Thank You & Good Bye

 This is the #100 post and my last article for this blog.  It's been quite a challenge for me to make time for writing during the day and I was tempted to just quit so many times.  But now that I've achieved my initial goal of 100 articles, I'm very content, especially to see everything I cooked is recorded.  For my last article, as I had decided since when I started this blog, I'd like to share some Mexican dishes I love the most from my favorite restaurants throughout Mexico.  Some recommendation of what to eat on your visit to Mexico :) 

Aguachile/Los Aguagchiles;

mixed fresh seafood (callo de hacha, shrimp, white meat fish) marinated with lime juice and Mexican salsa, served with strips of cucumber, avocado, red onion, fried onion and alfalfa sprouts

Steamed Shrimp Tostada/Los Aguachiles;

steamed shrimp in creamy spinach sauce on crispy fried corn tortilla, served with marinated red onion, alfalfa sprouts and green salsa 

 Steamed Fish Tostada/Los Agucahiles;

steamed fish with mayonnaise on crispy fried tortilla, served with red cabbage, marinated red onion, avocado and poppy seeds, also delicious in tacos with corn tortilla

 Torta de Pierna/Tortas Sevillanas;

Mexican style sandwich with pork carnitas, lettuce, tomato, avocado, together with a salad of palmito&Oaxaca cheese.  The best torta on the planet!!

    Tacos Hass/Rincon Sonorense;

grilled beef tacos with chili and gratinated cheese

Los Aguachiles
Cancun;
Av. Nichupte Mza 4 Lte 1. Super Mza 17 Cancun, Mexico 

Playa del Carmen;
Calle 34 Mza 41 Lte 1 Centro, Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Tortas Sevillanas
Valle Vasconcelos No. 400, Local 2, Col. del Valle San Pedro Garza GarcíaNuevo Leon  

Rincon Sonorense

Rio Missisippi #192, Del Valle, San Pedro Garza Garcia, Nuevo Leon

Buen Provecho!!

Sourcream Potato Salad with Bacon and Spring Onion

  Back from 3-week-vacation in Mexico.  I'd like to share how I got rid of a large amount of potatoes before the trip.  Potato salad sounds like a no-brainer idea but there's a little twist than the usual; with sour cream!!  Sour cream gives creamier taste compared to the regular potato salad with mayonnaise.  To confess, it was my first tryout with sour cream and I was a bit sceptic, but it turned out to be a great hit.  I just love this part of cooking; trying new combination of very basic ingredients and discovering a new taste!  Please try this recipe, you'll love it:)   

Ingredients (serves 4)
5 large potatoes
100g/3.5oz bacon
2/3 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped spring onion
salt to taste
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

Directions
1. Boil potatoes with the skin.  When cooled, peel the potatoes and dice. 
2. Fry bacon in a skillet until crispy.
3. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

-Aug. 12 grocery shopping €  15.04/ € 155.45 left
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off to Cancun!!

Shiso&Salmon Maze-gohan

 Maze-gohan is one of 100+ ways  that we have in Japan to prepare rice.  Mixed (from the verb meaning to mix  "Mazeru") with some kinds of ingredients AFTER rice is cooked.  When you cook rice already with ingredients, it's called Takikomi-gohan (like Hijiki Ginger Rice I made a few weeks ago).  I'm growing Shiso leaves on my balcony and enjoying them almost everyday during the short Hamburg summer, for rice, pasta, fritters and whatnot!  Here's one easy and healthy idea, if you're tired of regular plain white rice... 

Ingredients (serves 2-3)
300g/12oz rice
250g/9oz salmon fillet (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp. sake
5-7 leaves of Shiso
1 tbsp. roasted white sesame seeds
salt to taste

Directions
1. Defrost salmon if you're using frozen.  Salt salmon and sprinkle sake, let it rest in fridge for at least an hour.  Meanwhile, cook rice as usual.  
2. Heat a non-sticking frying pan or skillet, grill salmon without oil.  Break the salmon up roughly in the pan.
3. Chop Shiso leaves roughly.
4. Mix salmon, shiso leaves, sesame seeds and salt with warm rice and serve.


-Aug. 5 grocery shopping €  17.79/ € 198.64 left
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-Aug. 7 grocery shopping €  13.77/ € 170.49 left

Totrtillas de Patatas (Spanish Omlet)

 We had "welcome home dinner" with some Spanish tapas on the night my husband got back from his a week long business trip to China.  I prepared Spanish omelet the day before and the rest (Jamon Serrano, Manchego cheese, grommet olives and etc.) was bought from delicatessen grocery store.  There are many versions of Tortilla Espanola but the classic is with potatoes and onion.  

Ingredients
6 large eggs
600g/1.3lbs potatoes
1 medium onion
salt&pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
a pinch of nutmeg

Directions
1. Slice onion thinly.  Slice potatoes to thickness of 2-3 coins. 
2. In a large pan/skillet, heat half of olive oil and cook onion and potatoes for about 15 min. until potatoes are cooked.  Turn the heat off and cool a little.
3. Beat eggs in a large bowl with salt&pepper and nutmeg.  Put potatoes and onion into egg mixture and let it sit for 20 min.
4. Heat the rest of olive oil in a small non-sticking pan.  Pour in the egg&potato mixture and turn the heat low, cover and cook for 10 min.  Flip over once and cook for another 5 min. covered.

