Tag Archives: 静岡

Vegetables Tips & Facts 7: Edible Flowers (amended & expanded)

January 22, 2010 dragonlife 14 Comments

flowers-8
(5 edible flowers and water cress salad)

The other day, while I was shopping at the big supermarket at the Shizuoka JR Station I was reminded of a recent post by Natasha at 5 Star Foodie when I noticed edible flowers on sale.
Edible flowers have been on the Japanese markets for quite a few years already.
They tend to first appear in late winter, although it is only a question of time when they will be sold all year long!

flowers-1

flowers-2

They come in very cheap, at 98 yen a small box (1 US$), but they ought to be used as early as possible.
Aichi Prefecture, our neighbour Prefecture seems to have become the largest growing area in Japan.
Thai, Indian and Persian citizens, as far as I know, have been using flowers in food for quite some time. The Japanese have served mini-chrysanthemum and perilla flowers since immemorial times.

Most edible flowers are of the pansy, snapdragon, primura, roses, Cosmos, nasturium and so on.
Do you recognize some of them above?

FACTS:

Now, the great news is that they contain an enormous amount of Vitamin A carotene:
1,100 to 9,400 micrograms per 100 grams as compared to 390 micrograms for tomatoes, 720 micrograms for broccoli and 3,100 micrograms for spinach.
as well as Vitamin C:
230 t0 650 mg per 100 grams as compared to 20 mg for tomatoes, 100 mg for spinach and 160 mg for broccoli!

TIPS:

The Japanese will use them either in flower or vegetable salads or on cakes.
Perilla flowers/shiso no hana are regularly served with sashimi or many kinds of fresh foods!

HEALTH FACTS:

-Edible Chrysanthemums combined with shiitake or mackerel enriches the blood, helps combat ageing and stress.

-Edible Chrysanthemums combined with wakame/seawedd or ginger helps combat muscle/body swelling and helps lower blood pressure.

-Edible flowers combined with oil is a generally beneficila combination.

-Edibke flowers combined with grapefruit or strawberries are beneficial to the skin and helps combat ageing.

One small advice for caution: don’t overeat them as they have purgative powers!

The best season for edible flowers is from September to December in Japan.

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Japanese Cuisine: Oysters steamed in Rice/Kaki Meshi

January 22, 2010 dragonlife 6 Comments

Winter means a large supply of fresh oyters in Japan and many other countries! But we certainly need some fresh and simple ideas to consume them, even if raw oysters are the norm.
Oyster chowder is a traditionla option for example.
Have you heard of this typical Japanese dish called “Kaki Meshi/牡蠣飯, or oysters steamed in rice?
It has the advantage of beiing a hearty, simple and very healthy recipe.

Here is the basic recipe. There are plenty of options open for it!

INGREDIENTS: As I often do with basic Japanese recipes, I leave it to you as for exact quantities to accomodate personal preferences and priorities.

-Oysters/蠣
-Rice/米
-Soy sauce/醤油
-Japanese sake/酒
-Dashi/Japanese soup stock/出汁
-Grated daikon/大根おろし
-Ginger/生姜/cut into very fine strips
-Lime/yuzu/柚子/grated zest
-Thin leeks/子葱/コネギ
-Trefoil/Mitsuba/三葉

RECIPE:

Oysters:
Using fresh oysters in their shells (don’t forget to take them out!LOL) is a bit too extravagant for this recipe, and hard work.
In Japan they can be found in any markets sold packed in water. This country being very strict on hygiene rules, I have no problem using them.

Rice:
Prepare the rice before opening the pack of oysters.
3 “go”, or about 540 cc (liquid measure) should be enough. Use Japanese round rice. Check if it has to be washed first or not, as both varieties are available.
(After washed the rice, if necessary) let soak the rice in clear water for 30 minutes.
Drain thoroughly.

Massaging the oyters in grated daikon:
This is a very important step which will ensure that the oysters are properly cleaned.
Prepare enough grated daikon.
If you use oysters just taken out of their shells, massaging them with salt might be better.
Wash quickly under clear clean water and drain thoroughly.

