Everyone who knows me knows how important sleep is to me. Sleep is something I love, from needing eight hours of sleep to sneaking naps when I have the chance. Thus when I came across this lifestyle brand in Bali called Sleeping Culture, they have all sorts of home decor from eco bedding to loungewear. As the brand is from Bali, it straight away gave a Bali vibe to each and every item they created.
I love the tone they used in their textile, the ashy undertone makes it so pleasant to look at. And each of them gave a calm and comfy vibe that makes me want to sleep on them right now. Not that they have a whole range of bedding textiles, but they also have some pottery that I didn’t want to miss it too. Now I am tempted to get them online or during my trip to Bali.
Ochazuke (お茶漬け) – usually served in one bowl, it consists of steamed rice with savoury ingredients, partially infused with green tea. Ocha means green tea, and zuke means “submerged”. It is more commonly eaten as a quick meal or as a filling snack at the end of a meal in Japan rather than as proper mealtime food.
Ochazuke is the kind of comfort food that we crave because it is soothing to eat and easy on the stomach. My midnight hunger pangs would always be satisfied with this rice dish after a long day. We immediately felt comfortable when we tasted the warm tea and rice and it instantly soothed our busy day. There is no easier way to make a meal than this!
Choose the Tea
To make Ochazuke, you can use various types of green tea, such as Genmaicha, Sencha, Hojicha, etc. Usually, dashi broth is used instead of green tea when you order Ochazuke in Japanese restaurants. Most of the green tea tastes wonderful with this dish, thus you could grab anyone that you could find. We use one that has roasted rice in it which adds a malt taste to the dish that we like about it.
For best flavour, bring spring or freshly drawn filtered water to 85 C into a pot with 2 tbsp of tea leaves. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can achieve the temperature by letting boiling water cool for about 2 minutes. Steep it for 3 minutes before enjoying them, and do only prepare the tea last as we want to serve it hot.
Choose your Topping
In order to make a dish more flavourful, toppings play an important role. Thanks to the versatility of the Ochazuke recipe, you can add any toppings you like. The following are some good options you can use in your kitchen:
Saba / Salmon – is a very popular ingredient used in Ochazuke, not only it is easy to cook, but it also adds a wonderful touch of fanciness to Ochazuke. We got our salmon at Isetan where it is well prepared and seasoned with miso. All we need is to cook them in the oven for 17 minutes at 170 C. You can place it as a piece or break it into smaller flakes and mix it in the rice.
Umeboshi – these plums are commonly used in Japanese cuisine, they taste salty and sour which will make your dish more appetite. Not to mention umeboshi is one of the popular toppings to be used in this dish. As it was said that the effects of citric acid (クエン酸) on plums are said to be good for restoring energy, preventing heat stroke, and keeping obesity at bay. It’s quite hard to find them in the local supermarket thus we always head over to Mediya Supermarket or Don Don Donki for them. Look for one that is seedless as it is easier to enjoy later.
Eggs – who doesn’t like eggs? I’m sure we all have eggs in our pantry thus this is a great option we have nothing at home. We like to pan fry them thinly and slice them into thin stripes before topping over the rice. Seasoning it with salt is the key in making the eggs.
While the topping is all we need additional seasoning and sprinkle help to complete the dish. Below are some of the options we like to use:
Nori – is dried seaweed that you can sprinkle over the rice before pouring it into the tea. It is a typical rice seasoning in Japan.
Chirimen Sake – boiled and completely dried salmon. We found this at Isetan Supermarket and were told that they are rich in calcium and taste good with rice and soup.
Instant Flavouring Pack – these were commonly found in Japan where they like to add this special powder to their rice. They have assorted flavours from plum and salmon to nori. It will instantly enhance the flavour of the rice right away.
There are many other toppings you can use for this dish, and the options are unlimited. All you need are rice, topping and green tea, the combination will make you your comfort food.
Suggested Combination of Ochazuke
As mentioned there are unlimited combinations of Ochazuke, thus you can create whatever ways you like to your preferences. However, below are examples of how we do it:
We hope you enjoy making and eating this quick and easy Japanese Ochazuke! Take a photo of your version, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
We are not professional cooks/chefs; we are two foodies who enjoy trying out recipes at home based on what we have eaten, seen, and are inspired by the world. When we are out of ideas on what to cook we read books and head over to the internet for inspiration. However, when it comes to Asian food, there are always fewer options. As our grandmothers passed away and our mother grew older, we attempted to recreate as many of their recipes as we could. Nonetheless, we like to learn more and share our experiences along the way. Thus in the past year, we are glad that there is this Chinese platform called Little Red Book, which is similar to a combination of Pinterest and Youtube, where you could find many kinds of Asian inspiration there. We get to interact with and learn from great creators. Watching short vlogs of bloggers who share their lifestyles is one of our favourite series.
The expert home cook’s kitchen is one of the aesthetics we admired; they all have a variety of jars on their shelves. That was common in Chinese and Japanese households, and both food cultures have had a strong influence on us. These jars, hold preserved food, homemade infused liquors, and more. This allows them to keep their food for longer, particularly seasonal ingredients. We decide to try these Mandarin Orange Infused Liquors because we have plenty left over from our Chinese New Year in early February.
Getting the Right Ingredients
There are only 3 basic ingredients to make homemade fruit-based liquors, you will need your choice of fruits (this time we use mandarin orange), rock sugar and white or yellow alcohol with a high percentage level.
If you have once tasted the skin of an orange, you will know that it tasted bitter yet we don’t want bitterness to destroy the wine. However, the skin is the key to this homemade wine, as it is so fragrant compared to the flesh. Thus in order to reduce the bitterness, during the cleaning of oranges use plenty of salt to scrub the skin of the orange. 1) It will help to reduce the bitterness of the orange. 2) The salt act as a scrub to the orange to remove the dirt on it. Once you clean it well, let the orange dry as much as you can, before cutting them into wedges.
