melonpan

(from shikhye thread...) howondang, a ddeok (rice cake) house sells some drinks on the side. from left to right, shikhye (식혜) for $1.99, omija tea (오미자차) for $3.99 and sujeonggwa (수정과) for $1.99. i was happy to see these for sale, but wished that more places sold korean flavoured drinks in this manner. that omija cha had better be some awesome tea for $4! <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040912howondang.jpg"></center> <center><table cellpadding = 5><tr><th>chinese<td align = center>五<td align=center>味<td align=center>子<td align=center>茶 <tr><th>english<td align=center>five<td align=center>taste<td align=center>fruit<td align=center>tea <tr><th>mandarin<td align=center>wu3<td align=center>wei4<td align=center>zi<td align=center>cha2 <tr><th>cantonese<td align=center>ng<td align=center>mei<td align=center>ji<td align=center>cha <tr><th>korean<td align=center>오 (o)<td align=center>미 (mi)<td align=center>자 (ja)<td align=center>차 (cha) </table></center> below, some pics of gohyang (hometown) brand instant omijacha. usd$3.99 for 20 servings. pouring powder into mugs is always a let down compared to brewing fruits and leaves, but at 20 cents a cup, you get over it. white cup for reference. the color in the photo is pretty close to what i see in real life (that cup in the box must be of cranberry juice, or of omija concentrate!). ive only ever had instant omijacha. from the box, this tea tastes overwhelmingly sweet with some tartness to it. what happened to the other three flavours, i do not know... <center><img src='http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040915omijacha.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> <img src='http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040915omijacha2.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> <img src='http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040915omijacha3.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /> <img src='http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040915omijacha4.jpg' border='0' alt='user posted image' /></center>

local matsutake pickers must have found a bumper crop this year... the japanese market here is selling them for us$14.99 a pound. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041003matsutake.jpg"></center> bought $12 worth. wiped them clean and cut them into halves for grilling. 2 were holey and infested. but the rest were good! yumms!

i had no idea that the better off horses in the world drank cow milk. and to think some people imported cows for this purpose... u pick asian pears are hard to find in the states but they exist. are there such orchards in chiba? actually do u pick places exist at all anywhere in japan?

you know how when you wrap foods around red leaf lettuce and stick some soybean paste in the middle? you can use chunggukjang for that... but other than as that and in soups, i hadnt really heard of chunggukjang being used uncooked like natto. but when i looked it up online, i saw on <a href="http://jk.interget.co.kr/jong/seng.htm">this page</a> which says that some koreans do eat it uncooked: the page suggests eating chunggukjang mixed with some soy sauce, a little bit of sesame seed oil, then eaten over hot rice, japanese style.i have found several other interesting recipes at <a href="http://rosecafes.com.ne.kr/chung7.htm">http://rosecafes.com.ne.kr/chung7.htm</a>:<ul><li>chunggukjang jjigae <li>kimchi chunggukjang jjigae <li>ggakdugi (radish kimchi) chunggukjang jjigae <li>daikon chunggukjang jjigae <li>mushroom chunggukjang jjigae <li>ugeoji (a vegetable leaf) chunggukjang jjigae <li>chunggukjang seasoned paste for wrapping with red leaf lettuce <li>deep fried (like tempura) chunggukjang <li>chunggukjang mandu <li>chugngukjang hamburger <li>chunggukjang tonkasu</ul>i think whatever you do with natto, you can do with this stuff too! another note on natto (which is the topic!)... at a couple of the korean grocery stores here in los angeles, i see piles and piles of natto for sale. i wonder why i see so much for sale in the grocery stores. they are all japanese brands... some possibilities are<ul><li>a lot of japanese people shop at the korean markets in LA <li>people my parents and my grandparents age came to eat lots of it during the occupation and their eating natto these days somehow escaped my notice <li>korean people in LA have more exposure to japanese foods and have accepted natto, since it is similar to chunggukjang</ul>*shrug* dont know why! but im not complaining

i wonder how natto lovers would take to korean style chung-guk-jang (청국장), which are <a href="http://img.happymessenger.com/body/body_bab10.jpg">sticky and very strongly fermented soybeans</a>, <a href="http://www.soy.co.kr/chunguk.html">mashed up</a>, then added to some soup base with some kimchi, scallions, garlic (of course), some tofu and a couple spoonfuls of good ground chile pepper for a satisfyingly hot and spicy <a href="http://hwaro.com/auction/bestwill/best2.jpg">cheonggukjang jjigae</a>... here is a picture of cheonggukjang as it is usually sold, in little wheels: (<a href="http://seogyeong.cybericheon.go.kr/upload/product_img/P2003020026.gif">wheel pic</a>) if youve never had cheonggukjang jjigae before and you like natto, i urge you to try it! its 10 times stronger than duenjang jjigae and about 50 times stronger than miso soup... im sorry. sometimes i forget which board im on. ill go to elsewhere in asia/pacific to continue preaching...

