Thai Inspired SaladBy MariThis is simple adoption of Thai Salad, ‘Yum Woon Sen’. If you have fish sauce and lime (or lemon), you can make this salad whenever you like by using any vegetables, seafood or meat. Simple but amazingly delicious. Mari
Super Easy (Cheat!) recipe #1 Konyaku MusselsBy MariThis is an easy cheat recipe for a quick meal for one. I often enjoy this as a shared appetizer for four of our family. Konyaku (konjac) absorbs the umami flavour of Mussels, really delicious and healthy!
TonjiruBy MariAs it’s getting colder recently, I would like to introduce a warm soup recipe, Tonjiru (豚汁, This Chinese character simply means pork soup). This is one of the miso soup variations with sliced pork and lots of vegetables. All those ingredients, especially pork enhance its flavours and match really well with Konyaku. I think that the basic miso soup is a bit too lightly seasoned if you want to put Konyaku in it. Tonjiru is also easier to make compared to normal miso soups. Dashi is the most important part for making miso soup but you don’t need it for Tonjiru as pork works as delicious dashi. We normally use thinly sliced pork in Japan but it is easier to get pork belly slices here which is absolutely perfect for Tonjiru. You can cut it thinly (no need of super thin!) against the fiber direction. In the original recipe, it normally uses some exotic root vegetables such as burdock, mooli, and taro. If you could get them, it’s great but otherwise, you can put any other root vegetables like carrot, parsnip, turnip, celeriac, radish and potato along with some basic vegetables like onion and leak. When you put a lot of them, it can be a healthy lunch on its own. When you don’t have enough time, only leak, pork and konyaku will be also enjoyable as a side dish. I hope it will warm you up. Mari
Tomato risottoBy MariMy kids always love margherita pizza which is basic and simple but never disappoints them. I thought I can make something like this, simple and basic but delicious risotto. So here is the one. It maybe a bit cheat recipe as I use vegetable stock but it is delicious! Konyaku Rice absorbs the stock flavour and it’s perfect for your quick lunch! Mari
Super Easy Vegetable Konyaku PaellaBy YThis is one of my favourite dishes. I remember that I had Paella once when I was small and I was blown away by that yellow rice. It was Paella. Since then, I have been a big fan of Paella. Cooking Paella may sound difficult to you but actually it's not, especially with Dried Konyaku as you don't need to worry about how much rice is cooked. This Dried Konyaku Paella is super easy, very healthy and mouth-watering! Fumi
Greek Inspired SaladBy MariThis is a refreshing salad for the hot summer season. The basic is inspired by Greek Salad however I added coriander as I like it so much. Its aromatic flavour combines greatly with feta cheese and chick peas. If the coriander is too strong for you or your family, parsley works as well. There are lots of different nutrients and it is filling as there is Dried Konyaku Rice in it. Perfect as the healthy lunch or a side dish for dinner. Sachie
Konyaku Mustard Miso CanapeBy MariThis recipe is inspired by “ika somen (squid pasta)” in Japan. The clear konyaku looks like thin squid sashimi however this dish doesn’t contain any fish and is suitable for a vegetarian diet. This very original canape is full of flavour and has a stylish look. Why not try it with a glass of homemade lemonade or a glass of Saké? For gluten free option, please ensure your miso is gluten free (Miso paste often contain cereals such as wheat or barley). Tsuyoshi @ ex-Otabe Kafe Photographed by Mike Slattery
One plate sukiyaki – Egg Florentine styleBy MariSukiyaki is one of the best-loved dishes in Japan. It is made up of sliced meat, tofu and vegetables cooked together in a large pan in Sukiyaki sauce. Before being eaten the food is often dipped in a whisked raw egg. People outside of Japan don't always want to try the raw egg dip though. Our Egg Florentine style Konyaku gives a similar experience to how Japanese people eat sukiyaki. It allows you to try Japan’s most famous dish on one plate with a poached egg. Tsuyoshi @ ex-Otabe Kafe Photographed by Mike Slattery
Konyaku NorimakiBy MariKonyaku is an original, healthy and great alternative to rice in this traditional Japanese sushi. This is a real treat which can also be very entertaining as all the family can participate. Children in particular find hand-rolling Temakis very enjoyable. This recipe explains not only how to roll Makis but also Temakis (hand-roll). Have fun and Enjoy! Tsuyoshi @ ex-Otabe Kafe Photographed by Mike Slattery
