Crazy Cucumber Blog
Japanese-style green salad with avocado, soft boiled egg and juicy poached chicken. Hope you will enjoy this quick and easy Japanese style salad. I like the simplicity of this salad and I always feel so good after eating it. This salad is a part of the yōshoku cuisine which means […]
Healthy weekday dinner with a Japanese twist. This delicious salmon is marinated in a magical koji salt (Shio Koji) and lemon zest, then roasted and charred to perfection. The koji marinade tenderizes the fish and makes its taste richer. The creamy broccoli gratin with a cheesy crispy crust is a […]
Nikujaga is a typical home-cooked winter dish that Japanese moms and grandmas cook for their children. And it feels definitely like a mom’s hug. And will make your winter comfortable and warm. Nikujaga (lit. ‘meat [and] potatoes’) is a typical yōshoku dishes, Western-influenced cooking which originated during the Meiji Restoration. […]
When traveling in Japan I noticed how widely a fermented food presented in Japanese cuisine. I also noticed that people in Japan love to eat, they eat a lot (I’m not surprised, the food in Japan is amazing), but stay healthy and fit. So what is the secret? I guess, […]
During the chilly part of the year I usually have a craving for pickled vegetables rather than a fresh salads. The sweet and sour pickles work great with winter fatty and hearty dishes. Additionally, lactic acid fermented vegetables are rich in probiotic and enzymes and helps to improve our digestion […]
Ponzu sauce is a soy sauce based Japanese dipping sauce made with adding of yuzu juice, a famous Japanese citrus that smells divine. Serve Ponzu as dipping sauce for gyoza dumplings, or sashimi. Use it as dressing for beef tataki or seared tuna or salad. When you will try this […]
One time, our friend from Japan invited me and my family to his house and whipped up some Osaka-style okonomiyaki which is iconic Japanese street food. Okonomiyaki is a melting in your mouth savoury pancake, or giant vegetable bacon fritter, which is crispy outside and tender inside, and packed with […]
No Japanese table is not completed without tsukemono or Japanese lactic-acid fermented vegetables (pickles). In Japanese culture, everything has its own place and purpose. Pickled vegetables are rich in probiotic cultures that promote digestive health (check my previous posts with the secrets of a Japanese healthy diet). Pickled daikon is […]
I really enjoy yuzu season this year, thank you for these amazing fruits Neville and NZ Yuzu.What can be better than moist and fluffy ricotta citrus cake during the winter? It’s a Yuzu ricotta cake with generous sprinkle of premium NZ pine nuts! I also added to my cake olive oil […]
Hope you will enjoy this vibrant, delicious and nutritious green soup in a Peruvian style with a little twist. Yuzu Kosho will put the taste of the dish to the next level. Traditionally this soup is made with fresh green Peruvian chilli, but I really like my new version with […]
Light and Fluffy Lemon Ricotta Waffles with Poppy Seeds. These lemon ricotta waffles are fluffy and tender with the delicate crunch of poppy seeds. There is no better dessert than tasty waffles drizzled with honey and lemon juice. Get the recipe here. 2. Blood orange crepes Suzette. Retro classic with […]
Yuzu Kosho is a hot and citrusy fermented Japanese condiment made with fresh yuzu citrus zest, green chilli peppers, and salt. After years of exploring Asian food, I didn’t think I would get surprised by anything so much, but I did! A few months ago my friend Neville sent me […]
For those who asked me in my Instagram to share the recipe of candied kamo kamo with yuzu flavour. Here it is finally. Hope you will enjoy the flavour and texture. Try to serve it on cream cheese toast, or on homemade sourdough waffles topped with ricotta or add to […]
Are you familiar with hoshigaki, shockingly delicious, melting in your mouth amber coloured air-dried persimmon with a caramel flavour? These labour-intensive Japanese sweets made from peeled persimmon fruits hanged on strings and air-dried during the winter. The fruits are massaged during the drying process, it gives absolutely amazing mellow gelatinous […]
Nutritious and delicious winter soup. This low carb chicken soup is packed with green vegetables and chicken meatballs, and Asians flavours. Add a little restaurant-style twist to this dish. Maillard reaction makes this soup is absolutely delicious.If you still can’t imagine your meal without carbs, a healthy soba noodle perfectly […]
Rehydrated freeze-dried tofu simmered in a sweet and rich in umami dashi stock. This dish is a feast of Japanese flavours and textures. Continuing my research on Japanese cuisine. Everyone knows sushi and ramen. But besides this, there are a huge number of less popular but absolutely delicious dishes in […]
When one door closes, another opens… I haven’t been bored for a single day in lock down, because this is a great opportunity to learn more about fermentation processes. And improve your health. Fermented foods are rich in probiotic bacteria so by consuming fermented foods you are adding beneficial bacteria […]
Try this sophisticated Japanese-style skewered salmon, drizzled with homemade salty-sweet teriyaki sauce. Salmon skewers taste is the best when it made on a hot barbecue, but you can also use a grill pan. Serve it over rice with edamame beans, sweet and sour wasabi vegetables and wakame kraut. Incredibly flavourful […]
Hope you already have seen my post about young green ume and experience with Umeshu. Ripened ume has an amazingly sweet fragrance that is more fragrant than young ume. The ume fruit is more sour than the Western plum or apricot and is usually processed in various ways before eaten. […]
A few days ago I did Mari Kondo-ing of my kitchen cupboard. I do tidying up pretty often, just because this is an important part of my work if you do the recipe development your pantry has to be always full of fresh ingredients. Guess what I found there? Rice, […]
