Category Archives: Food

レシピ, Cuttle Fish, Cuttlefish, 烏賊, 美食, 静岡市, 魚海の幸, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka City

Japanese Recipe: Deep-fried Squid (cuttlefish), Rings and Tentacles

October 1, 2013 dragonlife 7 Comments

Here in Japan, and shizuoka in particular we have an abundance of squids (cuttlefish) and we do need to sometimes rack our brains for new recipes.
I understand that such sea food is not all that popular in some countries (in Muslim societies they are prohibited) but they make for tasty and reasonably cheap food.
Here is a (actually three ) simple recipe to enjoy them with a great glass of beer!

INGREDIENTS:

-Deep-fried suid:
Whole cuttlefish for three recipes at the same time
Flour
Egg
Panko/Breadcrumbs
Oil

-Deep-fried squid rings:
same squid
Flour
Water
Salt
Black pepper
Curry powder
Oil

-Deep-fried squid tentacles:
Same squid
Salt
Black pepper
Cornstarch
Oil

RECIPE(S):

Even if you mean to eat it only cooked choose a squid of the best freshness for best taste!
My favorite is Yari Ika/槍烏賊/Spear Squid
First pull out tentacles and keep them separately.

Take and throw away entrails That is unless you want to use the squid ink!).
Clean the whole inside and outside a first time with cold clean water.
Peel of whole outside skin. For better explanations and understanding look at these pictures describing the preparation a squid in detail!
Clean again and sponge off any excess water with a clean kitchen paper or towel.

Cut the body in rings. Leave the tail as it is or cut it in strings. Separate the tentacles or keep them whole.

Beat some eggs in a bowl.
Apply flour on all the squid cuts.
Dip into beaten eggs.

Bring oil to 180 degrees Celsius.
Deep-fry until nice orange-brown color.
Eat them hot dipped into a mixture of Worcester Sauce and tomato ketchup (or any suce of your liking!)

For deep-fried squid rings prepare a batter with water, flour, salt, pepper and curry powder (no need of eggs).
Dip the rings in the batter and deep-fry at 180 degrees Celsius.

Savor them crisp with a great craft beer!

As for the tentacles or geso/足 in Japanese, separate them to your liking and clean them in cold water. Sponge off all water.

Coat them with a mixture of cornstarch, salt and black pepper.

Deep-fry them in oil at 180 degrees Celsius just long enough to cook them. Soak off excess oil on a piece of kitchen paper or on a grill.

Serve them as hot as possible as they are or seasoned with chili pepper or/with mayonnaise!
Don’t forget the beer!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Shop with Intent by Debbie
BULA KANA in Fiji
Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, Ecology, Environment, 静岡市, 観光, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, Vegan, Vegan Cuisine, Vegan Restaurant, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Japanese Vegan Gastronomy: Veggie Burger at Rama 4.5 Organic Cafe & Shop in Shizuoka City!

September 30, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Friendly, smiling and helpful
Facilities: Overall very clean. Washroom a bit small but clean.
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Exclusively vegan cuisine. A great scope of vegan ingredients on sale. Entirely non-smoking!

I paid my second visit today to Rama 4.5 Organic Cafe & Shop in Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, where I was looking forward to a different vegan (I’m not, sorry!) lunch!

I also noticed that a young couple of local potters living in Mori Machi, Kakegawa City, were exhibiting and selling some exquisite pottery!

I understand that interviewing will quite a challenge as they usually do allow it, but I’m confident I will succeed. Their art is just too good to ignore!

There was a choice but since Mrs. Miho Maki/牧美穂さん recommended her veggie burger, I didn’t hesitate!

Her vegan soy milk based soup would please anyone with a health-conscious and epicurian mind! I particularly love the ginger included in it and the herbs sprinkled on top!

Exquisite and so aromatic herb tea!

The veggie burger!

Home-baked vegan bread!

Two deep-fried veggie/vegan patties in between with plenty of fresh local vegetables!

Organic herbs providing extra seasoning!

Not only very healthy, but more fulfilling than expected! Who would complain? Certainly not me, in spite of being an omnivore!