Pre-cooking the oysters:
In pan pour just enough sake and soft soy sauce variety to simmer the the oysters in for 2~3 minutes.
The more sake, the better!
Do experiment!

Sieving/filter the juices:
Take oysters out with a sieve ladle and keep aside.
Strain/filter the juices into the rice cooker.

Preparing the rice steaming liquid/soup:
Add dashi/Japanese soup stock so that the total liquid is the equivalent of the rice volume x 1.2=about 650 cc.

Steaming:
Pour the rice into the steaming liquid.
Place oysters and ginger on top.
Close rice cooker and switch on.

Wait until the rice is cooked.
DO NOT OPEN the cooker at once, but leave it closed for 10 more minutes!
Open the cooker.
Drop in 90% of thechopped thin leeks, grated yuzu zest and cut trefoil.
Mix in quickly.
Serve at once sprinkled with some more thin leeks, grated yuzu and cut trefoil.

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Insects & Bugs Gastronomy in Japan

January 21, 2010 dragonlife 8 Comments

From bottom cntre clockwise:
Inago/locusts/いなご, Hachi no ko/bee larvae/蜂の子, Kaiko/Silk worms/蚕のさなぎ, Saza Mushi/Trichoptera/ザザ虫

The Good Beer and Country Boys made the mistake in provoking me to write something on the various insects and bugs eaten in Japan!
These little critters have been eaten since time immemorial for their high content in animal proteins.
They definitely are an acquired taste, but escargots (snails), ecrevisses (crayfish) and cuisses de grenouille (froglegs) also are.
Don’t ask me if I like them or not, I’m just writing about them!

Inago/locusts/いなご

Locusts are generally eaten dry-fried, stir-fried, fried with soy sauce. mirin and sake, or

as tempura after having boiled them!
Pick your choice!

Kaiko/Silk worms/蚕

Like locusts, silk worms can be eaten after having stewed them in soy sauce, mirin, sake and spices.

They are ven found as sushi!

They are popular just dry-fried, making for a crsipy snack!
It is said that a single silk worm has the protein equivalent of three chicken egg yolks!

Hachi no ko/bee larvae/蜂の子

Bee or more aptly honey bee larvae have been eaten all over the world since men (animals) prowled our planet.
They are of course sweet and healthy (yes!), so it is only a matter of finding a way to make them look appetizing.
They are very popular deep-fried (see picture above) in Japan,

where they are also stewed with soy sauce, mirin, Japanese sake and of course, honey!

Saza Mushi/Trichoptera/ザザ虫

Now, these are real buggers/critters (how about feeding them to spammers? LOL)!
The plate above featur: カワゲラ/kawagera, トビゲラ/tobigera and ヘビトンボ/hebitonbo. Could not find their names in English!

They have been “popular” in Japan for a long time. Most are caught near rivers in clean areas (!).
They are cooked/stewed in mirin, Japanese sake and soy sauce for a long time, I cantell you!

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Japanese Cuisine: Ika-Meshi/Rice-stuffed Squids

January 21, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Squids and rice are cheap anywhere in the world, and many gastronomies combine the two.
In Japan rice stuffed squids are called Ika Meshi/烏賊飯.

The best squids for this kind of dish are spear squids or Yari Ika/槍烏賊 in Japanese. But any kind of long squid variety, large or small should be fine with this basic recipe!

INGREDIENTS: This is the basic, therefore I leave the exact quantities to you!

-Squid (or small squids)
-Rice: normal Japanese round rice
-Glutinous rice: Mochi Kome in Japanese
-Japanese sake (if unavailable dry white wine)
-Soy sauce
-Sugar
-Water

RECIPE:

Take the head, tentacles and all innards off/out.
Don’t forget that the tentacles are edible raw, or cooked!
Clean the squid thoroughly under running cold water.

