Hiroyuki

Difference between kushikatsu (in Kansai) and kushiage (in Kanto) In Kansai, there is no such word as kushiage, and kushikatsu refers to any food item, such as meat, sea food, and vegetable, that is skewered, breaded, and deep-fried. In Kanto, such a food item is called a kushiage, and kushikatsu refers to pieces of pork and negi (scallion) or onion skewered alternately, breaded, and deep-fried. Kushikatsu is very popular in Osaka. Being a Kanto person, I am not familiar with kushikatsu. A webpage describing kushikatsu in Osaka: http://www.tourism.city.osaka.jp/en/enjoy_...ng/local_osaka/ Scroll down and see the last topic. A copy from the webpage: If you go out for kushi-katsu please note: it's not proper etiquette to dip your kushi-katsu in the sauce containers after you've taken a bite, because the sauce containers are for all diners. Signs on restaurant walls remind diners of this rule. Kushiage: http://www.bob-an.com/recipe/dailyjc/ref/tmnegi/tmnegi.html http://japanesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa092302a.htm

I haven't tried this urawaza (trick) yet, but my wife has. She says it worked. Making whipped cream quickly Add 3 tablespoons of jam (any type of jam) to 200 ml of fresh cream and beat. This way, you can make whipped cream very quickly, in about 45 seconds.

The following is the most detailed research on noodle soups that I have found so far. http://cgi13.plala.or.jp/hiro_k/Report/Report10/r10_res.htm (Japanese only) One of the conclusions is that the soup served at Maibara Station in Shiga prefecture (or maybe Kyoto Station) is the lightest while the soup served at Oofuna Station in Kanagawa prefecture is the darkest.

I would call yours 'menchi katsu' rather than 'tonkatsu' (ton = pork) . Anyway, I like them both. Edit to add a link to menchi katsu thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...48856&hl=menchi

The following is a summary of the webpage I provided a link to in my previous post, with a bit of additional information (about Kitamame ships). (Sorry for my poor translation, which I produced rather quickly.) The smell of the udon soup in Kanto is twice as strong as that in Kansai. Soup stock is made differently in Kanto and Kansai. Although the step for putting (and removing) kelp is the same in Kanto and Kansai, the next step differs in the amount of fish used and simmering time. In Kansai, 600-g fish is put to 18 liters of water, which is simmered for five minutes only. In Kanto, 1000-g fish is put to the same amount of water, which is simmered for one hour. The primary reason why kelp became popular in Kansai is the presence of Kitamae ships. A thread on Kitamae ships has already been started by torakris. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...5891&hl=Kitamae But, there is another reason: water. The water in Kansai is soft, while that in Kanto is hard. When fish is simmered in hard and soft water, no major difference is detected in the umami components extracted. When kelp is simmered, however, umami components are extracted more in soft water. It is hard to bring out the umami of kelp in the hard water in Kanto.

TV shows are good sources of cooking tips. I guess you have heard the show, Itouke no Shokutaku, which offers urawaza (tricks or tips) for various matters. Website of Itouke no Shokutaku http://www.ntv.co.jp/ito-ke/ (Japanese only) Cooking tips culled from Itouke no Shokutaku http://olive.zero.ad.jp/~zbd86454/Cooking.html (Japanese only) Some tips are good and practicable while others are quite silly. I once tried the tip for making lean tuna taste like fatty tuna using mayonnaise that I learned from the show, but it was a failure. I think I'll try those cooking tips from this and other shows that I find interesting and report on my findings here. Of course, anyone who can read Japanese is welcome to do the same. Here is another interesting webpage: http://www.ntv.co.jp/FERC/research/20040125/f0166.html (Japanese only) And, do you know of any other good sources of cooking tips?

Today, January 10th, is mentaiko day! I learned this just a while ago from a TV show. Why? The founder of Fukuya produced mentaiko for the first time in Japan on this day in the 24th year of Showa. From here: http://www.rakuten.co.jp/fukuya/561765/

I can say "instant ramen in salad!?" as emphatically as you would say "corn on pizza!?". I can put some soumen (thin wheat noodles) to salad, and wouldn't mind having regular ramen in my salad if I were forced to, but instant ramen?? Any Japanese would go .

Good going, Kiem Hwa! I am a huge fan of mushrooms, so is my eight-year-old son. One question: Are all of these mushrooms you mentioned readily available in Hawaii?

