Anime Recipes

Ever wanted to try some delicious looking food you saw in an anime, but didn't know where to start? Recipes and guides for foods shown and made in anime, as well as characters' favorite dishes.

[animerecipes]

Katsudon - Yuri!!! on Ice

You might not want to be a pork cutlet, but with this recipe you can totally eat a pork cutlet!  And, really, what could be more desirable than a steaming bowl of rice, breaded pork cutlet, onions, and egg. Funnily enough, katsu and the word for victory are pronounced the same in Japanese (カツ and 勝つ, respectively), so athletes will often eat some katsudon before or after they compete. So, in honor if Yuri Katsuki’s birthday, make some tasty katsudon!

Feeds 2

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked rice ( following this recipe if you can.  Feel free to make it ahead of time and heat it up before plating, but I’ll let you know when to start cooking the rice if you want to make everything all at once)

2 boneless pork chops (and a meat mallet)

Salt and pepper

Flour for dusting

1 egg, beaten, for breading

1 cup panko

½  cup dashi stock (you can use chicken or vegetable stock if you can’t get a hold of some dashi or dashi powder)

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 Tbsp. mirin

2 tsp. sugar

1 small onion, sliced thin

2 eggs

¼ cup peas (alternatively, you can top it with scallions/green onions, thinly sliced nori, sesame seeds, whole snowpeas, and any combination of any of these)

Instructions:

Begin heating up some oil in a deep pan on the stove.  About ½” of oil should do.  Alternatively, if you have a deep fryer and feel comfortable using it, go ahead a use that for the pork katsu.

Use a meat mallet to pound the pork to about ¼” thick.

Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and dust them with the flour.

Dip the pork into the first beaten egg, then coat them with panko crumbs.

Once the oil is hot (get some water on your hand and flick it into the oil from a safe distance above, if it sizzles and pops, the oil is ready), place the breaded pork into the oil.  Fry them until golden brown on each side.  Once they’re cooked, remove them from the oil, and set them aside on a plate with some paper towels to absorb the excess oil.

If you haven’t already made your rice, start cooking it now, using this recipe.

Add the stock, soy sauce, mirin and sugar to a pan (one big enough to hold both pork chops) and bring it to a simmer.  Add in the onions and cover the pan with a lid.

Once the onions are translucent, slice the pork katsu, and carefully (as to keep the slices together, treating them as if it were still a whole cutlet) add it on top of the onions.

Beat the remaining two eggs and pour them on top of the pork katsu.  Cover the pan with the lid.

Begin portioning the rice into two bowls.

Once the eggs are done (still kind of jiggly and slimy looking, but definitely not liquid anymore.  If you’re squeamish about eggs, feel free to cook it a bit longer, but be careful not to allow the egg to become dry and fluffy), pick up the pan and slide/pour the sauce, onions, katsu, and egg onto the rice in the bowl.

Top with peas or your choice of garnish.

Reward yourself with this delicious meal. (But only after you win the skating competition, of course.)

[animerecipes]

Hello! I really want to try your fish pie recipe, but I hate potatoes... I was thinking I might be able to substitute it with cauliflower, as I've seen that used as a substitution before, but do you think it would work?

It definitely could!  Take your time and try to find a really good mashed cauliflower “potato” recipe, and when you put the whole casserole into the oven, keep a careful eye on it to make sure the cauliflower doesn’t burn or do any weird things (it shouldn’t, but it doesn’t hurt to be careful).Good luck!  I hope it turns out great!

[animerecipes]

For the egg recipe did you use a round pan or did you have a rectangle pan? I've seen some videos have those anyways i only have round it is possible to still make them?

I actually used a round pan!  Using a rectangular pan is a lot easier and will turn out a lot nicer, but with a round pan you just have to be careful to keep two of the edges straight for the sides, so that when you roll it up it’ll still look nice.  It’s pretty simple to do: once you pour the beaten eggs into the pan, just use your spatula to scoot the egg back a bit until it is straighter.

Worse comes to worse, you could always just make it round, and then fold in two of the sides like a burrito.  The edges will just look a little odd, but it won’t be too bad.

[animerecipes]

How would I make strawberry jelly filled onigiri?

