Saturday, April 16, 2016

Incredible Kit Kat Pancakes


Probably the best tasting pancakes ever to be created! At least that's what I thought as soon as I took a bite of these bad boys! Seriously have you seen anything more beautiful?

I'll admit this is more like dessert than a proper breakfast but if you've been good all week long, you deserve a break. Seriously, just go make a batch this weekend. I promise you'll thank me!

Watch our video tutorial here and you'll be drooling by the end!

INGREDIENTS: (makes 4-6 pancakes)

3/4 cup milk
1/2 lemon juice
1 tbsp butter
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/6 tsp salt
1 egg
2 packs kit kats
confectioners's sugar
sliced strawberries
caramel sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the juice of half a lemon with the milk and set aside. Melt the butter in the microwave. Chop your kit kats into small pieces making sure to keep some big pieces for texture. Into a bowl, sift in flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cocoa powder. Mix to combine. Add in your egg, milk/lemon mixture and melted butter and mix to combine. Melt some butter in a heated frying pan. Drop about 4-5 tbsp of pancake batter and cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Once bubbles start to appear on the surface and the edges start to dry, flip it over and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until cooked. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Arrange sliced strawberries on top. Sprinkle with confectioners's sugar. Top with whipped cream, more kit kats and caramel sauce.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Mac and Cheese Pies-RECIPE


INGREDIENTS:

2/3 cup macaroni
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2/3 cup milk
1 egg yolk
2 slices ham
dried parsley
salt and pepper
3 sheets puff pastry (to make 6 pies)

WATCH VIDEO TUTORIAL

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk one egg yolk and set aside. Roll out your puff pastry on a floured work surface. Poke holes with a fork to prevent too much puffing up. Cut the puff pastry in half. Repeat with the rest of the pastry to make 6 in total. Cook the macaroni until al dente.

To make the cheese sauce, melt some butter in a frying pan. Add the flour and cook until thickened, stirring continuously. Add the cheese and cook until smooth and the cheese is melted. Add the macaroni, ham, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Fill the pastry puffs with about 2-3 tbsp of macaroni and cheese. Fold in half. Secure the edges by pressing with a fork. Place the pies onto a baking sheet. Brush them with the egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Home Made Okonomiyaki-Easy and Delicious Soul Food


Delicious savory pancakes recipe that everyone loves. Try this traditional Japanese dish that's especially popular in Osaka. 

INGREDIENTS: (makes 2) 

4 leaves cabbage, washed and dried 2-4 stalks green onion 2 eggs 3/4 cup bonito flakes 1/4 pound sliced pork 2 tbsp deep fried tempura batter (tenkasu) 1 tbsp pickled ginger (beni shoga) 1 tbsp dried seaweed (aonori) 1/2 tsp dashi stock powder 1 cup water 1 cup flour okonomiyaki sauce mayonnaise.

PURCHASE HARD TO FIND PRODUCTS ONLINE:

Okonomiyaki Sauce
Aonori Dried Seaweed
Beni Shoga (pickled ginger)
Tenkasu (fried tempura batter) 
Okonomiyaki Kit

DIRECTIONS: 

First chop the cabbage and green onions and set aside. Combine water with the dashi stock powder in a bowl and mix well. Add the flour and mix until no lumps. Add in the cabbage, green onions, deep fried batter, pickled ginger and eggs. Mix until ingredients are evenly distributed. Put some oil on a frying pan and add half the batter on. Flatten out into a circle. Place 3-4 slices of thinly sliced pork on top and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Flip it over. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Flip again and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and pour on the okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise. Sprinkle on the aonori seaweed and a generous portion of bonito flakes.

Friday, April 1, 2016

2-Ingredient Chocolate Cake


Can you make a cake with just two ingredients? After we tried making this the other day, our answer is a resounding YES! Just two ingredients unless you count the egg white and egg yolk as two separate entities. The confectioners' sugar is for decoration so that doesn't count in our book.

The end result all depends on the quality of chocolate that you use. The better the quality, the better the taste. It really doesn't get any easier than this!

INGREDIENTS

6 eggs
3 bars chocolate

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325F/170C. Break the chocolate into small pieces. Place a bowl over a pot of hot water. Melt the chocolate in the bowl stirring until completely melted.

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside. Add the egg yolks to the melted chocolate and mix until well incorporated. Mix in 1/3 of the egg white meringue mixture into the chocolate mixture. Add the rest of the meringue and gently fold into the chocolate mixture.

Line your cake pan with parchment paper or use a non-stick cake pan. Tap the pan a few times to release any air bubbles. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack and unmold the cake. Sprinkle with confectioners's sugar.

Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream to make it extra special. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 10, 2016


OmuRice is a very popular Yoshoku Dish, which is a Japanese-style Western Dish. It can be found at many restaurants throughout Japan. This also happens to be one of my favorite comfort foods. It's pretty easy to make if you already have cooked rice lying around at home. But if you don't this is hands down, the easiest way to make it, especially if you only need one or two servings.

Here in Japan, our microwave allows you to choose the wattage. However if you don't have one of these, you could experiment with the times. Just keep checking your rice to see if it has finished cooking! Once you get it right, you'll have a difficult time going back to the old way of cooking.

