Hambāgu Burger

No, I didn’t make a spelling mistake. It is “Hambāgu”. Hambāgu is Japanese hamburger steak. It is like a Salisbury steak, but Hambāgu has onion and garlic mixed in with the meat. And the most special part has to be the tangy and sweet red wine sauce. Last year, I tried Nami’s (Just One Cookbook) Hambāgu recipe. Bryan and I absolutely love it, especially that sauce. One day, when we were enjoying burgers for dinner, Bryan said, “Nomm… This is good, but I think it will be even better with the Hambāgu’s sauce.” I can’t agree more. That is how this recipe came together.

For this Hambāgu burger, I used a mild cheese, Provolone, so it won’t be overpowering. The beef patty was juicy and moist. The buns were toasted and slightly sweet, which pair so well with that tangy red wine glaze. Everything came together nicely. It was a great burger! We served the burgers along with the Portobello mushroom fries. It was a satisfying meal. Hope you will try this burger, but don’t forget the napkins. It can get messy!

Hanpen Cheese (Japanese Fish Cake with Cheese)

What is hanpen? It is a Japanese fish cake with a mild taste. It is unlike any other fish cake or fish ball that I have ever tasted. Hanpen is really soft and fluffy. I know it may sound bad, but the texture is kind of like marshmallow. Trust me, it is incredible delicious!

I first tried hanpen at a Japanese restaurant called Furibo. They stuffed the hanpen with American cheese, wrapped them with seaweed, dipped in batter, and fried. The hot and gooey melted cheese oozed out from the soft and crispy fish cake. It is a dish that is hard to forget. I always crave for it. But luckily, I found hanpen in Japanese supermarket. Instead of frying it, I sear it with some garlic until golden brown. It makes a great appetizer or side dish.

Japanese Curry with Chicken

Other than Chinese curry, Japanese curry has to be the one curry I eat the most. It is very common in Hong Kong. You can find it in a lot of fusion cafes or Japanese restaurants. I like that Japanese curry is a bit sweet and not spicy, but with tons of flavors. This is definitely my kind of comfort food!

Before I have found this recipe from Just One Cookbook, I always make my Japanese curry with only the curry blocks. I didn’t know that I should build up more flavors with onion, ginger, garlic, apple and honey. Those ingredients make the curry so much better with layers of flavors. Hearty, sweet, comforting and warm….. Just too hard to resist! Even though there are more works and steps to this recipe than cooking with a curry block, it is so worth it at the end! Enjoy!

Spicy Tuna Rice Bowl

It has been hot in the past two weeks. When it is hot, it is not very pleasant to cook in my apartment. It gets really hot in the kitchen, especially when I have the oven on. It is like a sauna. I would sweat like a pig. To prevent this, I tried to cook something fast and easy or not “cook” at all. This spicy tuna rice bowl is the perfect no-cook meal. It tasted light and delicious. After you have tried this, you will never need to buy spicy tuna bowl from outside. Have fun making it and enjoy!

Pork Gyoza

When I go to a Japanese restaurant, I always look for gyoza in the menu. Some places have really good homemade gyoza, but some other just use pre-made frozen gyoza. In that case, it is better just to make your own gyoza. Since making gyoza is a bit time-consuming, I tried to make many at one time. The leftover can be stored in the freezer for later. These little gyoza had crispy skins and juicy fillings. The garlic chives gave the gyoza a strong rich flavors and the cabbage balanced it out. When I made the gyoza, Bryan and I would only ate them for dinner. Pile and pile of gyoza!

iPhone Food Cases

Some delicious iPhone cases for you! It is mouthwatering just to look at the cases. But I wonder how do you lay the phone flat with the screen up…

Unagi with Rice

Nikujaga

Snow Cone

Chocolate Cake

Japanese Dessert

Want these yummy cases? Read

Picture Source: Read

Sushi Memo

Sushi memo! They are just perfect for your school notes and office memos!

Toro, Tuna, Salmon and Tamago

Memo Block

Perfect for Your Desk

Source: Read

Japanese Fried Rice

After trying Benihana, it is hard to not think about their fried rice. This recipe is my version of Japanese fried rice. It may not be the same as the Benihana one, but it is absolutely delicious! I used sausage instead of chicken. It is more convenient, and it added some smoky flavor into the fried rice. The crushed garlic is the key. Remember to put it in! This is the only fried rice that I made. I usually made 4 servings, therefore Bryan and I can save the rest for lunches. I really don’t mind eating this everyday!

Giga Pudding

Giga Pudding is a giant pudding that you can make at home with a special kit.

The cartoon pudding is way too cute, and the pudding actually looks pretty good.

Do you want one of these?

Buy online: Read

Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl

Many of the main Japanese dishes have a hint of sweet. This rice bowl is the same. The savory of the crispy pork chop is perfect with the sweet onions, eggs, and broth. Even though I didn’t use dashi broth and I only used water, my sister and I both agreed that this dish just tasted like the one in restaurants. The original recipe is a bit too sweet, so I reduce the sugar to 4 tablespoons in the following recipe. I believe this should just be right now. Give this a try! I think you will really like it.