Wash the rice.
The rice should be an equal quantity of normal rice and glutinous rice.
Soak in clean cold water for a whole night inside the fridge.
Before cooking drain thoroughly.

Fill the squid with rice.
Don’t overfill it as the rice will gain in volume upon cooking and will break the squid if too much is pushed inside. Just fill the squid pushing the rice in gently without expanding the squid.

Close/lock the squid with a wooden toothpick to prevent the rice from spilling out.

Fill a pan with enough water for the squid to “float”.
Add Soy sauce, Japanese sake and sugar. That is when you have to experiment. You may also add spices but do experiment there., too. Chili pepper should be ok!
Cover with lid and let cook over a small fire.
Stew until the squid is cooked. The rice having been soaked all night should be ready.
Take the squid out carefully. Peel off the thin membrane/skin which be broken in places by then.
pull the toothpick out.
Serve it whole or cut as in top picture. Decorate with green leafy vegetables.

Here is what you can do with smaller squids!

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Vegan Sashimi Plate at Yasaitei (’10/01/20)

January 21, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

I suppose I don’t have to explain any more this longing I have for Yasatei Izakaya in Shizuoka City, nor the reasons I have to invent to go there!

Therefore, I will start right away describing what I hate and drank there yesterday evening:

Let’s start with the “front row”:
-Slices of green zucchini grown in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. They were first cut, then massaged with salt and finally washed, making them tender and tasty.
-Iceplant leaves. I already mentioned this plant is worth discovering, you be vegan, vegetarian or omnivore! They are tender and crispy at the same time, and almost sweet with no tanginess, whatsoever.
-Carrots.
-Sweet red pimento.

“Back row”:
-Plum tomato.
-Daikon. Juicy and so soft in taste!
-Cucumber. Japanese variety, crispy!

Side view to show how the shiso/perilla leaf is supported by thinly sliced onion (winter onion grown in Shizuoka, with its tanginess taken away in a cold water bath).

As usual the dressing was a small saucer of sesame oil with high-quality salt and dark miso paste.

I found out that shochu is the best alcohol to enjoy with such vegetarian/vegan fare.
Incidentally, good quality shochu is vegan.
The first glass (straight with plentyof ice) is called “Doman”, the name of a very rare crab found in Hamanako Lake in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. It is a rice shochu distilled by Hamamatsu-Tenjigura Brewery in Hamamatsu City. Crispy and gentle on the palate with plenty of character at 25 degrees proof.

My second glass came from a rare bottle of brown sugar shochu made in Amami Oshima, a small island south of Kagoshima Prefecture, Kyushu Island (great place to visit and forget about cities, I guarantee you!).
The reason it was at Yasaitei is that one of the lady waitresses is married to a gentleman from that far away island!
The name “Hikanzakura” is the name of a local cherry tree. I don’t have a clue how Oshima Shokuryo Co. distills it, but it is so flowery and mellow, even at 30 degrees proof!

YASAITEI
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-Cho, 1-6-2 Green Heights Wamon 1-C
Tel.: 054-2543277
Business hours: 17:30~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Reservations highly recommended
Seating: 6 at counter + 20 at tables
Set Courses: 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 yen
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Vegan Korean Cuisine: Kimchi Tofu Miso Soup

January 20, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Although I live in and loves its food, I’ve learnt to appreciate Korean gastronomy through many trips to Seoul and eating at Yakiniku Restaurants here.

I’M sure that vegan and vegetarinas would love a simple tatse of Korean food according to their preferences.
Her is a very simple recipe for cold winters!

Kimchi Tofu Miso Soup!

INGREDIENTS:

-Kimchi: as much as you want
-Tofu (soft silk/kinu tofu style): 200 g
-Sesame oil: 1 tablespoon
-Leeks: as much as you like (chopped)
-Dashi/Konbu Dashi (vegan dashi)/ soup stock: 1 cup/200 cc/ml (check dashi posting)
-Miso: 1 tablespoon (check miso posting!)

