A couple of things

Well today is Friday and if you are a Lost in Japan reader, you know that I don't usually post on weekends. If you don't read my other blog... I don't usually post on weekends. So Fridays, I will ask for forgiveness by posting a new recipe that you can try out... And it shall be called Fun Friday Recipe... oh the lameness exceeds even me. But before I get to my recipe, for any new dieters out there, let me tell you a little bit about the Body Mass Index (BMI).

BMI
What is it? The term Body Mass Index (BMI) may be a new term for many but it is one of the most important tools physicians use for assessing the risk of diseases associated with overweight and obesity (high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes). The formula uses both height and weight to determine your body fat. The BMI is reliable for most adults (age 19-70) but it comes with a caveat. It may over-estimate the body fat of highly competetive athletes (since muscle weighs more than fat) and underestimate that in the elderly (because as you age you lose some lean muscle mass). It also isn't reliable for women who are pregnant or breast-feeding or chronically ill patients.
How is it calculated? You can calculate it using the English or the metric system and these are the formulas:

BMI = [(weight in pounds)/(height in inches)(height in inches)]*703
or
BMI = [(weight in kilograms)/(height in metres)(height in metres)]
or
BMI = [(weight in kilograms)/(height in centimetres)(height in centimetres)]*10,000

A healthy BMI is between 18.5-24.9. Under this, you are underweight. Between 25.0-29.9, you are overweight. Between 30.0-39.9, you are obese and 40.0, you are extremely obese. The risk of associated disease is thus higher if you are overweight or obese and if your waist is above 35 inches (women) and 40 inches (men), your risk increase even more. Read here for further details.

Here is a BMI chart (click to enlarge). Green is the range of a healthy BMI.
And now for the recipe.

SOBA AND VEGETABLE STIRFRY
I modified a recipe in a book because I couldn't find egg noodles. I used soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles) instead. I used only about a tbsp of oil because I have a non-stick wok. I also added more vegetables (like mushrooms and red bell peppers) and used ponzu instead of light soy sauce. Oh and I also added lemon juice and garlic powder... but under is the recipe from the book.

100g soba
50g celery
50g bean sprouts
1 large red chilli pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 clove garlic
2 spring onions

Boil soba, drain and set aside.
In a wok, heat the oil until a light haze appears. Cook garlic in oil until golden. Add chilli pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Add noodles stirring quickly so that it doesn't stick. Add other ingredients. Makes 2-4 portions.

Have fun cooking!