Category Archives: Japanese Gastronomy

Bento, 美食, Ekiben, 観光, 駅弁, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Tourism, 弁当

Shizuoka Ekiben/Railway Station Bento:　Natsu Chisen

July 30, 2011 dragonlife 3 Comments

Saturday is a busy day and I just don’t have the time to go to a restaurant or back home.
No problem at all as the Shizuoka City JR Station is quite near!
As I knew that the new seasonal Summer Ekiben called Natsu Chisen/夏千扇/”The Thousand Fans of Summer” was on sale it was a good occasion to sample it!

Like the Spring edition, the box is longer than usual and beautiful and served with chopsticks and toothpick!

At 1,000 yen, it is not so cheap, but it is fresh and fast! And it is local food!

As usual the contents are clearly indicated by Tokaiken Co. Ltd.

A piece of hard transparent paper protects the contents.

Now, what do we have here?

Ume Chirime Han/梅ちりめん飯/steamed rice mixed with bits of umeboshi/pickled Japanese plum and fried shirasu/sardine whiting also called chirimenjyako!

Katsuo Ryuuta Age/鰹竜田揚/Deep-fried bonito which had been previously coated with cornstarch.
Salad of rice-vinegar-pickled cucumber, wakame seaweed and thin rice noodles.
Orange wedges.

Nikudango/肉団子/Meat ball in sweet and sour sauce.
Tamagoyaki/卵焼き/Japanese omelette (quite sweet!)
Salad of cooked beansprouts and senmai/せんまい/ a kind of wild mountain vegetable.

Yuba Hirouusu/湯葉ひろうす/Tofu ball containing vegetables.
Boiled stringbean and carrot, konnyaku/elephant’s foot tuber jelly, and simmered tougan/冬瓜/Winter melon in the shape of a leaf!

Lettuce around broiled aji/鯵/Horse mackerel and soy sauce mini bottle.
nasu/茄子/eggplant (aubergine), in this case mini-eggplant grilled, peeled and served with grated ginger!
The little green cube is matcha jelly!

Very satisfying and delicious. A real summer ekiben in spite of the name “Winter melon”!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); 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: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery

Bento, 美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/42): Tea Soba & Cherry Shrimps Quiche Bento!

July 30, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

I wonder whether I could say this Bento bore the influences of East and West!
Tea and soba/buckwheat noodles are definitely Eastern although they eat a lot of buckwheat in Western France…
Quiche is definitely Western but the Cherry Shrimps can be found only in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan!

The soba/buckwheat noodles are made in Hamamatsu City with Shizuoka Tea, hence their beautiful color!
The Missus having boiled, drained and cooled them, mixed them with salad beans and hime soba/姫蕎麦/buckwheat sprouts and tea dressing from Shizuoka before topping them with freshly grated wasabi from Utogi, Shizuoka City! Very local ingredients, indeed!

The side dish comprised the aforesaid Cherry Shrimps/sakuraebi/桜海老/ from Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City, inside the quiche!

The quiche had been made the night before as a friend had come for dinner then!

The quiche had been made in the modern way, that is, light and healthy with a very thin crust consisting of filo crust.

The quiche had been laid over a bed of cress and complemented with more cress, red radishes and grape tomatoes all from Shizuoka.
As for dessert a couple of Japanese cherries!

Plenty of colors, healthy. delicious and so local!

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Bento, 美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/41): Cherry Shrimps & Chicken Patties Bento!

July 27, 2011 dragonlife 3 Comments

Sakura ebi/桜海老/Cherry Shrimps are the most famous seafood of Shizuoka Prefecture, a region already blessed with the richest bay in Japan, namely Suruga Bay/駿河湾.
Although we are not in season they are available frozen, good enough for a bento!
In season they become a real treat, cheap here but at steep prices elsewhere if fresh!

The Missus first steamed rice with finely cut ginger root and the cherry shrimps, and once cooked, mixed the whole lot with boiled edamame (green soy beans).

It certainly makes for great design, colors and balance.
It also gives an extra satisfactory “bite” to the rice!

The side box consisted of ingredients both from the land and the sea!

Those tubes are called “chikuwa/竹輪 in Japanese. They are made of fish paste first steamed then grilled around a stick.
They can be bought in any supermarket in Japan. If you cut them and push cheese or cucumber sticks inside them like the Missus did they for great design (and snacks, too!).