Rama 4.5 Organic Cafe & Shop
420-0031 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Gofuku Cho, 2-4-5
Tel.: 054-266-3845
Business hours: 10:00~19:00
Closed on Wednesday
Entirely non-smoking

Will soon interview their other home-restaurant at:

Rama
422-8052 Shizuoka City, Suruga Ku, Midorigaoka, 19-6
Tel.: 054-260-5186
Business hours: 11:00~23:00
Closed on Wednesday
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, Beef, Bento, 牛肉, 美食, Ekiben, 静岡市, 観光, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Shizuoka Ekiben/Railway Station Bento: Shizuoka Charcoal-grilled Beef in Shizuoka JR Railway Station

September 29, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

Although I already sampled all the ekiben/railway lunch boxes on sale at Shizuoka JR Station I always keep an eye in case a new one or seasonal one appears.
I did well to do last Friday before taking the train to Kikugawa City as I discovered this new one put on sale beginning of September!

The whole as sold with chopsticks and toothpick!

It is advertised as “Sumi Yaki Fuu Gyuuniku Bento”!
“Suni/炭” stands for “char coal”, “Yaki/焼き” for “grilled”, “Fuu/風” for “manner/way/method”, “Gyuuniku/牛肉” for “beef” and “Bento/弁当” for “lunch box/box lunch/boxed lunch”!

As usual Tokaiken Co. clearly sates the contents, price and consumption date limit as required by the law!

The food inside is efficiently protected by a rigid transparent cellophane lid.

Now, what do we have?

Very simple, but elegant and tasty!
The charcoal-grilled beef slices with additional seasoning provided with golden sesame seeds.
The lettuce is very fresh!

You can enjoy the beef, lettuce and rice separately, but if you are clever with chopsticks pick the beef and lettuce together!
Very tasty but comparatively light.
For the pleasure of both genders!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, Bonito, 美食, 野菜, 静岡市, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, 農業, Fish, Food, Food Health, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Shizuoka Seafood, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Bonito-Katsuo at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City!

September 27, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Excellent and very friendly.
Facilities: Great cleanliness overall. Superb washroom (mouthwash and toothpicks provided!)!
Prices: Reasonable to slightly expensive, very good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products, especially organic vegetables and Shizuoka-bred meat and caught fish. Very inventive French gastronomy.

Shizuoka Prefecture boasts many seafood varieties as its specialties: Sakura Ebi/Cherry Shrimps, Shirasu/Sardine Whiting, Tachiuo/Scabbard Fish, Takahashi Gani:the largest crab in the world. and so on, but the fish it is most proud of is arguably katsuo or bonito!

We are very much in season is coming through the Suruga Bay and along our shores back to colder waters. We call it “Modori Katsuo/Bonito on his way back”!

Chef Toru Arima/有馬亨さん often serves as a sublime appetizer in tataki form with organic vegetables, jelly and matcha tea and curry powder for a last seasoning touch!

Bonito fillets are first seared on all sides before being plunged in icy water to stop the cooking.
Once completely cooled down it is cut in thick slices across the fillet.
Note the edible and so cute shiso/perilla flowers for a simple and so elegant touch!

Viewed from the other side you can admire the bed created with pieces of organic vegetables and more bonito!

Such gastronomy becomes a photographer’s pleasure!

No this is not pasta, but thin egg plant vermicelli!

Considering the comparably simplicity of the ingredients this true gastronomic artistry!
And the taste? Just sublime!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Food, Food Health, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

French Gastronomy: Vegetables Palette at Tetsuya Sugimoto Restaurant in Shizuoka City!

September 26, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Highly professional and friendly
Facilities: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Freshest produce and ingredients only, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture. Organic vegetables, top-class Shizuoka-bred meat and Suruga Bay seafood. Seasonal food only.

Map (Japanese)

There are times when you feel you ought to take a very long look at a dish to leave an indelible image in your brain.
Tetsuya Sugimoto, owner-chef of the eponymous restaurant in Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, tries never to interfere with the natural colors of the vegetables he utilizes in his superlative dishes.

It becomes a photographic challenge when the plate comes in front of you at first and generally speaking the first photograph as above is rarely the best one!
So you start turning the plate around and take pictures from every possible angle.
Although Tetsuya does not mind at all, keep in mind that the dish, even served on a hot plate, will eventually cool down, so do hurry! (And you had better be alone, as the dragon will always start making snide remarks about my lack of concern for her or our company!)!

Testuya’s technique is both simple and sophisticated. he will add almost no seasoning or sauce and will use the natural juices of the vegetables for the sauce with the addition of a little lemon juice and secret vinegar both to preserve the color.

