Yaki udon- stir fried udon noodle

It's difficult to think about your fashion sense in hot conditions as most of your interests are how to stay cool. So lately I really miss the seasons where you can enjoy co-ordinating your fashion. These are early and late winter, spring and autumn.

You can choose a different style dress or T-shirt (for men) to be fashionable in summer but you cannot add as much of your sense. Basically you only rely on the designer's sense. When it's a little colder, you can customize your basic clothes with the combination of layers. These could be a jacket, boots, a scarf, socks etc. This can show the person's sense and character, i find this more fun...

Today I will fry udon with bitter gourd ("goya" in Japanese). The nice bitterness gives you some appetite when you are tired. You can also use canned tuna instead of bacon.

Ingredients:

boiled udon

bitter gourd

onion*

bacon

enoki mushroom*

ginger

garlic

soup (dried fish, 2~4tbsps)

salt and pepper

chili powder

soy sauce

*Anything you like

1- Cut the vegetables, garlic, ginger and bacon.

2- Stir fry 1 with a little salt and pepper. When 1 is cooked, put the udon, soup and soy sauce in.

3- Stir fry for a few minutes then flour some chili powder.

Itadakimasu.

Bitter gourd salad with egg sauce

Today I will cook a salad with this seasonal vegetable called bitter gourd ("goya" or "nigauri" in Japanese). Bitter gourd used to be eaten by people in Okinawa but it has become popular and now you can find it everywhere in Japan, even in Hokkaido.

One of the reasons why it became popular was because its nutrient-richness can help you go over the summer heat. It's too bitter to eat by itself so usually you stir-fry it with meat, another vegetables and tofu etc. As they say "bitter things do good to the stomach", this healthy diet vegetable has attracted people!

This time I want to make a cold salad. I will make it less bitter by microwaving, washing with a cold water and mixing with mayonnaise & egg.

Ingredients:

bitter gourd (1)

egg (1)

mayonnaise

salt and pepper

1- Slice the bitter gourd, put some salt around and microwave or boil for 2-3 minutes. Wash it in a cold water and drain the water.

2- Boil the egg. Crush it with a spoon and mix with mayonnaise, salt and pepper.

3- Mix 1 and 2 well.

Itadakimasu.