关于筷子的典故

有沒有人发現在日本餐桌上 筷子都是横放在自己与食物的中间呢？

据说是因為日本人认为万物皆有神...

每个食物都有代表的神庇佑

橫放的筷子則象征了人与神的界线

用餐前先說句：itadakimasu（承领 ／I humbly receive）

先谢谢上天恩賜

才把界线拿走

用感恩的心享用眼前的餐点。

文和图取自 NATURAL KITCHEN

GIFT FROM MAKI: EMERALD MATCHA

It's been over a month since Ken Hsu brought books back from Taipei.  I've only just started browsing 《東京麵包屋: 職人嚴選60款日式手感私家麵包》and the first recipe that caught my eye is the Matcha Pound Cake (page 162). I had asked Maki whether she could buy some matcha powder from Japan. She did so, picking a matcha that was meant specially for baking. I'm holding the cup next to the window so you can check out its gorgeous shade of emerald.

The recipe makes three 8 x 15.5cm cakes.  The smallest tins I own measure 8.5 x 17cm.  As a result my cakes didn't achieve the height I was expecting.  Frankly, I didn't think they looked appealing.  The tops were a dull brown and I felt that the emerald hardly came through. 

I gingerly cut into one and it was velvety. My father bit into a still-warm slice, grinned and said the texture was light and that he loved the crust. My mother pointed out that the insides has many tiny holes.  I wonder if holes are a good thing?

I brough the cake to work and left it at the usual "sharing" table in the centre of the office.  At the end of the day, a coworker approached me in the pantry, "Were you the one who brought in the matcha cake?  I'm a huge matcha fan and your cake is gorgeous!"

MY LUCKY DAY - TREATS FROM MAKI AND KEN

I feel like it's my birthday today!

This morning, I came into the office to find a beautifully wrapped gift on my desk.

Treats from Tokyo! Arigato, Maki!

Ken brought my books back from Taipei.  Have waited a little more than a month for them because I'm cheap and didn't want to pay for delivery to Singapore.  Instead, I had them sent to the office in Taipei and there they waited, until Ken stopped by on his way to Honolulu.

A box of chocolates all the way from Hawaii.  And dee best almond nougat from Sugar & Spice!

I'm not a nougat fan but these are, by far, the most delicious ones I've tasted.  谢谢 Ken Hsu!

TREATS FROM MAKI: MATCHA DELIGHTS

I've fallen head over heels with Japan.  And I haven't even visited the country yet.

But it's hard not to appreciate all things Japanese when you have a friend from Tokyo who sends across the most amazing stuff at every opportunity she gets.  This time Maki shares her private collection of Green Tea Goodies.

.Just look at these cute fridge magnets from Suntory (伊右衛門).  I especially love this matcha mont blanc.  I've often wondered why people want to spend money on this kind of accessories.  Now I understand.  The craftsmanship is so very intricate!

Maki's package came with a personal note, which was delicately folded origami-style in the form of a heart.  I ought to have taken a photo of it but in my haste to get my eager hands on everything inside the box, I forgot!  Well, I did save the beautiful wrapping paper.

Thanks to Maki, I got to sample Japan without having to jump on a plane!

TREATS FROM MAKI: PIGEON PEAS

The eagerly anticipated package from Maki finally got to me via Malini! I promised Maki that I’d post photos of these Japanese snacks on Chilli Crab Kitchen before I consumed them. But then it rained.  It rained again the next day. Not great weather for the amateur photographer.

The sun finally appeared yesterday morning. I hastily snapped a few shots before I dashed off to work. I love the Pigeon logo on the paper bag. It looks as if it is enjoying little snack peas. Super cute! The name of the snack shop in Kanji is 豆源, which translates to "The Bean Source" in Chinese. It sells a variety of bean snacks. According to Maki, the snack shop uses a pigeon for its logo because in Japanese culture, the pigeon and the bean 豆are somehow characterised with each other.

THE MOUSE AND HIS CHEESE

A gift from Susan, this timer travelled from NY to Singapore.

The Japanese have their own take on the Cake Salé.  Today I'm using a recipe by Takaaki Nishikawa (西川功晃).  Nishikawa is Consultant to Singapore's Bread Society and author of several books on the subject of breadmaking. Some say that it isn't easy to master Nishikawa's bread formulas because of the high level of hydration.

Nakashiwa's Cake Salé recipe consists ingredients such as sun-dried tomato, pickled carrot, pancetta and balsamic crouton. I stuck with the simple ham and cheese - just so I can get a direct comparison between this Cake Salé  and the one I made previously.

Cake Salé recipes usually calls for baking powder but Nishikawa uses baking soda and yeast as raising agents. The dough is allowed 40 minutes of proofing time before it goes into the oven, resulting in as a loaf that is sponge-like.

咸蛋糕 La Cake Salé

Adapted from a recipe in 美味44變: 麵包料理的搭配新技法 by 西川功晃 (Takaaki Nishikawa)

Makes two 16.5cm x 7.5cm (6.5" x 3") loaves. Foil loaf pans that measures 20.5cm x 11cm at the rim would also work.

3 eggs
150 grams all-purpose flour
10 grams baking soda
2 grams instant yeast
50 grams olive oil
50 grams milk
150 grams ham, diced
150 grams cheddar (half coarsely grated and half diced)

Place a rack in the centre of the oven and preheat your oven to180 degrees C. Generously brush loaf pans with butter.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then add the olive oil, milk and yeast and mix together using a spatula.

Sift the flour and baking soda together. Add into egg mixture.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until just combined. Pour into lined loaf tin.

Leave to proof for 30 – 40 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 180 degrees C oven for 25 minutes.

I personally much prefer Cake Salé without the yeast.

TREATS FROM MAKI: PATISSERIE SADAHARU AOKI

Several years ago, as I was reading about the renowned Matcha Opera Cake at Pâtisserie Sadaharu AOKI, I had a strong urge to fly to Paris or Tokyo just for a bite of it.  Then one day I heard that Mr. Aoki has opened shop in Taipei.  Frankly I'm a little bit jealous of the Taiwanese.  They already have Paul and Boite de Bijou and now they have AOKI.

This week, Maki took great pains to ship me a Aoki's green tea goodie - a Matcha & Azuki Bean Cake - all the way from Tokyo!  How did you read my thoughts, Maki?

You can tell from the lovingly wrapped package that such pride is put into every item that leaves the premises. 

Of course, the thoughtfulness and sincerity of the giver cannot be ignored.  I only hope these photos will do the gift justice!

Let me assure you that it tastes as good as it looks! 

I was expecting the matcha to be slightly smoky and bitter in taste but there was none of that.  I also thought the azuki beans would be extremely sweet but they weren't.  I had no idea it would be so light!  Yummy!