In contrast to the West, Valentine’s Day is when women in Japan buy or make chocolate for the men in social circles. There are even different levels of chocolate:
- Honmei choco: “true feeling” chocolates for boyfriends and husbands
- Giri choco: “obligatory chocolates” for coworkers
- Tomo-choco: “friend chocolate” for friends (girls included)
Whether for your significant other or your best friend, celebrate the day of love with some dreamy chocolate recipes brought to us by Japanese Twitter. And if you don’t like chocolate, check out these weird Japanese Valentine’s gifts.
Microwaved gateau chocolate cake
天才かも。７回改良太ったから試して貰えたら報われます
【レンジで絶品ガトーショコラ】
ホットケーキミックスやBPを使うガトーショコラ風じゃなくメレンゲの本格版。卵白を冷凍することで手動でも3分ほどで泡立ちます。しかもレンジは気泡が消えん内に加熱し終わるんで少ない泡立ちでも膨らむ！
“I think I’m a genius. I’ve improved it over seven tries and got fat, but I’ll feel better if you try it.
【Microwaved gateau chocolate cake】
An authentic chocolate cake that doesn’t feel like it’s made from pancake mix and baking powder. By freezing the egg whites, you can whip them into a foam by hand in three minutes. Moreover, even a small amount of foamy egg white is enough since the fluffiness doesn’t disappear before the microwave oven finishes heating the cake.”
Easy as 1-2-3
15.6cm
のジップロック
①卵2個は卵黄と卵白に分け、卵白は乾いたボウルに入れ冷凍庫で1時間凍らせる
②耐熱ボウルに無塩バター70g、割った板チョコ2枚(100g)を入れラップ無し1分チン。砂糖、牛乳各大さじ2、卵黄を順に混ぜる
③ ①に塩少々(あれば。泡が安定します)を加えて泡立て②に加える
“In a 15.6 cm square Ziploc container
1. Separate two eggs whites into a bowl and put them in the freezer for one hour
2. Add 70g of unsalted butter and two cut up bars of chocolate (100g) in a heat-resistant bowl and microwave it for one minute without wrap. Mix in order: sugar, two tablespoons of milk and the egg yolk.
3. Add a little salt to [step 1] (the foam will be stable) and whip the mix with [the ingredients from step 2].
④ある程度混ざったら薄力粉大さじ2を茶漉しかザルを通少しずつふるい入れ(ダマになりやすいんで)さっくり混ぜ、オーブン用シートを敷いた型に流す
⑤ラップ無し4分ほどチン(表面が少し濡れてる位がベスト。一部だけ生ならそこだけ抜い取って)粗熱が取れたら両手でギュッと丸くし冷蔵庫で冷やし完成
“4. After mixing to some extent, strain two tablespoons of cake flour through a tea strainer or a colander and sift it little by little (because it tends to get lumpy), mix it thoroughly and pour it into a mold with an oven sheet.
5. Microwave for about four minutes without wrap (It is best if the surface is a little wet. If there’s some unbaked part, wipe it off). Once it has cooled down a bit, round it tightly with both hands and cool it in the refrigerator.”
That is one delicious looking cake. Of course, not everyone is a cake fan. Here’s a quick extra crunchy chocolate bar recipe for when you’re feeling lazy, but still would like to munch on some homemade chocolate
2. Homemade crunch bar
バレンタインはこれでどうでしょう
『ザクザク濃厚クランチチョコバー】
①鍋でバター大さじ2とマシュマロ8個を極弱火で溶かす
②火を止め刻んでおいたビターチョコを加え溶かす
③チョコクリスピー300mlを加え混ぜたらクッキングシートを引いたバットに流す
④冷蔵庫で30分冷やしカットして完成！
“What about this for Valentine?
‘Extra crunchy chocolate bar’
① Heat two tablespoons of butter with eight marshmallows on low heat until melted
② Stop the fire and add chopped bitter chocolate and let it melt
③ Add 300g of chocolate crispy [cereal], mix and pour into a bat with parchment paper.
④ Let it cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and then cut!”
Pretty good, but how about this take on a chocolate sandwich made with Lotus biscuits?
Chocolate Lotus sandwich
ロータスクッキーで生チョコサンド。
材料は
・ロータスクッキー
・チョコレート
・生クリーム
の3つだけ！
ラッピングしたらめちゃ可愛くないですか…
レシピ↓
“Chocolate sandwich made with Lotus biscuits.
