Making Great Art Is About Being More Of Who You Are

Sorry my last post was a whiny one. I’m quite good at that, whining. So much so that my primary school teacher, my Payne, told me, as I whinged my way through the wet mud on school camp, that he’d never met someone so complaining and impatient before. Though in my defence (and his) the same teacher gave me the class diligence award at the end of the year. So, I am complaining but I am persistent, too. Yes, a woman of many qualities. Alas, don’t you think I have good reason to complain? Harry seems to think so. You know, Harry from When Harry Met Sally? He takes the words straight out of my mouth when in his epic declaration of love he says: “when you realise you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
So, I keep busy…
I bake. 
I shop.

I work.

And I work some more (watching Japanese movies for my next Savvy article).

And I reassure myself that this too shall pass. For almost one year has passed since mummy and daddy came to visit me in rural Japan where my life was so very different to what it is today.

Trying their first ramen. 
Enjoying sakura (cherry blossom) season. A
And watching their daughter imitate Mimasaka’s best sushi chef.

Holiday Updates

So Ozzy turned four!!!! And the reason he has 5 candles is because Lifa reckons you’re supposed to put the age +1 for the next year ?? Crazy man. I’m pretty sure that’s wrong. So much so that I’m putting it on the blog!! Aha. I love you guys. Is it also OK if I say Aki is due soon?! Forgive me but I cannot wait to see my niece! Auntie Anisa is waiting. Are you going to name her Anisa? Oh man, you are, aren’t you? :P
Remember Yuko and her family? She’s the lovely Japanese lady who was constantly cooking for me. Well, in less than a week, she and her family will be visiting. Yes, all the way from JAPON! Can you believe it? I sure can’t! God, I love humanity. What a blessing. I hope we can be good hosts and show them everything. I’m also excited for YOU to enjoy along with me.

What else?
I watched Paterson the movie. And I watched it only because of its female lead: Golshifteh Farahani. You guessed it, she’s a Persian lady and one heck of an actress, I believe. Unfortunately, the movie was hella boring (to put politely). It did however, inspire me to restart writing poetry.

I was telling a friend about the age difference
Between me and my lover
Feeling insecure about
Well
Basically being old
When I saw a young girl scurry past
She was one maybe two years old
And we were wearing the exact same jelly shoes

I had been asking my mother to accompany me to The Berry Shop for quite some time
When today of all the days she suggested it herself
It was cold and rainy and my outsides were freezing
But still we sat and ate ice-cream
and we talked
or rather she talked and I listened
and slowly slowly
my insides were warming.

Last but not least, my latest Savvy Tokyo piece on Japanese Christmas Cake HERE.

Surprise Cake

The highlight of my Spain experience was meeting Maria. She is one of those people that you instantly fall in love with. The ones you know nothing about but want to spend all day walking with. For the last two days, I have been staying in her home with her, her husband, two children and second cousin. Having recently started following my blog and reading that it was my birthday of late, but I did not have a cake for it because I was up high in the air somewhere, she and her lovely cousin organised this. A surprise cake – which happened to be the most delicious cake I have ever tasted. In the words of Linda Grayson, “there is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.” Thank you Maria for showing such selfless love to a complete stranger and for sweetening my year.

Okayama Table Terra

For my little sister, Juri’s birthday, my Japanese parents took us to Okayama Table Terra. And oh my goodness. This place was SO delicious. I could not believe it! I wish I had discovered it earlier.

Terra is two storey and the interior is gorgeous. White chairs and dark wooden tables. Big mirrors, open kitchen, wonderful service and pot plants. Perfect for any occasion. Especially a couple date! EEEE

We had the chef’s choice set menu and it was to die for! WOW! I can’t wait to go back. Is the chef single?! Can I marry him? More details HERE.

Because I can’t fluently understand Japanese, I can’t give you the exact description of each dish, but what I can say is we started with an antipasti plate (featuring zucchini bruschetta), followed by a variety of vegetables served with an anchovy dip, then cold new season cream of potato soup, next delicious eggplant pizzas topped with cheese and mince, next pizza margarita and last but definitely not least (because it was our favorite), a vegetarian zucchini and soy-bean “bolognese”. WOW it was so delicious I wish I could eat it for lunch today. Heck, also dinner.

At Terra, we also had coffee and a little cake. At home, we had tea and a big cake (gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free) – which I made. Recipe HERE. Except for Juri, I doubled this recipe: made two cakes, placed them on top of one another and spread an all-natural raspberry jam in the middle of them. Mama Mia.

