torakris

What kind of cheese is usually used with moussaka? The Claudia Roden recipe calls for cheddar. I can't wait to try this, probably Friday as I will going to Costco on Thursday... Gorgeous pictures Jason!!

4/18: 塩焼き shio yaki Salt grilled, this is probably the most popular preparation for ayu and for a good reason, it is wonderful! Hiroyuki recently posted a picture of some shio yaki ayu he made and this is how they are eaten, right off the skewer

my pastry recipe (ok, Corrine Trang's) is very simple, mix the flour, salt and lard together until loose crumbs form then add a bit of milk and mix until it just holds togther. Then chill, until chilled and roll to an 1/8 inch thickness and cut into circles... Her egg part consists of whole eggs, whole milk, sugar and vanilla extract. I will be making them today.

freshly grilled Azeka ribs on Maui We used used to live just down the street from Azeka's and and would pick up a bag to grill at least once a week and sometimes more often....

sorry I actually misspelled that it is poke moco, poke is dish of raw fish with some type of seasoning and various garnishes. The Japanese pronounce it poki (ポキ) though it actually pronounced more like po-keh or po-kay. I had the Japanese pronunciation in my head.... poke thread and by the way, in the picture the fish was tuna

from Hawaiian Bowl at Aqua City in Odaiba, Tokyo poki moco and loco moco

another wonderful use for daikon! salad style but this time piled onto a donburi I mixed the daikon slices with kaiware (daikon sprouts) and topped them with what was in the house. The dressing was equal amounts of soy sauce, rice vinegar and mirin with a dollop of yuzukoshou for a kick.

kiriboshi daikon preapred with Korean like seasonings.... after rehydrating and washing well, I seasoned it with kochujang, sugar, mirin and soy sauce and a drizzle of sesame oil

one of my favorite salads using nagaimo cut the nagaimo into large bite sized pieces place them into a bag and lightly smash them, add them to a bowl with cucumbers and tomatoes and dress them with equal parts of soy sauce, rice vinegar and a flavorless oil (like canola), then sprinkle the whole thing with a handful of katsuo bushi (bonito flakes)

thanks guys, muffin tins it is! you just saved me some money.....

I have a bunch of fluted tins that are too small for the recipe (more like candy tins!) and others that are too large and sloped (mini brioche pans). I think I'm going to use my muffin pans! Okay, so they aren't fluted, but I can put the finished products into cupcake papers and they'll look reasonably like the real thing. ← do you think they will work in muffin tins? I have muffin tins, mini muffin tins and popover tins.....

4/16: うかい ukai Ukai, or cormorant fishing, is a traditional method of river fishing that has been practiced in Japan for some 1300 years. This method involves fishermen using cormorant birds on leashes to catch sweetfish (such as the Ayu). Ukai is not as widespread as it once was, because it is no longer an economically viable form of fishing. However it has managed to preserve its traditions and is increasingly popular with tourists. more information and pictures here

4/15: Ayu are very popular fish in Japan and can be found in abundance in the summer. Ayu fihing is also a very popular summer activity though it is a little bit different than the fishing you may be used to. Ayu fishing

I found a recipe in Essentials of Asian Cuisine by Corrine Tran and the pastry recipe actually looks easy enough for me to try. Next question.... I just realized that these things are made in little fluted tins tins which I don't have... anyway to get around this? I may have to go to the store on Monday.

thank you everyone, this information is really helpful! I am thinking to split our trip into 3 different areas, I want to stay at least a couple nights in one of the big hotels that has a kids club, so my husband and I can get away by ourselves for a bit. I also want to stay in a place with a kitchen for a bit, preferably in an area with a good market nearby, so I can get to cook with all of the fresh foods I won't be able to take back with me. Then finally about 2 nights somewhere quite and away from everything so we can just do nothing.... I haven't decided yet on areas or hotels. I did find this wonderful cooking class though, it sounds even better than the one I listed above. cooking class at bumbu bali

I use a metal steamer too. I ahve noticed that sometimes they seemed a bit water logged.. I thought maybe the heat was just too high and the water was bubbling through the holes. Maybe it is time to pick up a bamboo steamer.

I was going to pass on this one because for some odd reason despite the fact that I love eggplant it makes me vomit... I noticed that Jason said you could do it with zucchini instead so I think I will try it this way. I have never eatent his dish is my life.....

luckily I have very easy access to good skins! what about the fillings? My Chinese friends here insist it has to be a mix of pork and seafood (usually shrimp) for the best taste, but I don't really remember the proportions... I do remember them rubbing the shrimp with salt until it was foamy???? and then pounding the mixture, picking it up and slamming back into the bowl for AT LEAST 15 minutes.

do we get kicked out for using frozen? can frozen pastry dough even be used for these??

In general the darker the miso the salter and stronger tasting it is, the lighter ones are sweeter and less salty. Though there are exceptions! as for what to do with the seaweeds, check out the seaweed thread

a couple nights ago I made a takikomi gohan with takenoko (bamboo shoots), from a prepared mix.... this was really good! so good in fact that I forgot to take a picture of it and there were no leftovers.

last night satsumage (deep fried fish cake) and mizuna stems-- left over from when I used the leaves in a salad...

donburi night again! this I picked up some katsuo (bonito) sashimi which I seared then I mixed some julienned daikon with kaiware (daikon sprouts) and added sliced avocado. it was topped with a sauce made from equal parts soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar and a good dollop of yuzu-koshou. this was great! every one loved it oh and it was served on 100% genmai (brown rice)

I double salt. When I do them fresh I will boil them in salted water and then salt the pods after draining while they are still hot.

If you were in Japan it wouldn't be a problem! let us know how your bentos were....