My sister and I were invited to a Choya cooking session organized by Spoonful. It was an eye opener learning how to infuse Choya into our cooking. Why Choya? Well, apart from its fragrant aroma and taste, Choya also aids in digestion and helps in improving blood circulation which is good for anti-aging. With that, I shall now share with you some recipes which I have picked up during the cooking session.
Choya Umeshu Pound Cake (for 1 loaf)
Ingredients
+ Raisin: 3 tablespoons
+ Umeshu: 3 tablespoons
+ Flour: 150g
+ Baking Powder: 1 teaspoon
+ Sugar: 100g
+ Butter: 100g
+ Eggs : 2
Steps
1. Leave the eggs and the butter under room temperature for awhile.
2. Marinate the raisin for half an hour with the Choya Umeshu.
3. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees
4. Mix the sugar and butter (1/3 at a time), stirring until light and fluffy.
5. Add room temperature eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
6. Pour baking powder and flour. Stir the mixture.
7. Pour mixture into a baking pan and make a hole in the middle (as the middle portions tends to rise faster)
8. Bake the cake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees and bake again for another 20 minutes at 160 degrees.
9. Once it is baked, put Choya Umeshu at the top of the cake.
10. Wrap the cake loaf and leave it overnight in the fridge for the top layer of Choya to be absorbed.
All the ingredients laid out on the table and just before we were about to begin.
Beating the mixture together. The black dots are the raisins which have been soaked in Choya.
The final mixture just before it went into the oven.
What it looks like after it comes out of the oven and after slicing it.
Choya Umeshu Vegtables Pickles (for a 100ml size jar)
Ingredients
+ Vinegar: 100cc
+ Choya Umeshu: 100cc
+ Honey: one tablespoon (I personally feel it should be 3 as the vinegar was too overpowering for me.)
Steps
1. Cut the vegetables as high as the height of the jar that you'll use and place them in a jar.
2. Put the Choya Umeshu and vinegar into the pan and heat it up before it boils.
3. Turn off the fire and add honey.
4. Pour the mixture into a jar and add a bit of white pepper, cardoon and fennel.
Choya Umeshu Seafood Marine (for 2 pax)
Ingredients
+ Choya Umeshu: 1 tablespoon and 3 tablespoons
+ Grape seed oil: 3 tablespoons (no smell, no cholesterol)
+ Seafood mix: 300g
+ Salt: 1 teaspoon
+ Lemon: 1/2 piece for squeezing as juice and the other half as decoration
+ Tomato and Lettuce for decoration
Steps
1) Boil the seafood with salt.
2) Pour in 3 tablespoons of Umeshu and grape seed oil.
3) Once the mixture has been boiled, strain the water and add one tablespoon of Choya Umeshu to enhance the Umeshu flavour.
4) Mix the boiled seafood and the pasta. Leave it in the fridge for awhile.
I hope you'll find these recipes useful :)
If you would like to learn how to make these recipes or other Japanese dishes, do check out Spoonful, a cooking school that organizes cooking workshops such as Japanese cooking classes and Sake & Shochu classes.
website: http://www.spoonful.sg/
facebook: www.facebook.com/spoonful.sg
inquiry: info@alchemist.sg