3 Frogs Design

Although I find that at times it is difficult to choose a topic to blog about, after blogging for just over a year, I find that I actually enjoy it!  After much thought, I have decided that I am going to concentrate on my Asian strengths and have come up with my new Blog Title:  Asian Lifestyle Design,   Sharing Ideas on Interior Design, Culture and Cooking . Those are all the topics that get me excited and I hope to share my passion.   It’ll still be very practical Jen, because that is who I am, but I am hoping for a diverse audience so if you have enjoyed my articles, please subscribe and I would appreciate it if you tell you friends too!

If you have any questions regarding the Asian Lifestyle, please feel free to go the About page of AsianLifestyleDesign.com and shoot me an email.  I’d be most happy to do my best and answer your questions.  Looking forward to a new beginning and wishing everyone abundant qi!  Please click on the link now!  :  AsianLifestyleDesign.com Thanks!

In the two previous blogs we’ve covered the appetizers and main courses.  This blog will have the remainder recipes for the salad, rice, pickles and dessert.

Asian meals usually have rice, pickles and soup to round them off.   The pickled vegetables in Japan and China, tend to be salty and sour while the Koreans enjoy theirs spicy, like kimchee.  The pickle recipe here is extremely basic, it’s really an Asian pickles 101. Just salt and cucumbers.  But once you know how to do this, you will have the basics to create your own original recipe!  Now how fun is that!  The important thing here is to create a crunchy texture.

Pickled Cucumbers

• Persian cucumbers
• salt

Method:  Wash cucumbers and sprinkle with salt.  Roll the cucumbers in the salt.  Now, cut them into bite size pieces and again sprinkle with salt.  Place the cucumbers in a bowl.  Next, you want to place a weight on the vegetables to release the moisture.  This is what gives them their crunchy texture. To do this, place a plate that has a smaller circumference than the bowl so it can be put directly on top of the cucumbers.    Next, place a weight, such as a big rock, on top of the plate to squeeze out the liquid.  Let this sit for a minimum of several hours, but ideally, a day in the refrigerator.  Drain the liquid and gently wash the cucumbers.  They should be a little salty but crunchy.  Enjoy them just as is, or with a little soy sauce.

Rice

Yes, I’m going to explain rice, which may seem ridiculous at first but I have been asked about rice many times.   With this little knowledge I hope you can avoid buying the wrong item.   Although rice is an Asian staple, many non-Asians don’t realize that there is a very large variety of rice.  Japanese rice is the japonica grain which is different from Indian, Thai and Chinese rice.  So, the first thing is to buy the correct type of rice for your purpose.  Usually in the U.S., the package will say sushi rice or Japanese, California or Calrose rice, but basically it is a short grain, rather oval shaped grain.  When we lived in Kuwait the  Australian calrose rice was the closest choice.   For cooking the rice, almost all the Asians I know have a rice cooker.  That’s because we eat rice everyday and we don’t have the time to stand around and wait for a pot to boil and keep an eye on it.  With a rice cooker, you just wash the rice, add water and push a button.  Some even have timers on them, so you can plan ahead.  If you don’t have a rice cooker I recommend getting one because they are easy to use and very convenient.  I bought a very cheap one when my son went off to college.  However, it was too cheap that it broke within the year.  So, I suggest spending around $50.00 for rice cooker  that will last many years.

Asian Salad

I thought about what kind of Asian Salad would be good for this menu.  In the end, I decided on one that has readily available ingredients anywhere in the world:  celery, carrots, cucumbers, spring onions, sesame seeds and a very basic dressing.  So, what makes it Asian?   The spring onions, sesame seeds and also the soy sauce in the dressing.

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots
• 3 celery stalks
• 3 Persian cucumbers or 1 large English cucumber
• 3 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds
• 4 spring onions finely chopped

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar; I never used to put sugar in my dressings, however; I noticed my children ate more salad if the dressing was a little sweet.  Please adjust this to your liking.
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Method: Cut the carrots, celery and cucumber into julienne strips, basically very thin strips then add the spring onions and sesame seeds.   For the dressing, I like to put all the ingredients in a glass jar.  With a good shake, you have a very well blended dressing with little mess.  Pour dressing over salad and toss.

Finally for the dessert.  Keep it simple with green tea ice cream, strawberries and Japanese Pocky, which is a chocolate covered pretzel.  If you can’t get green tea ice cream, switch to vanilla or your favorite flavor.  Don’t stress about it, just enjoy the party, it’s Spring!  Hope you give this party menu a try.

