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Everything posted by jrufusj
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Thanks, Kristin. Now I feel really dumb. I didn't realize there was an undiluted version. I've always bought it in soda cans or those little bags that vitamin/hangover/genki drinks sometimes come in. I'll be looking next time I am at the store. Orange and grape are my favorites too. Jim
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I've never seen it in the US (will have to look when I'm back), but it is definitely "Calpico" in Thailand. When I lived in Bangkok, we had regular flavor, orange, grape, and lemon. I loved that stuff. Here, I've only seent he regular flavor Calpis. If anyone knows where to get other flavors, please let me know. Thanks, Jim
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Muffin 210: Copied below is a piece I wrote for another group after my first brief visits to Japan about three years ago. One of my favorite places in the world to eat sushi is Sushi Iwa in Kyoto, which is referenced in the piece. (I have done very limited editing to correct a few misspellings and awkward phrasings, but have let the green, eager, gawking tone stay.) Enjoy your visit to Kansai. Kyoto truly is heaven on earth and I hear Nara is even better. Jim
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Oh man! I love matsutake. Only time I've ever been hunting/picking is when I went to the Yang-Yang Song-i Festival last year. (Song-i is Korean for matsutake). In addition to picking, there was a typical local town festival and a ton of matsutake dishes. Among other things, they were serving matsutake nigirizushi, song-i doen jang jji gae, grilled pine mushroom, pine mushroom fried rice, and pine mushroom sandwiches. One has to ask why??? about the sandwiches. My favorite ways to prepare them are simpler. First, I love them lightly pan-grilled with just a little bit of good salt and sesame oil. Also, I like them raw and very, very thinly sliced with a little citrus juice and nothing else (similar in style to a common Italian way to eat porcini). It Italy, it is usually limone. For matsutake, I like lemon or sudachi. Hey, the festival is only a few weeks away. I wish I would be in Korea for it, but can't be this year. Jim
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I love it. This is one of my favorite autumn foods. Tempura is great, but I also like it as a salad garnish. I had a bunch of the katsuo meat left over from the fresh one a friend had brought me last week. I had simmered/poached the fillets in shouyu/sake/sugar and we had eaten much of it, but still had some left. Flaked the leftovers, combined with mayo, fresh wasabi, finely mandolined myouga, ginger root, ao negi, goma-shio. Made a great tuna salad to eat on crackers on the boat during our shiira trip on Saturday. Jim
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To emphasize the disagreement among people, let me point out that the guy who runs the fishing boat I use actually says hamachi is a completely different species. I asked him this Saturday if it wasn't just a Kansai name and he was insistent that hamachi was a completely different fish. Oh well, to each his own. I was successful in one thing though. We caught five シイラ (Japanese = shiira, Hawaiian = mahi-mahi, English = dolphin, French = dourade, Spanish = dorado, etc.) My captain was shocked that we would keep any of them, as the Japanese think they are not supposed to be much good for eating. However, they bake and broil very well. Yield is very low when filleted and they're not perfect for frying, but that's what my son wanted and they're his fish! We kept three (can only use so much). Weren't bad marinated in ponzu then fried in a tempura batter with plenty aonori strips, finished off by dipping in matcha shio. One was too big for good eating...picture below. Jim
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First off...I second the thanks to melonpan...who always covers her explorations with breadth, with depth, and with cool pictures. Kristin, as you set out to indulge your craving for shikhye, do make sure either to find a Korean restaurant that serves homemade or make your own. I love homemade, but the stuff they sell in the small soda cans (about the size of the baby Bud cans that came out when I was in high school) is just plain nasty. Jim
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I haven't bought and prepared sanma yet this year, but I did have some delightful sanma sushi at the local sushi-ya the other day. Also was very pleased with the satsuma imo and kabocha when we had small party two weekends ago and made large batches of tempura while everyone sat around the kitchen. Isn't it best when you just walk the edge of burning your mouth. We had a great selection: anago, myouga, ika, satsuma imo, kabocha, shishito, ebi, shiso, and enokitake (and sasami strips for the kids). A little matcha shio, a little sansho shio, and a traditional tentsuyu (and a good Gruner Veltliner) and we were in heaven. Jim
