torakris

well I thought I was getting kita akari today but when the delivery came the box said Hokkai-kogane. I found this on the internet (Japanese) http://www.rakuten.co.jp/izumiya-ty/429815/431448/484503/ they seem to be a yellow fleshed waxy type, I will keep you posted on how they are..

I love tater tots!! unfortunately my kids don't share my passion and yes they sell them in Japan.... today in my weekly food co-op catalogue there was a product called bacon-onion-potato, which is essentially tater tots with the addition of bacon and onions.... http://image.furima.rakuten.co.jp/image/it.../28264079-1.jpg

word for 11/2: とげ　 toge toge actually translates as a spine, thorn, splinter or prickly, suzuki have a sharp spiny like thing near the gills, so you need to be careful when handling them. the toge on a suzuki: http://kensui.on.arena.ne.jp/syun/H15/syun...suzukieraup.jpg

actually they are from Hokkaido and called Kita Akari, I have seen them written in both katakana and hiragana (キタアカリ　きたあかり), I have a 3 kg box being delivered through my co-op this morning.

The two main potato types you will find in the store are 男爵　danshaku (the is the standard potato in Japan) http://www.uosyun.com/imo/dansyaku.jpg this is best for boiling and simmering, but it is the one I turn to for mashed potatoes and baked potatoes as well. メークィン May Queen http://www.uosyun.com/imo/mekuin.jpg these hold their shape well and I use them for salads these are one of my new favorites but tehy can be harder to find きたあかり kita akari http://www.uosyun.com/imo/kitaakari.jpg these have a yellowish flesh and I prefer the taste over the other two, i use them for anything when I find them. There really isn't an equivalent to the North American russet, the really floury potato....

It is really just a big miso soup with noodles... I saute pork and some vegetables (you can use almost anything but but kabocha squash seems to be a must) then add some dashi and simmer until not quite tender. Then add the noodles, this might be the hardest part to find they are a very flat wide udon like noodle. look for kishi-men in an Asian store. Simmer until the noodles are cooked (if they are dried noodles, you will probably have to boil them first). Add things like scallions and aburage (tofu pockets) at the very end when you mix in the miso.

these are called maitake in Japanese and my favorite way of cooking them is to saute them with bacon..... also check out the mushroom thread in the Japan forum! http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=18830 EDIT 20 minutes is a VERY long cooking time.....

ayu no shioyaki, yumm!!! http://www.ueda.ne.jp/~miraijin/ayu_shioyaki.jpg

I had forgotten about kaki no tane, my friend who is from Niigata (Niigata City) always brings them back for us as an omiyage (souvenir).

they tend to have a milder flavor and the flesh is quite light sort of a light yellow

Forgot to say HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! our pumpkin (sorry about the blur...) and a the kids at our halloween party yesterday, it was supposed to be outdoors, but because of the rain it ended up in my house. 26 kids and 11 mothers.....

one of my favorites, houtou (a speciality of Yamanashi), sort of a noodle hotpot.

I made houtou last night. I love this dish, sorry Hiroyuki! The package contains the noodles and the miso you add the dashi, meat and vegetables. This is a great way to clean out the refrigerator! I added a little bit of thinly sliced pork and aburage (tofu pockets) as well as the last bit of daikon, onions and scallions and some kabocha. my husband and I ate it with a good dollop of yuzu-koshou (a paste made with yuzu and green chiles)

10/31: fukko/hane, the two year old sea bass/perch can also be prepared in the same way as sea bass, but it especially prized for sushi and sashimi. It is best in the summer when it is at its fattiest. fukko: http://harudanji.cool.ne.jp/zukan/hukko.htm

It is that season isn't it... We have been eating them a lot! My favorite way to eat them is to wrap them whole in damp newspaper then in foil and snuggle them into the coals of your BBQ for 10-30 minutes (depending on thickness), unwrap and eat immediately. It tastes like you bought it off the yaki-imo truck. You can also do this in an oven, though the BBQ yields slightly better results. The big hit a couple days ago, was deep frying. I cut them into french fry like pieces and soaked them in cold water for a bit, then dried them well. I cooked them in a med-high canola oil until crisp and th center was soft. I served them with a mayo-horseradish dip (the American Best Foods mayo and the western white horseradish, but it could be more Japanese with QP and wasabi I guess..) For simmering/ boiling I use the following quantities: per 1 medium sized satumaimo 1 cup of water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon good pince of salt cut them into large bite sized pieces with the skin on and soak in cold water for about 15 minutes. Drain, then place the sastumaimo, water, lemon juice, sugar and salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover it, turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 (or so) minutes. These are really wonderful cold and go great in bentos. Two days ago I made a great satsumaimo and onion stir-fry with chiles, cardamom seeds, cinnamon stick and seasoned with just salt and lime juice, my kids devoured this and although it is Sri Lankan in origin it goes well with Japanese foods.

I guess you could get close if you tried, but the bottled one has all the preservatives and will last for a long time!! as for the natto... hhhmmm..... I guess that is possible too, but I don't like to deal with making fermented foods myself because you can never predict the outcome, a salad dressing you can keep changing as you go along..

It could be it, if you can find it snatch it up, even the liter size, as it has many more uses than just salad dressing!! I have made a lunch out of a bowl of cucumbers and this dressing, it is also great on cold tofu or seaweed salads.

10/30: seigo can be cooked in the same ways as sea bass (and we will get to those soon), but you are most likely to run across it as a sushi topping. I couldn't find any pictures of seigo sushi but here is the seigo, whole: http://www.marusumi.com/engan/5/seigo.jpg

A little while ago I picked up The Food of Portugal (Jean Anderson) and Tapas (Penelope Casas), I have been using and enjoying both books. Just last week, I bought Catlan Cuisine by Colman Andrews, I have yet to try it though..... Helen, funny running into you here!

not exactly a bento, but sort of like this? http://www.tonys.jp/menu2.html an example of Hawaiian food in Japan, look at the last picture on the right (click on it to see a larger version), this is labeled as a Hawaiian style breakfast.....

words for 10/29: suzuki is another fish that's name changes depending on its age/size. セイゴ　　セイ　seigo sei about 1 years old 20-30cm フッコ　　ハネ fukko (Kanto) hane (Kansai) 2~3 years old 30-50cm スズキ suzuki mature adult over 50cm オオタロウ ootarou this is a Kanto term to refer to the "old" sea bass that are over 100cm

I don't drink wine so really have nothing to add, but I don't think I have ever seen expensive Japanese wines (of course I am not looking either.) Most of the Japanese wines I see are super cheap like 380 to 580 yen a bottle ($3.50~$5.50), of course I have no idea what they taste like....

now I understand!!

I also thought yukari was the cheapest furikake around.... I think I paid about 78 yen for this (about $.65)

I NEVER buy salad dressings, except for this one This is not your ordinary sesame dressing, besides the typical ingredients of sesame seeds, vinegar and soy sauce this one also includes onions, miso and yuzu. That subtle yuzu flavor makes all of the difference. I use this not only as a salad dressing but I thin is with some tsuyu (seasoned soy sauce) for a dipping sauce for noodles (especially somen). I use it straight as a dipping sauce for shabu shabu, the uses are endless. this 500ml bottle costs 480 yen (about $4.50) and I have only found it at Tomizawa (http://www.tomizawa.co.jp/ ) The brand is Kanten Papa http://www.kantenpp.co.jp/ and it is the creamy sesame (goma kuriimii ごまクリーミィー)