Hiroyuki

Thanks for your compliment. I hope I can post more about this sushi shop when spring comes, and I think there is at least one sushi shop like this one in every town in Japan.

In Western Japan, niku (meat) is beef, whereas in Eastern Japan, it is pork. Is this understood? In Aichi prefecture (the capital of which is Nagoya, which is famous for its Nagoya kochin (a variety of chicken)), it can be chicken.

Someone (a fan of Kritin, actually) told me that she was sad that this thread had been terminated. But I'm not sure if this thread is really terminated...

Probably ogon (or ohgon) zuru, literally golden crane. This is one type of flour called kyorikiko (lit. strong flour) in Japanese, with a high gluten content of 11.5 to 13.0% A photo of ogon zuru: http://www.rakuten.co.jp/souffle/625333/626088/

heidih: Note that "chijimi hourensou" is not the name of a variety, but refers to spinach grown in a special way. One site (Japanese only) says that the spinach is exposed to low temperature (4C) in the winter time for 10 or more days, and one recommended variety is Asagiri (朝霧 in Kanji). Another site says that the sugar content can sometimes be 10% or greater.

Chijimi hourensou (lit. shriveled spinach), available only in the wintertime, has become increasingly popular recently. I bought one pack the other day for 180 yen (3 bunches). Sorry for the bad picture. I was very busy in the early morning. This type of spinach is much sweeter than regular ones because of exposure to frost, and it contains less aku (harshness), so you need not parboil it. I put my spinach in miso soup this morning.

That really depends on a number of factors, including who you are and what your relationships are with the restraurant. Generally, when you enter a restaurant, restraurant staff greet you by saying, "Irasshaimase!". You don't have to respond to this message. If you are a regular, however, you may want to say something in return, like Kon'nichiwa. When you leave a restaurant, we often say, Gochisousama, which literally means, "It was a feast." (or Gochisousama deshita, which is more polite).

That's actually a sake press pictured--probably Yabuta brand--which squeezes liquid (to be filtered, usually through activated charcoal), from the fermented mash or "moromi". Moromi is left to ferment typically from 20-40 days, not always "two months" as noted, although this particular brew might indeed have spent 60 days as moromi. The entire process from rice milling to washing/soaking to koji-making to shobu-making (shobu is also called "moto") to moromi and pressing does typically take about two months. thanks ← Thanks for your reply. I didn't know that this thread of mine, which I started in the Wine Forum, have been moved to this thread in the Japan Forum. "In two months" is what Mr. Abe told me. I'm no expert on sake making, but I guess that the long brewing process is due to the facts 1) At this brewery, they make sake in the winter time only, when the temperature is low and 2) In Niigata, the water is soft, which means that brewing takes more time than with hard water.

First of all, let me congratulate you on your recent appointment as a host. I know this is off topic, but I didn't want to disturb you with a PM. I almost responded, "Are you kidding?" Nabe ingredients are pretty much the same in any nabe, aren't they? Hakusai (Chinese cabbage), negi (Japanese scallion, green onion, whatever you call it), carrot, mushrooms (shiitake, buna-shimeji, enoki, etc.), tofu, etc., etc. No dipping sauce, because the broth is seasoned with miso.

I didn't know there was a thread on monkfish liver on eGullet until today. Monkfish liver reminds of my father, who liked it, as well as anko nabe. Monkfish liver is, of course, an essential ingredient of this dish.

I compared the salt with the two salts that I had in my kitchen. I found that JT's table salt (sodium chloride content of 99% or greater) had a very acute saltiness (as you can easily imagine) and this one was much less acute and left some aftertaste on my tongue, and I think yes, it's probably because of the non-sodium content. The one containing some nigari (which I forgot the brand of, maybe akou no shio) was more similar to JT's. I don't make much pickle, but I often rub cabbage, daikon, and other vegetables with salt (shio momi) to make salad. From my experience, I can say that I need about one and a half to twice as much nigari-containing salt as regular JT table salt to get the same effect. It's not so dry as yaki-shio, but it's not so wet as other expensive nigari-containing salts, either, and I'd say it's in medium-size crystals. Here is an interesting video of Sasakawa nagare. Enjoy!