As for perfect cooking I know that he makes almost invisible incisions with a very thin and sharp knife inside the pieces of vegetables when they are thick to achieve a uniform cooking.
Incidentally all his vegetables are organic and grown in Shizuoka Prefecture.
And on request he can make such a dish purely vegan!

Tetsuya SUGIMOTO
420-0038Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umeya,2-13,1F
Tel./Fax: 054-251-3051
Opening hours：11:30~14:30,17:30~21:30
Holidays: undecided (do make a call first!)
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, Desserts, 観光, 農業, Food, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

French Desserts at Pissenlit French Restaurant in Shizuoka City!

September 25, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

For all its French concept I very much doubt you will find such a dessert in France! See below.

I have always had a sweet tooth and a weakness for desserts although I do not appreciate over sweet dishes. I’m always looking for something more natural combining inventiveness with classical concepts.
I Always make a point to order desserts at Pissenlit French Restaurant in shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, as Chef Toru Arima/有馬亨さん is always bound to come up with unexpected and sublime desserts which will not tax your health!
Here is a succinct selection of what I \had the pleasure to enjoy recently!

This two-tier dessert was created with “croquignolles”, both very soft and crisp biscuits made with plenty of egg whites.

Home-made ice creams, caramel at bottom and Darjheling Te in between with seasonal fruits!

It was certainly a rare pleasure to open the whole and admire it before devouring it!

here is another example of the same cake with strawberry ice cream.
The sauces are custard and raspberry!

As I said above I very much doubt you will find this concept back in France?
Now, what is this blanc-manger made of?

Black sesame (no pun intended!) with black sesame and pear sorbets, and decorated with custard and raspberry sauces!

Although it does look very familiar the concept probably doesn’t exist in France either!

The mousse cake is made with kinako/dry soy bean powder!

The ice-cream is also made with kinako and local brown cane sugar!
Sorry for the blurry pic. I had to hurry before it melted away!

Looking for more! LOL

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

美食, Ecology, Environment, 野菜, 静岡市, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gardening, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Organic Vegetables, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Organic Gardening in Shizuoka City 1

September 23, 2013 dragonlife 8 Comments

The first plot as it has been for the last 15?20? years!

September 22nd 2013

I have just started helping a friend of mine, Asami Itoh/伊東麻美さん, the youngish (gentlemen, she is still eligible!) president and owner of Marufuku Tea Factory and CHA-O Tea Processing Company, with a project up in the mountains in Umegashima, Shizuoka City.
She wants to start the cultivation of organic herbs in particular in view to blend them later with her company’s organic tea for a more extensive market research.
Her father had bought land a long time ago at the altitude of 1.000 meters where he buit a house I have previously described in a recent article about organic Japanese plums.

It takes a good hour by car to reach the spot at 1,000 meters at the very end of the road where you are greeted by a minuscule Shinto Shrine.

The sign says “1,000 meters, the highest tea fields in Japan!”

The red color is arguably the most used color for Shinto Shrines which are found in far more places than Budhist Temples especially in rural Japan!

This “Torii/鳥居/Bird Gate”, for all its small size is remarkable for the fact that the top beam was made with the bottom part of a tree to show a pointed horn at its tip! Very rare actually! The whole portal was created by with logs sawed by the small log company just a few meters away!

for the people interested with such facts, the name of the shrine is called “Inari Dai Myoujin/稲荷大明神”!
“Inari” is also the name of a sushi. Can you guess why? “Ina” means “rice” and it was offered inside rice straw balls at such shrines to pray for bountiful crops whose shape has been copied to make inari sushi!

This very spot is heavens for photography buffs!

take a zoom with you to catch to the different grey hues of the mountain reminding you of a Chinese ink painting!

From there it is precipitous walk down a narrow mountain lane or along a rail if you want to carry down/up heavy baggage. The city has finally decided to build a winding road down to Itoh’s house and a couple a farms on higher ground. The problem is that during the works which mike take as long as 3 years we will have to come down another more circuitous route….

The house!
A lot inquiries for rent regularly reach Asami who is certainly not interested.
There is still a lot of work and cleaning inside although the toilets, bathroom and kitchen are working. Next year will see a lot of trash being taking away. Very hard work in prospect!