-Optional: freshly cut green leaf vegetables for decoration.

RECIPE:

-Heat the sesame oil in a pan. Fry the leeks and kimchi together for a while.

-Add dashi soup stock and bring to boil.
As soon as it boils, lower fire to small.
Add miso and stir and add tofu cut in bite-sized pieces and cooked until tofu is warm enough (never overcook tofu!)

-Pour into serving bowl and eat with chopsticks and Chinese spoo (or just with a spoon!).
-I like it served with freshly chopped thin leeks or coriander!

Simple again, isn’t it?

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Japanese Cuisine: Tebasaki Karaage/Deep-fried Chicken Wings

January 20, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

I seem to have entered a chicken mode these days! LOL
Chicken Wings in Japanese is Tebasaki/手羽先, meaning H”and Wing Extremities”!
This is a very popular morsel in this country where nothing is thrown away as far as food is concerned.
We can find some really fat/meaty ones in the market here.
They make for great snacks with beer, sake or wine!

Here is a basic (there are many variations!) recipe in deep-fried style:

Tabasaki/Chicken Wings!

INGREDIENTS:

-Chicken Wings: 8 (choose them as large as possible!)

Marinade:
-Japanese sake: 1 tablespoon (if unavailable, use white wine)
-Salt and black pepper: to taste
-Honey (liquid): 1/2 tablespoon
-Other spices: optional

Sauce:
-Garlic: 1 clove (grated)
-Sesame seeds: to taste
-Japanese sake: 2 tablespoons
-Soy sauce:1+1/2 tablespoons
-Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
-Sesame seeds: to taste (don’t be afraid to use plenty!)
-Honey (liquid): 1 tablespoon
-Other spices: optional (I use a little star anise)

RECIPE:

-Clean the chicken wings if necessary.
Sponge off any water with kitchen paper.
Place them in a bowl with the marinade ingredients. Stir them well, pressing the marinade into them with your fingers.

-Mix the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.

-Deep-fry the marinated chicken wings in oil heated to 170 degrees. Take them out as soon as they attain a light colouring.

-Heat the oil to 180~185 degrees Celsius and deep-fry the chicken wings in two stages until they are completely cooked and crispy.

-Place the chicken wings on a grill long enough to let the excess oil drop from them.
Drop them in the bowl containing the sauce while they are still hot, mix well and serve on dish with greens.

For a closer view!

Easy, isn’t it?

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/01/20)

January 20, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

We are three weeks into 2010 (the beginning of Baird Brewing’s second decade) and this is our first New Year email bulletin. This Internet silence has not been due to a barren beer cellar. In fact, we are bursting at the seams with a bevvy of winter seasonal brews awaiting release. Today, we announce the debut of several of these.

Dark Sky Imperial Stout (ABV 8.5%): This foreboding stout is a beer lover’s winter dream come true. It is pitch-black in color, unctuous in body, elusively complex in flavor, warming in alcohol and piquantly hoppy. This 2010-release version is slightly more British in character than previous versions: e.g. more British malt, lower IBU and milder hop varieties, less use of Japanese black sugar, and fermentation with a British ale yeast.
This year, due to my own forgetful blunder, only one double-batch of Dark Sky was brewed and all of it was bottled (633 ml). None of it, therefore, is available on draught. It will be available in bottle-conditioned form beginning Thursday, January 21 at all of our Taproom pubs and at other fine Baird Beer retailing establishments in Japan. Next year, so long as I manage to keep my job, I promise broad draught availability.

Okini Old Ale (ABV 6.5%): Old Ales derive their name from the fact that they undergo a long period of ageing in the package before release. The historical roots of this classic ale style are English. Old Ales tend to be moderately high in alcohol, medium to full in body, and somewhat sweet and vinous in flavor. Okini (meaning ‘thank you’ in Kansai dialect) Old Ale is the brainchild of our former brewer, Molly Browning. She formulated the recipe and brewed the beer on her final day of work back in August, 2008 and she did so in a spirit of thanks to all those who had given her support and friendship during her tenure in Japan with Baird Beer. Molly, we say ‘thanks’ in return.
Okini Old Ale is available both in kegs and bottles (633 ml). It will begin pouring from our Taproom taps on Thursday, January 21 and should be on the shelves and behind the bars of other Baird Beer retailers in Japan on or around the same date.

