Tag Archives: グルメ

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Takashima Brewery/Hakuin Masamune

April 20, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Takashima Brewery in Numazu has been receiving a lot of attention in Japan these last two years after being given the accolade by DANCYU magazine last year. Its brews are avidly searched through the nation. Although they are readuly available in Shizuoka, they are still a rarity elsewhere, except maybe in Tokyo.

Takashima Brewery: Hakuin Masamune, Shoukumi Mizu Junmaishyu Season III

This is a sake out of the ordinary as only 100% (1 to 1) ratio of water has been used in brewing the sake, whereas modern method makes use of 130~140% of water (rice being the basic 100% ratio base).
Furthermore it had been made in the old fashion when sake traders added water to sake bought in kegs to make it milder to the taste.
The alcohol was also lower than in present days.
Accordingly, takashima Brewery kept the alcohol level of this particular brew lower than usual as an experiment

Rice: Homarefuji and Aichi no Kaori (Shizuoka Prefecture)
Rice milled down to 60% (Homarefuji) and 65% (Aichi no Kaori)
Alcohol: under 15 degrees
Contents: 1.8l
Bottled in March 2010

Clarity: very clear

Colour: Golden hue

Aroma: Complex, flowery and fruity: pineapple, almonds.

Body: fluid

Taste: Soft and dry attack backed by junmai petilllant tingle.
Linger for a short while with a sweetish flowery note.
Complex, dry and fruity. Pienapple, almonds, brown sugar and apricots.
Very soft and pleasant on the palate.
Holds its own well with food with welcome acid note.

Overall: A sake for all seasons.
To be enjoyed chilled, at room temperature or “nurukan” (45 degrees).
Typical of Takashima Brewery.
Should please both ladies and gentlemen on its own or with any kind of meal.
An extremely underrated beauty!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
Warren Bobrow
Tokyo Terrace

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/29): Cherry Shrimps Bento

April 20, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

The season for sakura ebi/桜海老, or Cherry Shrimps has finally started!

Sakura Ebi are exclusively caught caught in Suruga Bay off Shizuoka Prefecture and can be obtained absolutley fresh here!
The Missus was so proud of herself when she brought some back home last night: the first of the year!
Although we ate them raw, she kept some for my bento today!

She first steamed plain rice and covere it with the cherry shrimps only after the rice had been cooked. The residual heat was enough to cook them.

She then mixed them with the rice before filling the first box. She sprinkled the lot with roasted sesame seeds and added some home-made pickled wasabi stems, leaves and flowers.

The garnish once again was very colourful and provided for great balance.

Beans and broad beans salad, semi-boiled marinated egg with black sesame seeds, and fresh okra with katsuobushi/dry bonito shavings.

Sorry for the fuzzy pic!
Plenty of lettuce, white asparaguses and bacon roll (fried) and sliced plum tomatoes. Plenty of fibers and vitamins!

Shizuoka Oranges and Chilean grapes for dessert.

The season for cherry shrimps will last for only two months and again in the Fall!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES:

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

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Vegetables Facts & Tips 21: Myoga/Myoga Ginger

April 20, 2010 dragonlife 17 Comments

Following a comment by Debra at Hapabento, I thought it might be a good time to (re-) introduce this evry colourful and tasty vegetable, namely Myoga or Myoga Ginger.

Although it is called Myoga Ginger, it is another variety of ginger cultivated for its bud and flower instead of its root.

Wikipedia definition:
Myōga (茗荷) or myoga ginger (Zingiber mioga, Zingiberaceae) is an herbaceous, deciduous, perennial native to Japan that is grown for its edible flower buds and flavorful shoots. Flower buds are finely shredded and used in Japanese cuisine as a garnish for miso soup, sunomono and dishes such as roasted eggplant.

A traditional crop in Japan, myoga has been introduced to cultivation in Australia and New Zealand for export to the Japanese market.

As a woodland plant myoga has specific shade requirements for its growth. It is frost-tolerant to 0F, -18C possibly colder.