The “field” in front of the house.
This is work for next year as we concentrate on the plot just in front of the house for the moment.
The field actually comprises all the organic Japanese plum trees we harvest very year to make umeshu, umeboshi and other preserves.
The field is full of fern these days, but these can be harvested in late spring as “warabi/蕨市/bracken, brake or common bracken, also known as “eagle fern”, a very popular mountain vegetables in Japan.
Asami already has to contend with wild monkeys, boars, deer, civets and even bears, but she discovered that people came regularly every year to steal those warabi. Picking some for your consumption is not much of a problem and she would welcome such unauthorized visitors, but the “thieves” go away with full crops! Don’t be surprised if some local supermarkets cannot tell you the origin of their warabi!
Talking of the animals (including humans?) we will have to erect light net fences during the winter to protect the japanese plum trees we will also have to prune (no pun intended!). We are also thinking of othe mountain vegetables crops for that field, too, but we will have to provide it some extra soil first!

But first we have to deal with that 8 m2 plot (maybe small but perfect for research and trials) left unattended for the last 20 years.
At least the whole property has seen any agrichemicals or pesticides for the same period of time!

I had to use the available traditional tools to dig up the deep-rooted grass and weeds.
We will come with more modern utensils in 2 weeks time!

The temperature is still around 30 degrees even now and I can tell you this slow sweaty hard work! The soil being very dry does not make the digging up any easier!

During that time Asami was ridding the field barbecue from weeds, ants and what else, not to mention all the bricks inside and and outside had to be taken out for better access and cleaning. I hard a time convincing her not to break the whole contraption!

It was certainly worth it!

Done at last!
Asami plans to grow mint, thyme, lemon balm, lemon grass and basil among other herbs but this will have to wait until early spring.
First I will have to sift the stones out of the soil in two weeks’ time (we plan to visit the place every two weeks at the beginning, which is sufficient providing that the fields are protected with netting).
Next in 4 weeks time I will mix in organic red soil, organic lime, organic fertilizer and oragnic vegtable/herb soil, cover the whole with a tarp and leave it ferment for the whole winter!

It is already starting to look better!
See you again there in two weeks time!
We hope to bring along a friend or two next time to help with the work and to share a couple beers (Asami does not drink and she doesn’t mind driving us around!)!

Marufuku Tea Factory (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu, Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010
Mobile: 090-3250-4188

CHA-O (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 94
Tel: 054-253-8421
Fax: 054-253-8413
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

Itoh Organic Project
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umegashina, Higashi Mine (Do not send letters yet as there is no post box!)

RECOMMENDED LINKS FOR ROOF GARDENING

Containerized: My Garden Blog
Gardens by Mike Palmer (Dorchester, England)
Best New York Gardening Blogs
Battery Rooftop Garden Blog (UK)
Green Roof Growers (Chicago)
Mitsukoshi Roof Top Garden – Ginza by Tokyobling’s Blog
NYCFARMER’S BLOG
The Tattooed Gardener
Town and Country Gardening
My Botanical Garden by Tamara
My Food and Flowers
Vienna Roof Garden
Leaf and Twig
Ekostories by Jack Yuen
My Food And Flowers
The Japans
Photography Art Plus
LOSTINTHOT
Spy Garden

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, 野菜, 静岡市, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tofu, Vegan, Vegan Cuisine, Vegetarian cuisine

Japanese Vegan Recipe: Deep-fried Tofu & Vegetables Balls-Ganmodoki-がんもどき

September 19, 2013 dragonlife 3 Comments

Here is another recipe for my vegan (I’m not) friends which has the advantage and possibility of being served hot or cold!
It is also fulfilling and so healthy!
Ganmodoki-がんもどき/雁擬き/”pseuo goose”.
The recipe on Wikipedia indicates the use of egg-white but this is a very common vegan version!

INGREDIENTS:

Tofu
Carrots
Burdock/Gobou/牛蒡
Kikurage mushroom（Auricularia auricula-judae, known as the Jew’s ear, wood ear, jelly ear）
Vegetable oil
Cornstarch/Katakuriko/片栗粉
Salt

RECIPE:

Use fairly solid tofu and press out as much water as possible.

Put tofu inside a mortar (preferably use the Japanese-style “suribachi/すり鉢 mortar and pestle).
Add cornstarch and salt according to your preference and grind to a paste.

Cut the kikurage into fine strips and then cut across into 1~2 cm-long strips.
If using dried kikurage soften it first in lukewarm water (sponge off excess water then).

Cut carrot and burdock into fine strips and cut acroos into strips of the same length as kikurage.