In addition to these two general releases, we also will be hooking up the hand pumps this Thursday at our Fishmarket and Nakameguro Taprooms to begin pouring a new small-batch Real Ale: Wheaty Porter (ABV 5%). This moderate strength, smooth drinking Porter has the unique attribute of being wheat-based (55%) rather than barely-based. It is a terrific winter session beer. Also relatively new to the hand pumps at all three Taprooms is another maiden-brewed Real Ale: Kiwi Single-Hop Dark Ale (ABV 4.8%). The single hopping of this fruity, low-gravity dark ale occurs with the New Zealand hop, Hallertau Aroma. It is another excellent moderate alcohol winter alternative in this season of otherwise very strong beers.

Finally, please mark your calendar for the dates of the upcoming Nakameguro Taproom Big Beer Winter Week (Thursday, February 11 through Friday, February 19). This is the week in which we feature a huge lineup of strong ales and lagers and match them with special treats from the kitchen. This year, we will be working in tandem with the team at Nagano Trading to offer a broad menu of Big Beers imported direct from the United States in addition to a robust lineup of Baird Big Beers. More event details will be announced shortly.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird
Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

The Japan Blog List

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Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Cold Avocado Soup

January 20, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

Avocadoes are popular, plentiful and becomeing cheaper.
Here is a hearty and delicious, but simple recipe for a refreshing soup, especially in hot climate.
Bear in mind you will have to check the Chicken Bones Soup Stock recipe first!

INGREDIENTS: For about 4 people

-Avocadoes: 2 large
-Lemon juice: half a lemon
-Chicken bones soup stock: 1 cup/200 cc/ml
-Yoghurt: 2~3 cups/400~600 cc/ml
-Salt: a little
-Black pepper to taste
-Other spices: optional and to taste

RECIPE:

Choose your avocadoes ripe.
Cut them cleanly and throw seed away.
Peel carefully and cut into quarters.

Drop the avocado quarter into a large food processor.

Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon.

Add the chicken bones soup stock.
A cup is the right amount. More, and the taste will greatly vary!

Add the yoghurt.
As for the yoghurt you can add mre if you really wish to.

Process until smooth.

Add salt and pepper (and optional spices).
Process quickly to mix them in.
Check taste and rectify if needed.

Serve in glass plates or bowls.
Do think oabout the presentation!

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Chicken Bones Soup Stock: Tori Gara Soup-Basic Recipe

January 20, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

I was going to post an interesting Japanese Avocado Recipe when I realized that it involves a chicken bones soup stock. Well, to put things simply, I will first introduce the chicken bones soup stock first and the avocado soup next! LOL

It is called “Tori-gara soup”/鶏がらスープ in Japanese, meaning “Chicken carcass soup”.

The following recipe is basic and can be expanded and amended at will. It has also the merit to be useful for any kind of gastronomy, be it Asian, American, European, or African soups or sauces!

INGREDIENTS: As for quantities, do experiment!

-Chicken carcass and bones
-Long leeks
-Garlic
-Ginger (fresh if possible)
-Laurel (fried leaves)
-Black pepper (coarsely ground)
-Japanese sake
-Fruit (apple are best)
-Soy sauce

RECIPE:

Chicken carcass:
This is cheap and can be bought whole, unless you buy a whole chicken, dress it for another recipe and keep the bones and carcass. The latter can be deep-frozen, so don’t throw them away!

Break the bones roughly as the soup ingredients come from their insides. Clean then in running cold water. Drain them and leave them expaosed in a recipient in the refrigerator for a whole night.

