Ribatei 里葉亭

Posted on April 8, 2018 by missamateurchef

The place is located at Yokohama – a bit far from the city centre of Tokyo, but it definitely worths a detour. Looking like any other other yakitori restaurant from the exterior, but u will be surprised to enjoy the very high quality skewers they serve here.

Using only the finest Miyazaki chicken (sashimi grade) and the best charcoal available. Above all, the grilling technique is perfect!

Masters in action!

The best chicken liver skewers- served still pink at the centre, surely not for the faint of heart!

The oh-so-good chicken cartilage.

Chicken kidney with ginger paste on top.

Meaty chicken thigh.

My favourite of the night – chicken aorta! So plump, fatty and juicy!

Ribatei (里葉亭)

045-251-7676 (+81-45-251-7676)

3-2 Fukutomicho Nakadori Naka-ku Yokohama Kanagawa

Mushroom Garlic Butter Chicken Bake

Posted on February 5, 2018 by missamateurchef

Winter is here! Dark days of winter make me want to pull on my heaviest sweater and stay in bed all day. That’s where these simple, casserole recipes come in handy. Baked to perfection in a single pan – a hearty casserole always satisfies your hunger and warms you from the inside out.

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken thighs
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1 bowl sliced mushrooms

Creamy Parmesan Garlic Sauce:

¼ cup butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup bacon
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 180 degree C. Season chicken with generous amount of salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear chicken on both sides, for about 3-5 minutes each side, until golden all over. Transfer chicken to a plate.
Fry bacon in the remaining oil, add in mushroom and cook for a further 3-5 minutes, or until just beginning to soften. Transfer to the same plate as the chicken
To make the sauce, melt butter, add in garlic and cook until tender. Whisk in chicken broth, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pepper and salt.
Put chicken and mushrooms back to the sauce, brush chicken with butter and sprinkle with extra salt and pepper, bake for 30-40 minutes.

Mushroom and Chicken Braided Bread

Posted on September 2, 2017 by missamateurchef

“Good things come to those who bake.”

Sometimes, all you need to do is bake, and that very act will bring you instant peace and happiness. Whether you’re baking a loaf of brioche or whipping up some quick banana bread for breakfast, the joy that fresh, warm bread brings to the table is unlike any other.

Came across this ultra easy pizza dough recipe, calling for only two ingredients- greek yogurt and self-rising flour, on allrecipes.com the other day. Instead of ordinary pizza, I used it for a more fancy-looking braided bread and I was pleasantly surprised at how it turned out!

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

1 1/2 cups self-rising flour, plus more for kneading
1 cup plain Greek yogurt

Filling

2 Tablespoons butter
2 gloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup of mushroom, thinly sliced
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg white, beaten
1 bowl of chicken cubes (marinated to taste with salt and pepper)

Instructions

Heat oven to 260 degree C.
Mix flour and Greek yogurt together in a bowl; transfer to a work surface floured with self-rising flour. Knead dough, adding more flour as needed to keep dough from being too sticky, for 8 to 10 minutes.
Melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, about 3 mins. Stir in chicken cubes and mushroom. Cook for 5 more minutes, stir occasionally. Remove from heat.
Unroll pizza dough on parchment sheet. Starting at center out, roll dough into 15 x10 -inch rectangle with a rolling pin. Sprinkle cheese over center third of dough. Spoon onion-chicken mixture evenly over cheese.
Make cuts 1 inch apart on both long sides of dough to within 1/2 inch of filling. Alternately cross strips diagonally over filling; turn ends under and press to seal. Brush egg white over top.
Bake for 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes and then cut crosswise into slices and serve!

Teriyaki Chicken puff pastry pizza

Posted on March 18, 2017 by missamateurchef

As much as I love pizza, tell me any pizza recipe that requires a rolling pin and I’ll probably respond with an eye roll. Tell me I have to let the dough rise for an hour after a long day of work and I’ll probably say, “Nope, not happening.” The truth is… an amateur chef with a full-time job can’t afford spending two hours on making her dinner!

Are you looking for yummy and instant pizza recipes just like me? If yes, you have come to the right place. This recipe needs no kneading or rising time. You can make this pizza in less than the amount of time it would take for pizza delivery. Voilà, dinner is ready!

Ingredients:

1 sheet store-bought puff pastry, thawed
1 cup chicken (diced and seasoned with salt and pepper)
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 teaspoon finely chopped spring onions
Teriyaki sauce
1 Tablespoon sake
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 210 degrees Celsius. Place defrosted sheet of puff pastry onto the parchment.
Sauté chicken slightly, for 2min, under medium heat.
Combine Teriyaki sauce ingredients in a bowl. Add the teriyaki sauce to the chicken, cook until the sauce is thickened and glossy, stirring occasionally, for around another 3 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the sauce.
Spread the teriyaki sauce onto the puff pastry, leaving a ½ ” border around the edges.
Distribute chicken evenly over teriyaki sauce then top with shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and just beginning to brown and the pastry crust is golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool for 2 minutes before sprinkling with chopped spring onions.

