MoGa

Rice malt syrup is sold by Clearspring in the UK, but it's far too dark and has the wrong taste. My husband loves mizu ame but hates the deep coloured malt syrups available here (I use them for baking). Thanks for your guidance. If I can't get the mizu ame (turns out that there's a stiff £10 delivery charge for the product in the link I gave) I might try mixing clear corn syrup and this lighter rice syrup. http://www.biona.co.uk/product-289-4.html Anyway, I think I'm more or less on the right track now. Thanks for your help in getting me there!

Or perhaps I can get it here. Does this seem like the same stuff? http://www.japan-foods.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=10706

Thank you! The mizu ame is the ingredient of anzu ame that I have no idea how to make. I didn't know the name of it but it is exactly what I am looking for help in producing for myself. I'm now in London, so it's not something I can just pick up over here (my assumption at least). Am prepared for drips and knew about the ice. Only thing I could come up with was a suggestion in cookpad to use honey, but I was hoping to learn how the mizu ame in festivals was made.

The classic kind is anzu ame (あんず飴), but I have seen them with strawberries, grape varieties and other fruits. I'd love to have a stab at making these for an event promoting Japanese culture. The block of ice they are served from is daunting but doable. Am considering edible wafers for the patrons to use as plates (failing that, perhaps cup cake foils) Biggest hurdle is having absolutely no idea of the ingredients nor method needed to produce these confections. Can anyone help?

I agree with Domestic Goddess about 'cone'/temaki sushi but would suggest a slightly different approach which would make the project less labour intensive for you and more fun for the children. Instead of attempting to make temaki cones for everybody, portion out the ingredients in easy to manage kits (perhaps each 'kit' serving four or six children) The kids take their sheet of nori seaweed, smear on the rice with a plastic utensil, add the fillings of their choice and roll it up. You might like to make up and photocopy some simple instructions to go along with it. Here's an example you could adapt: http://www.eastsearoad.com.au/Temakisushi_Stepbystep.htm. As mentioned, the rice does need to be the 'right' rice and cooked and seasoned with sushi vinegar that morning. Some of the fillings can be prepared the night before. You can discuss with your son the different ways he can distribute the food and teach them to roll it. But it's not so very different to making your own tacos or burritos at a party. I've taken 'make your own temaki sushi kits' to picnics on quite a few occasions. It's the simplest way I know to make Japanese food for a lot of people. Best of luck, whatever you decide!

I just saw the clip, broadway got the brand right, it's Espinaler. The clip doesn't make it completely clear that what they are eating actually is what cost $250 (156Euros) but what the lady ordered was "almejas de las 'top, top'" And this does loosely correspond to this price list http://www.espinaler.es/productos/lista_productos.asp The almejas (clams) in discussion were the fattest "almejas blancas" white clams, also called "almejas babosas*", which are indigenous to Galicia. Currently retailing for 129Euros for 20. Smaller almejas blancas can be had for much less than this. I assume from the price tag that there aren't enough of these delicacies to satisfy the demand. I don't know where you can get Espinaler products out of Spain, but if you can order online from www.tienda.com then you might want to try the shellfish from http://www.peperetes.com/peperetes.html My advice is to start with the mejillones en escabeche (these were the velvety orange mussels that featured prominently in the Bourdain program) and go on from there. * from the name I suspect they blow lots of bubbles and 'mucus'

Not one mention of Murcia on this thread. I admit I don't go to many restaurants in Murcia, but when it comes to dining at people's homes there is no end to the divine vegetable based dishes on offer. I don't think there's a better place to eat vegetables than Spain's 'Huerta'. And I'm reliably informed that local chefs have caught up with the times and are finally offering traditional food that was never typically offered in restaurants (no matter how long your memory is) at rather extravagant prices. But it's unlikely that I will be commenting on their skills from first hand experience in the foreseeable future, when people I know can cook so well, there's just no incentive. The last potaje I had in Murcia (pumpkin, various beans and legumes, potatoes, onions and pears with olive oil) was one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten and the area is noted for its 'paella' style vegetable rice dishes, amongst many, many others. ¡Viva la Huerta de Murcia!

For anyone who's hoped to spend a few days in the countryside cooking local ingredients, this is a disaster. But it's still not too late. Unfortunately, I only found out about this today. Information about the crisis and what you can do to help prevent it can be found here: http://www.harenet.ne.jp/villa/intro/ Currently, visitors to Okayama can stay at one of five 'villas' for just 2,500yen a night. The scheme has run for quite a few years now and provides an invaluable and unique way to 'connect' with rural Japan in communities where the main pursuits are vegetable gardening and even fishing. A highlight is the chance to cook in an irori in Hattoji villa Comments need to be faxed to the Okayama Prefectural Government as soon as possible as this issue will be debated this month. I'm distraught at the prospect of us all losing the opportunities provided by this wonderful scheme. More information about the villas can be found here: http://www.harenet.ne.jp/villa/ --------- My own personal impression is that there is a untapped market for cooking classes in Japan. Rather than losing the villas completely, offering cooking and other courses as part of a package could regenerate the scheme and provide more income and greater interest (attracting affluent visitors as well as backpackers). I suspect the time is right for this move.

Aha! That's definitely it!! Thanks very much Hiroyuki! And that's now opened a whole new line of investigation for me. I hadn't been aware of moromi miso or hishio 醤 (ひしお) miso (are they the same?) until just now. Is moromi miso naturally quite sweet?

This isn't quite an 'ingredient' (although I'm sure it can be bought ready made in Japan) but I'd like some help identifying what I hope is a well known dish. My husband said there is a way of seasoning/sweetening miso to be eaten with cucumber, perhaps as a dressing. He initially remembered the name, then it disappeared... he can't recall it again. Anyone know what he had in mind? Even better, anyone have any recipe ideas? Many thanks!

It's mentioned repeatedly in this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=17704&hl= With almost universal distaste. It's not my favourite part of Oden either. It's a fish paste (surimi) product, but with a different texture to other surimi like kamaboko/chikuwa. The light, fluffy texture and insipid taste makes it the white bread of the surimi world. My husband's grandmother's dogs used to love hanpen. Once they broke into the larder and ate all the stored New Year food, not a piece of hanpen remained. The family realised that something was amiss when they returned home and none of them came to the door to greet them. They could barely move for days. You should be able to find it in a freezer compartment. It's well known and inexpensive, just ask another shopper to point it out to you.

I know torakris mentioned this in the oden thread a few years ago, but I think it deserves a place here: Fried hanpen with melted cheese - a toasted sandwich equivalent. Photo - http://mo-mama.com/img/050628-d1.jpg I've seen a reliable testimony in another forum that in Kyushu pork kakuni is also made into hanpen sandwiches.

That's a fantastic report, and I'm glad you persevered and found Kuroitsuki (sorry I couldn't give better directions, I only found out about it in a random way myself). Looks like you didn't get hammered with a cover charge either. Definitely somewhere I need to return to (hopefully just 3 months from now)

Thank you again for a very enjoyable evening, I had a wonderful time. I learned about (and tasted) a few interesting products, some of the live music was very good, there were enough drinks to get me tipsy and I even won enough crowns to bring a few goodies back to my husband. I'm really grateful to have had this opportunity (I was strengthening my legs the day before walking outside the perimeter wondering what it was like in there, much nicer to be exercising inside!)

That's one ticket for me! Thank you so much Lorna!!!