Mariko Konno’s Blog

It is almost miracle what a handful of flour and water can create.

It creates so much that noodle chefs get offended for calling their noodle-lookalike noddles such as Udon and Spaghetti.

Not quite sure of what defines noodles and where the borderlines are, but I happily submit to their claims.

But I was quite surprised when my favourite traditional cuisine Houtou was not Udon! Endless branches to the flour-made-slurpy-sticks-families!

Technicality aside, I love the heartiness that noddles (oh please, let me just call them all noodles)  offer, in soup or creamy sauce or fried or chilled!

Almost on a daily basis I have inner fights where mini-mes are arguing about the fattening and satisfaction factors.

But what is life all about if you ain’t got no satisfaction! My favourite author and well of inspiration says that people take action or not take action primarily for two reason; motivation to gain pleasure or to avoid pain.

How well said… and this is exactly why the argument is endless! I want to eat (pleasure) but I don’t want to put on weight (super painful), with the exception of one thing. when I am in a location where I can only enjoy that food there, traditional cuisine!!!

Yes, internet and super infrastructure and mega-smart logistics have enabled us to acquire almost anything we want today, but it is just not the same if you can’t have Herring in a fishshop in Holland or Durian on the streets in South East Asia or mum’s cooking at home!

So, always, always I have what I want to have when I get a chance to eat something in season or locationally restricted.

Coming back to Houtou it is a wonderous dish, noodle so thick and bouncy and soup so earthy and flavour-bomb, and chunky vegetables wipes away the anxiety of having something naughty.

If you have not had it, I strongly suggest you visit the province Yamanashi when or if you are in Japan, the infamous land of hot springs and Mount Fuji! If you just look at the picture you know it is perfect for cold winter. But actually it’s perfect for summer as well! And a glass of beer on your side!!!! We visited 4 Houtou restaurant in 3 days, but the best one by far was this one. http://www.navi-city.com/iine/ganko/ And the environment is so dreamy… You eat it underneath grapevine! You can eat them too. They had several types of grapes but strangly yummy was a kind of grapes they call banana. If I haven’t confused you enough it is sweet like banana too! So what is this actually!?

I apologise for being overly excited. I must admit that I am very ecstatic to write on my blog again. Anway, back to Houtou, I miss it so much that sometimes I just look at the picture and reminisce… at the end of the day it is not the most accessible place! It is 6,000km away from Kuala Lumpur. So I was just browsing through the internet, and found out that I can make Houtou, quite easily!

Reading that, I gained a bit of confidence in noodle making at home, so my noodle pilgrimage begins….

We have been traveling so much from last year and life has been so hectic, packing and repacking suitcases.

Quite naturally we miss our new home and enjoy eating at home.

This is just a simple gratin with tinned smoked oysters, takes just a moment to make and tastes wonderful.

What I like about oysters are that they are zinc bank, makes you sharp and focused.

Even Robert who doesn’t fancy oysters can eat it.

Will post the recipe on Nibble Dish soon :]

I do not fancy sweets much.
I am a woman though, there is always exceptions to rule right?
However, how can I resist to awe and wow when you see this!

A window full of colours!

I get sick from raising my sugar level but I do appreciate art of colour and design.
And no, I did not take this at an atria,  but I tool this at Kyoto station!

What a work of art! This is pure professionalism. So neat.

Thank God we had an excuse to try out few of these because it was Christmas!!!

I may sound dangerously patriotic but I believe that Japan offers one of the best food.

But where did that come from? We sure did not have a lot of food back then (like, B.C. back then). We were such a skinny country that grew nothing much.
Today, Japanese beef is undeniably the best beef you can find but we did not always have it.
Even rice, oh the Japanese rice.
Unless you hate the starchy rice you must love the Japanese rice. We did not have rice till the Chinese generously taught us the know-how of cultivation.
Thank you guys!!

I think with us it is all about kaizen, or improvement.

Because we did not have much, we improved on what little we had.
And that spirit persisted after we has the luxury of availability of raw material.
I think that’s a beautiful thing.

One more thing we are known for is the “strange” things we eat.
AND NO. WE DO NOT EAT WHALES AND DOLPHINS. So please stop saying that, it makes you sound silly.

In one of the first dates, Robert proudly said that he once tasted jelly fish but I just didn’t know which part I was supposed to be impressed by. Then I find out it was the “jelly fish” part.
I then kind of realised our differences.
We eat jelly fish all the time! I don’t know who ate it first, but people must not have had much food and just decided to eat jelly fish that someone accidentally caught one day.

Anyway, I hope this convinces you to stay with me when I introduce some of the lovely food we eat which you might find…. unusual.

We eat these guys…

What do you think?
I know some people think we are cruel and vicious to eat these cute creatures but I try to compensate it by not eating meats other than organic chicken.
I heard that cattle (apparently these guys are on the farty side) exhaust more CO2 than all types of automobile put together.
I have no source of this though.
But provided this is true, we will decrease the CO2 emission but eating less beef.