My girlfriend who lives in Kamakura is a fabulous cook.  Her kitchen was tiny but the food she produced from that space was unbelievable and she taught me many of her recipes.

Kamakura is on the coast about 30 miles from Tokyo.  Because of its location, local fresh fish is readily available.  Where I live now, unless you go to a specialty shop the fresh fish quality can vary.  Also, with our busy schedules, I have to resort to frozen fish.  So, although the recipe says Talapia, go ahead and use what is readily available in your area – a white fish would work best, but actually any fish will be fine.

Fish Misozuke

Ingredients:
6 talapia fillets – defrosted.  Or any other fish.
8 tablespoons Miso paste – blend ½ white and ½ red miso
8 tablespoons Sake -Japanese rice wine

Miso is Japanese bean paste, the base for miso soup.  There are many kinds of miso but generally come in three catagories:  red, white and a blend of red and white.   Zuke, comes from the verb tsukeru, which in this situation means marinate.

The recipe my girlfriend taught me was to marinate the fish in only miso, but because we are watching our sodium intake, I have diluted it with quite a lot of sake.  Similar to lemons, sake kills the fishy smell.  I now prefer this flavor, but maybe it’s because I’m just used to it now.

Method:  First wash the fish under cold water and dry it with a paper towel.
To make marinade, in a bowl, dilute the miso with sake.  In a Ziploc bag, place the fish and the marinade together.  When you zip it up, try to release as much air as possible and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight.  You can even leave it for 2 nights and it will still be fine.

To cook:  Heat your oven on broil for at least 10 minutes.  Remove the fish from the miso and wipe as much marinate off the fish.  Brush with oil and grill until done, which is approximately 7 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.  If you like both sides done, then flip, brush with oil and grill for another 2 minutes.

Since this fish is marinated in miso it already has a salty flavor, so you don’t have to add anything else to it.  Squeezing a lemon or lime on it is nice too.

Gyoza

This is a continuation of the Spring Menu blog.  The Main Course includes gyoza, miso talapia, Asian salad, rice and pickles.  Today’s recipe is gyoza.

So, let’s start with the gyoza, which is the Japanese version of Pot Stickers.  The Koreans and Chinese also have various types of pot stickers, so this is just a very basic recipe.

Gyoza

Ingredients:

1 packet Gyoza wrappers

1 lb. of ground pork

3 leaves of napa cabbage:  this is also referred to Chinese cabbage and in Japanese it is called hakusai, if it’s not available just use regular cabbage- chopped fine into small pieces:

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon ginger

2 teaspoon soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1-2 tablespoons water

To prepare; place the chopped napa cabbage into a bowl, lightly salt it and mix it well, then let it sit for 10 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix the ground pork, cornstarch, sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce, salt and pepper.  The cabbage should be limp now.  Squeeze the excess water from the cabbage and add to the ground pork mixture and mix well.

To wrap, place a teaspoon of the meat mixture into the center of the gyoza wrapper.  Dip your index finger in the water/cornstarch mixture and wet around the edges of the gyoza and fold the gyoza.  Follow this link on YouTube to get a visual :  How to wrap gyoza It’s only 20 seconds long but it’s a great visual.

How to cook gyoza:  Okay, amongst the Japanese, there are two opinions on how to cook gyoza.  One is to fry the gyoza until it is nicely brown on the bottom and then add about 1/4 cup water and cover to let them steam.  They are ready when all the liquid evaporates.  The second is to steam the gyoza first and then fry them to create a crispy bottom.  I found both styles on YouTube so you can choose your preferred method.  I am old school, so I grew up with the first method.  It works for me.  How to Cook Gyoza – Method 1 and How to Cook Gyoza – Method 2.

We like to to dip our gyoza in a mixture of soy sauce, rice vinegar and chili oil.  Enjoy it hot!

Spring is just around the corner and the cherry blossoms are in full bloom.  Why not plan a Asian inspired spring party?  Start by bringing the season into your home by cutting a few cherry blossom branches and placing them in a tall vase with water.  It will lift your spirits!

When putting this menu together I had my sister in mind, who is a single mom and works full time.   So, the criteria required ingredients that are  readily available, dishes that are easy to put together and  allow time for her to enjoy her guests while having an Asian touch.

