torakris

I agree with you about bancha and houjicha, oolongcha is just interesting enough to try. I have never thought of a cold ochazuke and like the pairing of it and oolong tea. I think a sobacha would work well too. So what time of day do you all ike to enjoy your ochazuke? For me it is breakfast...

I always avoid anything strawberry flavored..... the caramel ones Jon mentioned are good!! I ate them a page back

here is some information from Tokyo Food Page EDIT* oops didn't work, just type in shabu shabu Seryna is quite famous for its shabu shabu/sukiyaki, but it can get pricey

ooohh... these are called chimaki in Japanese Hiroyuki just posted apicture of them today as May 5th is a day they are traditionally eaten some other pictures of Japanese versions please teach me how to make these!!!

These are wonderful! I usually buy the ones just like the bag you have pictures. I am going to keep my eyes out for the sakura version...

what is joong?

I was watching a Nigella Lawson show the other day and she made a chicken dish that had been rubbed with za'atar (the spice mix). It looked incredible, so I decided to try it. I could only find one recipe in all of my many books for how to make the spice blend. So I tossed together the dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds and rubbed it into some chicken wings that had been brined first. I then grilled them on the BBQ and wow! this was one of the best things I have ever eaten. I really thought the thyme would be overwhelming but it was perfect, even my kids all devoured them. So do you make your own? what do you add and in what proportions? What do you eat it with?

Happy Children's Day to everyone!!

5/5: こどもの日 kodomo no hi "Children's Day" also called boy's day as girls have their own day back on March 3. we have a whole thread about it

Evan, Welcome to eGullet and the Japan forum! Do you get back to Japan often? the dokudami has just sprung up all along the fence in my backyard, hhmmm... what to do with it...

I prefer agedama as it just sounds more feminine.....

In the newspaper the other day I saw an ad for this new product from Nagatanien (the big ochazuke giant). It is called Hiyasihi Oolongcha-zuke or cold oolong tea ochazuke there are two flavors, kaibashira and steamed chicken, they both look good and I am curious to try this

this sounds like a question for the Kanto vs kansai thread

this is currently my favorite sauce sesame tonkatsu sauce by Bulldog I prefer karashi (Jaapnese mustard ) on mine.

うまみ調味料 umami choumiryou umami is well umami, you know that sort of savoriness you get from different foods, choumiryou is seasoning. This may or may not be msg depending on which website you are reading.... Aji no Moto's is probably the most recognizable, but there are a couple oher brands. that website is the same as the 2nd recipe I linked to, rereading it I see they say the garlic is sliced....

are you looking for restaurants in a specific area? like Hirorshima? or anywhere in the country?

You mean not all KFC's have life size plastic statues of Colonel Sanders?? They do in Japan and even better is that as Christmas they dress the statues up like santa..... My poor husband grew up thinking Colonel Sanders was Santa Claus. Guess what the most popular food in Japan is at Christmas??? Kentucky Fried Chicken! Now that was some good marketing.

5/3: 鮎田楽 ayu dengaku Many people may be familiar with tofu or eggplant dengaku as those tend to be very popular, but ayu works beautifully in this dish. Dengaku is simply foods grilled (or baked, broiled or deep fried) with a sweetened miso topping. ayu dengaku

No one does fast food as good as the Japanese! Mos burger definitely leads the pack in creativity their current menu They have also just released the Takumi Judan burger that is selling for 1,000 yen (just under $10) the most expensive burger in Japanese fast food history. This is the fourth round in the “Takumi” series of burgers, which started selling from August, 2003. The bun is made by an expert craftsman, with Australian beef, tomato, lettuce, bacon, egg, and more. Ten ingredients are piled on to make a 10 centimeter thick bacon and egg hamburger. A Japanese-style demiglace sauce made from ingredients such as Kinzanji miso is included separately, and you can even eat with a knife and fork. A card with the name of the egg farmer and chef also accompanies the meal. more from here from another article The tip-off that MOS Burger, a chain of more than 1,500 shops, is a little different (and very Japanese) is the blackboard at the entrance. Resting on an artist's easel, it lists, in colorful pastels, the names of the farmers who grew the vegetables and the region where they were produced: From Nagasaki and Miyazaki prefectures, Mr. Harata, Mr. Furukawa and Mr. Nagatomo supplied the lettuce, cabbage and tomato; from Hokkaido, Mr. Kashiwaba supplied the onion.

the first recipe is for 10 wings (2 servings) it tells you to heat in a microwave 25 cc of both soy sauce and mirin along with a teaspoon of sliced roasted garlic (it doeasn't tell you how long to heat or how you can possibly slice roasted garlic.... maybe they are referring more to garlic chips?) then cook the wings and toss in the sauce, then sprinkle with white pepper and sesame seeds before serving. the second recipe calls for a large amount of sauce that need to be made 1 month in advance! mix together 1620cc mirin 180 cc soy sauce 100 cc sake 1 kg garlic (yes 1 kg!! but it doesn't tell how to prepare it... set aside in a cool place for 1 month... cook the chicken wings then brush with the sauce (it is important to do this while they are still very hot), then sprinkle with salt, pepper, sesame seeds and umamichoumiryo seasoning this second recipe also recommends using soybean oil rather than a regular vegetable oil for a better flavor

I am sorry I must have missed this.... I will pm the recipe to you later today, it is from the Le Cordon Bleu complete cook home collection.

and here is another one after reading a bit about it, it seems they all do the double deepfrying. Once at a low temp of about 150C and then again at 170-180C. I am getting really hungry for these.... If you need someone to sample some just let me know!!

Wow, it is really hard to find a recipe for these!! Does no one actually make them at home? I finally ran across this, maybe it can get you going. I can't remember if you read Japanese of not, so if you need it translated let us know.

5/2: 鮎飯　　鮎ご飯 ayu meshi ayu gohan These are both names for ayu cooked with rice. ayumeshi

yum! those look even bettter than the Japanese ones!! In Japan you only get one per stick