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I was very, very lucky yesterday and my cousin showed up at my house with a nice sized katsuo he had caught earlier in the day in Tokyo Bay. I got home too late from work to prepare it tataki style for that night's dinner, so nimono was a perfect way to use it. Simply fileted it and simmered with shouyu, sake, dashi, and sugar, along with daikon and shouga to ease the smell. Very easy and turned out very well. I still had a beautiful head (with plenty of kama meat attached) and a backbone with lots of meat between the bones. Fried up some ginger and garlic and red curry paste in coconut cream, until the cream cracked, then added onions, fish, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, coconut milk, water, banana, and many shishito. Simmered until tender and stirred in a little fish sauce. Not entirely authentic Thai (as I had to make do with what was in the cupboard when the fish made its unexpected but welcome appearance), but made a great dinner tonight and met with the approval of our Filipina nanny. I'm going fishing on Saturday and sure hope there will be more. Jim
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Sorry for the retread, but I've only got a minute before I've got to run off. Below is an excerpt from something I posted on usenet not too long ago. aprilmei is right. (Of course she is, as she knows a hell of a lot more about HK and Taipei food than I do.) The dumplings, noodles, soups are astounding. Taipei is really cool in that it has this incredible diversity of regional Chinese foods that are sometimes frozen in time from the original exodus and sometimes have combined with each other and with local development to turn into something completely different. I might go to HK or Beijing or Shanghai or wherever for certain foods, but if I could only eat Chinese food in one place on earth for the rest of my life, it would be Taipei. Note to self: Get back to Taiwan soon! Enjoy, Jim
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Glad to hear you're back okay. I was unable to answer your final questions before you left as I was travelling without access to eGullet. I've been eagerly awaiting your reaction. Sounds like you had a good trip. Get some rest. Build your strength back up. Jet lag is hell! Then, get your priorities straight (?!?!) and let us know what you ate, where you went, and just how fun it was. Jim
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Sorry, complete brain fart here, as I write about sardines on an anchovy thread. I am, of course, talking about iwashi. Doh! Jim
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Some people are just too soft and tolerant. If we're going to get the snappers, we ought to go ahead and get all the gum chewers. As one who was not allowed to chew gum as a child and finds snapping, smacking, bubble blowing, and even silent motions that resemble cud chewing offputting, I have a certain sympathy with the government of Singapore. Unless, of course, it's meat-flavored gum! Tongue in cheek (though I honestly don't like gum), Jim
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Mmmh! Anchovies. Garnishing salads, mashed with oil for garnishing bread, grilled, fried whole like smelt, seasoning puttanesca...all good. However, my favorite way to eat anchovies is as a sushi topping. I eat them this way two to three times a week. They can be lightly (emphasize lightly) marinated in seasoned rice vinegar first or they can be served without marination. Naked or topped with a little finely sliced green onion and placed on top of Kansai-style (more heavily vinegared) sushi rice, they are just about perfect. Since I live in Tokyo, I normally have them on Tokyo-style (more lightly seasoned) sushi rice. Even that way, they are damned close to perfect. As a matter fact, I had some just an hour ago. We're very lucky to get phenomenal fresh sardines here. Jim
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I own an asparagus steamer. However, I can't tell you that I've found other uses for it. In fact, two moves ago (the one to Thailand), it went into a box that lives in my storage room. Really not sure why it hasn't gone into the bin in subsequent moves. I find that well trimmed asparagus cooks perfectly with the same method I use for almost all green vegetables: Parboil in gargantuan quantities of water at a roiling boil, the water having been salted almost to the point of saturation. Refresh in ice water when desired degree of doneness is attained. Desired degree of doneness will depend on whether the preparation requires further cooking and, if so, how much. There was a time that I used the asparagus steamer, but I find the boiling method to be far superior. Jim
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I'm pretty sure this is available -- even to folks other than Dear Leader -- in Japan as well. Sashimi cut off "living" fish is available in some mainstream sashimi restaurants in the U.S. as well. I know of at least two in Northern Virginia. This is called ikezukuri ( 活け作り -- the kanji are for "living" and "to make" or "to build" -- or 生け作り -- kanji for "live" or "genuine" and "to make" or "to build") and is common in better Japanese sushi-ya. A literal reading of the word would allow for the common serving technique of arranging the sliced fish on its skeleton, without regard to its state of health or the time of its death. However, in common usage and as understood by most people, this refers to slicing pieces from the flesh of a live or just deceased fish. In