Kiem Hwa

Melonpan- Thanks for the recipe!! I want to try your an+matcha+cream one... I also have some chestnuts Im tempted to find a huge frying pan just for these crepes I saw the hamburger crepes at least twice. Once in Kobe, and we became interested but didnt try them. Then when we were rushing to our bus to the airport and we just happened to pass a crepe station with the hamburger one again, and we decided it was fate (In Namba station in Osaka). I also have to admit, I was much more impressed with the savory crepes with the hamburger or pasta then the the sweet ones I had. The hamburger and pasta tastes suprisingly wonderful with the crepe, while the sweet ones tasted exactly the way I expected.

Last time I was in Japan, on the last day of our trip, we were running to catch our bus to the airport and decided to grap something quick to eat, that we had been interested in..... Crepes....a yummy crepe rolled up and filled with hamburger and sauce, or filled with pasta, sauce and cheese. We had also tried the dessert versions earlier, ones with strawberry icecream and whipped cream and chesnuts (marron). I really miss these crepes now. There was a crepe shop here in Hawaii, but I never tried it and now its closed Does anyone else share my love of crepes? Does anyone know the recipe for the batter??? Also, it is quite astonishing what gets put into these crepes....what is the best or most interesting fillings? Is stuffing them with such various things a Japanese invention?

Melonpan! How did the kuri kanroni turn out? I was daydreaming about making my takikomi gohan featuring kabocha and kuri except I only read about horror stories using the packaged kuri, but I haven't heard about kuri kanroni before. Is this the type? http://www.penchan.com/kaji/cooking/kuri/kanroni/

I made my Takikomi Gohan! 2 1/2 c. regular japanese rice 1/2 c. mochigome rice I washed the rice and let it soak for 1 1/2 hours in water and Mirin Sake Shoyu Then I added: Kabocha Shiitake Aburage Gobo Renkon (lotus root) Carrots Sugar And cooked it in the rice cooker hmm....I still can't figure out how to post my pics correctly.....

I got hooked on certain frozen dim sum: the steamed buns with lotus-nut paste filling, and scallion pancakes. Iv'e never actually had either of these at a dim sum restaurant though, so there is no measure of "dissapointment". Plus, they're so easy to heat up quickly when Im too lazy to cook.

Seeing this thread pop up again made me remember a silly question I have.... The senbei that is made to feed the deer (in Nara, Miyajima, etc). Can I feed it to my dog? I was thinking about next time I go to Japan i can bring my dog back an omiyage.

So sekihan misses the mark huh? Hmm...maybe I'll save sekihan for New Years and instead make something that is a more typical Takikomi gohan on Dec 12th. What are the guidelines for it to be Takikomi gohan?

What a detailed account of regional differences in zouni, and it's in English! ← It seems they did some research to gather all that info, but I found that yesterday morning and had to share! Ive just made ozoni the way my friend's mom taught me: clear soup with nishime konbu, clams, mizuna, carrots, chicken, and boiled mochi....this sounds so boring now. This year I think i'll "soup it up" a bit with yummy sounding ingredients from anywhere on this list. Most tempting..... aburage, kanpyo, gobo, shiitake, salmon, tofu, and i'll definately try broiled mochi this year. And maybe make half the batch with clear soup and half with miso.

