Egg Custard or Chawan-Mushi

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To me, Egg Custard conjures a sweet Western dish baked in the oven, similar to 'rice pudding'. In Harvest Moon and Rune Factory, however, it is a savoury dish with mushrooms. Here is a Recipe for Chawan-mushi, the real world equivalent to Harvest Moon/Rune Factory Egg Custard:

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2 3/4 cups chicken stock, seasoned with sake and soy sauce
4 slices of shitake mushroom
4 cilantro leaves

4 cups

Beat the egg gently with a fork, then gradually add the stock, stirring constantly.

Place one slice of shitake mushroom in each cup, then pour the egg/stock mixture into the cups. Garnish each with one piece of cilantro.

Boil water in a steamer, then reduce the heat to medium.

Place the four cups into the steamer and steam for about 12 minutes. Do not overcook!

Note that many Recipes include pieces of chicken as well as Mushrooms but as meat usually is not an ingredient in Harvest Moon or Rune Factory, the purist will eschew it and use only Mushrooms, an Autumn ingredient in most HM and RF games.

In Rune Factory Frontier, the Recipe for Egg Custard (made in the Steamer) is as follows:
Egg Custard:
Ingredients: Egg, Shrimp, Spinach, Mushroom

Skill Level Requirement is Level 29 and Energy Values are: HP 45, RP 225, FX 120 sec. Knock-back, Seal Attack 100%

In Island of Happiness, the Recipe is obtained from the Diner with the offering of a Shitake Mushroom and is as follows:

Steamed Egg Custard: 110G
Basic Steamed Egg Custard: Egg, Shitake
+25 SR +10 FL
Best Steamed Egg Custard: Egg, Shitake, Small Fish, Medium Fish, Large Fish,
Grilled Fish
+49 SR +24 FL

Potato Croquettes or Korokke

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'Croquettes' or Korokke is another dish with a French name that is popular in Japan. Here is a wonderful recipe for Potato Curry Croquettes:

Ingredients:

Croquette mixture:
1/4 lb. ground beef
1 lb. potatoes, boiled and mashed
1/2 onion, chopped fine
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
Optional: 1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon oil or butter

Coating:
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
2 cups bread crumbs

Cooking:
Oil for deep frying

Garnish:
8 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced, soaked in cold water

Cut 1 lb. of potatoes, boil and mash, then set aside while you cook the meat mixture as follows:

Heat oil/butter, then saute the chopped onion until it is transparent. Add ground meat, brown the meat, then add the spices. Remove meat mixture and add it to the mashed potatoes.

Place the flour on a plate or clean surface and do the same with the bread crumbs. The beaten egg should be in a separate bowl.

Now make 8 croquettes by shaping or rolling the mixture in your hands, dredge each first in the flour, dip it in the egg, then roll it in the bread crumbs until it is covered thoroughly.

Heat oil and deep-fry each croquette in the oil for about 3 minutes on each side until golden-brown. Drain and remove any excess oil from the croquettes, then wrap in the cabbage leaves and serve. (If you do not like raw cabbage, you can cook the cabbage leaves slightly before placing them in the cold water.)

Not as healthy as Natto perhaps...

A very simple Korokke recipe is:

3 or 4 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup corn
1/2 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Japanese bread crumbs (panko)

Oil for frying

Place the flour on a plate or clean surface and place the bread crumps on another plate or bowl, while keeping the beaten egg in a separate bowl.

Mix the mashed potatoes and egg together, then shape into patties. Dredge first in flour, then dip in the egg and finally coat with the bread crumbs.

Deep fry each croquette in oil until golden. Drain and remove any excess oil. Serve with tonkatsu or any other favourite sauce.

Risotto

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Risotto is a rice dish that differs significantly from ordinary steamed rice because it is cooked with a great deal of liquid in a manner that absorbs repeated 'dosings' of liquid slowly. Where steamed rice is cooked in a covered pot without ever opening the lid or stirring it, good Risotto depends upon frequent additions of stock as well as devoted stirring.

Here is a Recipe for simple Risotto:

Heat 6 cups of chicken stock to the point where it simmers. Add chopped herbs to taste. Some recommended herbs are Fresh Parsley, Thyme or Basil. Have at least 2 more cups of Chicken Stock on hand for use if necessary later.

