Hiroyuki

double post

Dinner 3 for 1 adult (me) and 2 children, as usual. Kawahagi usuzukuri (thin slices of filefish) 700 yen I found the kawahagi less tasty than the hirame (left-eye flounder) shown upthread, but the special dipping sauce was very good, which contained kawahagi liver, soy sauce, grated ginger, and nikiri (mirin?). Nikiri refers to mirin or sake boiled to evaporate alcohol. I asked the chef which knife he used to make the hirame usuzukuri. He replied "yanagi" (sashimi slicer). He doesn't use a fugu hiki to make usuzukuri. Sazae tsuboyaki (turban shell grilled in its shell) 400 yen The same one that we had for the second dinner, shown upthread. My son said he liked it, so we ordered it again. Ebi fry (fried shrimp) 840 yen I wanted to have tempura, but my daughter said she preferred ebi fry. Okosama sushi set 840 yen This one is for my daughter. This one is for my son, who doesn't like ikura. Honjitsu no sushi (today's sushi) 1,300 yen Left to right: Hon-maguro chu-toro (medium fatty bluefin tuna) Tai (sea bream) Aji (Japanese horse mackerel) Nama tako (raw octopus) Shoyu zuke ikura (salmon roe marinated in soy sauce) Ama ebi (sweet shrimp) Very good as usual. The miso soup contained three ama ebi (sweet shrimp) heads, as usual: I like it very much. It was a little bit too strong tonight, though. Seirin maki 1,575 yen Toro takuan maki (fatty tuna and yellow pickled daikon) roll 735 yen Seirin is the name of this sushi shop. It has: tobikko (flying fish roe) ikura (salmon roe) chu-toro (medium fatty tuna) hotate (scallop) nanban (aka ama) ebi green shiso leaves The Seirin maki, which is the chef's original creation, is a very popular one at this sushi shop. The last time we were there, they got at least three calls ordering this maki, so I thought I had to have it tonight. Closeup of Seirin maki: Closeup of toro takuan maki (toro-taku for short): Tempura 840 yen I wanted to have tempura, so I ordered it after all. Closeup: 2 shrimp 1 green pepper 1 shiitake mushroom 1 kabocha slice 1 kawahagi (filefish) slice (hidden under the ebi tempura) The kawahagi tempura was so good!!

There must be some confusion between eating sashimi (which is wasabi-less) and eating sushi (which usually has some wasabi between the topping and the vinegared rice). When eating a piece of sushi, we usually put some soy sauce in a small plate and dip the piece (often the topping) in soy sauce. When eating a slice of sashimi, there are two possibilities: 1. Put some soy sauce and some wasabi in a small plate and mix them together, and dip the slice in the mixture. 2. Put some soy sauce in a small plate, put a bit of wasabi on top on the slice, dip the slice in the sauce. I'm sure that most Japanese use method 1.

OK, did I say I was drunk when I wrote that one? Hinode 日の出 means sunrise, as Blether says. Manjo マンジョウ or 万上 is a little complicated. From this official webpage of Kikkoman http://www.kikkoman.co.jp/manjo/aboutmanjo/index.html In the mid-Edo period (11th year of Bunka), a sake brewer succeeded in making clear white mirin, but it became very popular throughout Edo. The brewer wrote a poem, which included the phrases ichi riki 一力 (lit. one force) and uenaki 上なき (second to one) The first phrase is replaced by man 万 (ten thousand) (When you put the first kanji 一 on top of the second 力, you get the kanji 万.) The second is shortened to jo 上. Thus, the mirin got its name, man-jo.

I laughed Sorry, no offense intended. Both are brands, Manjo being the brand of Kikkoman and Hinode being the brand of king jyozou Co.ltd. Is that all you need to know?

I'm not familiar with sujikon, is it mainly a Kansai thing? When you google "すじこん　作り方", you'll get lots of recipes in Japanese, like http://www.kobebeef-shop.com/recepi/sujikon.html http://metyaukare.blog3.petitmall.jp/blog-entry-166.html

You can use your fugu knife to make hirame usuzukuri (thin slices of left-eye flounder), right?

Thanks for your explanation, John, and yes, ago = tobiuo = flying fish. Ago dashi is also well known in Niigata as the top-quality dashi or the king of dashi.

Like Kristin, I make it a point NOT to make korokke and menchi katsu at home. I like menchi katsu, particularly those with a lot of cabbage in them. Here is a recipe IN JAPANESE, but you can view a video by clicking PLAY, on the right near the bottom. The recipe is basically the same as that linked to by Kristin, and calls for cabbage cut into 1-cm squares.

Thanks jean_genie for your reply. Although his shop is in a mountainous area of Niigata prefecture, the chef is very enthusiastic about offering fresh fish and seafood to his customers, and that's why he orders once or twice a week from a fish monger located in Sado Island, which is also family-run and is capable of offering fresh fish and seafood caught off Sado Island at affordable prices. But what is more important is the care the chef takes of his fish and seafood. He carefully wraps every fillet in plastic wrap before putting it in the showcase at the counter, as shown way upthread (on page 2). He doesn't pre-slices the fillet but slices it after he receives an order, as I mentioned earlier. He puts o-toro, chu-toro, and maguro in a storage somewhere behind the counter because they will discolor quickly if put in the showcase.

Thanks for the photos and the links, John. How did you make the men tsuyu (noodle dipping sauce)? I'm not familiar with the soba tsuyu in Osaka.

