Let’s start the weekend by cooking a handful of Fun Easy Asian Recipes! Here you will discover new desserts, drinks, and healthy meals to enjoy for any occasion.
Growing up Japanese and living in California, I have learned to incorporate my family’s traditions throughout everyday life. To get a taste of my childhood up to now, here are simple yet delicious recipes for you.
Sharing recipes from different cultures is always a gift. Today, I’m honored to be contributing mouth-watering desserts, easy meals, and simple snacks that will cure your cravings.
In the meantime, between now and Summer, it’s time to get cooking in the kitchen to perfect these recipes. Why? So you can make these for your friends and family during seasonal festivities!
Trust me, and you can never go wrong with a new recipe, especially one of these fun, easy Asian recipes. So, without further adieu, take a look into my life and see what dishes I love most from the blog.
Saturday Chitchat with Janine – Volume 55
Happy Saturday,
I hope you are enjoying the three-day weekend, as am I, and are planning on doing something fun! To start the day off on a good note, my daughter and I walk to our local farmers market to get fresh produce.
It’s been a routine that the family gets double the exercise on the weekends because the weather is so lovely, we can’t pass it up.
We walk in the morning and then end the day with a sunset hike in the hills. What is your go-to exercise like? Getting outside is so important not only to stay in shape but to begin a routine in health, diet, and stress-free living.Â
Speaking of diet, these fun, easy Asian recipes will be your best friend. I have recipes that work as snacks, desserts, treats, and whole meals. So feel free to try something and become inspired to cook in the kitchen this weekend.
A Personal Note from Janine
Growing up in a family of four older brothers, I was my mom’s little helper. So, I began baking and cooking with my mom early. My mom was similar to Martha Stewart. She celebrated the domestic lifestyle.
She handed down to me her love for baking, gardening, sewing, and much more. And over the years, she placed all her recipes in many notebooks. Then, she categorized them into things like bread, cookies, casseroles, etc.
When she began to have health issues, she moved in with my brother Mark and the family packed up all her belongings and sold her house. And in that process, her ten-plus cookbooks got lost.
These handwritten recipe books were her pride and joy.
I keep thinking they’ll pop up one of these days in one of our houses, but so far, no luck. My brothers and I have patched together a few of her favorite recipes, but it doesn’t compare to her massive recipe collection.
Well, I’ll keep the faith and hope that they’ll show up, but in the meantime, I’ll create my recipes.
Thanks for hanging out with me today, and I hope you have a fabulous holiday weekend!
Cheers,
This Week’s Inspiration – Fun Easy Asian Recipes
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Fun Easy Asian Recipes
Table Decorations with Candles and Flowers
Even though this post is all about fun, easy Asian recipes, I thought I would include one of my newest spring table settings that incorporates gorgeous flowers and beautiful candles, including the fragrance of a Japanese Cherry Blossom.
This simple tablescape includes the lovely Yankee Candle Sakura Blossom Festival Collection and a bouquet of beautiful flowers. The combination of flowers and candles is perfect for welcoming spring into a home.
My mother would’ve loved this Mochi Donut Recipe if she was still around. Our family loved anything to do with mochi! So, it made sense that I share this wonderful Japanese-inspired dessert with you.
The ingredients contain flour and a few others like sweet rice, tapioca flour, potato starch, and xanthan gum.
But rest assured, it is an easy recipe, and these donuts are so tasty.
If you like ice cream, then you’ll love this fabulous Mochi Ice Cream Recipe!
Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from short-grained rice. The mochi dough has sugar that usually has a sweet bean middle.
Today, I’m sharing a version of ice cream in the mochi center!
Fluffy Japanese Pancake Recipe
Have you had a Fluffy Japanese Pancake? Whoa, it is so delicious, and we are obsessed.
I don’t want to over-sell it, but that is a difficult task since it is one of my favorite desserts. I included this dessert recipe because not only is it one of those fun, easy Asian recipes, but it’s also a family favorite!
Light, fluffy, sweet, and perfect for breakfast.
This easy Butter Mochi Recipe is made of Mochiko flour. It’s a tasty Hawaiian cake with coconut, custard, and butter hints.
