Sitting around our large dining table, I watched as our friends dug into the food.

I was quite impressed myself. In just 1 1/2 hours we had managed to lay out a feast: baked chicken katsu (breaded with gluten free cornflakes) with tonkatsu sauce; another pan of chicken katsu with a beautiful Japanese broth and runny eggs; miso braised eggplant; stir-fried chinese veggies and a bubbling pot of creamy miso-sesame soy milk soup with mushrooms, cabbage and carrots. I gave myself a pat on the back. We had definitely outdone ourselves and created a rather unconventional Japanese meal. I couldn’t help but catch sight of the picture hanging on the wall right above – a painting of my grandmother and grandfather dancing. It was gift for their 50 year anniversary. My grandmother would have been proud of us.

Anyone who knew my grandmother loved her. My grandmother was a beautiful soul. In her youth, she was fun, smart, loving and gorgeous. From my grandfather’s dreamy description of her, I learnt that she was athletic and popular at school. She had many admirers including my grandfather. When she moved down to Hong Kong during the Japanese Invasion, she again quickly adapted to learn to speak Cantonese, as well as cook and raise a family. Like my grandmother, Zoe and I both inherited a love for cooking. Some of my fondest memories of her was seeing her hands dusted in flour, kneading dough in our apartment. She didn’t just make dumplings or rice or chicken, in fact I remember watching her make mantou (buns) made of rice flour and water. I tried to learn but I was never quite as skilled or delicate with the dough as she was. Her wrinkled hands was marked with lines of experience and practice. On special occasions, she would even let us help her make sweet glutinous rice dumplings stuffed with black sesame paste. Served with a beautiful clear gingery broth, it was definitely quite the treat. The dough was always perfectly chewy with a delicious sweet filling oozing out.

Not only was her food amazing, but her heart was pure gold. Anyone and everyone would have nothing but tell us how kind she was. The door to our home was always wide open for friends, family and even strangers. My grandmother could whip up a feast in no time to fill and satisfy anyone’s hungry stomachs.
From a young age I learnt to love eating, love cooking and most of all hosting friends and family, just like my grandmother. Although growing up I spent a lot of time with friends eating out at Italian restaurants and enjoyed healthy salads and sandwiches; I always retained a love for Chinese food and of course my grandmother’s cooking.
In the midst of our dinner with my friends, I couldn’t help but think of my grandmother and the legacy she had left behind for us. To her credit, we ended our dinner with a black sesame inspired dessert upon the request of our friends: a black sesame and tofu ice cream cake (vegan, low fat and low carb). Nothing like her homemade glutinous rice dumplings, but again – another delicate but aromatic treat.

I love love black sesame. In fact, Black sesame is very beneficial for your health. It is filled with  minerals, vitamin B1, and full of good dietary fibre. This cake is especially delicious with a gorgeous creamy filling studded with black sesame seeds. Decorated with ripe strawberries and berries, it was stunning. Even I was surprised. Equipped with zeal and lot of encouragement from our friends, we sort of just came up with this recipe, relying on our senses and tastebuds.

As we enjoyed slices of this gorgeous creamy ice-cream cake, I said a silent thank you in my heart to my wonderful grandmother for the wonderful talent she had left us with and a tradition I hope to keep – welcoming friends/family to a table fit for a king.

Japanese Black Sesame Tofu Ice Cream

 

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Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: 12

Ingredients

• Base:
• Your Favorite VEGAN pie crust (or our favorite vegan[url] ]crust or [url href="https://unconventionalcooks.com/2017/08/03/the-best-grain-free-pie-crust-low-carb-gf-df/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"]paleo crust)
• 2-3 tsp black sesame seeds
• Filling:
• 1¼ cup raw cashews
• ¾ cup silken tofu
• 4½ tbsp maple syrup (add to taste)
• ½ ripe banana (60g)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup + 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Soak your cashews for 3-4 hours with room temperature water OR 20-30 minutes in boiling water. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Gather all your ingredients for the crust, add in the sesame seeds. Mix together.
4. In a lined 7" cake pan, flatten out the dough to form the crust. Bake for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden.
5. Add all the ingredients of the filling into the blender. Blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness to your liking.
6. Once the crust is cooled, pour the filling in and freeze overnight or at least for 3-4 hours.
7. When you are ready to serve, allow the cake to sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes to defrost.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 148.8 (without crust) Fat: 9.8 Carbohydrates: 12.4 Sugar: 6.8 Protein: 4.8

3.5.3251

LOVE,

Zoe & Mia