Chikuzenni and the search for Softasilk is complete!

Chikuzenni is a Japanese dish with many root vegetables. It is very common dish in Japan and many people like it. The flavor is typical Japanese flavoring with Soy sauce, Sake, sugar and fish bouillon.

I did not like this dish too much when I was in Japan. I did not dislike it but I did not care too much about it. However, when I went back to Japan last year, I went to visit my aunt and uncle who lives about 1 hour and half away from us. One of the dish my aunt made was this "Chikuzennni". For some reason, I really liked it so I made this a few times when I came back to the U.S. Here is the link for the previous attempt.

Here is yesterday's attempt.

I let it simmer for a while and I forgot about it. So it was cooked longer than it was supposed to. It tasted good but when I looked at the previous post for this dish, the last attempt looked better. Maybe it is just the lighting. Natural light makes it look much better, I think.

So yesterday was quite healthy Japanese dinner. I also made miso soup with Chinese chives （Nira in Japanese) and tofu and egg. Normally, I use Chinese chives only when I make Gyoza but I wanted to try different recipe using this vegetable so here it is.

I was pretty happy with how the egg looks in the soup.

By the way,  Do you remember I was asking about Softasilk the other day on this blog? Softasilk is cake flour from Pillsbury and I have read that you can make a great cake if you use this flour.

Because of my ambition for becoming a excellent baker this year, I need to find this flour. (I thought this flour might be able to help me to be a better baker!) I went to a few supermarket but so far I hadn't found it yet until yesterday.

Yes! I found it. I went to a super market in next town and they had it. By the way, I also found "Red Mango" (frozen yogurt place which is similar to pinkberry) right next to the super market. That was a bonus. I would love to go have some frozen yogurt with fresh fruits when it gets warmer :-)

Anyhow, here it is. SOFTASILK!!!!

I hope this flour makes me a better baker. Don't let me down, Softasilk!

So, I am thinking about what I should make with this Softasilk. This cake on the front package looks good also....

When I was in Japan this fall, I realized that "Rolled Cake" was so popular. It is funny that in Japan, you will see some trend in sweets also. I saw rolled cake everywhere. Basically, you bake a sheet of sponge cake and put cream and somethings like fruits in it and roll it up. I tried to make this cake once before. And, it was not exactly what I wanted to be. The sponge cake was too hard and it broke when I tried to roll it. So I think it is very important to bake a soft moist sponge cake for making roll cake.

If this Softasilk is a magical flour, I should be able to make a beautiful roll cake or cake roll or whatever you call it. Maybe I am asking too much for Softasilk. Maybe I should improve my skill instead of rely on this flour to be a better baker. Well, I got to get all the help I can get. I am sure that I will be a better baker sometimes if I keep on baking :-)

And, I have recieved an another award. This Beautiful Blogger award was given to me by my blogpal Dolly from Curry and Beyond. 

I am so honored to receive this award. Dolly has been a great blogpal and I am always happy to read her thoughtful comment and am encouraged by it. Thank you so much Dolly. Her blog is wonderful. Click here for her blog Curry and Beyond