Toshikoshi Soba '09

I always like having Okinawa soba on the new year's eve, but can't get hold of proper one here in England. Alternatively, I used Korean style noodle.


Click here if you would like to know what Toshikoshi soba is.

It was maasan!

*maasan means delicious in our language.

Dinner on 15/02/10

Menu: Grilled trout, fried vegetables, miso soup, rice and umeboshi


We had a heavy meal last night, so I wanted us to have something simple tonight.
I didn't take a photo of our dinner as it looked really simple.

It looked like this.

We didn't have a whole trout each. Three of us shared one. It was more than enough for me and left some for tomorrow. For fried vegetables, I used onions, carrots and cabbage. Oh we did have some boiled green beans as well. We always like our vegetables to be crunchy, and I don't cook them too long.

Happy Belated New Year!!

It's been more than 6 months since I last updated this blog. Sorry about that. There are so many things I want to write about, but haven't got round to it. My 4-year-old daughter has kept me busy.

Anyway, I will try to update more often this year. Also I'm thinking of introducing more about Okinawa and Japan here. I know this blog is supposed to be about cooking, but I would like to introduce our culture through music, videos and photos etc. - that should be fun! When I'm busy, I might write in Japanese, which is easier for me.

I still have many food photos which I haven't uploaded here, and I will share them with you every now and then.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!!



Today, I'm introducing one of the well-known Ryukyuan classical dances to you.
It's called "Kajadi Fu/Kagiyade Fu(かじゃでぃ風／かぎやで風)".

Click here for the video.

We see this performance on special occasions such as wedding receptions, celebrations and so on as an opening act (Not sure if that's the correct way of describing it though). If you've been to Okinawa, you might've seen it.

I remember dancing "Kajadi Fu" on sports day when I was in high school. All the girls at school danced! It was a long time ago, and I can't dance anymore unfortunately. We didn't wear nice costumes like in the video, by the way.

Okinawa Festival at Cafe Oto

Here's the video of the event. Enjoy it!

London Okinawa Sanshin Group Presents Okinawa Memorial Day at Cafe Oto

I'm happy to inform you that there will be an Okinawan event in London this coming Saturday. There will be Okinawan performances and cuisine to try.
I'll be cooking some dishes for this occasion.

If you are interested, then come to this event!


For more details, click here.

Lunch on 07/06/09

Menu: Tuna, Avocado and Pickles on Rice

Does it look strange to you? I make tuna, avocado and cucumber on rice often, but we didn't have any cucumber in the fridge.
I was looking through the kitchen cupboard thinking

"What can we have with it?? Let's see...",

and the jars of pickles caught my eye.

"Yeah, beetroot and pickled onions might be nice. Why not."

The rice is sushi rice, by the way. To make sushi rice, just mix hot cooked rice with rice wine vinegar and sugar. I will give you the recipe for sushi rice soon.

We love beetroot. Even my three-year-old daughter likes it. I wouldn't let her touch it though - she will make a right mess with it! I always feed her when it comes to beetroot. We've come to eat beetroot more often since I found out that beetroot is very good for your health. Apparently, it's well-known as a blood cleanser. It's always good to know the benefits of food. It helps me a lot when it comes to choosing what food to buy.

Pasta with Fried Vegetables

I love simple dish like this.

I just stir-fried onions, cougettes, yellow peppers, baby sweet corns, tomatoes, and served with some dressing.

You can use any vegetables and dressing of your choice for this dish.

I prefer using home-made dressing though.