Reviews

I’m not ashamed to say that one of my favorite hangouts is the supermarket. And that on Pay Days it’s the first place I go. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a glutton, I’m just…a lover of health-foods. So, I tried this pourable organic bush-honey yoghurt (though it doesn’t state that it’s pourable, it just is) and I loved it. It’s sorta expensive but I think it’s worth it. Yay for local food.


Jennifer Niven’s All The Bright Places was the second book I read for my A Book A Week New Year’s resolution. Described by The Guardian as the new The Fault in Our Stars, the last chapters had me bawling! It is a teenage love-story about suicide. 4.2/5

Speaking of bawling, LION had the entire theatre in tears. What a touching film! I definitely recommend it. To anybody and everybody. Did you know that in India alone, over 80,000 children go missing each year? I don’t know about you but my mind can’t even begin to fathom such statistics. Watching Lion helps put a small part of this catastrophe in perspective. At the end of the film, I was overtaken with a lot of thoughts and emotions but mainly that, children truly are the light of the world and that, we all have a role and an obligation in the bigger picture.My handsome and cool boyfriend suggested I take it easy for week 3 (mainly because I was running behind) and read a children’s book. Margaret Mahy (NZ represent) is a genius. Here’s a little treasure for you, too:

My  Sister
My sister’s remarkably light,
She can float to a fabulous height.
It’s a troublesome thing,
But we tie her with a string,
And we use her instead of a kite.

My daddy has an Afghani friend with a traditional bread oven. He usually makes white bread but my dad requests unsalted wholemeal. Since he’s the only customer of this sort of bread, daddy has to buy the entire batch in bulk. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you daddy’s friend’s details because I don’t even know but I thought you’d appreciate the photos and that smile anyhow. 

An Inside Look At A Traditional Galician Bakery

Pictures taken at Bakery Panaderia Mollete Bolleria in Ferrol, Galicia where the owner, Jose’s friend allowed us an exclusive look at how Galician bread is made.


Since the Spanish eat bread with every meal, bread is a big deal for them. At Mollete, bread is prepared by hand (and love) then baked in a wood-fired oven. The bakers arrive at 2am and continuously bake all day. What blew me away is the price of each baguette. One sells for 0.95Euro (about 1 US dollar). Isn’t that crazy? In New Zealand it would be quadruple the price of that. And apparently, even so, the locals still complain that the bread is too expensive. Can you believe that? Anyways, we bought a cod and raisin empanada. BP. B for bacalao (cod) and P for pasa (raisin). C for carne (meat). Typically, Empanadas are eaten cold so we had ours later in the day for lunch. Guys, I am getting fat.



“What must you break apart in order to bring a family close together? Bread, of course.”
― Jodi Picoult
“The smell of good bread baking, like the sound of lightly flowing water, is indescribable in its evocation of innocence and delight…[Breadmaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world’s sweetest smells… there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of
meditation in a music-throbbing chapel. that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread.” ― Mary Francis Kennedy Fisher



“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.” ― James Beard

“All sorrows are less with bread. ” ― Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra


“Let it never be said / there can be a Heaven / without fresh bread.” ― Glenn Logan Reitze

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ― Virginia Woolf



(Can you see the cut empanadas in the back?)



“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one’s own relations.” ― Oscar Wilde

For Robin

I’m gonna have a short proud moment, just this one time, and say that this rural area of Japan didn’t have much (if any) English info on food before I got here. I dedicate this post on my favorite food places in the north Okayama/Tottori area to my successor, “Robin from England” whom my students (can I still call them my students? waa) are so super excited to meet come August.

Robin, I speak for all of us (my followers and I) when I wish you the very best of time in Ohara. We hope you make the most of every day and cannot wait to see this place from your pespective in future pictures. So without further adieu…

For contemporary-style cafes try: Cafe Roca in Tsuyama

or Moco Lifestyle Store  in Tottori

For a contemporary-style cafe with WIFI: try Dot Diner&Cafe in Yunogo or Nambate in Ohara or Motoyu in Nishiawakura

For the world’s fluffiest pancakes: Cocogarden in Tottori (Mochigase)
Arrive super early or be prepared for a long wait. Also sell udon, fresh bread and omelette crepes (go figure). Open daily from 10am. I recommend the milk soft serve and the organic eggs.

For Thick crust pizza: La Gita in Katsumada

For BIG and I mean, gigantic thin crust pizza, Pizza King in Wake Town
I recommend the spinach pizza.

For the best counter sushi in Japan: Yoshinoya in Mimasaka but only on a Saturday
Every day else, this place is an izakaya (Japanese bar).