fact, while one can find it sliced directly from the still live fish, it is most commonly done with a fish that is taken from the tank, killed, and immediately sliced. I've most often seen this preparation done with ishi-dai and aji, but is not limited to these fish. With regard to Kim Jong-il, I think this is more than an anecdote. His long-time Japanese personal chef has written a book (published only in Korean and Japanese, I believe) detailing his life with the Dear Leader, including curiosities both gastronomic and otherwise. The book describes Kim's love of sushi and sashimi, including ikezukuri. In terms of things that I cannot eat, I would have to say the only one that comes to mind is American-style, canned, water-packed albacore tuna. For whatever reason, the mere smell of it induces a gag reflex. Then again, I am not generally fond of canned fish. Good Italian tuna packed in olive oil is another story. Peter Pastan (Obelisk) used to do a roasted pepper stuffed with a tuna mousse that was out of this world. Bugs, brains, live things, long-fermented things...bring 'em on...just keep that damned Starkist away from me! There are other things that I would not choose to eat, but that do not make me ill -- Japanese style curry, Korean kimbap, American fast food, etc. The aforementioned water-packed albacore is the only one that actually turns my stomach. I imagine that, were I starving, I could also eat the canned tuna. However, I've not had to try, as I am one of those blessed never to have come closer to real hunger than the looks of desparation and smells of sickness one encounters in the slums of certain Asian cities. Would that all had the great fortune of choosing their food. This thread makes me realize just how fortunate we all are here on eGullet. Jim
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Commonly called kurokajiki (黒皮 - "black" kajiki) or, occasionally, aburakajiki (脂皮 - fatty kajiki) in Japanese, blue marlin is popular as sashimi, as are many of the kajiki fish (swordfish, white marlin, sailfish, etc.) However, in addition to whatever concerns may be appropriate about overfishing and species endangerment, there are several other concerns. First, in many parts of the world there have been health warnings about mercury levels in various billfish, including the blue marlin. Second, the question of whether you can lightly sear the fish (tataki technique) is highly dependent on the quality and freshness of the individual piece of fish you bought. In any case, hope you enjoyed it. Jim
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smallworld wrote: Absolutely! If it looks like Chucky Cheese, if it is deserted and the sushi on the belt may have been made yesterday (or an hour or two ago), if the prices are too good to be true -- then I don't want to be there. She continued: One of the things I like about "my" kaiten-zushi place is that such a large percentage of the food is made to order. There is no need for me to eat anything off the belt if I don't want to. There are soups and sides made with by-product which augers well. Much of the fish is presliced, but I don't think it comes from a central kitchen. Why? First, the simple taste of some of the fish. Second, there is no rainbow effect on any of it and that will set in quite quickly. Third, things like nakaochi are not on the menu, but they can whip them up for me, implying some degree of on-site fabrication, as nakaochi comes off (from between actually) the bones. Finally, the staff count is such that I have a hard time envisioning why they would have all that staff if they were just slapping pre-cut neta onto shari that came our of one of those rice finger extruding machines. She further continued: No real oshiburi, but at least an individually delivered, individually wrapped wipette. However, the tea is not from tea bag. It is from matcha, which should be good. But it's from that big plastic shaker bottle with the green top that is in every grocery store. And that's not good! If you find out the trick on the ikura, I would be really interested to hear that. One of the items that is surprisingly reasonable (though more expensive than most kaiten-zushi shops) is ikura. And furthermore, she said: The place you have found is probably much better than mine, as you have certainly tried more places in the search of something decent. However, as a gap filler between kaiten-crap and bank breaking upscale, my neighborhood place is pretty pleasing. Finally: I was probably too hard on it. I wouldn't say that it was oily, just that the bit of oil and the more assertive cooking flavor obscured what should be a very delicate flavor. One of the reasons I enjoy sushi is that I am able to get the essence of the unadulterated ingredient. I don't mind a little seasoning -- like a little ponzu with engawa or the topping on katsuo tataki -- but the essence of the hirame was lost in this one. I too like the aburi treatment. I think it works really well with more assertive fish like salmon. But I would probably pass on treating a light, white-fleshed fish that way. Then again, I'm going to have to try it again and see if I was being unfair. Jim
