MoGa

You wouldn't happen to know anything about a sake from your area called 底ぬけ (Sokonuke - bottomless) I loved it, but know nothing about it, so I don't even know how to ask for anything similar.

This? http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_...icle3758517.ece

Turns out the answer is here all along. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29037 I search for hours, work out how to get 100 chillis into Chinese font, and after I request assistance - poof! I stumble on the right combination in my search (I excuse myself as there are so many alternatives in spelling Sichuan AND Chilli)

I bought a pack of dried chillies on Saturday but have looked without success for information about them. They look exactly like this: although some are squatter/rounder And most of them are 4-5cms long. They smell rich and wonderful, almost smoky The packet says: 千辣椒 Dried Chilli 100% Manufacturer: SICHUAN GAO FU JI FOOD CO LTD XINMING INDUSTRIAL PARK OF PIXIAN, CHENGDU --- If anyone can tell me anything about them, or suggest some uses, I'd be very grateful. When I've found information about chillis used in Sichuan cooking, the chillis described tend to be longer and thinner. I'd love to know what kind these actually are.

In Northern Spain, a certain kind of junior eel is a delicacy. They are called anguilas and are served in a variety of ways, for some they are the ultimate tapa, especially as they command such high prices nowadays. In England, as has been mentioned, they are used in a traditional working class cockney dish called 'jellied eels'. In the South West of England, what was once a dish for poor people is now strictly for gourmands. Just like in Spain, elvers (baby eels) now command top prices and are highly prized. And lots of delicatessens now serve smoked eel in vacuum packed slices. There is also some confusion as to whether a popular fish and chip option in the South East of England is eel. A fish known as 'rock salmon' (also called 'rock eel') is coated in batter and fried, but it's dogfish. The point of confusion is probably because fish and chip shops acquire this already skinned, which means it looks like eel (although the lack of bones is a great indicator that it isn't)

For those not aware, more responses to this thread can be found in the 'ready to eat' forum http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=115103

In modern parlance, one might describe 'shibui' things (and people) as being 'cool' (or might have, before the word 'cool' got over used. It is tricky to describe exactly, and it's worth putting (albeit temporarily) an unripe persimmon in your mouth just to get a proper 'feel' of the word. There are many persimmon varieties, especially in the mountains, that never ripen to a state fit for consumption by humans. Unripe persimmons are easy to find in October, trying one is an intense and unforgettable experience.

If you don't want to go for battered and deep fried mars bars (Milky Way in the US) a classic delicacy offered by some Scottish Fish & Chip shops, you could go down the Mamido's route http://web-japan.org/trends/lifestyle/lif051221.html They have (or rather had) a mock fish burger where the fish part was fried banana (I presume they'd cover it in something like cake breadcrumbs). The fries were shaped out of custard cream, coated in starch and fried. I'm pretty sure Mamido's is no more.

I made the spicy moyashi with chilli bean paste (toban djang was barely visible on the jar) yesterday evening. The difficult part was finding the doubanjiang (thankfully another thread in the China forum helped me avoid brands made without broad beans), the rest was easy. I used Korean chilli flakes instead of ichimi togarashi, and as we don't care for or use instant dashi (which I presume from the recipe would be the powdered kind) I used a spoon of the ready-made dashi I do use (http://www.yamato-soysauce-miso.com/product_japanwsesoupstock.html) as well as a generous sprinkling of katsuo bushi powder scraped from the bottom of the bag. The recipe was incredibly quick and simple. Although I preferred these beansprouts to the ones served at Azabu Ramen and my husband liked them too, there's still room for improvement. To be honest, there was a lack of taste in the first bite, the sprouts only became 'tasty' after a few chews and the best part about them was the delicious aftertaste. We tried adding a spoon of miso. Strangely, white miso worked better than red miso. I'm considering pounding some sakura ebi and adding that next time. I've already got more bean sprouts, so I'll be trying again tomorrow. Perhaps the MSG inherent to most instant dashis is the secret ingredient that gives an initial 'hit' of flavour my version lacked. We are very happy with the results so far, there's no way I could have come anywhere close without Hiroyuki's assistance. For a start I'd never heard of doubanjiang before, it's really good!

I personally wouldn't snack on the dried shrimp, but I do use them regularly for cooking with - they come in all different sizes. The ones you have are similar to ones I used today to make a Thai recipe for Chilli Jam (Nam Prik Pao) which I fried briefly before pounding them into a paste. I'm particularly fond of sakura ebi, which are teeny dried shrimp. I often add sakura ebi and/or strands of dried cuttle fish (without sugar) to the batter of a favourite but not instant snack food - okonomiyaki.

