Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe Ten-don (Tempura on Rice)

This month`s Easy to Cook Japanese Recipe is Ten-don (Tempura on Rice)

This is a great version of the other popular don-dishes like Gyu-don and Oyako-don

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 6 tempura king prawns or tempura of your choice

Sauce
• 2/3 cup dashi
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tsp caster sugar

• 2 bowls of warmed cooked rice

Method

1. Prepare tempura. See Recipe How to Make Japanese Tempura
2. Combine all the ingredients for sauce in a saucepan and bring to the boil over a high heat.
3. Turn down heat to a simmer and gently simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Place the warm rice in each bowl, and top with tempura followed by the sauce.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Picture of the Week Kinkakuji, Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto is one of the must see cities in Japan. It offers the full traditional Japanese cultural experience. Kyoto is renowned for its abundance of delicious Japanese food & cuisine and historical importance.

The highlights of Kyoto include Kiyomizu-dera, a magnificent wooden temple, Kinkaku-ji, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Ginkaku-ji, the Temple of the Silver Pavilion, Heian Jingu, Nijo-jo, castle of the first Tokugawa shogun, and Gion, famous entertainment and geisha district.

This picture is of Kinkaku-ji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) it is one of Japan`s best known sights.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

This is my submission to the July 2011 J-Festa Places In Japan

Girls Generation in Japan

The Korean pop group Girls Generation came to Tokyo last week to give their first Japan concert. Thousands of fans attended their performances and they got a lot of media coverage in Japan.

Girls Generation is a nine-member Korean girl group formed in 2007. The group has released two full albums and various singles. The group began a foray into the Japanese music scene in late 2010 and has achieved considerable success. Their Japanese debut single “Genie” peaked at the #5 spot on the Oricon Charts and later rose to the #2 position.

Japanese Rice

Rice is the staple food for the Japanese. Japanese rice is of the Japonica type, which is a white, short, wide grain rice with a starchy texture when cooked. Japanese rice when prepared properly tends to be slightly sticky with the grains clumping together, but it should never be mushy.

How to Prepare Japanese Rice

Ingredients

• 4 cups short grain rice
• 4 cups water
• extra water

Method

1. Place 4 cups of the rice into a bowl that holds twice the volume of rice.
2. Pour water into the bowl until it just covers the rice. Holding the bowl carefully with one hand, stir the rice briskly for 10-15 seconds with the other hand.
3. Carefully tip the milky water out, covering rice with one hand.
4. Repeat for a second and third time until the water runs clear.
5. Drain rice in a fine mesh sieve and leave for 30 minutes if you have time.
6. Place the rice and 4 cups of water into a saucepan.
7. Bring to the boil with the lid on and then simmer for 14 minutes.
8. Remove the saucepan from the heat and leave to rest with lid on for 5-10 minutes.
9. Before serving, gently turn the rice over with a moistened rice paddle to allow excess moisture to escape as steam.

Note: When you have left over rice, keep it in the freezer, wrapped with plastic wrap or in an airtight container.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Twilight Jazz at Cruden Farm

Twilight Jazz at Dame Elisabeth Murdoch`s Cruden Farm is back again for 2011. The event is on Saturday 5th February 2011 from 4-8pm.

Tickets are $15 for pre-booked, or $20 on the day at the gate. Children under 12 are FREE

Bring your picnic basket, rug, table and chairs and sit back and enjoy the ambience and surrounds of the beautiful garden. You can enter Cruden Farm via Cranbourne Road, Langwarrin (Mel Ref: 103 G6).

Japanese Fashion Trends for Winter 2010/2011

What are the Japanese Fashion Trends for Winter 2010/2011?

Girly fashion is still very popular this Winter with brands like Alba Rosa and items like mouton coat, fur coat, and lace one-piece. Animal prints are a must have along with the colour of the season camel. Japanese girls love to mix foreign brands with Japanese brands to create their own look and style. Japanese brands that exemplify the cute look are Dazzlin, Mercury Duo and Cecil McBee.