Chicken and Creamy Dijon Linguine

Posted on March 14, 2016 by missamateurchef

“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” – Federico Fellini.

Very few women I know today lead simple lives. Most of us are juggling multiple roles with work, family and friends, let alone all the work-out regimes and beauty routines. Whenever I catch up with my girlfriends and ask how they’re doing, the most common response is not “Fine, thanks!” but “Busy, really busy.”

Life gets busy, but that doesn’t mean we need to compromise the taste of our meal as a result! This rich and decadent Dijon cream sauce is very easy to make and it pairs well with chicken, pork and even fish and can be used to create many other great dishes. Exactly what we need for a busy mid-week dinner!

Ingredients:

200 gram linguine, cooked
2 boneless chicken cutlets (sliced and seasoned with salt & pepper)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 small onion (sliced)
1/2 cup of white wine
1 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp whole-grain Dijon mustard
2 tsp of chicken broth

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium low heat.
2. Add chicken and garlic; fry the chicken until completely cooked.
3. Remove chicken from pan.
4. Add onion to pan, salute until they turn transparent.
5. Add the white wine to the pan.
6. Simmer until the volume is reduced by half, then add the whipping cream, mustard and chicken broth.
7. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon.
8. Return Chicken to the sauce, and simmer for an additional 1 minutes.
9. Serve over cooked linguine.

Salt Baked Chicken Wings with Rosemary

Posted on January 17, 2016 by missamateurchef

Salt baked chicken is one of the most classic dishes in the Hakka repertoire. The dish is both clever and flavorful. Traditionally it is made by sealing the chicken with a tight cocoon of lotus leaf or parchment paper, which is then baked in scorching coarse salt. Despite the fact that the bird is packed solidly in a thick layer of coarse salt as it cooks, it doesn’t get unbearably salty because the salt doesn’t penetrate the wrapping. The salt coat mainly serves to retain heat and cook the bird evenly.

This week I tried to remake the dish by giving it a western twist – the chicken wings were marinated with cayenne, garlic and lemon zest, before it was baked in my reliable Staub cocotte. The unique cooking method locks in all the flavors and bastes the bird in its very own essence, the chicken turned out juicy and succulent. And once the ceremonious unveiling began, herb-scented steam curled out of the parcel of goodness, filling the room with gratifying aromas. =)

Ingredients (serves 2):

8 chicken wings (mid-joint)
2 egg whites
500g rock salt
Marinade
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp cayenne powder
1 tbsp crushed black pepper
Zest from 2 lemons
2 sprigs rosemary (chopped)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 deg C.
Wash chicken wings, pat dry. Mix with marinade.
Wrap the chicken wings with tin foil.
Whisk the egg whites until foams form. Add salt and mix well.
Line a French oven with tin foil. Spread a layer of salt mixture. Put in the chicken wing wrap and cover it with the remaining salt mixture.
Bake the whole French oven for 30mins. Do not cover up the French oven while baking, otherwise the salt mixture cannot be dried, making the chicken very salty.
Smash to remove the salt on the surface. Take out the chicken wings and serve!
Soak the French oven with hot water until the salt melt before washing.

Poulet à la normande

Posted on July 7, 2015 by missamateurchef

Most probably the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word Normandy is the D-Day landing and the beaches where thousands of soldiers lost their lives during the Second World War. You may even recall images of Tom Hanks rescuing Matt Daman if you happen to have seen the blockbuster Saving Private Ryan like me.

Normandy and Brittany of Northern France have always been on my travel bucket list- breathtaking views, beautiful villages, a great history… not to mention the great food…The lush green pastures of Normandy makes ideal grazing for dairy herds and cattle. No wonder it is often referred as the heartland of French dairy products; it is at the same time a major cider-producing region in France.

“Fier d’ être français, et puis fier de ma region” – proud to be French, and then proud of my region, is a common French saying.

That is also what I like about French food, each region bears its own distinctive cuisine, heavily influenced by the region’s history and culture, accomplished with pride using the finest local ingredients.

Poulet à la normande or Chicken Normandy is a dish you can never, ever go wrong with. Made with Normandy’s famous produce- apple, cider and free range chicken, it is truly hearty and flavorful.

As ordinary working class people, we don’t get to travel around the year. But “exotic” food always serves as solace to my wandering heart and helps me get through until my next vacation.

* special thanks to my colleague… lemme just call her “cool mom A” here (simply love her personal style and all her shoes!) for helping me with the photo editing… she really worked wonders to my dishes and i just can’t thank her enough =)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
One cup of bacon lardons bacon
A whole chicken/ 4 drumsticks (marinate overnight with salt and pepper)
200ml dry cider
200ml chicken stock
Half cup fresh cream
2 apples, cored and sliced
Parsley as garnish (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes until brown.
3. Then add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened, then set aside.
4. Use the remaining oil to brown the chicken. Turn regularly, pressing down on each side.
5. Put the onion and bacon in a dutch oven, then put the chicken on top.
6. Add the cider and stock. Cover with lid and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
7. Add apples and cook uncovered for another 20 minutes
8. Stir in the cream and sprinkle over the parsley.