Kamaboko Patties

It's nice to have had a holiday last week.  The next holiday will be spring break, so it is still weeks away.  And there will be no trip to sweeten the deal of spring break (at least not this year).  Oh well.

I was hoping to be posting a bunch of Instant Pot recipes by now, but that won't happen this week.  I've been trying things in the Instant Pot (IP), but I don't think I'm ready to throw out my Crock Pot and Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker just yet.  I learned that you CAN overcook food in the IP.  Last week, I tried making braised English-style short ribs.  It was a conventional recipe (stove top, oven) which I attempted to adapt to the IP.  I overcooked the ribs!  Yes, overcooked.  The meat was falling-off-the- bone tender, and that was not a good thing.  Short rib has a thick piece of non-meat which feels like a cross between rubber and plastic.  These pieces were attached to every bit of meat!  Gross.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I managed to spill short rib liquid on a placemat.  In spite of washing the placemat multiple times, the placemat, my washer and my dryer still smell like beef.  Seriously.  I will not be having beef for a while.

So until I get things like that  (as well as the clean-up) sorted out, I will not be posting any IP recipes.  I'm going to stick to safe recipes while I wait for additional IP accessories to arrive.  I ordered a silicone steamer, some mini mitts, and a 7" springform pan.  I have not ordered a glass lid yet, although I probably need to get one since I do not have a glass lid which fits it.  My friend Odie ordered a non-stick pan.  That might be something to order eventually.

With the Olympics on TV, I did not spend much time in the kitchen.  I wanted to watch my favorite events, the alpine events...Super G and Downhill.  I'm always amazed at how quickly those people make it down the hill.  I'm even more amazed at some of the freestyle events and how more of those athletes don't end up paralyzed from nasty falls. 

And it's not your imagination.  My last blog post was also about patties, clam patties to be exact.  I guess I like making patties.  In addition to being quick to cook, they are easy to serve and easy to pack as leftovers for lunch.  If you have burger buns on hand, these patties make a great sandwich filling too.  While these are good as is, The Help likes his with Bulldog tonkatsu sauce.  I like to have mine with a sesame kochujang dipping sauce.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Kamaboko Patties

     1 kamaboko, grated (medium coarse)
     6 shrimps, chopped
     1 can water chestnuts, chopped
     green onion
     3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1 tsp sugar
     1/4 c water

Combine flour, salt and sugar.  Stir in water.  Add remaining ingredients and combine well.  Using a small ince cream scoop, make patties.  Fry on both sides in oil until light brown.

Last Day

October 13, 2017:  Day 5

Saying goodbye to Hokkaido was a sad day.  Toyoko Inn graciously offered to hold our things while we spent the day traipsing around Sapporo.  In spite of Toyoko Inn being a basic hotel, I actually enjoyed my stay.  The place was clean and the daily breakfast, had I not been a piggie, would've been more than ample.

Most of my day alone was spent looking for yarn stores.  I managed to find Mariya, which was a total disappointment.  There was hardly anything of interest to me.

A few days prior, I managed to find a Kanariya outpost in the ESTA shopping arcade at the Sapporo station.  I was thrilled.

But I hit the motherlode again when I found this store, Yuzawaya.  I cannot read Japanese, so I asked someone to read the characters for me, even though the knitting sheep made me quite certain I was at the right place.

This was indeed an awesome store, and I bought some goodies to share with a few special Rav friends.

After all that shopping, I was totally hungry.  I knew I could find something to eat at the station, and it would put me closer to retrieving my bags at Toyoko Inn.

The Keeper was on the outskirts of the city exploring some kind of temple so he was out of play.  Just when I was trying to decide what to eat, I came across Nakaz, also looking for a meal.  We decided to indulge ourselves one last time at Tonkatsu Wako.  Since it was lunch, there was a slightly different menu...different combination sets.  Yum!  This was a great last-meal-of-the-trip, and it was nice to have good company as well.

There was another memorable food experience...a frozen fruit cocktail mochi.  I regret not getting any pics of it, but it was like eating a creamy fruit cocktail in a mochi.

A final thank you to The Keeper for getting me to Sapporo and back home (and every minute in between) safely.

Goodbye, Sapporo...until next time.

After many hours, I finally walked into my home.  Traveling is fun, but it's also nice to come home and enjoy the travel mementos (sake glass from Kitaichi Glass, Otaru).