It’s a wonderfully chewy, dense dessert that is unique and delicious!
Mochi Recipe with Mochiko Flour
I have made this Mochi Recipe with Mochiko Flour all my life. I’ve always made it with my mom, and now that she has passed away, my brother and I have decided to make it together.
It is a simple recipe, and now with the Instant Pot, the red beans are super easy to make! One of those fun, easy Asian recipes!
Asian Noodle Salad with Toasted Sesame Dressing
This Asian Noodle Salad with Toasted Sesame Dressing is so easy to make, yet it is a restaurant-quality dish.
Add whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand and toss in yummy soy and toasted sesame oil sauce.
If you like a bit of crunch combined with noodles, then you’ll enjoy this salad. I have a few recipes that I make repeatedly, and this is one of them. It’s an easy recipe that the whole family loves.
Hawaiian Chicken Recipe is a recipe that my family got from a friend who grew up in Hawaii.
The chicken is coated with sweet rice flour (Mochiko) and fried and drizzled with shoyu or soy sauce.
This chicken has a crispy delicious outside with moist meat on the inside. Another name for this dish could be Mochiko Chicken or Fried Hawaiian Chicken. This simple recipe is an all-time family favorite of ours!
Pickle Recipe: Sweet Pickled Daikon Takuan
Sweet Pickled Daikon Takuan is the best combination of sweet, salty, and tangy! The pickled Daikon can be eaten alone or as a side dish.
Mostly in our home, we pile it on a bowl of rice. It is an excellent crunchy pairing with rice!
This recipe combines many healthy ingredients. From the fat-burning qualities of Daikon to the anti-cancer qualities of Turmeric, this is a great little recipe!
4-Ingredient Easy Asian Salad Dressing
This four-ingredient Asian Salad Dressing Recipe is so easy to make. I love that it takes only five minutes to make, and the sweet and sour flavors make any salad yummy!
We have salads every night with our dinner, and when I say this is our most-used salad dressing, I’m telling the truth.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Japanese Udon
The udon (pronounced oo-don) noodles are thick and like no other noodle you have ever had. If you make one soup this winter, this is the one you need to try, ask my husband.
But you’ll make a soup base like a homemade chicken noodle soup, and then we will add some cool and yummy ingredients.
Chicken Teriyaki Grilled Burgers
When summer rolls along at our home, my husband anxiously pulls out his BBQ and makes his favorite Chicken Teriyaki Grilled Burgers. Our whole family is all too familiar with his favorite recipe!
Not sure if your husband is like mine, but every weekend when I say, what should we cook for dinner, he quickly offers to bbq something. Well, this recipe is pretty easy, and If you like chicken teriyaki, then you’ll love it.
If you are over on the popular social media platform TikTok, you’ll get sucked into the fantastic food videos. So when I found accounts making this Dalgona Coffee Recipe, I knew I had to make it!
Dalgona coffee is a thick and whipped solid coffee that adds richness to any drink. Serve it hot or cold it’s tasty either way!
How to Make Bubble Tea (Boba Tea)
How to Make Bubble Tea is one drink that I wanted to try making for a while. If you aren’t familiar with this sweet, cold drink, it is otherwise known as pearl milk tea, bubble milk tea, or boba.
I love tea for its smooth and light taste. But, I only drank ice tea when it comes to tasty summer tea. Well, that quickly changed once I tasted Bubble tea. So now, you can say I’m a bit addicted to this creamy dessert-like tea.
If you like tea, I highly recommend trying this delicious alternative. It is the tea version of a coffee drink, yum!
This Week’s – Boutique of the Week (Easter Mantel Decor)
Now that Valentine’s Day has passed, let’s get ready for spring with Easter Mantel Decor! Check out this collection full of garlands, candles, adorable signs, and tons more.
Whatever your spring tradition may be, let’s start this season off right by taking a look at this collection of Easter mantel decor to begin decorating not only for a holiday but the upcoming season as well.
My Favorite Things – More Fun Easy Asian Recipes
30-minute Spicy Miso Chicken Katsu Ramen
Ramen recipes seem fun, easy Asian recipes my family can’t get enough of. But seriously, I’ve searched forever for a perfect chicken katsu recipe, and here it is.
