Jack Snacks!... Mokomoko Mug Cake

What do you do when you've got a craving for cake but you don't want to spend a couple of hours beating, mixing, baking? Why of course the answer is simple - Mokomoko Mug Cake!

It costs around $3.50 for a box containing 2 packets of mug cake mix. The instructions on the back are in Japanese but the steps are so simple that I (think I) can make it out with with my limited Japanese.

Mokomoko Mug Cake - cute instructions but alas - only in Japanese!

All you have to do is get a mug, and in there combine the contents of one packet of cake mix with one egg. Once it's combined, microwave for for a couple of minutes (1.5min for a 600 watt microwave or 2min for a 500 watt microwave, do not wrap the mug or cover it). And ta-da!! Your very own mug cake.

It's not too bad for a microwave packet cake - soft and fluffy and not too dry. But don't fool yourselves, it's still a pretty basic cake and obviously not a true replacement for homebaked goodies or something from a nice cake shop. It's still good to keep in the pantry for those late night cake-mergencies (not to mention the high novelty factor!). It comes in 2 flavours - vanilla or moccha (there's also caramel but I've only ever seen that overseas). And the back of the box suggests adding banana which I think is a great combination and decided to try, yum!

Mug. Packet mix. Egg. Optional banana. Yep, that's all you need!



Mix, mix, mix.. when it's done, plop some chopped up banana in.



It's fun watching it puff up in the microwave, when it's done.. poof! It's deflated back down.



Ta-da!!! Mug cake with banana!

What happens if you decide to break the rules and turn mug-cake into bowl-cake? I sacrificed the last of my Lindt chocolate bunnies to make a choc-banana bowl-cake and decided to use a bowl out of curiousity. It was a little tougher, the larger surface area naturally makes the cake cook faster so in future I think I'll stick with the mug! Chocolate on the other hand, I'll add again next time!

Bowl-cake - not quite the same as mug cake, even with a sacrificed Lindt bunny. Stick to the mug kids, stick to the mug.

What: Mokomoko Mug Cake
Where: Most Japanese supermarkets (Maruyu, Conveni 8) and quite a few asian supermarkets (Miracle, Thai Kee etc)
How much: Around the $3.50 mark

Merry Xmas from the other sister!

From the other sister up north, Merry (belated) Xmas to everyone.  I hope you all made the most of the festive excuse to indulge! Like Jack, we also ate well including our roast leg of lamb with brussels sprouts straight from the stalk - a seasonal favourite. Dessert was Jamie Oliver's mini puddings and ice cream from Recipease - not shown here as we were busy eating to take a photo! We also bought a chocolate gold leaf cake from another one of our favourite local shops, Gail's, filled with rum and the odd bit of fruit and nut.  The chocolate cake served us well in between meals over the long weekend and lovely with a cup a tea as I get back into blogging after a hectic year.  Stay tuned for more posts from the sisters - till then, happy eating!

Roast lamb, fresh sprouts and chocolate cake - what a great way to celebrate Xmas!

Merry Christmas!!

Hi everyone! I just wanted to wish everybody a Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a fantastic day with your family and friends. And of course, I hope that you all ate well too! Here's a couple of quick snaps from my Christmas lunch... happy holiday feasting!

Christmas Feast course 1 - cheese and crackers, cooked prawns, marinated anchovies..

Christmas Feast course 2 - roast potatoes, lamb cutlets and mushrooms.

Christmas Feast dessert course - apple tart with vanilla bean ice cream.

Ok.. it was a lot of food.... but it was delicious!!!! Merry Christmas again! Sending you all lots of love and well wishes.

HaNa Ju-Rin

It's been a while (again) - I've been travelling with my family in Japan for the past 2 weeks. Jess and I certainly enjoyed all the food and we'll be posting about it as soon as we're back home! But in the meantime I'm in Singapore for a quick stopover which of course means more eating!