Leeks:
You will need a large pot to make your soup.
Use long leeks of the variety above if you can get them. Actually any leeks should do. Cut them in practical pieces.

Ginger:
If possible get it fresh. If slightly dried up as found in Asian markets abroad, no problem.
A piece 5×5 cm (2×2 inches) should be enough.
Peel it and cut into rough slices.

Garlic:
Use it as fresh as possible.
Take out their core out as it is almost indegistible.
One clove should be enough. Slice it roughly after crushing it.

Laurel:
2 dried leaves are enough.

Black pepper:
Grind it over the soup. Quantity is much up to preferences.

Japanese sake:
Use real sake or cooking sake.
You definitely need it.
If unavailable, use dry white wine.

Soy sauce:
Here too, quantity is much up to your preferences.

Fruit:
Fruit will provide you the right balance.
Apples are best.
Cut them in small pieces beforehand.

Fill the pan with water.
Drop in the whole carcass and bones.
Bring to boil.
Switch off fire.
Throw all the water and refill with clean water. This is an important point. It might be troublesome, but if you don’t proceed accordingly the soup will be a failure!
Throw in all the ingredients cited above and stew over a low fire, scooping out unwanted matters regularly.

After 3~4 hours, taste the soup, which should have become whitish and slightly opaque with bone fat floating on top. If it is still too bland, continue stewing.

Strain the soup into a clean pan.
The soup, whenever reheated, should be done so without a lid.

Having strained the soup, you will find there is still plenty meat left on the bones.
It would be a shame to throw it away!
Just taste it and you will understand!

Pick the bones out carefully and throw away the rest.
The meat should come off easily enough to be done by hand.

Do be careful though when you do so as the meat will contain hidden bones piece, which are sharp!

I’m sure you can use all that meat for another succulent recipe!

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Vegan Japanese Cuisine: Taro & Tomato Stew

January 19, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Benn rummaging through my notes and discovered another simple and hearty recipe for my vegan and vegetarian friends!

Taro & Tomato Stew!

INGREDIENTS: For 2 people

-Taro/Sato Imo: 4
-Carrot: 1
-Onion: 1
-Garlic: 1 clove
-Tomato: 100~200 g (canned with their water, or fresh, peeled and seeded)
-Cabbage: 3 leaves
-Miso: 2 tablespoons
-Water: １/２ cup/100 cc/ml
-Mirin/sweet sake: a little for taste and seasoning

RECIPE:

1-Peel taro and cut into big pieces. Cut carrot into large pieces. Cut onion into 4 quarters. Cut the garlic into thin slices. Cut the cabbage into rough pieces.

2-In a pan drop the taro, carrot, onion and garlic with the tomato and switch on fire. Bring to boil and then lower fire. Cover with lid and cook until vegetables are soft.

3-If you have a pressure cooker, pour everything into it, heat and cook on a low fire for 5 minutes.

4-Add cabbage, miso, mirin and water and cook for a while until cabbage has become soft. Rectify/season with a little salt if necessary although miso contains enough salt.

NOTES:

-Any miso can be used according to your preferences.
-I personally add some lemon juice.
-When servin in bowls, I top it with chopped thin leeks. Fresh coriander would be great, too.

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Vegan Japanese Cuisine: Water Spinach Miso Soup

January 19, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Water Spinach is called Kuushinsai/空芯菜 in Japanese.
Ipomoea aquatica, latin foe Water Spinach is a semi-aquatic tropical plant grown as a leaf vegetable. It is known in English as Water Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Water Convolvulus, or by the more ambiguous names “Chinese spinach” and “swamp cabbage”. It has many other names in other languages. It is found throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world; it is not known exactly where it originated.

Water spinach

Ipomoea aquatica is most commonly grown in East and Southeast Asia. Because it flourishes naturally in waterways and requires little if any care, it is used extensively in Malay and Chinese cuisine, especially in rural or kampung (village) areas.

