Kitchen for Singles / ひとりごとエプロン

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Easy, but not light, potato gratin

"Monday, November 18. A sudden shower."

Recipe (serves 2)

400g of potatoes, 1 leek, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp granulated chicken broth, 400ml milk, 1/2 tsp olive oil, pizza cheese, black pepper.

1. Potatoes are sliced, stacked and julienned. Don't soak to retain starch.
2. Saute potatoes, then add milk, salt, and chicken broth powder. Add green onions and remaining milk.
3. Bake for 15 mins until cheese browns.

Quotes

• Any mistakes made during this time of year hurt more. Probably because the chilly air keeps your regret fresh.
• By imagining the taste, you get the overall picture. To realise that picture, just keep moving your hands.
• A grown up should know when to let go. No one will notice if my shoes are stained. No one other than you cares. However, I practice this grown-up thing only in the outside world. Back in my castle, I’m the queen acting on my heart.
• Not all failures are your fault. Too often, its a mere trick of circumstances. But, even if the rain left stains on my shoes, it will remind me of the warmth of the gratin, and I will love this pair even more.

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Spring rolls of shredded vegetables

"Friday, November 22. Sunny day."

Recipe (10 rolls)

1/2 large sweet potato (200g), 1/2 carrot (100g), 1 zucchini, 2 green peppers (60g), 10 spring roll skins, oil for frying to taste, Sauce - 2 Tsp vinegar, 1 Tsp shoyu, 1/2 tbsp ground white sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp gochujang (red pepper paste).

1. Julienne vegetables and place into roll. Roll once, fold in sides and roll again. Use flour and water paste to seal ends.
2. Saute in a small amount of oil.
3. Mix soy sauce, gochujang, grated sesame and vinegar for sauce.

Quotes

• Since when did I become so timid about anything that disrupts my norm?
• Whenever I feel this way, I chop things into fine julienne as fast as I can. The rhythm of the action brings me back to my normal self.
• It’s not that I’m avoiding falling in love with someone. What I’m afraid of is playing into someone’s hands in love games.
• I’ve always enjoyed being alone. Yet, part of me still wants someone to care about me.

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Soy milk miso soup in the morning

"Saturday, November 30. Beautiful day!"

Recipe (serves 2)

Daikon radish 4cm long (150g), 4cm length of carrot (50g), 1 sheet (80g) Chinese cabbage, 500 ml water, 1 tsp granulated chicken broth, 100ml soy milk, 1 and 1/2 Tsp miso paste.

1. Ddd chicken broth to taste. Julienne and add daikon, carrot and white part of cabbage.
2. Add miso paste, remaining cabbage and soy milk.
3. Toast milk bread to golden crisp.

Quotes

• Time flows as it did in my childhood. Spending time thinking about unanswered questions, following a cat all the way, creating an imaginary map in my mind. I would do things that are unnecessary and unrequested.
• Today, the time seems to flow at a leisurely pace. Why don’t I just surrender myself to that flow?

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Spanish omelette in celebration

"Thursday, December 5. Slightly overcast."

Recipe (serves 2)

1 potato (200g,) 1/4 onion (50 g), 1/8 bell pepper (20g), 6 small tomatoes (60g), 3-4 eggs, Pizza cheese to taste, 1/4 tsp sea salt, a pinch of black pepper, 2 tsp mustard, 2 tsp olive oil.

1. Beat eggs lightly.
2. Once heated, add onions and potato and saute with salt and pepper.
3. After onions have browned, add more olive oil. Add eggs, cheese, tomatoes, and pepper. Simmer for 5 mins.

Quotes

• Old things in this town are being replaced by new things. It’s nice, but I also feel inconsolably sad.
• There are things only you can appreciate. You feel alone, and somehow, anxious about it.
• When you squish a hot tomato in your mouth, its tartness and sweetness fill your mouth and nostrils. It's a luxury to use this many tomatoes at once.
• I've grown up to be able to appreciate even a sad event and enjoy my life.

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Tomato udon noodles with a guilty feeling

"Tuesday, July 21. Clear skies with occasional rain."

Recipe (serves 1)

1/4 of homemade tomato sauce*, 1 ball of frozen udon noodles, 1 egg, 1 slice of cheese, 50ml water, A pinch of salt, 1 tsp granulated chicken broth, 1/2 Tsp Worcestershire sauce, A pinch of parsley.

1. Defrost and reheat sauce and noodles. Add remaining ingredients and cook.

Tomato sauce - 1 tomato, 1 can of whole tomatoes, 1/2 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp sake, 4 tsp olive oil.

1. Saute fresh tomatoes in oil. Add aromatics. Add tomato sauce once onions are translucent. Add salt. Add wine to rinse remaining canned tomato.

