"There's not a lot of oil, there's not a lot of fat. They believe in the clean eating."
Carol Molloy is a Japanese-Australian cook and My Kitchen Rules contestant who joined Lee and me on episode 7 of The Lee & Irene Show. Her mum, who is from Kyushu in Japan, is "a really great cook and a really great entertainer", and Carol grew up with a house full of food and people. As she puts it, "producing food for people is showing that you care for people... So food is love."
Carol takes people on food tours of Japan. "I like to show the full range of food available in Japan, so we might be doing Michelin dining one day, we might be eating at a street stall or under a railway station another day."
You can listen to the full episode here:
Here are the 3 things I learned from our chat with Carol
1. Japanese food is about clean eating
Carol says Japanese food is "more than just sushi". There's gyoza, sashimi, tempura, yakitori, "which literally means cooked bird", and hot pot dishes, with "a big focus on seafood and also vegetables". With so much tofu and vegetables, "you can be vegetarian and eat really, really well."
It's also very clean. "There's not a lot of oil, there's not a lot of fat... a lot of pickles and fermenting as well."
Carol says her own cooking comes from her Japanese background. "I like the natural flavours of the ingredients, the vegetables, whatever protein you might be using rather than always covering everything in like a sauce."
2. Double cleansing started with the geishas
The home of geisha is Kyoto. Carol explained that geishas start out as maiko, "baby geishas", who live together in a big house and learn the geisha skills, which "contrary to popular belief is more about entertaining people and being a great hostess."
Then there's the famous white face. Carol says in Japan, pale skin has long been a sign of being "wealthy and refined". But the thick white makeup the geishas wore was "quite poisonous", so it had to come off properly, and that's where double cleansing began. They used camellia oil first, "and then a standard cleanser like a foaming type cleanser".
3. Rice water skincare started in the rice paddies
Carol says the idea of rice water in skincare came from the women who worked in the rice paddies. Their hands were in the water, "in that rice liquid", all day, and people noticed "their skin was really soft and beautiful." SK-II used rice water in its skincare, "and other brands have looked at it" since.
I sell a natural dupe for the SK-II from 100% Pure, the 100% Pure Fermented Rice Water Toner. The SK-II version has ingredients that are pretty high up on my NO List, which is a shame.
Carol says Japanese skincare places "a big emphasis on hydration and then softening the skin", with "so many layers of skincare and preparation." Protecting that skin matters just as much. "Japanese people have always protected their skin." That means SPF 50+ reapplied through the day, gloves for driving, and in her mum's case, a giant sun visor on the golf course.
Carol's 15-minute soba salad with teriyaki salmon
On Carol's tours, guests often make noodles from scratch. At home, her go-to is a soba noodle salad with teriyaki salmon, which she makes at least once a week.
She cooks the soba noodles, drains them and rinses them in cold water so they don't stick together. While the noodles cook, she marinates a piece of salmon, or chicken, in her own teriyaki-style sauce of tamari and mirin or vinegar, with a little chilli oil or chilli flakes if you like some heat. Fifteen minutes is enough.
Once the salmon is cooked, she throws it all together with pickled ginger, edamame beans "or whatever's around", and serves it cold or at room temperature. To keep it fully gluten free, use tamari and swap the mirin for apple cider vinegar.
Carol's homemade lamb sausage roll
Carol brought her handmade sausage roll into the studio, and you could smell it the whole time we were recording. It was the best sausage roll I've ever had in my life.
Carol said "the key to it is making the harissa yourself." The recipe is loosely based on a Bourke Street Bakery one, and she's adapted it. She roasts capsicums from her garden, then cooks them with tomatoes, garlic, coriander seeds, caraway seeds and smoked paprika, "which I'm obsessed with". "I've made lamb sausage rolls just for something a little different and some couscous in there to soak up the moisture." It's finished with poppy seeds on top.
For more of Carol's cooking and her Japan tours, follow her on Instagram.
Listen to the full episode
We also talked about Carol's food tours of Japan and her time on My Kitchen Rules. You can listen to episode 7 on Spotify.
About the Author
Irene Falcone is the founder of Clean Nectarine and co-host of The Lee & Irene Show. She started her first clean beauty business in 2011 with $100 in her garage and grew it to $20m in four years. She has spent over 15 years reading the backs of beauty and wellness labels, is a Telstra Business Women's Awards winner and an EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, and has been featured on A Current Affair, The Project, Sunrise, Channel Nine Mornings and Sky News.
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