Chicken patties are called “tsukune/つくね in Japanese. They consist of minced chicken and spices (the Missus wouldn’t tell me!).
The Missus wrapped them in shiso leaves before pan-frying them for extra taste.
She added fresh shiso leaves, mini tomatoes and “himesoba/姫蕎麦/buckwheat sprouts for vitamins and fibers.
The dessert was blackberries from our balcony!

Very much a summer bento!

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美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, sake

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Hana No Mai Brewery-Junmai Chyo Kara Kuchi

July 26, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Hana No Mai Brewery in Hamamatsu City usually make their sake with their own sakamai/sake rice.
They are known to produce comparatively soft sakes in the Prefecture, but they do have a few brews for fans who like their sakes with more character.

This junmai (no pure alcohol added) has the particularity to be very dry/Chyo kara kuchi/超辛口 and is advertized as such!

Hana No Mai Brewery: Junmai Chyo Kara Kuchi/花の舞酒造・従並み超辛口

Rice: Shizuoka Yamada Nishiki
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15~16 degrees
Bottled on May 30th, 2011

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: Fruity: banana, pineapple
Body: Fluid
Taste: Lighter attack than expected. Very dry.
Complex and fruity; Oranges, pineapple, custard.
Lingers for a while with dry almonds and hints of coffee beans.
Junmai petillant coming late.
Turns slightly sweeter with food.
Makes a very dry comeback as soon as away from food with a lot of oranges and coffee beans.
Alcohol seems to be more noticeable in spite of usual content.

Overall: As its name indicates, a very dry sake!
Made headier for it if drunk slightly chilled but could be interesting drunk as nurukan/lukewarm as noticed in many local izakayas. It is no wonder to find it in the same izakaya as it has obviously been designed to marry with heavy food!
For dry sake lovers!

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美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, sake

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Negami Brewery-Tokubetsu Junmai

July 25, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

When I visited Mr. Negami in his brewery in Gotemba City 550 metres up Mount Fuji, I asked him, “Why do you make only Junmai Sake (Sake to which no pure alcohol is added)? After all, you are none among only thirteen in the whole of Japan!”
Before giving me the answer, the brewmaster explained he visited my France, my home country, where he loved the wines so much and then finally replied, “Do you add alcohol to wines? Why should I?”
Although technically incorrect (Port wines for example), I tend to agree with him!

Negami Brewery-Kinmei Tokubetsu Junmai

Rice: Yamada Nishiki
Alcohol: 15%
Water: Mount Fuji Source Water
Bottled in May 2011

Clarity: very clear
Color: Light golden hue
Aroma: Fruity and powerful
Custard, banana.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Fruity attack backed by Junmai petillant
Complex. Oranges, custard, caramel, almonds.
Pleasantly lingers for a while warming up the back of the palate.
Starts liquorish to quickly turn dry.
Dry oranges make a comeback with a faint note of white chocolate, macadamia nuts and coffee beans.
Marries so well with food!

Overall: Very pleasant sake fit for any time of the day or night, chilled or at room temperature!
Drinks so easily.
Personally I prefer to drink it as it is at room temperature on its own for the sheer pleasure of a straightforward sake combining the tastes of old and new!

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美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, sake

Shizuoka Sake tasting: Doi Brewery-Kaiun Hana no Ka Junmai Ginjo Genshu Nama Nigori Homare Fuji

July 20, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

When looking for unusual brews you do have to keep your eyes wide open!
To think that Doi Brewery in Kakegawa City put out only 100 bottles of this particular sake by I consider myself lucky to have noticed it in the small supermarket inside the JR Station of the same city!

You do also have to keep your eyes open (that is, if you can read Japanese!) for the comments written on various parts of the bottle:
“霞か雲かにごり酒/kasumi ka kumo ka nigori sake” meaning, “A haze or a cloud? A troubled (like in troubled waters) sake”.
Nothing negative about it as the Japanese call “nigori/impure-troubled” a sake which was not separated from the white lees.
In this case they left just enough of the white lees to create a “haze”!

The name alone of this brew certainly makes for a long sory!

