Hiroyuki

In Japan, besides hamburger shops, donburi (rice bowl) restraurants, and soba (buckwheat noodle) stands, we have conbini (convenience stores), which sell all sorts of premade meals.

Which is the right pronunciation of 中巻き here, chuumaki or nakamaki? I found some answers here. It seems that chuumaki is better, but I am still tempted to say "nakamaki".

I never thought about it before, I just assumed it was read chuumaki meaning a medium sized roll. Sort of something in between a hosomaki (thin roll) and futomaki (thick roll). Is chuumaki even a word then?? ← Thanks, your description of hosomaki, chuumaki, and futomaki is right, but I'm not sure which of chuumaki and nakamaki sounds right.

Sorry, ojisan, I don't have one. I should have said, "ponzu-like, instant sauce", made with fresh yuzu juice, instant dashi powder, and soy sauce. These ingredients alone are OK with me, but my wife insists that vinegar be added. You can find one recipe that seems decent here (Japanese only).

I don't understand the Japanese on the label, even though I'm a native Japanese... Ebi katsu naka maki set Ebi katsu = Shrimp cutlet? Naka maki = Roll with something in it?

Is that the restaurant's original dish? The only similar dish that I can think of is kamo nanban, which is a bowl of hot noodles (udon or soba) topped with negi (Japanese scallion) and thinly sliced duck (not ground).

I have ordered eight eho maki (lucky-direction rolls) for all my family from a supermarket, and we are going to have them on Setsubun Day. This year, the lucky direction is north-northwest. To tell you the truth, I wasn't keen on following this custom because it's mainly a Kansai thing and it would be like succumbing to commercialism to follow it, until one day, a sister-in-law, who works at a newly opened supermarket, called me and asked to order some rolls.

I made soboro for supper last night. My soboro (scrambled eggs and minced meat) are much less sweetened than usual ones. Scrambled eggs: Seasoned with instant dashi powder and soy sauce. Minced meat: Seasoned with equal amounts of mirin and soy sauce. For soboro, minced chicken is usually used, but I often use minced pork, especially when it's on sale. I made soboro don for lunch today with leftover soboro. Beni shoga is a must.

OK, if that's the case, go ahead. But while you're at it, let me reiterate that MISO CAN GO BAD. It's a myth that miso will keep forever. Well, it's true that shingen miso (smoked hard miso) has kept for four centuries, but comtemporary miso typically have a salt content of around 9 to 12% and therefore can go bad if handled improperly.

It's crisp! But it's fresh-tasting strawberry jam that we like the most.

Hmmm (sigh)... It looks much darker than a regular shiro (white) miso. It's almost like an aka (red) miso. I would dispose of it and buy another. If that's something you don't want to do, just taste it. You can still use it provided that it's not rancid or moldy. If you decide to use it, I'd recommend that you put it in the freezer (it won't harden as a rock) rather than in the fridge.

Leftovers donburi for lunch today: I reheated plain cooked rice in the microwave, added vinegar, sugar, and salt, and topped with leftovers. Much yummier than you might think it is.

Thank you for your informative post. I did some more googling (on my own ) but was unable to find any information between the connection between the emperor and the Berkshire pig, either. By the way, do you ever feed your Berkshire pigs with food containing sweet potatoes in the final stage of the fattening period, like some Japanese breeders do? Does beer have a significant effect on the flavor and texture of the pork?

Have you tried Koala yet? It says: Koala no march <Caramel milk> It's filled with milk-flavored white chocolate with a caramel accent.

Mr. Ito's Ichigo no Tart (Strawberry Tart) All my family love it. Even my son, who is usually not a fan of cookies or buiscuits, said it was good and asked me to buy another.

Do you mean the one on the right here? His name is Yuji Miyake. I don't know because I don't watch much TV, but that's probable because he's popular.

I'm glad to hear that!! Now I don't have to envy those who live in Kansai, where it is readily available. I have a feeling that home-made ponzu is much superior to any store-bought one.

I made joya nabe for supper last night, for the very first time. I tried the water to sake ratio of 1:1. Unfortunately, it wasn't a hit with my wife or children. They all said it smelled of sake. I myself found it not particularly tasty. I will try a sake-less recipe some day. For ingredients, I used a bunch of spinatch, thinly sliced pork, tofu, and enoki. We had it with ponzu.

so it's not a common practice to give the pigs beer and massages like the kobe catttle? ← I guess not. I did some googling but found no relevant information.

Does this mean black Berkshire or is red allowed? I recently found a farmer in Ontario who is starting to raise Berkshire, with two boars and Duroc sows. So the pigs will be a cross. The farmer says that pure black Berkshire pigs may leave dark pin hairs when the skin is removed, and then rejected by fastidious consumers. Is the pin hair problem real, or an artefact? ← For confirmation, this is the kurobuta (lit. black pig). It has black hair except at the nose, tail end, and four paws, where it has white hair.

The narrator says that fish don't have pain spots and do not feel the pain. The fish in the video is a snapper (tai) called ishi dai.

I can't answer your question, but in Japan, the definition of kurobuta is clear: purebred Berkshire. What is more important is that some ranches have their own standards, such as feeding them with food containing 10% or more sweet potatoes for 60 days or more in a fattening period of 250 days.

Thank you for your report, Kris. One question: Did you actually feel wabi sabi while you were there? I ask this question because, according to their website, they want you to feel wabi sabi. Another excerpt from their website: from here Hmm.... juwari (100%) sarashina soba... Sorry, I'm not a fan of sarashina...

Why, thank you! Do you mean you used sugar instead of mirin?

Is this just flour where the wheat is ground to a larger granule or is it similar to Wondra flour in America? Either way it would be useful for cooking so I'd like some help figuring it out. It is the bottom item on this page. ← I didn't know anything about these two flours, but judging from the description, I think it's like Wondra.