torakris

I tried it and they still didn't want it.... In the beginning I also tried mixing a little bit of the plain in with the flavored ones but they caught me doing that....

I suddenly have a craving for this soup, though I have never made it before and can't even actually recall ever eating it.... Thus I have no idea where to start. I have cheddar and broccoli, any good recipes out there?

the oden thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=17704&st=0

word for 1/5: いわし棒天 iwashi bouten (ee-wah-she boe-ten) This is a popular addition to oden pots, iwashi bouten are a type of satsumage (shaped fish paste that has been deep fried). Bou 棒　is a stick or rod and refers to the long shape of the product, while the ten 天, same as tempura ten, refers to the deep frying. iwashi bouten are the stick shaped ones at the top of the box: http://www.tsukiagean.co.jp/jpg/ajisaiA2500.jpg

JANUARY 7 This is the day the Japanese eat nankusakayu, this is a type of okayu (rice gruel) made with seven (nana) grasses/herbs (kusa). Rice gruel cooked with the seven herbs of spring -seri, nazuna, gogy, hakobe, hotokenoza, suzuna, suzushiro. Traditionally it is cooked on January 7, due to the belief that these herbs will remove evil from the body and prevent illness. On New Year's Day we tend to eat and drink too much, which upsets our stomachs. So after the feasts of the New Year, eating light healthy gruel with lot of vitamins is good for us. from here: http://www.shejapan.com/jtyeholder/jtye/li...a/nanakusa.html this gruel is not made with any 7 herbs you feel like adding, it is made with a 7 specific plants for more information on them look here: http://www.shejapan.com/jtyeholder/jtye/li...a/harunana.html click on any one to see an English name and don't worry you don't ned to go running around to various stores trying to collect all 7, the supermarkets have them all conveniently packed up for you in one container/bag: http://www.ehime-iinet.or.jp/johoehime/200...ts/nanakusa.jpg

JANUARY 1 ~ 3,4,5 (or as long as you can stand it) These are the days the Japanese feast on osechi ryouri, traditional new years foods. Many pictures and more information are in the osechi thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=29754

JANUARY 1 On new years day all over Japan some type of oozoni is eaten, this is a soup with mochi (rice cake in it), check out the oozoni thread for more information and lots of pictures: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=32516

In Japan, throughout the year, there are various days on which certain foods are eaten. I was thinking it would be nice to list these days (and the foods of course) in a thread, handling each day as we approach it and then by the end of the year we would have a full calendar!

I bought one of those big variety boxes of instant oatmeal, you know the kind you just add hot water to and mix, and my kids ate everything but the plain ones. Most recipes that call for oatmeal often specify in parantheses 'not instant', is there anything I can do with this?

My suribachi is probably my only dish/pan/gadget that I wash immediately after using (with soapy water and a sponge) and wipe dry, I also never leave it to soak. Occasionally I will run a bamboo skewer through it to remove stray seeds....

Almost every Japanese I know has a toaster oven but none of my foreign friends do, sometimes I think they only exist to make pizza toast (with corn ).

Actually I have never eaten tazukuri that weren't all clumped together. I think you did it just fine. Next time you pan fry the niboshi add some slivered almonds and either a splash of soy or salt, I make this sometimes and my husband and kids love it! EDIT there is also a great recipe (with pictures) by melonpan for using these fish in a Korean style stirfry: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=746149

I don't have a toaster oven, I toast my toast in a toaster and do everything else in my oven....

I also forgot to mention that I gave part of it to a Japanese pastry chef friend of mine yesterday since my son spent about 8 hours at her house that day. She came over this morning to tell me how good it was, if she thinks it is good......

Matcha Castella (translated and somewhat adapted from the recipe above) 5 large eggs 240g /8 oz granulated sugar 200g/ 7 oz strong (bread) flour -- I used one with 12% protein 20-30g / about 1 oz matcha powder 100ml/ 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons milk, at room temp 4 Tablespoons honey 6 Tablespoons flavorless oil (I used canola) 1. Prepare an 8 inch square baking pan by greasing the bottom, laying down a square of parchment (wax paper) and greasing that. Preheat teh oven to 350 F. 2. Mix the eggs and sugar with a hand mixer (or standing mixer) on high speed for about 10 minutes (probably a little less with a standing). You will know it is done when the batter has lightened considerably and batter dripping from the beaters disappears almost immediately upon contact with the batter. 3.Mix the flour and matcha together. With the mixer running on medium speed at it to the batter a little at a time. 4. Add the milk and mix until combined. 5. Add the honey and mix until combined. 6. Add the oil and mix until combined. 7. Pour it into the prepared baking pan and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes then lower the heat to 325 and bake for 45 minutes. 8. Remove it from the pan as soon as it is done and let the cake cool on a rack. One it has completely cooled, wrap it in saran wrap and let it sit overnight. Enjoy!

forgot about Omi beef! Omi beef is one of the top 3 "brand name" beef along with Kobe and Matsuzaka. Omi is the former name of the area around lake Biwa, today's Shiga prefecture. http://www.pref.shiga.jp/kanko/mika-be.htm

It has been a really long time, but yesterday I made kimchi now I just have to wait......

A fully detailed (with pictures and text in English) account of how rice is grown in Japan from preparing the paddy to cooking the rice. Very informative. http://www.coara.or.jp/~mieko/rice.htm

word for 1/5: いわしのハンバーグ iwashi no hambaagu This is like a hamburger patty but made with iwashi. The flesh is scraped out or chopped up and mixed with various vegetables or just simply seasoned. http://www7.plala.or.jp/dining/recipie-lib...shi-hanbagu.jpg

I only have a bit of mentaiko left... Last night I made one of my kids favorites, mentaiko potato salad! potatoes, mayo, mentaiko and salt

wow thanks for the ideas! I might go with the crumble as it sounds the easiest unfortunately the only fruits I have in the house are mandarin oranges and bananas, I had wanted to pick up some apples the other day but they were selling them for 198 yen ($2) a piece!

the chestnut one sounds great but how was the daizu (soy bean) one?

believe it or not I actually forgot about it until late afternoon.... ta da! This was REALLY good! Definitely let it sit overnight, it made a big difference. I cut off and ate the edges hours after making it and it was dry and cardboard-y tasting with almost no flavor. 24 hours later it was soft moist and very matcha tasting. I didn't use the full amount of matcha called for in the recipe, it called for 30 grams which was the entire container that I bought, so I only used 20 and I was perfectly happy with that. I will translate the recipe later today....

another favorite dish is asari no sakamushi (あさりの酒蒸し), asari are a small type of clam and they are often steamed with sake. My ansolute favorite ones are the places that add lots of butter at the end, the "soup" is so good that my husband and I drink it.... This is so easy to make at home but just always tastes better in the izakaya atmosphere. a not very good picture: http://onion.cocolog-nifty.com/homemade/2004/03/post_60.html

The Japanese version of Gourmet Navigator is great and I use it quite a bit, I just noticed they have put a lot of work into their English version: http://www.gnavi.co.jp/en/ not nearly as comprehensive as the Japanese side but it can be a help for those who are looking for restaurants with English speaking staff. and for those who can read Japanese, this is their Japanese site.