Chop one onion and some fresh garlic. Fresh fennel can be chopped and added to your Risotto if you like the taste. Set aside 1 cup of grated Romano cheese and in a separate bowl, one 1 cup of cooked green peas.

Heat two tablespoons of Butter or Olive Oil in a heavy skillet, then add the onions and garlic. Saute until golden, then add 1 cup of Arborio Rice. Stir well, making certain that the rice is fully coated with the oil/butter. Add 1/4 cup of white wine and once the wine is 3/4 absorbed, add enough chicken stock to cover the rice completely. Add the fennel now if you have chopped some.

Reduce the heat now to a low level and simmer the rice until the liquid decreases to 1/3 the original amount. At this point, you will need to add more chicken stock. When this decreases, add more again, contining to do this for about 20 more minutes.
At the end of this period, add the cooked green peas.

The rice should be almost done now. When it is quite done, but still with a hint of texture, add two tablespoons of butter with the Romano Cheese and mix thoroughly.

The basic Risotto Recipe can be varied by adding meat, poultry, squash, mushrooms and any other ingredient that appeals to the cook. It is a very hearty dish that is perfect in cold weather. Although it originally was a country dish, it has been modified by some gourmet chefs to the point where it can be one of the most delicate, exquisite dishes in the world.

Recipe for Gratin

Recipe for Gratin

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1 1/2 lb. potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
3/4 lb. onions, sliced thin
1 cup or 4 oz. grated Gruyere cheese
8 tablespoons or 2 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup whipping or heavy cream

Combine sliced potatoes and onions in a large heavy saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes about 3 minutes until potatoes are almost fully cooked, then drain vegetabels.

Arrange half of all potatoes and onions in a baking dish, alternating each. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with 1/3 cup Gruyere cheese and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.

Now create another layer of vegetables, alternating potatoes and onion slices. Pour the cream over the entire mixture, season with salt and pepper again, and sprinkle the remaining grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses on top.

Bake uncovered in oven at 400 degrees until the cream thickens, which should occur in about 25 minutes. Remove from over.

Preheat the broiler and place baking dish in broiler for about 2 minutes until golden on top.

Recipe for Seafood Doria

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Fans of Harvest Moon and Rune Factory will be familiar with certain 'staple' dishes that appear again and again in their Cookbooks in game after game. Many of them have French names and in some cases resemble the original French dish, but in other cases are a Japanese version of the original.

'Doria' is a case in point. Doria, originally French, has become very popular in Japan in a revised version. It is fundamentally a rice dish with a topping of sauteed ingredients in a white sauce.

In fact, there is a name for Western dishes adopted, then modified into Japanese cuisine: 'yoshoku'. It is possible that many 'Western' dishes found in Harvest Moon and Rune Factory cookbooks actually are popular in Japan in a different form from those found in the West. I hope to discover more about this as I work on Recipes for this site.

'Seafood Doria' can be found in many Harvest Moon games. Here is a Japanese recipe for Shrimp Doria:

Shrimp Doria

White Sauce:

•2 Tbsp butter
•2 Tbsp flour
•1 cup milk
•1/2 tsp salt
•1/2 tsp consomme powder


•1/2 tbsp. butter
•1/2 small onion, sliced or chopped fine
•4 white mushrooms, sliced or chopped fine
•8 - 10 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Rice:

•2 cup steamed rice
•1/2 Tbsp butter

Garnish:

•2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
On low heat, melt 2 tbsp. of butter in a sauce pan. Add 2 Tbsp. flour and mix them, stirring well. When the mixture bubbles, add milk, using a whisk to stir constantly and continue stirring until it thickens. Season with salt and pepper and optionally, the bouillon seasoning of your choice. Set aside.

Using low heat again, saute the chopped onion in 1/2 tbsp. butter until soft and transparent in a skillet. Add mushrooms and shrimp and stir-fry until cooked. Add the white sauce made previously and mix thoroughly.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Add 1/2 Tbsp melted butter to the steamed rice and stir lightly, then place the rice in a baking dish. Pour the cream sauce over the rice, sprinkling Parmesan Cheese on top. Bake in the oven for 10 -15 minutes until lightly browned.

Serves 2.