Doi Brewery-Kaiun Hana no Ka Junmai Ginjo Genshu Nama Nigori Homare Fuji
Doi Brewery: name of the Brewery located in Kakegawa City
Hana no Ka: The Flower Perfume, name of a special series of sake
Junmai Ginjo: the level of the sake. Junmai also denotes the fact that no pure alcohol was added
Genshu: unaltered sake to which no pure water has been added
Nama: unpasteurized
Nigori: in this cas more or less unfiltered
Homare Fuji: name of the rice. Homare Fuji rice is exclusively grown inside Shizuoka Prefecture

Doi Brewery-Kaiun Hana no Ka Junmai Ginjo Genshu Nama Nigori Homare Fuji/土井酒造・花の香純米吟醸原酒生にごり誉富士

Rice: Homare Fuji
Rice milled down to 55%
Alcohol: 17 degrees
Yeast: Shizuoka Yeast
Limited to 100 bottles
Bottled in March 2011

Clarity: Very clear if unshaken. Smoky if shaken (white lees)
-Color: Transparent if unshaken, whitish, cloudy if shaken
Aroma: Strong fruity alcohol. Banana, custard
Body: Fluid
Taste: Not as strong as expected. Pleasant and easy to drink.
Fruity, almost liquorish. White lees do not influence taste as much as expected.
Fruity: oranges, banana, hints of coffee beans and dark chocolate.
Varies little with food.
Disappears quickly and pleasantly with oranges, lemon, and notes of almonds.
Great balance between acidity and slight sweetness.

Overall: For all the fact it is a nigori, it revealed itself as softer and more pleasant than expected.
The higher alcohol is barely noticeable.
Marries so well with any food, especially heavy izakaya fare.
If chilled could be drunk as a dessert wine or liqueur!
A discovery!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/40): Maabou Nasu Bento!

July 20, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

The rain has not stopped, neither the wind…
Actually the typhoon is really upon us today…
I had to walk all the way to the office today…
Well, I suppose this is good for my health!

Today the Missus made “maabou nasu”!
Usually the word “maabou” is associated with “maaboudoufu/麻婆豆腐, a dish prepared with tofu.
Check “Maboudoufu/Mapo doufu/麻婆豆腐” for better understanding!
“Nasu/茄子”　means “eggplant/aubergine”. It replaces the tofu!

The Missus first fried some minced pork in oil and spices.
Incidentally, I wasn’t allowed inside the kitchen. Hence the link above to check the recipe.
She then fried cubed eggplant/aubergine and green pepper in a hot sauce of her own making before adding the minced meat and stir-fry the whole before pouring it over steamed rice and sprinkle it with sesame seeds.

The side dish included three different potatoes of three different colours from her family’s garden!
She included her specialty, a half-boiled egg sprinkle with black sesame seeds, home-pickled cucumbers with wakame seaweed, lettuce and Ameera Rubbins Pearl Tomatoes.

For a better view of the salad made with white, pink and violet potatoes (not sweet potatoes!)!

Looking forward to more of the same potatoes! LOL

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美食, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Negami Brewery-Tokubetsu Junmai Nama

July 20, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Negami Brewery has the particularity of being the highest located brewery in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Some time ago they had to move from their original place near Gotemba Station to a spot 550 meters high on the slopes of Mount Fuji to dig a well into Mount Fuji to use its Water!

Negami Brewery also has this particularity to produce only junmai style sake, that is, no pure alcohol is ever added!
This brew is a nama, meaning it wasn’t sterilized!

Negami Brewery-Tokubetsu Junmai Nama

Rice: Yamanishiki 100%
Rice milled down to 60%
Alcohol: 15 degrees
Water: Mount Fuji water
Bottled in June 2011

Clarity: very clear
Colour: Very faint golden hue
Aroma: discreet. Sweetish. Fruity: banana
Body: Fluid
Taste: Junmai petillant attack backed by pleasant alcohol
Complex and fleeting. Fruity.
Disappears fairly quickly.
Dry, reminiscent of of a dry white wine.
Pineapple, faint almonds.
Liquorish comeback with second sip. Oranges and pears coming later.
Turns soft with food. Very feminine.

Overall: A very soft approach to sake.
Can be appreciated in many ways but is best at room temperature.
Ladies will love it!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/39): Typhoon No 6 Bento!

July 19, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

We are just being battered by a monster Typhoon (40 m/s!). They just called them numbers in Japan, and I couldn’t agree more…
Anyway the Missus, having not been able to go shopping nonetheless managed with was “left” in the fridge!

