Halloween Delights Tuesday 2023/10/31 

Halloween is a celebration observed in many countries such as Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints’ Day. It begins the observance of Allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the faithful departed.

Popular Halloween activities include trick-or-treating (or the related guising and souling), attending Halloween costume parties, carving pumpkins or turnips into jack-o’-lanterns, lighting bonfires, apple bobbing, divination games, playing pranks, visiting haunted attractions, telling scary stories, and watching horror or Halloween-themed films. Some people practice the Christian observances of All Hallows' Eve, including attending church services and lighting candles on the graves of the dead, although it is a secular celebration for others. Some Christians historically abstained from meat on All Hallows' Eve, a tradition reflected in the eating of certain vegetarian foods on this vigil day, including apples, potato pancakes, and soul cakes.

The main theme of Halloween is about ghosts, scare, and  related to death, magic, monsters. Usually, things that related to Halloween are pumpkin, ghostbusters, ghoul, witch, bat, black cat, owl, elf, zombie, skeleton, demon. vampire and Frankenstein. Black and orange are the traditional colours of Halloween. However, modern products use a lot of purple, green and red. Autumn elements such as pumpkin and scarecrow are symbol of Halloween.

This year Halloween falls on Tuesday November 31, 2023, I Chef Kar made my new creative Halloween Delights to share with my old friend Sunny and other good friends.

Halloween Delights

1. Pumpkin Cakes +

    Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookies
2. Haunted House Bread + 

    Ghostbusters Breads
3. Rose Pumpkin Pie + 

    Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookie
4. Traditional Pumpkin Pie +

     Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookie
5. Bird Nest Pumpkin Pie +

    Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookie 

Ingredients:

1. Pumpkin Cakes + Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookies

Pumpkin Cake:
Body: Pumpkin puree, bulgur fine , butter, nutmeg, sugar, salt
Stem: Dark rye flour, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, pure vanilla extract 



Bat Cookie: Dark rye flour, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, pure vanilla extract



Ghostbusters Cookie: all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, salt, egg yolks, pure vanilla extract

2. Haunted House Bread + Ghostbusters Breads

Haunted House Bread:

Body: Dark rye flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, olive oil, sugar, salt, water
Roof , Windows & Door: all-purpose flour, yeast, olive oil, sugar, salt, water

Ghostbusters Bread:
Body: all-purpose flour, yeast, olive oil, sugar, salt, water
Eyes: Hershey’s Cocoa dark
Mouth: Pumpkin puree, all-purpose flour

3. Rose Pumpkin Pie + Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookie

Rose Pumpkin Pie:

Pie crest: phyllo dough, unsalted butter
Fillings: pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, dark brown sugar, sugar, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, salt

4. Traditional Pumpkin Pie + Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookie

Traditional Pumpkin Pie:

Pie crest (Butter Puff dough): all-purpose flour, corn starch, salt, water, unsalted butter
Fillings: pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, dark brown sugar, sugar, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, salt

5. Bird Nest Pumpkin Pie + Bat Cookie + Ghostbusters Cookie 

Bird Nest Pumpkin Pie:

Pie crest: Kataifi shredded fillo dough, unsalted butter

Fillings: pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, dark brown sugar, sugar, pure vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, nutmeg, salt

Next, Creative《 Colourful Flaxseed Delights》

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight

 

Kar Kazoku Sushi  かぞく すし     2023/10/22

Sushi (すし) is a representative of Japanese cuisine, belonging to a type of gripping rice. It first appeared in Edo period of Japan. There are many types of sushi and each type makes one salivating！  

Let me introduce 8 types of traditional shushi, then follow my invented 4 types of Kar Kazoku sushi (かぞく すし ）.

Nigiri (握り寿司)

Dipping sushi rice with Wasabi then putting seafood on top of the rice and kneading it to a bite size. It is the most favorite to Japanese and most common sushi type. Most ingredients are seasonal harvest of seafoods. Nigiri originated from Bunsei（文政）in Edo period (1818-1830). In the past, due to preservation problems, most ingredients were marinated and processed. However, invention of ice makers and progress of preservation methods, fresh seafoods can be used increasingly. Hence, Nigiri becomes very common nowadays.

Gunkanmaki (軍艦巻き)

Method of making: use sushi nori to wrap around the side of sushi rice and put the ingredients on the top of rice. The particular feature is using nori as a container. 

It can pair with salmon roe,  sea urchin and flying fish roe that are not convenient to make Nigiri. 

Gunkanmaki was invented by Ginza Kyubey (久兵衛) sushi restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo in 1941.

Makizushi (巻き寿司)

It is said that Makizushi was invented in mid Edo period 1750-1776 and became popular in around 1783.

Method of making: Spread vinegar rice on nori; put ingredients on top of rice; use a bamboo mat to roll over; cut into small pieces to enjoy. Maki includes Hosomaki, Kappa Maki ,Tekka Maki , Futomakinori sushi. Further according to thickness, it can be differentiated into 3 types: thick, medium and small rolls.

