sakura season

my easy-peasy teiban nabe

Teiban means 'bog-standard', and whilst this Nabe recipe is super easy and simple, it's also incredibly flavoursome and extremely versatile. If you have a Nabe pot and portable gas stove then snuggle up warm and share a glass of umeshu whilst enjoying the changing flavours as the dashi (stock) deepens whilst it boils, otherwise a big saucepan should work fine. Satoshi and I have Nabe every Friday and always look forward to spending time together digging in to all the seasonal veggies - there's something lovely and nourishing about the hot soup that just rinses away all the stresses of the week.

For the stock, you will need:
♥ 3 tablespoons soy sauce
♥ 2 tablespoons mirin
♥ 2 tablespoons sake
♥ 1 tablespoon hondashi

Whack everything in the nabe pot and pour water up to about 1 inch below the rim. 

Bring to the boil and add in any veggies and meat of your choice and voila! My veggie recommendations are cabbage, shiitake mushrooms and naga-negi, and make sure you get a nice range of colours in there to make it extra pretty! For protein, I love kaki (oysters), salmon and prawns, or if you prefer meat, chicken (especially yummy chewy cuts like seseri neck meat) and sausages are a good bet. You can also chuck in any leftover tofu you have!

When the mixture looks about ready (usually around 5-10 minutes or until the meat is cooked), use cooking chopsticks and a big ladle spoon to help yourself to portions from the big nabe pot and have a good natter as it boils away on the portable stove. You can leave it boiling until you've eaten all the veggies and meat! (if using a saucepan, then I would say boil for a good 20 minutes then ladle into serving bowls). 

The leftover dashi (stock) is the star of the show, don't let it go to waste! By the time the nabe is finished, it's soaked up all the delicious veggie and meaty juices and is just the most delicious thing ever even just to slurp by itself ohmygod. But what Satoshi and I always do is to make zousui, which is basically a super-freaking-delicious rice soup. All you need to do is bring the leftover stock up to a boil, add in one serving of rice and boil for about 2-3 minutes, until the mixture has kind of consolidated itself into a thick paste. Turn off the heat and softly stir in two beaten eggs, sprinkle salt and nori seaweed on top and enjoy! Trust me it's the actual bomb. #teamzousuiforlife

The very best part about nabe is laughing and eating together with your loved ones, so pull up a chair, get cozy and enjoy:)

moke's pancakes, nakameguro

Just as I thought the pancake trend was dwindling out, Satoshi and I stumbled across this decadent little joint in Nakameguro, and life has never been the same since. Moke's isn't much from the outside - your regular Hawaiin-style cafe, albeit with the slightly discouraging use of that early 2000's ultra-cheap logo font you tend to spot at those English fry-up type places down the back streets of your local ghetto...but hey, whatever. I was hungry for junk and this place delivered an indulgent hit of sweetness so good that I've since become a regular.

The menu hosts a range of sweet and savoury treats, from loco-moco to acai bowls to eggs benedict, but everybody knows the star of the show is the humungous pancakes smothered in Moke's own recipe lilikoi (passionfruit) sauce. You can, of course, go for the bog-standard pancakes with maple syrup (above), but my logic is if you're going to clog your arteries with sugar anyway, why not go all out. 

My favourite is the banana pancakes with lilikoi (above) - a deliciously zingy mix of tangy passionfruit and creamy banana. The sauce is sweet, but refreshing, and although it's a little too over-generously dolloped on, its the kind of tantalising and unstoppable taste experience that makes you want to lick the plate clean. Of course, I always leave feeling like the size of a bus, but that combination of fluffy pancake and thick creamy drizzle just keeps me coming back for more.

The cafe is always packed with girls, and at peak times there's often a queue. I'd recommend coming on an empty stomach, or splitting the pancakes between two, (although I guarantee you'll end up wishing you ordered more...).

Moke's is located at 1-17-8 Kamimeguro, just a short walk from Nakameguro station (come out the main ticket gate and turn left). It's open daily from 10am-10pm.