Myoga flowers are edible!

FACTS:

-Myoga can be cultivated between June and October, and again bewteen March and May.

-Very high contents in Potassium and Calcium, Also contains Magnesium, Iron and manganese.

-Vitamin B1, B2 and B6. Vegetal fibers.

-It is considered as a natural herb medicine which helps preserve one’s stamina in summer, especially, as far back as the 3rd Century. It does help digestion.

-Preservation is done best by wrapping in kitchen paper inside the fridge. Can be safely kept for 10 days.

TIPS:

-Choose firm and “tight” specimens. When cutting them through the the leaves should stick tightly to eah other.

-Choose specimens with a nice and bright colour, well-rounded and compact in shape.

VARIETY:

Myoga Take/”Myoga Bamboo”

Myoga Take are the young stems of myoga which are also edible.

RECIPES:

Myoga pickled in miso paste

Myoga can be pickled in many manners with miso, sweet vinegar, etc. on ots own or together with other vegetables.

It can be made into great vegan or omnivore sushi rolls!

How about those sushi nigiri?

Great, thinly chopped on tofu!

Actually, the possibilities are endless!

HEALTH FACTS:

-Combined with yam, or with shiso/perilla leaves, or with cabbage, or with leek, helps restore appetite, helps combat ageing and prevent cancer.

-Combined with wakame seaweed, or with mackerel, or with sardines, or with tofu, helps prevent high blood pressure and heart diseases, and has a general beneficial health influence.

-Combined with eels, or with oyters, or with garlic, or with onions, helps restore health, prevent cancer and provide for stamina.

-Combined with cucumber, or with celery, or with oysters, or with gourd, helps with body elimination and prevent kidney diseases.

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Vegan Japanese Stew

April 19, 2010 dragonlife 8 Comments

Just about time I came back to my vegan and vegetarian (I’m not) friends with a recipe they can create in Japan or back home!

Vegan Japanese Stew!

INGREDIENTS: For 6 people

-Carrots: 2]
-Soy beans: 2 cups
-Konbu/seaweed (dry): 20 cm
-Sato Imo/taro: 7~
-Mirin/sweet sake: 1 cup
-Soy sauce (of your choice): 90 cc/ml

RECIPE:

Clean the sato imo/taro.

Peel the carrots.

Peel the sato imo/taro and clean under running cold water.

The soy beans should have been left to soak for a whole night before being boiled for 3 hours or until soft.

About time to slice those carrots!

Dice the carrots.

Drop the carrots and soy beans inside a large pot.

Break/cut the konbu/seaweed into large pieces.

Break again into small pieces. You will eat them!

Pour plenty of water.

Simmer over a small fire for 40 minutes.

Slice the sato imo/taro.

Cut in cubes.

Scoop out unwanted matters from the surface.

Add the cubed sato imo/taro.

Stir to mix.

Add mirin/sweet sake.

Add soy sauce.

Simmer until water disappears.

Continue simmering!

You are almost there!

Serve!

It can be served both hot or at room temperature. Great in bento!

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Japanese Appetizer: Octopus & Okra Salad in Ginger Marinade

April 19, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Spring and warmer days have finally come to Japan!
It is time to enjoy lighter and fresher food!
Here is a simple idea for a sanck/appetizer which can be easily prepared anywhere:

Octopus & Okra In Ginger Marinade!

INGREDIENTS: For 2~ people

-Boiled octopus: 2 tentacles (they say “foot” in Japanese!)
-Okra: 10
-Salt: as appropriate

Marinade/sauce:
-Rice vinegar: 2 tablespoons
-Light soy sauce: 2 teaspoons
-Dashi/Soup stock: 3 tablespoons
-Fresh ginger juice: 1~teaspoon(s)

RECIPE:

-Cut the octopus in thin slices and cut again across into 2~3 pieces.

-Cut the stem end off the okura. Get rid of their “hairs” by rolling them around inside a Japanese-style mortar.