Edamame

Spring Party Menu:

Appetizers:  Edamame, Prawn Wonton and Wasabi peas

Main Course:  Gyoza, Fish Misozuke, Asian Salad, Rice and pickles

Desert:  Green Tea Ice Cream, Strawberries and Pocky sticks

Today, I’ll just start with the Appetizers.  When your guests arrive, , make them feel welcome with a drink and some Edamame and Wasabi peas, while you get ready to cook the Prawn Wonton.  It gets the mood going.

If you’ve been to the Japanese restaurants in the U.S. lately, you’ll know what Edamame is because it is now readily available.  In Japanese, “Eda” pronounced with an “e” like in egg means branch and “mame”, again pronounced with short vowels, means bean.  So, it’s beans on a branch.  Actually, the edamame is a green soybean.  In Japan, they are sold fresh in the summer attached to the branch and you clip them off with scissors.  However, here in the U.S., they can be found in the freezer department at your local supermarket and they even sell them at Costco now.  They are sold with the beans inside the pod.

All you need to do is to place the whole pods in a pot of boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes, but it’s best to follow the package instructions because it depends on the quantity.  Once boiled, drain and run cold water over the edamame to stop the cooking process, keeping the bright green color intact.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  When serving, place the beans in a bowl and remember to have an empty bowl next to it so your guests have a place to put their empty pods.

Wasabi is a root vegetable that is used as a condiment and is often referred to as “Japanese horseradish”.  The fresh wasabi can really clear your nasal passage!  In the snack department of the supermarket they carry and assortment of rice crackers and peas that have a wasabi flavor.  It’s a really good munchie and a conversation starter too because people either love it or hate it.

The last starter is the wonton.  The key is to find wonton wrappers.  First look for wonton on the packet, not gyoza, which are potstickers, because they are used for different purposes. However, that being said, I have never used one for the other, so I really can’t say if it won’t work. Best to stick with what I know.  Here’s the recipe:

Prawn Wonton:

1 lb. raw shelled and cleaned prawns – chopped

1/2 can water chestnuts (8 oz. can) – chopped

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon Sake – Japanese rice wine

1 packet wonton wrappers

canola oil for deep frying.

In a bowl mix the chopped prawns, water chestnuts cornstarch and sake together.  If it is rather moist, add more cornstarch.  With one wonton wrapper in your palm, place a teaspoon of the mix in the center and wet the edges with water.  Fold in half to create a triangle or even a rectangle, whichever is easier for you.  We won’t get into any fancy shapes here because  we are trying to keep this simple and stress free!  Press the edges together to create a seal.   Because they are rather flat you can deep fry them in a frying pan, turning them over once so they are a nice golden brown.  Dip in soy sauce or soy sauce with a little french mustard.

Next time, we’ll feature the main course.  Stay tuned.

Feng Shui stresses that a good environment is one that has creates good relationships;  not only with our physical environment but with our family.

With the busy lifestyles of today, many find they lack time to spend with their children.  But, we do have slots of time during the day when we can communicate with them.  For many parents, driving the kids to and from school, athletics, and activities is a necessity.  In a confined space, it is a good time to inquire how their day went.  Being a good listener allows one to be aware of their child’s well-being.

For working parents, a good time to listen is during meals.  Turn off the T.V., cell phones and computers and enjoy each others company.  If you come home so late that you miss the evening meal with your family, once in a while bring home dessert so you can share some time with everyone.  In many countries, they take a break during the day with tea and snacks.  Have snack time together with the kids after school.

The key point is to create the opportunity to take the time to listen without distractions, so you can be fully present when they communicate to you.  When you communicate on a daily basis like this, you will know when something is not quite right just by their tone, body language or attitude.  This may be the time when you can give them the support they truly need.

A personal photograph carries so much information.  Where was the photo taken?  When did it happen?  What was the occasion?  Who else was there?  The clothes, the hairstyles, the facial expressions, the accessories, the body language, the make-up, the furniture, the food and everything in it can tell it’s own story.   Amazing how much information one image can hold in a person’s memory.   The quote from an early Emperor of the Xia Dynasty in China about 4,000 years ago  “A picture speaks a thousand words“  is so true.

In Feng Shui, an image is an information carrier.  Each individual has a unique interpretation of that moment in time.  The personal memory triggers various emotions that affect our hearts and well-being.  This means, it is very important to realize that the photographs we display in our home do affect us.  Because of this, be selective of the photographs you display.

