Just a Post about Saturday

I made a delicious loaf with dried fruit! I used tapioca starch instead of rice flour and the texture was good! I think I would prefer rice flour though. Or maybe a mix of the two. I am really into making a dessert for the week lately. It's nice to have something extra after dinner. Baking isn't something I've done much of but this has increased my interest.

I also wore lolita this day.  The jumperskirt is Mary's Sweet Sheep from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. It's super short!!! These rocking horse shoes which came with a broken strap :( I don't know how to fix it. I asked my husband to solder it back together for me, he said it might ruin the buckle but... it's totally broken how could it get more ruined? I hope he'll try to fix it. 

Oh right, I filmed a video of myself doing my daily makeup routine. For archival purposes, I suppose. It's set to publish at a later date though.

Some Food Related Topics

I recently received Peter Rabbit's Cookery Book in the mail and it inspired me to want to write out some recipes and put them on this blog. There is now a Recipes page. I was intending to just write recipe posts, label them and then create a page that links to posts with that label. However, I don't want recipe posts showing up in the main blog. I'm not posting anything spectacular. Like the rest of this blog, it's just for myself for fun.

On the topic of Peter Rabbit's Cookery Book: It's a cute book (it is made for children). The recipes are frequently things with pastries, eggs and meats with vegetables here and there. I think I will endeavour to make a vegan version of each recipe. This particular edition of the book is from 1987.

On the general topic of food: People in my country are starting to go a little bit crazy over the spreading COVID-19. There is footage of a grocery store lineup that circles around the store. My husband and I stopped at the grocery store last night and it was busier than we've ever seen. We have a good supply of non-perishables but I wanted to buy longer lasting vegetables as well.

I don't know why, but I want to list what vegetables we've "hoarded" and their estimated shelf life given proper storage:

Potatoes ~ 2-3 months
Sweet potatoes ~ 1 month (outside of fridge), 2-3 months (in fridge)
Cabbage ~1-2 months (fridge)
Rutabaga ~ 2-3 weeks (fridge)
Carrots ~ 1 month (fridge)
Onions up to 6 months
Apples ~ 1 month (fridge)
Tangelos ~ 2 weeks (fridge)

Also, I have things in the mail and I am a bit concerned about what might happen to them. One package contains Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Blooming Snow White underbust jumperskirt. Seems like a frivolous thing to worry about, I suppose.

Kansha: Celebrating Japan's Vegan and Vegetarian Traditions: A Cookbook REVIEW

Since cooking is one of my hobbies, I've decided to include some cookbook reviews on my blog. I am especially interested in the cuisines of different cultures. One food culture that I have spent an excessive amount of time learning is Japanese (surprise). I believe I was originally inspired by anime since many of them include scenes of people eating. Another appeal is that it is such a different food culture than the European-based one I am used to. Okay, I am diverging from the topic at hand!

According to the author, Kansha means something along the lines of thankfulness or gratitude.

This book is really for someone that enjoys cooking as a hobby. The recipes are more difficult because there are a significant number of detailed steps. I find that when I cook these recipes, I must refer back to the book often. It is ironic, because I think my palette is really not refined, so if I were to mess up steps (as I have done many times) I am not sure I could even tell the difference.

I have yet to tackle every single recipe in the book, but below are some of my favourite ones I have made so far:

• Skillet-Seared Daikon with Yuzu
• Heaven and Earth Tempura Pancakes
• Gingery Enoki Mushrooms with Carrots
• Crispy and Creamy Kabocha Croquettes
• Peppery Kelp Squares

I've found some recipes are also difficult to follow because the cooking times do not always work out. For example, it might say to cook something for x minutes but then it does not end up cooked enough.

Unfortunately, I'm not spectacular at documenting everything I've made. So I don't have much in they way of pictures.

Winter pancakes from the Heaven and Earth tempura pancakes recipe

Peppery kelp squares, which we refer to as rice friends (as they are mentioned in the book) is a recipe that I have revisited so many times. They are an excellent addition to plain rice and also with yuba. It is not a main recipe, but a garnish.

I have a new Japanese cookbook on its way to me. It is Japanese Cooking: Contemporary & Traditional [Simple, Delicious, and Vegan]! I have been wanting this book since 2012. Now that I'm done university and have more time to dedicate towards cooking, I am excited to add this book to my collection.

Zero Waste Natto? DIY!

I want to share how I have made natto at home.
Basically, I have followed the steps from Emmy in Japan's DIY Natto in an Instant Pot video as well as following along with Natto Dad's advice on his blog.
The main difference between my recipe and theirs is how I cover the natto while fermenting. Their method consists of two layers of cling-wrap with holes pricked using a toothpick. I don't own cling-wrap. What I have done instead is use a combination of parchment paper and aluminum foil.

While the natto ferments, there is a layer of cling-wrap that is pressed up to the surface of the beans. For this layer, I used parchment paper. I chose parchment paper for this layer because I didn't want the metal touching the beans. I am not sure, but somehow I worry that it could interfere with the flavour (this is totally unfounded). For the top layer, I use aluminum foil. I also add a rubber band to make sure everything is secure.

I also use a sanitized pin/needle to poke the holes in the two coverings instead of a toothpick.

Parchment paper can be composted. Aluminum foil can be recycled. I suppose you could try to reuse the aluminum foil, but it would require sanitation. The rubber band and pin are of course both reusable.

Basically, all I am writing here is that the plastic wrap can be replaced with reusable, recyclable and compostable materials!

Unfortunately, there's a part of this process that isn't zero waste, because you need to start with something. I've started with store bought natto that comes in styrofoam. Since the natto from the store is cut into 9 pieces, we are still getting a whole lot of natto per styrofoam package in comparison to just buying from the store and not making it at home. I think if I make a particularly good batch in the future, I will preserve some of that natto and see if I can propagate from that instead of using store bought.

I also suggest looking for soybeans at bulk stores that allow you to bring your own containers. I bring a mesh bag into Bulk Barn and am able to buy a large amount of soybeans for a very low cost. Hopefully, this post can help someone who isn't sure about making the process a little bit more environmentally friendly.