Meanwhile, a quick post from a meal back home, at HaNa Ju-Rin in Crows Nest. It was quite some time ago now so I can't remember all the details, apologies in advance! It was a last minute booking on a Saturday night but we were able to get a table. It's a quiet little restaurant, the upstairs level has a teppan grill and a sushi counter, both would be great seating options to watch the chefs while eating.

Teppan master at work while we enjoy our green tea, the teppan counter seating.

We started off with Mackerel Boxed Sushi ($19.80) which was beautifully presented. The rectangular pieces are actually pre-cut into halves which make them perfect for popping into your mouth. There's also a scant layer of something in the middle - it tastes like it was maybe some kind of pickled/preserved/marinated vegetable - although chances are I'm completely wrong. Whatever it was, it was so delicious. The mackerel was perfectly cooked and there was so much "mmmm-ing" from both C and myself it was like an Iron Chef judging.

Boxed mackerel sushi, mmmmm... And sushi chef at the counter.

Next up was Beef Tongue Fresh Spring Roll ($12.80). Served cold with a slice of lemon and some relish (?) which was sweet with a tiny bit of chilli, this was refreshing and light in taste but the chunks of beef tongue was substantial enough to make this a rather filling starter.

Beef Tongue Fresh Spring Rolls

Softshell Crab Roll ($13.80) was tasty too, there was less vegetable but the crab was meaty and there was enough spiciness to give it a kick. Udon Noodle with Duck in Hot Pot ($17.50) was great for the cold weather (like I said, it was a while ago hehe) - a simple and homely pot of noodles with some shiitake, naruto, seaweed, egg, spring onions and duck. The duck has a slight fowl taste which is not to everyone's liking but was fine for C and myself.

Seeing as they have their own teppan grill, we had to try some Okonmiyaki. We tried the Buta-Tama Pork ($15.00). There's a layer of egg on top which hides the pancake. There was quite a bit of cabbage in this which you could taste, though I'm not complaining cause I love my vegies!

Softshell Crab Roll, Okonomiyaki and the Udon Noodle with Duck in Hot Pot.

For dessert we just had to try some Ice Cream Tempura with Green Tea Sauce ($10.80) which was served with some fruits on the side. The batter wasn't too heavy or oily which I've found is sometimes the case with fried chinese fried icecream. The ubiquitious pairing of azuki (red beans) with the grean tea sauce gave the tempura vanilla icecream flavour. But most of all I enjoyed the Cherry Blossom Rice Cake (Sakura Mochi, $4.00). It was light and delicate in flavour and the perfect size for those who are full but don't want to miss out on dessert.

Icecream Tempura with Green Tea Sauce and lovely Sakura Mochi.

We enjoyed our meal thoroughly and I'd definitely return sometime to try out the other dishes. But of course we'd have to order the Boxed Mackerel Sushi again. Maybe 2 serves....

What: HaNa Ju-Rin
Where: Shop 1, 300 Pacific Highway, Crows Nest (02) 9966 5833. Website with menu here
How much: Check menu for prices

Seoul of Sydney's Koreaculum 103

With work the way it has been, SIFF 2011 was going to fly by and I doubted whether I'd make it to any of the events that I was interested in checking out. But I made a special effort to find time for Seoul of Sydney's Koreaculum 103 after having been intrigued by a fabulous write up of Koreaculum 101 by eatshowandtell's Minh. I love Korean food and am constantly trying to tell lesser-educated friends just how great a cuisine it is, totally undeserving of it's "all meat and chilli" misconception that many people have. And Seoul of Sydney is just what Sydney needs to show people the potential Korean cuisine has to be a stayer on the modern plate. So I excitedly booked tickets and counted down the days...

Firstly, apologies for the fuzzy photos - there just wasn't enough light!

Fast forward to now, two weeks after the event and I'm still buzzing. As soon as we walked into Berta (their venue for the night) there was a real buzz in the air - a mingling of excitement, nervousness and enthusiasm. We were seated at the bar which suited me just fine as I got to peek over and into the kitchen to see some of the action.

