Insomnia-Induced Kitties

Boredom drives the most creative cooks. Now, I can’t say I’m one of them, but I can say that boredom drives me to a lot of interesting things.

But they’re not anywhere near awesome. Just geeky.

Basically, I was trying to sleep last night, so I ripped myself away from the computer to use some leftover rice to make a bento-inspired HELLO KITTY !!! Yes, I am quite the thrifty cook.

The leftover rice was dry, because it was sitting since I made my onigiri… which was maybe 3 hours earlier? …5? …6? Beats me! But I just used some wax paper to mould the rice into a HK head with ears. Then, I cut out some nori.

Eh, I’ll stop talking, here’s your pictures because I know I’m starting to get boring. Hah.

How I Cook My Rice

Some people want to know how to make sushi, but don’t know WHERE to start. So here I am, going to teach YOU the basics.

1. Put the top of the oven on high heat. Then, put a saucepan on the coils that can fit one cup of rice.
2. Take one cup of rice. (This recipe is for one cup of rice, obviously. Hah.)
3. After that, pour one and one-fourth cups of water into the pan.
   (By “one and one-fourth” I mean 1 and 1/4. Sorry for not using the numbers, I just want to make this totally clear.)
   NOTE!!! USE MORE WATER FOR DRIER RICE… FOR MAKING SUSHI, ONIGIRI, ETC. PLEASE USE 1 AND 1/4 OR A LITTLE LESS BECAUSE YOU NEED IT TO BE STICKY. YOU NEED TO TO BE STICKY SO YOU CAN FORM IT INTO SHAPES AND IT WILL STAY TOGETHER.
4. Let it sit for a while until it boils, and watch it the whole time. Then, stir it occasionally, making sure the rice doesn’t stick to the sides of the saucepan.
5. Put on medium heat after a bit of boiling. A “bit of boiling” is probably 1-3 minutes. You choose how you want your rice! But it’s not done quite yet….
6. While you’re putting it on medium heat, you’re going to have to multitask. But you can do it, don’t worry…. So, while you’re turning the heat down, put the lid on the pan so it simmers. That’s all you have to do! See, told you that you could do it!
7. FINALLY! After 5 minutes of simmering, turn off the heat. Sprinkle on some rice vinegar, and you are ready to parrr-ty.
   NOTE !!! I HAVE A WEIRD STOVE. YOU SHOULD SIMMER FOR 20 – 25 MINUTES, USUALLY. BUT IF YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH HOW IT LOOKS AFTER A WHILE, THEN YOU’RE DONE. HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE COOKED THOROUGHLY. HOW CAN YOU TELL? IT SHOULD NO LONGER LOOKS LIKE OATMEAL OR PORRIDGE, AND YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO SEE IT LOOK DRIER AND MORE DEFINED THAN IT DID BEFORE.

Hope you enjoyed. Any Questions? Feel free to leave a comment-o.

Large Onigiri Invades Tokyo! Part One.

Yeah. Nice title, eh? Well, I recently made some onigiri with a plastic bag. The tutorial can be found here. Note that this is my first onigiri, and only one of the many amazing ones I’ll make in my life! Hah!

 All egotism aside, here are the pictures:

By the window…

Closeup.

Pardon all the artistic shots…

In the kitchen.

Also in the kitchen.

Yeah.

Yay.

Last artistic shot, I swear.

PockyHeads Anonymous.

I swear, there must be… like… millions of support groups like Pockyheads Anonymous in Japan. I mean, in Japan, they are so available… But I’m not QUITE sure, as I’ve never been to the big J.P.

So, basically, I must share a story with you. A story of love, passion, and Pocky. And $15.00 worth of other Asian candies.

Once upon a time…

Oh, forget it. I basically bought loooads of candy, and I loved them all. See, I bought them at an Asian grocery store. It’s pretty much awesome, because I got to buy loads of over-priced candy and make the nice lady at the counter happy.

Yay, new friends!!!

I went home after buying all that sweetness, and had already gobbled up most of it by the time Mom drove into the entrance of our apartments. I swear, I need help.

Because it was so good! And my personal fave? Milk Pocky. MMMM! I haven’t tried the gourmet-ish types yet, because they cost a BUNDLE! But I will try and buy the mega-pack of chocolate someday…. And the chocolate with crushed almonds. Mmmmm. Yummehhh.

But yeah. Here’s a few pictures I’ll throw at you, subliminally demanding you to clean out the candy section of your local grocery store. Viva la CONSUMERISM !!!

Mmm.

MMM!