-Drop the okra in warm salted water and leave them ther for a while. Scoop them out and drain well. Cut them into small squares, then chop them with a sharp knife.

-Chill the octopus and okra well before preparing them before the meal. Take them out of the refrigerator. Mount the octopus slices on a plate as shown on the picture above and top with okura. Pour the marinade over the top.

-You may mix the whole as you are eating it!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/29): Strange Weather Bento

April 19, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

The weather has been really cracking recently to the point one just does not know what to put on in the morning before going out!
Yesterday’s cricket game started in dry heat to finish in wet cold. The sun is out again today with a vengeance but the next three days promise rain.
With what is happening in Iceland and Europe these days, I wonder what of kind year we shall have!

Anyway, we are on Monday and my bento was ready, weather or not! LOL
And it was served in those beautiful cedar tree boxes!

The Missus steamed the rice with a (pre-packed/pre-cooked) mixture of beans and hijiki/sweet seaweed that she stir-mixed later after it was cooked. It also added a slightly sweet taste to the rice. She sprinkled the rice with plenty of roasted sesame seeds.

She also added a large home-pickled (sweet rice vinegar) myoga ginger sprout (it is alctually the flower) and “chikuwa”/fried fish paste tubes stuufed with hard young cucumber.

She included plenty of colours in the garnish dish, although she said she could have added more. It was just alright by me!

She had boiled some broad beans/sora mame and made a salad of them with quickly fried prawns. The tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette was of the plainn kind as other ingredients were pretty strong in taste.

She rolled pieces of chicken which had been long marinated in nori/dry seaweed sheet before shallow-frying them. She added lettuce and Italian parsley for the vitamins and very sweet Ameera Rubbins mini tomatoes (from Shizuoka Prefecture) for dessert.

Well, I don’ mind about the weather as long as I get this kind of bento! LOL

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES:

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French Restaurant: Hana Hana (2010/04/16)

April 16, 2010 dragonlife 3 Comments

Cassoulet

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Generous portions (for a Japanese restaurant), classic French and Italian and unpretentious. “Special” Wine list!

Last night saw cats and dogs falling anew with the unpredictable weather. Neither of us felt going back home and starting cooking. It was about time we visited an od friend of ours at Hana Hana!

The greatest quality of this unpretentious and very friendly restaurant combining the delicacies of Southern France and Italy resides in its succulent fare served in generous portions (for a Japanese restaurant), and all this at reasonable prices (for japan, again!)

Here is what we had last night:

Appetizer: deep-fried /shiroebi/white shrimps/Glass shrimps on a potato chip and amadai/Tilefish tartare on a lotus root chip.

Tilefish or amadai/アマダイ/甘鯛、尼鯛　in Japanese

Glass Shrimps/White Shrimps or shiroebi/白海老 in Japanese.

The Missus ordered a “Country-style” salad, but it was so big that the chef served a single portion on two different plates without even asking us! Great home-made sausages, duck and so on!

As for the beautiful duckling terrine, the two of us had to dig in as the portion was definitely not Japanese-sized! LOL
It certainly wasn’t easy to keep off the bread!

Now, the Missus’ main dish as a great combination of French and Japanese cuisines: Baked amadai/tilefish with wasabi sauce!
Did I tell you that Shizuoka Prefecture grows 80& of all wasabi in Japan?LOL

When I was wondering what main dish I would order, the chef just suggested, Alsation Choucroute or Cassoulet?
Not fair! Being a Burgundian, I was truly caught halfway!
Alright, I’ll take the Cassoulet!
…..
My, my, now, that was big!
The Missus: -I’ll have the finest little piece of each: Duck confit, pork belly cut and home-made sausage!
She could have tried to help me more…. LOL again!
Do you know the hree basic cassoulets? To give you an idea, mine included two of them!
No need to tell you it was perfect!

We don’t make a rule of eaing dessert, but we have never been able to escape from Hana Hana’s offerings!
The Missus had this Creme Blanche (meringue, fresh cream and cottage cheese) with a red fruit soup, a beautiful combination in colours and tastes!

