This blogging every day can be quite challenging at times!
Today is Day 23, so only another week or so left to go.
I just looked over my challenge list and realised I had totally forgotten about the Western type meal once a month thing. Will have to start thinking about what to make... Any ideas? I don't have much of a repertoire when it comes to Western recipes. Potato bake, crumbed chicken in cheese and bacon sauce, pumpkin soup and lasagne (but with a Japanese recipe!lol) pretty much sums up any Western dishes I know how to make.
Main reason being I came to Japan when I was 19 and that's also when I started to learn how to cook. So I don't really know how to make anything other than Japanese food. And while my Mum is a good cook, she NEVER uses recipes so has no idea when I ask for measurements. And with cup sizes being different in Australia and all, it gets just a bit too confusing!lol
Would anyone like to share a Western recipe that they find is a hit with their family? One that doesn't need special ingredients and that is easy to make?
gee you're really persisting in the blogging everyday challenge!! Keep going.
返信削除I don't cook much 'western food' either, actually what is western food?????? There are so many similar foods in the Japanese diet. Well my family loves chicken schnitzel and I usually add about 1 cup of fresh rosemary to the breadcrubs. It sounds a lot but it isn't overpowering at all, and we eat it with sweet chilli sauce and a little mayo.
I cooked butter chicken for the first time 2 weeks ago and made my own nan. It was YUMMO. It was in a mag from NZ that my friend gave me but I found it on the net for you, For the kids I think it needs a little less tumeric-Mr Happy ate it!!
http://www.nzwomansweekly.co.nz/food/recipes/butter-chicken/story/3797667/
Wow, that you have blogged for 23 days straight! I can't imagine it ever happening for me :-)
返信削除I probably make more western food than Japanese. Especially for me as I am vegetarian and usually eat something different to hub. How about pasta? My son loves tomato based sauces. I do a vegie one with lots of eggplant, capsicum, zuchini, mushrooms, spinach etc and also a meat sauce using the vegie one as a base. I also do pasta with white sauce as well using stuff like spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, pumpkin and salmon. Gratin would also be classed as western too right! My hub and son like it a lot too!
I like my mashed potato, so that is my fallback dish whenever I feel like making something "western".
返信削除The Rich Tomato Pork that Nay posted on her blog a little while back is really yummy (I make it with a bit of white sauce rather than sour cream and it comes out really good still), served with mashed potato, and some other steamed veges and that is a "western" meal right there!! And of course, you HAVE to try the green bean amandine if you havent already, it is really really good! (http://busycooks.about.com/od/sidedishrecipes/r/greenbeansamand.htm) I have made it a few times (roughly sliced up the almonds myself and it worked fine)
Or how about a casserole? (also similar enough to curry that the kids probably won't baulk at it)....served with mashed potato, of course ;)
Happy cooking!
I would but the problem is I mainly cook by experimentation and I hardly use measurements... so I would love to give you some recipes but it would consist of throwing "abit of this and that" in. :)
返信削除I am like Kelly- even if I semi-follow a recipe I change the ingredients to suit my needs (and what I can get in Japan) so I am no good at giving you exact measurments!
返信削除Would your kids eat soup? Soups are great in winter and filling- something they can eat with bread! Potato and Leek soup or minestrone soup are good.
I tend to cook more Western food compared to Japanese food too- one that Shun likes is one I posted on my blog a couple weeks back- it is called Bruchetta chicken bake.
http://www.cherryblossomadventures.com/2010/02/16/two-for-tuesday/
Also buritos go down really well here- and are fun for kids albeit a little messy. You do need taco sauce and taco powder though which I guess are special ingredients. If you didn`t want to buy the burito bread you could always do taco rice!
Cottage Pie is also great!
Not sure if this is considered "Western" but another recipe that I do that Shun loves (it is one of my mums recipes) is apricot curry pork. Basically you get some pork fillets and put them in a baking dish for the oven. In a small pan stir some butter and chopped up onion, add 1/4 cup lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of apricot jam, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce (or a little more if you are not so much into the sweetness of the jam) and 1 large tablespoon of curry powder. Mix it in the pan on low (once onion is cooked) and then pour over the pork and put it in the oven for 40 minutes. I serve with rice (or cous cous), beans and/or other steamed vegies. Sometimes we also have it with asparagus/garlic/parmasen cheese veggie thing that I do.
Have fun with your cooking :-)
Thanks for commenting everyone.
返信削除There are some great ideas here and I can't wait to try them out.
Butter chicken, pasta dishes, almond and beans, tomato pork, apricot curry pork.
Everything sounds great!
Thanks for your suggestions.