id like to start out by thanking torakris for such a great thread... its nice to be able to participate in this kind of a way... last night i made two types of okonomiyaki... actually one kind. the other might not quite qualify... raw ingredients: flour and eggs (both not shown), shredded cabbage, chopped shrimp, nagaimo, leftover spam, kimchi and scallions. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041003okono1.jpg"></center> this was my first time using nagaimo and i did not expect the texture to be like jicama. for some reason i was expecting more of a potato or perhaps carrot like texture. instead as i sliced it it turned out to be crispy/slimy (i knew it should be slimy, but somehow i forgot that). instead of the cheese grater i was going to employ, i ended up using my radish (daikon) grater and that turned out to be the right instrument. fun! i used the same basic batter for both types of okonomiyaki: flour, eggs, some water, nagaimo, dashi and some extra salt. for the first type of pancake, i added shredded cabbage, spam and shrimp. for the second, i decided to make something called pa-jeon (which many japanese seem to call chijimi, which is a korean word i do not recognise). i made kimchi pajeon, which is my favourite kind. the "pa" in pajeon means "scallions". lots of scallions and kimchi, extra kimchi juice and some spam. no cabbage. come to think of it, kimchi is cabbage! both turned out well if i may say so myself. hubby seemed to like them too, but i think he liked the kimchi one more... i topped the japanese style okonomiyaki with okonomi sauce, some mayo, some babystar (kristin, do you usually add the babystar to the batter? i was wondering that as i was sprinkling them on top), and a little bit of aonori. the pajeon was eaten plain, as is the usual style. because of the dashi and the kimchi, there wasnt any need for the usual soy sauce/vinegar accompaniment. <center>okonomiyaki <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041003okono2.jpg"></center> <center>pajeon <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/041003okono3.jpg"></center> thank you again, kristin for a great idea!

thats so interesting... i wonder how many americans would associate iced coffee with the amish.when i think of amish, i think of delicious pies, chicken soup, jams, jellies and pickles. and of course, horse buggies and quilts! though, i also think of beautiful, relaxing rural pennsylvania and ohio and thats definitely a good place to be when drinking coffee... parts of pennsylvania are just breathtakingly beautiful.

i always kind of wondered if it was only koreans who ate chrysalis, aka beondegi (번데기). now i know for sure that we arent the only ones. bee larvae are new to me, though!

i did NOT copy this recipe (munch munch)

along these lines and learned from a persian restaurant:lavash. spread butter. large single layers of onion. shoot for around 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches. plus or minus whatever. thats it. lavash, butter, onions. dont knock it till you tried it. i imagine it is as good as the onion sandwich described above. and i imaging you can eat this persian appetizer with beer too.

ive never made chahan before. i always fried cold rice and i always fried all ingredients separately and mixed only at the end. so i decided to give this a try. chopped some scallions, diced some spam. reheated cold rice from the refrigerator in the microwave for 1 minute and beat 4 eggs (this is for two servings). <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040930chahan1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040930chahan2.jpg"></center> <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040930chahan3.jpg"> <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040930chahan4.jpg"></center> my oil was hot before i added the eggs (which i do anyways), but i counted a fast six seconds before adding the warm rice. it felt refreshing to do this, since ive been making fried rice my way for so long. warmed rice! directly to eggs! it felt good. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040930chahan5.jpg"></center> although i really wanted to follow the recipe closely because this technique was new to me, i got carried away and added the scallions and ham almost right after adding the rice. i added them maybe half a minute after i added the rice. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040930chahan6.jpg"></center> still, both bowls of fried rice turned out well. husband said hed eaten this kind of fried rice before in korea. it was new to me. mom always made it with separately cooked ingredients. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040930chahan7.jpg"></center> some things i will try for next time:<ul><li>mix beaten eggs with warmed rice before cooking (that sounds like fun) <li>wait a little longer before adding other ingredients <li>try with only eggs and maybe just a little bit of scallions <li>if i make with spam again, i will fry spam before hand</ul>thank you, hiroyuki for sharing technique.

komochi image i have seen the above sold at the grocery market. it is labeled as komochi. what is it and how is it served?

i saw a lady asking about how long katsuo could keep once the package was opened (this was one of those large bags, not the smaller one-two serving ones). the cashier said that he didnt know, but probably for a while, because the flakes were dried. another elderly lady shopping in another lane said that when it goes on sale she buys a whole lot and her secret was that she kept the bags in the freezer. when the elderly lady left, the other lady said "huh. i would _never_ serve my cats frozen and then thawed bonito flakes." she ended up buying a couple smaller bags.