I’ve always been a sucker for Hana Hana’s Creme Brulee!
Just the right amount of cream and plenty of caramel and a beautiful ice-cream on top!

I’ll have to find a reason to go back on my own!
Why?
There is still this Alsatian Choucroute bugging me!

Hana Hana
Open for lunch and dinner. Closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
420-0037 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Hitoyado-cho, 1-3-12
Tel. & Fax: 054-2210087
Credit cards OK

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Fruit Cocktails by Wataru Matsumoto 2: Passion Fruit

April 16, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Passion Fruit Cocktail

Service: very professional and friendly.
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall.
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Fruit cocktails. Cozy and a comfortable, for ladies and gentlemen alike.

This is the second recipe of a (hopefully long) series of cocktails concocted by Wataru Matsumoto, owner/bartender at BOTANICAL (Comfort bar) in Shizuoka City.
No worries about copyrights as Mr. Matsumoto is only too happy to share his secrets!

Fruit Cocktail 2: Passion Fruit

Passion fruit is readily available in Japan as it is grown in Kyushu and Okinawa Islands when not directly imported for Southern countries.
It makes for great colours, taste and even give this little extra “crunch”!

INGREDIENTS:

-Passion Fruit: a whole fresh fruit inside, seeds included.
-White Bacardi Rum: 1 standard measure
-Orange juice: 1 standard measure
-Fresh lime Juice: 1 standard measure
-Yoghurt Liqueur: 1 teaspoon
-Ice

RECIPE:

-Put everything in a shaker with plenty of ice.

-Shake well.

-Serve in a long glass over a few cubes of ice and stir.
Decorate with a fresh sprig of mint.

BOTANICAL (Comfort Bar)
420-0082 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho, 1-6-13, Shade Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-221-8686
Opening hours: 17:00~01:00
Closed on Mondays.
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
Warren Bobrow
Tokyo Terrace

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Shizuoka Sake
Shizuoka Shochu
Shizuoka Sushi
Sizuoka Gourmet

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Egg-Plant/Aubergine Carpaccio

April 16, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Aubergines or egg plants as they are called in the US are a world-popular vegetable. They originated in India, but are found everywhere.
The Japanes make a large consumption of them and try to come with new recipes.
Here is a simple recipe that blends many culinary cultures:
Aubergines/Egg-Plants Carpaccio!
Incidently, you can easily make it vegan!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 people

-Egg-plants/Aubergines: 2
-Grated fresh ginger juice: as appropriate
-Fruit tomatoes: as appropriate
-Lucolla: as appropriate
-Garlic: 1 clove
-Dressing: vinaigrette as appropriate
-Olive oil: EV as appropriate

RECIPE:

Grill the egg-plants/aubergines directly on a grill over the fire. Turn them around until they are properly cooked.
Peel them as soon as possible.

-Place the peeled hot aubergines into a bowl with vinaigrette and ginger juice. Let cool completely. Chill inside refrigerator.

-Take out serving dishes. Cut the garlic clove in halves and brush the plate with them for plenty of taste!
If you have any left chop it finely and add it to the egg plants/aubergines.

-Take the aubergines out of the bowl (proceed one at a time). Wrap each in cellophane paper. Press it with your hand to make it flat. Take out and cut into slices to the appropriate size.

-Arrange the slices as you would do with carpaccio.

-Cocasse/cut in small squares the tomatoes. Place them with some luccola atop the egg-plants/aubergines.

-Delicately pour good quality EV olive oil all over the carpaccio.

-Enjoy!

Please check the new postings at:
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Horse Meat Sashimi at Tomii

April 15, 2010 dragonlife 10 Comments

Horse meat has been a favourite of the Japanese (and only the French and the Tatars!). They call it “Sakura” as it is reminiscent of the colour of cherry blossoms!
The best quality is produced in Kagoshima Prefecture in the Island of Kyushu.

It is usually served in very thin sashimi/carpaccio-style slices.