Just opened Red Pig 57 Camden High Street London NW1 7JL (nearer Mornington Crescent tube than Camden) I popped in with my husband on Saturday and we're both smitten. I'm not knowledgeable about Polish cuisine, but judging on the selection of Spanish items that have been chosen for this attractive and nicely laid out store, the people who run the Red Pig understand food. The mark up on premium items is modest compared to places like 'Whole Foods' and a downright bargain next to comparable delicatessens in the Primrose Hill/Hampstead area. This is one of the most pleasant delicatessens I've ever visited in London, and best of all, many of its treasures are supremely affordable (many of the pickles and preserved fruits, jams, compotes beat those of nearby Morrisons in price). It seems that there might be another 'Red Pig' in Willesden Green (which would explain why this operation seems so polished - excuse the pun), but we were thrilled to find a store like this opening on our doorstep. Open on Saturdays AND Sundays. There is also a cafe downstairs with a huge selection of juices and smoothies, the cafe is still getting 'into gear' at the moment. This shop is a perfect excuse to learn about and explore Polish food, and with cans of mushroom stuffed piquillo peppers, Alicantinian confectionery, paella sesonings and bomba rice providing a welcome bonus lure I'm already hooked. A delicatessen that deserves all the encouragement it can get. This place is a rare treat in London.

Unfortunately, I learnt about tanuki quite late on, even though I've been interested in and was familiar with many Japanese folk tales since childhood. The reason is the decision by many translators to magically transform tanuki for English readers so we learned about badger tea kettles, yet the concept of actual tanuki was deemed too difficult or perhaps too far fetched to introduce to us Even in Japan, tanuki stories get neutered. They are famous for drumming, "pom poko pon", children are told that they make this sound by slapping their stomachs. As the article linked to says, it's their scrotums they use for drums in the old stories (I'm quite fond of their big balls too, as you can imagine, none of the Japanese 'badgers' had them either) . My favourite tanuki story is amongst Kunio Yanagita's (kind of like the Japanese Brothers Grimm) collection. A farmer goes past a tanuki's hole and sees the entrance overgrown with weeds and debris. He takes the time to cut away the overflowing vegetation and clear the area and calls in cheerfully "Brighter now, isn't it?" before continuing his way. Soon afterwards the farmer returns from the fields to his home. The door has been ripped away and, inside, he finds his once furnished house is bare. From outside a voice calls in "Brighter now, isn't it?" ---- Interestingly, the writer of the tanuki link also mainly associates large statues with drinking establishments.

[quote name=Peter Green' date='Apr 26 2008, 03:08 AM ← Ahh, Sazae.....The Wonderful World of Sazae san hadn't triggered. I guess that'd be like mentioning "Peanuts" or "Charlie Brown" to someone in North America (although I wonder about Scud's generation...) ← I had this at Sushi Gin in Azabu Juban. Although it was included as part of a procession of sushi items (omakase) it was served (still cooking) in its own shell. The creature had been cut into several pieces and different parts of the sazae had different tastes and textures. I also remember drinking broth from the shell, I'm not sure if soy sauce had been added to the sazae I had (or if it was sazae tsuboyaki) the recollection I have is a 'sea' taste from that time, not of shoyu. --------- I find it really interesting that saw dust is used on one instance to keep crabs wet, and on another to dry out something as mucilaginous as yamaimo/nagaimo (and that it is so obviously well suited to both tasks).

I seem to cook my rice (generally Japanese) a little differently to others on here. I use two hobs, the largest and the smallest. The largest I whack up to ful power, the smallest to the minimum setting. I put a pan with rice and water with a heavy lid on the maximum heat setting and listen out for the pot to get to a rolling boil. Without peaking I switch the pan over to the smaller hob. I'm afraid I don't listen to the rice after that, I just set a timer for ten minutes, relax/do something else, then turn the heat off, quickly switch the lid for a moist kitchen towel and wait for another ten minutes. --- I use sound to select water melons (as my Spanish grandfather taught me, he never picked one unless it was perfectly ripe). No need to press the melon or damage it in any way. Give it a slap (as if it was a buttock) and the sound should be hollow, although I'm not sure if that's the best way to describe it (it needs to 'reverberate' a little too).

I've had variations of 3 (without the sugar) and 4 As insomniac mentioned, the squid is best avoided in polite company and should never be eaten on public transport. 4 (the seasoned nori) is extremely versatile. Wrap it around pieces of cheese, slices of cucumber, chunks of avocado - also good wrapped around some fish and meats, instantly turning them into 'finger food'. Crumble it onto a portion of rice with hot green tea poured over it (preferably with some salmon or katsuobushi/bonito shavings too) for a light meal. Toast/grill mochi pieces and wrap a piece of nori around them (also good with a additional piece of cheddar cheese). If the nori sheets start to soften, gently waft the shiny side over a source of heat to 're-toast' it. It will taste fresh again.