It’d be pretty simple!  Just follow the onigiri recipe for variation #2, and instead of tuna or umiboshi or whatever, just put in a small spoon (keyword: small, like not even a full teaspoon) of strawberry jelly.  Make sure that you’re using jelly and not jam, though, because jelly will hold together a lot better, instead potentially making a sticky mess which jam might.

Hope that helps!

[animerecipes]

Re: Chocolate Curry Buns - Where does the chocolate go? It never gets mentioned again outside the ingredients list...

Thank you!  The chocolate get added in with the curry roux.  Just fixed it in the recipe c:

[animerecipes]

Chocolate Curry Buns - Black Butler

So, this is one of the most requested recipes, and also one that has taken me the most time to figure out.  If you’re looking for a quicker, more authentically Japanese curry bun, replace the curry roux and filling with a packet of instant curry and follow the instructions on a package.  This recipe is a “high class”, very British way of looking at the curry bun, with attention paid to how Sebastian cooked his in the show.  Notice the atypical additions of black pepper and red wine, frying the bun instead of baking, and, most importantly, the chocolate.  In short, his is simply one hell of a curry bun recipe.

Ingredients:

Curry roux:

3 tbsp. butter

⅓ cup flour

2 tbsp.. garam masala

1-2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (depending on how spicy you want it)

1 tbs. tomato paste

1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Dough:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. dry yeast

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. skim milk powder

½ cup water

1 egg

2 tbsp. butter

Filling: 

2 tbsp. oil

1 small onion, sliced thin

1 clove of garlic, minced

½ pound beef chuck roast, cubed, or stew meat

¼ cup red wine (substitute 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar and 1/8 cup all-natural grape juice if you can’t get wine)

1 carrot

1 medium pre-cooked yukon gold potato

1 tbsp. apple puree or apple sauce

1 cardamom pod

1 whole star anise pod

1 bay leaf

⅓ cup peas (optional)

Half of a bar of dark chocolate

Instructions:

First, we’re going to start with the roux. Melt the butter over medium low heat. 

Add the flour and whisk the butter and flour together in the pan until the mixture turns a golden brown.

Add the garam masala and black pepper and stir to combine, then add the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and combine. Continue to cook until it becomes thick and paste-like. Remove from heat and set aside until the meat and veggies are ready.

Combine yeast, water, and sugar in a bowl. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until foamy.

Add the rest of the dough ingredients and knead for 8-10 minutes.

Cover with a dish towel and allow dough to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 to 1½ hours.  If it’s cool in the kitchen, I frequently turn on a stove top burner, and let the dough sit on the counter near it to help the rising process.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions. Let rest for 10 minutes (make sure not to let them dry out, cover them with a damp paper towel or two).

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in your pan.  Pat the beef down with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture, sprinkle some salt and pepper on the meat, and dust with a bit of flour.  Once the pan is hot, add your meat, cooking for about 6-7 minutes on each side, or until nice and brown.  Then, put the meat into a bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a pan, and saute onion and garlic.  While sauteing, grind the cardamom and anise.

Add the browned beef, wine, water, carrots, potatoes, salt, apple puree, cardamom, anise, and bay leaf, and then bring to a boil over high heat. 

Turn the heat down to medium low and simmer partially covered until the carrots are tender (about 45 minutes).

Add in the curry roux that you set aside in step 3 and the chocolate, and stir until the roux and liquid in the pan combine and thicken into a nice curry sauce.  Set aside to cool, and don’t forget to remove the bay leaf.

Dust your hands with flour!  Flatten the dough balls into a round disc, place a spoonful of filling in the middle, and wrap wrap the edges around the filling. Gently shape each dough ball into a bun.

In a frying pan, heat about an inch of oil (vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil are preferred). Add the buns, however many will fit in your pan at a time. Fry them on medium/low until golden brown, turning over to cook each side.

Let them cool, then present to the judges.  Or your friends.  Or just eat them yourself.

[animerecipes]

Chocolate Cornets - Lucky Star

Lucky Star was probably one of the most popular shows of the mid to late 2000′s.  In fact, I have a friend who makes certain to watch it at least once a year.  However, since its heyday, it’s seemed to wane in popularity.  In spite of this, some things (like this chocolate cornet, which is discussed at length in the first episode) stick with nerd culture.