It's nice to have had a holiday last week.  The next holiday will be spring break, so it is still weeks away.  And there will be no trip to sweeten the deal of spring break (at least not this year).  Oh well.

I was hoping to be posting a bunch of Instant Pot recipes by now, but that won't happen this week.  I've been trying things in the Instant Pot (IP), but I don't think I'm ready to throw out my Crock Pot and Kuhn Rikon pressure cooker just yet.  I learned that you CAN overcook food in the IP.  Last week, I tried making braised English-style short ribs.  It was a conventional recipe (stove top, oven) which I attempted to adapt to the IP.  I overcooked the ribs!  Yes, overcooked.  The meat was falling-off-the- bone tender, and that was not a good thing.  Short rib has a thick piece of non-meat which feels like a cross between rubber and plastic.  These pieces were attached to every bit of meat!  Gross.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I managed to spill short rib liquid on a placemat.  In spite of washing the placemat multiple times, the placemat, my washer and my dryer still smell like beef.  Seriously.  I will not be having beef for a while.

So until I get things like that  (as well as the clean-up) sorted out, I will not be posting any IP recipes.  I'm going to stick to safe recipes while I wait for additional IP accessories to arrive.  I ordered a silicone steamer, some mini mitts, and a 7" springform pan.  I have not ordered a glass lid yet, although I probably need to get one since I do not have a glass lid which fits it.  My friend Odie ordered a non-stick pan.  That might be something to order eventually.

With the Olympics on TV, I did not spend much time in the kitchen.  I wanted to watch my favorite events, the alpine events...Super G and Downhill.  I'm always amazed at how quickly those people make it down the hill.  I'm even more amazed at some of the freestyle events and how more of those athletes don't end up paralyzed from nasty falls. 

And it's not your imagination.  My last blog post was also about patties, clam patties to be exact.  I guess I like making patties.  In addition to being quick to cook, they are easy to serve and easy to pack as leftovers for lunch.  If you have burger buns on hand, these patties make a great sandwich filling too.  While these are good as is, The Help likes his with Bulldog tonkatsu sauce.  I like to have mine with a sesame kochujang dipping sauce.

click on recipe title for printable recipe

Kamaboko Patties

     1 kamaboko, grated (medium coarse)
     6 shrimps, chopped
     1 can water chestnuts, chopped
     green onion
     3/4 c flour
     1/2 tsp salt
     1 tsp sugar
     1/4 c water

Combine flour, salt and sugar.  Stir in water.  Add remaining ingredients and combine well.  Using a small ince cream scoop, make patties.  Fry on both sides in oil until light brown.

Last Day

October 13, 2017:  Day 5

Saying goodbye to Hokkaido was a sad day.  Toyoko Inn graciously offered to hold our things while we spent the day traipsing around Sapporo.  In spite of Toyoko Inn being a basic hotel, I actually enjoyed my stay.  The place was clean and the daily breakfast, had I not been a piggie, would've been more than ample.

Most of my day alone was spent looking for yarn stores.  I managed to find Mariya, which was a total disappointment.  There was hardly anything of interest to me.

A few days prior, I managed to find a Kanariya outpost in the ESTA shopping arcade at the Sapporo station.  I was thrilled.

But I hit the motherlode again when I found this store, Yuzawaya.  I cannot read Japanese, so I asked someone to read the characters for me, even though the knitting sheep made me quite certain I was at the right place.

This was indeed an awesome store, and I bought some goodies to share with a few special Rav friends.

After all that shopping, I was totally hungry.  I knew I could find something to eat at the station, and it would put me closer to retrieving my bags at Toyoko Inn.

The Keeper was on the outskirts of the city exploring some kind of temple so he was out of play.  Just when I was trying to decide what to eat, I came across Nakaz, also looking for a meal.  We decided to indulge ourselves one last time at Tonkatsu Wako.  Since it was lunch, there was a slightly different menu...different combination sets.  Yum!  This was a great last-meal-of-the-trip, and it was nice to have good company as well.

There was another memorable food experience...a frozen fruit cocktail mochi.  I regret not getting any pics of it, but it was like eating a creamy fruit cocktail in a mochi.

A final thank you to The Keeper for getting me to Sapporo and back home (and every minute in between) safely.

Goodbye, Sapporo...until next time.

After many hours, I finally walked into my home.  Traveling is fun, but it's also nice to come home and enjoy the travel mementos (sake glass from Kitaichi Glass, Otaru).