some umph, in a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon of the baking powder with 1/3 cup of hot water...if it bubbles it's good!

Yeast...to test out that yeast you have in the cabinet before starting your favorite recipe, combine 1 teaspoon of sugar with 2 teaspoons of yeast and add 1/4 cup of warm water. Again...if it bubbles it's good!

If wine is spilled on a tablecloth of rug, blot up as much as possible and immediately cover with a generous amount of salt. Leave until dried. Vacuum up the salt, rinse with cold water, and and stain should be gone. (This is one i'll believe when i see it)

Got extra salt? Make scented bath salts!
1 cup of Epsom Salt
1 cup of Baking Soda
3~4 drops of desired Essential Oil