Incorporate vegetables to tofu and mix well.

Apply oil to your palms first.
Make balls the size indicated in above picture.
Of course you can choose to make small round balls or spoon-shaped patties.

Deep-fry in oil at 170 degrees Celsius until balls have attained a nice light fox brown color.
Serve them hot or cold.
My personal preference is serving them seasoned with grated fresh daikon and soy sauce!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
The Wine Wankers by Stuart in Australia!
-Beer: Another Pint, Please!, Beering In Good Mind: All about Craft Beer in Kansai by Nevitt Reagan!
-Whisky: Nonjatta: All about whisky in Japan by Stefan Van Eycken
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, Desserts, 野菜, 静岡市, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Sweet Potatoes

Japanese Vegan Dessert Recipe: Daigaku Imo-Deep-fried Sweet Potatoes in Syrup-大学芋 (Professional Recipe)

September 18, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

A lot of sweet potatoes are found in the supermarkets these days and as the scholar year second term is starting, the Japanese, young and old alike are looking forward to eating traditional desserts made with these tubers.
“Daigaku Imo” in Japanese means “University Potato” as the University students in the Kanda District, Tokyo, were very fond of this dessert back in Taisho Era. The same dessert, which has somewhat disappeared during WWII came into fashion again thanks to the students of the prestigious Tokyo University!

I already have introduced a recipe some time ago, but this is one is more professional (but still easy).
As usual I leave the proportions to your liking!

INGREDIENTS:

Raw sweet potatoes
Oil
Black sesame seeds

Water
San-ontou sugar/三温糖 (if not available use red sugar or brown sugar)
Mizuame/水あめ/”Water sugar” (if not available use corn syrup)

RECIPE:

Clean the sweet potatoes thoroughly.

Better than a knife use a vegetable peeler to peel all skin.

Make sure not to leave any skin or “eye”. Clean rapidly in water.

Cut to bite size and clean in new water.

Important tip. Cut the sharp edges away. The potato will not crumble when being deep-fried and the “bite” will be improved!

In a proportion of 1 for water and 2 for sugar, heat until sugar has completely dissolved stirring all the time.

Add the syrup and stir until completely dissolved.
As an indication, the proportions i use is:
Water: 200 cc (1 cup)
Sugar: 400 g
Syrup: 150 g

When the whole has dissolved turn off the fire.

Deep-fry at 170 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes.

Scoop out and keep out for a while.

Check that the oil is at 170 degrees Celsius and deep-fry a second time until the sweet potatoes have attained a nice “fox brown” color.
leave them on a piece of kitchen paper for a while to absorb excess oil.
Place on a place and pour plenty of syrup over them.
Sprinkle black sesame seeds liberally and serve!

Point:

Proceed with the first deep-frying first.
Deep-fry them a second time only when you are ready to eat them.
Deep-frying in two will give you crisp potatoes!
Re-heat the syrup if necessary although this dessert can be appreciated at any temperature!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

Non gastronomy must-see sites by Shizuoka Residents

HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, 野菜, 静岡市, 観光, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, Vegan, Vegan Cuisine, Vegan Dessert, Vegan Restaurant, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Vegan Restaurant & Shop in Shizuoka City: Rama 4.5 Organic Cafe & Shop!

September 14, 2013 dragonlife 4 Comments

The (small) Rama Group which has been serving for some time vegan food inside the home of some of their members in the south of Shizuoka City at last on August 6th opened a real Cafe & Shop in Gennan Street, Gofuku-Cho, Aoi Ku, in the middle of the city for the pleasure of all vegans and health food lovers!

I’m no vegan myself, but I do appreciate it from time to time, and I’m really happy for my friends and visitors to Shizuoka City who have such priorities!

The shop itself offers an enormous (by Japanese standards!) array of vegan, organic and macrobiotic foods including home-made jams….

and pickles made with fruit and vegetables locally and organically grown.

It is all set in a beautiful and very natural environment, the more for it as it is open as a Cafe all day long!

The general design makes use of a lot of wood.
You can either sit a t tables, or in my case at the counter overlooking the street outside!

The young owners at work1
Mr. Tomonari Maki/牧知成さん and Mrs. Miho Maki/牧美穂さん!

As for the food served the lunch is unique but changes regularly depending on the seasonal ingredients.
They serve all kinds of drinks, including organic beer!
If you don’t speak Japanese speak slowly in English and I’m sure mutual understanding will be easy!