ive never been to kissaten (never been to japan), but ill offer up a couple thoughts and a couple questions. i like teahouses, but dont frequent them as much as i used to. there seem to be a lot more cafes and boba shops around this area and so they are more convenient to go to if i am meeting people. are kissatens in japan, as a general rule, very smoky? cigarette smoke can be bothersome. starbucks forbids smoking in japan and that can be attractive if you want to go somewhere to chat or to drink. two articles: <a href="http://www.accj.or.jp/document_library/Journal/1053154795.pdf">1</a>, <a href="http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=feature&id=65">2</a>. article 1 brings up a couple interesting issues. japan definitely has a deep rooted, refined tea culture. yet starbucks and cafes are thriving. are they thriving along with the tea culture, or is it more either or? according to the article, they say that traditional kissaten have "declined by more than 30% over the last 30 years, with now only 102,000 left in the country." it sounds like either/or and that cafes are winning... will cinnamon buns and donuts take the place of manju and mizu-yokan? how many people have coffee makers at home? although i do not know the true numbers in america, id guess that more than half of all households in the us have at least one coffeemaker. are they as ubiquitous in japan? it also seems that starbucks is doing quite well. the article states that there was a forecast of 500 starbucks shops opened by march 2004. (the article was written in jan 2002). my husband told me in july 2003 that starbucks had failed in japan. i do not know which is true. but i will assume that he was mistaken, that starbucks is still around. (he said that starbucks did things the american way in japan and that they did not cater to local tastes and said that is why they did not succeed. maybe they changed their tactics? maybe he heard wrong?)

first off, id like to thank mongo for the excellent directions. shoot straight up normandie. its in a plaza named "7th & Irolo SHOPPING CENTER". in english you will find a 20/20 cleaners and a felafel corner in the same minimall.so we went a couple days ago. excellent. its where we will go until we start finding some time to drive around to look for other rival places. but i am sure it will be hard to beat... <center>front of myung dong late at night ("myung dong" was dark. maybe broken?) <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong01.jpg"></center> <center>their sign in neon says that they<br>specialise in kalguksu (hand cut noodles)<br>and samgyetang <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong02.jpg"></center> we were seated and we ordered two bowls of samgyetang. a few minutes later six dishes of banchan were set in front of us. the broccoli was meh but maybe thats unfair since i never liked broccoli much. the ggakddugi (center top row) and the water kimchi (bottom right) were very good, the chapchae (center bottom) was good, but the standouts were the kimchi (top left) and the jangatchi (top right).<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong03.jpg"></center> we got seconds of the very fresh kimchi and the excellent jangatchi. the waitress called the jangatchi "cho-jorim" [vinegar jorim]. it contained pickles, cukes, jalapenos, celery and daikon bits.<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong05.jpg"> <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong06.jpg"></center> for every bowl of samgyetang, you get four accessories with your order. seasoned salt, a ladle (no spoons anywhere to be seen here!), a bowl for your chicken, and a plate for bones.<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong07.jpg"></center> our bubbling bowls of myungdong samgyetang have arrived! a nice touch with the scallions, the enoki bunch, pinenuts and the touch of pepper... very appetizingly presented.<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong08.jpg"></center> the sweet rice is served ladled into the serving bowls. the chicken here is split. found, maybe 4 cloves of garlic, half a dozen pinenuts, 2 dates and 2 chestnuts. it is also worth noting that the chicken broth at myung dong is served seasoned with salt. (at most other places, the broth has no salt whatsoever; you add it yourself.) this could have been a bad thing, but luckily, they watch the broth and it was NOT salty.<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong09.jpg"></center> heres the bowl and the plate in action!<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040927myeongdong10.jpg"></center> a place i can go to thats local. thank you mr mongo. other notes myungdong serves about 35 other dishes. lots of soups, kalguksu (their other specialty), jjolmyeon (spicy chewy goodness), kong guksu and many jorims and guis (braised dishes and grilled dishes). i dont know that ill ever get around to trying anything other than the samgyetang though. maybe the kalguksu.... samgyetang goes for $10.99 a bowl. <a href="http://yp.yahoo.com/py/ypMap.py?Pyt=Typ&tuid=9007085&ck=1023214192&tab=B2C&tcat=8903827&city=Los+Angeles&state=CA&uzip=90012&country=us&msa=4480&cs=4&ed=PAu9GK1o2TyIMUuoIy1O7Ju6tZHwXrRmkVnuywNVU7w8OA--&stat=:pos:2:regular:regT:3:fbT:0">Myung Dong Noodle House</a> 698 Irolo St # 105 Los Angeles, CA 90005 (213) 251-1066 hours: 9:00 am - 9:30 pm