The association doesn't seem to be consistent amongst the Japanese and those who live there. For my husband, and from my own personal observation (probably partly influenced by him) a large statue of a tanuki outside a property generally indicates a soba or soba/udon restaurant. But I've learned that other people associate big tanukis with places that serve alcohol. I'm very curious to know what sort of premises other people expect to find when they see a large tanuki by a doorway. (I'd also love to know why)

It's not been a speciality of any of the soba places I've ever been to (and ramen ラメン would be one of the few things on a menu I can read!). But then I'm drawn to places where the chefs are exquisitely anal about their soba. What you've mentioned does sound intriguing - I'm guessing that the ramen might be 'dressed'/presented with a similar broth/condiments to soba, so that the resulting dish is more like ultra-sarashina soba than anything approximating tonkotsu ramen. Our compromise choice (what we eat when we go out for noodles together) is generally udon. ---- And I was wrong to suspect that my husband might have enjoyed the spicy moyashi more than the ramen at the original Azabu Ramen. He was just demonstrating an extra layer of joy by being able to help himself to a particularly relished variety of cherry to add to what was already his very favourite cake. --- I'm going to buy (hopefully) doubanjiang for the first time today. I should be able to come back with a report on the beansprouts soon.

And El Poblet made it into the top 100 (you need to look at the next page)

The most picky eaters I ever have to deal with on a regular basis are visiting Spaniards. They don't like spicy food, they don't like coriander, they don't like cumin, but they don't like their food to be too bland either. Easiest food to satisfy them is Japanese - not necessarily sushi, more Japanese every day dishes. Unless they've been to this restaurant before it is unlikely your friends will have tried Okonomiyaki There are a couple of branches now - http://www.abeno.co.uk/eating/index.html An introduction to Okonomiyaki here: http://www.abeno.co.uk/about_okonomiyaki/index.html It's made on the table in front of you, so should fulfill the 'interesting and different' part of your remit - probably best if those having vegetarian food sit together though. There's also AKI (a much better bet in all honesty) http://www.akidemae.com/contact.htm 182 Gray's Inn Road There's no need for me to describe it as another egullet member has beaten me to it (and done a wonderful job!) http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1030889

Soba is my favourite kind of noodle. Years ago I bought The Book of Soba by James Udesky and I've been working my way through his Tokyo restaurant recommendations. I'm another tororo soba fan and particularly enjoy eating it this way at the foot of Mount Takao in the winter time. I also enjoy sampling different styles of soba, such as the set offered at Hojinbo (Amano Building B1, 1-5-10 Nishi Shinbashi, Tokyo) where you are served a portion of their regular soba, followed by soba flavoured with yuzu, and then dark soba (with a stronger buckwheat taste) --- I've made soba at home before with buckwheat I milled myself using a stone pestle and mortar (the seeds are surprisingly easy to turn into powder) but the results weren't really worth the effort involved. I can justify making udon from scratch as they taste much better than what I can get dried or fresh in London, with soba, the 100% buckwheat dried noodles I can buy taste better than what I am capable of making myself. Certainly for the moment, but it's something I may work on in the future. As for preparing soba, I like them cold with a dipping sauce (I keep the cooking water - soba-yu - to add to any left over broth) with or without nori. I also like them hot. Occasionally I wrap them in a sheet of nori using a bamboo mat and roll them up like a makizushi. I like to then place this on a hot dry pan, it toasts the nori and the nori itself shrinks a little making the roll tighter and so easier to cut into segments. These are lovely dipped in cold broth. I have a vegetarian friend who doesn't eat wheat and it took me a while to come up with a way to eat soba without dashi that I could recommend to her. I took my inspiration from the Korean Bibim Guksu and combine gochujang, dark miso, vinegar, honey and sesame oil. This is mixed with cold drained soba and assorted salad vegetables. It ended up becoming a summer favourite for us too, a lovely alternative to another summer staple - Hiyashi chuka. It's probably the way my non-soba appreciating husband best likes to eat soba. (Again, I keep some soba-yu and add it to miso soup, it's a shame to waste such good vitamins)

I've not tasted llama so can't comment, but encouraging the majority of Japanese people to eat sheep and goat milk and meat as well as millet (a grain that was almost universally loathed when it was a staple - and still is by many with Chinese backgrounds) would be a tremendous feat. I think your vision of a future Japan is just as dependent on dedicated 'yamabushi consumers'. After all, it's in the National character to adapt in the face of adversity, if my grandfather-in-law could survive solely on a diet of durian then millet polenta with goats cheese should provide no problem for his descendants. For the less determined there's always buckwheat, a crop traditionally used in China as a means to ward of famine, perhaps in the future you've painted soba with sansai will replace sushi as Japan's most celebrated national dish.

I just found out about Doubanjiang thanks to the kindness of another egullet member and was wondering where to buy it in London. You've helped enormously! I've found it on the Lee Kum Kee website http://europe.lkk.com/consumer/product_det...sp?ProductID=31 Where it's called Toban Djan (this seems to be the best spelling to use for those of us in the UK) Here's the recipe for spicy beansprouts using doubanjiang I was given http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1560789

Couldn't find any negative reviews anywhere (apart from a few predictable comments about portion sizes), not a bad sign.

Thank you very much! That certainly gives me a place to start, I appreciate it. Alas no as to the translation. He did all his schooling in English. He's perfectly fluent in Japanese but doesn't read or write it.

Any of the "mi goreng" varieties in particular? According to http://noodleson.com/review/category/indonesian-brand/ there are at least 4 different kinds from Indomie.