Mouton Coat

Lace One-Piece

The Grunge Rock style is also very popular now with items like chunky sweaters, combat boots, leather jackets, and ripped leggings a huge trend this Winter. Leather is key and it comes in everything from black shifts to cropped leather jackets. Boots remain the statement shoe of the season with various styles dominating the runways and footpaths. The best stores for these clothes are Topshop, Sly and Moussy.

Japanese Fashion

Picture of the Week Children`s Peace Monument, Hiroshima, Japan

The Children`s Peace Monument is a statue dedicated to the memory of the children who died as a result of the atomic bomb. The statue is based on the true story of Sadako Sasaki, a young girl who died from radiation from the bomb. She believed that if she folded 1,000 paper cranes she would be cured. Still to this day, children from around the world fold cranes and send them to Hiroshima where they are placed near the statue.

This picture is of the area near the statue where the folden cranes are collected and is dedicated to peace.

How to become an English Conversation Teacher

Japanese Meals

A typical Japanese meal consists of rice, soup, a main dish and two or more side dishes. The dishes are served in individual small bowls or on plates and eaten with chopsticks. Soup is served together with all the other dishes rather than as a starter as in Western-style dining. Desserts are sometimes served, but usually just consist of some fruit, which is eaten after the meal. Green Tea is usually drunk throughout the meal, but beer and sake are also enjoyed together with the meal.


The Traditional Japanese Meal or Banquet

Japanese Cooking

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Best Beaches on the Mornington Peninsula

The Mornington Peninsula has some of the best beaches in Australia with an array of different beaches, with something for everybody. The beaches range from the thundering surf of the Southern Peninsula to the calm sandy beaches of Port Phillip Bay to the tranquillity of Western Port. Whether it`s swimming, surfing or just a nice stroll along the beach you are after, the Peninsula is the perfect spot to suit your tastes.

Here is a look at the best beaches the Mornington Peninsula has to offer

Bay Beach

Frankston Beach offers stretches of clear shallow water and soft sand, great for young and old. It is a perfect spot for family picnics, or a lazy day of lounging in the sun. Frankston has a 200m pier and waterfront boardwalk and is also located close to the Frankston CBD with plenty of food options, from take-away to restaurants.

Rye Beach also offers stretches of clear shallow water and soft sand, great for young children with sand banks and beautiful warm water. There are lots of gems hidden behind the tea trees and a little walk from your car park will lead you to a wonderful discovery.





Surf Beach

Gunnamatta Surf Beach and Portsea Surf Beach are two of the best surf beaches in Victoria. Located at opposite ends of the Mornington Peninsula National Park these spectacular beaches are renowned for their huge waves. Waves of 2m plus are not uncommon, making these beach breaks a must for experienced surfers. Both beaches are patrolled every day in the holiday period and at weekends up until Easter. Conditions can be hazardous for swimmers and swimming between the flags is a must. The best conditions for swimming are usually at low tide and on days with the Northerly wind blowing.

All Round Beach

Sorrento Ocean Beach also known as Sorrento Back Beach offers something for everybody. It`s famous rock pool makes for ideal swimming for kids of all ages, while surfing and swimming are also possible at the patrolled beach. It is a safer beach than Portsea and Gunnamatta, but can still be treacherous with best swimming conditions at low tide. There is a great walk up to the nearby Coppins Lookout, which offers majestic views of the ocean from Pt Nepean to Cape Schanck.

Swimming Beach

Pt Leo Surf Beach is an ideal middle beach for swimmers. It doesn`t have the rips and huge waves of Portsea and Gunnamatta, or the tame gentle waters of Port Phillip. Located in Western Port and facing Bass Strait this beach still attracts waves and is ideal for bodysurfers and less experienced surfers, while also still being patrolled for swimmers.



Walking Beaches

There are some great walking beaches and walks on the Mornington Peninsula. London Bridge in Portsea provides amazing rock formations and plenty of rockpools for the kids to explore, and its only a 20 minute walk back along the beach to Portsea Surf Beach. Koonya Ocean Beach in Blairgowrie is another spectacular beach to walk along, but is not for swimming as it is one of the most dangerous beaches of the peninsula. At one end of the beach a track leads to Spray Point where huge waves regularly crash against the rocks below.

