Ebi no Nigiri-zushi

This is shrimp sushi.
Sushi rice is formed into an oblong shape by hand, and placed shrimp on it.

Japanese like shrimp.
And it is popular as ingredient of sushi.

Shrimp is rich in protein, low in fat.
And it is also rich in taurine.

Aji furai (Deep-fried Aji fish)

"Aji" means Japanese horse mackerel.
It is one of blue back fish and rich in DHA and EPA.

We usually fillet aji.
Take out bones from it.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on it.
Coat it with wheat flour, beaten egg, and breadcrumb.
And deep-fry it in salada oil until browned.

We usually squeeze lemon on it, and put worcester sauce or tartare sauce on it, befor we eat it.

Yakitori (Grilled Skewered Chicken)

Yakitori is a grilled skewered chicken.
Usually, bite size chicken are skewered on wooden skewer, and grilled over hot charcoals.

Usually we can choose served with salt or Tare (sauce), when we order yakitori.
Tare is a sause which is made from sake (rice wine), mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and so on.
Detail of Tare is a top secret of yakitori shop.

Photo above is chicken meat.


Photo above is chicken meat and green onion.
It is called "Negima".


Photo above is chicken skin.
It is fatty but rich in collagen.


Photo above is chicken liver.
It is rich in vitamin D.

Astor Center

Marja and I taught a class on sake and Japanese party food at The Astor Center in New York City. This article comes from Gourmet magazine and was written by Maggie Ruggiero.

The Squid Saga

"Dashi" is added to the dictionary

Tanmen

Tanmen is a kind of Tokyo style ramen which has salt flavor and topped with sauteed various vegetables.
Usually, saute various vegetables and few pork with salt and pepper.
And add chicken bone based hot soup to it, and pour them on boiled ramen noodles( usually curly noodles ).
Usually vegetables of ingredients are soybean sprout, carrot, cabbage, onion, leek , Kikurage mushroom , and so on.

Karei no Nitsuke (Simmered Karei fish)

Karei is a kind of flat fish.
It is rich in protein and low in fat.
And its protein is absorbed easyly.

In this photo, Karei is simmered in the broth which is made from dashi(stock), sake(rice wine), soy sauce, sugar, and mirin (sweet sake).

It has soft texture and plain taste.

$1,000 Record Price for a Bunch of Grapes

Fruit in Japan is manicured and coddled before harvest to create perfect fruit bombs. The high end pieces of fruit are not purchased for noshing on at home, but for gifts.

While melons are known for their exorbitant prices, this week in Japan, a bunch of melons sold for 100,000 Japanese Yen (or about $1,000 USD). This price is about $25 per grape!

Gyudon Scam - Companies Still Falsifying Expiration Dates

Japan has been plagued with food companies falsifying expiration dates on food. While the government has said it will take steps to prevent this practice, sadly it still is happening.

Article from The Japan Times.

Tako no sashimi

Tako means octopus.
Octopus is rich in taurine, so it is a healthy food.
It is chewy, but it has good taste.
We usually put Wasabi on it, and dip it in soy sauce, and eat.
But I some time squeeze lemon on it, and eat.
It is also good.

Tsukimi Soba

"Tsukimi" means moon viewing.
This is a kind of hot type soba dish.
Soba noodles are in hot soup and topped on a raw egg and Nori.
Raw egg is showed as full moon, and Nori is showed as clouds
It looks lovely but aloso delicious.
Because raw egg and Nori are good with soba.

Lessons on making dashi from scratch

Lessons I learned from chef Kimio Nonaga of Nihonbashi Yukari on making dashi from scratch. Chef Nonaga is a former Iron Chef winner (having beaten Morimoto).

Dorayaki

It is also calld "Mikasa" in Kansai region(western part of Japan).
Dorayaki is a Japanese traditional sweet which An(Azuki bean paste) is put between two pancake which is made from egg, wheat flour, sugar, honey, and so on.

An is also called Anko.
It is an ingredient for many traditional Japanese sweet.
Usually, An is made from Azuki beans(red beans) and sugar.

By the way, it is famous that Dorayaki is the favorite of "Doraemon".

August Seasonal Fish - Makogarei

August Seasonal Fish - Sanma

August Seasonal Fish - Maiwashi

August Seasonal Fish - Kamasu

August Seasonal Fish - Tachiuo

August Seasonal Fish - Medai

August Seasonal Fish - Ginjake