recently i discovered how to make inarizushi pouches while watching cooking with dog. silly me didn't realize that the pouches were made using aburaage (油揚げ) or fried tofu skins and to think i thought it was made using some hard to find japanese ingredient. it was sooo easy to make actually, and tasted really good. i used the shortcut method of using readymade fried tofu skins but i've seen some really adventurous people fried their own tofu so i need to give it a try someday.

last weekend, i had a dessert order for a wedding. i was really happy coz its been almost a month or so since i made anything decent. it was macarons after macarons after macarons, i missed my desserts! my customer requested some of the items she seen on my blog so here's what i did :

gari, or japanese pickled young ginger, is probably one of my favorite condiments of all time. eaten in-between sushi, this acts as a palate cleanser and also has antiseptic properties, said to neutralize and counter the ill effects of bad fish. i've always loved ginger and use the root vegetable extensively in my cooking. previously before i discovered how to make my own gari, i would buy packs of those bright pink ones from the supermarket. it was after i started making my own did i realize the supermarket varieties, even some used in japanese restaurants, were artificially colored.