6. Reheating tempura, korokke, and other deep-fried foods crispy Look at the following questionnaire results: http://www.himawarinet.com/enq/enqdata26.html (Japanese only) 32% of the respondents said they reheat tempura with a toaster oven, 30% a microwave oven, and 7% a grill. I usually place a sheet of paper towel on the tray and then tempura to remove the extra oil. Some people recommend placing crumpled sheet of aluminum foil. Sometimes I place a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the tempura to prevent burning, especially when the tempura is thick.

5. Making one more extra dish quickly Suppose you want to offer just one more extra dish. Three dishes for supper instead of four. This can make a great difference. For example, I sometimes want to feed my two kids with some French fries, together with the main dish, one or two side dishes, a bowl of rice, and a bowl of miso soup for supper. I peel a potato or two, cut them into sticks, and put them in the microwave until done. Then I put them in the toaster oven (sometimes with some oil sometimes without it) to remove extra moisture. torakris, talk to the landlord and get a fish grill!! You can do it!

I haven't done an extensive search through eGullet, but do you know this convenient way to make fresh yuba? Get your electric hot plate ready! (Is 'hot plate' correct English?) 1. Place the hot plate in keep warm mode (approx. 80 deg. centigrade (176 deg. F)), and pour soy milk to cover the plate entirely. 2. In about 4 minutes, film is formed on the surface, pick it up with a pair of chopsticks. In about 1 minute, another film will be formed. From here: http://mbs.jp/hiden/magic/42.html (Fifth frame) My experience with yuba has been quite limited and disappointing, but I wish I could make fresh yuba, using this simple method. But I don't have a hot plate. Could anyone try this method and report on their finding?

torakris and Kiem Hwa, I'm curious to know what kind of drink you have with green tea castella? Tea, coffee, or green tea? The reason I ask is that I am a huge fan of green tea, but I just don't go for green tea products such as green tea ice cream.

4. Concurrent cooking!! Helenjp wrote elsewhere as follows: Helen put it really well. Really, really well. (This is the very first time I have used this pink one .) When you have a husband and two hungry boys, almost every morning is a busy morning. If you have a toaster oven, you can do acrobatics just like Helen does. What do you say?

Oh, sorry. I thought it was just a joke or something. It's YOUR baby!! Hi, little cute baby! By the way, could anyone post a picture of that mold?

3. Aluminum foil grilling (or simply foil grilling) I don't know whether this is correct English. The Japanese name is alumi foil yaki アルミホイル焼き or simply foil yaki. Foil grilling can also be done best with a toaster oven. The possibilities are limitless with foil grilling. Just about everything can be cooked this way. Just wrap all ingredients and seasonings in a sheet of aluminum foil, place it on the tray, and put it in the toaster oven. Some examples: Salmon http://rumoi.walker.jp/recipe/04.html Chicken http://www.remus.dti.ne.jp/~kiyuyuma/sub641.html Sausage and vegetables http://www.hankyu-dept.co.jp/tsuzuki/recipe/0105/5-7.html My son and I went mushroom gathering on October 23rd. I took some pictures of mushrooms just before putting them in the toaster oven. I turned on the oven, and about one minute later, that big earthquake took place!! We managed to eat the mushrooms the next day.

And, don't forget the Organic JAS Mark! http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...7100&hl=organic

I don't know of any other TV show that features only a single railway line every week. The 'tabi bangumi' (journey program on TV) of the longest standing is Tooku e Ikitai (Wanting to Go Far Away). Official website of Tooku e Ikitai http://www.to-ku.com/ wikipedia page on this TV program http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%81%A0%E3%...95%AA%E7%B5%84) Interestingly, in my area (Niigata), this program is aired from 9:30 p.m. to 10:00 every Saturday, followed by Burari from 10:00 to 10:30. I sometimes watch Burari and find it quite interesting. Another TV program of long standing is Kuishinbou, aired from 9:54 p.m. to 10:00 (only six minutes). Website of Kuishinbou http://www.fujitv.co.jp/kuishinbo/index2.html

2. Grilling fish Toaster ovens are also great for grilling fish, especially fish slices. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the tray and then slices of fish such as salmon. Put the tray in the toaster oven. Set the timer for 7 to 8 minutes. Then forget all about it until the timer rings. Sometimes the slices stick to the foil. You may want to spread some oil before placing them to prevent this from happening. But our solution is simpler. Just let them cool for a few minutes, and they are much easier to remove. One important disclosure: We don't have a fish grill!! (This is because of our special situation that we live in a resort condo. Most Japanese houses are equipped with a fish grill and even an oven.) We used to grill fish with an electric fish grill. It was really hard to clean! Then one day, we realized that we could grill fish with the toaster oven just as well. Now we almost always use the toaster oven to grill slices of fish. When we grill a whole fish, we still have to use the electric grill, though.

