Mame Daifuku

Daifuku is a traditional Japanese sweet which is also called "Daifuku Mochi".
Daifuku is a mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet red bean paste.
It has rounded shape and usually slightly coated with potato starch.

Mame daifuku is a one of variety of daifuku.
It is a daifuku which mix beans with mochi.

Ameyoko Fruit Shop - Hyakkaen

Besides selling seasonal fresh fruits, this stall in Ameyoko also sells fruit on the stick.

Taito-ku, Ueno 6-10-12

03-3832-2625

Ameyoko Candy Man

For 1,000 yen, this man will fill a bag with sweets and chocolates. It's always fun to watch the show in Ameyoko.

Taito-ku, Ueno 6-11-3

03-3831-2454

Himono Dried Fish

I love these himono. Fish are butterflied open, marinated in a saline solution and then left out to dry. These increase the umami in the fish and they are a breeze to grill.

Healthful Side Dishes

Three quick and easy side dishes that make their way into Shinji-san's bento. On top is kiriboshi daikon, or dried daikon simmered with carrots and abura-age (thin, deep-fried tofu).

In the middle is kinpira gobo. Quick stir-fried gobo and carrots in a sweet soy sauce.

On the bottom is hijiki, carrots and abura-age simmered until tender. Hijiki is rich in iron, calcium and fiber.

Ooey Gooey Sticky Savory Pancake

Yamaimo is a long, funny looking potato. I love to grate it and cook it in a nonstick pan in some EVOO. Just season it with salt while its edges are developing a nice crisp. The middles stays soft and gooey and has a sticky texture to it. When we eat it we drizzle it with some soy sauce and scoop it up with nori (preferably Korean nori).

It is also fantastic grated up until it becomes soupy and pour it over hot rice and topped with some soy sauce.

Gastronomy Summit in Tokyo

Top photo: Yukari with Chef Yuji Wakiya

Middle photo: Chef Joel Robuchon

Bottom photo: Nobu Matsuhisa, Adria Ferrar, Yukio Hattori, Joel Robuchon & Heston Blumenthal

Interesting quotes from the summit:

Junichiro Koizumi: If tourists understand Japanese food they will undertand Japanese food better.

Joel Robuchon on Japanese cuisine: nothing is wated, the wonder of umami, Japanese cuisine is delicate and meticulous, and the importance of seasonality

Pierre Gagnaire: loves Japanese seafood, in particular tairagai, and ingredients such as yuzu, sansho, shiso and shiso flowers

Many of the chefs raved Japanese ingredients including kombu, katsuobushi, seafood, yuzu, sansho, wasabi, shiso and the amazing presentation that is essential in kaiseki cuisine.

Chikuzen ni

This is a regional simmered dish of kyusyu region.
But in these days, it is cooked all over Japan.

Chikuzen-ni is also called "Gameni".
It has rich taste.
Because many vegetables are sauteed and simmered with chicken.

We usually heat a little of oil in a pan.
Put bite size cut chicken pieces , and stir-fry them.
Put vegetables (carrot, lotus root, burdock, taro, shiitake etc.) and konnyaku, and continue to stir-fry them.
Put soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and dashi-soup.
Simmer them with skimming scum that rise the surface.

Tori no Tatsuta-age

This is a Japanese deep-fried chicken.
("tatsuta-age" means a Japanese deep-fried technic.)

It is similar to "Tori no kara-age".
Different point of them are
(1) In case of tatsuta-age chicken, chicken pieces are soaked in sauce, before those are coated with potato starch.

(2)In case of tatsuta-age, chicken pieces are coated with potato starch.
In case of kara-age, chicken pieces are coated with potato starch or wheat flour.

(3)tatsuta-age chicken is not cooked with garlic.

So I think tatsuta-age chicken is more Japanese.

We usually cut chicken leg into bite size.
Put chicken pieces into sauce which is mixed with soy sauce, sake and grated ginger( or ginger juice), and keep it around in 20 min.
Take chicken pieces out, and dry them with paper towel.
Coat them with potato starch, and deep-fry.

2009 World Gastronomic Summit in Tokyo

Tokyo hosted it's first World Gastronomic Summit in Tokyo, February 9-11, 2009. An amazing event for any foodie as some of the world's top chefs were in attendance. Here is Ferran Adria of El Bulli in the opening ceremonies and former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

Shinji-san's Bento

Kue (Longtooth Grouper) One of Japan's Most Expensive Fish

This is a recent "kue" (longtooth grouper) course dinner we did in Tokyo. The chef of the restaurant went to Tsukiji that morning to pick up the kue. Kue can be more expensive than tuna (per pound). It has a light pink color to its flesh and a rich texture (puri puri). It has a rich taste and we had it four ways:

1. Nabe hotpot with tofu, brown enoki mushrooms, shimeji mushrooms, shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves) and leeks. This was served with a ponzu dipping sauce.

2. Sashimi (excellent and hands down our favorite). This too was served with ponzu and a momiji oroshi (daikon and dried red pepper that has been grated).

3. Nimono simmered in a sweet soy sauce.

4. Ozosui in a rice porridge.

I don't remember the name of the shop but definitely recommend trying it if you have the chance.

This was excellent with an imo jochu (sweet potato shochu) we had it with.

The kue we had was actually farmed from Wakayama. We believe it is from Kinki Daigaku which is also farming tuna.

Unohana (Sauteed Okara)

Okara is a left after making soy milk.
But it is a nutritious food.
Okara is also known as excellent diet food.
Because it is low in fat and rich in fiber.

We usually stir-fry okara in a pan without oil, and take out okara from the pan.
Heat a little of salada oil in the pan.
Stir-fry some vegetables and other ingredients such as carrot, shiitake-mushroom, spinatch, green beans, aburaage , konnyaku and sakuraebi(small dried shrimp) in the pan.
Add okara(stir-fried), soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, dashi-soup to the pan.
And simmer them with stirring until liquid is gone.

We usually have it as side dish.

Snacks for the Sumo Tournament

We celebrated my birthday with "masu seki" seats at the January sumo tournament. These are small boxes, just big enough to seat four adults on pillows, close to the sumo ring. As a snack I made three types of inarizushi (deep-fried tofu that have been marinated in a sweet syrup) stuffed with shiso and sesame seeds, pickled takana leaves and sesame seeds and yukari (dried purple shiso leaves) with pickled myoga.

Some of the best sashimi in Tokyo

Voila - the final package! The wild scallops spoiled me, I don't think I can ever go back to frozen. Also, the aji had a rich texture and fresh taste.

Now you can see why we prefer to eat at home.

The photo below is Yuki Sensei, Yoko Sensei and Yukari showing off our wedding present (the sake cup in Yuki-chan's hands and the flask that I am holding. Mingei pottery.

Shinji-san preparing dinner

Shinji-san fileting fish, slicing squid and removing the awabi from its abalone shell.

Home Party

Salmon, hotate (scallops), sanma (Pacific saury), aji (mackerel), awabi and ika. The seafood all came from Tsukiji Market to our local Uoriki fish market at Tachikawa station in Tokyo, which coincidentally is where I was born. Shinji-san prepared all of these sashimi style, or raw. This was the highlight or our dinner with good friends.

Shinji-san's Bento

A sample of the bento lunch boxes I make for my husband as he goes to work at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo.

The key is to get a balance of five colors (red, white, black, yellow and green) as well as a variety of ingredients and cooking methods. Half of the bento is rice and the other half are what you see here. I feel much better knowing what my husband is eating each day for lunch rather than having him going out and eating fast food.