Zucchini Banana Cake

I don’t often see zucchinis in Japan and when I do they’re imported and so super expensive. Though recently, my local farmer’s market/shop has starting selling 3/4 zuchinnis for the equivalent of $2 which I think is really cheap. I wished I had one of those zoodle machines (the ones that make noodles out of carrots, cucumbers and zuchinnis) to make a fancy salad with rice noodles and peanuts but it’s okay because I turned my zucchinis into the most delicious cake.

To make the recipe free of gluten, simply use GF oats and GF flour.

2 free-range eggs
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp pure maple syrup
1 ripe banana
3/4 cup oat flour (oats made into flour using a blender or food processor)
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
2 tbsp wholewheat flour
1 tbsp almond powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 zucchini grated
granola to top (optional)

Preheat oven to 180C.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients together.

Pour batter into a greased loaf tin.

Top with granola (optional)

Bake for 30 or so minutes.

How We Spend Our Days Is, Of Course, How We Spend Our Lives.

Isn’t that the most beautiful quote?

I love literature.
And cake!
And flowers and
spring.
That, most of all
is my favorite
thing.

There’s a lot in this post so I’ll give a brief explanation. First, carrot cake with PINEAPPLE chunks and not just raisins but dates, too. So good. And a crunchy top. Just make sure to drizzle with a little honey before adding the nut/seed mixture. Second, Pictures from my walk to school today. My favorite being the picture of the obachan (old woman) with her dog in her rear tricycle basket. Yes, tricycle. Next, today’s breakfast (sorta Italian) and today’s bento. The latter more Japanese, less Persian. And last, chocolate banana loaf made with okara (soy pulp). Perfect for Japan dwellers cos that shizz is sold everywhere.







The Ultimate Carrot Cake:
3 free-range eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1 large carrot, grated
4 canned pineapple rings, chopped small
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
—————-
1 cup white flour
1 cup wholemeal flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped raisins and dates
pinch of salt
Topping:
1/2 cup of mixed nuts and seeds
(I used flax seed, sesame seed, walnuts and pistachios)

Preheat oven to 180C

Mix wet and dry ingredients separately then together.

Pour into a baking-paper lined cake tin.

Drizzle a small amount of honey on top of the batter then top with nuts and seeds.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the fork comes out clean.

Note: if topping begins browning too quickly, just cover with tinfoil and continue baking.

Chocolate Banana Okara Cake 
This one’s for the people who have access to okra (soy pulp) or any nut or oat pulp. In Japan, Okra is sold at all supermarkets in the tofu isle.
2 ripe bananas
2 free-range eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy milk
1/2 cup okara
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/2 cup almond powder
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1/4 cup walnut pieces
Topping:
1 banana, chocolate pieces (I used ViBERi chocolate-coated freeze-dried blackcurrants), silvered almonds and juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 180C

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients together

Pour batter into a baking-paper lined cake tin

Top with banana, chocolate, almonds and lastly, a squeeze of lemon juice – this is to stop the banana from changing color.

Bake for 30-40 min or until the fork comes out clean.

On Day Five The Three Little Bears Rested

From top to bottom: a walk in the village with mom, snaps from a small Japanese matsuri (festival) in the old street of my village (the food is shiitake mushroom tempura, onigiri and tempura onigiri!), lunch with Lifa, Akiko and Oz at mine where my father gifted Oz a Kinder Surprise (a surprise-toy containing chocolate egg), a gluten and dairy-free black sugar and raspberry cake, and last but oh my goodness never least, an incredible make-your-own sushi dinner at Kaori and Taka’s with BROWN RICE, avocado and all things nice. It is an understatement to say that my heart is bursting with 愛 (love).

An Israeli Dish To Make You Forget Hummus

Hummus who? That’s right. That’s how good my Israeli dinner (not hummus) was last night. Oh my, where to begin?

Hamin (pronounced with a strong KH so KHamin) or Cholent is a traditional Jewish stew. According to Lifa (Mr. Head Chef) it is usually simmered overnight Friday for about 12 hours, and eaten on Shabbat, the Religious holiday where Jewish laws prohibit cooking or turning on the light for that matter!

There are many variations of the dish but the basic ingredients are meat, potatoes, beans and barley. Sephardi-style hamin uses rice instead of beans and barley, and chicken instead of beef. A traditional Sephardi addition is whole eggs in the shell (huevos haminados), which turn brown overnight. Ashkenazi cholent often contains kishke (a sausage casing) or helzel (a chicken neck skin stuffed with a flour-based mixture). When I asked Lifa more about this casing and what it was stuffed with, he replied in his thick Hebrew accent, “I don’t know, mostly FAT and BREAD.” Ha! So I’m glad he couldn’t find it in Japan and opted for boiled eggs instead.

