New teapot strainers is now available

You asked. We answered. Iron Kitchen now stocks a brand new range of replacement strainers for your IWACHU cast iron teapots. 

Two quick questions: 

Are you looking for a new tea strainer for your IWACHU teapot? 

Did you stop using your teapot, because your tea strainer was broken, worn or missing?

If the answer to either of these was yes, then help us at hand.

Iron Kitchen now stocks a number of  different sizes of tea strainers.

If you are looking for a new tea strainer for your teapot, please have a look here.

These strainers aren’t exclusively for IWACHU teapots. if you can check outer and inner diameter and depth of your teapot, you may find the right size of tea strainer for your teapot.

The power of aduki beans

Beans, pulses and grains are a vital part of a healthy diet. But they’re even better if you can eat them in a sweet cake…
 
In past blogs, we’ve mentioned the health benefits of green tea, well now it’s the turn of beans to get in on the act - specifically aduki beans. These popular sweet red beans (sometimes known as azuki) are best known as the filling in sweet bean buns. These desserts are a favourite across the whole of Asia. However, being a sweet treat, most people don’t realise that aduki beans (even mashed in a bun) are extremely healthy.
 
In the bean’s grain sprout, there is a nutrient called saponin, which has been reported to help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, it has been found that saponin also has anti-inflammatory qualities.
 
Aduki's skin contains numerous members of the Vitamin B family including Vitamin B1, which helps fight fatigue and joint stiffness. Vitamin B1 also contains a variety of minerals and dietary fibre, which can help in regulating your digestive system.
 
Finally, the grains are rich in polyphenols. These can help keep the skin young and radiant. The polyphenols in aduki beans have a powerful antioxidant effect, which can help slow the aging process.
 
So, how do you enjoy the benefits of this remarkable little bean? Well, here’s a recipe for sweet bean buns, that’s an excellent alternative to chocolate cakes or sticky buns. 
 
These buns are perfect with a cup of green tea served in an Iron Kitchen IWACHU teapots.

Sweet aduki bean buns

*** This recipe requires a breadmaker ***

For the buns
280g Strong bread flour
2 tbsp Skimmed milk  
2 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Salt
50g Unsalted butter
5g Honey
1 tsp Dry yeast

For the filling
Sweet red beans paste 250-300g (You can buy this in Japanese food stores/ alternatively read the bean paste recipe below)
1 pinch of Sesame seeds
1 beaten egg
 

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

Method
 

1. Get your breadmaker ready
2. Put all the ingredients listed in ‘For the buns’ section above into the bread pan, except for the dry yeast. Please follow the instruction of your bread maker for dry yeast. (Some of the breadmakers might suggest you add dry yeast at the same time.) 
3. Set the breadmaker to Basic Dough programme.
4. When finished, put your finger into the dough and check. If no dough sticks to your finger, it’s ready. 
5. Divide the dough into 12 (around 43g each) shaped round rolls.
6. Leave them covered with a wet towel for 15 minutes.
7. When they are ready, flatten each one with your palm (not too thin). 
8. Measure out 20g of sweet red beans for each one. Place in the middle of the first flattened bun. 
9. Then seal the buns. Hold the edge, pull together and close. Roll around to make it round again.
10. Leave in a warm place (at approx. 40 degrees), covered with a wet towel to rise for 30-40 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.
11. Coat the rolls with beaten egg using a brush. Also sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
12. Now bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 15 minutes.

 
Tips and points
 
If you put too much sweet red beans paste in the dough, it will burst, so start with 20g. If you are good at making rolls, try to put in more paste and make a really rich one.
 
If you don’t have a Japanese food store near your house and have difficulty getting sweet red bean paste, you can also make it. 
 
Make your own red bean paste:
 
Buy 400g tin of aduki beansin water (available at all large supermarkets)
Empty the beans into a pan, and add 3 tbsp of sugar and 150ml of water. 
Bring the water/bean combo to the boil
Once boiled, turn down to a low heat and simmer until all the water is gone. 
Add a bit of salt and leave it cool.
Then mash the beans down to paste as you like.

***** IMPORTANT NOTICE *****

IMPORTANT NOTICE

We won't be able to dIspatch any items between 11August and 27August.

If you order during above dates, we will send the items on 28August. 

Please make sure to add promo code for Free Standard Delivery on all order over £70 with PROMO CODE - FREE70 -

***** IMPORTANT NOTICE *****

IMPORTANT NOTICE

We won't be able to despatch any items between 30March and 15April.

If you order during above dates, we will send the items on 16April. 

Please make sure to add promo code for Free Standard Delivery on all order over £70 with PROMO CODE - FREE70 -

Recipe - Green Tea Bread

Delicious Green Tea Bread with used tea leaves

Green Tea Bread

 

After the festive season, you could be a bit a sick of turkey and your stomach could be in need of recovery. So, why not relax and enjoy our green tea bread with a lovely cup of green tea?