The action in the kitchen behind the bar.

While we waited for all the diners to arrive there was a snack of "tofu crackers with sesame seeds" which were crispy with a hint of sweetness, mmm.. a good start to the evening.

Tofu crackers with sesame seeds.... snacking on these while the team prepares the matching drinks.

The first dish was served, "buckwheat pancake filled with kimchi, with a mandarin dressing". Our host for the night Peter Jo (founder of Seoul of Sydney) explains that this is a dish that comes from the south island of Korea, eaten at the start of spring (could it be 메밀전?). It's fabulously fresh, the kimchi is not the usual kind that you get with banchan side dishes, it's lighter and contains capsicum and carrots as well. Together with the mandarin sauce, it has a bit of a spicy kick which is balanced nicely by the nutty, earthy taste of the buckwheat pancakes. We're duly impressed and eagerly await the next dish - the bar has been set high already!

Buckwheat pancake with kimchi and mandarin dressing.

And we most certainly are not disappointed when the second dish arrives - it's a modern take on 육회 (yukhoe) which consists of beef tenderloin served with sesame oil, soy dressing and a dainty quail egg to mix through. There are pieces of pear and possibly mandarin along with some baby herbs and some thin slices of almond (or something similar). It's a pretty looking dish and I hesitate a moment before breaking the quail egg yolk to mix it all up. The meat was served in big slices as opposed to being diced - I'm initially worried that it will be hard to chew or overly raw-meaty in taste but it's an absolute revelation. The flavours are well balanced, hands down it's the best raw-meat dish I can ever remember eating. I get to the end and I want more.

Yukhoe - it's so fresh. Tastes as good as it looks.

But alas, dish number three is not another plate of Yukhoe. It's a modern take on Torangtang which translates as taro soup and is eaten during Chuseok which is a Korean harvest festival held around the Autumn Equinox. This version has an anchovy broth with daikon radish, braised octopus and taro chips. The presentation of this dish is simple yet striking with the octopus tentacles curled on top of the radish that sits in the centre of the broth. Upon cutting into the radish, there's a little surprise - a mix of diced mushrooms and something else I can't quite put my finger on. Each individual flavour in this dish is distinct and pronounced without overpowering the other components.

Torangtang.

Next up is duck with Ssamjang (a spicy paste for Korean wrapped food), chilli and jellyfish salad. It's quite spicy with all the chilli but it's a good match for the duck which is perfectly cooked and so, so tasty. Did I mention the duck is perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious? Well, it is was. The jellyfish salad had a fresh tang to it and works well with the richness of the duck. The spicy ssamjang really gives it a kick too.

Perrrrrfectly cooked duck!

The last savoury dish - braised mackerel with chilli sauce and chilli powder on a bed of confit radish with kim (the Korean word for seaweed) and spinach. This is really simple and as C says, "really Korean". I love the simplicity, the fish is tasty and is cooked in a very Asian style - almost verging on dry, but not in a bad way at all. And eaten with the salad it tastes really fresh and healthy yet totally satisfying. I'm looking at the photo and I really want to eat it again now, I can taste the fish in my mind and I'm getting very hungry.

Braised mackerel with chilli sauce, chill powder, confit radish, kim and spinach.

Onto pre-dessert and I'm ecstatic to hear it's going to be an interpretation of Bingsoo (Korean shaved ice desserts). This version consists of a milk-based granita, which is hiding misutgaru (roasted rice powder) and fresh fruits (strawberries, blueberries, kiwifruit). It's is perfectly light and refreshing, one could probably eat this everyday in summer. None of the components are anything special on their own, but when mixed together it tastes fantastic. The fruit gives a sweetness and the misutgaru adds an earthy, nutty flavour.

Bingsoo with misutgaru and fresh fruit - perfect for summer.