Temakizushi (手巻き寿司)

Without a bamboo mat, directly using hand to roll is called Temaki. 

Method: roll a grill nori into a cone; fill up the cone with vegetable, seafoods, vinegar rice. It is common for home made. Most common Temaki are shrimp temaki and asparagus temaki.  

Inarizushi (稲荷寿司)

It is said to be originated at the end of Edo period 1603-1868. 

Method: First cut an aburaage (thin deep-fried tofu) into half to form a pocket; use soya sauce and sugar to marinade; fill it up with vinegar rice.

Oshizushi (押し寿司)

One type of sushi that comes from Osaka is the oshizushi, meaning "box sushi" or "pressed sushi." This type is actually one of the oldest forms of sushi, the successor to narezushi, which sprang from the method of preserving fish by packing it tightly in boxes of fermented rice.

Kakinohazushi (柿の葉寿司)

Kakinohazushi is sushi that is made by first placing slices of mackerel or salmon onto vinegared rice, then wrapping it in a persimmon leaf before pressing down on it. It is a food that makes clever use of the antioxidant and sterilization properties of persimmon leaves.
Kakinoha zushi has been passed down as a local food of Gojo City and Yoshino Town but it is now known throughout Japan as a specialty of Nara Prefecture. Due to it not requiring chopsticks for eating, it has become a popular eki-ben, a packed meal that is usually eaten on trains.

Chirashizushi (散らし寿司)

Chirashizushi was invented around 1664.

Chirashizushi translates to "scattered sushi" and consists of a sushi bowl with a base of vinegared rice with raw fish and other ingredients on top. The types of raw fish used varies and the most popular would be salmon and tuna. It is often garnished with shredded egg, nori, and salmon roe on top for a mouth-watering and colorful finishing touch. This dish is easy to prepare and popular as a party food, as a big platter can be made and easily shared.

Kar Kazoku Sushi

Kazoku Sushi is my new invention, including Dace fish cake nigiri, Dachshund sushi, Donut sushi and Salmon sushi. I prepared them for my old friend Sunny to enjoy in 2016, 2018 and 2019. It has not been published before.

Dace fish cake nigiri      2016/4/29

Ingredients: Fried Dace fish cake, Nishiki Premium Rice (錦), water, Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar, carrot, curly parsley.

Fried Dace Fish Cake

1. Mince dace fish meat, add and mix marinade, wait for 10 minutes, cover with saran wrap and put in the fridge for 1 hour.

2. Put oil on a pan, wait for it to heat up; use a table spoon to scoop the meat and place it on the pan one by one; press down the meat with a spatula to form fish cakes.

3. When both sides of the cake are golden brown is done.

Marinade : green onion cut to small pieces; ginger powder, garlic powder, salt, white pepper powder 1/4 teaspoon; corn starch 1 teaspoon

Dachshund sushi      2018/2/19

Ingredients: Nishiki Premium Rice (錦), water, Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar, chicken sausage cooked, carrot, English cucumber, celery, sushi nori, black raisins, flax seeds (grounded by coffee grinder)

Donut sushi       2018/11/27

White, yellow and purple are 3 colour sushi donuts. Use beets and turmeric to make red and yellow colour. White is original colour.

Ingredients: Nishiki Premium Rice (錦), beets, turmeric, water, Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar, Ramen eggs（Ajitsuke Tamago or Ajitama 味付け玉子）, preserved duck egg (皮蛋）, red vinegar ginger, mirin, dried Japanese Anchovy, black and white sesame .

Equipment: donut mold

Red vinegar ginger

Ingredients : Kikkoman rice vinegar, ginger, beets, sugar

Ramen eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago or Ajitama)

Ingredients:

2 eggs
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Kikkoman soy sauce 

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon Kikkoman mirin

3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sake
1 tablespoon sugar of your choice
1 tablespoon vinegar

Method:
1. Boil the Eggs
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then carefully lower eggs into the pot in a single layer and boil for 7 minutes.

2. Prepare the Ice Bath
While the eggs boil, fill a large bowl with ice and cold water. Once the eggs have finished boiling, immediately transfer them to the prepared ice bath to stop the cooking process and cool the eggs.

3. Peel the Eggs
Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, peel the eggs.

4. Make the Marinade
In a glass or ceramic container, combine soy sauce (or tamari), mirin, sake (or cooking white wine), sugar and vinegar.

5. Marinate the Eggs
Place eggs in the container and ensure that the eggs are immersed in the liquid mixture and place a piece of paper towel on top. Cover the container with a lid, and allow eggs to marinate in the liquid for 3 days in the fridge. During the marinating process, periodically change the eggs’ position to ensure that they are evenly marinated.

Salmon sushi      2019/10/4

Ingredients: Nishiki Premium Rice (錦),  water, Kikkoman Seasoned Rice Vinegar, salmon meat (grill), mango pulp, honeydew melon meat, purple yam (steamed), black and white sesame, lettuce leaves, radish sprouts, Kraft French Dressing

Next, 《Kar Halloween Delights 2023》

Publisher： Chef Kar Delight