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Right now, I'm a temporary summer bachelor. That means my cooking life tends to be at one of two extremes: either I am undertaking a difficult, extremely involved project that may last days or I am subsisting on convenience food. As much as I love doing ordinary, everday type cooking for friends and family, I just can't get excited about run-of-the-mill cooking for one. Okay, what does this have to do with sushi? Well, when I say I eat convenience foods, I don't literally mean MacDonald's or things from the combini. I mean things like lots of cheap noodle shops, a little basic yakitori, some kaiten-zushi. Last night I had to go to Ikebukuro to shop at the Toys/Kids/Babies'R'Us in Sun City. Hungry for something, I stopped to eat kaiten-zushi. The most notable thing about the meal is that it reminded me why I don't eat kaiten-zushi very often. Other than kanimiso gunkanmaki and surprisingly good basashizushi, everything was thoroughly mediocre. It was dirt cheap, but at twice the price of a bowl of noodles, it still wasn't good QPR. Perhaps if I had just had the basashi it would have been just about fair. Today, though, I went to my neighborhood kaiten-zushi place for lunch. This one is significantly more expensive (ranging from 110 to 450 yen per two pieces), but represents better value. They actually have a specials board that really changes depending on what they got in that was best that day. The conveyor is small relative to the number of seats so things turn over quickly. The rice seems to have better texture, even if it is a little underseasoned compared to the best sushiya. Probably 50-60% of the food is served by order rather than off the belt. Today they had quite good shima aji, nice akagai that I don't think had been frozen, and really pretty madai. Every kaiten-zushi shop seems to have aji, akagai, and tai of some sort, but usually not shima aji, or fresh akagai, or madai. The other thing that seems to make a difference is the staff to seats ratio. I don't know what the normal ratios are, but there is enough labor that when I ask for something that's not even on the board and is labor intensive like nakaochi, it doesn't present a problem. I suspect this staff level affects the quality of everything from rice to finished product, if only because less has to be done before opening and held. It's not the cheap, mediocre pig out that many kaiten shops are, but it fills a nice middle spot between that and the expensive traditional shops. And it doesn't hurt that it's a three minute walk from my house. I've never noticed the name, but I'll look next time I walk by. The shop is just off Meguro-dori, across from the east side of JR station. Also -- one question: Today one of the specials was aburi engawa. I've never seen this before. Is this common? Anyone ever seen it? I didn't like it too much, as the hot oil bath destroyed the two things I like best about engawa: the oil obscured the light, assari taste of the hirame and the slight cooking softened the normal texture. To me, engawa is all about texture, so this is not good. So, the point of all this: smallworld, true you don't have to know the names to eat kaiten-zushi, but it sure is better when you have the chance to pay kaiten prices for sushi made to order! Jim
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Kirstin is referring to the toast spreads that melonpan wrote about one or two posts up. Having just returned from the Meguro-dori Daie a few minutes ago, I can confirm that these four products are on Japanese shelves. I figured they must have been. In addition to coming from a Japanese food company, they're just so -- well -- Japanese. Daie had one additional product, which they called "Peanut Whip". I was in a major hurry, so I didn't try to read the ingredients label (which is always a major undertaken given my limited Japanese), but it looked like some kind of heavily emulsified and hydrogenated peanut butter conconction. I suspect it was also sweetened sufficiently to cause a trip to the dentist. (Then again, that might be a good thing. The JDA seems to have been giving money out willy-nilly to anyone who passed within arm's reach. I could use some of that!) It was in similarly shaped packaging to those three larger tubes in melonpan's pictures, but had a different graphic design. Now, the real question: Did I buy some to try? Sorry, I love you guys, but that just looks too vile to take one for the team. Jim
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they usually give the check with the meal, so I just walk over to the register... Well, you must eat at far classier places than I do! If you eat at the classiest places of all , you don't have to worry about any of this... Just put your money in the ticket machine, grunt out your order, then eat and leave as quickly as possible so you won't get fussed at for lingering and taking up counter space!! Jim
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since you and Helen couldn't make it, why don't you guys decide! I am game for anything. Like Kristin, I think you guys should get to decide, but (if I may be so presumptuous) I would definitely vote for a Tsukiji visit followed by breakfast. I've eaten sushi in the neighborhood a few times for lunch, but never made the morning trek. And, yes, I am appropriately shamed. To think I used to give tours of the Seoul fish market (Noryangjin) to Koreans! Jim Edited: Spelink danmit!
