News & Topics on Japan >> 201103
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Beef stewed in beer / JAPANESE HOME COOKING
Time does wonders to the flavor of stews. Beer, preferably the rich kinds from Europe, will be used to cook beef in this recipe. "There are a variety of dishes in the world where alcohol beverages are used to stew meat. It tenderizes the meat and enriches the flavor," says cooking expert Masayo Waki. Chunks of shoulder meat have the right amount of fat and tendon for a stew that should be done in about an hour.
tag : Recipe
The Origin of the California Roll
The style of sushi we know and love originates in Japan, and the Japanese are known for their adoption and innovation of western ideas. As sushi moved westward into the U.S., it became more and more popular. California was a natural inception point for many things Japanese, and sushi was a big hit on the west coast from the start. Back in the 1960′s, though, food transportation was not as efficient as it is now, so acquiring certain types of fish was not always easy.
tag : Sushi
Cheap and easy stir-fried bean sprouts with pork / JAPANESE HOME COOKING
Bean sprouts are an economical ingredient, yet they can easily becomes soggy or bland. Removing the roots improves the flavor, but doing so is cumbersome.
"You can remove some of the roots by soaking the sprouts in water and draining them in a sieve by hand," says chef and restaurant owner Tomoshige Ichikawa.
Ground pork flavored with "tian mian jiang," or sweet bean sauce, will add zest. Stir-fry swiftly to keep the sprouts crisp.
"You can remove some of the roots by soaking the sprouts in water and draining them in a sieve by hand," says chef and restaurant owner Tomoshige Ichikawa.
Ground pork flavored with "tian mian jiang," or sweet bean sauce, will add zest. Stir-fry swiftly to keep the sprouts crisp.
Singapore's sushi restaurants say may replace Japanese imports
Singapore's sushi restaurants say may replace Japanese imports
Reuters - Mar 17, 2011
Customers are flocking as usual to the dozens of sushi bars and upscale Japanese restaurants in Singapore, which have a large number of Japanese expatriates and aficionados of the cuisine, but news that food imports from Japan will be tested for ...
Reuters - Mar 17, 2011
Customers are flocking as usual to the dozens of sushi bars and upscale Japanese restaurants in Singapore, which have a large number of Japanese expatriates and aficionados of the cuisine, but news that food imports from Japan will be tested for ...
Soy sauce / History & etc. / Japanese Cuisine
Soy sauce (also called soya sauce) is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus soyae molds, along with water and salt. After the fermentation, which yields moromi, the moromi is pressed, and two substances are obtained: a liquid, which is the soy sauce, and a cake of (wheat and) soy residue, the latter being usually reused as animal feed.
'Tis the season for simmered flounder with wakame
Early spring is the season for various kinds of white fish suitable for use in lightly simmered "nitsuke" dishes.
"Nitsuke is eaten by dipping the fish in the sauce. The cooking liquid should not seep into the fish," says cooking expert Tatsuo Saito.
He uses "komochi-karei," or flounder with roe, but separates the roe from the fish. That prevents the fish from becoming overcooked while waiting for the roe to be done.
Key to the dish is blanching the fish with boiling water before cooking to clean the surface and enhance the flavor.
"Nitsuke is eaten by dipping the fish in the sauce. The cooking liquid should not seep into the fish," says cooking expert Tatsuo Saito.
He uses "komochi-karei," or flounder with roe, but separates the roe from the fish. That prevents the fish from becoming overcooked while waiting for the roe to be done.
Key to the dish is blanching the fish with boiling water before cooking to clean the surface and enhance the flavor.
tag : Recipe
"Nikujaga," a meat-and-potatoes favorite / JAPANESE HOME COOKING
A much-loved favorite, "nikujaga" (meat and potatoes) is a simmered one-pot meal. "Using a drop-lid allows the simmering liquid to reach all the ingredients, and the flavors will seep in evenly," says cooking expert Atsuko Matsumoto.
The lid also prevents the evaporation of the liquid. Any type of beef may be used, says Matsumoto, who chose reasonably priced cheaper cuts of meat this time.
The lid also prevents the evaporation of the liquid. Any type of beef may be used, says Matsumoto, who chose reasonably priced cheaper cuts of meat this time.
tag : Recipe
Japanese graters
Oroshigane
Oroshigane are used to grate daikon radish and mountain potato, as well as ginger and wasabi. This copper oroshigane is the standard shape, though they are made in many sizes.