She had marinated plenty of mushrooms the previous morning and found some frozen duck confit!

having steamed the rice, she mixed it with plenty of marinated mushrooms.
As for the mushrooms she mainly used Japanese shimeji and eringe she had first fried in olive oil before adding spices, vinegar and what else and let it marinate inside the fridge.

She then fried the duck confit until crispy, let it cool and finally shredded it before adding it to the rice with some French pickles.

As for the side dish, although she said she had nothing left, she came up with her specialty, carrot tagliatelle salad with walnuts and Ameera Rubbins Pearl tomatoes, boiled black beans, green peppers fried in oil, ponzu and soy sauce. She completed the whole with yellow kiwi fruit for dessert!

I don’t mind having another typhoon! LOL

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美食, Dessert, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Non-smoking restaurants, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, vegetables

French Gastronomy: Shizuoka Agricultural Products at Pissenlit (July 2011)

July 19, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to slightly expensive, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
Entirely non-smoking!

In spite of the flaming heat and the present typhoon restaurants in Shizuoka are still endeavoring to use and serve as many local products as possible to the point of sheer extravagance!
Last night we braved the rain to pay a belated visit to one of our favorite French restaurants, namely Pissenlit!
I don’t really need to introduce this celebrated establishment again so I’ll skip the niceties and comment on what we savored away from the rain!

Don’t forget to have a good look at the blackboard for the specialties of the day before ordering!
If you don’t read Japanese, don’t worry! French gastronomy vocabulary is the same all over the World!

The amuse-bouches were local vegetable pound cake and gougere (cheese puff)!

The first d’oeuvres were a hot terrine of organic potatoes (Shizen No Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City) and aji/鯵/Horse Mackerel from the harbor of Yui, Shimizu Ku, Shizuoka City!
The tomatoes and onion confit are also organic!

For a better view!

The second hors d’oeuvres stretched over two continents:
Pan-fried foie gras in Madeira sauce on a galette of Kankan Musume corn grown by Mr. Ichikawa in Iwata City!

The third hors d’oeuvres also stretched over two continents:
6 kinds of organic potatoes grown by Hirokawa in Mishima City with cheese in Scarmozza style!

Talking of potatoes I should have mentioned 3 continents!

The fish dish was pan-fried kinmedai/金目鯛/Seabream from Sagara harbor in Omaezaki City with organic vegetables by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City! But the mushroom comes from Hasegawa Farm in Fuji City!

Kinmedai is one of the most popular fish in Shizuoka as it the skin stays the same color whatever the cooking technique!

Now for the meat dish we were served a classic of French Gastronomy: Blanquette de Veau/Veal Cream Stew!
The veal comes from claves bred outdoors in Fujinomiya City.
The vegetables are all organic by Mr. Hirokawa in Mishima City!

It reminded me so much of my Mum’s cuisine back in Bourgogne, France!

The first dessert:
Biwa/枇杷/loquat from Kita Asabata in Shizuoka City with vanilla ice cream and Dharjeling Tea jelly.
The colorful mint is organic from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

The second dessert:
Kabocha Caramel pudding!

The flying fruit is actually a tomato variety from Shizen no Chikara Farm!

To be continued…

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

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1st Agrigraph Japan Brew Bar in Shizuoka City!

July 17, 2011 dragonlife 6 Comments

At long last after 2 months of intensive preparations Agrigraph Japan opened its first Brew Bar/Open Air Beer Hall on Saturday July 16th on Aoi Space just behind the Shizuoka City Hall!

This event followed a new concept:
The food was provided by 6 izakaya/bars in Shizuoka City: Uzu, Mando, Hana Oto, Yasaitei, Odakkui and Growstock.
Furthermore, the food was conceived with agricultural products of Shizuoka Prefecture including vegetables and meat. The latter was provided by Sanoman Company from Fujinomiya City!

The whole staff of Agrigraph with the help of people working for Suntory and Subway Companies were put to work including some pretty (?) ladies!

Everyone had gathered in the intense heat at 12:00 to erect the tents, place and lay the tables, etc. Even the IT and translating staff contributed! I can tell you they neeeded plenty of water when I visited them first around 13:00!

Sweaty work to erect that tent!

Shaping up!

Ice porters?

Pretty (?) ladies posing again for posterity!

Precise work!

Now, these ladies are pretty!

The man in charge of the engines!