Did anyone watch the Oishinbo drama last night? To be more precise, Shin Oishinbo PART 2 "新美味しんぼ PART2". It focused on Osaka cuisine and onigiri among others, and was very interesting and fun.

Found this blog, in which the blogger says that the silk ice cream tasted the same as normal ice cream. She (he?) also says that the charcoal one felt gritty in her mouth, and the natto and sanma (saury) ones weren't smelly at all and tasted good. Click on a photo and you can view what's inside.

Congratulations, John! The next time you make it, don't forget to take some photos to post here. Years ago, I saw a machine that could make 100% soba (juuwari shoba 十割蕎麦 in Japanese) very easily, just like pasta, like this one. The soba is not authentic teuchi (hand-made), but I'd like to try it some day. As you say, 100% teuchi soba is very hard to make. Some people use hot water to make it (pour hot water to a portion of soba flour and knead to make paste then add additional dry soba flour and knead).

Just when Obanzai was over, Oishii Gohan started. I like the drama, though its theme is not food education. You'll understand that steaming hot rice symbolizes happiness and bliss in Japan.

I did some googling and here are some facts: Silk contains glycine, alanine, and other enzymes, and is rich in nutrients. For example, it contains five times as much calcium as milk. It's also rich in amino acids. Charcoal is rich in minerals and dietary fiber.

Ask a sushi snob , and he or she will tell you everything you need to know. For example, he will tell you to start with shiromi and end with tamago (gyoku). Eat gari or drink green tea between pieces of sushi to kind of "reset" your tongue. Personally, I don't believe what sushi snobs say. I want to be flexible in deciding the order, and above all, I just want to enjoy eating sushi and I hope I can learn as much as I can about fish (particularly white fish) and other seafood caught in the Sea of Japan from the chef.

Wow, you live near Tsukiji?! I envy you! As you know, all the best fish and seafood go to Tsukiji, where they are sold at high prices.

Dinner 2 on Nov. 16 in the family-run traditional sushi shop at Urasa, Niigata. 1 adult (me) and 2 children Hirame usuzukuri (thinly cut flounder) 700 yen Delicious! The founder arrived at the sushi shop yesterday. It was chewier and less tasty yesterday, and today, it was less chewy and tastier. The home-made ponzu was very mild. Okosama (= Child) sushi set 840 yen My son selected it. The gunkan maki had maguro instead of ikura. I didn't ask, but the chef kindly replaced it with maguro and later informed us. Ikura don (salmon roe bowl) 1,890 yen My daughter selected it. She likes ikura. Okoze kara-age (deep-fried stonefish) 800 yen Crispy and tasty. The freshly made kara-age tasted really good. Honjitsu no nigiri (today's nigiri) 1,300 yen Left to right: Mebachi maguro chu-toro (medium fatty bigeye tuna) Tai (sea bream) Aori ika (bigfin reef squid) Shoyu zuke ikura (salmon roe marinated in soy sauce) Aji (Japanese horse mackerel) Nanban aka ama ebi I was in heaven. 3 closeup photos: Today's recommendations. Sorry for kanji-illiterate people. Sazae tsuboyaki (grilled horned turban shell) 400 yen Can you see the flame? Nice and crunchy. Kai sashimi, san-shu (seashell sashimi, three kinds) 1,200 yen Left: Sazae (horned turban shell) Right top: Awabi (abanone) Right bottom: Bai gai (ivory shell) 2 closup photos: I also ordered: Left to right: Hirame (flounder) 300 yen Hotate (scallop) 200 yen Okoze (stonefish) 300 yen Anago (conger eel) 250 yen Lastly, I ordered: Kohada (gizzard shad) 150 yen Notice the different presentation from the one shown upthread. Buri (adult yellowtail) 200 yen Tamago aka gyoku (egg) 100 yen The bill came to 8,925 yen. All in all, an incredible dinner at an incredible price. Forgot to post this photo: Panna cotta for my two children We also ordered one bottle of orange juice.

Most of these ice creams are sold in places where tourists visist such as souvenir shops. In my city, Koshihikari rice ice cream is sold in souvenir shops. As for silk ice cream, it contains silk, not larvae.

Thanks for sharing your outstanding photos, John! The omagurokiri (large tuna cutter), shown in the first and second photos, is just amazing! Helen, there are other good places too, like Sanjo city in Niigata. I'd like to visit there some day and post lots of photos here, when and if I have the time...

Not all umeshu. That particular umeshu (shown somewhere), made with sake, not white liquor, requires refrigeration. I don't know whether this applies to all umeshu made with sake. "Regular" umeshu, made with white liquor, need not be refregerated. I have three bottles of umeshu in my house, all made by my mother. I just don't know what to do with them because I'm not a regular drinker of sweet umeshu... I think I'll use them for cooking purposes.

Very interesting. I've been using sake (16% alcohol) as well as shochu for making umeshu and never ran into any problems. My umeshu is never refrigerated and I also do not make mine overly sweet. I do not like the taste of white liquor either. It tastes very harsh to me. Did not know that Japan requires 20 proof or more. ← Oh, that's a very old post of mine. The reason is: If the alcohol content is low, brewing may occur again. As you may know, in Japan, it is illegal to make alcoholic beverages. For more, visit this site (Japanese only).

John and I talked about our experiences with Otokomae tofu in the tofu thread. Their tofu has become so popular. I can find some of their products even in my small city. But, they are so expensive that have bought one only once.

I agree. I don't want to go there, either. Just too many people. I hate crowd. I didn't when I lived in Tokyo, but living here in a sleepy little city will make you hate crowd.