I found this information about ozoni styles from different regions in Japan: Source: Honpa Honganji Hawaii Betsuin: Favorite Island Cookery Book 5, 1989. Kanto District: Soup: Sumashi Jiru (Clear soup) Mochi: Kaku mochi, broiled Other ingredients: Chicken, kamaboko, carrots, komatsuna, mitsuba, shiitake, koimo, daikon, chikuwa, horenso, gobo, hasu, kanpyo (tied in knots), kezuribushi, nori, mizuna. Ingredients are boiled separately. Tohoku District Soup: Sumashi Jiru Mochi: Kaku mochi, broiled; Fukushima: fresh mochi is torn up and put in soup. Other ingredients: Chicken, gobo, koya dofu, carrots, komatsuna, salmon, zenmai, warabi, fuki, watercress, sasatakenoko, kamaboko, ikura, daikon, kaki (oyster), aburage, imogara, koimo. Seafood is used alot because of its abundance in these areas. Chubu District: Soup: Sumashi Jiru, except in Fukui where aka (red) miso is used. Mochi: Kaku mochi, broiled - Nagano, Niigata, Yamanashi; Kaku mochi, boiled - Aichi, Gifu, Ishikawa, Shizuoka, Toyama. Maru mochi boiled in soup - Fukui Other ingredients: yaki dofu, daikon, konnyaku, ikura, koimo, buri, green onion, tofu, carrots, hakusai, kobumaki, iwashi no surimi, watercress, kezuribushi, komatsuna, chicken, nishime konbu, aburage. Most of these areas cook the vegetables in the sumashi jiro and add mochi. When mochi is cooked, serve it with vegetables and cooked seafood as condiments. Kinki District Soup: red (aka) or white (shiro) miso is generally used except in Kita (north) Hyogo where sumashi jiru is prepared. Mochi: Maru mochi, boiled Other ingredients: Hamaguri, daikon, koimo, komatsuna, kashira imo, kezuribushi, carrots, kamaboko, yaki dofu, mitsuba, chicken, mizuna, gobo, konbu, yamaimo, tofu, shingiku. Chugoku District Soup: Sumashi jiru Mochi: Maru mochi, boiled Other ingredients: Shioburi, daikon, horenso, oyster, carrots, koimo, watercress, kokabu, kamaboko, iwa hagi nori, kezuribushi, konbu, anago, ko ebi, shiitake. Iwa hagi nori, kezuribushi, Iriko, or buri is used for soup base. Shimane's specialty is serving wasabi with the soup. Tottori: Zenzai with mochi is eaten instead of ozoni. Shikoku Soup: red (aka) or white (shiro) miso and sumashi jiru. Mochi: Maru mochi, an mochi, kaku mochi, boiled Other ingredients: Daikon, koimo, carrots, tofu, buri, komatsuna, chicken, kamaboko, mizuna, shiitake, anago, usuyaki (sliced thinly) tamago. Kagawa uses an mochi; buri is specialty in Southern Tokushima, Kochi uses various methods (West- Kanto style; East- fish ara as dashi); Ehime uses bright colored garnish. Kyushu Soup: Sumashi jiru and shiromiso shiru Mochi: Maru mochi, boiled Other ingredients: buri, daikon, yaki dofu, shiitake, makina, green onion, koimo, bean sprouts, chicken, surume, konbu, komatsuna, kuwai, kamaboko, gobo, mizuna, whole dried prawns, carrots. Bean sprouts is specialty of Miyazaki and Kumamoto; Fukuoka and Nagasaki use a lot of different ingredients; Saga prefers it simple and refreshing. Okinawa Soup: Pork and katsuo bushi soup base Mochi: Kaku mochi, broiled Other ingredients: Belly pork, taka na (cabbage), daikon, usuyaki (sliced thinly) tamago. Kanto style ozoni was adopted circa 1945. Hokkaido Soup: miso shiru Mochi: Kaku mochi, broiled Other ingredients: people migrated to Hokkaido from all different prefectures and brought with them thier regional recipes. Although preparation differs, salmon and ikura are used throughout Hokkaido. Specialties are shrimp, hokkigai, shiitake, daikon, salmon, and ikura.

I a recipe for Sekihan with sweet potato, but it calls for everything being steamed instead of cooked in the rice cooker.....does this still count as Takikomi gohan?

My favorite TV show is called "Next Stop Discovery", though Im not sure what the Japanese name for it is. For each episode a guy chooses a train line in Tokyo area and gets off at various stops slong the line and looks for "cultural experiences". Tonight the guy was riding the Keio line and got off in Tama, where he discovered a group of farmers making organic miso. He saw a group of people gathered around donkeys and learned the donkeys were there to be fed and thier poop was used to fertilize the rice pasture. Well, the organic miso looked fabulous!!! It was thick and a darker yellow color. Next time I come to Japan I want to look for homemade organic miso

Is Takikomi Gohan Day on Dec 12th an annual event? Is this a special day? Are we all supposed to cook together at the same time? Well, anyway this sounds fun. Ive seen sekihan often in the Deli section of Shirokiya over here, but I've actually never tried it. It sounds even better with Satsuma imo. Does anyone have a great recipe for this dish? Thanks!!!!

About the Ume no Hana Restaurant chain now.... I can see this is a chain....Do you think a restaurant chain would compromise the quality of the food? Is this a famous chain? What are the price ranges for those Kaiseki lunches? Im probably coming to Japan again in March. Last time I was there, I really wanted to try the yudofu and kaiseki restaurants, but I didn't want to spend too much money without knowing how good the restaurant is.

Today I bought this: Okomoni Mochi! with kelp with yomogi with kuromame (black soybeans) How should I eat it? I want to accentuate the mochi, not put it into anything else (like okonomiyaki or ozoni) Actually, is there a specific purpose for this?

Heres a pic of some yummy panya creations we got at some dept store in Tennoji Station, Osaka. http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11013004..._1101377145.jpg Descriptions: clockwise from Upper Left. UL: A pastry, with custard filling inside, topped with a green tea flavored paste and black beans UR: Similar, only a bun instead of pastry, with a green tea flavored paste and black beans LR: marron (chestnut) LL: Chocolate swirl bun I think this was the best collection I had on my last trip to Japan

Do you know if there is Costco near Osaka? I can tell my sister about it. Also, do you know if the produce they sell is grown in Japan or imported? Seeing the prices, it is probably imported, but I thought it was quite difficult to get the Japanese govenment to allow import of many types of produce. As far as Walmart, I hate Walmart here in the US. They may have good prices, but they are a disaster for the local economy. They moved into my hometown in Hawaii, and within a few years, a majority of major grocery stores and department stores that had been there forever closed down, as well as little stores. Also, I heard they are a suspect for importing coqui frogs into Hawaii. http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/coqui/background.asp Anyways, I also heard Walmart was going to buy Daiei, maybe that us how they are expanding in Japan. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=daiei...ay.com+-%2Fgidx