Hands off!

Call for the last meeting.

Animated discussion on last-minute changes!

The Rainbow machines which will dispense cool mist all over the site. Real Hi-tec!

The dustbins! Low tec but indispensible!

Things certainly looked different when I came for my second visit at 15:00!

Map and photos of the producers contributing their food to the event! What about that for traceibility for such an event!

The same event will be held again on Friday July 22nd and Saturday July 23rd!

All the (very reasonable considering the quality!) prices were clearly indicated!

Mrs. Yuriko Kato, President of M2 Labo and Agrigraph Japan and Mr. Kenya Yoshimura, owner of Uzu izakaya! (in hots discussion?)

Everything at the ready!

Mr. Sano from Sanoman!

Mr. Takeshi Hirai, General Manager of Beck Company (Mando & Growstock)!

The last (hot) pep talk!

The last details being checked!

The venue was about to start when I left at 13:00. When I came back after 18:00 the place was still quite busy!

It was still very hot and the Rainbow cool mist machines were running at full speed!

Still plenty of work to do!

Mangenton Pork sausages from Sanoman!

Comparing notes!

Great healthy vegetable pickles from Shizuoka Prefecture! Perfect with beer!

Staff at the Pump Station!

Not ready to leave yet!

Just had enough time to savour those cute healthy sausages! One of them incudes Shizuoka Wasabi!

Looking forward to next week!

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Japanese Izakaya: Shizuoka Local Products at Bu Ichi (July 2011)!

July 15, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Very friendly and easy-going
Equipment: Very clean overall. Spacious and beautiful toilets
Prices: reasonable to slightly expensive, but very good value!
Strong points: Extensive use of local land and sea products. Great sake and drinks in general!

Shizuoka City (and Prefecture) is steadily growing into THE reference when it comes to Japanese gastronomy and gastronomy in Japan in general.
We are blessed with a wealth of products be they from the land or the sea all year round, but that would not be enough without the commitment of chefs and restaurateurs and their fans!
Chefs in this city can be often seen visiting each other on their supposedly free days and are organizing more and more events in collaboration. They have understood a long time ago that collaboration pays off more than rivalry or copying.

As a result customers not only expect top-class food, drinks and service, but also the small details they tended to ignore before such as table presentation, artistic dishes and even chopsticks. This is not confined at all to the horribly expensive Japanese kaiseki/traditional restaurants but more and more down to the smallest izakaya. That is as long as the chef or owner is willing to join the gastronomic band!

Kinmedai and kochi from Suruga Bay!

Another sign of the times is that more and more establishments display their ingredients under glass to stimulate their clients’ appetite and take pains to explain and write on their menus the origin of the same ingredients!
A true lover of good has to pay regular visits to ascertain the trends and discover new ingredients and techniques or be hopelessly left behind!

So if you have the chance to visit Bu Ichi in Aoi Ku, Shizuoka City, do not be surprised that such an izakaya does not hesitate to serve dishes from other cultures such as the above chilled corn and edamame Vichyssoise so welcome in the blasting hot summer!

Some dear Tokyo friends of mine would scream and weep at the quality and taste of the sashimi served there, notwithstanding their availability beyond our shores: konbujime isaki/昆布締めイサキ/grunt chicken from Sagara marinated in konbu seaweed!

Bonito/katsuo/鰹 from Yaizu City seared to perfection. The inside melts inside your mouth whereas the outside equals any top-class meat. A true gastronomic experience!

Great products from other regions are not ignored such this in season aji/鯵/Horse mackerel from Kochi Prefecture, Shikoku Island, but all the vegetables are from Shizuoka!

Japanese-style deep-fried chicken/karaage chicken/唐揚げ鶏 have become such a famous morsel abroad. This Fuji jidori/chicken from Fuji City will amply tell you why such a simple-looking food can reach such heights!

Local anago/穴子/conger eel served in chilled jelly is another example of fusion gastronomy so popular in this country!

Zousui/雑炊 is a Typical Japanese comfort food or Japanese rice soup made from pre-cooked rice and water to which is added available ingredients. This summer Bu-Ichi serves it with mozuku/藻付/seaweed and Italian parsley!

Naturally served with home-made pickles and plenty of freshly grated Shizuoka wasabi!

