Adventures in Mika's Kitchen
Hawaiian cornbread is not your typical American style cornbread – this one is sweeter, fluffier, and lighter in texture than the dense bread we think of as “cornbread”. It’s sort of a cross between a cake and regular cornbread. I love the texture and sweetness – it’s perfect served with a bowl of chili [...]
I LOVE yomogi flavored mochi! ”Yomogi” is a Japanese herb, called “Japanese Mugwort” in English, a.k.a. “Artemesia princeps” in the plant world. This is a very vigorous plant that grows like a weed all over Japan. It is a member of the Asteroideae – the same subfamily that contains tarragon, sagebrush (NOT sage… which is [...]
What do “Melon Pan” (from Japan) and “Pineapple Bun” 菠蘿包 (from China) have in common? Well, for starters, neither contain any fruit – there is traditionally no melon in Melon Pan, and no pineapple in Pineapple Bun. Rather, each bun is named for the fruit based on appearance alone – the final baked bun is said [...]
After figuring out how to make Daifuku Mochi (Sweet Red Bean Mochi) a few weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about all the other types of Mochi that I could now make. I have some Yomogi (Japanese Mugwort) growing in the garden… and eventually those leaves will end up as Kusa Mochi (one of my most favorite [...]
Mochi is one of my most favorite treats to eat… I LOVE mochi! It’s so hard to come by though… Where we live, the nearest Japanese market is (at least) a 30 minute drive, and we don’t go down that way very often. Also, I’ve noticed that Mitsuwa Market has reduced their “fresh food/bakery” section [...]
And now, for something completely different… Have you ever tried Mochi Brownies? These rice flour “brownies” taste like a cross between chewy sweet mochi and chocolate cake. They are moist, chocolaty, with a springy and chewy texture. There are various types of “rice flour” on the market. If you want the mochi texture – be careful [...]
Over Thanksgiving, we decided to skip the turkey… and took a cruise down to the Caribbean instead. Our second port-of-call was Phillipsburg, on the Dutch side of St. Martin. We took a tour over to the French side of the island, and stopped for lunch in the seaside town of Marigot. Now, after eating cruise [...]
I’ve been looking for a recipe to replicate the famous sweet and soft King’s Hawaiian Rolls. I think I finally found it! The addition of pineapple juice and sugar add a wonderful sweetness and impart a tenderness to the finished rolls. You can eat them warm, straight out of the pan. Or, try my favorite: [...]
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