As well as tasting great and surprising your friends and relatives, eating green tea leaves helps provide vitamin E and catechins.
 

This dish is perfect with a cup of Sencha served in an Iron Kitchen SENBIKI Green teapot.

Water with used tea leaves together  210g
(Used tea leaves 120 ~ 150g)
 
Strong bread flour  280 g
Skimmed milk  2 tablespoons
Sugar  1 tablespoon
Salt  1 teaspoon
Butter (or olive oil) 10g
Dry yeast 2.7g

(Raisins for English tea bread - optional 120g)
 

Preparation
 
Strain the green tea and have your used tea leaves in Ziploc or plastic bag and keep in the freezer.
You can make bread with green tea only or mix of different kind of tea.


 Method

1. Defrost used tea leaves thoroughly.
2. Add all the ingredients in the bread pan, except dry yeast. Please follow the instruction of your bread maker. (Some of the Breadmakers might suggest you add dry yeast at the same time. You can also add raisins later)
3. Once ready, take the loaf out from the bread pan. Be careful the pan will be very hot! Please use thick towel or oven mit.
4. Leave the loaf until cool down for about 20minutes and slice.
5. Now enjoy the green tea bread. It will nice its own or with butter.

 

 Tips and points

Green tea bread is rich tea bread like with Matcha.
Mix bread such as English tea and herb tea to vary tastes. Try with cream cheese. It's gorgeous.
 You can, of course make bread with fresh unused tea leaves, but it's better with used tea leaves, so you can enjoy the tea twice!
 

*** Christmas Delivery ***

If you would like to receive your items before Christmas, please order by noon on 14 December 2017 if you are using standard delivery or by 18 December 2017 if you are using Standard Plus.

We have Chrismas sale on, please have a look our Blog for PROMO CODE.

Christmas SALE

Christmas is coming - but you probably know that already.....

Iron Kitchen won't be exhibiting at any shows this festive season but never fear, as a valued Iron Kitchen customer, you can still get your hands on some fantastic gifts at great prices. 

Iron Kitchen are now offering: 

10% off on all orders over £100 if you purchase with PROMO Code "10XMAS17" all in one transaction by 31 December 2017.

15% off on all orders over £150 if you purchase with PROMO Code "15XMAS17" all in one transaction by 31 December 2017.

20% off on all orders over £200 if you purchase with PROMO Code "20XMAS17" all in one transaction by 31 December 2017.

Please write PROMO CODE when you get to the checkout to receive your 10%, 15% or 20% discount off the total amount.

And that's not all, we are also giving free delivery on all order over £70 (PROMO code FREE70).
You can't use both offers, so please make sure to use the one that saves you the most money.

Happy Christmas shopping!


Iron Kitchen

Recipe - Spaghetti Chanovese (Spaghetti Genovese with Japanese Green tea)

Spaghetti Chanovese

(Spaghetti Genovese with Japanese Green tea)

Chocolate with chicken, pineapple on pizza, egg and bacon ice cream – culinary crimes or fantastical flights of foodie fancy? The more “experimental” (and yes, we think pineapple on pizza is a step too far) end of the food chain is always going to be divisive but we at Iron Kitchen have found a leftfield recipe we think you’ll love.

Spaghetti Chanovese is a twist on the traditional Italian dish spaghetti Genovese and features green tea pesto. That’s right, green tea pesto. So stow your sunblush tomatoes, can your kale and stash your spinach. And definitely banish your basil because we’re making Pes-tea (sorry!).

As well as tasting great and surprising your friends, eating green tea leaves helps provide Vitamin E and Catechins.

This dish is perfect with a cup of Sencha served in an Iron Kitchen Hikifune Green teapot.

 

Ingredients

Serving per person

Dried tea leaves (Sencha) 20g

Almonds 20g chopped finely

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano 20g

Garlic ½ clove, finely chopped

Olive Oil 50ml

Sunflower oil 10ml

Anchovy 2 fillets

Salt (to taste)

Pepper (to taste)

Bacon 15g chopped

Whole garlic clove

Spaghetti 100g

Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional)

 

Method

1. For the pesto, start by grinding 20g of tea with grinder or blender. The tea should be a fine powder.

2. Pour the chopped almonds, grated cheese, garlic, salt and pepper, olive oil, sunflower oil and anchovies into the blender and blend with the green tea until you have a thick paste. If paste is too thick, add a little more olive oil and continue to blend. The paste should be reasonably thick and not runny. Once made, scoop out the pesto, put in a bowl, stir and set aside.