A dessert you will not find outside Japan: Shizuoka Sakekasu Ice cream!
Sakekasu/酒粕 are the white lees left after the sake has been pressed out!
Talking of sake, do not forget to check the beautiful Shizuoka sake on their ample drink list!

Bu-Ichi/武市
Chef/Owner: Takeshi Satoh/佐藤武史
420-0032 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 1-6-10, Dai 2 Matsunaga Bldg. 2F
Tel.: 054-2521166
Business hours: 17:30~22:00
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations advisable
Credit Cards OK

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Shizuoka Shochu Tasting: Hana No Mai Brewery: Junmai Shochu-Acha no Tsubome

July 13, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

The difference between run-of-the-mill shochu and shochu distilled in Shizuoka Prefecture is extravagance!
Hana no Mai Brewery produces quite a few Rice Shochu, either simple ones made from rice powder accumulated after rice polishing for sake or far more sophisticated made from the sakekasu/white lees left after the sake has been pressed out.

The latter are put on the market either in usual glass bottles or in more elaborate pottery flasks with their presentation boxes!

This particular brew was made through the distillation of the white lees of junmai/premium sake and its taste does bear its origin!

Hana No Mai Brewery: Junmai Rice Shochu-Acha no Tsubome

Alcohol: 25 degrees

Clarity: Very clear
Color: Transparent
Aroma: Strong and fruity. Banana, vanilla, pineapple, oranges.
Body: Fluid
Taste: Starts slightly liquorish to finish quickly on a dry note.
Complex. Fruity.
Banana, vanilla. Dry notes of pineapple, grapes and macadamia nuts. Ends on dry grape notes.
Elegant and deep shcochu.
Drinks like a dry strong sake!

Overall: A rice shochu so reminiscent of the sake which provided its sakekasu/white lees!
Both strong and feminine in approach.
Definitely to be drunk on its own at room temperature or chilled.
Does not need to be mixed with anything as taste is too complex.
Better chill it than pour it over ice!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/38): Sweet and Sour Pork Bento!

July 13, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Today the Missus prepared my bento inside Ikawa Menpa Lunch Boxes!
These are made in Shizuoka City by one of the very few Japanese craftsmen left plying their trade in the creation of true lunch boxes, Mr. Yoshiaki Mochizuki/望月良秋さん who uses only hinoki/檜/Japanese cypress and sakura no ki/桜の木/cherry tree bark from Shizuoka City mountains!

The Missus devised this lunch with a concern for the very hot weather again when people not only need to drink lots of water but also absorb solid food!

As for the rice, after steaming it, she mixed it with plenty of home-pickled myoga ginger she had sliced beforehand and golden sesame seeds.
She actually tries to include sesame seeds any time she can for their great nutritious value.

As for the sweet and sour pork she first seasoned thin slices of pork belly and rolled them into rough balls before frying them in a sweet and sour sauce of her own recipe. Just before the pork was ready she stir-fried red and yellow sweet pimento and violet onions with it and put the lot atop the rice with a couple of French cornichons/pickles.

The side box was very much of Okinawan inspiration!

Goya champuru, the original Okinawa recipe, is basically made with goya/sour gourd and eggs. Some people add tofu and katsuo bushi/dried bonito shavings, but actually the recipes are innumerable!
The Missus made a simple one withn goya and eggs. Beautiful summer colors!

I actually contributed to the other half as I had made the umshu plum last year!
She added some Japanese cherries and small Shizuoka tomatoes with a bit of lettuce for the vitamins and fibers!

Certainly plentiful, tasty and colorful once again!

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Bento, 美食, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/37): Ebi Chirashi Sushi Bento!

July 12, 2011 dragonlife 3 Comments

Hot days are following each other and a lot of people are suffering from “natsubare/summer lethargy”.
Preparing meals is becoming complicated as you do have to provide energy without too many calories and make them appetizing!

Sushi is a good idea in summer as it includes rice vinegar, very good to cool down the system.
The Missus, after steaming the rice prepared it as sushi rice and mixed it with boiled shrimps, tobikko/flying fish roe, thinly sliced small Japanese cucumbers and finely chopped shiso leaves to present it as chrirashizushi/decoration sushi.

For a closer view of the ingredients!

The Missus strove for balance with the side dish.

She mixed ready-made bean salad with hijiki/sweet seaweed and fresh okra to which she added her specialty, half-boiled eggs seasoned with black sesame seeds.