Copper is the most suitable material for the oroshigane - ensuring that the teeth will be neither too hard nor soft. For copper graters like this one, a thin copper sheet is first pounded with a spring hammer to strengthen the metal before being cut by hand into the classic shape.
After being plated in tin, the teeth are then cut and raised tooth by tooth - a painstaking job still done by hand. (Any handmade grater with worn teeth can be refurbished.)
Oroshigane are used to grate daikon radish and mountain potato, as well as ginger and wasabi. This copper oroshigane is the standard shape, though they are made in many sizes.
Copper is the most suitable material for the oroshigane - ensuring that the teeth will be neither too hard nor soft. For copper graters like this one, a thin copper sheet is first pounded with a spring hammer to strengthen the metal before being cut by hand into the classic shape.
After being plated in tin, the teeth are then cut and raised tooth by tooth - a painstaking job still done by hand. (Any handmade grater with worn teeth can be refurbished.)
Local cuisine of the Chubu/Tokai region
Taking up herewith Local Cuisine of the Chubu/Tokai region.
Chubu/Tokai region
Houtou (Yamanashi Prefecture)
Houtou is a local dish from Yamanashi. Noodles similar to udon (wheat-flour noodles) are cooked with pumpkin or other vegetables in miso soup. This noodle is wider and flatter than regular wheat-flour noodles and is placed in the pot raw without boiling first. Houtou cooked with mushy pumpkin in miso-based soup is very tasty and other vegetables such as potatoes and mushrooms are included with pork and chicken if desired. According to legend, you will not catch cold if you eat pumpkin on the winter solstice (shortest day of the year, around December 22), and this custom is followed in Yamanashi. A bowl of houtou with highly nutritious pumpkin will certainly warm you up on a cold day.
Chubu/Tokai region
Houtou (Yamanashi Prefecture)
Houtou is a local dish from Yamanashi. Noodles similar to udon (wheat-flour noodles) are cooked with pumpkin or other vegetables in miso soup. This noodle is wider and flatter than regular wheat-flour noodles and is placed in the pot raw without boiling first. Houtou cooked with mushy pumpkin in miso-based soup is very tasty and other vegetables such as potatoes and mushrooms are included with pork and chicken if desired. According to legend, you will not catch cold if you eat pumpkin on the winter solstice (shortest day of the year, around December 22), and this custom is followed in Yamanashi. A bowl of houtou with highly nutritious pumpkin will certainly warm you up on a cold day.
Sukiyabashi Jiro
Chef Jiro Ono has been recognized by the Japanese government as a national treasure and “modern master” for his contributions to Japanese cuisine. He has received three Michelin stars. The awards an accolades for this masterful chef are endless. And to believe he is over 80 years old.
tag : Sushi
Simmered Pork Belly
It's one of those recipes which turns a cheap, less popular cut of meat into something brain-meltingly gorgeous, with very little effort. There's a little bit of an interesting philosophical twist in there as well, because if you can cook great things with the less popular cuts of an animal it's a great way of showing respect to that (once)living thing and making its death worthwhile.
tag : Recipe
Boiled and seasoned spinach warms you up / JAPANESE HOME COOKING
A simple way to enjoy vegetables is "ohitashi" style, in which the ingredients are boiled and then drenched in a seasoned stock. This dish warms even more when made with a thickened gravylike sauce.
"Ohitashi should taste crisp in the summer, but chewy and soft in winter. The desired texture changes according to the season," says cuisine expert Tatsuo Saito, who selected spinach for this recipe because it is in season.
"Ohitashi should taste crisp in the summer, but chewy and soft in winter. The desired texture changes according to the season," says cuisine expert Tatsuo Saito, who selected spinach for this recipe because it is in season.
tag : Spinach
Monkeys find rare sanctuary in Japan hot spring
| Feb 26 | Dressed to kill: Japan's ninja festival |
 To arrive in Iga-Ueno on the first Sunday in April is to feel like a stranger in ninjatown. This small city in the mountains, about two hours by train from Osaka, is supposedly the ancestral home of those fearsome feudal super-sneaks and master killers, whose name and reputation have spread across the world through movies, comic books and video games. Here in Japan, ninjas are now something of a national myth, a slightly cartoonish composite of old folk tales and modern pop culture. This morning in Iga Ueno, however, it would be discourteous to dispute their existence. It's the opening day of the annual ninja festival, and travel on public transport is free to anyone in costume. (guardian.co.uk) |