Quotes

• I thought today would be the day [I beat the game]. I was persistent, and time flew by. I was playing for fun, but it eventually became stressful.
• I’m glad I still have some of this tomato sauce. If only i could keep a responsible version of myself in the freezer - I miss who i was a week ago, the one who’d plan ahead. I'll probably oversleep a bit tomorrow and have bedhead at work. I'll sleepily make mistakes, and that'll soon become a part of my daily life. I gotta get a grip before then. That's what I think, but why does a snack on such a low night bring such joy?
• Life becomes a mess as the days pile on. So having self-control is key. That's probably true, but my stubborn self still wants to go out on a journey.
• It's important to have a consistent lifestyle, but occasionally venturing out from it is nice. Isn't it?

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Long and thin stir-fried bean sprouts with butter

"Sunday, July 26. An auspicious day."

Recipe (serves 2)

1  tofu (300g), 1/2 bag (125g) bean sprouts, 1 handful of pea sprouts, 1/2 tsp salt 15 g butter, 1 tsp Japanese soup stock (granulated), 2 Tsp salad oil, black pepper to taste, vinegar.

1. Wash and soak sprouts in water.
2. Wrap tofu in paper towel to soak excess water for 10mins. Chop into cubes. Add 2 tbsp of salad oil and fry both sides of tofu until brown.
3. Fry sprouts and add salt, dashi and butter.

Quotes

• We all study, work, and get married. As we age, the time we spend together becomes more and more limited. I wonder when I started noticing.
• We were together for all of high school. We'd browse knickknack shops with no cash and get excited by small things. We'd laugh forever over nothing and be sad about the smallest things. "Let's definitely hang out even after high school." We promised repeatedly, but...
• There's still a chance that one day we'll be able to hang out. Every day, just like we used to. So let's keep our friendship going like this for a long, long time. Definitely, okay?

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Summer cucumber fried rice

"Saturday, August 29. Clear and sunny."

Recipe (serves 1)

1 wedge of lemon, 180g, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, 2 tablespoons salad oil, 1/2 cucumber, 1 myoga, 3 green shiso leaves, rice.

1. Cut the cucumber lengthwise and deseed with a spoon. Slice diagonally, but not too thinly. Julienne myoga ginger.
2. Fry egg until half cooked then place aside.
3. Saute still warm rice. Add cucumber, salt and pepper. Put egg in with ginger and perilla; saute. Squeeze lemon.

Quotes

• I've been so busy lately that I neglected my home. When it bothers me, I end up cleaning the whole place.
• If I lived in a huge, magnificent castle, I'd have all my favorite things placed around me. But in this castle, my countless "favorite things" can only be stored on one set of shelves. There's no way that's possible. My bountiful love is spilling over.
• There's a limit to how much I can store here, but this packed space lets me be myself without ever changing. On the other hand, if I make space, I can also fill it with new "favorites." I'm not saying it's better either way, but keeping some spaces blank might've looked cool, too. There's some space in my castle now. Let's discover more "favorites" to bring home.

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Spoil me, fried onion dumplings

"Friday, March 5. Strong winds."

Recipe (25 pieces)

200 g minced pork, 1/2 onion, 1/2 piece of ginger, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 2 Tsp sake, A pinch of peppe,r 1/2 tsp sesame oil, 1/2 Tsp katakuriko (potato starch), 25 gyoza dumpling skins, 1/2 Tsp salad oil, 100 ml water, A pinch of sesame oil.

1. Cut onions and ginger finely. Mix ground meat with salt, put sugar, cooking alcohol, pepper and soy sauce. Sprinkle some potato starch.
2. Wrap meat in dumpling skins and fold along the top. Fry with oil. Cover dumplings halfway with water and cover with lid. Season with sesame oil and fry again to add crunch.
3. Dipping sauce - vinegar, chili oil and soy sauce and vinegar yuzu kosho.

Quotes

• When I bring my work home, it's strange, as if the outside world is invading my home.
• I've hated that guidebook ever since I was hired. "Reflect on today's activities in the space below." It felt so sterile and commanding, like a math textbook.
• Who's going to step up and do it? The silence was so frustrating, I'd end up volunteering. "Just let it go." "But I can't ignore it." I'm usually an introvert, but those moments make me want to stand out. Even so, when my hands start moving, I feel energy grow in my fingertips.
• Even if I complain or lounge around on the ground, being a queen who doesn't worry about such rules makes my solo apartment into a sanctuary. It's still okay to not be too hard on myself, right?

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Deep-fried chicken breast with Japanese tartar sauce

"Tuesday, September 1. Clear skies after a typhoon."

