Week 47: I made yakisoba, Japanese fried noodles, with my grandmother for lunch. My grandmother’s tip was to stir-fry the noodles and meat first until they become slightly crispy, then take them out for a moment, cook the vegetables, and add them back again, this time together with sauce. This allowed the noodles to be more crisp rather than soggy (because they absorb the water from the vegetables when cooked together for a long time), and the meat and vegetables fresh too, not overcooked.

I also continued experimenting with sweet potatoes, preparing dinner again for my family. This time, I wrapped sweet potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and salmon with miso in aluminium foil, and steamed it by placing it in a pot with a thin layer of water. This turned out pretty well! Unlike last week, when I simply simmered the ingredients, by putting them in the foil the skin of the sweet potatoes did not come off, allowing me to maintain its shape. I also took extra care in adding enough miso paste, so that it won’t turn so bland as last time!

 

I made another dish that day, in which I simply stir-fried cucumbers, bean sprouts, and egg, flavouring with chicken stock powder and pepper.  Since I usually serve cucumbers fresh, it was a new idea for me to actually ‘cook’ them under the heat. It actually turned out to be a nice, quick dish; I would definitely make it again back in Singapore!

 

 

Week 48: Back in Singapore, I was eager to try out the the “microwave cooking” recipe book I bought in Japan! I would like to share the following two side-dishes which I was especially happy with:

The first one is Chinese cabbage heated in the microwave, tossed with soy sauce and a hint of sesame oil.

The second is okra, again heated in the microwave, then tossed with ume (salted plum) paste and okaka (dry bonito flakes).

Using the microwave allows a massive cut in water usage and cooking time, perfect for cooking in limited time! According to the recipe book, the tip when heating vegetables with the microwave is to sprinkle a spoonful of water and roughly cover them with cling film.

Week 49: During this week, I made abura so-men, a famous local dish from Okinawa and the southern islands of Japan. So-men is a type of noodles common in Japan, however, we usually eat them just with the noodles itself by simply dipping in mentsuyu, soup. Therefore, stir-frying them as if yakisoba was rather surprising for me. During October break, I actually visited Amami oshima, an island near Okinawa, and had abura so-men for the first time; it tasted amazing! This was why I wanted to re-make the recipe myself.

I added many vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, and bitter ground (for that Okinawa taste). For its flavour, I experimented with my mother slowly adding soy sauce, chicken stock powder, etc., also adding the water from the cans of tuna we added.

It turned out great! The vegetables were slightly overcooked compared to the yakisoba I made last week, but overall we were really happy with it, especially its the flavour – surprisingly tasty for our first try without following a recipe!

 

My cooking process is almost coming to the end. I believe I have definitely improved, the most clear indication being how fast I have become in preparing each dish. For the remaining couple of weeks, I would like to continue challenging myself to do new things, exploring various ingredients, cooking methods and recipes.

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