_john

I would like to know how to do this as well. I have tried several times and had results varying from inedible to good but wrong texture. As for my recipe, I don't really have one per se. Like others have said the most important ingredient is time. The longer you extract flavor and gelatine from the bones the better. I do not add onion or negi to mine because they contain a fair amount of sweetness that can become too pronounced when it is reduced. I also skip the initial blanching of the bones. What does that step do exactly?

What is the proper way to eat the cabbage? I am always confused by this. There seems to be this huge mound of cabbage in comparison to the 'katsu. I like cabbage as much as the next guy but I can never eat very much of it. Am I missing something? Are you supposed to eat it along with the 'katsu? I now usually end up ordering katsu curry to avoid the whole cabbage thing.

I have made it before. I used pork back bones (I ask a butcher who disassembles whole hogs to set them aside for me) covered the bones in water and cooked them in a pressure cooker. This takes much less time and produces a broth that is very good. The key to producing a milky broth is to use bones that have enough gelatin and cook it for a long time at a temperature that allows the liquid to boil. In my expereince this takes about 3 hours. You know it is ready when you walk down the block and you can still smell that very, ahem, distinctive pork smell. Once the liquid has enough body to hold the dissolved fat in suspension you will have that lip smacking broth. After extracting the bones goodness I use kombu to raise the umami quotient (then discard the kombu). I have experimented with adding niboshi (dried sardies) or katsuobushi with good results. I usually make a large batch and then reduce the liquid by about half, freeze individual disks of it for making "instant" ramen. my favorite is tonkotsu broth with miso, chashu, spicy menma, fried green onion, and freshly roasted and suribachi'd sesame seeds. ::drool:: now I need to perfect my soft boiled egg

Pine nuts are the most common addition that I have seen, they really match well with the pear. I love commice pear, that is a good idea for substitution. My korean friend says that the asian pear adds a needed mildness and crispsess next to the texture of the semi-frozen beef. On that note; sometimes the beef is semi-frozen and other times it is only slightly chilled, I'm not sure which is the "correct" preparation but I assume as with most things on eGullet the "correct" version is whichever tates the best

Yook Hwe: Raw beef half frozen and cut into long rectangular strips, marinated with salt, sesame oil, green onions, chili pepper, garlic, and tossed with jullienned asian pears or cucumbers and topped with a raw egg yolk. I love Yook Hwe (also romanized Yuk, Yuke, etc). Once I come to trust the quality of a Korean restaurant I will order their yook hwe, either as just yook hwe or as yook hwe bibimbapp, and enjoy one of my favorite Korean dishes. Sometimes they are reluctant to let me order it (I am not Korean) possibly because serving raw beef with raw egg is a possible health code violation. Let's discuss this great dish. Recipes and tips on preparing it at home? Favorite places you have had it? Variations? General musings?

I have let a thin stream of honey fall in to a styrofoam cooler full of liquid nitrogen to make "honey shards." They are very good on their own, but their main purpose is a garnish for ice cream. maple syrup and black strap molasses are also amazing. very thinly sliced fruits and vegetables can be made to mimic crunchy fried items as garnish for desserts. I have also experimented with shattering thin items to create shapes that are impossible to make with a knife. There was an experimental steak tartare made in this way. very high temperatures can do amazing things as well. I read about a chef using lasers to cook bread from the inside out etc. can't find the article however.

I don't know if it counts as a "meal" but: nothing beats boiled peanuts, and skinny french fries. If I am having a party I always boil up some peanuts and get out the frier to do fries on order. good times.

oooo Kristin where did you find it? did you buy it mailorder? I have found a few places that sell kezuri on the web. Is this the type of thing they would have in Kappa-Bashi ? links: Deluxe Kezuri - http://www.rakuten.co.jp/satumaya/501168/ (Japanese only)

I discovered this beer a few months ago and have been keeping my fridge stocked with it ever since. It is by far my favorite brown/nut brown/ red beer that I have tried. It is especially friendly with BLTs, fish and chips, and curries. When I invite friends over to eat I introduce them to this beer and most people seem to like it. And the label is really cool as well. I think it is currently my favorite beer. If you haven't tried it, you should. Although it may be difficult to find where you live. any other fans out there? North Coast Brewing

slightly off topic but... what is the availability of bacon in japan? I ask because I am planning on moving there and I believe I have developed a physical dependancy to BLTs especially those made with thick bacon that I cut from the slab myself. Is this an item that most stores have? are you considering importing it because of the quality or the price?

popcorn. and maybe some beer with it. i like to fry the kernels in butter and add paprika and salt as soon as they start popping. that way they get coated with wonderful brown butter with salt and paprika. munch munch.

