Ikura, an extremely nutritious food

Ikura is the roe (eggs) of the spawning Chum salmon. These large, red succulent eggs are pleasantly mild and perfectly firm in texture. Ikura is extremely nutritious food; in addition to being extremely high in vitamins A, D and E, it is also full of essential amino acids and Omega-3 fatty acids. It is processed and graded extensively with the aid of Japanese technical consultants, who are experts in assessing the quality of Ikura. The specific grade of the roe is dependant on a variety of variables including size, colour, and time of delivery of the fish themselves. The procurement of Ikura is directly based upon the Pacific Salmon fishery. The commercial salmon fishing fleet is strictly controlled on where, when and how they fish. It employs selective harvesting techniques which, in conjunction with close monitoring of run size and catches, allow for optimum escapement levels. This conservation-based fisheries management regime permits the controlled harvest of more abundant wild salmon stocks while protecting weaker ones as they rebuild. Additional scientific studies have provided other information on the benefits of Omega-3 oils for individuals with arthritis, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, lupus erythematosus, asthma, and certain cancers. Research studies have consistently shown that Omega-3 fatty acids delay tumor appearance and decrease the growth, size, and number of tumors.

Fried tempura ice cream

By Vangie Baga-Reyes/Philippine Daily Inquirer
Ever wondered how fried tempura ice cream is made?
Tempura is a Japanese specialty that means batter-dipped. For this recipe, instead of using typical pieces of seafood or vegetables dipped in soy sauce and wasabi, delightful scoops of ice cream are used, drizzled with chocolate syrup, cherries and slivers of almonds—quite a dessert to impress family and friends.
“Batter-dipped ice cream is usually deep-fried,” says Boyet Llamador, head chef of Tempura Japanese Grill (tel. 3747460) on Thompson Square, Tomas Morato St., Quezon City. “This recipe, however, requires timing and a good deep-fryer to fry the tempura ice cream. The warm crunchy tempura perfectly pairs with the cold creaminess of the underlying ice cream.”
If you heed some tips, this fried dessert, one of the bestsellers at Tempura in Quezon City, is not so hard to make at home. All its ingredients are in grocery stores. The batter is basic pancake batter with a pinch of salt.
Make sure to serve the tempura ice cream immediately after frying. It is best that, while the tempura ice cream is frozen, you pour the oil into a deep-fat fryer or a heavy-bottomed stockpot. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
You can either use slices of loaf bread or taisan to bind the ice cream. And as optional toppings, wafer cookie, whipped cream, strawberry sauce, fresh fruit and powdered sugar are also ideal.
You can also try different flavors of ice cream.

Ingredients:
Slices of bread
Ice cream, any flavor
Cooking oil
Chocolate syrup
Cherry
Cornstarch for dusting

For batter mix:

150 g cake flour
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
8 oz cold water

1. IN A MIXING bowl, combine flour, egg and ice-cold water. Whisk well. Set aside.
2. REMOVE the outer layer of the bread. Place bread on a flat surface with aluminum foil. Press bread firmly using your fingers.
3. PLACE three scoops of ice cream in the middle of the bread.
4. ROLL bread tightly. Then place in freezer, and let sit until completely frozen.
5. REMOVE wrap and roll frozen tempura in cornstarch.
6. DIP TEMPURA into the batter mixture. Cover tempura with the batter evenly.
7. MEANWHILE, heat oil in deep-fryer to 375°F. If you do not have a deep-fryer, you can use a hot pot of oil. Carefully drop the battered ice cream into the hot oil by using kitchen tongs or a slotted spoon.
8. QUICKLY fry tempura for approximately 5 to 10 seconds, until the tempura batter has turned golden.
9. LET COOL for a few seconds. Cut into four pieces. Transfer in a platter. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Add cherry.
Enjoy!