For contemporary cafe-style food with the best view: Yukkuru Terrace in Yunogo

For a super cheap sushi train: Sushiro in Tsuyama

For a fancy sushi train: Hokkaido in Tottori (go figure)

For a very beautiful and very Japanese and slightly expensive place to take your parents when they visit: Mitaki-en in Chizu Town

For REAL bread (and takeaway pizzettes): Hugo et Leo in Nishiawakura

Or
Aiyuuwaie in Yunogo

For incredible burgers (and good conversation): Shuvi Du Bar in Tottori
For good Indian with naan the size of your mattress: Sivam in Yunogo (or Sivan – still don’t know which)
For fancy Italian try: Terra in Tsuyama
I recommend the chef’s choice set menu. 

For super fancy Italian: Ristorante Cielo in Tsuyama

For vegetarian: Cafe Bonheur  in Tsuyama

Or Gemmaishokudourakudokan (yeah, it’s a tongue twister)

For fresh gelato: Hashimoto Farm in Tottori

Or Latte in Tsuyama

Ok desu. Think that’s probably enough for now. Happy scoffing, buddy!

Nishiawakura

20 days to go. I am trying my best to make the most of every day, knowing that when I look back on my time here, I’ll only remember the good and miss it. Terribly. Today, I am appreciating Nishiawakura, the village next to mine. Not only is it home to some of my dearest friends in Japan, it is also beautiful and, bursting with raw talent. From Olivier and Hiromi’s bread to Lifa and Akiko’s woodwork to Naho sensei’s pottery to the fresh herbs and vegetables lovingly cultivated by sweet old couples. Of course, Nishiawakura’s talent is not limited to this image for it seems almost every inhabitant there is making and creating in the hope of putting their unique mark on the world.

Thank you, Nishiawakura. I am going to miss you.

So This Happened…

I bought a watermelon the size of a Japanese sumo wrestler and made Persian Breakfast for lunch for my Japanese friends.

A friend commented my picture looked like a pregnancy one. I replied, yes and judging by my pants, my water broke too. It IS water by the way. I assure you.

Italian Night and a *Stolen* Recipe

If you follow my blog’s Facebook and/or Instagram accounts then you might know that I made Italian food for my Japanese friends last night. Now, how does a Persian-Kiwi learn to cook Italian? By working jobs. At 15 I worked at La Porchetta, a chain Italian restaurant then at 17 I waitress-ed at iconic Cafe Valentino which was destroyed from the devastating Christchurch earthquakes whilst I was living in Israel. When Cafe Valentino reopened on St. Asaph Street, I immediately returned, this time as Duty Manager. That’s right, GIRL BOSS. I loved the actual boss, I loved the head chef and I loved the pizza (not specifically in that order).

Working at Cafe Valentino, I learnt so much from Chef Karren. Not only is she extremely talented but also so utterly passionate and committed. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than a person who sacrifices day in and day out for their art.

During “the calm before the storm” (quiet mornings before lunch) at Cafe Valentino, I’d often have the opportunity to watch the chef’s preparations. Though I couldn’t ever know exactly how they made what they did or what exactly went into it, let’s just say, I can take a pretty accurate stab in the dark. Today I share with you an idiot-proof *stolen* recipe from the famous Cafe Valentino:

Tomato Freakin’ Bruschetta.

1 medium red onion, chopped small
about 3 medium tomatoes , chopped small – I used a punnet of mixed colored tomatoes whcih included red, maroon, green, yellow and orange ones.
bunch of fresh basil leaves – chopped small
dollop of good quality olive oil
dollop of good quality balsamic
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper

Bread – Cafe Valentino would use freshly baked ciabatta, I used store-bought French baguette.

Finely chop vegetables and herb.

Add a dollop of oil then balsamic – I guess Cafe Val used a balsamic reduction but I ain’t got time (or skills) for that.

Season with a little salt and pepper.

Mix well then refrigerate (you can do this well in advance to serving, if you wish).

For serving, slice bread, toast in a toaster or toaster oven then top each bread with big spoonfuls of tomato/onion mixture letting it fall everywhere (as in on the plate).
***HOT TIP from Rosie Blakely of Gaikokumama: “I usually cut a fresh garlic clove in half, rub the open-side over the bread, then lightly toast by frying the bread with a little olive oil. Yummy. Try it if you fancy!”

I Only Exercise So I Can Eat More

God, I love weekends. Especially when they’re not winter! Yesterday was 25 degrees celsius so I biked 20km for local oranges and organic French bread. Oh and I ate a baked sweet potato on the way. These by the way, are amazing. Their season is almost over but in the winter, you’d find them sold everywhere. I don’t know the exact oven they’re cooked in  but whatever it is, it cooks the shit out of them and leaves them all soft and squishy and some places sell it (hot baked sweet potato) with ice-cream! Yum yum oishii.

