Authentic Oriental Flavors with Kikkoman Soy Sauce

 

We went back to 25 Mushrooms Kitchen with Chef Margaret Santos to make authentic oriental flavors with Kikkoman Soy Sauce. We can see the difference now as the Kikkoman Soy Sauce is reddish brown. 

The chemically created soy sauce is darker, it also sticks to the chopsticks and is very salty. Kikkoman is light, sweet and appetizing. It's not processed and you can feel it smoothly unlike the heavy ones in the market. Taste wise, Kikkoman tastes the best! 

Soybean, wheat, water and salt. They make this the natural way in Japan and you can't really get that quality distinct taste anywhere else like Kikkoman does. It's pasteurized and gone through quality tests because it is from Japan. 

Here's a video I made before the event started.

We have three recipes today so we started by doing a Sushi platter. With Uni, Ebi, Tuna and Salmon, we were bound to make a beautiful dishes this afternoon!

We used Sashimi Grade tuna and salmon plus lovely Kani and shrimp if you're into that.

Making the rice is important because it will make or break your dish. Remember to use Japanese rice and in the ratio of 1: 1and 1/4 cup. You can make this in your rice cooker so it doesn't take a genius to do that. We cut the tuna, put the spices and Japanese mayo for the Spicy Tuna.

Tuna or any other seafood should always be cold. Add hot sauce or Togarashi powder for more added kick! Use your hands to firmly pack the rice, more than your usual sushi, do the same on Uni. Put in a cut Nori Wrapper on the sides so it would be like a basin for your spicy tuna. 

Do the same on the other rolls, just make sure it's bite sized, and finish it in one or two bites. That'll be enough to feed you the whole day. If it doesn't stick, just put water and you'll be fine.

I'm so good at this hahahaha! 

Then we made Pork Tonkatsu too!

We pound the meat first, then put it in Flour, Egg and Breadcrumbs.

Then fry it in oil for about 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.

Now you have Pork Tonkatsu! Now let's make the sauce! 

Making Dashi first by dissolving the powder on the boiling water. This is your stock. A little oil, onions, mushrooms, leeks (green and white part), then set it aside. Pour the teriyaki sauce in the dashi, eyeball it, put a little sugar, then put the pork in. Put in your egg then wait for it to cook. When the egg gets cooked, slide it on your rice and enjoy!  

It was still crunchy on the sides and the flavor really seeped in. Must try this at home. 

Then we also prepared Sukiyaki. It's that sweet soup commonly found in Japanese Restaurants. You've got veggies, rice noodle, beef and egg. You just combine ingredients, make the soup to taste and voila! You've got your lovely Sukiyaki in minutes! 

I love it! It's sweet and not too salty. It was heaven in a bowl. I want to cook this at home too. :) 

Now have you already cooked something for your family lately? Maybe it's time you get Kikkoman Soy Sauce and Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce today and make that kitchen masterpiece a reality today! 

P.S. They even made us desserts by using two heaping scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream and drops of Kikkoman Soy Sauce. Apparently, it works!

By the way, I'll be giving away a few cooking classes so you guys get the chance to cook too. Stay tuned on my Instagram account @kumagcow and tell me about your favorite dish! 

KUMAGCOW

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M&M's Red Wins Hearts of Media and VIP Guests Votes

Yesterday's "Miting de Avance" turned out pretty well. If you were one of the few who posted "I VOTE RED #mmsred" on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, then your efforts were all been given a great reward because WE won in the Media and Guests voting yesterday. Yes! We're the favorite and now that we've conquered one bump in the road, we have to stay vigilant and VOTE MORE for our favorite RED M&M's buy posting "I VOTE RED #MMSRED" on all our social media posts from hereon. 

We're all so overjoyed about the turnout yesterday, even the Mars Country President wore Red to show support so I can't really fathom the idea why we shouldn't win. We remain friends with the other colors, but we should all be TOUGH, GREAT, and POWERFUL to remain in the lead! Make sure we all post "I VOTE RED #MMSRED" in your posts so it gets counted okay?

We are winners, we are RED! We will win if you post "I VOTE RED #mmsred" on all your social media posts until May 15th! Keep the fire alive, keep the spirit burning! We'll win this with our Candydate M&M's Red!