The lunch of the day!
Very appetizing, indeed!
As far as I know this is the sole truly vegan restaurant in town, and probably in the whole prefecture

The hot soup!
No dairy products is used whatsoever!

It is not only healthy but has a beautiful cachet attached to it!

Whatever the angle it is definitely tempting!

Home-made vegan bread!

Home-made jam/chutney!

Plenty of natural spices!

I’m glad to admit that the deep-fried vegetables patty was delicious!

The kinako/roasted soy bean powder jelly dessert and herb tea!

Not only a very healthy dessert but also a traditional Japnese one!

Rama 4.5 Organic Cafe & Shop
420-0031 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Gofuku Cho, 2-4-5
Tel.: 054-266-3845
Business hours: 10:00~19:00
Closed on Wednesday
Entirely non-smoking

Will soon interview their other home-restaurant at:

Rama
422-8052 Shizuoka City, Suruga Ku, Midorigaoka, 19-6
Tel.: 054-260-5186
Business hours: 11:00~23:00
Closed on Wednesday
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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HIGHOCTANE/HAIOKU by Nick Itoh in Shizuoka City

レシピ, 美食, Daikon, 野菜, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Japanese Vegan Recipe: Simmered Daikon with Miso Sauce-Furofuki Daikon-風呂吹き大根

September 12, 2013 dragonlife 4 Comments

I’m no vegan and never will be, but many of my friends are!

Now, daikon, or Japanese radish, has become a universal vegetable and recipes to accommodate it are innumerable!
The Japanese, especially in winter, have a very interesting way to cook it and serve it with a miso-based sauce, which even me, a meat eater, just can keep my fingers away from: furofuki daikon!
It si served in many restaurants from modest ones to very expensive establishments who keep their recipes secret, although there is very little to hide!

Here is a basic recipe that will allow you plenty of leeway.
bear in mind that this the basic recipe. I will leave precise proportions to your skills and priorities!

INGREDIENTS:

Daikon
Rice: a few grams
Konbu/seaweed
Irigoma/ground sesame seeds
Daikon leaves

Sauce:
White miso
Red miso
Mirin
sake
Sugar
Konbu Dashi/Seaweed soupstock

RECIPE:

Cut the daikon into round slices about 4~5 cm thick.

Peel the daikon slices.
Do not throw the peeled skin away. You can cut it fine and use it in many recipes such kinpira!

Cut away the sharp edges. This will prevent the daikon to break into pieces during the cooking!

Make a cross shallow cut on both sides. There are many reasons for doin this!

Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the daikon. Add konbu/seweed. drop the daikon in water.
Let simmer over a light fire for about an hour or until the daikon ha become soft. If daikon emerge because of insufficient water, add hot wter (cold would stop the cooking!) so as to cover the daikon.

Adding rice to the daikon (form the start) will sweeten it and also help whiten it.

While the daikon is simmering prepare the sauce with white miso, red miso, mirin, sugar, sake and konbu dashi soup stock.
This is when your taste preferences can be taken into account!

Cook all the ingredients together in pan stirring all the time with wooden spoon.
Cook until you obtain a thick paste.

Serve the daikon topped with sauce and sprinkled with ground sesame (irigoma). sesame seeds can be served whole, too, naturally!
Serve it together with its steamed leaves!

It can served hot in winter or cold in summer!
Enjoy!

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レシピ, 美食, 静岡市, 韓国レストラン, 韓国料理, 観光, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Korean Cuisine, Korean Gastronomy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Korean Gastronomy: Lunch at Harenohi in Shizuoka City!

September 11, 2013 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very kind and smiling
Facilities & equipment: Overall extremely clean. Very clean and modern washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Authentic Korean home cooking. Entirely non-smoking at lunch!

A new Korean restaurant opened in Shizuoka City and as the owner is a friend I just could help visiting at the first lunch served there. It opened on Monday but lunch is served only from Wednesday to Saturday!

The owner has spent some time in France and loves the language!
“Chez 和韓”/”Chez Wakan” means that they serve Korean food prepared by the owner’s wife while the owner himself looks after the establishment in the evenings from Tuesday to Sunday serving Japanese food!

The menu is clearly posted!
Don’t worry about the language. The lady of the house and her staff are very kind and patient! They will explain everything!

Inside is absolutely spotless clean!
And it is entirely non-smoking at lunch!