PS the flying fish are for “Boy’s Day” whatever that means and the last picture is a Persian breakfast. You can read all about that HERE.

So you want to throw a dinner party?

I love throwing dinner parties. Lurve it. I think whatever problems you’re having can almost always be forgotten for an hour or two when you’re surrounded by good food, family and friends. Unless the family and friends ARE the problem in which case, abort mission!

Here are my top tips for hosting a dinner party:

Provide bread:
Two thing always worry me. One, and perhaps the most obvious worry, if my guests will like what i’m serving, if it will be tasty. And two, if there will be enough of it. Bread solves both problems. Everybody loves bread and not just any bread but artisan bread. For me, Olivier’s is it, it has become my good luck charm and if all goes to shit, I know my guests can fill up on it. As the great Mr. Saavedra once said, “all sorrows are less with bread”.

Make salad:
Oi! I heard that! “Salad shmalad”. Be quiet! It’s important. It’s needed and it’s not just for the dieters. It brings freshness and balance. Just do it, okay? No dinner table is complete without a BIG bowl of salad. Throw in some fresh fruit (the fancier the better: strawberry, watermelon, pineapple, peach, pomegranate) and some nuts and/or seeds, and voila! Your salad is officially pimped. Just make sure not to over do it.
Tip: dry roast your nuts and seeds in a pan or toaster oven for extra flavour.

Colour me in:
Apparently Ed Sheeran sings “cover me up, cuddle me in” but I’ve been singing “cover me up, colour me in” for the past year, or for however long he’s been singing it. My ex used to find it cute when I messed up the lyrics but now, it’s just pathetic. Anyways, colour is important – another reason to prepare salad. Put some thought into your menu so you don’t end up serving everything red, yellow or orange.
Note: this can be as simple as adding some greenry (parsley, basil etc) to the top of your soup or pasta.

Where is the sauce?
Remember Manu, from My Kitchen Rules’ catch phrase? Don’t serve dry food. Make sure your pasta, curry or stir-fry has enough sauce, that your salad is served with dressing, your bread with butter, your meat with gravy and your basmati rice with yoghurt.

Tonights recipes:
Salad:
Lettuce, diced roasted sweet potato, pomegranate seeds and dry roasted walnuts
dressed with: lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper

White bean dip:
in a food processor, blitz together: 1 can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed), 1 garlic clove, 1/4 cup olive oil, zest of one lemon,  juice of half a lemon, bunch of fresh parsley, salt and pepper.

Skewers:
Pretty self explanatory, you can use pretty much anything for these…various cheeses, meats, vegetables (artichokes, peppers, olives etc) and pastas, too (tortellini and gnocchi rubbed in pesto are excellent).

Pasta:
Fettuccine, sliced button mushrooms, spring onion, canned tomato and cream – das it.

 

 

Shakshuka and cake

We had a small surprise party for Hiromi’s birthday this morning. I made my shakshuka recipe (here) and replaced the eggplants with capsicum which the Japanese people call paprika and the American’s I’ve met here call bell pepper. It was a good choice because Hiromi’s French husband, Olivier is an amazing baker (Hugo et Leo). So, with the abundance of bread present, dipping, eating with hands and plate-cleaning via bread piece were all mandatory.

Italian night and a savoury muffin recipe

Last night was Taka’s birthday (the father of the adorable baby I keep posting). So of course, we cooked. And by we, I mean me. I made Gnocchi with mushroom, spinach and tomato, a garden salad with organic greens hand-delivered to my home by the local organic farmer in an eco-friendly manner (wrapped in newspaper not PLASTIC as is everything in Japan and I mean every single thing imaginable) and savoury muffins (recipe below). The wholemeal and olive bread pictured is from Hugo et Leo. For dessert, I made my famous crumble but seeing as I’ve no photo evidence for y’all, I may as well have not bothered at all (sarcasm).

3 free-range eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup almond meal
handful of grated parmesan
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, chopped
handful of parsley, finely chopped

50 grams of cream cheese

Grease a 6 case muffin tray and pre-heat the oven to 180C

Mix together the eggs, olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

Gently fold in everything else except the cream cheese.

Place one heaped table spoon of batter in each muffin case, top with a dice-sized piece of cream cheese then cover with remaining batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the fork comes out clean.

Note: recipe doesn’t need any salt as sundried tomatoes and parmesan are salty enough.