The photograph here with the mother lovingly playing with the baby invokes a happy and loving moment.  This maybe a suitable photo for the bedroom, because it  may be a sweet memory when the mother had special time for her baby.   Choose Yin photos that evoke calm, joy and peace.

On the other hand in the living room, it’s okay to choose photos that bring back the excitement of the moment, a yang photo.  These images could include athletic or party scenes. First be aware of your emotions that the photograph evokes.  Then be selective of where to place the photographs and make sure they resonate with the purpose of the space.

Letting go of sentimental items is always very difficult to do.  But sometimes circumstances do not allow us to keep them.  My 96 year old uncle in Honolulu was just hospitalized for several weeks due to pneumonia.  Obviously, all the relatives were most concerned, however, he is doing much better and will be going home.  His daughter, my cousin, must clean house to make room to move back to care for her father.

In amongst all the items are Japanese dolls.  These dolls are used to celebrate ‘Girls Day’ which falls on March 3rd of every year and they are displayed in the home during this season.  They are special dolls that I’m sure have great sentimental value.  But, what if she can’t keep them all?  Regardless of who she gives them away to, the act of parting with the object is hard for many of us.  We all have some special items that by just looking at them, or holding them can bring back a wave of emotions and memories.  What is the best thing to do when you must let go?  Take a photo.  Yes, take a photo, even several photos if you wish and this image will help you hold on to those special memories.

In addition to coffee, tea and an assortment of drinks, the Japanese coffee shops usually serve common western style foods adapted to the Japanese palette.  One of these is the Spaghetti Neapolitan.  So, after all these years I looked up Neapolitan pasta and on Wikipedia found that the Neapolitan sauce is basically a tomato sauce.  However, in Japan this dish is basically pasta and ketchup.  That does not sound appetizing, but if prepared in the following way it is actually quite tasty.

Spaghetti Neapolitan

Ingredients:

cooked spaghetti

sliced onions

thinly sliced ham

sliced green pepper

ketchup

granulated chicken stock

salt/pepper to taste

Method:

In a frying pan, add enough oil to coat pan and heat.  Fry onions until translucent, then add green onions and ham.  When cooked add the cooked spaghetti and fry it all together.  Then generously squeeze the ketchup over all the ingredients, add chicken stock, salt and pepper and blend it together.  It makes a quick, simple and cheap meal – good for college students!

I thought only the Japanese ate pasta and ketchup but last year my son went to France on a three week exchange program and stayed with a French family in Nantes.  He said he was given a bowl of hot pasta and there was grated cheese and ketchup on the table.  Not knowing what to do, he decided to observed and copy his French host.  All he did was squeeze the ketchup on his pasta, sprinkled cheese and mixed away.  So, now we know, the French enjoy it too!  Bon Appetite!

When I began studying Feng Shui over three years ago, I had no idea that there were many different schools of Feng Shui, each teaching very different concepts.  I encountered Master Hsu and his Blue Mountain Feng Shui Institute when he was a guest speaker at an Ikebana International meeting.  His message was so captivating that soon I was one of his students.

Dr. Hsu teaches Form School Feng Shui, the true Feng Shui whereby “Form defines energy”.  It’s all about qi, which means “living energy or life force”.  Form School uses no gadgets or gimmicks and separates theory from culture, superstition and folklore.  That is why it appeals to me.  Don’t get me wrong, like the Japanese frog trinket, I love cultural superstitions, numerology and folklore, but I now know that it is separate from Feng Shui.

In this age of the internet, there has been so much confusion that it’s very difficult to decipher all the information.  Since my heritage is Japanese and I cannot read or understand Chinese, I do not have the ability to read the old books on Feng Shui.  This means many of us in the West must rely on others.   Not only do we have to rely on those translating the books, but also to understand the history and circumstances of the time the books were written.  Just because a concept has been written, does not prove that it is legitimate.  As with many things in life, there are influences that can misguide the innocent and naive.  With my frustration of reading so many contradicting theories on Feng Shui, I kept asking Dr. Hsu for answers.  And the most amazing part is, he always had one!  All this pestering has led to a book!  I am happy to announce that Dr. Hsu and I are in the process of writing a book ,  Feng Shui:   Truths, Myths and Misconceptions that we hope to have published by this summer.  As the title denotes, it is to help those like myself, who are constantly searching for answers but can’t seem to find anything that makes sense to us.  It is so exciting for me to be learning about the wonders of Qi!