I am coming in the fall. There are a lot of places that I "can't wait" to eat at but ramen jiro is high on that list. I'm sure it will take me a while to get settled physically and linguistically before I will be ready to go to scary ramen-ya whether I have someone with me or not. But once again, I can't wait. speaking of other places: http://www.links.net/vita/trip/japan/tokyo...tsugakudou.html

the nabe ones are interesting, look very portable, and the price is right. Right now I have an outdoor wok burner that is very powerful and a glass top electric range in the kitchen. this setup is great because I do all the high power/smokey stuff outside and anything involving liquid that needs to be at a certain temperature inside. maybe a combination of induction and gas would be ideal. I am moving to the tokyo area at first but may wander, I will be there for an undetermined amount of time after the 1st year, which I will likely commit to. I am planing to live frugally in an apaato with less than desirably proximity to a station, just a place to cook and sleep.

I am moving to Japan in the fall. As an avid home and semi professional cook I am of course thinking about kitchen equipment more than the fact that I don't have an apartment yet. Can you find single or duel hob induction cookers in Japan for home use? Is Japan going through a similar induction revolution that is supposedly going on in America? Is induction technology prohibitively expensive there?

sounds good, can't wait to eat there. I will have to bring a friend along for backup though. At what point do they ask you if you want garlic or extra fat or saltiness? Do you put you money in the ticket machine like a vending machine or do you pay elsewhere?

split in half and toasted in hot melted butter on a griddle or hot pan. sometimes I chop onions fine and let them caramelize a little on the griddle then smash the bread down on them to toast. I put a weight on top to then the bottom is all touching the griddle. when I buy some of the bread this usually makes up a breakfast/lunch/dinner for me, with the aforementioned coffee of course.

The main way that I use it is on fruit. Thats right fruit. Cut open an orange and shake some on; amazing. All of the flea market produce stands I visit have cucumbers, mangos, and oranges cut open and sprinkled with the magical "pico limon". Try it, you'll like it.

I have an Ikea pepper mill that has a fully adjustable ceramic grinder in the bottom, you can go anywhere between cracking the peppercorns in half to fine powder. The best part about it is the price $6. I have one for salt and one for pepper, then I bought extras to give as gifts.

are you talking about this ?

this is a good example of a sign that has the elongated ?(u)?character in ???(unagi). http://www.seamile.jp/demae/menu/kikusui_photo.gif

yongfook.com from the "about" section: "Yongfook.com is entirely devoted to reviews of crap Japanese food - the kind that only children and poor people eat." In reality it is about conbini (convinience store) fare that actually a large number of people eat on a daily basis. It is very silly and fun.

sometimes I get katsu cravings and need to rush out to the store at 2am (thank god for 24hr supermarkets) to get 2 pork chops. As you can guess I usually make it spontaniously and do not always have tonkatsu sauce on hand. the way I make it produces something very similar to bulldog brand. All that I do is put the amount of ketchup that I want the sauce to be in a bowl and then add worchester sauce until the flavor and color is right. Then I usually suribachi up some sesame seeds and add them. I take the bone off the chop and cut the chop so it is half the thickness and then pound it out using the bottom of the same fry pan i use to fry it. if i have cabbage I shred some and serve with rice donburi style. I too can't resist katsu curry. 2 chops means 4 meals worth of katsu goodness. I might need to run out and get some right now...

speaking of grinding sesame seeds... I use this all the time for salad dressings, ohitashi, etc.. http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/images/ssgrinder_150.jpg some gadets I don't have yet but want to buy are a takoyaki pan and a small rectangular charcoal yakitori and robotoyaki grill. oh and one of those "green machines" that makes thin spiral vegetable "threads" (I think they are made by benriner) http://www.eurus.dti.ne.jp/~harabird/takoyaki.JPG http://www.kitchenconservatory.com/benrinerhelp.jpg

I grew kabocha this season and had a pretty good harvest for my small backyard (about 15 kabocha). I also have made a soup out of it but my technique was different. I roasted kabocha peices then added them to some roast chicken stock. I reserved some of the pieces that I had cut into nice chunks for texture. I then roasted the seeds after tossing them in a mix of curry powder and some clarified butter. some of the seeds i ground and made nut milk to add to the soup, the rest were for garnish. some curry powder and a dash of creme, put it all together and its heaven. I also enjoy it as tempura, simply baked with butter salt and garlic, and ive been thinking of making kabocha pumkin pie too..

the roast was about 4lbs. you could substitute sake or any other liquid you want, the rice wine gives it a nice flavor that compliments the ginger. as for the noodles, I still cant get them quite right. something about the amount of kneading/resting i think. I'm working on it... ::watches tampopo again::