JAPANESE
MINCE
Mince, or Menchi-katsu (メンチカツ) is a Japanese breaded and deep-fried ground meat patty; a fried meat cake.[1] The meat is usually ground beef, pork, or a mixture of the two. It is often served in inexpensive bento and teishoku.
Ingredients
300g beef mince
2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake (rice wine)
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat a frying pan and cook mince without any oil.
Add grated ginger and stir well. Stir in sugar, soy sauce, sake and mirin.
Turn up the heat and let it boil for a minute.
Serve with hot white rice.
JAPANESE
FLUFFY PANCAKES
The earliest form of Japanese Pancake dates back to the 16th century. A pancake called "Funo-yaki" was created by Sennorikyuu, the founder of the Japanese tea ceremony. He mixed flour with water and sake and char-grilled the flattened dough. Sweet miso was then spread on this savory pancake before being rolled and cut into a bite-size portion. At the height of the pancake's popularity, there were even Funo-yaki specialty shops. However, the pancake tradition completely disappeared towards the end of Edo-period (1603 – 1868).
Ingredients:
2 large yellow onions, roughly chopped
⅓ cup vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
14 oz diced tomato, 2 cans
6 oz tomato paste, 1 can
1 habanero pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon mixed dried herbs
3 chicken bouillon cubes, crushed
2 ½ cups long grain rice, rinsed
1 cup frozen mixed vegetable
1 ½ cups water
Instructions:
Add onions and 2 tablespoons of oil to a blender and pulse until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and habanero pepper to the blender, and pulse until smooth. Transfer to a separate medium bowl.
Heat the remaining ⅓ cup (80 ml) of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion puree and cook until the water has cooked out and the puree is starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomato puree and add the curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, dried herbs, and crushed bouillon cubes. Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew has reduced by half and is deep red in color.
Add the rice, mixed vegetables, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot with foil and a lid. Simmer for another 30 minutes, until the rice is cooked through and the liquid is absorbed.
Enjoy!