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I had some friends in from HK last week and took themout to dinner. They were complaining about several things they had not yet gotten a chance to try...curry rice, yaki tori... Well, I wasn't about to take them for curry rice (!) so we went to Imaiya (and took along two Japanese friends as well, making a 6-top in total). This time we sat downstairs in the public area, as we went on short notice and couldn't get a 3rd floor room. The menu is slightly different, as are the set courses. We each had the 6,300 yen course, which was more food than we could eat, as was the big course when the eGullet group went upstairs. No chicken brains this time, though. When I asked about foie gras, they said it didn't come with the set. I told them we had been able to substitute it for shiro-riba upstairs and, after a little hesitation and thoughtful sucking of air through teeth, they agreed to do it for us. Wow! It was, again, the highlight of the evening. That giant tsukune was also a highlight. There was so much food that, when the bonjiri came, we had to leave half of it on the table. All in all, I would say the set menus downstairs focus more on yakitori and less on sashimi. Nonetheless, it is the best yakitori I've ever had and probably the best chicken, bar none. I also had to work hard to get the to serve us the amazing natto we had the prior time. Turns out it is only a feature of the 3rd floor. However, with appropriate exclamations over how it was the best natto I had ever had, they did agree to go off the board and finish our meal with two different types of hosumaki -- nattomaki and umeshisomaki. I had forgotten how good the ume paste was as well. I was reminded that this place isn't cheap (especially with one guest drinking very good sake and another drinking more beer than I could have handled in two nights), but the incredible quality makes it worth an occasional splurge. This is definitely a place at the head of "must take out-of-town guests to" list. Jim
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A big favorite here too (with the cold-soup camp, that is). I usually make a batch of chicken broth and use it for chilled Japanese sumashi-style soup with pieces of small uri (gourd) and chicken pieces, and make the Korean soup the next day. Oh yes, cold cucumber soup is great for the summer. Another great cold Korean soup is 콩국수/kong guk su/cold bean soup. This is a soup of pureed soybeans (milky colored) served over noodles (basically somen or naeng myeon style). I never make it at home, as it is a lot of work and is very cheap in restaurants. However, having moved to Tokyo from Seoul and living in Kami-Osaki, I'm not likely to find a restaurant serving it near home. I'll go through my Korean cookbooks and look for a recipe. If I find one that looks likely to be good, I'll translate and post. Jim Edit: Okay, I've been travelling (and for much of the time had an internet hookup in the mountains of NC that only got me up to about 12.2, too frustrating to do anything but check work e-mail) and am on eGullet for the first time in a month. As I was catching up on unread threads, I noted that melonpan has posted a recipe for kongguksu in recipeGullet. Only disagreement I have is that I don't like thick, udon-style noodles in it.
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Kristin: Thanks for the internet link. This is definitely one of my follow up items from the dinner. I looked in three grocery stores yesterday and couldn't find it. Jim