Miso soup of the day: Okinawan-style

If you go and order a miso-soup combo in local restrants in Okinawa (southern islands in Japan), you will be surprised to see how big that miso soup is! Okinawan-style miso soup is filling and nutritious, using lots of ingredients. There are not strict rules – the important thing is to put lots of veggies.

I used bean sprouts, cabbage, carrots, onions, tofu, eggs, garlic and luncheon meat.
You can replace:

• cabbage w/ lettuce (if you use lettuce, add it just before adding miso paste)
• luncheon meat w/ pork or other processed pork like bacon

Here’s how I made it.

1. Drain tofu (momen-type) to make its texchure like shima-dofu (okinawan-tofu) and cut (If you use shima-dofu, skip this process).
2. Cut veggies and luncheon meat, then stir-fry with sesami oil in a pot.
3. Pour water or broth and cook until soft.
4. Add tofu and a spoonful of grated garlic.
5. Add miso paste as you like.
6. Drop an egg/person and boil as you like (like poached egg)
7. Serve in a bowl!

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Eye spy: Shisa ornaments (guardian lions of Okinawa)

In response to The Daily Post’s weekly photo challenge: “Eye Spy“.

These are small Shisa ornaments (guardian lions of Okinawa) decorated at the genkan (entry space where you take off your shoes) of our place. My husband got them a long time ago, when he visited Okinawa on the school trip and has been treasured them since then!

If you go to Okinawa, you can see lots of them on the roofs or at the gates of buildings. It is said that Shisa have the power to expel evil spirits and protect us.

Looking at their sharp eyes, I sometimes feel like that they keep an eye on us to see if we are doing the right thing. They help me clear away bad ideas from the inside and straight myself.

Quick Weekend Branch – Taco Rice

When it’s sunny and warm, I feel like cooking Okinawan dishes.
Taco rice is quite a popular one.  Okinawan people invented it by replacing tortilla with rice.

No doubt it’s best to try it in Okinawa – in that distinctive climate and atmosphere – , but it’s also lots of fun to cook your own taco rice.

Actually it’s quite simple.
Serve cooked rice on a flat dish, taco meat, julienne cut lettuce, shredded cheese and tomatoes – that’s it!

* I make taco meat using what’s in the fridge and spice cabinet instead of buying instant taco seasoning mix. I usually cook chopped onions, ground meat (sometimes with celeries, carrots, mashrooms etc.) in a pan, then season it with ketchup, tonkatsu sauce, salt, black pepper, herbs availabe in my planter and tabasco sauce.