Ginger Jam

I brought some Candied Ginger to church the other morning and a friend said she had just seen a recipe for ginger jam on NHK - our national TV station. Eagerly, I DEMANDED to know the ingredients. And...that is exactly what she gave me. I am not sure if the amounts are in US cup sizes or Japanese, and I have no idea of the proper way to make the jam. I looked on the Internet in English and Japanese. I couldn't find NHK's original recipe, but here is what I did. And...it is HOT and ohohohohoh so yummy! I've had it on toast and in yogurt. It could also be made into a tea.

GINGER JAM

100 gm ginger root
3/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)

Scrape the peel off of the ginger root with a spoon, and use a ginger-grater to grate it very very finely. Throw away any left over stringy things.

Throw the ginger in a saucepan with the honey and lemon juice. Simmer till it is the consistency of jam. Probably around 30 min. Don't let the heat get too high, and stir occasionally.

Japanese jam recipes don't call for pectin or other jelling agents. I don't know if this makes our (Japanese) jam less healthy because we simmer the heck out of the berries and fruit to reach jam consistency...or more healthy because it is just berries/fruit and sugar/honey. Hmmm. But, as I can't get the jelling agents easily - Japan style it is.

I did notice many other ginger jam and jelly recipes on the English Internet. Some add fruits such as pears or apples to the jam. This sounds yummy to me, as I love to use the ginger syrup, left over from the candied ginger I made, with a spoonful of applesauce in a cup of hot water.

I think I am just TOO into ginger root. But, if you have another way to use it...PLEASE share!

Sue, I hope it helps your hubby get over his flu! No fun!!!

Brownie Pudding

I realized I have enjoyed "experimental" or strange recipes for quite some time. This is one of those I found as a kid still at home. You make a nice brownie-like batter, spread it out in a cake pan, and then pour hot water all over it! Pretty wierd and fun, huh? I hate to tell you the end of the story, if you love to make NEW things, so, stop reading here if you don't WANT to know how it turns out. It ends up with a brownie on the top and chocolate pudding on the bottom!!! YUMMY!



Here is the link to the recipe. Try it, especially if you have some vanilla ice-cream handy!



BROWNIE PUDDING

Sweet-Hot Lotus Root

Well, I didn't go to the veggie store the other evening, and the sweet and sour cabbage was refused by Jun and Ryu. Ryu had ochazuke (rice with powdered tea and seaweed, etc. on top with hot water!) So, I felt the need to redeem myself with dinner last night. Jun and I made the cold trek to the drug store for diapers and the veggie shop for...veggies! Right outside the door, where the sale items are, were lotus roots! 45 yen per 100 gm.! I know, those of you outside Japan are just not impressed, but...I bought about 200 gms worth because I remembered Abigail had made a yummy sounding lotus root side-dish. This was my first time to buy or fix lotus root (that I can remember), and it was easy and fun to make.

Sweet-Hot Lotus Root recipe

I also sliced up some carrots to put with it for color and...because they are carrots, and carrots are supposed to be good for you!

Well, Jun took one uncoerced bite and pronounced, "kore, oishii!" (This is GOOD!) Later, when Ryu got home, he echoed Jun's opinion, and I have a fun recipe to continue to make with lotus root! Thanks, Abigail!

Cooking Dreams and Plans

My delight in making new things usually gives me 50% satisfaction with the end results, but I love to just TRY stuff. So, in the near future, I am going to try to TRY these things:

1. lemon curd - I just had it today at church. I LOVE it!
2. chestnut soup - I read about it in an airplane magazine on my trip. I don't really love chestnuts any way but roasted, but...I love to try new things.
3. dill pickles - well, I tried them once, but...I need to try again.
4. dinner rolls - again, tried once, but...the yeast was from before Jun's birth. She's 2 1/2.
5. the perfect egg nog cookie. Have an idea I want to try.
6. a baked breakfast oatmeal - like a cookie in a dish, they say. Hmmm.
7. I still have some Christmassy recipes I didn't try out at home. Like Abigail's cranberry rice pudding. I brought the dried cranberries back from the US.
8. Ryu found the recipe for and made Happosai from our 100 yen Chinese cookbook. I'll try to post his way of making it. EASY!
9. My mother-in-law's daikon and carrot salad with yuzu/sugar/vinegar dressing. One of my favorite Japanese New Year's dishes. Of course, she never measures, so...
10. Oh, and Ryu says the candied citrus that I made thinking it was yuzu really is yuzu. I began to doubt myself, but, boy is it good. I'll post that recipe soon too!
11. Oops, I forgot to mention the fennel cookies I've been planning for for months, and...
12. The peach cobbler muffins my nephew and I came up with this past vacation!

Tomorrow, our lives return to "normal" for a few weeks, so...I'll be back! HAHAHA!