Recipe (serves 2)

1 chicken breast (350-400g), 1 and 1/2 tbsp white dashi, 1/4 tbsp weak flour, Potato starch 1 tbsp potato starch, Appropriate amount of frying oil.

1. Cut peeled chicken breast into three parts. Cut 1.5cm wide cubes. Season with salt and white dashi. Mix, cover and set for 10mins.
2. Sprinkle weak flour then dip in starch. Fry until golden.
3. Add cut veggie sticks - cucumber, carrot etc.
4. Tartar sauce - 4 tbsp mayonnaise, 1/2 tbsp vinegar, 1/2 tsp white dashi, 1-2 tbsp wasabi, 10cm long onion.

Quotes

• Sculptors in their studios know what to carve because the wood speaks to them. It might be the same with me in the supermarket.
• 400 grams of chicken breast. It lacks moisture compared to juicy chicken thighs. Some may say that it even tastes dry. But when you want your fill of meat, isn't it kind of perfect?
• The dish isn't extravagant. It's very ordinary, but my memories of eating fried chicken are all full of joy.
• Things I've eaten. Things I've seen. People I've met. Places I've been. Everything I've encountered makes me who I am today. That goes for this room, too. It may be just another night, but it's been a spectacular one.

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Asian celery soup pasta

"Sunday, March 14. Cloudy with blue skies."

Recipe (serves 1)

50 g penne (quick-cooking type), 30 g frozen seafood, Celery leaves and stalks to taste, Shimeji mushrooms (frozen) 30g, 3 small tomatoes, 2 green perilla leaves, 2 lemon slices, A pinch of salt, 1 Tsp sake, 2 tsp Nam Pla fish sauce, A pinch of black pepper, A pinch of sesame oil, 400 ml water.

1. Cut celery and peel strings off to improve texture. Tear green perilla leaves into big leaves. Cut tomatoes and mushrooms.
2. Put water on medium heat and wait to boil. Add tomato, mushroom, seafood and pinch of salt. Add fish sauce and bring to boil. Add celery.
3. Add sesame oil and top with lemon slices, perilla and black pepper.

Quotes

• Sometimes you learn to like things you didn't before. Celery's a classic example. That bitter taste and aromatic smell. Whenever they were in my food, I used to take them out piece by piece. But now I even think about putting it in salads for dinner.
• At first, someone may seem totally incompatible with you, but then you end up being the best of friends.
• “When you dislike something, trivial things won't change your mind." is something I'd never say. As your likes and dislikes evolve, you might run into new things you like, too. I think I might really like this.

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Steamed salmon in foil without a steamer

"Saturday, March 20. Medium to light rain."

Recipe (serves 1)

1 slice raw salmon, 1 tsp sake, A pinch of salt and pepper, 2 asparagus, 1 handful of cabbage, Green peas to taste, 200 ml yogurt, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 Tsp olive oil.

1. Add salt and sake to salmon. Cover in foil. Peel asparagus stem and cut, along with cabbage.
2. Add salmon and veg into steamer. Once boiling, steam for 8 mins.
3. Sauce - yogurt, salt, garlic paste, olive oil.

Quotes

• If cooking methods had personalities, I'd say steaming is really kind. It brings softness and sweetness. It's a taste you can't get from grilling, frying, or boiling. It's attained through long hours.
• This sock has finally reached its end, too. I don't know when to throw socks out. Even when the threads tangle or the elastic loosens, I end up wearing them anyway. But when my big toe sticks out, it's black and white. I have to throw it out. But I like telling myself otherwise and wearing old socks anyways. rather than being black or white, the situation is gray.

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Fluffy tamagoyaki sandwich

"Saturday, March 27. Nice weather."

Recipe (serves 1)

3 eggs, 1 Tsp sugar, A pinch of salt, 2 Tsp milk, 1 tsp salad oil, 2 slices of bread, 1 Tsp mayonnaise, 1/2 Tsp ketchup.

1. Beat eggs and add salt, sugar and milk. Start stove at high heat and fluff up egg. Put on low heat until edges cook.
2. Sauce - 1:2 ketchup to mayo ratio.
3. Prepare toast then add sauce to both slices. Stack egg and cut into half.

Quotes

• I've been wanting to try it once after reading about it in a novel. Chasing after these fantasies is kind of embarrassing, so I hesitate a bit. I keep thinking about what I would do if someone found out and teased me about it. But I admire people who are always able to do things the way they'd like to.
• Spring is the perfect season for taking a step forward. A well-made sandwich and my favorite clothes. Perfect weather for the best picnic ever. I love this cute jacket and feel comfortable wearing it. I mean, look at how wonderful everything is.