Frankston Waterfront Festival

Japanese Cooking at Home by Hideo Dekura

Japanese Cooking at Home by Hideo Dekura makes creating Japanese food easy. Japanese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest diets in the world. This book has step by step instructions and clear recipes for creating authentic Japanese food at home. Choose from modern or traditional Japanese recipes with each meal stunning to look at, nutritious and very tasty. It features traditional Japanese dishes including tempura, teriyaki beef, sushi, sashimi, miso soup and daikon salad.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Japanese Cooking at Home

Picture of the Week Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park (広島平和記念公園 ) is a memorial park in the center of Hiroshima, Japan. The park is dedicated to the legacy of Hiroshima as the first city in the world to suffer a nuclear attack and to the memories of the bomb`s victims.

This picture is of the Memorial Cenotaph, which is near the center of the park. It is a concrete, saddle shaped monument that covers a cenotaph holding the names of all the people killed by the bomb. The arch shape represents a shelter for the souls of the victims. If you look carefully through the monument you can see the Atomic Bomb Dome in the background.

Hiroshima Castle

Atomic Bomb Dome

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

Cooking Japanese Food

Japanese Food and diet is one of the healthiest in the world. The Japanese Cooking technique is to preserve and enhance the natural flavour of ingredients. Their respect for using ingredients in season means produce is fresh and full of flavour.

Most large supermarkets will have either an Asian section or International section where you can buy specialty Japanese items.

Read about the Essential Japanese Pantry Ingredients here

Asian Supermarkets are also great because they stock a large range of authentic ingredients that can be hard to find.

Some of my favourite Easy to Cook Japanese Food at home is

Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork Cutlet)

Gyudon (Beef Bowl)

Tempura

Yakitori Chicken

Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)

Miso Soup

Nikujyaga (Meat & Potatoes)

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Centenary Park Golf Course Twilight Special

The Centenary Park Golf Course Summer Golf Twilight Special is on again. Play as much golf as you can after 2:00pm for only $15, Monday to Friday.

Centenary Park Golf Course is located at McClelland Drive, Frankston (Melway Ref: 100 F10)

For more Details http://www.centenarypark.com.au/ or 9789 1480

Centenary Park Golf Course Information

Frankston Waterfront Festival

The Frankston Waterfront Festival is on again from 15-16 January 2011.
Frankston`s annual summer festival by the sea is not to be missed. With an eclectic mix of music and entertainment, food and wine, plus plenty of stalls, activities and free tastings and displays this is a wonderful festival for the whole family to enjoy.

Frankston Waterfront Festival (Melway Ref: 100A A9)

The Cheapest Shipping Personal Items To or From Japan

What is the cheapest way to send your personal items to or from Japan. You have two options available to you. You can either ship the items home or send them via air.

It really depends on three things:

How much stuff you have to send?

How long you want to wait to receive them ?

How much you want to spend?

Shipping is cheaper as price is determined by volume or size, but does take longer to reach your destination. Air is very quick but the price is determined by the weight and it can be quite expensive for a larger consignment.

If it is just a few boxes you wish to send then a courier service like TNT or FedEx would be the quickest and least expensive option. If it is more than a few boxes and quite heavy then the best option would be via a groupage/consolidated shipment. This is the least expensive option as you actually share a container rather than use your own for the shipment and therefore only pay for the space you take up in the shared container.

Unfortunately groupage/consolidated shipments are not always available and the only alternative is an LCL (Less than Container Load) shipment. These are more expensive as your consignment needs to be crated up and sent via a shared container. If you have a full household to send then you will most likely need your own Sole Use Container. Generally the contents of a 3 bedroom home will fit into a 20` Container. This is the most expensive option but you have piece of mind as you are not sharing a container and you can determine the arrival date that best suits you.

How To Import a Car from Japan and Save $$$!

Japanese Junior High School

The Japanese school year is from April to March with three main breaks during the school year. Summer Vacation is approx 5-6 weeks long in late July and August. Winter Vacation is 2 weeks long in late December and early January and Spring Vacation is 1 week long in late March. Classes are usually either 45 minutes long or 50 minutes long depending on which schedule the school uses for the day. There are usually 5-6 classes a day at school.

Classes typically start after morning homeroom at around 8:30 am and the last class is usually around 3:30 or 4 pm. A lot of kids have club activities and these will take place before school early in the morning from 6:30 am - 7:30 am and after school from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm.