-Aug. 2 grocery shopping €  24.54/ € 216.43 left

Om-Rice

 If we're ever to conduct a questionnaire survey on "favorite Japanese dish" to all the Japanese people, probably Om-rice comes in top 3 regardless the age, gender or background.  Om-rice is abbreviation for Omlett-Rice; omelet that has ketchup flavored rice inside, one of the most beloved Yo-shoku (Japanized Western cuisine) dish.  The rice usually has chicken and some veggies, like onions and peas, and makes a protein-rich meal together with eggs for omelet.  Every detail of Om-rice, aroma of butter, sour ketchup, mild and fluffy eggs...brings me back to my happy childhood!  Oh how much I miss Japan!!


Ingredients (for 1)
130g/4.5oz chicken breast/thigh
1/4 small onion
about a cup of cooked rice
3 tbsp. ketchup
1 tsp. chicken soup powder
salt&pepper
2 eggs
2 tbsp. butter


Directions
1. Make ketchup rice. Chop onion finely and cut chicken in small dice.  Heat skillet and melt 1/2 tbsp. butter, cook onion for 3 min. then add chicken.  Cook until color changes.   
2. Add rice, season with chicken soup powder, salt&pepper, ketchup and stir for 2-3 min.
3. Beat eggs in a bowl.  Melt the rest of butter in a non-sticking pan* over medium heat.   
*recommended to use a pan with round bottom like wok, to flip the omelet over easily!
4. Pour in beaten egg in to a pan and stir quickly for 10 sec. keeping the most part still liquidy.   Spread the ketchup rice in the center, wait until the bottom is firmly cooked and flip the sides to wrap the rice.  Flip it over onto a plate and decorate with ketchup.


-Aug. 1 grocery shopping €  9.03/ € 240.97 left

Chirashi-zushi

"Chirashi" literally means "scattered" in Japanese and Chirashi-zushi is clearly named for its serving style; neither rolled or shaped, a mix of fish, veggies and garnishes garnished on top of sushi rice.  I made traditional country style Chirashi without any seafood because it's hard to get fresh seafood of sashimi-quality here in Germany (at reasonable price at least).  There are several steps of pre-preparation but totally worth the effort to see the beautifully decorated work of art on the table.  Perfect for party, celebration or potluck!!  I used Sakura-denbu (pink colored and sweet-salty flavored ground cod fish), Shiso (Perilla) leaves and Kinshi-tamago (egg crepe cut in thin strips).

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
 ...<for sushi rice>
450g Japanese sushi rice (uncooked measurements)
4 tbsp. vinegar
3 tbsp. sugar
a pinch of salt

 ...<for ingredients mix>
3 dried shiitake mushroom
1 medium carrot
30g dried kanpyo gourd
1 1/2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. mirin

 ...<for Kinshi-tamago>
3 eggs
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. sake

for garnishments,
Shiso leaves
Sakura denbu
roasted white sesame seeds

Directions
1. Cook the ingredients mix (You can make this a day ahead and reserve in fridge). Rehydrate shiitake.  Rub kampyo with salt and rinse off.  Cook clean kampyo in water for 5-7min. until you can cut it with your finger nails.  Cut carrots small and thinly.
2. In a small pot, put shiitake, kampyo, carrot, soy sauce, sugar and mirin.  Simmer for 10-15min.  Turn the heat off and cool. 
3. Cook rice.  Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl.  When the rice is done, immediately mix in the vinegar mixture and the ingredients mix also, and combine lightly.
4. Make Kinshi-tamago.  Beat eggs with sugar and sake.  In a crepe pan or non-sticking frying pan, spray oil and pour in the half of egg liquid over a medium heat.  Quickly Move the pan to cover the surface with egg liquid.  When the surface of egg crepe is almost dry, turn it over and cook for another 20 sec. Take it out on the cutting board and cool.  Make another sheet of crepe with remaining liquid.  Cut crepes into very thin strips.
5. Put sushi rice on a large plate or bowl.  Garnish with Kinshi-tamago, Sakura-denbu, cut Shiso leaves, sesame and etc. (Also fresh seafood in chunks or salmon caviar can go on top to make more luxurious sushi !)    

-Jul. 19 grocery shopping €   7.74/ € 129.46 left
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Gazpacho

 Cold Gazpacho can cool you down, keep you hydrated and provides vitamins you need on a hot summer day.  It's a drinkable salad basically, but can be a stylish in a glass to add to your supper.  Most importantly, it is the easiest soup in the world!!  You just chop up veggies and turn on your blender switch...seriously that is ENERYTHING.  Enjoy this summer soup!! :)

Ingredients (serves 4)
1/3 red bell pepper 
3 large tomatoes
1/4 small onion
cucumber
1/6 baguette
1/2 clove garlic
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
salt&ground white pepper to taste

Directions
1. Cut the vegetables and baguette in bite size.
2. Blend all the vegetables and baguette in a blender.  Add salt and vinegar.
3. Add olive oil gradually while blending.
4. Strain through a sieve if you like smooth texture (I don't) and cool for at least 2 hrs. in fridge before serving. 

-Jul. 15 grocery shopping €  7.39/ € 156.61 left
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