The vegetable is a common ingredient in Southeast Asian dishes. In Singapore, Indonesia and Penang, the leaves are usually stir fried with chile pepper, garlic, ginger, dried shrimp paste (belacan/terasi) and other spices. In Penang and Ipoh, it is cooked with cuttlefish and a sweet and spicy sauce. During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in World War II, the vegetable grew remarkably well and easily in many areas, and become a popular wartime crop.

In Chinese cuisine (traditional and simplified Chinese: 空心菜) there are numerous ways of preparation, but a simple and quick stir-fry either plain or with minced garlic is probably the most common. In Cantonese cuisine, a popular variation adds preserved tofu (furu, Mandarin). In Hakka cuisine, yellow bean paste[clarification needed] is added, sometimes along with fried shallots. The vegetable is also extremely popular in Taiwan, where it grows well.

In Thailand, where it is called phak bung (Thai: ผักบุ้ง), and in Burma, where it is called ga zun ywet, it is frequently stir-fried with oyster sauce or yellow soybean paste, and garlic and chillies. It can also be eaten raw, for instance with green papaya salad.

In Vietnam, it once served as a staple vegetable of the poor (known as rau muống). In the south, the stems are julienned into thin strips and eaten with many kinds of noodles, and used as a garnish as well. Ipomoea aquatica has become a common ingredient of Vietnamese cuisine.

In the Philippines, Ipomoea aquatica is usually sauteed in cooking oil, onions, garlic, vinegar, and soy sauce. This dish is called “adobong kangkong”. It is also a common leaf vegetable in fish and meat stews like sinigang. There is also an appetizer in the Philippines called “crispy kangkong”, in which Ipomoea aquatica leaves are coated with batter and fried until crisp and golden brown.

Here is a simple vegan Japanese-style recipe with miso soup:

Water Spinach Miso Soup!

INGREDIENTS:

-Water Spinach/Kushinsai: 1 bunch (leaves only)
-Wakame/seaweed (if dry, soften in lukewarm water first): as much as you want!)
-Aburaage/deep-fried tofu sheet: 1 half (cut according to preferences)
-Dashi/ Konbu dashi/ Seaweed dashi: 1 cup/200 cc/ml (check dashi posting)
-Miso: １．５ tablespoons (check miso posting!)
-Chopped thin leeks

RECIPE:

１．Wash the water spinach, cut out the leaves and drain.
Leave the aburaage in some lukewarm water for a while to take off excess oil.

２．In a pan pour the dashi. Add aburaage and wakame. Heat till just before boiling point (Boiling miso is not a good thing!).
Add miso and mix until well incorporate. Add water spinach and cook until the vegetables are cooked to satisfaction (completely raw water spinach are a bit hard on the system!).
Serve in bowl sprinkled with chopped thin leeks.

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Katsuo/Bonito

January 19, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

Bonito or “katsuo” in Japanese are extensively caught by fishermen from Numazu, Shimizu, Yaizu and Omaezaki Harbours (all Shizuoka Prefecture). The main fishing areas are Shizuoka, Mie, Kochi & Miyazaki Prefectures.
It is also called “katsu” (Tohoku Region), “Honkatsuo” (Kyushu Island), “Magatsuo” (Shikoku and Kyushu Islands. N.B.: the same name designates another fish in other parts of Japan!), “Suji” (Yamaguchi & Wakayam Pref.).
It appears on the markets early Spring~Autumn as “sho gatsuo” (first bonito in Spring) and “modori gatsuo” (return bonito end of Autumn).
They are traditionally line-caught but nets have been used extensively in recent years.

It can be appreciated raw, as sashimi with its skin or without it, preferably served with a saucer of soy sauce (shoyu) mixed with thin slices of fresh garlic, or with wasabi, a touch of lemon and shoyu,

or as nigiri topped with grated fresh ginger a thin slice of garlic, unless you prefer grated fresh ginger with chopped thin leeks.

The same is done with lightly grilled/aburi (or tataki) bonito as sushi nigiri.