This is what I ordered for my first lunch there: “Kuppa” lunch set including ginseng!

Cold pine nuts soup to attenuate the hot (it is not hot actually!) food!

A succulent and so healthy plate of appetizers!

Cold nalta Jute (moroheya in Japanese) and yam salad.

Kabocha ball and shijimi, a typical Korean fried appetizer.

Violet cabbage salad in sesame oil, okra and kinpira gobou/fried and spicy burdock and carrot.

The “Kuppa” main dish! (also called guk/국 and tang/탕 in Korea!)

With real ginseng!

Beautifully cooked chicken that is so tender that it slides off the bone. Note the date!

Kimchi!

And hot cinnamon tea!
High satisfaction guaranteed!

Looking forward to my next visit for dinner!

HARENOHI Chez 和韓 la belle Journee
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Kouya Machi, 13-3
Tel. & Fax: 054-273-8008
Opening hours:
Lunch (Korean cuisine): Wednesday~Saturday, 11:30~14:00
Dinner (Japanese Cuisine): Tuesday~Sunday, 17:00~24:00
Korean languages lessons on Mondays and Tuesdays 8schedule on request)
Entirely non-smoking at lunch!

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Kraemer’s Culinary blog by Frank Kraemer in New York,Tokyo Food File by Robbie Swinnerton, Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento, Hapabento, Kitchen Cow, Lunch In A Box, Susan at Arkonlite, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Bento Lunch Blog (German), Adventures In Bento, Anna The Red’s Bento Factory, Ohayo Bento,

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レシピ, Cakes, Chestnut, 美食, Dessert, Desserts, 観光, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, 栗

Japanese Vegan Dessert: Chetsnuts Wagashi-Kurikinton-和菓子の栗きんとん

September 11, 2013 dragonlife 4 Comments

The chestnut picking season is just around the corner in Shizuoka Prefecture and more particularly in Makinohara where it is officially announced as starting on the 14th!
Chestnuts have been since ancient times a great source of food not only for its nuts but also as a basic ingredient for cakes and even bread (far healthier than wheat flour bread incidentally!)!

Here is recipe for a typical wagashi cake called kuri kinton that should please any priorities!

INGREDIENTS:

Chestnuts: 500g
Maple syrup: 100cc~
Water: 50cc~
Natural salt: a pinch

RECIPE:

Wash the chestnuts well before making a thin indent with a knife steaming them for about 50 minutes.

Spoon out the chestnuts into a bowl taking care not to scoop any skin with it.

Pour all the chestnuts inside a food processor and process until all the chestnuts are well broken. Add salt. Adding water and syrup a little at a time process until all ingredients are used.

Sieve into a pan.
Cook over a little fire for a while to lower the humidity.

Spread thinly over a clean cloth to take out excess humidity.

Roll small balls (size of your liking!) and wrap them into cellophane paper. Twist paper hard to create shape.

Unwrap and top with some syrup and a nicely cut piece of steamed chestnut!

By adding some soy milk and more maple syrup you can create a beautiful marron paste!

So easy and healthy!
Enjoy!

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レシピ, 牛肉, 美食, 静岡市, 豚肉, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Hamburgers, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Meat, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine

Japanese Gastronomy: Juicy Hamburger Recipe-Nikujiru Afureru Hanbaagu-肉汁あふれるハンバーグ

September 10, 2013 dragonlife 2 Comments

The Japanese make a clear distinction between hamburgers served sandwiched between buns or bread and open hamburgers.

They call the American variety served between buns “hanbaaga” whereas minced meat steaks (stak hache in French) “hanbaagu”! Very little diffrenec in pronuciation but big difference in concept and serving!

Moreover the Japanese like their “hanbaagu” as “juicy” as possible, which explains why so many people prefer the open hamburgers in this country.
Here is a slightly off the beaten tracks recipe which should please those who like their favorite food soft and juicy!

Bear in mind that I leave the quantities open to allow for personal priorities. This is only the basic recipe left open to many variations!

INGREDIENTS:

Finely ground meat: preferably a mixture of beef and pork. Beef only is fine (for hallal and kosher cuisinesin particular)!
Finely chopped onion
Salt
Black pepper
Nutmeg
Breadcrumbs/panko
Milk (replace with light beef stock for kosher cuisine)
Eggs
Butter (skip or use fake butter for kosher cuisine)
Balsamico vinegar
Optional spices: Chili pepper, etc.
Optional vegetables: finely chopped vegetables (garlic, carrits, etc.) to be added to chopped onion

RECIPE:

Right away this recipe differs from more conventional ones:
On a cold frying pan drop finely chopped onion. Pour oil over the onion (not before dropping the onion in the frying pan) and stir-fry over low fire. This will allow oil to coat onion and prevent the taste to escape! Fry onion until they have become soft and transparent.
Let the onion cool completely first!