According to this webpage (Japanese only) of the TV show, Mega Ten, the salt concentration of the udon soup at one shop in Kansai is 2.5% while that at another shop in Kanto is 6.7%. In Kansai, light soy sauce is used while in Kanto, strong soy sauce is used. Light soy sauce has a slightly higher salt concentration, but the amounts of soy sauce used greatly differ. In Kansai, 500 ml of light soy sauce is added to 18 liter of dashi while in Kanto, 2200 ml of strong soy sauce is added. Some more information later.

I agree with torakris. I think I usually drink up the soup, sometimes the half, and sometimes only a part of it. That depends on what condition I'm in, whether there are other dishes on the table, and other factors. One thing is for sure: There are no manners associated with this. You can drink it up, drink some of it, and drink none of it. It's all up to you. There is another aspect to that question: the difference in taste between Eastern and Western Japan. Donbei of Nisshin is the first product available in both Eastern and Western versions. http://www.geocities.co.jp/NeverLand/7234/...zaibunkadon.htm http://www.geocities.jp/tamasaburoh/kikaku/donbei/donbei.htm (Both in Japanese only) The soup of the Eastern version is darker while that of the Western is lighter. Probably you can drink up the soup of the Western, but you may have difficulty drinking up that of the Eastern. Surprisingly, however, the sodium content of the Eastern soup is 1.5 g while that of the Western is 1.6 g! The color of the soup can sometimes be deceptive. But how the udon soups at udon shops in Kanto and Kansai? I'll post some information to that thread (Kanto vs. Kansai) later.

In Japan, instant ramen in a bag is usually distinguished from instant ramen in a cup. The former is called Instant men インスタント麺 Instant ramen インスタントラーメン Sokuseki men 即席麺 Sokuseki ramen 即席ラーメン The latter is called Cup men カップ麺 Cup ramen カップラーメン You can get some more info from here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_noodles I used to eat instant noodles occasionally when I was young, now I am kind of weary of them. I have a stock of them as emergency food, though.

Toaster ovens are called oven toasters in Japan. (Don't ask me why.) Many Japanese including me shy away from using an oven. For example, my father had an oven installed for my mother when he had a new house built around 1970, but she would not use it. On the other hand, Japanese like cooking with a toaster oven. The purpose of this thread is to show you some examples of using a toaster oven. But first, one clarification. By toaster ovens, I mean small-sized ones with a wattage of about 1,000 or less. Mine is rather old, 830 W, bought about ten years ago, measuring about 31 (width) x 19 (depth) x 24 (height) cm in outside dimension. Currently popular ones are, I think, slightly larger models with a wattage of about 1,000 and capable of toasting a pizza 20 cm in diameter. Now to the main issue. 1. Toasting mochi How do you toast your mochi? I think mochi can be best toasted with a toaster oven. Let me give you a tip for toasting mochi with a toaster oven so as not to let the mochi stick to the grid of the toaster oven when it expands. Pour some soy sauce in a small plate, dip your finger in it, and apply a dab of soy sauce (about a 2-cm dia. circle) to the center of the top surface of a piece of mochi. Put the mochi in the toaster oven and turn it on. This way, you can make sure that the mochi expands from the top, not sideways or underneath. This is a tip I learned from the TV show, "Itouke no Shokutaku" last month. Edit to add photos:

I'm not sure, but I don't think there is any connection between them other than the fact that they are both considered youhuu (Western) and are quite popular among the Japanese, especially young females. I did a search to find that there are shops called SECOND HOUSE, which serve sphaghetti and cake among others. There is six of them in Kyoto city, one in Osaka, and two in Shiga. http://www.secondhouse.co.jp/sub1.htm (Japanese only) Probably these shops made you think so... No?

You mean something like these: http://www.akutsu39.co.jp/mokko/ See the top right photo. They are called oshi zushi ki (made of hinoki (Japanese cypress)). Generally, such gadges seem to be called sushi gata (gata = mold). You can see a variety of wooden and plastic sushi gata and other gadgets (such as rice ball molds) here: http://homepage1.nifty.com/shincoo/s-0202d.html I don't have any of those gadgets. Oshi zushi (pressed sushi) is popular in Kansai (area including Osaka).