Kiem Hwa

I really like Yuzu drinks... I discovered this on JAL, which serves a yuzu drink that I drank the entire flight: http://www.jal.co.jp/en/inflight/inter/topics/skytime.html How come yuzu drinks are so expensive?? There is a new import yuzu drink (the only one I could find here) which is like a normal-sized bottled beverage (~500ml), that costs like 3-4$!!!! Is yuzu so special? I think I should find myself a tree and grow my own.....

source: http://oishii-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/sozaie/ja.htm EDITED: Fixed broken link.... Thanks Hiroyuki!

I have a feeling that the Burari episodes we get over here are WAY old... I looked for tonight's episodes on the Chidoya line in the show archives, and although I could find two other episodes along the Chidoya line, there wasn't the one we had on tonight... and the archive dates to the beginning of 2003..... In any case, I wanted to mention some cool things eaten along the Chidoya line... At a tempura shop (in Ginza?) they had a tempura shop set up in a similar way as a sushi bar with the chef behind a clear glass cabinet-counter, and he made the tempura right behind the counter.... well, he made roe-tempura.....I didn't catch the type of fish, but a big clump of white-ish roe sacks tempura-ed.....oishi so desu! Also, later the host ate aburrage donburi....aburrage slices boiled in a shoyu-sugar-dashi (donburi) sauce, with an egg cooked over it.... yum!!! We are going to try and make this sometime soon. Also, there was some aka-Negi (red-colored Japanese Large green onions), where the red color is acquired from something in the water/soil.... this special Negi can only be grown in Katsuramura. More on Aka-Negi: http://oishii-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/sozaie/fe.htm

A cool link about various special foods from regions in Kansai: http://www.kansai.gr.jp/culture_e/syoku/um...mono_index.html

An article on differences betwen Kansai and Kanto flavors (includes some history): http://www.kippo.or.jp/culture_e/syoku/int.../interview.html

An interesting article discussing the foods of Kansai, particularly Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe: http://www.kippo.or.jp/culture_e/syoku/teidan/teidan1.html Also links to articles discussing foods from various prefectures in Kansai. http://www.kippo.or.jp/culture_e/syoku/index.html

A link discussing the foods of Shiga: http://www.kippo.or.jp/culture_e/syoku/umiyama/shiga01.html They discuss: -high quality "Omi rice" -Funa zushi -other Lake Biwa fish including ayu and willow minow -amenoio gohan (Biwa trout with rice), served with freshwater clam soup, pickled fish and pickled vegetables.

Here is a link talking about the foods of Nara (much discussed by helen already): http://www.kippo.or.jp/culture_e/syoku/umiyama/nara01.html

What does zuke taste like? I can imagine dipping sashimi in this sauce, but does marinating it for a length of time change the texture or flavor?

I miss Suehiro's... This was my favorite restaurant. Ive found some good replacements with Kunio's in Waikele, and Ideta on Dillingham, but noone has the Tofu-butterfish dish that I always ordered at Suehiros. Does anyone know the story behind why Suehiro's closed and whether the owners/chefs are in any new places? Or where I can find a dish resembling the nitsuke butterfish-over tofu dish Suehiros used to serve?

I just ate here - yum! I ordered the Char Siu Miso Tsukemen, BF got yasai Shoyu ramen, and BF's mom got Yasai Miso Tsukemen. I really enjoyed my miso tsukemen broth - at first it was a little strong, but after a few slurps, I really liked it, and my BF's shoyu ramen broth tasted so bland in comparison! It was a little spicy, and so yummy!!! I definately recommend getting the tsukemen. Also, in comparison with the pictures posted by skchai, the tsukemen broth bowls are now a bit larger, so it was no problem dipping noodles in. They also have added some curry items to thier menu, and I want to try the curry tsukemen next time. What made an even better experience was the super-friendly owner who kept talking to us and telling us about the gyoza - they have a gyoza-making machine in the front of the shop where you can watch the machine plop gyoza stuffing into the wrapper and fold it in half, then the owner's wife and a helper pluck them up, and shape them nicely. We were told how she got so worn out from constantly making gyoza that they had to buy a machine and now instead of making them all day every day, they make them twice a week and store them in the freezer. Also he told us all about how they make thier own noodles fresh every morning, and also make thier own pickled bamboo... (in much more detail). Only, if you are looking for the best Char Siu, the one at Yotteko-ya is fabulous.

I found an interesting article about the making of shoyu: http://www.travelandleisure.com/invoke.cfm...441D2E09C02B61E Unfortunately, the online version lacks all the cool pictures in the published version (making me soooo glad I tore this article out of the magazine in the doctor's office....shhhh ) There is a link to "Shoyu Showndown" which compares several varieties.

For me, this plays automatically in Quicktime. Im don't know what happens if you don't have that program though...

This evening, on the TV show Burari, the host visited a sushi shop, and had a piece of sushi made by the owner's son, who they called oimawashi. What is the meaning of Oimawashi? An non-food related question...On this same show, they often mention a description of someone as "iki", or certain acts as "iki", for instance standing up straight (Im sure there was more to it then just this), taking a bath (furo) in the morning... What is "iki"?

I know this doesn't exactly qualify as "foods of Nara", but they make alot of sake there from rice grown in the area. Also, there is a fabulous mochi shop on the main street leading from the train station to Nara park: Video of mochi pounding at that shop: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~aperry/Pounding%20...20in%20Nara.MPG

I found some websites claming various health benefits of Shiso (aka Perilla, Beefsteak plant, a mint & basil-family member), my favorite herb. http://altnature.com/gallery/perilla.htm I've also seen Shiso extract in the medicinal herbs/extracts section in the Japanese import section of the grocery store.....what do the Japanese take it for?? I wonder if Shiso has anything to do with the healthiness of umeboshi, which get their bright pink color from being marinated in Shiso.