For more information about the winning RED M&M:

M&M's Red

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Visit their official website

M&M's Red

My Experience at Make Your Own Havaianas 2016

Went to SM Megamall's Fashion Hall to take first dibs at the Make Your Own Havaianas 2016 event. It's an annual reaveal of the well loved Brazilian brand and this year they're taking us to Japan. As you may know, a large population of Japanese expats actually are in Brazil and they have pretty much incalcated their culture there too. 

If you know what a Zori is, then you're okay but if not, then I'd have to tell you that it's those cute little slippers made of straw worn in Japan for decades. This is one of the things that influenced the brand to make comfy Havaianas and they are paying homage to their origins.

Making your own Havaianas is easy, they even went to arrange pre-designed ones so if you're not in a creative mood, then just point and tell them your size, that easy. 

They have big sizes for men, I think up to size 13 so you wouldn't really have a hard time choosing one. For the ladies, don't worry because I think they even can go to the kids sizes if needed.

The pins are so cute! I wanted them all but it'll look messy so I only had 6. I chose Japan, Ninja, the Ramen Bowl, Geisha and Konnichiwa pins. It was so kawaii!

It was awesome also seeing them make it for you live! They carefully put in the pins and inserted the strap on the rubber slipper. 

And voila! Here's my official Havaianas custom made pair :) I'm a very happy boy! 

They also had us customize the bags where we'll put out Havaianas pairs into. So I stamped away and made bracelets as part of the package. If my hunch is correct you can only have 2 pins free for the MYOH2016 but you can always add more for Php 150 each!

Now I've got my 4th pair! I can't wait to see the one for next year! :) So hurry and rush to major malls and get your own customized pair of Havaianas today up until the 24th of April! 

KUMAGCOW

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Some Freshly Baked Breads from Kumori Japanese Bakery

I don't know if you've seen a Kumori branch near you, but I have been able to in SM North Edsa's The Block at the ground floor. It's a little shack with interiors that are a little woodsy, reminiscent of a log cabin with Japanese flare. It's a Japanese franchise and if you could see, they actually use imported ingredients so they can recreate the freshly baked goodies they're pretty much known for. I had a bite or two of it just to make sure it's fresh, I kinda wanted to be in their quality assurance team and chomp my way through it but that's a long shot I guess. Just note that it really smells so good when I was around their establishment, like freshly baked breads should be. Check out these items we took home from the store!

The Cranberry Yuzu - Sweet compact bread with dried cranberry fruit pieces folded in. You can have this sliced, have a few pieces over tea or coffee. It's filling and healthy, you'll probably get needed fiber requirements for the day and vitamin C :) it's lovely!

Ciabatta - If you're into something filling, this is their Ciabatta bread. I can imagine having this during dinner in lieu of dinner rolls so I can have it toasted lightly, sliced, then dipped into extra virgin olive oil with balsamic vinegar. Or just have it with cold unsalted butter, ahh I'm imagining things. You can make this a canvass and have it in any meal, be adventurous!

This is my personal favorite, the Custard Butter Bun. The bread is super soft and when you bite into it you'll get a cold explosion of the rich egg custard swirled with milky buttercream filling. You'll be closing your eyes while having it because it's so good.

For those who want something savory, Kumori also has this Crabstick Bun. It's your favorite Japanese maki ingredient on top of a soft baked bun plus creamy Japanese mayonnaise and corn. It's a lovely combination and you can have this during tea time or a pinoy merienda. It's JapaNICE, and I'm sure the kids will too. 

For those who want something tangy and sweet, Kumori wants you to experience this Apple and Cheese Danish. It's flaky home made filo dough baked til golden brown then Apple filling plus a small amount of cheese on the bottom. You'll get that sweet, tangy, salty kind of mix in the center and that lovely Apple flavor in the end. It's like having Apple Pie on a hot summer day. I'd love this with ice cream or a sundae, perhaps a bottle of ice cold Coke on the side. Although I'd recommend the tons of drinks that they also have inside the store which are a hit with those who have experienced it. I didn't take one home because it'll melt but you can check out their Facebook page if you want to see it.

Kumori does have really good  breads, and you just have to discover it. Visit their stores now at the Lower Ground Level of SM Makati, the Basement Level of Landmark Makati and the Ground Floor of SM North EDSA's The Block. They've got freshly baked breads, awesome drinks everyday!

For more information about their breads:

Kumori Japanese Bakery

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Visit their official website

http://relish-group.com/kumori/