There used to be school on Saturdays when I first started teaching 10 years ago but this stopped several years ago. The students are sometimes required to attend school on a Saturday for an Open Day, Lesson Observation Day or Sports Day, but this is rare and only about 3 times a year.

Most students at my school either walk to school or ride their bicycle. The interesting things about middle school in Japan for me is they have a prepared school lunch and they eat lunch in their home room with the home room teacher. They are not allowed to bring food to school like students in Australia. They also have 20 minutes of Cleaning time a day where all the students and teachers clean the whole school together.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

Picture of the Week Hiroshima Castle, Japan

Hiroshima Castle (広島城 Hiroshima-jō), also sometimes called Carp Castle is a castle in Hiroshima, Japan and was home to the daimyo (feudal lord) of the Hiroshima han. The castle was originally constructed in the 1589, but was destroyed in the atomic bombing of 1945. The present castle is a replica of the original and was rebuilt in 1958.

Entry costs ￥300 and it is open from 9 am to 4:30 pm October to March and until 5:30 pm April to September.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently

2011 Victorian PGA Golf Championship at Sandhurst Golf Club

The 2011 Victorian PGA Golf Championship in being held in Frankston City at the Sandhurst Golf Club. The event will be held from 10-16 January 2011 at 600 Thompsons Road, Sandhurst (Melway Ref: 128 C8).

The Sandhurst Club will be the place to see some of Australia`s best and upcoming golfers. Alistair Presnell will return to defend his title along with golfing legend Peter Senior fresh from his Australian PGA win. Others to participate include Peter O`Malley, Stephen Leaney, Peter Fowler, Aaron Townsend and Andre Stolz.

The Official Tournament Pro-Am is on 14 January
Championship 1st Round Saturday 15 January
Championship Final Round Sunday 16 January

Tickets for Public Access are available at the gate for $5 with children under 16 free.
Free parking available at Sandhurst Club.

The Ultimate Guide To Golf.

Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork Cutlet)

This month`s Easy Japanese Cooking Recipe is Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Pork Cutlet)

The idea for this recipe originated in the West, but has become a famous Japanese dish like Tempura. Tonkatsu is one of the most popular meat dishes in Japan. It is a popular “set” meal at Japanese restaurants and usually consists of a deep fried breaded pork cutlet on a bed of cabbage, a bowl of steamed rice, a bowl of soup and a side dish of pickles and costs ￥800 - ￥1200 (AUD $8-$12).

Here is the Recipe for 4 servings

Ingredients
• 4 slices of pork tenderloin
• salt
• black pepper
• flour
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups of fresh or dried breadcrumbs (panko)
• oil for deep frying
• shredded cabbage
• tonkatsu sauce

To make your own Tonkatsu sauce use a combination of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, dark soy sauce and mustard.

Method

1. Score the fat rimming one side of the loin cutlet to keep the meat from curling when deep fried.
2. Salt lightly and grind fresh pepper over both sides of the cutlet.
3. Coat the cutlet lightly in flour.
4. Dip into the beaten egg and then press into breadcrumbs.
5. To deep fry, bring the oil to about 175 C or 350 F. Lay 1 or 2 cutlets in the hot oil.
6. Deep fry until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes, turning cutlets in the oil once or twice.
7. Briefly drain the cutlets on absorbent paper and cut crosswise at 2cm intervals into bite-sized slices.
8. To serve, arrange the cutlet slices on half-plateful of shredded cabbage and serve with tonkatsu sauce as either a dip or poured over the cutlets and cabbage.

Easy To Follow Steps To Create Over 108 Top Japanese Recipes!

Robot English Teachers in Korea

Almost 30 robots have started teaching English to youngsters in the South Korean city of Daegu. Engkey, an egg shaped robot developed by the Korean Institute of Science of Technology, is taking classes at 21 Elementary Schools in the area. The 29 robots, each about a meter high with a TV display panel for a face, wheel around the classroom while speaking to students and reading books to them. The robots are controlled remotely by teachers of English in the Philippines.

How to become an English Conversation Teacher

What Does Teaching English in Japan Involve?