Only three ingredients:
- Lotus biscuits
- Chocolate
- Fresh cream
Wouldn’t they look super cute when wrapped?
Recipe:”
〈材料〉
チョコレート300g
生クリーム150ml
ロータスクッキー25枚(１パック)
〈手順〉
1.小鍋に生クリームを入れて沸騰直前まで温め火を止める
2.割ったチョコレートをいれて溶かす
3.クッキングシートをしいた型にチョコを流して冷やす
4.固まったらロータスクッキーのサイズにカットしてサンドする
<Ingredients>
Chocolate: 300g
Fresh cream: 150ml
25 Lotus cookies (one pack)
<Process>
1. Put fresh cream in a small pot, warm until just before boiling and turn off the heat.
2. Add the broken chocolate and melt it.
3. Pour the chocolate into a mold with baking paper and cool it.
4. After it solidifies, cut it into Lotus-sized cookies and make a sandwich.
Easy chocolate chips cookies
材料５つ。混ぜて焼くだけ簡単！
おうちカフェにうれしい【チョコチャンククッキー】
バターなしで作れます。
ホットケーキMIX200g、砂糖大1.5、ＳＯＹＢＩＯ豆乳ヨーグルト大3、油大2.5、チョコ50gを混ぜひとまとめに。6等分し厚さ3mmの丸型にし天板に並べ180度予熱オーブンで15分程焼く。
“Five ingredients. Just mix and bake. Easy!
Nice at home cafe [chocolate chunk cookie]
You can make it without butter.
Mix 200g of pancake mix, 1.5 tbsp of sugar, three tbsp of SOYBIO soymilk yogurts, 2.5 tbsp oil and 50g of chocolate. Divide into six equal parts, make a thick (3mm) round shape, line them on the baking tray and bake them in a 180c preheated oven for about 15 minutes.”
Japanese vocabulary for cooking and baking
Words that have to do with the kitchen are great conversation starters!
Ingredients
材料 zairyou ingredient ホットケーキミックス hotto keeki mikkusu pancake mix (BP) ベーキングパウダー beekingu paudaa baking powder 卵白 ranpaku egg white 卵黄 rano egg yolk 卵 tamago egg 無塩バター muen bataa unsalted butter 板チョコ ita chyoko chocolate tablet 砂糖 satou sugar 牛乳 gyuunyuu milk 塩 shio salt 薄力粉 hakurikiko cake flour マシュマロ mashyumaro marshmallow ビターチョコ bitaa chyoko bitter chocolate チョコクリスピー chyokokurisupii chocolate crispy 生クリーム nama kuriimu fresh cream ロータスクッキー rootasukukkii Lotus biscuit 大豆 daizu soybean 豆乳ヨーグルト tounyuuyooguruto soy yogurt 油 yu oil
Verbs
冷凍する reitou suru freeze 泡立つ awadatsu foam, bubble 加熱する kanetsu suru heat 膨らむ fukuramu rise (bread, dough…) 分ける wakeru separate 入れる ireru put in 凍らせる kooraseru freeze, frost チンする chin suru microwave something 混ぜる mazeru mix 加える kuwaeru add ふるい入れる furuiireru sift ダマになる dama ni naru become clumpy 流す nagasu pour (into) 冷やす hiyasu cool, refrigerate 溶かす tokasu melt 刻む kizamu chop カットする kaato suru cut 火を止める hi wo tomeru stop the fire 固まる katamaru harden, solidify 焼く yaku bake 予熱する yonetsu suru preheat 等分する toubun suru divide equally
Baking tools and other key words
レンジ renji microwave oven ガトーショコラ gatoo shyokora chocolate cake 手動 shyudou manually, by hand ボウル bouru bowl 冷凍庫 reitouko freezer 耐熱ボウル tainetsu bouru heat resistant bowl ラップ rappu food, plastic wrap 順に jyun ni in order 茶漉し chyakoshi tea strainer ザル zaru colander オーブン用シートクッキングシート oobunyou shiitokukkingushiito baking paper 型 kata mold 生 nama raw 粗熱 aranetsu the heat of food just after cooking 両手で ryoute de with both hand 鍋 nabe pot 大さじ oosaji tablespoon 極弱火 gokuyowabi low fire 火 hi fire バット baato shallow tray 冷蔵庫 reizouko fridge 小鍋 konabe small pot 沸騰直前まで futtochyokuzen made until just before boiling 洗い物 araimono dishes to be washed 丸型 marugata round shape 天板 tenban baking tray
