♯16 Sweet potato and apple fool

[ingredient]
1 sweet potato
1 apple
a pinch of salt

[direction]
1. Boil the sweet potato until tender.
2. Meanwhile prepare the apple.
Peel and core the apple. Cut into 4 and slice into 5mm thick pieces.
3. Bake the apple pieces either in a pan or in the oven until soft.
4. Cut the apple into tiny pieces.
5. When the potato becomes tender, drain and peel the skin.
Process in a food processor until smooth.
6. Mix the sweet potato and apple together.
Add a little salt to enhance the sweetness.

♯15 Deep-fried Taro

The garlic and ginger sauce can keep up to 2 weeks in a fridge.
I always keep it in my fridge and use it for lots of different dishes.
I'll introduce other recipes using this sauce from time to time.
So please do not hesitate to try.

[ingredients]serves 4
300g taro
potato starch

for garlic and ginger sauce
150ml soy sauce
1 clove garlic, sliced
2cm piece of fresh ginger, sliced

[direction]
1. Make the sauce. Combine the soy sauce, garlic and ginger in a jar.
Let it stand for 2-3 hours or until the flavor of garlic and ginger are given to soy sauce.
2. Wash the taro well and steam until tender. Then peel them and marinate in the sauce for 30 minutes.
3. Drain them and dust with potato starch.
4. Deep-fry in the oil at 180 degree celsius until golden and crispy on the outside. Serve immediately.

The taro can be boiled instead of being steamed. But steaming gives much better result. If boiled, they become rather soggy and end up greasy.

♯14 Spinach with Tofu dressing

[ingredients] serves 4
1bunch(200g) spinach
350g silk Tofu
50g sesame seeds
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp miso
a pinch of salt

[direction]
1. Drain the tofu.
2. Blanch the spinach and refresh in cold water. Drain and squeeze well. Cut into 3cm long pieces.
3. Toast the sesame lightly in a frying pan. Grind in a mortar with a pestle until smooth.
4. Add the tofu and grind together. Add the sugar, miso, salt and soy sauce.
5. Toss the spinach in the tofu dressing. Pile onto a serving bowl.

♯13 Soy milk Soda Bread

[ingredients]
250g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
150ml soy milk
2 tbsp lemon juice
30g raisins

[direction]
1. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Mix in the raisins.
2. Combine the soy milk and lemon juice and stir into the flour.
3. Once they are mixed, put onto a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven at 200 degree celsius for 30 minutes.

♯12 Mashed Taro Salad

The combination of Shiso and pickled plum is just perfect not only in the taste but also the color.
Smooth taro with nice and crunchy dried radish will delight your mouth.

[ingredients] serves 4
500g Japanese Taro
a handful sun-dried Daikon radish
3 to 4 pickled plum (Umeboshi), stoned and chopped
4 leaves Shiso (Green Perilla), finely chopped
1 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
soy sauce, to taste

Sun-dried Daikon radish is a popular dry ingredient in Japan. The water after soaking is quite sweet and full of flavour. So I sometimes use it as a substitution for Mirin.

[direction]
1. Peel and boil the taroes in salted water until tender.
2. Mash the taro while they are still hot with the back of a spoon.
3. Soak the sun-dried radish with as little water as possible to prevent diluting the flavour. When it becomes soft enough, chop it.
4. Add the chopped radish, pickled plum, Shiso and sasame seeds to the mashed Taro and mix together. Season with a little soy sauce to your taste.

The bowl in this photo is from Hakusan Porcelain, which is one of my favourite table ware maker. Some produts may be available at following shops.
■common
Laivurinrinne 1, 00120 Helsinki FINLAND
http://www.common-helsinki.com/
■TeaSmith Limited
6 Lamb Street London E16EA United Kingdom
http://www.teasmith.co.uk/

♯11 Vegan Truffle Chocolate

Although it's made with no chocolate or cream, the texture is just like melting in your mouth! Add a little rum or chopped nuts for extra flavour and texture if desired.

[ingredients] makes 10 to 12
40g raisins
60g rice powder (Joshinko)
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp beet sugar
100ml soy milk
extra cocoa powder for finishing

Joshinko is powdered nonglutinous rice. It is often used in making Japanese confectionery.

[direction]
1. Chop the raisins finely.
2. Combine the chopped raisins, rice powder, cocoa powder, beet sugar and soy milk in a small pan. Heat slowly while stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. When it has thickened remove from the heat.
4. Shape into small balls with wet hands.
5. Dust with cocoa powder.

The small plates in this photo are from Toraya, which is one of the most traditional confectionery maker in Japan.

♯10 Cabbage thick soup

Serves 2

[Ingredients]
1/4 cabbage
1/2 onion
1 tbs olive oil
400ml soy milk
salt&pepper
nutmeg, optional

[Direction]
1. Slice the onion. Chop the cabbage coarsely.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and cabbage until soft.
3. Put the fried vegetable into a blender and add the half of soy milk.
Pulse until smooth, then pour into a pan.
4. Add the remaining soy milk and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Put in a soup bowl and sprinkle with a little nutmeg.