So, which side do you eat your cornet from?

Ingredients:

Horn/Cornet molds, or tinfoil or wax paper to make your own

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 tbsp. milk powder

some water, slightly warmed (only if needed)

1 egg

1 1/2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. oil

2 tbsp. melted butter

1 tsp. instant yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

Instructions:

Sift the flour, then add milk powder, sugar, yeast and salt. 

Beat the egg slightly.

Add the oil, butter and 2 tbsp. of the beaten egg into the flour mixture, and mix together. 

Take 1/2 cup of the half and half and microwave it for 20 seconds (or just heat it on the stove until warm) and add it to the dough. 

Start kneading together for around 8-10 minutes, until the dough is soft and there are no more lumps of flour remaining. If your dough mixture seems a bit dry, or you’re having a difficult time getting the flour mixed in, go ahead and add small amounts of warm water until you can mix it well.

Touch a bit of oil with your fingertips and apply all over the ball of dough. Cover with a dish towel and let it rest for an hour until it doubles in size.  Keep in mind that the dough needs warmth in order to rise.  I find it helpful to let it rise on the counter near my stove top with one of the stove burners on, but you’ll want to be very careful doing this way.

Preheat your oven to 350 F.

While you are waiting for your dough to rise and your oven to heat, make your cone molds if you’re making them out of tinfoil or wax paper. 

Cut the dough into 5 or 7 pieces, depending on the size you want your cones. Make sure they are all about the same size. Shape them into balls, then cover and set them aside to rest for 15 minutes.

Take a small amount of oil, and grease the cone molds (or just use a spray like Pam).

Roll each piece of dough into a rope. Roll the dough ropes around the greased cone molds.  The dough may be a little bit difficult to maneuver; if so, just let the rope sit of a few more minutes before wrapping around.  Don’t worry if the dough on the cones seems a little small, they will puff up when baking.

Brush the tops of the cornets with the remaining beaten egg. Bake for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Place onto a wire rack and allow them to cool for a couple of minutes before removing the cone molds.

Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl.

Place the remaining half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Pour warm half and half over chocolate and stir until chocolate has melted.

Add butter to chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth. Let cool slightly before filling.

Fill the cones with chocolate let them cool.  I put mine in the fridge (maneuvering some things to keep them standing up) for about 10 minutes.  If you plan on taking it for a lunch, place a small square of wax paper on top of the chocolate before putting the cornet into the fridge, so that the chocolate won’t get messy in your lunchbox.

Figure out which side to start eating it from, and enjoy!

[animerecipes]

Ramen - Naruto

Guess who's back!  I finally have enough time and energy to make up some more recipes, and what better recipe to celebrate than some ramen?  I got a lot of suggestions for this one, and I understand why.  When I was big into Naruto, those hot steaming bowls of ramen seemed like the absolute perfect meal.  However, back then, I didn't understand the difference between those, and what came out of Top Ramen packets.  Now, I'm still using the Top Ramen noodles, but I've added a lot more traditional ramen elements.  And even if the noodles and stock aren't 110% authentic, it's still delicious.  Believe it!

(If you're really looking for a from-scratch-as-traditional-as-you-can-get, I'm planning on making up that recipe a bit later.  Be forewarned, it's a bit time consuming)

Ingredients

2 Packages of Top Ramen

About 5 cups of pork or beef broth (You can use the stuff in a box, the stuff in a can, or the cubes or the paste)

Pork tenderloin

2 Eggs

1 Baby bok choy

1 Green onion

Soy sauce

Optional:

Aburage - that's those brown sticks on the right side of the bowl, it's a type of soy product that's used when you make inari-zushi.  It's some of my favorite stuff, and you should be able to find it at an Asian food store.

Nori - I forgot to put this is mine, but it's those black/green sheets sticking out of the back.  You'd probably be able to find this at any grocery store with an Asian foods section

Kamaboko - This is that white thing with the pink swirl.  Its made of a sort of fish paste that is steamed into like a cake.  I know it's kind of distintive in the Naruto ramen, but I didn't have time to go and grab some from an Asian food store (which is where you'd have to get it).