This recipe by Tieghan is one of a kind because of how simple, unique and delicious this dish is! If you love ramen or any noodle dish in general, you’ll love her recipe!
Here I am with another wonderful recipe by Tieghan, but this time it’s all about dumplings. These sesame chicken dumplings taste as juicy as they look.
This recipe is one of my daughter’s favorite dumpling dishes, so you could say it’s a family favorite as well. So, if you’re looking for a meal to wow your friends and family, cook up some chicken dumplings!
What’s Trending on the Blog
There are quite a few options to choose from for Spice Rack Organizing. However, selecting the best spice rack organizer, containers, and labels is overwhelming.
This post will tackle some of these issues and more!
I have finally hit the jackpot in regards to my spices. It has been a long journey, and I’m super excited to share my eureka moments with you! I can honestly say that my spice rack is complete, and its location is perfect.
Kitchen Cabinet Storage Containers + Organizers
Welcome! Here are some of the best Kitchen Cabinet Storage Organizers to help you arrange your spice rack, baking ingredients, cereals, favorite snacks, and much more!
Regardless of your style, there is something here for everyone! So check out these kitchen cabinet storage organizers and start organizing today!
Items in my Kitchen that I Love
Join me, and let’s take a tour through my favorite spot in the house to browse some Items In My Kitchen That I Love.
Everything from All-Clad pots and apothecary canisters to the best appliances and utensils! Here’s an inside look at what I use when preparing meals for my family.Â
This Week’s Tip – How I Make Japanese Rice
Making Japanese Rice
I’ve made rice all my life, and it’s one of those side dishes that work well with salmon, teriyaki chicken, and Asian meals, whether it’s lunch or dinner.
The widely distributed brand throughout grocery stores and the brand you’ll most likely find is called Botan Calrose, and it works wonders. But if we’re being serious, any brand of Japanese rice, short-grain rice, will work just fine.
Once you have the rice, next, you will want to purchase a rice cooker. I own Zojirushi NHS-18 10-Cup, and it’s fantastic!
The rice cooker I have linked here is the newer version of what I have because I’ve had my rice cooker for thirty years, and the company no longer produces my version.
Now it’s time to make the rice! First, you want to fill 1/2 of the rice cooker with water, and then, depending on how much rice you want to make, refer to the rice cooker manual.
When you have your preferred amount of rice plus the water in the rice cooker, you want to mix them both with your hand in a circular motion. After each mixing, you want to drain the water as much as possible without losing rice.
Once drained, add more water and continue to mix. You want to complete these steps until the water is somewhat clear and not cloudy-white. You will repeat this process about 4-5 times.
Now that the rice is clean drain one final time, add water about 1/2 inch above the rice line. If it helps, a rice cooker manual explains these steps.
You’re ready to go. Now place the rice cooker bowl into the rice cooker, put the lid on, turn on the machine and make sure to hit the “cook” button.
I say this because I have forgotten to press the “cook” button at times. To learn from my mistakes, I always checked the rice cooker three times after knowing I clicked the button just in case. It is now an ongoing joke in the family 😉
My Latest Obsession – Fermented Chile Sauce
Mother In Law’s Gochujang Fermented Chile Sauce
Whenever I need to add a little spice to my meal, I turn towards Mother In Law’s Gochujang Garlic Fermented Chile Sauce. Not only does it all a little kick to the taste but some sweetness as well.
Here are some facts about my latest obsession. You can use this sauce to marinate, cook, dip, or as a condiment. Plus, this sauce is medium heat, which I like.
I should also mention that you most likely won’t find this fermented chile sauce at your local grocery store, which is why I have linked it here for you.
I use this sauce in the teriyaki sauce when making my family famous teriyaki burgers which I have here in this post. But in general, use this sauce in any recipe that may need a little spice and sweetness!
Happy Saturday,
I’m off to the farmers market, but I just wanted to say I hope you found something to recreate at home. You never know. You might have found your new family favorite recipe 🙂
Stay tuned for new blog posts for springtime, including recipes, decor, crafts, and more!
Cheers,
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