easternsun

I found out recently that I will be moving in six weeks. I did a quick inventory of the pantry and I found 20 tins of coconut milk, two full bottles of olive oil from Italy, five packages of sambar powder, at least 500 grams of mustard seed from Kerala, and a six pack of alcohol free beer A huge bag of quinoa, oats, and two bags of TSP - and a whole lot more! There are going to be some interesting meals for the next month! Back to the coconut milk: I do a yellow thai curry once a week, so that is four or five cans...but what to do with the rest? Any ideas? I am open to anything and I will try to take photos of the results and post them back here. Thanks!

I thought this movie was appropriate and rather clever too.

Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki! Very different from Osaka-style - made in separate layers, has yakisoba in the middle, almost like a crepe sandwich kind of construction... complicated enough I've never made it myself, I'm an Osakan okonomiyaki girl all the way, but it's fun to watch the pros do it and fun to eat.... ← When in Hiroshima one must try the kaki (oyster) okonomiyaki as it is what they do best. It is much thinner than the Osaka version. A thin crepe layered with beansprouts, soba noodles and oysters...yum! Peter, a couple of tips for the veggie girl (I dont eat meat myself but I do eat fish) - the best way to ensure no meat dishes is simply to say that you are allergic to meat. I am not kidding. It really works! I forgot to mention Koya-San in Wakayama (one hour local train plus a cable car ride to the top of the mountain) It is a veggie paradise

When I was a kid not only were sugar cereals banned but the cereals my mom did purchase were always the generic 10 kg bag variety. I subsisted on puffed wheat, cheerio-like o's, puffed rice...and cream of wheat. I think that was authentic and not a cheap knock off I vowed (often) that when I grew up I was going to live off sugar cereals Now that I have sort of grown up my faves are: All Bran with non fat milk and a TBSP of dried blueberries or 1/2 a banana Oatmeal with a scoop of protein powder or an egg white mixed in What happened? My mother would surely have the last laugh if she knew This morning I tried something a little (okay, a lot) different. I added a bunch of shimeji mushrooms to the oatmeal and ate it with ponzu sauce. I loved it! It is going on the list. I would have added egg white, but I am out of eggs. Does anyone know of a cereal called RED RIVER? I used to eat that when I stayed at my gramp's house. Red River with a huge pat of butter and brown sugar....oh it takes me back!

Hi Peter NYC, I vote for Kansai. Obviously, I am biased since I live in Osaka! Kyoto is one hour by local train (15 minutes on the Shinkansen), Nara -30 minutes on a rapid train, Hiroshima - 1 hour on the Shinkansen, Kobe - 30 minutes local train. Himeji (best castle in Japan) - 30 minutes by Shinkansen. I dont think Osaka is much of a sightseeing destination but for the foodie there is nothing but pleasure to be found. When friends visit from neighbouring prefectures or from abroad, they are likely to get the gastronomic tour of the area. We take all our visitors on an eating tour of Osaka rather than pretend it is aesthetically something to marvel at Please let me know if you will be in town! I will be happy to show you some good eats and give you a heads-up on the sightseeing as well. As Kristen mentioned, Takayama is amazing, but it will be cold in Gifu-Ken come January. c-c-c-c-c-c-cold!!!!

Here are some okonomi shots from Tennoji Market: On the grill... This is Ika-Yaki - the Osaka version (in Tokyo, Ika-Yaki is grilled squid on a stick) In this version the batter is simply egg and flour. All ready to eat! I had one of these...there was a time service special and I got it for 200 yen ($2). Kristin, I love Negi-Yaki! No ponzu is a shame....I will send you a bottle of Asahi Ponzu anytime!

Here is a photo of the Takumi Avocado Burger. I never figured out what the cutlery was for though.... Here is is close up:

Cream Stew is a manzai act I always thought cream stew was the Japanese take on Vicchyssoise or Bisque. Smallworld, you can make it without the roux cubes - I do it all the time. I use 100% cream and add creamcheese to the salmon version I prefer to make it with salmon or chicken. Oyster stew is very nice too.....(yeay! oysters are back in season). Should we have a　stew cook off? MIL keeps gifting me with onions and potatoes so I am already to go

Instead of guessing what it was I immediately started looking for a picture of Mary and/or Jesus. I would eat it (especially if there was a bonus of Lego men hidden in it!)

Where in Japan are you? Maybe it's a local thing? ← I am in Osaka. I will see if I can find out! Does Gyoza King still make those yummy prawn gyoza?

Sorry Tengu makes their own and I think it is available only in Japan. I can tell you that I have had the best results with the flakes not the chunks. I do season the flakes but I dont pre-cook them. I add a little hot water and seasoning, fluff it with a fork and toss it in when a recipe calls for mince. I use Bragg to flavour it. I hope that helps!

Hiroyuki, We always have three options: Asahi Ponzu, salt and a shoyu (soy), goma abura (sesame oil), su (vinegar) and rayu (chili oil) sauce that I make myself.

Kristin, you should try TSP! I know lots of people hate it and I am not really into fake meat things but sometimes I dont feel like making a meat dinner and a veg dinner and this way I save so much time (and money). I can make it taste fairly meaty and control the texture with the amount of liquid I add. I use it for a quick Ma Po Tofu/Nasu or anything else that requires mince. I am a daily shopper and if I work late and dont make it to the shops before they close....I know what dinner will be! Cheese in gyoza was an idea I got from one of those television programs on "Japan's Best Gyoza". I love cheese and want to put it in everything anyway so it wasnt hard to convince me!