Directions

Marinate the tenderloin for at least 3 hours.  You can use just soy sauce, or a mixure of whatever other Asian sauces you want.  Teriyaki would be good, as would some mirin.

Preheat your oven to 450, then cook the tenderloin for 12-15 minutes, or until cooked all the way through.

Put your eggs in a pot with enough water to cover them.  Bring to a boil and cover with a lid.  It should take about 10 minutes to hard boil the eggs.  Then pull them out and put them into a bowl of cold water to cool.

While this is happening, pour or mix the stock/broth in a pot and bring it to a simmer.  You can add soy sauce or mirin to taste.

Once simmering, add the Top Ramen noodles.  Do NOT add in the flavor packets.  Let that cook.

Now, we cut up all the toppings!  Peel the eggs and slice them in half, cut the pork,  kamaboko, bok choy, aburage, and green onion into thin slices.

Serve up the noodles and broth in a nice deep bowl, then place all the ingredients in groups on top, and add in a few small rectangles of nori.  Itadakimasu!

[animerecipes]

Even if the jelly filled donut recipe was a april's fools joke, is it possible to still make it with that recipe? lol I want to make jelly filled donuts too! XD

It should be!  I haven't made the recipe myself, I just copied it out of a book I have, but it should work just fine.

[animerecipes]

Onigiri - Pokémon

So, for all of you who thought yesterday's recipe was serious, joke's on you (Happy 1st of April!).  And for those of you who aren't quite in on the joke, when 4Kids was dubbing Pokémon, they though little children wouldn't understand what some of the foreign strange foods were, so they changed it in the script.  Thus onigiri (a common food in the show) became everything from sandwiches to popcorn balls to, most commonly, jelly filled donuts.  And, honestly, as a child, I knew something was up.  Those weren't no jelly filled donuts everyone was munching down on.  Anyway, onigiri itself is a staple food in Japan, simple, portable, and filling, making it perfect to take on long adventures to duel gym leaders and Team Rocket.  I hope you enjoy them almost as much a as a box full of donuts!

Ingredients

Rice (However much you want to make.  I used 1 cup of uncooked rice for the onigiri in the picture above.  As always, follow this recipe to cook the rice.)

Salt

Optional:

Nori - The thin, paper like seaweed used to wrap up sushi

Furikake - Also known as rice seasoning, it's normally just bonito flakes, some nori, maybe some sesame seeds, and flavoring)

Peas

Soy sauce

Fillings - The most common filling for onigiri would probably be umeboshi, or sour pickled plums, however it is quite and acquired taste (my host mother laughed at the puckered face I made after eating my first one), so watch out.  Other common fillings are canned tuna (mixed with mayo and sometimes wasabi), cooked tuna or other fish, fried chicken, a little cooked spam, or just about any kind of pickled vegetable.

Directions

Once the rice is cooked and cooled down, all you have to do is shape them.  I have a difficult time with this, so what I've learned to do is use some plastic wrap.  Put a scoop of rice in the middle of the plastic wrap and wrap it up.  Onigiri Variation #1:  If you want to make pea onigiri, like in the picture above, or you want to mix in some furikake, you need to do this before you put the rice in the plastic wrap.  Just take your scoop of rice, put it in a bowl, and mix in your ingredients with a utensil.

Now, the shaping.  Hold the wrapped up rice in your hand.  Cup your hand so it looks like a "U", and then cup your other hand, perpendicularly, on top of it tightly.  Gently squeeze the rice.  If you're doing it correctly, it should start to look kind of like a triangle.  Then, rotate the rice ball in your hands, so a different point is pointing downward and repeat.  Onigiri Variation #2: If you want to add a filling, sometime near the end of forming the onigiri, press a dent in the middle of rice with your thumb.  Add your filling, and cover the hole with more rice, and continue forming.