INGREDIENTS: (makes 1)

1 1/2 oz chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/8 onion, chopped
2 tbsp mixed vegetables
3 tbsp ketchup
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 egg
1/2 cup japanese rice, washed
1/2 cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Put all ingredients into a large mug, with the exception of the egg. Give it a good mix around so the ingredients are combined. Crumple a sheet of parchment paper and lay it on the surface of the rice mixture. Loosely cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Microwave for 2 minutes 30 seconds at 600 watts. Carefully open the plastic wrap and give it a quick mix. Cover and microwave at 200 watts (low temperature) for 10-12 minutes.

Depending on your microwave, you can use defrost mode. Carefully peel off the plastic wrap and take out the parchment paper. Whisk one egg and pour it over the top. Microwave for 2-3 minutes until egg is cooked. Don't overcook! Serve with a spoon of ketchup and garnish with peas. Enjoy!


Here's the video tutorial to make it easier!



If you prefer to make it the traditional way, check our Omurice video above.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Cinnamon Roll Mug Cake (Easy Recipe)


Here's one of the easiest and tastiest cinnamon roll recipe that you can make. Perfect when you need to quickly satisfy your sweet tooth. It's also the perfect light breakfast or afternoon treat too! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 2 servings)

1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
pinch baking soda
cinnamon
vanilla extract


CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

3 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioners's sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Combine butter, brown sugar, egg, milk, vanilla extract. Mix well. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Stir until just blended. Don't overmix. Divide batter between 2 mugs. Microwave each cake for 1 minute. Check to see and if it's still very runny, zap for another 30 minutes or so. Do not overcook.

To make the cream cheese frosting, combine the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and lemon juice. Mix until smooth with no lumps. Pipe onto hot cinnamon roll cakes. Enjoy hot.


Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Tonkatsu Onigirazu/Bulgogi Onigirazu Recipes

I know it's been awhile since I've updated the TabiEats blog and I must apologize. As many of you know, I've been having a difficult time trying to keep up with everything that goes along with running a Youtube channel and releasing videos 4 times a week. Plus I had a few health issues along the way that just depleted me of my energy. Still, it's not a good enough excuse and I must update the blog more often.

Now I will say that I have been working on a redesign of the blog so that it will be easier to find the recipes you need and want quickly and easily. So stay tuned for a better blog coming up very soon. I've also been working on a new logo that represents our brand and this is what I've come up with.

If you didn't know already, Tabi means "travel" in Japanese. Eats means well...food. Our Youtube channel focuses on these two passions of mine hence the name. I think I've finally come up with a logo that I like and this is it! It's Japan's iconic mountain called Mt Fuji. As you can see , we've taken a bite out of it because honestly, it looks like an onigiri (Japanese rice ball) doesn't it? That black base is a piece of nori seaweed. I think it represents TabiEats perfectly. What do you guys think?


Today I'd like to share one of our favorite easy recipes, The Onigirazu. Now what is Onigirazu you ask? Well, it's a new type of Onigiri Rice Ball that's become quite popular here in Japan and in some parts of the world. There are many things that really make these unique. For starters, they are easier to make than Onigiri because you don't need any molding skills to make them triangular in shape. You can put a lot more fillings inside, which makes for a more substantial meal. Last but not least, it's convenient and portable, letting you take them to the office, to school or to picnics. How cool is that?

Since many of our YouTube viewers asked us to make Tonkatsu, we thought we'd use that as a filling today's version of the Onigirazu.

INGREDIENTS: (Makes 2 onigirazu)

1 boneless pork chop
1 egg
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
1 leaf cabbage,washed and dried
2 sheets nori
1 1/2 cups cooked japanese rice
chinese mustard
tonkatsu sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Slice the cabbage into thin strips. Whisk one egg in a bowl. Make slits on the edge of the pork cutlet to prevent shrinkage and curling. Season with salt and pepper. Lightly flour both side with flour. Dip into the beaten egg and cover with lots of panko bread crumbs on both sides. Fry in hot oil and cook until pork is no longer pink on the inside. Drain of excess oil. Cut the pork cutlet in two. Put a sheet of plastic wrap on your work space. Place a sheet of nori on top. Add 1/2 cup of rice onto the center of the nori. Season with salt. Top with some shredded cabbage and some tonkatsu sauce. Put a piece of tonkatsu on top along with some chinese mustard and more tonkatsu sauce. Add some more rice on top and season with salt. Wrap the whole thing up with your nori sheet. Then wrap tightly with the plastic wrap. Repeat with the 2nd onigirazu. Let them rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting in half. Enjoy!



You can purchase these hard-to-find Japanese ingredients online.

Nori sheets http://goo.gl/MgwC6p
Panko bread crumbs http://goo.gl/Q6DgAZ
Tonkatsu sauce http://goo.gl/JONkHm
Chinese mustard http://goo.gl/f1xDsr

We've also collaborated on this video with our good friend Namiko Chen from Just One Cookbook. She's not only a fellow YouTuber who happens to have the BEST channel on Japanese cooking, she has a well-established blog full of authentic Japanese recipes. She also has a great personality and is a wonderful person, which is just icing on the cake. So make sure to check her out as well.

Namiko's Links

Just One Cookbook Blog
http://www.justonecookbook.com/

Bulgogi Onigirazu
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdzM_zovmyo

Just One Cookbook YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvBtKQaoDhsHkrvtLjSAhyw


As always thank you for reading and visiting our blog/youtube channel. I promise to keep this blog updated more often and am working hard on the re-design as well. Have a great week guys and take care!