Konyaku Kheer – Indian dessert meets KonyakuBy MariThis recipe was inspired by the Indian pudding Kheer made with rice or vermicelli. This recipe is a perfect match with Konyaku. The result is delicious and light. The konyaku can be the noodle or rice version. This is usually cooked with ghee or butter, but by using vegetable oil, it becomes versatile and be used by people suffering from dairy intolerance or following a vegan diet. This dessert can be eaten hot or cold and can be prepared up to 1 day in advance. Tsuyoshi @ ex-Otabe Kafe Photographed by Mike Slattery
Gomadare Konyaku Dry RamenBy MariThis recipe takes its inspiration from “Wafu Pasta” (Japanese style pasta dish). By using Konyaku rather than pasta makes this recipe not only healthier but also gives it a similar feeling to a ramen dish because of the firm texture and curly shape of the noodles. Gomadare is a traditional Japanese sauce used for "Hiyashi Chuka Gomadare" (Cold Ramen with Sesame sauce). Gomadare is often used on the side of other Japanese dishes such as Shabu-Shabu, Udon or Soba noodles as a dipping sauce. It is a very delicious and versatile dressing which suits perfectly Konyaku. This recipe can easily be adapted to suit different dietary needs (gluten free, vegetarian diet). Tsuyoshi @ ex-Otabe Kafe Photographed by Mike Slattery
Konyaku Summer Fruit RollBy MariThis Dried Konyaku is good to use as a dessert so I made here an Asian taste recipe. A beautiful combination of summer fruits and Konyaku. Please have a try this with a glass of sparkling water (or prosecco!) Tsuyoshi@ex-Otabe Kafe
Mizu Taki – Japanese Style Hot PotBy MariIt is cold outside and during this season, we very often have Hot Pot. Here I would like to introduce the most simple Hot Pot, Mizu-Taki (水炊き) which means simmer in water. Does it sound easy to cook? Yes! Does it sound not so delicious? Yes! It is delicious! Believe me! You can find great tastes from the vegetables themselves and the secret is in the dipping sauce. That combination is like magic!
Liangban Fensi – Chinese Style SaladBy MariWe served this food sample at Korea Foods in New Malden recently and it was extremely popular there. A lot of customers took the recipe card and said ‘I will cook this for today’s dinner!’. It was such a wonderful experience for us! So I would like to introduce it in here as well. This sweet sour taste is simple but something addictive and perfect when you want to add one more small dish to your meal.
Vegetable DashiBy MariDashi is one of the most important ingredient for Japanese cuisine. The taste of Japanese food heavily depends on this. So we will introduce proper Dashi recipe here and would like you to use this for our Dried Konyaku recipes!
Mackerel Konyaku RiceBy MariThis is one of the variations of 'TakikomiGohan(炊き込みご飯)' which means 'Rice cooked with the other ingredients'. We use many types of ingredients like shiitake mushrooms, carrots, burdock root, bamboo shoot, deep fried tofu, chicken etc but this time, I used smoked mackerel which one can get easily everywhere in the UK.
Basil Pesto Konyaku PastaBy MariI created this recipe for the Allergy & Free From Show. Since no nuts are advised in the exhibition, I looked for an alternative to pine nuts, and I settled for this recipe which incorporates avocado and miso instead. Combined with the konyaku, these superfoods make it a really healthy recipe. Many visitors enjoyed these different flavours, and some asked me to put it on the website, so here it is! I use a mix of half DRIED KONYAKU and half spaghetti, which works really well. The Konyaku brings an al dente texture as well as great health benefits. Of course you can change the proportions to whatever you like, have a try and find your favourite mix! Mari
Coconut Milk & Chia SeedBy MariI’m a big fan of coconut milk and use it on a daily basis. I mix it up with a protein shake plus Chia seeds after my gym work out as this combination really gives me a feeling of fullness.
Hijiki Nimono – Japanese Style SaladBy MariThis is an adapted version of my Veggie-Don served in Otabe Kafe. Veggie-Don is very popular and lots of people come back and have it again and again.
KinpiraBy MariAnyone who is Japanese knows ‘Kinpira’. It is a simple traditional style of Japanese cooking which is such a part of family life that many of us will use our Grandma’s original Kinpira recipe, and it is even served in school dinners!