Take the rice out of the plastic wrap and form it a few times with your bare hands.  Then place it on a plate, and sprinkle some salt on them.  Onigiri Variation #3: You can add nori to just about any type of onigiri.  You'll need to cut up the nori to fit, but you can cut it into any shape you want, be it a larger sheet to cover the entire onigiri, a small little rectangle for just on the bottom, or some cute shapes.  Onigiri Variation #4: In addition to the salt, you can sprinkle some sesame seeds or furikake on top, and press it into the rice.  Onigiri Variation #5: Finally, one of my favorite types of onigiri, yaki onigiri, or grilled onigiri.  Now, I don't have the appropriate small grill to make these, so I make them in the oven.  Just heat your oven up to a low heat, brush some soy sauce onto one side of the onigiri, place it on a cookie sheet, and put it in the oven.  In 10-20 minutes, flip the onigiri over, and brush some more soy sauce onto the other side, and cook it again.  Just keep an eye on it, and cook it until it's slightly crispy on both sides.

[animerecipes]

Pokémon - JELLY-FILLED DONUTS

I LOVE jelly-filled donuts!  I love making them for friends to take on all of our adventures, because what could possibly be more nutritious, hearty, and just keep you going than a jelly filled donut?  Not to mention how AMERICAN they are!  And kid friendly!  So everyone, make jelly filled donuts for your hiking trip which involves battling little critters and half-brained villains today!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups All purpose flour

1 cup Whole-wheat pastry flour

2 1/4 teaspoon (or 0.25 oz packet) Yeast

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon Sugar (separated)

1 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

3 tablespoons Melted Margarine

1/2 cup Superfine Sugar

1/2 cup Jelly/Jam

Directions

Mix yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar with 1 cup of warm water in a measuring cup. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the mixture is frothy and smells yeasty.

Whisk together flours, remaining sugar, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in a large bowl. Grease separate bowl with oil.

Stir yeast mixture into flour mixture with a wooden spoon until sticky dough forms. Add up to 1/4 cup warm water to make smooth dough.

Stir in the melted margarine.

Dough is very soft and sticky at this stage. Turn it onto a well floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes using extra flour as kneaded, until the dough is soft, smooth and pliable.

Transfer to the oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours.

Flour a baking sheet. Roll the dough into 1/4" thick round on a well-floured surface. Cut into circles using 2" round cutter and place them on the floured baking sheet.  Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.

Heat oil until hot but not smoking. Fry donuts in oil for 3-5 minutes, or until deep golden brown on all sides, flipping 2-3 times. Drain on paper-towel lined baking sheet.

Roll the donuts while still warm in superfine sugar. Cool.

Poke small hole in side of each donut with a toothpick or a skewer. Using a pastry bag fitted with small round tip, fill each donut with 1 tsp of jam/jelly.

[kuikuri]

Ingredients: Cookies: 1 cup of butter (salted or unsalted is fine) 1/2 cup of sugar 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract 2 cups of flour 1/4 teaspoons of salt Topping: Nuts: Chopped walnuts or almonds, or nuts of your choice Filling: Jam or preserves of any fruit

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer. Add vanilla, flour and salt until thoroughly combined.

Roll spoonfuls of dough into small balls, and place them on lightly greased cookie sheets, each ball about an inch apart.

Press down the center of each ball with a spoon, making an indent. Fill with jam or nuts.

Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Transfer cookies to a cool, flat surface.

When the cookies are cooled, sprinkle powdered sugar.

Complete!

Recommendations, suggestions, comments from me:

When I first made this, I used Ugandan vanilla, and topped the cookies with Concord grape jam and apricot preserves. I highly recommend apricot preserves— so delicious! ;o;

Great if you’re vegan, since this doesn’t use eggs.

THERE IS NEVER TOO MUCH VANILLA EVER.

This is great with tea, warm milk, hot cider, and in the wintertime. <3

Great for gatherings and tea parties, for you Lolitas out there! >w<

Original recipe source: Mrs. Fields Cookie Book. (The best cookie book EVER, guys.)

[animerecipes]

So, Kuikuri brought this recipe of hers to my attention, and I finally got around to making them the other day.  Oh man, were they good.  A little plum jam in the middle, and it was like heaven.  So I figured ya'll might want in on this fine recipe, too.

