Tag: recipes

Japanese Beef and Potato Stew aka Nikujaga

Japanese Beef and Potato Stew aka Nikujaga

What do you crave on a rainy and gloomy day? I usually crave something warm and soupy that would make me feel at home. Today’s dish “Nikujaga” quite literally means meat and potatoes. It is a popular taste of mother’s home cooking in Japan, and 

Pressure Cooker Saimin

Pressure Cooker Saimin

This morning, during meditation, I imagined what my future self would look like. I imagined what my future self would say to me. I imagined my successful and fulfilled life. So, this is what I pictured in my head: I’m in a therapist’s office (it’s 

Banana Earl Grey Tea Bread

Banana Earl Grey Tea Bread

Growing up, I used to looooove earl grey bread.

Walking into bakeries in Japan is like going into a whole new world (I watched Disney sing along last night. Hence why…..oops lol). As soon as you step in, you smell the buttery, sweet, salty deliciousness. Also, the presentation is always on point!

Being a bougie kid that I was, I loved the kind of food that goes well with some good old wine like the kind of food adults like (it was so bad though, I could not eat food kids usually love. I could also tell the difference between expensive ingredients and cheap ingredients. If my mom were to use cheap ingredients, I just would not eat that food. Wow like who did I think I was???lol). Anyways, whenever my mom and I went to a bakery together, I would always ask her to get an earl grey bread loaf. It was my absolute fav❤️

A few days ago, when I was brainstorming some cooking ideas, something came to my mind: “earl grey tea bread.” I went to the kitchen, and I saw some ripe bananas on the counter and thought, “hmmm, they will go well together.” So, there you go. It’s not too sweet, and earl grey just makes it 1000 times better. It’s such a classy little bread loaf, everyone would love it! I also added some chia seeds for a fun texture😋

Enjoy❣️

All my love,

Kaori

Banana Earl Grey Tea Bread

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

Little funsies

  • 1/2 ripe banana (we'll use total of 3 bananas for this recipe)
  • 1 bag earl grey tea bag
  • 2 tbsp chia seeds

Dry ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • a pinch salt

Wet ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature, coconut oil as an alternative)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs (1/2 cup of apple sauce as an alternative)
  • ripe bananas (mashed)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F and coat the loaf pan with nonstick oil spray. Set aside. (I used coconut oil spray)
  • Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
  • In a large bowl, combine butter and brown sugar. Mix until creamy.
  • Add eggs, mashed bananas and vanilla extract (the rest of the wet ingredients). Mix until completely incorporated.
  • Combine chia seeds and tea leaves (open the tea bag and mix in the leaves) into wet ingredient mixture.
  • Gradually add dry ingredient mixture into wet ingredients and mix until there are no flour sockets.
  • Spoon the batter into the loaf pan and top with banana slices (1/2 banana). Bake for about 50 minutes.
  • Once baked, make sure to stick a toothpick in the middle and see if it comes out clean.
“Negishio” Pork Chops

“Negishio” Pork Chops

Rise and shine! You know my roommate and I were talking today after our meditation sesh: the importance of setting intentions. We all have busy lives, and sometimes we get consumed by the amount of tasks that we need to complete, stress, thoughts…the list can 

Poached Chicken with Chili Sauce

Poached Chicken with Chili Sauce

Hi y’all! I hope you guys are beginning the week with calm and mindful spirit. I started meditating with my roommate last week and it’s been going great so far. I feel like I can start my mornings with a good note and really it’s 

Simple Cucumber Salad

Simple Cucumber Salad

Cucumbers are just so refreshing. Whenever I eat cucumbers, I feel so clean, healthy, and overall great! I don’t know why, but I just feel that way.

Anyways, this salad is SO easy to make and SO yummy, it is perfect for the summer weather! The weather outside has been so nice lately, and y’all, I am SUPER excited to come up with new summer recipes😍 You could eat this outside in the sun, use this as a side dish, bring it to a potluck…..I promise you, everyone would be so impressed and in love!

So, lets talk about the recipe.

When you think of cucumber salad, you might think vinegar, dill, etc. But of course, my purpose here is to show you my Japanese twist, so my recipe will be a little different compared to the norm.

I am sharing with you two ways to make this (just different flavors). They are both equally wonderful, and I hope you’ll enjoy them both!

Simple Cucumber Salad

Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Salad
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients

If you like creamy…

  • 3 seedless cucumbers
  • 4 imitation crab legs
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp noodle soup base
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds

If you love vinegar…

  • 2 tbsp vinegar (I used rice vinegar for mine)
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • a pinch salt
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds

Instructions

  • Slice cucumbers and peel imitation crabs apart.
  • Put sliced cucumbers into a small bowl, add salt, and leave it for five minutes.
  • Throw out the excess water from cucumbers.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients into the bowl and mix.
Oven-baked Japanese Spare Ribs

Oven-baked Japanese Spare Ribs

These ribs are honestly so delicious, you have to try! I do love some good old BBQ ribs, but this one just holds a special space in my heart. Every Christmas, my mom would make these amazingly flavorful pork ribs. As a child, I thought 

Intro + Matcha Banana Chocolate chip Cookies

Intro + Matcha Banana Chocolate chip Cookies

Hi guys! I know I have a bio on this website, but I thought I should introduce myself here. First off, thank you so much for stopping by! I am SO SO excited to start this journey and share my experiences with you. My inspiration