In sushi restaurants, it will usually be frozen for easier cutting, but Tomii beig a high-quality restaurant they avoid frezzing which might add water to the meat.
It is very sweet and tender, and a very special morsel.

It is always served with two types of seasoning at Tomii:
Soy sauce (light variety) with freshly grated ginger, or the same soy sauce with grated garlic. Both are complemented with very finely chopped fresh thin leek!

To be enjoyed with a great sake or shochu!

TOMII
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg, 1F
Tel.: 054-274-0666
Business hours: 17:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Mando: Neo Japanesque Bar/SpanishTapas Bar

April 15, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great and very large washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to a little expensive.
Specialty: Tapas. Japanese sake, including many local Shizuoka Brands, shochu and wines.

More and more culinary specialties are being presented for the ever-growing pleasure of revellers in Shizuoka City.
The latest addition, which opened last month, is a very interesting combination of Japanese and Spanish cuisines served in a bar/restaurant very reminiscent of Spain.

A very-easy going place with very friendly staff (7) ably coached by veteran manager Takeshi Hirai (who also looks after two more establishments), one can first quaff one’s thirst in many ways:

Japanese sake (350~1,200 yen for a 90ml glass) is top-class　including no　less than 19 different bottles from Shizuoka Prefecture: Isojiman, Aoshima, Kokkou, Sugii, Doi, Takashima, Morimoto, Oomuraya, Kanzawagawa, Eikun and Hatsukame Breweries!
Other prefecture are represented by 11 more brands.

Incidentally, if you come there just drinking,there is a space for guests who prefer standing with a glass in hand!

Plenty of wine, naturally!

Wine is available by the bottle, half-bottle, and glass.
7 liqueurs, plenty of cocktails, soft drinks, Japanese tea and herbal teas are also on the menu!

And shochu: 13 imo/tuber, 11 mugi/barley, 8 kome/rice, 3 awamori from Okinawa and 7 limited editions!

As for food, you had better check the menu of the day written on blackboard as it changes every day.
On the average 13~ tapas (300~600 yen) and 16~ dishes (200~1,400 yen) are on offer, although one can ask the chefs about avaibility of other foods!

If you can’t read the menu, no problem, just point at the food inside the glass display boxes: Fish,

Tapas,

More tapas,

Vegetable terrine,

and even more tapas!

Eating tapas with a glass of wine is probably the cheapest way to truly enjoy the place!

Mind you, they quickly add up!

A great place on your own for a quick fix or with good company for a long night out!

MANDO, Neo Japanesque Bar
420-0031 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Gofuku-cho 2-4-6, Mori Bldg 1 & 2F (along Genan Street)
Tel. & Fax: 054-221-5103
Opening hours: 17:00~02:00
Closed on Sundays
Parties possible on reservation (second floor can turned into private party space)
Credit cards OK

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Italian Cuisine: Cipolla Ripiena/Stuffed Onion at Il Paladino

April 15, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great and very large washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to expensive.
Specialty:Sicilian Cuisine. Top-class Italian wines and great collection of Grappa.
Non-smoking at tables.

Just had to go for a “glass of wine” after a long work day before definitely calling it a day and have dinner at home!

The chef came up with an interesting “appetizer”, a specialty from Piemonte: Cipolla Ripiena/Stuffed Onion!
NOTE: Thanks to Foods & Crafts for correcting me! Incidentlly I’m french! LOL

A large onion is cut in half and “dug out” to just leave a couple of “layers” of fresh onion inside the outside skin.
It is then filled the chopped dug out part mixed with wild boar ragu/stew. The wild boar came from Shimada City in the Central part of Shizuoka Prefecture!

It was topped with a generous measure of parmiggiano and Italian parsley before being baked to perfection!

Will definitely have to make it back home!