[animerecipes]

Fish Pie - Kiki's Delivery Service

Howdy y'all!  The mysterious roommate here, and I'm going to tell you all about dis fish pie hurr! Remember in Kiki's Delivery Service when Kiki helped the lovely ladies made this fancy fish pie for their granddaughter's birthday?  Well, this was just like that time... but different.  My mom was in town, and the purveyor of this blog and I decided to make some yummy dinner for us all.  And the best part of all was that she didn't turn up her nose and say, "Oh... another one of those crummy fish pies again," in fact, she loved it!  I even got to make the fish on top!  That was the best part about it.

Ingredients

4 fillets of herring, or 3 fillets of another larger, white fish (we used rockfish, you could use sole, tilapia, or cod)

1 leek

1 medium while onion

1 carrot

5 medium potatoes (bakers or russets)

2 cups spinach

3 eggs

2 tablespoons deli style or whole ground mustard

2 bay leaves

3 cups milk

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons pepper

Directions

Cut up the potatoes and put them in a pot of boiling water.  Boil for about 5 minutes, then add in two eggs and boil for 5 more minutes.  Take out the eggs, and strain the potatoes.  Then mash the potatoes in a bowl with 2/3 cup of milk.

Add the mashed potatoes to the bottom of your casserole dish, saving about 1 potato worth of mash in the bowl.

Slice all of the vegetables and the hardboiled eggs and saute them in a pan with some oil or butter and the bay leaves.

Add in the rest of the milk, the mashed potato that you saved, mustard, salt and pepper.  Cook everything on medium heat stirring occasionally, until the milk reaches a thick consistency, then add it into the casserole pan.  Remember to remove the bay leaves.

Cut the fish fillets into 3 inch wide chunks, and then add it into the casserole pan.

Unroll the pie crust and put it on top.  You can cut it into strips, and cut out a fish if you want to make it like the one in Kiki's Delivery Service.  Once you finish covering the casserole pan with the pie crust, beat an egg and brush it on top of the pie crust.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, or until the crust is to your liking.

[animerecipes]

Rice Porridge (Okayu) - SKET Dance

So, I have been terribly sick this last week.  Coughing, runny nose, sneezing, an aversion to anything that involves getting up, the whole shebang.  So, one day when I was particularly hungry, I found the energy to make up some rice porridge.  In Japan, rice porridge is the equivalent of chicken noodle soup when you're sick.  As such, if a person has just fallen sick with a cold or a fever in an anime or manga (SKET Dance included), chances are a friend will rush over and make them a pot of hot rice porridge.  So if you're ever feeling like you might be getting sick, call up a friend and hand this recipe to them, or, if you're feeling cooped up at home and hungry, make it for yourself!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white rice (preferably short grain, but medium is fine)

Water

1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional ingredients: Eggs, chicken, onion, green onion, kimchee, umiboshi (sour plum), pork tenderloin, mushrooms, sesame seeds, soy sauce, sriracha, just about anything you want.

Directions:

Rinse the rice thoroughly in a pot, as per this recipe.

Once the rice is clean, add in 3 cups of water and the salt and let the rice soak for at least 30 minutes.

Bring the rice to a boil on medium-high heat, and then turn the down the heat to low and cook, covered by a lid, for 30 minutes.  After that, turn off the heat, and let the rice sit for 10 more minutes.

Pour/scoop into a bowl, and top with whatever you want!

For rice porridge a la SKET Dance: Once in the bowl, crack one egg and place on top of the rice porridge.  Steam the whole bowl until the egg is as cooked as you like it (I like the yoke really runny).  If you don't have a bamboo steamer, but still want the egg on top cooked, you can pop it in the oven for a few minutes, but just be careful not to over cook it.

I like rice porridge with kimchee on it, but this time I added miso poached chicken with onions, sriracha, green onions and soy sauce.  Classic Japanese rice porridge just has a simple sour pickled plum in the middle.

[animerecipes]

Almond Chocolates - Kimi ni Todoke

Valentine's day.  No event feels more girly and like a shoujo show than Valentine's day.  In the US, the gifts are given by both genders, but in Japan, Valentine's day is the day for just girls to give chocolates to the object of their affections.  Of course, there is what's known as obligatory chocolates--the sweets one is expected to give to friends, coworkers, and superiors--but the handmade chocolate is what you are susposed to save for that special someone.  Sometimes, the distinction between the two types of gifts is a bit confusing, and Sawako finds out in the second season of Kimi ni Todoke.  However, the chocolates she makes for everyone is the perfect simple gift, for Valentine's day, or otherwise.

