Small Mozzarella

As I wrote before, I like Burrata the best among fresh cheeses, but it is difficult to find it here so I use Mozzarella Cheese for salad or appetiser often.

I had guests over for dinner on Wednesday night and Friday night.  I made this on Wednesday.  It's mini mozzarella with mini tomatoes marinated with a chopped dry red pepper and basil and very good extra virgin olive oil and good salt.  When you serve, just put them on the stick.

I attended a food seminar on Friday so had no time to prepare lots of stuff so I just made Caprezze and green pea paste for appetiser.

Maison Kayser

I heard from my friend that a very nice bakery opened in Singapore.  It was quite difficult to find a good bread in Singapore before.  Now so many good bakeries and I enjoy the good quality bread like Japan.
This is one of them.  It is called "Maison Kayser".  As you probably know this is Eric Kayser, a master French baker's shop.  (There are lots of his shops in Japan, Tokyo and Nagoya).

I got these bread lately.  All was delicious!  I am sure I will go back there.

MAISON KAYER Paris
6 Scotts Road
Scotts Square #B1-09
Singapore 228209

Catering

I got an order of catering Sushi yesterday for a 50 people's party.  They will prepare some western finger food, but there are no Japanese food so they ordered.

I made Inarizushi, 2 kinds of maki sushi and Yuzukosho prawns.

Inarizushi is very popular in Japan and you can put just plain sushi rice in Tofu skin.  However, I wanted to make a little bit different so I made Chirashizushi rice and put it in Tofu skin.  It has carrots, lotus roots, shiitake mushrooms.  

I made sushi included Tuna soboro and cucumber and dashimakitamago(Egg omelette), the other one is cucumber and denbu(pink flaked cod fish).

Finally, I made Yuzukosho prawns.  Yuzukosho is a paste made from chill peppers, yuzu(citrus) peel and salt which is then allowed to ferment.  It is very spicy so you can use a very small amount for your cooking.  I pasted a tiny bit of Yuzukosho on prawns so that you can taste a bit spicy, but not too much and very Japanese flavor.

Dry Curry

I often make Japanese curry which probably everyone knows by now.  In Singapore, so many Japanese curry shops opened and serve many kinds of Japanese curry.  Of course, there are Indian curry, Malay curry, Indonesian curry and I love them all and am lucky to get them easily here.

When we eat curry at home, I usually make a traditional Japanese curry made with Pork or Chicken and some vegetables such as garlic, pumpkin, onion, carrot, baby corn, broccoli etc.

But I make this dry curry often as well.  Normally it takes at least 1- 2 hours for curry or even it will become better you make one day before so that curry tastes much more deeper and tasty, but you can't make it when you are busy.  So this is a solution.

Chopped onions and garlic with olive oil, (if you like spicy, you add chili this time and stir with onions). Stir till onions get soften then add minced beef and pork.  You can make by only minced beef, but I like half beef, half pork.  Add curry powder, chili powder, paprika, then water.  When water is gone, add sugar and soy sauce(a tiny bit, but makes it more flavor) then you taste it.  Add salt and pepper if you think you need.

I served on a plate with rice and rakkyo and fukujinzuke (Japanese pickled accompaniments with curry) as well.

Burrata

 I love all kind of cheese, but one of my favourite cheese is Burrata.  Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese made from Mozzarella and cream.  The most important about this cheese is freshness so it is quite difficult to find or buy this cheese in Singapore.

Finally, I found it!!  I went to an Italian restaurant the other day with my clients.  They are Japanese and they requested to have a nice Italian lunch.  It was a bit risky for me to choose this restaurant as I've never been there, but it is close to our office so I took them.

When I looked at the menu, it made me so excited because there is Burrata!  I immediately asked a waiter that is it real Burrata from Italy?  He said yes.  I convinced my clients to have it as they wanted to have just a pasta meal.  It was a huge Burrata and delicious!  After the meal, the chef came to our table said "I felt very happy that you ordered our Burrata.  During lunch time, not so many people ordered Burrata so I came out of kitchen to say hello to you."
Surprisingly, the chef is Japanese!  He studied in Italy and told me that his friend is sending him that Burrata from Italy.

Few days later, I could still think of Burrata I had in the restaurant.  I told my family and they said they wanted to try the restaurant.  OK:)  Then we went there again last weekend evening.

We sat outdoor so we could see Marina Bay Sands light up and of course we had Burrata again!
Pizza was great and we had a bottle of white wine "Cloudy Bay".  Food was delicious, only one thing they can improve is service, I guess.

If you can get Burrata in your country, you should try.  If not, find a nice restaurant serving Burrata.
It is not to be missed!

Enoteca L'Operetta
78 Boat Quay
TEL: 64382482

Pork bowl

There are many kinds of "Donburi"(Bowl) in Japan.  The most famous one is, I think, "Gyudon"(Beef bowl).  It is also easy to make at home especially when you have a busy day.

I worked all day from the morning until evening the other day and when I got home, I had no idea what to cook for dinner.  Kids were hungry like wolves so I had to cook something very quick.

This is what I made.  I opened my fridge and found lettuce and french beans.  I have always frozen meats for emergency in my freezer so I defrost pork and made this "pork donburi".

Cut into small pieces pork and stir with chopped garlic, ginger, miso, mirin and soy sauce.  Place lettuce, boiled french beans on rice and place pork on the vegetables.  Sprinkle spring onions.

Itadakimasu! (Let's eat!)

Pork Fillet Lemon Sauce

I learned how to make this dish from an Italian chef in Tokyo.  It is very easy and tasty.  Whenever I held a party in Tokyo, I made this dish so it reminded me of the time I was living there.

Ingredients:
Pork Fillet 350g-400g
Butter, Olive Oil, 1 Lemon, White Wine, Parsley, Arugula, Parmesan Cheese

1. Cut pork fillet 8 pieces and tap then sprinkle salt and pepper and flour a bit.
2. In a scale, 1tsp Olive Oil and 1tsp Butter, melted.
3. Saute 3-4 minutes for both sides.
4. Throw the oil.
5. Add 90cc white wine and 1 lemon juice. 
6. Add 10g of butter.
7. Place the pork on the plate and put arugula on top.
8. Put sauce(5+6) on top and sprinkle few slice of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano.

I usually make prosciutto and green peas  sauce penne to go with.

Futomakizushi

There are so many kind Futomakizushi and this is my first time to try for children's party.  All children liked it:)

It has Egg Soboro(crumbled eggs), Cucumber, Sakura Dembu(sweet fish powder made by cod).

Watermelon Salad

I like watermelon salad.  Just mix watermelon, feta cheese, kalamata olives and Italian parsley and good extra virgin olive oil.  

It is good for summer and we have always summer so we eat through the year.

Sashimi Appetizer

This is just a slice of tuna and salmon sashimi.  I cut very thin slices of cucumber and myoga and soaking in a very cold water for 10 minutes so the vegetables became very crispy.

Place sashimi on the vegetables and wasabi on top.  I put a small amount jelly sauce on the vegetables.