3. Boil water and cook spaghetti as per instruction on the package.

4. While the spaghetti is cooking, fry the chopped bacon and a whole garlic clove in a little olive oil. Once the bacon is crisp (about 5-7 minutes), remove from the pan and drain any oil on a piece of kitchen paper. Discard the whole garlic clove – it’s done its job.

5. Once cooked, take the spaghetti off the boil and drain – reserve a little pasta water.

6. Mix the bacon with the spaghetti and stir. Put 100g of spaghetti/bacon mix on a plate and add 2-4 teaspoons of pesto the (depending on taste) and 1 tablespoon of the reserved pasta water.

7. Add a little grated parmesan (if you like) and you’re good to go

New Cookware from IWACHU

The unique gifts of Iron Kitchen’s cast iron cookware

Better heat distribution
Cast iron pans are unique in their ability to distribute heat evenly. Properties within the iron mean they are highly compatible with oil. This means that the oil is heated equally and also prevents food from sticking.

IWACHU Omelette pan is beautiful design and deeper in front to shape omelette perfectly.

For more details for this Omelette pan, please click here.....

Also our new IWCHU Frying pan have pouring spouts on both sides. This makes it equally easy for right-handed or left-handed people when it comes to transferring food to your plate.

For more details for this frying pan, please click here....

COMING SOON: BRAND NEW IRON KITCHEN COOKWARE

In the next few weeks, we'll be announcing some exciting new additions to IRON KITCHEN's family of exclusive cast iron products.

Alongside teapots, teacups and trivets, we'll soon be introducing a brand new selection of kitchen and cookware.

Watch this space for more details.

One of our most popular items is BACK!

One of our most popular items is BACK!

You asked for it, and finally it's here. 

Our ever-popular ARARE set (Kettle/Teapot and Trivet) is now back in stock. 

Please order as soon as possible as they are likely to sell out quickly.

The ARARE trivet is also now available. 

It's been a bit of a wait, so thanks for your patience.

***** IMPORTANT NOTICE *****

IMPORTANT NOTICE

We won't be able to despatch any items between 04 August and 16 August.

If you order during above dates, we will send the items on 17 August. 

Please make sure to add promo code for Free Standard Delivery on all order over £70 with PROMO CODE - FREE70 -

Proud East - Pop Up Japan

We will be at Proud East - Pop Up Japan on  08-09April - all weekend. So if you're looking for a teapot, trivet or cup - you know where to come. Even if you're not, we'll still be there.

You can enjoy Japanese food, drink, cinema, comedy and games - so what are you waiting for? 

See you on the weekend. 

Love Iron Kitchen

How IWACHU make our Cast Iron Teapots

We've added a new video, showing the process of making IWACHU Cast Iron Teapots.

Please enjoy the video. It's great. 

We are in Foodies Magazine February 2017

We are in Foodies Magazine February 2017. Please check our beautiful IWACHU Cast Iron Japanese teapot ARARE, Red is on Page 9.

Click here to see Foodies Magazine February 2017.

*** Important Notice ***

*** Important Notice ***

If you would like to receive your items before Christmas, please order by noon on 15 December 2016 if you are using standard delivery or by noon on 19 December 2016 if you are using Standard Plus.

We now accept PayPal

We are happy to announce that we can now accept payment by PayPal. 

If you want to pay via PayPal, it's simple - just go to payment and choose PayPal.

Happy Christmas shopping!

10% discount on all orders over £100.

Christmas is coming - but you probably know that already. Iron Kitchen won't be exhibiting at any shows this festive season but never fear, you can still get your hands on some fantastic gifts and at great prices. 

We are offering 10% off on all orders over £100 if you purchase by 31 December 2016.

Just write PROMO Code "XMAS16" when you get to the checkout to receive your 10% discount.

And that's not all, we are also giving free delivery on all order £70(PROMO code FREE70).

You can't use both offers, so please make sure to use the one that makes most sense to you.

Happy Christmas shopping!

Important notice

We are away for 2 weeks.

We are unable to send parcels between 09 August-21 August16.

You can still order during this period and we will send out parcels as soon as we are back.

We are very sorry for the inconvenience.

The Iron Kitchen Guide to Japan -No.5-

Mount Takao

If you aren't doing Fuji and you want monkeys and mountains, this is the place. If you go, you also need to visit the Takao-san Monkey Park. 

Kyoto – Kiyomisudera

The most famous temple in Japan.

Nara Deer Park

For all your feeding deer and reclining Buddha needs. 

Kamakura Giant Buddha

If you only see one Buddha, make it this Buddha (or the other one above). View on http://www.sacred-destinations.com/japan/kamakura-great-buddha

Yoyogi Park

Go for the greenery - stay for the Goths. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3034_002.html

Kinkakuji, Kyoto

Famed Golden Pavillion may be a travel cliché but it is breathtakingly beautiful. www.japan- guide.com/e/e3908.html