Another very popular way to eat it that will please Europeans and North Americans alike, is “tataki”.

The fish is first seared/grilled over charcoal until it is lightly cooked on the whole outside then plunged into iced water to stop it from cooking any longer. It is then cut into large slices and served with freshly chopped garlic and thin leeks, “shiso” leaves (perilla/beefsteak plant) and wasabi.

Note 1: in restaurants specify whether you want the skin or not when ordering sashimi.

Note 2: the same fish is a staple food in Sri Lanka where it is first smoked and then prepared as soup or curry!

It is one of the most versatile fish in Japan.
It can be appreciated in many ways:
As a simple donburi/on a bowl or rice at home (see above picture),

Lightly seared and served as carpaccio,

as bogata sushi/whole fish stuffed with sushi rice,

as oshizushi/pressed sushi,

but my favourite is probably as zuke/marinated in soy sauce, mirin, sake, etc. before being served with a slice of garlic!

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/04)

January 19, 2010 dragonlife 12 Comments

It’s been some time since yhe Missus switched to “Open Sandwich Bento” mode. The merit is that if you in a hurry, you just look waht is left in the fridge and improvise from there!

A view of my bento as I unwrapped the cloth/napkin.

The toasted muffins.
In Japan they sell pre half-cut, making them easy to prepare or toast.

As you can see, there was plenty of fillings for my sandwich.
Actually I ate half of them with a fork I keep handy at work!

From top:
Fried/boiled taro/sato imo from yesterday’s bento leftovers.
Lettuce.
Sliced baked ham (part of end-of-the-year present).
Peeling cheese.
Japanese-style scrambled eggs.

From top:
Lettuce.
Taro.
Home-made pickles.
Bean (canned) salad.

For dessert, sliced kiwi fruit and home-made apple compote.

Simple but effective!

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Japanese Seasonal Fish: Hirame/Olive Flounder, Bastard Halibut, Tonguefish, Sole

January 18, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Hirame/平目

“Hirame” could be translated in many ways depending of your country of origin: Flat Fish, Sole, Ｔurbot (although the latter should define “karei”) and what else. There are many varieties, wild or humanーfed. In Japanese, the names are numerous: Hirame, Shitabirame, Ooguchikarei, Oyanirami, etc.

Actually they can be divided into two main groups:

1)The Olive flounder or Bastard halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus; Japanese: ヒラメ/平目) is a species of large-tooth flounder native to the north-western Pacific Ocean.
It is often referred to as the Japanese flatfish or Korea(n) flatfish (광어) when mentioned in the context of those countries.
It is the most common flatfish species raised in aquaculture in Korea. They are raised in Japan and China as well.

Shitabirame/舌平目

2) Tonguefishes (shitabirame/舌平目in Japanese) are a family, Cynoglossidae, of flatfishes. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their body, which also lacks a pelvic fin.

The best season is Autumn to Winter. They are still available until Spring in Shizuoka Prefecture. Wild ones come from Hokkaido and Aomori. Human-fed ones mainly hail from Oita, Ehime, Mie, and Kagoshima Prefectures.

Hirame Sashimi

The domestic wild catch is around 7600 tonnes a year, while human-fed fish amount to around 7100 tonnes a year. A recent increase has been observed in recent years, though. A lot are imported from Korea through Fukuoka and Shimoseki.
They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and estuaries, though a few species found in deep sea floors, and a few in rivers.

Hirame can be enjoyed in many ways:
As sashimi, cut in various thickness, according to the chef’s preference and presented artfully.

It can be enjoyed cut in small dices, as tartare, especially shitabirame/tonguefish with tomato and strawberry!

Of course, hiirame is great as sushi nigiri with all kinds of seasoning I prefer it just seasoned with a little lemon juice or yuzu (if available) and salt (preferably “snow salt” from Okinawa!

The Japanese have a fondness for “engawa”, that is the frilled border along the fillets which are usually thrown away in other countries. The texture is different, almost crunchy.