Robert was stubborn and did not believe that we eat all of the above creatures till he went to Japan.
He loved most of what he was served so I am happy that he is less skeptic to try new “creatures”.
But one dish that I had to push just a little knot is this.

Chicken Sashimi.
Yes, we eat almost everything raw!
But please, believe me, it is so delicious and its texture is just inexplicable. And do not think it is going to kill you.
I bet you, that this chicken is much cleaner than the ones you eat.
Otherwise they would not dare serve it, would they?
You can also tell it is very clean because there is no “animally” smell.
Plus, we eat this dish with wasabi, which is so stringent that it will kill any possible *germs*.

One rule of thumb is, never, never, ever eat at Japanese restaurant that looks kind of dodgy…
Well, you can, but it is best to stay away from raw food.

Enjoy!

If you talk about the most Japanese Japan, Kyoto would have to rank in.

Kyoto, once a capital of Japan during Edo era, is a province where many temples and shrines are reserved. Kyoto is known for its beautiful architectures and food.
Robert has never been to Japan. One would have to show him Kyoto first.

So here we are, in Kyoto, we are at very prestige hotel called Yachiyo.  They served us traditional Kyoto cooking…

To every single person on this planet. Have a very merry Christmas xxx

I am not much of a meat eater, but I love chicken.
Maybe because I was born in the year of Rooster (well, Chinese people like to call it a Phoenix, but I’m good with just the ordinary chuck).

Every since I was taught how to make roasts I have been making it like a mad person. I make it because it is so fun and so easy.
No wonder English people like to have roasts on Sundays, they really don’t have to do much!

We love food but all these lavish eating frenzy have started to (for a while now) show in our waists (but sadly for me and thankfully for Robert, never around the chest).
After a discussion, we have decided to go on a diet, yet again. But this time on a serious one because the scale showed the sign of horror number 5! I try my utmost best not to go anywhere beyond 50kg but this morning I was 100g away from that. If I had a pint of beer now that would be it!!! We must go on a diet! Christmas is coming! New Year is coming!! It’s the only time of the year you should skip the calorie counting!

Robert has lost nearly 20kg from Herbalife shakes so we decided to try that from today on. We have shakes instead of breakfast and lunch and have one meal for dinner. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? I am not really into this because for one, I do not eat breakfast and for two, I believe the biggest meal of the day should be lunch, not dinner. My problem is, I do not have time to complain about any of these. We will be leaving for Japan in 4 days, and eating must start again! I need to lose 2, ideally 3kg in 4 days!!!

I thought I would toss about in hunger and anger but at 4:35 in the afternoon, I am quite alright!
This might work.

Since we can eat as usual for dinner, I am making a roast tonight. I learnt this recipe on some Japanese TV. It is bizarre, but you must believe me, it is GREAT.

You will need;

Whole chicken (neck must be chopped off)
A can of beer (bitter one is better but Robert is Dutch so I had to use Heineken :] )
Brussels sprouts
Half a lemon
Olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
Handful of Basil
1 Tablespoon of rosemary
Oregano orano herb of your choice
Black pepper and salt

I first boil some water and heat the can of beer. while that is being done I wash vegetables and clean the chicken. If your butcher is kind enough to leave the neck and guts, put it aside, do not throw it away. I place the sprouts and citrus on the heat resistant plate and start mushing the garlic, basil, rosemary, salt and olive oil together. I am quite generous with the amount of oil here because the beautiful oil that contains herb extract will be poured into the beer that will be roasted with the chicken. If you do any cooking at all, it is worthwhile having your own garden, even if you do not have a garden or balcony. I do not have neither but the herbs grow happily in the apartment. All they need is adequate sunlight and water.

I need you to be very careful here. Take the can of beer and open it in the clean sink. The beer will overflow and it is hot so be careful, ideally let your man do it. throw a quarter away, pour the beautiful oil I was talking about and place it in the centre of the plate. In the past I have massaged the chicken with the oil, but it does not work here. You are about to know why now.

Now, very, very carefully insert the bottom of the chicken onto the can. Do not laugh because it is good. Toss the remaining garlic and herbs onto sprouts, oregano and black pepper, put the neck or guts in if you have them, and in the shameful position, the chicken is roasted for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I am sure her mother expected her to be cooked in a more dignified way, but you must be sure to really stick her butt into the can well so it will not tip over in the oven.

What happens is that the hot beer in the oven bubbles away (this is why you heat it first) and through the neck basks or coats the chicken (this is why you cut off the neck). The beer makes the skin crunchy while alcohol tenderises the meat. How smart. The reason why you should not massage the chicken with oil is because it defeats the whole purpose as the oil does not allow beer to get into the chicken.

While chicken is rocking, our sweet Scruffy offers himself…

We use a microwave oven so I try to stay as far as possible from it, because I have a great phobia for electromagnetic, but for this roast I like to watch the chicken sweat with beer.

And this is what you get!

