We just came back from a tour of Japan – the land of the rising sun. I’m still stuck with a feeling of nostalgia and slapped with a rather bad dose of withdrawal symptoms. It was a very tiring trip, yet fulfilling and a good break from all the stressful planning required at work. Well, it’s a family trip after all, and it’s one that went according to our own time and targets. We took it easy most of the time, though admittedly, there were still some mad rushes to ensure we were always on time for the trains and the planes.
I need at least a month to get out of this holiday hangover. I’m already thinking about when we should go back to Kyoto to climb Mount Wakakusayama as well as the hill to reach the Fushini-Inari shrine. Next year, perhaps, when the boy no longer needs us to carry him anymore? Soon. Soon.
But it’s kind of good to be back home too. Just being back on the same bed and having no need to worry about the load of luggages that we drag along with our every footstep. The boy was also starting to crave for his chicken rice, of which he has been deprived for a week. So, it’s now back to the home-cooked food that his mother cooks for him. No more fanciful ramen with amazingly thick broth; no more fragrant Japanese rice with servings of pickled side dishes; no more orange juice to be served at breakfast. Just the usual home-cooked rice with simple soup dishes for dinner.
I’m getting this round of simple home-cooked started with a simple one-pot soup recipe that contains all that a boy needs to grow up well – with tofu, meat and tomatoes to provide him with sufficient Vitamin C, proteins and fibers.
Till then, Japan. We’ll be back.
Ingredients:
- Oil: 1 tbsp
- Garlic: 1 clove, minced
- Pork loin: 150g, thinly sliced
- Water: 6 cups
- Preserved mustard green: 200g, sliced
- Pickled plum: 2
- Tomato: 1, quartered
- Egg tofu: 2 sticks, cut into 1cm thick slices
- Button mushroom: 1 can, halved
Method:
- Heat oil in wok. Stir-fry garlic till fragrant.
- Add in pork slices. Saute for 1 min till almost cooked.
- Add water, mustard greens, plums and tomato.
- Cook till broth boils, then leave to simmer for 30min.
- Add in tofu and mushrooms. Leave to simmer for another 5min.
- Serve hot with rice.
Trick:
- The preserved mustard greens and plums were salty enough, and as such, there is no need to add in any more salt or sauces for the soup.
Serving:
3 persons