Sugar: Rock Sugar
Sugar plays an important role in homemade wine, when a mixture of sugar and wine is added to a jar, sugar can be used to encourage secondary fermentation of the liquors. Talking example in making red wine, the riper the grape, the more sugar in the fruit there is to convert to alcohol. Thus, winemakers sometimes add cane or beet sugar before fermentation is complete to boost alcohol levels when grapes are not as ripe as they would like. As sugar content in the dosage will determine the sweetness of the final product, thus for those who don’t like it to be too sweet can reduce the amount by 20%.
Some of the makers use white sugar, however, we prefer the sweet taste of rock sugar which taste more natural and sometimes like honey. Read more to find out how to choose the correct rock sugar.
Liquors: Shuang Jin Chiew (Asian Version of Volka)
Choosing your infusion is the first and most obvious step. The most common liquors, such as vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey, and gin, make great choices. Liquors that are more complex, like mezcal, are harder to work with.
We use Shuang Jin Chiew which is 100% fermented from rice, the Asian version of Volka. It features crystal texture, distinctive flavour of rice, rich taste as well as a long-lasting aroma. It’s essentially a blank canvas that can take on any flavour combination. Tequila and rum are easy to try, too, if you’re not a fan of Shuang Jin Chiew/ vodka.
Now that you have all your 3 ingredients well prepared, add the orange and rock sugar to the jar, then fill the jar with your liquor of choice. Seal the jar with an airtight lid and store in a dark, cool place until it’s ready to strain.
How long should you infuse the liquors?
Alcohol with orange infusion can be infused for up to a week. It will taste better the longer it is infused! If you’re not sure, open the jar after 24-48 hours and smell it. Typically, if the infusion smells very good, it’s good to go. Then let it infuse for another day or two and check again. A general rule of thumb is 3-5 days for most infusions. Don’t worry – even if you use fresh fruit, nothing will go bad. Because alcohol prevents mould from growing on the fruit, it can be stored for a long time even after straining.
The white liquors turn orange after the long process of infusing. You could enjoy them on the rock like our father did or make them into tasty cocktails for your summer party. The possibilities are endless – share with us your version! Take a photo of yours, send us an email, tag us on Instagram, tweet us, anything. We love to see yours!
A Beginner’s Guide to make Infused Liquors at Home
Ingredients
5 mandarin, washed and sliced
200g of rock sugar
600ml of Shuang Jin Chiew/ Vodka
Methods
Wash and slice orange. Add to a clean glass jar with rock sugar top with vodka and seal with an airtight lid.
Store in a cool, dark place for at least 3 days, but up to a week. Strain into a measuring cup or glass bowl through a fine mesh sieve and discard the orange. You may need to strain a few times or use a cheesecloth to remove all sediment. Seal in a clean jar and store in the pantry.
We visited a hidden textile studio days ago and really impressed with the place. During our conversation with the artist/ owner regarding where her idea came from, she explain that when she is doing renovation for her shop she find that the painting of walls is really harmful both to the earth and herself, thus she decided to use clay/mud on her wall, it is non-toxic and good for her and the earth. Using mud/clay on the wall transforms the place into an entirely different place with the accompany of some wood. It feels really down-to-earth and peaceful during our place there.
As mentioned, a new wall finish can transform your home. Finishes protect walls from the elements and from daily wear, and they play an important role in regulating indoor temperature and humidity. Natural finishes, which undergo minimal processing and are generally nontoxic, can be made from clay, lime, chalk, casein, rock dust, earth pigments, and natural plant extracts such as oils and waxes. These naturally beautiful materials bathe walls in color and texture while balancing relative humidity, creating a more comfortable indoor environment.
The West Coast doesn’t have that many buzzy cafes, although some have sprouted up around One North and Holland Village. Wonderfully, there is now one tucked away in the leafy suburbs of Faber Drive.
If you’re familiar with Gelato Labo at Jalan Besar, they need to open another outlet next door to GLASS Roasters. Gelato Labo and GLASS Roasters have teamed up to offer a menu that is different from their Cavan Road outlet. It would probably be along the same line of coffee with gelato as a coffee affogato.
It is hard to overlook the fact that this minimalist interior style has caught on in many other cities, from Tokyo to Melbourne, with its sparkling clean white tiles and unfurnished concrete ceiling.
On a weekday, Glass Roasters often feels quite serene because of its relatively out-of-the-way location while offering limited seating. I think that’s part of what made it feel like an overseas cafe.
We were recommended Taro Latte ($7.5) by the chef, and love how fragrant the taro tastes in the coffee and they complement well with each other. On the other hand, Angela ordered a Chia Latte ($5) and we are really with it as it tastes just what we like. The mixture of aromatic herbs and spices is the perfect ratio. They strive to work with smaller farmers to source coffee from, and they are currently using Colombian beans, though that can and will change from time to time.
As the place is small, they don’t serve much food there, all they have is Banana Bread ($4.5). While it looks simple but is good!
Regular customers walking in with a quick chat makes the entire atmosphere feel a bit cosier. I enjoyed that it wasn’t overcrowded, which made for a wonderful time to spend a morning.
Beyond that, we genuinely do love the aesthetics of the place.
For those of us in the East craving a caffeine fix, fret not as you can also find Glass Roasters and Gelato Labo at 18 Mohamed Sultan Rd.
Glass Roaster Address: 108 Faber Drive Operating Hours: 9 am – 6 pm (Closed on Tuesday)
