As a kid, my favorite dish was my mom’s spaghetti with meat sauce. It was, as the kids say today, “the bomb!” The funny thing was that, being Japanese, my mom would always ask us if we would like rice too. My dad, brother and I would always say, “no”. Yet, she always cooked a fresh batch of rice for dinner every time she made spaghetti, just in case one of us said, “yes.” The spaghetti I make...
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Bebe E loves mashed bananas and it is such a nutritious and fresh first fruit (tongue twister?) for babies. I buy organic bananas although I know that the peel is thick enough to protect the flesh from harmful whatever-bad-is-out-there. I found that these tend to be a bit smaller than non-organic bananas, but they’re perfect for bebe E. One banana is equal to approximately 3 servings for bebe E. I cut up 1/3 of the banana into her...
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I woke up this morning to a dreary, drizzly, and cold Southern California. Bebe dada is still coughing, trying to get over his cold and I thought it would be a perfect day to make the Chinese Winter Melon soup that he taught me how to make. We call this tung qwa soup, prounounced “dong-ku-wa”. Like most of the recipes that I’ve learned from bebe dada, this one is really simple yet really good! If you order Winter Melon soup...
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I realized its been awhile since I posted any homemade bebe food. I’ve actually been quite busy making different types of food for bebe E since I ordered more Baby Cubes, but perhaps I’ve avoided posting these knowing that my audience is not vast. :) Seriously, who doesn’t love applesauce – baby’s, kids, and even grownups?!? Maybe I’m one of the few adults that likes to eat applesauce, and not just...
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On Saturday, April 3, 2010 Big Onechan and I colored eggs with our baby nephew Q, Auntie M and Bebe Dada. Bebe E was taking an extended nap and woke-up as soon as we were finished – oh well. We ended up with a beautiful basket of colorful eggs. :) What do you do with all of the hard-boiled eggs that you colored for Easter? With our colored eggs, I decided to make deviled eggs. My mother-in-law made some yesterday with chopped...
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Chicken karaage is the Japanese version of American fried chicken. The chicken is marinated and then coated in starch and then fried. Sometimes this dish is also called tatsutaage, which refers to a Japanese style of fried food that is similarly seasoned, coated and fried. You’ll often find chicken karaage on the menu at Japanese izakaya (tapas), Japanese restaurants, ramen restaurants and even in the deli or pre-made foods area of popular...
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Gindara Misozuke, a family favorite. Photo Credit: Hideki Ueha Nobu’s miso marinated black cod, or gindara misozuke as it is known in Japanese, is so delicious! This recipe won’t disappoint and will prove to be versatile for use on other types of fish such as grilled salmon. The first time I ever tasted this miso black cod was when the daughter of my Mom’s friend shared some of the fish that she marinated and baked for us....
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When I was little my dad used to make SPAM and eggs for lunch on the weekend. I didn’t know what SPAM was. I just remember seeing a rectangular piece of meat on my plate. It was salty, kinda rubbery and for awhile I just ate it because it was on my plate. Then I found my voice one day and I told my dad that SPAM was weird (since he wouldn’t tell me what kind of meat it was) and that I didn’t want to eat it anymore. He...
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