I loved listening to Lifa describe this dish. He very much reminded me of my father. Seeing as we were both hungry, his mouth was watering as he showed me pictures of the cooking process. One description stood out. That being his technique of placing the beans on the bottom of the pot as they are his least favourite ingredient, so if something is to burn, it will be them!

Come tasting time, the Hamin or Cholent was unbelievably delicious. Picture a marriage between a risotto and a stew. So damn delicious. Lifa had also included prunes and date syrup making it a flavoursome sweet and savoury concoction. The ultimate comfort food. I can’t wait for him to make it again. Here I should mention, Aki also made, as usual, an amazing green salad with figs and hemp seeds, cabbage soup and a tasty broccoli dish.

For dessert, we had entirely VEGAN, GF and SUGAR-FREE cupcakes which I made using Kaori’s recipe. Don’t we have the best foodie community here?! Recipe below.

150g soft tofu(it’s called KINU-TOFU in Japanese)
1/2 cup soy milk
3/4 cup maple syrup (or honey)
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch salt
1 cup rice flour
1/2 cup pure cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
nuts of choice (optional)

Mix the first lot of ingredients together in a blender then transfer to a large bowl.

Add remaining ingredients, mix well.

Pour into a greased cake tin or muffin tray and bake at 180C for 35-45 minutes.

Icing:
Flesh of one avocado
1 small banana
3 tbsp pure cocoa powder
2 tbsp raw maple syrup (or honey)

Blend all ingredients together and spread atop cake. Make sure blender is off before you start licking it! <3

 

Love, Cake and Gyoza

Far from my “home”, family and friends in a country where I cannot manage a simple errand without succumbing to a pathetic pool of tears, I was, and I am, simultaenously surrounded by an infinite source of 愛 (LOVE). Last night, that love came from an Israeli (the country I was taught to hate by my Iranian primary school), a loving Japanese and their adorable son, a global citizen, Oz-kun. How incredibly lucky am I? And what did I do to deserve all this? Thank you Lydon family and thank you, God!

Aki prepared vegetarian curry, one spinach-based, one tomato and yet ANOTHER amazing salad, this one had hemp-seeds and raisins. Oz-kun, Aki and I (but really, mostly Aki) made completely home-made naan and vegan gyoza filled with onion, spinach and quinoa. Last, I made a gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free chocolate raspberry cake adapted from the Petite Kitchen website (recipe after the pictures).

Cake
3 free-range eggs
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/3 cup runny honey
1/2 cup of thawed frozen raspberries (fresh even better)
1 1/2 cups of ground almonds
1/2 cup of raw cacao powder
1 tsp pure vanilla essence
1 tsp baking soda

Glaze:
1 block of good-quality dark chocolate, chopped
the creamy top from a can of full-fat coconut milk

Preheat oven to 170C

Place cake ingredients in a food processor and blitz to combine

Pour batter into a greased cake tin and bake for about 30-40 minutes or until done

Let cool completely before glazing.

To prepare the ganache, add the chopped chocolate and coconut cream in to a small saucepan over extremely low heat. Whisk continuously until melted together then immediately remove from heat

Let cool slightly (1-2 min)

Using a spatula, spread deliciousness evenly on  cake, allowing it to drizzle over the edges

Last but not least, decorate with berries and fresh flowers

Date cake

Date cake. As in the fruit, not romance. Unless I’m having a date with a bear or a wild boar in which case, it could be that cos I’m pretty sure I saw a bear yesterday. Anyways, it’s free from gluten, dairy and refined sugar but not eggs. Because I love eggs. Free-range of course.

4 free-range eggs
1 cup chopped dates
1/4 cup of coconut oil (melted)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup of ground almonds
1 cup of rice flour
1 tsp cinnamon

to decorate: walnuts and dark chocolate

Preheat oven to 160C

Blend eggs, dates, oil, baking soda and vinegar together (in a food processor or blender).

Transfer to a large bowl and fold in almonds, flour and cinnamon.

Pour mixture into a greased tin and top with walnuts and dark chocolate

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the fork comes out clean.

Enjoy hot or cold or in between.

PS I initially topped this cake with freeze-dried strawberries but they burnt in my toaster oven! So, I picked them off and shoved more walnuts in their place (hehe) hence the berry absence in the last picture.