Tratorria . Il Paladino
420-9839 Shizuoka City, Aoi-Ku, Takajo, 2-8-19
Tel.: 054-253-6537
Opening hours: 11:30~13:30, 17:00~22:00
Closed on Mondays
Credit cards OK (Dinner only)

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Japanese Cuisine: Sauteed Chicken

April 15, 2010 dragonlife 8 Comments

Japanese Cuisine: Sauteed Chicken

The Japanese have a very healthy and tasty way of sauteeing very fresh high grade chicken.
It is simple, but not necessarily cheap as the chicken must of the best quality for such a recipe, but it certainly makes for great presentation!

INGREDIENTS: For one person

-1 large chicken breast with the skin
-Freshly grated and pressed daikon: 1 cup
-Finely chopped leeks: 1/2 cup (choose a fresh and tender leek!)
-Salt and pepper: as appropriate.
-Ponzu: 1/4 cup (if not available, use very light taste soy sauce with a dash of lemon juice)
-Chili pepper powder: as appropriate

RECIPE:

-Season chicken with a little salt and pepper if you wish to. Not much, please!

-Punch holes in the chicken skin with the point of a knife.

-Heat a non-stick frying pan.

-Place the chicken breast skin down on the frying pan. Do nout use oil!

-When the skin starts sizzling, cover with a glass lid and lower fire to medium-low.

-Cook until the chicken is cooked on top and that the skin has turned a nice crispy dark brown.

-Get a long serving individual dish ready.

-Taking care not to burn yourself, transfer the chicken breast onto a working table and cut into slices.

-Transfer the sliced chicken breast onto the serving plate with the slices touching each other in the shape of the initial chicken breast.

-Pour the ponzu all over it. Top the whole first with the grated daikon and then the chopped leeks as shown in above picture.
Last sprinkle with chili pepper powder.

Great with beer or Japanese sake!

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Yoghurt Bread

April 14, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Here is a very simple recipe for bread than can be enjoyed at any times by adults and kids:

Yoghurt Bread!

INGREDIENTS: For 6 “balls”

-All-purpose flour: 150 g
-Light flour (cake flour): 50 g
-Baking powder: 5 g
-Salt: a pinch
-Salad oil: 35 cc/ml
-Plain yoghurt: 150 g
-Honey (liquid): 35 g
-Sliced cheese for topping: as appropriate

RECIPE:

-In one bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder through and mix well.

-In another bowl, pour yoghurt, salad oil and honey. Mix with a hand mixer or whisk until bubbly.

-Pour the yoghurt mixture a lttle at a time in bowl containg the flour mixture. mix well well with a spatula. Repeat until all the yoghurt mixture has blended well with the flour mixture.

-Divide the dough into 8 balls. Use flour if they are too sticky. Sprinkle some four on an oven plate and place the balls on it. Make a cut over the top. Place some cheese over the top according to preference.

-Bake for 25 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.

NOTE:

-Try with roasted sesame seeds (black or yellow) either included in the dough or as topping!

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Yakitori Cutting Techniques 5: Zuri/Sunazuri/Sunagimo/Gizzards

April 14, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Gizzards are the two sticks in front. The back two are liver.

SYNOPSIS:

Looking at my friends Island Vittles and Skewer It! blogs on yakitori I decided to start a series on that worldwide known Japanese specialty that is “Yakitori/焼き鳥/”Grilled Chicken”.
I hope that this series of postings on various basic recipes will help her and all other foodies interested in that simple, healthy and so delicious delicacy!

This particular series will deal with the cutting techniques which should help you make your own yakitori at home!

Bear in mind than some ingredients such as skin or gizzards might not be considered proper or healthy in some cultures!

Yakitori Cutting Techniques 5: Zuri/Sunazuri/sunagimo/Gizzards:

First clean the gizzards in fresh running cold water.
Cut out the red parts on both sides, left and right as shown in picture and discard.

Cut in half as shown above.

Cut off as much as you can of the hard skin as shown above. A bit difficult, I agree, but ry to cut out and discard only the hard white part. Well, as much as you can!

Pass the stick through each cut folded in two with the white part inside as shown above. This will prevent the gizzards from folding out. Count 3 to each stick.