Japan goes bananas

Call it a banana boom. The Morning Banana Diet is the new diet craze that's been brewing up a storm in Japan. Driven by the Internet, TV show hype, countless positive testimonials, and affirmation from famous Japanese celebrities, the popularity of the Morning Banana Diet has truly reached epic proportions. It has even caused weekly banana sales to jump 80% and has prompted ceaseless banana shortages nationwide. And why not? With a simple, stress-free and healthy regimen, it's easy to see why this diet has become such a massive hit among the health-conscious crowd.

Introduced by Japanese pharmacist named Sumiko Watanabe on "mixi", a popular social networking site in Japan, the Morning Banana Diet became an overnight success and effortlessly earned a massive mainstream following. When a TV show featured well-loved opera singer Kumiko Mori who shed off 15 pounds through the Morning Banana Diet, it was evident that the health-giving fruit was about the diet were in demand with close to a million copies sold. Today, its popularity has started transcend geography, reaching other countries including the UK.

Combining affordability and simplicity, the Morning Banana Diet consists of an easy-to-follow regimen that makes it painless to lose unwanted pounds. To boot, you only need to take two pieces of bananas with room temperature water for breakfast. You may eat anything you wish for lunch and dinner provided you do not overeat. Make sure to dine before 8 p.m. and have adequate sleep. Another great thing about the diet is that you get to exercise only if you want to.

And now, you can be part of Japan's amazing healthy trend and start losing weight the easy and healthy way. Bananas offer health-giving goodness that can boost fat burning by 30% and burn an extra 200 to 300 calories a day when taken for breakfast. Its high fiber content helps in carrying away fat during digestion, and lets you feel full longer so you won't look for food more often. And as potassium-rich source, bananas help preserve muscle mass as you shed those pounds.

Kani wasabi salad

This was delish! At first, I dreaded the thought of having to squeeze out the cucumber liquid. But, it was actually not hard to do and not time consuming at all. My friends that ate it, loved it and took some home with them.

Ingredients:

1/2 iceberg lettuce

4 sticks kani (boiled crab meat)

wakame (softened seaweed)

1 small carrots (julienned)

1 medium cucumber (julienned)

tuna flakes

ebiko (shrimp roe)

sesame seeds

Dressing:

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp wasabi (Japanese horseradish) paste

3 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Preparation:

Mix soy sauce and vinegar in a bowl. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Add sesame oil and wasabi paste and wisk well. Cool the dressing in the fridge until ready to serve. Adjust the amount of wasabi and sugar, depending on your preference.
This recipe's amount seasons four small salads. Enjoy!

Home cooked porkribs teriyaki

Teriyaki dishes are found in many different type of cuisine nowadays, even in Mexican and Western dishes. Then, what is teriyaki? It's a way of Japanese cooking. The word, teriyaki is a combination of two Japanese words "teri" and "yaki." Teri means luster, and yaki means grill or broil.

To make a teriyaki dish, ingredients are broiled, roasted, or grilled after being marinated in or basted by teriyaki sauce. It's the teriyaki sauce that brings the shiny look (teri) to the ingredients. This is the real teriyaki, although any dish cooked with teriyaki sauce seems to be called teriyaki nowadays, whether the ingredients are Japanese or not.

You can buy teriyaki sauce in a bottle at the grocery store, but authentic teriyaki sauce is very easy to make. To make teriyaki sauce, you need soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. (If you don't have mirin, you can substitute it with sake and sugar.) The key ingredient in teriyaki sauce is mirin (sweet rice wine). Mirin adds luster to ingredients. Teriyaki sauce can be used for glazing and marinating meats and vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup *mirin (sweet rice wine) (soy sauce : mirin = 1:1)
• 2 tbsp sugar

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Stir the mixture well. Put it on medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for a couple minutes. Stop the heat and cool the mixture. Store the sauce in a clean bottle in the fridge.

*You can substitute mirin with sake and sugar (sake:sugar = 3:1) ** Adjust the amount of sugar, depending on your preference.

Enjoy cooking!