♯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.

♯9 Carrot Muffins

Makes 6
[Ingredients]
100g carrot
100g plain flour
200ml soy milk
1 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs Maple syrup
1 tsp baking powder
grated half of lemon zest

[Direction]
1. Cut the carrot into chunks. Put it in a blender with soy milk and liquidize.
2. Mix the carrot mixture, vegetable oil, maple syrup and lemon zest in a bowl.
3. Sift the flour and baking powder into it and fold them.
4. Divide it into the muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degree celsius.

♯8 Delicious Pumpkin Scone

Scone made with no oil but you can't tell the difference. It is really nice and soft.

[Ingredients]
100g Tofu
150g plain flour
100ml soy milk
1+1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbs beet sugar
50g mashed pumpkin

[Direction]
1. Drain the tofu over night.
2. Mix the tofu, plain flour, soy milk, baking powder and beet sugar in a foodprocessor. Add the mashed pumpkin and pulse a few times. The dough should be certainly wet and sticky.
3. Dust the worksurface with a little flour, put the dough onto it. Roll out to 2cm thick and cut into squar pieces with a knife.
4. Bake in the preheated oven at 180 degree celsius for 15 minutes.

♯7 Tofu pickled in Miso

It tastes like cheese. Good for starter or as nibbles.

[ingredients]
1 Tofu (cotton type)
1kg Miso
50ml Mirin Sweet Cooking Rice Wine

[direction]
1. Wrap the Tofu with kitchen paper and drain well.
2. Mix the Miso and Mirin.
3. Put half the mixture into a container and place the wrapped Tofu on it. Cover it with the remaining mixture and let it stand over night.
4. Slice it and serve with Nori or herb leaves.

♯6 Sweet vegetable soup

This soup really works when you are in bad condition. It will reach pancreas in 20 seconds.

[ingredients]
1 onion
1 carrot
1/8 pumpkin
1/8 cabbage
prepare the equal amout of each vegetable

[direction]
1. Chop all the vegetables finely.
2. Layer the onion, cabbage, pumpkin and carrot in a pan in this order. The order is important to ensure the energy of vegetables intermingle with each other.
3. Pour 2 liters of water into the pan and bring slowly to the boil.
4. Simmer for 30 minutes without skimming.
5. Strain through a sieve.

♯5 Tofu Cream

[ingredients]
300g Tofu
2 tbsp maple syrup
a pinch of salt
dash of lemon juice

[direction]
Boil the Tofu for a few minutes and drain well.
Process the tofu, maple syrup, salt and lemon juice until nice and smooth.

♯4 Vegan Gateau Chocola

[ingredients] for 15cm tin
80g plain flour
30g almond powder
15g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
100g Tofu
100ml soy milk
20g cacao, no sugar no milk product added
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp rum, optional
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp miso, optional
tofu cream, to serve

[direction]
1.Sift the flour, almond powder, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
2.Chop the cacao finely. Mix the Tofu, soymilk, chopped cacao, maple syrup, rum, vegetable oil and miso in a food processor. Pulse.
3. Fold in the flour to the mixture. Pour into the baking tin. Bake for 35 minutes in the oven at 160 degrees celsius. Allow to cool.

♯3 Tofu Cocoa bread

Makes 6 rolls
[Ingredients]
200g strong flour
200g tofu
a pinch of salt
3 tbsp beet sugar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp cocoa powder

[Direction]
Break and stir the tofu in a bowl. Add the flour, salt, sugar, oil and cocoa powder. Knead well until nice and smooth.
Divide into 6 and shape into individual balls.
Bake for 15 minutes in the oven at 200 degree in celsius.

♯2 Brown Rice Congee bagel

Makes 6 bagels
[ingredients]
100g congee
200g strong flour
1/4 salt
2 tbsp baking powder
2 tbsp olive oil

[Direction]
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the congee and oil. Knead for a few minutes.
Divide into 6 pieces and shape into bagels.
Dissolve the sugar in boiling water and add the bagels. Boil for 30 seconds on each side. Then drain and pat dry with kitchen paper. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Bake for 15 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees in celsius.

♯１ Brown Rice Congee bread

Makes 6 rolls
[Ingredients]
100g congee
200g strong flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil

[Direction]
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Add the congee and oil. Knead for a few minutes.
Divide into 6 pieces and shape into individual balls.
Bake for 12-15 minutes in the oven at 200 degrees celsius.

[Variations]
Sprinkle with sesame seeds
Mix in dried fruits such as raisin, blueberry.
20g other flour can be used such as soybean flour, cocoa, ground sesame seeds, almond powder.

[How to make congee]
Place 1/2 cup of brown rice in a heavy pot and pour 3 cups of water. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 1 hour with the lid on.
Packed white congee can also be used.