Dessert is a real contrast to the pre-dessert which makes things interesting. It's also based off traditional Korean sweets. Presented on a wooden board, there's a plank of 'kanjang' (?) which is described as Korean praline - it includes many seeds and nuts including pumpkin seed, pine nuts and walnuts. It's sticky and nutty, best eaten by snapping segments off using your fingers, as one of the waiters tells me. I think he's right - it's much more satisfying to eat it with your fingers! On top is something that sounded like 'lun' - Peter describes it as a traditional tea snack where they take something like a fruit, desconstruct and sweeten it, then reconstruct it back again. The flavours tonight are raspberry with dried/dehydrated apricot, ginger with pine nuts, and lastly pumpkin rolled in red bean. It's a sweet dessert, although the ginger one gives some heat which might not be to everyone's taste, but I like it all and polish off my board without any problems.



The most sophisticated "fruit and nut" I've had.

And so the meal comes to an end. It hasn't just been a good dinner but it has been a great experience which I hope to take part in next time Koreaculum happens. It was a really good example of the variety in Korean cuisine, something I've always known and appreciated - hopefully more people feel the same after experiencing Koreaculum 103.

What: Koreaculum 103
Where: It was held at Berta Restaurant, by Seoul of Sydney as part of the Crave SIFF 2011
How much: $90 for meal only, $130 with matching drinks

Greece Part 2: Santorini

It's been a long time waiting for part 2 of my Greece series so I apologise for the delay - Jack and I are obviously too busy with work and other things such as organising our Japan trip that we haven't made enough time for the roof.  So back to Greece, and in particular Santorini, a beautiful island in the Cyclades, famous for it's caldera.  We had a relaxing four days here with a lovely meal each day in Oia where we stayed.

Illegal Kokoretsi!

The first restaurant we ate at was Anemomilos, which was recommended by the staff at our nearby hotel Ikies.  Anemomilos served true home cooked dishes in a very relaxed atmosphere.  As we had arrived at the restaurant quite late (although Greeks tend to eat dinner around 10pm) it was pretty quiet and they had run out of the traditional Easter lamb on the spit.  I was extremely disappointed but my spirits picked up when I was allowed to go to the food counter where they had many of the pre-prepared dishes available on show.  This was great as each dish was explained to me and when I couldn't decide, a selection was provided.  

Kofta, moussaka and orzo pasta

This was a good chance to sample kokoretsi - roasted lamb/goat intestines.  It is definitely not for everyone and is technically illegal to sell under EU regulations!  Nevertheless, Dave and I are always keen to try local "specialties" and were glad to have the chance at Anemomilos.  It wasn't too bad, especially the outside but it's definitely a dish you can't eat too much off.  Unlike the other dishes we had:  moussaka, kofta with orzo pasta and some lamb and potatoes.  Anemomilos is a great option if you want simple, home cooked Greek cuisine in a relaxed setting.


The next day, Dave and I had lunch down in Amoudi Bay, which is popular for it's fish taverns and for catching some sun or the famous Oia sunsets.  We went to Dimitris, recommended by our hotel.  You could pick your seafood by going inside to the kitchen which looked more like a fish shop with lots of fresh fish on ice.  They also served some frozen seafood but will inform you if it is not fresh.  We had a couple of red mullet which was lightly fried - the flesh was so soft and juicy and you could really tell it was fresh.  We also had a black bream which was grilled on the coals outside, along with some fresh eggplant and of course, some Greek salad.  It was very tasty although it is not a cheap meal as the seafood is fresh but a lovely lunch option. 

Fresh mullet and black bream and grilled eggplant

That evening we went to Kyprida which was recommended to me by Tess (who comes up with the goods time and time again).  Kyprida is a lovely terrace restaurant which is great for enjoying a glass of wine.  This was also the place where we had out first bottle of Katogi, probably one of the best Greek red wines at €20.  I had some haloumi to start which always satisfies, then moussaka which was delicious.  Dave had kebap which was simple but nice.  The best part of our meal was the fabulous service from Panos, a lovely waiter from Athens who had also become friends with Tess and her travel party.  Kyprida is a great spot for enjoying the lovely evenings.