Skin is crispy and the meat is unbelievably soft. And make sure you keep the left-over in the fridge (ideally breast) because it makes awesome sandwich the next day! Yum!

Catching up with friends is great. Catching up with busy friends is Great!!

For the first time in months I was able to have a sit down dinner with a couple friend and Robert met them for the first time.
My girlfriend is Japanese and her husband is American. Robert is Dutch so it was quite an international night.

We gathered at our favourite Japanese restaurant in Desa Sri hartamas called Rakuzen where my friend works as a head chef.
He is such a sweet man and so he decided to put the boys on test.

Hardcore Japanese night indeed.

We ordered omakase, which is a chef’s recommendation. We leave it totally up to him and he serves whatever is freshest and in season.

What we had was:
Mizuna and Salmon roe salad
Sashimi platter
Ankimo (Monkfish Liver pate)
Shirako (fish testis) Gratin
Grilled Hatahata (Sailfin sandsifh)
Loads of sushi and LOADS of SAKE

Yes, it is full of fish. And most of them very rare that even in Japan they are hard to come by.
I guess it is not hard to imagine that we had to do a bit of persuation to get the boys to eat, especially the fish testis.
But how, they loved it! I think the gratin did the job. It is difficult to ignore the allure of creamy sauce and crunchy cheese melted on top.
Since Robert loved it so much, I thought I could get him to eat something that he is not so fond of: Oysters.
This recipe is so simple as well that one could cook after work or house chores.

So I had;

200g of Penne (for 2 people)
Tin of smoked Oysters
Large Onion, halved and sliced, separated
Aubergine, sliced
Milk
Flour
Parsley
Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese, or any kind
Coriander, black pepper and salt to taste

I put half of onion and aubergine into the oven after drizzling some oil from the oyster tin and let them grill for about 30 minutes, while cooking the pasta and making the white sauce. When the pasta is cooked, I place the other half of onion on the bottom of the strainer so onion could be steamed by the pasta water. I made the white sauce without butter because Christmas is coming do I have to watch my weight. Simple heat the milk, off the heat and mix the flour into it. at the end, throw some parsley and coriander, black pepper and salt in. When that was done, I combined the sauce and the pasta and tumbled them on the grilled vegetables. Then place the smoked oysters on top, grate generous amount of cheeses and Grill it for 20-30 minutes.

This was exceptionally good and as a result, we had to fight for oysters. I learnt something today. Sometimes it is good to like something the partner dislikes to maintain harmony. I hope he still thinks fresh oysters are yucky.

Our kitty Scruffy goes to the vet for the second booster and leukemia booster.

He is growing in front of our eyes, and these days I often cannot trace the kitten face in him.
But when he is scared or uncomfortable, he sinks his face in between our arms, holding on to us. This is when we can see the baby face in him.

Since he came to our home, we have been with him all the time and rarely kept him alone. We have postponed holidays and been eating in a lot more. This week, we will leave for Japan for almost 3 weeks for Christmas and new year, and I am a little worried how he will take that. On top of that, it beats me that he will spend Christmas on his own.

I hope we will be able to travel everywhere in the near future.

Pinnacle of fine dining I think is fusion French and fusion Japanese. But often these are quite similar.
I am not so good at enjoying rich, cream-full dishes but I do not have to worry about that with fusion French.

Today, Robert decided to surprise me with the restaurant we have never been. It is The Third Room at Marriott Hotel Kuala Lumpur.
I have been here for business dinner but needless to say, that is different from having a romantic dinner with your partner.

Since we are in a place new, we decided to try a new wine. Chateau Labecorce Marcoux.

What I thought was interesting this night was that many things were new to us. I have never had creamy scallop. It was fluffy and creamy and gorgeous, but certainly recreatable at home. I suspect it’s a simple blended scallops with beaten yoke and well mixed fresh creme. Wonderful castle of tongue melting dreams.

Yes, the season has come, the truffle.
On this petite risotto is the generously sprinkled truffle, making a quick but tight friendship with our liquid counterpart.
Some may say it’s strange but I am crazy about black pepper. Only the fresh, strong one will do the job, and I like to always overdo with it a bit.
Black pepper here was excellent. I would like to come back to this restaurant just because of this.

I told you in the beginning that fusion French and Japanese have some similarities. Well, after all, that is why they are fusion.
On top of this huge slice of Salmon is the popular and old school thing called Yukari, which is a dried Perilla frutescens or Shiso. As a kid I used to sprinkle this on rice. I wonder how the French found this really old school thing that even most of us Japanese forgot, but this sweet-sour basil-like herb on fatty salmon is a smart combination, I got to say.

The main course of the day was Cod, but it was so good that we swallowed it before I could reach to the camera, so I took a shot of these gorgeous chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream. How rich. I really prefer to look at them than eat it.

I know that I should stay up for at least 3 hours or even 4 hours for heavy meal like this, but after having almost all of the wine to myself, Robert had to carry me home…