In a bowl drop the meat and add salt. Mix the salt in with a spatula.
Do not use your fingers! Otherwise the fat inside the meat will liquefy.

Mix the salt and meat until the meat attains a paste aspect. This requires some effort but this is one the keys for a juicy and soft “hanbaagu”!

Once you have achieved a paste form add onion, bredacrumbs, egg, milk, black pepper and mix well.
This time mix by hand! You should obtain a very sticky mixture than.

Note: as for salt added to the meat, the right amount is 0.8 % of the meat weight. This is the best amount to help control the amount of of water inside all ingredients. Too much salt and the meat will become watery. Not enough salt and the meat will dry down. A bit complicated, I understand! Actually this the amount of salt found inside a human body!

On a cold frying pan pour some oil. Deposit the hanbaagu over the oil and fry over a low fire.
A hot fire will mean a hard surface and a raw inside! Moreover the water contained inside the meat will escape and break the hanbaagu.
This is another important key to a juicy hanbaagu!

Do not put a lid over the meat! Other wise the temperature will rise too quickly and the hanbaagu will end flat!
Sponge off the first liquid coming out of the meat with kitchen paper as shown above.
When the bottom face has been properly cooked turn over and again sponge off any liquid coming out.

As an indication, once more than half of the meat has turned whitish it means that the bottom face is properly cooked. At this time turn the hanbaagu over.

It will take 12~13 minutes to cook the hanbaagu properly on both faces. When yo see some transparent juices seeping out the meat will have been cooked properly.

Take hanbaagu off the frying pan.
Add balsamico vinegar to the juices and reduce until half of it over a medium fire.
Add salt then if necessary.
Mix in some butter to liaise the sauce.
Place the hanbaagu over the sauce and coat both sides/faces and serve immediately with the rest of the sauce poured over the meat.

When you cut the hanbaagu it should be soft and well cooked but juices should not run out. But you bite it you will then be able to taste the juices inside the meat!

Bon appetit!

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レシピ, Burdock, 美食, 野菜, 農業, Food, Food Health, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Japanese Vegan Recipe: Deep-fried Burdock.Age Gobou.揚げ牛蒡

September 8, 2013 dragonlife 9 Comments

Burdock or Gobou.牛蒡 in Japanese is also called greater burdock.
Its Latin name is Arctium lappa.
Although it is a root vegetable with great nutritious and even medical properties, it is commonly eaten only in Japan and Taiwan.

This species is native to the temperate regions of the old world, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, and from the British Isles through Russia, and the Middle East to China and Japan, including India.

It is naturalized almost everywhere and is usually found in disturbed areas, especially in soil rich in nitrogen. It is commonly cultivated in Japan.

It prefers a fresh, worked soil, rich in humus, and should be positioned in full sunlight. Burdock is very reactive to nitrogen fertilizer. Propagation is achieved through sowing the seeds midsummer. The harvest occurs three to four months after the seeding until late autumn, when the roots become too fibrous.
In shizuoka it is more and more cultivated in organic fashion with natural/organic fertilizer and no pesticides.

Here is a simple way to prepare it that should please vegans and and vegetarians alike!
Bear in mind to use a vegan dashi for the recipe!
This is a basic recipe. I will leave the proportions to your liking!

One piece of advice: when you buy burdock roots, choose them with soil still on them! Important!

INGREDIENTS:

Burdock
Cornstarch (katakuriko or kudzuko in Japanese, but any cornstarch should do)
Dashi
Salt
Black pepper

RECIPE:

First wash, brush/scrape skin off, rinse and cut the burdock root in small enough pieces.

Now, the most important point in the rcipe:
marinate the cut burdock root in dashi in a vinyl pouch or Tupperware box for at least half a day!

Drain the burdock root thoroughly. Roll in plenty of cornstarch.

Once fried to your liking shake oil away as quickly as you can, season with salt and black pepper and eat them like fried potatoes while hot. Great with beer!

Simple, satisfying and healthy!

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