travel & culture

Meal Prep #1 - Batch cook 3 Japanese dishes for two in 1 hour

3/13/2017

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Your goal: Finish cooking 3 Japanese dishes for two in 1 hour

When I get back from work, I'm tired, hungry and ready for a homemade meal. Truth is, it's hard to cook when I get home. Naturally, I reach for eat24.com... So here's a series for you healthy Japanese food lovers: Japanese meal prep in 1 hour to get you 3-4 meals for two.

Ingredients

Basics (Always in the cabinet)

Japanese Soy Sauce
Japanese Sake
Japanese Mirin
Organic Sugar
Organic Salt & Pepper
Japanese Brown Rice
Sesame oil
Japanese dashi stock
Oyster sauce

Common Ingredients:

2 Organic Onions
3 Organic Carrots

Special Ingredients:

Hayashi-Rice
- Hayashi-Rice Curry Roux (sold in Japanese supermarkets or Amazon)
- Mushroom (optional)
- 1lb Thin sliced beef, chicken or pork
- 1 Tomato can
Okinawa Bitter Melon Stirfry
- 2 egg
- 2 Bitter Melon (Asian supermarket)
- 1lb Thin sliced pork
Renkon Chicken Sweet Sauce Stirfry
- 1lb Organic Chicken
- 2 Renkon (Asian supermarket)
- Green onion (optional)

1. Start chopping (~20-30min)

Chop onions into regular slices
Chop carrots into small bite sized slices
Chop mushrooms as necessary
Chop bitter melon, take out the insides and soak it in salt water for 10 min (this will reduce bitterness later)
Chop Renkon after peeling it into bite-sized pieces. Soak into water until ready to cook.
Chop green onion (optional)

2. Start with the Hayashi Rice

In a deep stew pot, throw in some olive oil or butter and start cooking the meat.
Once the meat is cooked through throw in some onion.
Once the onion is clear and cooked, throw in the carrots and mushrooms.
Once the carrots are softer, put in 1 whole tomato can.
Wait till the tomato sauce starts bubbling.
While you wait, go to #3.
★ The tomato sauce is bubbling. Now add 500ml of water. Put a lid on it and wait for ~15min.
While you wait, go to #3, find the ☆ mark.
● Stop the heat, add the roux, mix until the roux has melted. Simmer on low heat until serving (max. 15 min).
Go to #4.

3. While you wait, start the Renkon stirfry.

In a hot pan, start heating the meat and renkon in high heat. Keep tossing every so often until thoroughly cooked.
While you wait to go step #2, find the ★ mark.
☆ Start making the sauce: Mix 4 tbsp Sake, 2 tbsp sugar, 4 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp mirin together.
Add to the hot pan, lower heat and simmer w/ lid closed until ready to serve (max. 15 min simmering)
While you wait, go to #2, find the ● mark.

4. Finally, let's cook the super antiaging bitter melon stirfry.

In a hot pan, heat some sesame oil (if you have some) and start cooking the meat and bitter melon in medium/high heat.
Start making the sauce: Mix 2 tbsp Sake, 3 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp oyster sauce, 2 tsp dashi
Add sauce to the pan, lower heat and simmer.
Mix eggs and add to the pan. Mix slowly. Simmer until ready to serve (max. 10 min).

Well done! You've got yourself and a buddy 3-4 meals this week. Pack it up in containers, and enjoy for dinner, lunch or anything nice!

Gochisōsamadeshita! (Thank you for the meal)

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Japan's most sacred shrine - Ise City

3/5/2017

Your goal: Finish cooking 3 Japanese dishes for two in 1 hour

1. Start chopping (~20-30min)

2. Start with the Hayashi Rice

3. While you wait, start the Renkon stirfry.

4. Finally, let's cook the super antiaging bitter melon stirfry.

​Well done! You've got yourself and a buddy 3-4 meals this week. Pack it up in containers, and enjoy for dinner, lunch or anything nice! Gochisōsamadeshita! (Thank you for the meal)

"​Ise Jingu(Ise Shrine) is the shinto shrine that the Japanese adore as "Soul of Japan". Located in Ise city, Mie Prefecture, Japan."

​1. Ise Jingu (Ise Shrine)

2. Take a break at the recreational areas of the shrine. Find some Ise Udon and warm up...

​3. Explore other shrines in Ise City.

4. Drive to Toba for this beautiful view of the sea.

5. Can't forget this one. Unaju. Eel bowls.

Take a break from the hustle & bustle in Tokyo. 2 hour Shinkansen to Kanazawa for a relaxing trip full of clean air.

Day 1: Arrive at Kanazawa Station, purchase the 1-day-all-day bus pass to go around Kanazawa city. Ubers are not *in* yet.

​Take a bus to Kenroku-en, a beautifully preserved Japanese garden.

​Don't forget to visit the stands....for snacks and warm drinks.

Stroll over to theKanazawa Castle, which was in use 1580-1871.

Take the bus to the "Higashi Chaya District", the tea house district which were used by geishas in the 1800s.

​Check-in to your hotel. We stayed at the Sai-no-niwa hotel.

​Day 2: Good morning! After a slow breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Modern Art Museum.

​Time to head back on a Shinkasen departing at 12pm. Enjoy a non-Japanese meal before it at the Station. Ton of things to do in there while you wait for your train.

​Don't forget to shop around...

Tokyo Midtown "Starlight Garden"

Tokyo Marunouchi

Tokyo Roppongi Keyaki-zaka "Galaxy Illumination"

Tokyo Omotesando

Tokyo Shiodome "Canyon d'Azur"

Last but not least, Yokohama's Redbrick Warehouse "Christmas Market"

1. Beauty products. You can find anything. You don't need a makeup purse anymore!

2. Well designed, attractive looking storefronts.

3. All sorts of alcohol can be purchased for a reasonable price. Mixed drinks and beer in cans, whiskey, wine, sake, soju...

4. Fresh Fried Food.

5. Finally, the best packaged pastries, sandwiches and bread.

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Well done! You've got yourself and a buddy 3-4 meals this week. Pack it up in containers, and enjoy for dinner, lunch or anything nice!

Gochisōsamadeshita! (Thank you for the meal)

"Ise Jingu(Ise Shrine) is the shinto shrine that the Japanese adore as "Soul of Japan". Located in Ise city, Mie Prefecture, Japan."

1. Ise Jingu (Ise Shrine)

3. Explore other shrines in Ise City.

Take a break from the hustle & bustle in Tokyo.
2 hour Shinkansen to Kanazawa for a relaxing trip full of clean air.

Day 1: Arrive at Kanazawa Station, purchase the 1-day-all-day bus pass to go around Kanazawa city. Ubers are not in yet.

Take a bus to Kenroku-en, a beautifully preserved Japanese garden.

Don't forget to visit the stands....for snacks and warm drinks.

Check-in to your hotel. We stayed at the Sai-no-niwa hotel.

Day 2: Good morning! After a slow breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Modern Art Museum.

Time to head back on a Shinkasen departing at 12pm. Enjoy a non-Japanese meal before it at the Station. Ton of things to do in there while you wait for your train.

Don't forget to shop around...

Featured Fyuse: