Morning, everybody!
It’s a new day and new week.
I hope you had a lovely weekend.
Today we are going to share the Izakaya plate which is hugely popular and high demand in Japan.
Long long times ago, just after my graduation of the university, I used to work at the office as a market planner, which was so hard work. I worked at the office until late time and after the stressful works, I went downtown with my colleagues and sipped Sake and picked some nibbles together. That was absolutely fun and my favourite time in my life.
In Japan, there are so many Izakaya restaurants like pub/free house of Britain, and it is not exaggerated to say but truly every town has an local Izakaya.
Izakaya food is so cheap and each dishes are small portion, so we can order many of different dishes for sharing with our accompanies. That’s great way for making fun and intimate atmosphere with the fellows.
So now we moved to Singapore and we are astonished to see so many Japanese style Izakaya in Singapore!
We haven’t tried any Izakaya restaurant in Singapore yet as other Asian food like Peranakan, Malaysian, Indonesian and Chinese food are too delicious and new to me. Can’t stop my intriguing to them!
However Izakaya food is one of my soul food, so the other day we made some Izakaya food that is added with our western twists.
The name of the platter is so long, sorry…
Fried Garlicky Gizzard, Tofu Salad with Mango & Fried Anchovie & Sansho & XO Sauce, Fried Bee Hoon (rice vermichelli) with Nuts & Wasabi Pea, Steamed Sweet Corn with Okura (lady’s finger) & Nagaimo (yam) & Coconut Sauce
The first player is Fried Garlicky Gizzard (Sunagimo 砂肝) with Shichimi
Gizzard is very staple for not only Izakaya food also Yakitori (grilled skewered chicken) and so versatile for any Japanese casual cuisines.
This dish was huge hit for my family and everybody asked me to make that again soon. This is delightfully so easy and quick but so tasty, so we are going to make this recipe and share with you soon after our settling in.
And the second one is Tofu Salad with Mango & Fried Anchovie & Sansho & XO Sauce
I used to use XO sauce in Japan, however I suppose XO sauce of Japan is arranged or invented to Japanese-like taste. I meant that the authentic Hong Kong’s one is completely different from Japanese one. That is more prawn-y, salty, hot and super tasty.
This is Sansho powder, japanese pepper, which is very ordinal brand. I have my own favourite Sansho brand, however at this moment in Singapore, this is my best.
Next is Fried Bee Hoon (rice vermichelli) with Nuts & Wasabi Pea
We loved this dish so much too.
Last dish is Steamed Sweet Corn with Okura (lady’s finger) & Nagaimo (yam) & Coconut Sauce
I always get the freshest vegetables from the wet market of Tiong Bahru, so to be honest, the sweet corn is extremely fresh and we don’t need to cook. Just biting raw is the best way to cherish all of fresh harvest but it is under these virus condition, so I briefly boiled that for just in case.
This is perfect for vegan menu but you can alternate fried crispy bacon for Yamaimo.
Ok, that’s all for today!
Thank you for reading our blog such patiently.
I’ve heard about some saviour storms in Cornwall, I’m so sorry to hear that and really hope nobody is troubled and stay warm and dry.
Please remember that a hard storm will bring the spring to you soon.
Wishing your peaceful days.
Naoko xx