[Kakumochi, grilled Kakumochi, boiled Marumochi, grilled Marumochi, boiled An mochi (mochi with anko in it), boiled Red miso soup Sumashi (light soup) White miso soup Azuki bean soup ←

So I did it...pounded mochi for my first time, that is. Actually, my MIL told her cousin about our plans, and it turns out one of his friends pounds mochi every New Years (and now that we have been talking about it, we have found ALOT of people around here who do it every New Years). Well, my MIL's cousin's friend was so excited about it, he loaded up his truck with his burner and drove over here to give us a demo. Well, even though he ended up doing all the pounding, I learned alot, also that the first try is never very successful... I have to say, the most difficult part was getting it all pounded to the desired consistency before it cooled off too much. Also, our kine (pounder) splintered whenever we hit the stone and not the mochi ball, so we ended up with some very "fibrous and....nutritious" mochi. Well, I did put my dried yomogi into the second batch to make it green, and we stuffed them with tsubushian, and dipped them into kinako.... So in the end, I cant say it was anywhere near the wonderful mochi I had in Nara, but its a start and we will do it again on New Years! Mochi..the final product Steaming the rice on the stove in an old wooden steamer: Inside the wooden steamer

Last week (for thanksgiving) I made the UNAGI OKOWA recipe that Kristin posted on the eGullet courses: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=108&t=28058& It was so good, that my MIL wanted me to make it again for the Saturday Thanksgiving party we were invited to a few days later. Well, I made it again with a few changes, and it was a hit! Instead of putting nori into it, we shaped them into musubi/onigiri, and wrapped nori around them. Also, this time I was out of Shiso, so i stuffed the center with Shiso-flavored konbu...yummy!!!! Thanks Kristin! Shiso konbu- http://www.tyckshin.com.tw/prod-konbu-e3.htm P.S....one of my favorite ways to eat gohan? Steaming hot, topped with shiso-konbu or the same type of konbu mixed with the tiny roe (herring?), but im not sure what this product is called.

I can only attest to places to eat Dim Sum (always and forever popular). Of course, one of the best ways to judge a dim sum restaurant: how long is the line? my favorite, in old China town: Empress Pavilon 988 N Hill St Ste 201 Los Angeles CA A few in Monterey Park: Ocean Star 145 N Atlantic Blvd Monterey Park CA Empress Harbor (I think this is one I went to) 111 N Atlantic Blvd Monterey Park CA Sam Woo (The big one in Monterey Park) If you like Chinese Buns, my favorite bun shop is in Gardena Jade's Bakery 1354 W Artesia Blvd Gardena CA One of the best resources in LA for restaurant searching is Citysearch.com: Maybe you can find those other recommended restaurants here. I would only eat in places that rated above an 8. http://losangeles.citysearch.com/find/sect...bar_restaurants

My favorite Chinese dessert...... Many, but the one thats been on my mind the most...BUNS! Baked custard bun, with "pineapple" topping And from my favorite bun shop (Jade's Bakery in Gardena, CA), soft baked buns filled with mochi+taro, taro+shredded sweet pork, and cream/custard? bread: loaf of sweet bread with a spiral of custard/cream - baked, it is like a spiral of the "pineapple" topping...yummy!!!! sigh......I havent found any equivalently good buns shops here in Hawaii......

Wow, this is a great thread for anyone planning to visit HK or Shanghai. Im going also, to these two cities in early-mid March 2005. Actually, ill be spending 6 days in HK, and 6 days in Shanghai area (5 city tour). The question of "where to eat" seems to have been pretty well covered, and eating Crab in November was discussed, so my question is: In March are there any (seasonal) specialties to be had in either HK or Shanghai?

Hiroyuki, Thank you so much for those links above, unfortunately, my fiance is yon-sei (4th generation Japanese raised in Hawaii) and he and his mother can only read hiragana, and Ive forgotten most of my Kanji, but the pics are really helpful anyways. One question though, on the website it has a picture of the usu and kine...soaking in water from the day before? 木臼の場合は、前日から水をはっておく。（石臼の場合は、必要なし） 当日、始まる前から湯を貯めておき臼を暖める。（もちがさめないように） Well, this weekend I am going to go for it! Ill post pics if it works out!

Cool....did you have to do anything to the usu to keep the mochi from sticking to it? The guys I saw pounding mochi in Nara had 3 guys pounding in a rhythm, they'd pound for a few rounds, then turn the mochi. Cant wait to see the pics:)

Recently, on a trip to Japan (in Nara), I discovered the heaven that is freshly pounded mochi. It was warm and delicately soft, with tsubushian (red beans) inside, colored green with yomogi, and dipped in Kinako. Then I realized that my fiance's mother has a large stone usu (pounding bowl) and heavy wooden mallet (kine) in the garage that hasn't been used in years (last user...probably my fiance's grandmother). So Ive decided Im going to inherit these items and teach myself how to do mochi pounding, since my fiance and his mother dont know how. Has anyone done this and any suggestions?? Is it really as simple as it sounds (see weblink below)? My usu and kine look just like the one in this picture: http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/cook/feature/occ_12.html