Hiroyuki

No, I haven't, so be sure to report back!

Have you done a search yourself? I've found some that may be of interest, including http://tsukijiguide.blogspot.com/ http://www.tsukijitour.com/01tour_c.html Sorry if you have already checked these sites out.

As you may already know, tomato nabe has become very popular these days. Search for トマト鍋, and you will get lots of recipes!

I'm in my late 40s, and I'd say meat was still a luxury item when I was a kid.

Yes, monkfish in other countries! And anything slimy like natto and okra.

Today, I had this supermarket bento for lunch. Yummy and healthy, my kind of bento.

I'd say neither worked quite right with the mochi-mochi texture.

According to this site (Japanese only), the latter product is a yuzu seasoning, not yuzu juice. The former product is a "yuzu su" (lit. yuzu vinegar). That particular brand seems like real yuzu su, which simply means yuzu juice, but some products labeled as yuzu su contain salt and/or other ingredients.

Maybe I should have clarified what I meant by Shiroi Taiyaki. I meant "Shiroi Taiyaki" of Fujiya, the type of taiyaki whose crust is made with tapioca flour to get that mochi-mochi texture. Images of Shiro Taiyaki I bought regular azuki (140 yen), custard, matcha, and chocolate (150 yen each).

To answer your question, I think you should start a new thread in the Dining Forum, right?

Supposing that Chris really wants to have tsukemen in and around the Nakano area and that he has no particular preferences, I think I will recommmend Sawagami, which is at the top of the list that Kristin linked to, which serves tonkotsu (pork bone)/gyokai (seafood) tsukemen. Reason: They make noodles themselves and allow you to select the amount of noodles from 200, 300, 400, and 500 g, as described here. If Chris prefers other types of tsukemen (soy sauce, miso, super hot, curry, etc.), then I think I can recommend other ramen shops in and around Nakano.

According to Nakano Sogo Ranking (Nakano Overall Ranking), Nakano Taishoken takes 88th place in 100 restaurants. Two people complain that their soup is lukewarm. One person says that because of all other ramen shops that serve good tsukemen, Nakano Taishoken has lost their raison d'etre.

I'm not 100% sure but I think it is open. Official website of Nakano Taishoken According to this site, Address: 3-33-13 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo Phone No.: 03-3384-9234 Open 10:30 to 21:00 Closed on Wednesday No. of seats: 11 Smonking: Not allowed Nearest station: Nakano Station on JR Chuo Line Parking log: None Here is a siteof someone who visited it in mid-November 2005 to have tsukemn for 480 yen and again in early March 2006 to have ramen for 480 yen. I hope you have a wonderful dip and sip!

What do you guys think about Shiroi Taiyaki? Just out of curiosity, I bought some the other day, and found it not to my taste. My son even said it was "mazui" (not good).

Besides the fish that have already been mentioned here on this thread, Oikawa (Zacco platypus) Hasu (Opsariichthys uncirostris) Hatahata (Arctoscopus japonicus) (already mentioned upthread) Koi (Cyprinus carpio) or common carp in English According to this page attempts are being made to use Black Bass and Bluegills to create narezushi with the same techniques as those for funazushi. because of the soaring price of nigoro buna (fish used to make funazushi). So, I think that your best bet is to use fish that are readily available in your area.

Good job! If you are serious about making some kind of narezushi, and actually decide on the species of fish to use, maybe I can provide some more detailed information. But I really don't think people who make narezushi are generous in offering detailed information. For example, this site provides some detailed information on making funazushi, with lots of photos, but it doesn't say how many fish to use, how much salt to use, or the proper fish-to-salt ratio.

I found this site, which is pretty interesting. Luckily(?), my prefecture, Niigata, is not listed here. Producers of fermented sushi - Funa zushi: Shiga pref. Called one of the Three Big Chinmi of Japan (really?). - Hatahata zushi: Akita pref. - Ayu (sweetfish) no kusare (rotten) zushi: Tochigi pref. - Kabura zushi: Ishikawa pref. Turnip and yellowtail used. - Narezushi: Fukui pref. Mackerel "heshiko" used. - Narezushi: Wakayama pref. Fermented sushi made from salted mackerel

Not always, I suppose. According to this webpage, which explains how to make narezushi with funa, funa called "nigoro buna" with roe in them, which can be caught in the spring, are used. They are pickled in salt for 2-3 months (but not in rice bran). After salt is removed, cooked rice is put in them, and they are placed in the oke for half a year to one year. According to this webpage, heshiko is any fish pickled in salt first and then in rice bran. It says that even today, in households in Wakasa, mackerel, sardine, squid, hatahata, fugu, and other fish are used to make heshiko.

There are several other comments in Tsuji's book that I find quite irritating, but I must admit that his is one of the best books on Japanese cuisine. I must agree with thim when he wrote on page 25: So, I recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn Japanese cooking, but I must warn them not to believe everything the book says.

Interesting point. The Japanese usually perceive white fish as non-oily fish, except some. Do you know a fish called akamutsu, or better known as nodoguro (lit. blackthroat) here in Niigata, which is often referred to as "shiromi zakana no toro" (白身魚のトロ).

According to this, Pickle fatty spring mackerel in salt and then in rice bran to mature them for one year to make "heshiko". You then remove salt from them overnight, skin them, put rice and koji in their bellies, and put them in an oke for 10-14 days.

To be clear, are we talking about the expression 'shiro-zakana' ? And if I may ask, other than the name, do you think this has any practical implications ? Maguro isn't a 'white fish', but the preparation for it and all of these is the same - served over shari with wasabi & soy - even if fish like aji, katsuo and sanma are often topped with negi (green onion) and/or shouga (ginger). Yes, shiromi zakana or 白身魚, to be more precise, as opposed to akami zakana or 赤味魚. I found this site, which lists buri, kanpachi, and hiramasa under Shiromi (白身). This site lists more, but in Japanese only. Practical Implications!? That should be a good question, but I can't answer that for now!

The chef simply says that salmon does not go well with vinegared rice. Well, I don't blame him. As I said, salmon is not a traditional neta for Edomae zushi. (But toro and uni are not, either, for that matter.) He does use trout because it's less fatty. Yes, I know that the pink color comes from the diet. Yamame (freshwater fish) remain as yamame if they continue to live in the river, but they change into sakura masu (cherry trout) if they go out into the sea and come back, as I mentioned in the Local Sushi Shop in Niigata thread. They are red-fleshed fish, but believe it or not, in many traditional sushi shops in Japan, buri, kanpachi, and hiramasa are considered white-fleshed fish.

Oh, I didn't read the initial post of this thread carefully enough. He wrote "a whole fish fillet" not "a whole fish". (blush)

Prawncrackers: I'm more impressed by the chawanmushi than the tonkatsu. Blether: I have two restaurants in mind: Restaurant Kado Ninjin Tei I've been to the former several times before. They serve very good tonkatsu and beef katsu, and the portions are large! I've never been to the latter, but it's very popular among young people who visit Yuzawa for skiing. I'll report back when I visit one of them in the future. prasantrin: Thanks for the confirmation. I forgot to mention in my previous post that a wedge of lemon was also missing in the tonkatsu plate.