Hey Vancouver (egullet makes me homesick!) Yes, I always use a kama. People keep trying to give me an electric rice cooker, but I am happy with the way I do it. I wont go as far as to say the rice tastes better...ok I will ! They are thin skins arent they?? As we usually get them at the back door of the kitchen of a local gyoza shop, this was the first time in a very long time for me to purchase them from the supermarket. Kristin said they are thin too....maybe just that brand??

Well, I decided to do a pictorial of my veggie gyozas with TSP (textured soy protein). The photos are a little scary and belong here but the final product is quite tasty and satisfies my gyoza cravings. Scroll down at your own risk The measuring cup on the right contains TSP. I use a dried flake version that I order from Tengu Natural Foods. The brownish bits on the cutting board are maitake and shiitake mushrooms. Now I put the TSP and chopped mushrooms in a bowl and chop cabbage. The cabbage was added to the bowl along with some chopped nira (garlic chives). Next step is to add some German Mozzarella. The bottles are organic soy sauce and organic goma (sesame) oil, some crap cooking sake because I was out of the good stuff and mirin. I add a bit of each. You can quit now and you'll save yourself from.... Looks gross doesnt it? This is the filling all mixed up. It smells great btw. We usually get our gyoza wrappers from a gyoza shop near our house but on this particular day, they were not selling any. So I used the supermarket variety. I think this was the shot that got the camera a bit mucky! Into the pan my little pretties! Not much to see here - gyoza are on the fire and the rice is cooling. My DH likes his rice on the cool side. We ummmm....well, we ate the money shot! The 100 yen shop was my best friend when I got married and had to buy absolutely everything. I cant stand this crockery now I made a few more so that we could eat/show them but by the time I did, I was pooped and made no effort to make it pretty. TSP is really not as bad as it looks. When I dont feel like making two completely different meals for DH and myself it is a life saver. Sorry for the food smut

This is a dish one of my friends ordered at a beach restaurant this summer. It is shrimp pilaf with keema curry and a hot dog. (He said it was good...)

It is takoyaki. This is a specialty food of Osaka. Batter with pickled ginger and scallions is poured into the grill. A piece of boiled octopus is added and a bit more batter is added. When the bottom browns and crisps, a metal skewer is run around the edges and then the takoyaki preparer deftly turns the "ball" around so that the uncooked portion ends up on the bottom. When the "balls" are cooked you add some sauce and mayonnaise and some katsuo-bushi (bonito) flakes and some powdered seaweed (aonori). There are several sauce/topping options. In addition, my ultimate fave is akashi where the tako balls are placed in a bowl with some mustard greens (mizuna) and covered in a very light broth (dashi). (Sorry I missed the desciption - I get so excited when I post a photo...)

What about Japanese curry with apples and honey. (I call it baa-chan curry). We use honey a lot to sweeten tea / coffee or drizzle on yoghurt/cereal. I have been buying it from this lovely couple who come to Osaka once a month from Hyogo-Ken. They have an apiary and take their honey making really seriously. The stuff is magic.

This is my favourite way to eat octopus!

kristin, wow! oh how i envy and love your yard! you have grass and trees - wonderful! i was wondering what month you planted the italian parsley...have you done broccoli rabe before and when will it be ready to eat? your kids keep getting cuter too.

good luck kristin!! great blog ladies i really want to know how the pho flavoured popcorn is

hi folks! i am joining the ranks of the image gulleteers (thanks kristin for a nudge in the right direction! ) i have been snappy happy for a couple months and this is a tad late in coming! the blue note osaka has moved into the fancy schmancy herbis plaza. herbis plaza is part of (?)/ connected to the ritz-carlton...here is a link to some of the other dining establishments in the herbis plaza. (the first fifteen or so are part of herbis) there are some amazing places to eat and it will take me most of the next year and a whole lot of yen to partake. time to start rubbing my magic lamp in the past, i have always enjoyed the shows at the blue note but i always ate before i went! this is not limited to osaka either, however, things have changed! now, to be honest, i did eat before attending the show because of some bad experiences in the past but i wish i hadnt! the food (other people were eating ) looked gorgeous and the menu was full of items my group wanted to try. these are just some munchies: garlic toast served with pesto kari kari salad with crunchy fried onion, crispy bacon and a tangy wafu dressing napoli pizza ok, this was LUSH! a sheet of wonton, a sheet of nori, negi toro (chopped raw tuna and scallion) with asparagus in the centre. it was deep fried long enough to cook the wonton wrapper but not long enough to cook the tuna too much. i think the asparagus was blanched but i could be wrong. the sauce was a thick, sweet shoyo (soy sauce). i managed to re-create this one at home and it is really simple and got rave reviews from my resident critic all these shots were taken with my mates mobile phone camera...i promise not to pre-eat next time so that i can order an entree and post the pics here.

just call this: how not to plate salmon me and 'the gaggle' went to the new hot spot for some cajun food and jazz - i had to review the restaurant for the rag i write for.... i did tell the victim not to order the salmon - but no one listens to me it was some kind of panko and gorgonzola cajun spiced (i wish you could see the face i am making while typing these words ) coating on salmon served with rice and coleslaw. otherwise known as "today's fish". sorry! i snapped this with a mobile phone camera in a very dark room with no flash. the great live music and a few free drinks from the sweeties behind the bar made up for this nasty food....but i have nothing for the magazine! if i cant say something nice, well, you know!

IMHO, It would not be worth a detour to visit Osaka just to hit Doguya-suji. You will find everything you need in Kappabashi. Have a great trip!

Tonight on "Business Traveller" (CNN) they David Suzuki gave a shout out to Tojo's as the place to eat while in Vancouver during a segment - 2 hours in Vancouver. The view from the patio looks nice but I couldnt imagine having sushi on a patio.