i have no idea what white gyoza are. i looked it up and <a href="http://www.virtualgaijin.com/japanblog/archives/000011.html">one guy writes</a><blockquote>"White Gyoza is the name of a unique store in Maebashi, the capital city of Gunma, and it's also the name of the one food they make: A type of gyoza (gyoza is the Japanese-Chinese word for "pot stickers" or "dumplings" like you buy at a Chinese restaurant) with a really thick, soft "munchy" skin. It's one of my favorite foods in Japan, and was on my "Must Eat" list."</blockquote>thick, munchy skin.... it sounds good! are the fillings typical? beef/pork and chives? seafood? or anything? is it the skin that sets this apart from others?

korean always pronounces chinese words with onyomi. there is no kunyomi equivalent. because of all the chinese loanwords in korean, there are a heck of a lot of homonyms (in chinese those same words would more likely have different tones) and if you have to, you have to guess words from context. i wonder why kunyomi did not develop in korea.when kanji is written, its clear what the word is. spoken japanese is of course different. lets say though, that there is no kunyomi, just like in korean. i am sure one can guess what word is being talked about from context despite homophones; so one might wonder the opposite, why did kunyomi develop in japan to the extent that it has?

i just would like to point out that earlier jschyun mentioned a recipe of mine but i dont think i have ever posted anything. ive made it before and ive been posting for like forever so it is possible, but... ive never cooked it with any kind of syrup. but it doesnt mean that i wont try! still, i lots of people make it without. go for it however way you wish torakris! yeap. puhjuh means overcooked, and in any context, that means mushy beans. you do want them chewey.

actually, that is in my queue to post up! :D ill post it now.<center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040922yoguruto.jpg"></center> i also got a shot of meijis yogureto (and you will also see a bit of hi grape to the left and hi lemon to the right). <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040922yogureto.jpg"></center> i like the yoguruto but i have not yet ever bought the yoguretos (yoglette?). i would be interested to learn more! post please!

double YUM! here too. one of my favourites

one of the most popular flavours of hi chew: yogurt! it is one of my favourites. i am also very partial to the lemon cola... i heard that in japan, hokkaido melon is available and i am sick in my heart that they do not sell it here in the states. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040922hiChewYogurt.jpg"></center>

and how can you discuss yogurt flavour foods without yakult? <center><img src = "http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040918yakult.jpg"></center> i remember when i was 7 i stayed with my aunts family in seoul. they got a delivery of yakult, two tiny bottles (80 ml, exactly like the bottles here) every week day. with me being there one of my two cousins had to give up their bottles. the younger cousin gave hers up w/o a fuss. she was a finicky kid anyway and didnt care for it. but the other cousin who was my age loved yakult too... one day i wanted to drink two bottles, so after i drank mine, i just stole his from the fridge when no one was looking and drank it up. boy, i got in such trouble for that! but after that, i got both bottles. i dont think my cousin liked me very much... nowadays, such yogurt drinks come in large 1 liter bottles... much more sensible sizes, dont you think?

surely one of japans favorite flavors deserves its own thread! we begin with the king of yogurt flavoured drinks, calpico. calpico water is a non-carbonated beverage. they come in the pet bottles and in aluminum cans. <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040918calpicoWater.jpg"> <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040918calpicoSoda.jpg"></center> im not such a fan of calpico water, but im helpless to the siren call of the carbonated cousin, calpico soda. the orange cans are orange flavoured cream soda, the pink ones are strawberry and the blue ones are the original yogurt flavoured ones. i honestly like all three. i went without calipico soda for four years in dc bc they are so difficult to find. poor little old me!

this isnt about omurice, but on may 12, 2004 the new york times minimalist column featured something called ketchup chicken. you brown chicken chunks in a skillet. set them aside on a plate. with the same skillet heat a little more oil. then fry garlic and cayenne for 2 minutes. then you add one cup of ketchup and fry that until the ketchup has browned. thats one cup ketchup for about 1 and 1/2 a pound of chicken. return the chicken to the fry pan and coat pieces, then serve. im not used to the idea of measuring ketchup in anything more than skinny squirts or little packets. to deal with cups of the stuff is another matter entirely and frankly it seems downright disgusting. but i tried it and loved it. and now i use the same browned ketchup to cover up my fried rice.

sold in los angeles, california <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040915agar1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040915agar2.jpg"></center> the red kanten happened to have the ingredients listed on the front: <center><img src="http://www.rawbw.com/~coconut/eg/04/040915agar3.jpg"></center> so is this kanten or agar agar? i think it will take some effort on my part to better learn the differences between kanten and agar agar, which i had believed to be exactly equivalent.