torakris

Mochi cooked in these ways in one of those foods that is definitely best when eaten hot or at least warm. They harden again upon cooling and I wouldn't recommend them as a next day lunch.

the crepes in Japan thread

3/22: 鯉の塩焼き koi no shioyaki salt (shio) grilled (yaki) koi koi no shioyaki

Here is a nice article about the history of carp in Japan.

Koi cuisine is quite common, I can't imagine a Japanese person that would be shocked to hear that the Japanese like to eat koi. If you type koi ryouri (koi cuisine) in yahoo Japan you get over 13,000 hits. It seem to be most common in the more northern areas like Yamgata, Fukushima, Nagano, Niigata, etc. also most of koi that is eaten looks like this rather than the colorful ones you see in the ponds.

Some of the best soft cream I have had here is from the Kodomo no Kuni in Yokohama, this is a huge park with pools (and ice skating in the winter) streams to play in, hills to climb, horses to ride, petting zoos, playgrounds, etc. They have a small farm and the soft cream is made from the freshly milked cows milk and is incredibly good. soft cream at Kodomo no Kuni this place is also just 5 minutes from my house so we go there quite a bit.... and get soft cream every time!

I tasted a sample of wasabi gelato at a shop in the Gotemba Outlets I glad it was just a sample, I don't think I could have handled a whole cone.... sakura soft cream/gelato sounds really good! I am going to have to find some that!

I have never tried to use the sour cream here in baked products as I had the same worries. I normally only use it on things (like dips/soups/etc) that has it being mixed with something else. The price is a killer and I probably buy it once a year and then I use it sparingly. If you decide to experiment with it let us know hoew it goes...

my favorite babaroa is a mint flavored one a Japanese friend taught to me, just make as a for a normal bavarian but add a couple tablespoons of mint liquer to the cream. Wonderful!!

last night I marinated 2 pieces of sashimi style tuna in yuzu ponzu, then seared it in a griddle pan. This was really good, it didn't add a strong flavor but was much better than having it unseasoned. It would have been fine as is but I tossed it with some mizuna and a dressing seasoned with yuzu-koshou.

I just discovered that there is a Japan Italian Gelato Association... this link shows all of their member's stores

3/21: 鯉のあらい koi no arai Arai is from the verb arau which means to wash, hot water is poured over the skin side and the the koi is immediately moved to an ice water bath where it is swished around (washed). This helps to remove some of the strong taste from the flesh. koi no arai

I always freeze my natto because I never know when it will be eaten... fried rice? deep fried in gyoza skins?

I have often avoided certain sansai because I had no idea what to do with them... this year I am going to experiment more! I found this neat site (in Japanese) that has nice large pictures of them as well as ideas on how to prepare them.

hard to believe with the weather today, but it is that time of year again.....

up until recently you rarely saw traditional Japanese foods at a tabehoudai/baikingu (viking) restaurant, but the new trend now seems to be organic buffets of traditional Japanese foods... Haabesuto (Harvest) is one of those that opened in my area, I went there with friends a little while ago and it was just incredible. and the most recent to open up by me is Nonobudou,another organic, Japanese style buffet. My friend and i plan on making a trip there as soon as spring break is over.....

a bit on tabehoudai from the watashi to Tokyo blog

3/20: 鯉こく koi koku this is miso soup made with koi koi koku

In another thread Kiwm Hwa asked: Im in Kansai... any ideas about where to find Yuzu gelato or Yuzu sorbet??? Where do you go in Japan when you want something cold to eat? Gelato shops seems to be popping up all over the busy spots of Tokyo/Yokohama and other parts of Japan as well I am sure. Now that the weather is finally warming up what are some of the best places for gelato, sorbet, ice creams, etc? Though it isn't exactly ice cream and it wasn't exactly from an ice cream place, I had a great strawberry smoothie with tapioca from Meal MUJI a couple days ago. It was so good I will probably go back next week and get another one before the season is over.... Meal MUJI is just one part of the huge chain of MUJI stores. another place that doesn't exactly come to mind when you think of ice cream is Tully's Coffee, but their ice cream is really quite good. and if you are lucky enough to have one in your neighborhood Haagen Dazs Cafe is quite good, ours closed a couple years back..... There are two Baskin Robbins shops (called 31 in Japan) in my neighborhood that I take the kids to occasionally for my rocky road fix....

3/19: 鯉の甘煮　　鯉のうま煮 koi no uma-ni 鯉の甘露煮 koi no kanro-ni These are both long simmered dishes that are quite sweet, the koi is simmered in large amounts of sugar, mirin and soy sauce (some people also add sake) for hours. Water is added to prevent burning during the simmering period. The two words seem sometimes to be used interchangeably and then other times they will appear as two different dishes. From what I could figure out by doing some resaerch on the web, kanro-ni is usually simmered for longer making the bones soft enough to eat, some places boast that their uma-ni bones are soft enough to eat but in other places you will have to pick around them. kanro-ni/uma-ni

I was planning on fried chicken tonight (and coleslaw and cornbread to go with it) until I went to the supermarket (the only one in the area that sometimes has whole chickens) and came back empty handed. No whole chickens, no chicken parts with bones, just boneless pieces at a ridiculous price.... so I picked up some tuna for sashimi....

congratulations! now the fun begins.... my own three kids are have been locked out of the house on this gorgeous Saturday afternoon with strict intsructions not to even think about touching the doorbell until 5:00....

and the woman is Yamamoto Reiko, her is some information on her show, including the recipes (even the momo-peach bavarin cream).

babaroa ババロア　is bavarian cream. history of bavarian cream The Japanese love this and do it quite well, I had never eaten it until I came to Japan.....

I have never needed to do this so I am not really sure, but I did find this on the internet (it was about black beans but I am sure it would work for soy beans as well): While most recipes call for soaking your beans before cooking them, don't oversoak your beans. When left too long in standing water, they begin to ferment, which is fine if you want to prepare a fermented black bean cake, but it's not conducive to most other recipes. A good solution is to wash the beans thoroughly in cold water and drain. Then cover the beans with boiling water and leave about 2 inches of water on top. The beans will be ready in about two hours when you can drain them and store them in the refrigerator until you're ready to use them. You can freeze your beans after you soak them, which lets you prepare a large batch and then save individual or family-sized portions. Just be sure to drain the beans thoroughly and get as much air out of the plastic bag as possible before putting them in the freezer. from here