The best sukiyaki Ive ever had was not at a restaurant, it was made by my friend's (German) mother, who had lived in Japan for a little while and trained with some chef while she was there. She has, hands-down, made the best home-cooked foods Ive ever had. She was extremely tedious and cooked the beef and vegetables separately first, and only about halfway, before combining them all in the sukiyaki broth to serve to us, so the meat was absolutely tender and just done, and the veggies were the perfect crispiness, still retaining thier shape and color... I'm not sure how traditional a way that is to prepare it, but it was fabulous!!! Since then, it has been very difficult for me to eat sukiyaki since none has yet lived up to those standards....

Hi Origami Crane - See my post in the Gadgets in the Japanese Kitchen Thread: The tea I have been using is a high-grade (no stems) sencha "gold" from Uji. I think it's important that theres no stems. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=58044&st=0

I made some "tonkatsu" the other day.... Actually, it is 2/3 ground pork and 1/3 ground turkey, topped with a goma-tonkatsu sauce using goma (sesame) I toasted and ground up in the suribachi. Also, I wanted to try and put some shiso flavor into it, so half of the patties were made with the addition of shiso-furikake (bascially shiso + salt), and half without....but I couldn't tell the difference. It is on a bed of cabbage (eaten with ponzu sauce), and some okara, and a seaweed salad. The bamboo leaf is for you all.

Spam musubi mold is the clear, rectangular one. This one is for a half-sheet of nori, there are also ones that are twice as long for full-sized sheets of nori. Also shown are onigiri-molds and a sushi-rolling mat. I really want one of these!!!! sukiyaki.....shabu shabu..... nabemono!

In Hawaii we only have 1 Japanese channel, and it doesn't show Tooku e Ikitai or Kuishinbou. There is Soko ga Shiritai, although I find this show a hit-or-miss, meaning sometimes the topic is very interesting and sometimes not. http://www.kikutv.com/shows/Japanese_Progr...itai/index.html

That depends.... when i used to buy this in LA, i was always drinking Mugi-cha (barley tea), and I drank that with everything. Now that I have to share a fridge with several other people there is no room for my tea jug in the fridge, so I drink either water, hot green tea, or coffee (if its breakfast). But actually.... i just eat it by itself all day long.

I'm not too sure if all of these mushrooms are available in fresh forms here in Hawaii. We definately have Shiitake and I think I've seen Enoki (though that may have been when I was in LA), and there is a company that grows various mushrooms in Hawaii, including shiitake, hon-shimeji and oyster mushrooms, including eryngii. I don't think I have ever seen or eaten Maitake though. I do know that the mentioned mushroom extracts are avialable in pill forms for medicinal usage in various health foods stores, etc, and I was familiar with thier usage as alternative cancer therapies because of family members....

I have one too!!!!

Japanese Mushrooms: Enhancing Immunity and Fighting Cancer 茸 (きのこ) Please keep in mind that medicinal value attributed to various foods discussed in this thread are not all proven to definitively work by scientific research, so please consult with a doctor before consuming any of these items for purely medicinal purposes!!! We all know that mushrooms are a rich source of protein and vitamins (especially B vitamins), but several of them contain unique polysaccharides that enhance the immune system and have been used medicinally to fight cancer and viral infections. In fact, three different anti-cancer drugs extracted from mushrooms have been approved by the Japanese government. They are derived from Shiitake (Lentinan), Suehirotake (Schizophyllan) and Kawaratake (PSK). More about Medicinal Properties of Mushrooms: http://www.nammex.com/MushroomArticles/hea...tMushrooms.html http://www.learningplaceonline.com/nutriti...t/mushrooms.htm We have been discussing mushrooms here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=18830 Shiitake 椎茸 (Lentinus edodes), Maitake 舞茸 (Grifola frondosa), Enoki-take 榎茸 (Flammulina velutipes) These delicious mushrooms are thought to strengthen the immune system, and exhibit anti-tumor and anti-viral activity. Maitake is considered to be the most potent of the mushrooms studied in these functions. Fewer studies have been done on Enoki. Maitake may also be useful for diabetes, chronic fatigue, chronic hepatitis, obesity, and high blood pressure. More about Maitake: http://www.maitakescience.org/ Shiitake is also thought to lower cholesterol and help against high blood pressure and heart disease, and chronic fatigue. More about Shiitake: http://www.shiitakecenter.com/health.html Enoki may help to prevent or cure liver disease and gastroenteric ulcers. More about Enoki: http://www.goldengourmetmushrooms.com/enoki.html Just for the point of discussion, there are also several potent medicinal funji that aren't really edible....... Kawaratake (Coriolus versicolor) The mushroom is not really edible, but can be ground up and put into tea. It is also the source of PSK, the world’s all-time best selling cancer drug. http://www.jhsnp.com/store/about_coriolus.html#history Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) aka Ling Zhi in Chinese. This is strictly a medicinal mushroom, not a culinary one, but is one of the most highly regarded herbs in chinese medicine. Reishi is considered a "cure-all" with immune-strenghtening, anti-cancer, and anti-viral abilities. It is also said to be useful for autoimmune diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, enhancing mental function, altitude sickness, ulcers, and insomnia. More about Reishi: http://www.reishi.com/reishi.htm http://www.truestarhealth.com/Notes/2156000.html Yay for mushrooms!!!!