Makes about 26 chocolates

Ingredients

1 12oz. package of dark chocolate chips

3/4 cup whole almonds

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 package small foil (or paper) cups for candy 

Double boiler.  If you don't have one, you can fashion one using a deep pan full of water and a glass or aluminum bowl.  Just fill up the pan 3/4 of the way with water, put the bowl in the middle, and keep the water hot, but not boiling.

Directions

Spread all the almonds out on a pan and place in a warm (170°F to 200°F) oven.  Let them toast in there until they become aromatic.

Pour all the chocolate chips into the bowl of the double boiler.  Add the oil, salt, and vanilla, and let the chocolate begin to melt.  Stir it occasionally.

Take 1/4 cup of the almonds and chop them finely.  Once the chocolate has melted all the way, add the chopped almonds, and mix it together.

Set out all the wrappers you'll need, and slowly begin spooning the chocolate into each wrapper.  It can be a little messy until you get the hang of it.  After filling each wrapper with chocolate, add one or two of the whole almonds on top.  You can also add sprinkles instead, if you would like.

Once all the wrappers are full, place them all in the fridge to cool and solidify.

[animerecipes]

We just hit 1000 followers (well, a couple days ago, but I've been busy)!

Honestly, as I said last time, I was never expecting such a response to this blog, especially only 8 posts in.  So thank you all so much, with extra thanks to those sending me encouragement and suggestions!

 So, kind of a state of the union:  I finally got the F.A.Q. up.  Just some answers to general questions which I'd rather not take up a whole post answering are there.  More might be going there in the future depending on what else people ask.

Also, I fixed up the search bar on the blog so that it'll search through tags.  I don't really think the normal content search was working (maybe because I only have photo posts?  I dunno), so I went ahead and change it, and I will be a bit more descriptive with tags now.  I already went back and changed the ones in my previous posts to include major ingredients, and I would greatly appreciate any ideas you might have for other things to tag posts with.

And, finally!  I have a few special recipes planned for Valentine's day goodies, which hopefully I can get to in a timely manner.  This weekend I'm also going to be cooking up a storm for a V-Day bakesale for the cosplay club I'm involved with.  The recipes I'm using look promising, and while I'm not basing them on anime food, I was wondering if any of ya'll would be interested in pictures and links to those recipes?  As cute, supplementary material for Valentine's day or something.  Let me know! <3

[animerecipes]

Giga Pudding - That Annoying Commercial

Every since the giga puddi commercial started circulating the internet, I have wanted an excuse to try and make my own giga puddi (since it was always sold out online, and costs a bit to much for my tastes anyway).  So, since I was inviting everyone over for to try some hot pot, I figured "Why not treat them to some ridiculous, party-sized dessert, too?"  And, thus, this cheap giga puddi substitute was born.  And let me tell you, it is just as enjoyable and those office workers in the commercial make it seem.  I have the gif of my friends acting like idiots to prove it.

Oh man, was it fun.

Ingredients

3 boxes of Jell-o or Royal flan mix

3 quarts of milk

Some sort of large bucket or pot which can hold over 3 quarts (I used a small crock pot tub)

Directions (Pretty much follow the directions on the box of flan mix, just extra carefully)

Empty the caramel sauce into your pot or bucket.

Pour the milk into a pot and mix it with 3 of the flan mix powder.  Set it on the stove on medium low heat, stirring frequently.

Once the milk/flam mixture on the stove start bubbling or reaches a thick consistency (almost like glue), pour it into the bucket over the caramel.

Let is sit in the fridge for about 3 hours.

Lay a large plate over the top of the bucket, then very carefully flip the bucket over, making sure to hold the plate firmly on top of the bucket.  You may want a friend to help you with this.  Hopefully, the pudding will just slide out onto the plate.  If not, you just need to whack the bucket a few times, and it should work.

Enjoy.