Kebap - restaurant from outside - Moussaka

For something a little more special, I would recommend Nectar and Ambrosia, which is slightly more casual than it's sister restaurant Ambrosia.  Our meals here were excellent and also a little different, especially Dave's calamari cooked in a mushroom and ouzo sauce which was delicious.  I had Santorini feta in filo pastry as a starter then lamb for my mains which were satisfying. 

Calamari and Filo Pastry Starters - Lamb Main

Dave had moussaka for his main which went well with another bottle of our favourite Greek wine. Service was excellent here and it was lovely to see the changing colour of the sky from the restaurant.  

More moussaka - the sky from Nectar & Ambrosia - Another bottle of Katogi

This was a great way to finish our stay in Santorini.  

Se Jong

So I'm still drowning in tonnes of work - there's paper all around me on the floor as I spend another Saturday in front of the laptop. The pile of work is not going anywhere but to hell with it - this poor blog is feeling so neglected and sad, it's time to give it some love.

I've been working so much that there hasn't been much time for checking out new places, and sometimes when you're exhausted from work you just want to go somewhere familiar and comforting. Se Jong is just that. I still remember the first time I ate here, way back in November of 2006. Not much has changed since then, the menu and decor are still the same. I've eaten here so many times that it feels like I'm going to an Auntie's place for a homecooked meal. And that's exactly why, after a very long and tiring week at work, this was the perfect dinner to recharge my soul.

There's 2 rooms at Se Jong, the first is a standard room with wooden tables and chairs, each with the obligatory hot plate for Korean barbecue. There's a shoe case next to the doorway to the second room as this room is strictly floor seating - the tables still have the bbq hot plate but they're low to the ground with cushions for you to rest your posterior.

The banchan (side dishes) here are always tasty - today we get kimchi, odeng (fish cake), bean sprouts, eggplant and radish. My eyes always light up when I see the eggplant - it's soft and full of garlicky flavour. We're pretty hungry so we also order "Goonmandoo" (deep fried dumpling, $12.00) which are perfectly crispy half moons with a home-made tasting filling that includes noodles (not sure if it was mung bean or sweet potato). We also got "Tofu Chigae" (stew of soft beancurd, seafood, egg and chilli paste, $10.00). If you were feeling poor, you could get this stew and a bowl of rice and have a very satisfying meal. The tofu is silky and light, a good balance for the spiciness of the soup.

Goonmandu, complimentary (and super tasty) banchan, tofu chigae.

C's favourite dish at Se Jong is probably the "Hwedubbap" (rice with sashimi, vegetables and chilli paste, $13.00). I love it too - it's so fresh and tasty - everything but the rice is raw - the salmon, kingfish, carrots, cucumbers, radish, cabbage, perilla leaves and just one more ingredient that I can't think of right now. Turn out your bowl of hot rice on top, add as much Chogochujang sauce (vinegar red pepper paste) as you like and then mix! mix! mix! until it's all combined. What you get is a fresh and healthy all-in-one bowl meal which tastes fantastic.

Hwedubbap - all healthy food should taste this good!

As much as I love Hwedubbap, there's one dish that I can't resist - "Jebichuri" (thin skirt beef with sesame oil, $14.00). It's a great cut of beef for Korean barbecue because it's so tender. You get the dipping sauce of salt and pepper mixed with sesame oil and you also get fresh lettuce leaves and bean paste for wrapping too. That and a bowl of rice and I'm in food heaven. Oh, did I mention that they cook all the barbecue items for you? All you have to do is eat, what more could one ask for?

Jebichuri - it's my weakness.....mmm....Jebichuri..

And so finishes another homely meal at Se Jong - all thoughts of work have disappeared, my tummy full and satisfied.

What: Se Jong Korean Restaurant
Where: 68-72 Evaline St, Campsie (where Woolworths is) (02) 9718 4039
How much: Most 'single serve' dishes in the $10-$20 range