I bought a bag of very expensive salt yesterday. Sasakawa nagare no shio This 350-g bag costs 630 yen. Sasakawa nagare is a very beautiful coast in the northernmost part of Niigata prefecture. The salt is much milder than the table salt manufactured by JT, but is also very expensive, 16 times more expensive than JT's table salt. I made shio musubi (rice balls with salt on their surface), as recommended by the manufacturer. The manufacturer's official website is here (Japanese only).

Another eryngii photo from me. I was no fan of eryngii until I encountered these jumbo ones. More flavorful than most regular ones. I like to cut them into thin slices, cook them in the toaster oven, and eat them with salt.

First of all, here is smallworld's post on hijiki. Secondly, Fat Guy has already started a similar topic (now merged into another thread), in which I posted a link to this pdf file. For those of you who can read Japanese, here is a good comprehensive list on how much of which fish a pregrant woman can eat per week, as well as which fish she is forbidden to eat.

The fresher the better. There is no doubt about that. As someone has already mentioned, however, the problem with unshelled uni is that you never know how good a uni is until you crack it open (how much gonad it has in it and how fresh it is). Besides, it's cumbersome to crack it open at home and at a restaurant. In Japan, alum is used to keep uni gonads in shape before being placed on a tray, and is the source of bitterness, but now a new type of uni called "ensui uni" (saltwater uni) or "kaisui uni" (seawater uni) has become popular. As the name implies, this type of uni is put in sterilized saltwater with the same concentration of salt was seawater. No alum is used. Example of ensui uni: http://www.siretoko.com/uni-w.htm

You can find answers to some of your questions here. As for fish, he has signed an exclusive contract(s) with a fisherman (fishermen) in Naruto. As for vegetables, Mr. Kishida purchases them from farmers he has found himself. He had learned some French in Japan, and then learned it there. He went to France with empty pockets. He had no acquaintances or connections.

Did anyone watch the Feb. 5th episode of Professional Shigoto no Ryugi on NHK channel 1? It featured Shuzo Kishida, 33, the youngest three-star chef. I recorded the program and watched it yesterday, and I was impressed. When he roasts meat, he puts it in the oven for one minute, takes it out, and places it on a hot location (above the stove?) for five minutes. He repeats these steps for two and a half hours!

I've never heard of "Miracle Fruit Tablet" According to this website, the manufacturer will stop the sales of this product. The site says that due to the large typhoon this year (which year? 2006?), the farmers in Taiwan cannot harvest miracle fruits. What is Soy salt?

Not all premade takoyaki mixes are the same, but most of them contain dashi and other flavorings. Some contain grated yamaimo (mountain potatoes). If you decide to use regular flour, it should preferably be a low-gluten one (cake flour?). Should ebi be cooked first? I'm not sure, but considering the fact that when we make takoyaki, we use previously boiled octopus, probably you should cook it first.

My findings are: Magnesium chloride absorbs moisture in the air, which makes the salt wet. Roasting wet salt will make and keep it dry because the magnesium chloride is thermally decomposed by roasting.

For those of you who can read Japanese, I highly recommend the March 2008 issue of Jiyujin. It contains everything you need to know about kaiseki and much more.

What is Ueno-yaki? I've never heard of it...

Yesterday, I noticed kanpachi kama sold for 298 yen per pack (probably 200 to 300 g) at a supermarket, and I just had to buy one. (I often see maguro and buri (adult yellowtail) kama sold but not kanpachi kama). I searched for a good recipe for shio-yaki. I found that recipes varied greatly in the period of time the kama was to be let stand after sprinkled with salt (from half a day to a few minutes). I decided to let it stand for two or three hours. Many recipes then say to wipe it with kitchen towels and sprinkle with salt again before grilling. I followed this step. The resulting kanpachi kama shio-yaki was very good! My children liked it.

They look good, but as for me, I would leave out the beni shoga (I'd like to have it as a topping) and replace the negi with cabbage.

prasantrin is right. I can see the kanji. Ekisu is extract. Thanks for the photo. The list gives the ingredients of all the four types of furikake!