torakris

my kids often beg me for the character kamabokos... Hello Kitty Ｐｏｋｅｍｏｎ all the characters you could want

I am the same. The only time I buy the pink and white kamaboko is when I want it for the color. very smart dog you have there!!

tsukudani are long simmered dishes and can be quite salty/strong tasting so are often eaten in small portions with some rice. One of my favorites is shijimi, a very small shellfish, that is seasoned with lots of ginger as well.

an only cucumber and shiso shibazuke, this was the best version I have ever had.

I picked up a wonderful satsumage yesterday, this one was flavored with sakura ebi (a kind of tiny shrimp), I heated it in a frypan and then served it with soy sauce.

I picked these up because they look interesting sembei with cheese and black beans they were actually quite gross and have been sitting in my snack basket for some time now and no one (not even my husband who eats anything) is touching them....

On busy days I sometimes rely on takikomi gohan to be most of the meal and on really busy days I use a packaged version of takikomi no moto ..... this one was hijiki (type of seaween) and chirimen (tiny fish) this is just mixed into the rice before cooking finished dish, this specific type (first time to try it) was actually very good

copyrights keep us from posting the entire recipe, but if you could post the ingredients for the herb paste, I could work with that. Thank you!

kew, thank you for the recipe! what is ginger flower? There is no calamansi here, is there a different citrus I could substitute? could I rehydrate dried coconut? no fresh coconuts either.... I just picked up some fresh keffir lime leaves and a bunch of red chiles so I am almost there!

I sear tuna on a cast iron grill pan(with ridges), it gives the beautiful sear marks as well as a smokey flavor. Just make sure to smear some oil on the tuna first or you will never get it off. I have made this mistakemore than once....

great report! I discovered yamakurake two years ago at an omiyage (gift shop) area in Shikuoka, they had it prepared in a variety of ways and I bought a pack of the dried stuff and some pickles. Back in Yokohama I started noticing it was available at almost any supermarket (dried form), I had never noticed it before.....

When I first started noticing theme restaurants poping up all over Tokyo, I thought they would fade away after a while, guess I was wrong. They are just as popular as ever. I been to quite a few of them and have to admit they are quite fun, the atmosphere can't be beat, the food is actually pretty good and the price is very reasonable, especially if you are with a group. Much more enticing horrors for diners to sink their fangs into await at Ginza’s upscale Vampire Cafe, which opened this June. Draped in sanguine velvet, the decadent interiors invite those with a bloodlust to make their way to the tables on an under-lit walkway of crimson corpuscles. Daiba Little Hong Kong, which opened in December at Odaiba’s Decks, recreates downtown Kowloon complete with trompe l'oeil renditions of the back streets and a looped soundtrack of fighting cats and roaring 747s. Lining the faux streets are eateries that range from authentic Cantonese restaurants and dim sum at Shi An Gyoza to great fresh seafood from the tank at Super Star Seafood, and ramen. more here There are a couple groups producing most of these restaurants UG Growing Up Diamond Dining C'est La Vie

If you happen to be by a Baskin Robbins in Japan on the 31st of the month, it is 31% off all double scoop cones and cups. The kids and I got real good deal today.... their chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream was dissapointing though.

The Martha Stewart Cookbook (the compilation of various books), whenever I find something in there to cook there is always a recipe in another book that just looks better. I only paid $4 for it on e-bay....

I pulled most of the sansai (mountain vegetable) talk out of here and put them into their own thread. The new sansai thread

In my quest to learn more about sansai, I ordered a book called Sansai Ryouri 山菜料理 (Sansai cooking/cuisine), it came this morning. Paging through it, it looks great --lots of pictures and tons of information. Now I need to go out and find some.....

3/31: a couple other ways to prepare funa include 昆布巻き　(kombu maki) in which they are wrapped in kombu (kelp) and simmered in a soy based sauce and 甘露煮　(kanroni) like we discused for carp, another slow simmered, soy based dish. funa no kombu maki funa no kanroni

a friend brought these over yesterday matcha cream filled waffles and matcha cream filled eclairs

an article on the poison in bracken This botanical pest is considered something of a delicacy in some parts of the world. The Japanese, for instance, often dine on the young bracken sprouts known as fiddleheads (pictured) and it is considered a treat in some areas of Canada and the US too. The trouble is, bracken, while edible, is also highly toxic - especially the fiddleheads - and has been causing bellyache for farmers for centuries where unwary ruminants might graze on the succulent curling shoots. It was noted - importantly, from the human consumption perspective - that the young fiddleheads, eaten by the Japanese, are actually the most carcinogenic.

Sun-Ki, Thanks for that great report. I am still waiting for them to open up a branch in my neighborhood. In Japan, they also have the option of matcha (green tea) flavored cream.

pad thai, yum!! I have made this quite a few times and my favorite recipe so far is (gasp ) from Cook's Illustraed! July/August 2002 page 10 to be exact. I even have almost all the ingredients in the house, I even made a tamarind extract two days ago for a Cambodian style soup. my favorite noodles are dried and about the width of linguine. CI has you soak them in hot tap water for 20 minutes, the magazine even has pictures for comparison showing ones too stiff and too soft. I think I have found Sunday lunch.... The fried chicken is being made tomorrow night!

It might not be possible. They can be real sticklers on things like this. I used to have my dad send me seeds from the US, one time they came through fine, one time they were confiscated, and another I recieved them but every single packet had been opened..... I am glad you guys are both having good luck growing things! I have been thinking about getting started this week.....

These were so incredible!! they tasted better than most tandoori chicken I have eaten. You could even taste the yummy slightly charred parts, I hope these stay around for ever..... the kimchi ones were quite good and really did taste like kimchi, but they can't compare to the taste of the tandoori ones.

kew, can you share a recipe?? they should be in season here in Japan soon and that salad looks incredible!

3/30: すずめ焼き suzume yaki These are small funa that are often skewered then dipped into a soy based sauce while grilling. suzume yaki