torakris

I always have compared a Japanese hamburger steak more to American meatloaf. Meatloaf is always better made with a mixture of meats (I like beef, pork and veal) and binders like breadcrumbs, eggs, etc as well as more flavorings. Except for salisbury steak, I haven't seen too many people eating a hamburger with out a bun in the US. My MIL raves about my hamburgers that I make for BBQ's and all they are is beef, salt and pepper, but many Japanese when making hamburgers with buns make them the same way they make a hamburger steak....

here is a site with lots of pictures of tsukemen: http://www.geocities.co.jp/Foodpia/5358/ts...n/tsukemen.html Some of them are quite different from the varieties I have eaten, some have a very soupy like sauce and some have the sauce served in huge bowls the size of ramen bowls. Most of the tsukemen I have eaten has been cold (in my area it is a dish that reamen shops often dish up in the summer) but the one I made at home was a hot version. That site seems to have both.

You've figured it out! The sauce is either in a cup like bowl or a small saucer like bowl and the ones I have eaten have had a sauce a little bit thicker than a typical tsuke-jiru that you will eat with other noodles like soba or udon. You dip the noodles into the sauce and then slurp the noodles very, very carefully! I love this dish but rarely get to eat it, once I bought a supermarket variety that you cook the noodles yourself pour the packaged sauce into a bowl and eat with the seasoned boiled egg that comes with it , it was awful!!

I have nevver heard of this show, but then I noticed it aired at 10:00pm, an hour past my bedtime! Hiroyuki, if you go to the okonomiyaki thread Carolyn has her okonomiyaki making posted there.

word for 5/24: エボダイ　 　or　　　イボダイ ebodai (eh-boh-die) or ibodai (ee-boh-die) Japanese butterfish This is a small fish that can be found in most parts of Japan and is most popular in the summer. Ibodai is its "true" name but it is called ebodai in the Kanto area, though a little more south in Kansai it can be referred to as boze and even farmer south in Kyushu it may be called shizu. ebodai: http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki/ibodai/ib...mage/ibodai.jpg

I just got goosebumps.... is there anything better than perfectly cooked ayu??

I thought not reading this list any more world curb my cookbook buying but it didn't work. Add 7 more (all in Japanese) to the list!

I made a great donburi last night! I had picked up a package of saikoro steak (saikoro means dice in Japanese and this refers to the square shape and dice size of the meat, though you can "saikoro" a real steak beofre or after cooking, you will often see a ground meat version being sold in perfecrt cube shapes, this is whatt I used) that was too small to actually serve 5 of us as a main dish so I decided to turn it into a donburi. I sauteed the beef with salt and pepper, then I placed it on top of the rice ( a mix of brown and white) and placed a large handful of chopped mizuna on the other side, then placed a nice amount of grated daikon radish in the middle and poured ponzu over the whole thing. Everyone loved it!!

I made a great cucmber pickle last night, it was so good I posted it at recipe gullet: http://recipes.egullet.com/recipes/r1041.html Tataki Kyuuri no Shouga-zuke

I just looked at the link and that book was written by the same woman who did all the recipes at the link I gave!

Tataki Kyuuri no Shouga-zuke ( Cucumber pickles with Ginger) Serves 4 as Side. These are a simple cucumber pickle that only need a couple minutes to marinate. Tataki is from the verb to hit or strike and they are called this because the cucumbers (kyuuri) are slightly smashed before marinating in the ginger (shouga) dressing. Try to use Japanese cucumbers if possible, if they are not available then use seedless ones. 3 Japanese cucmbers 1 T grated ginger 1/2 T rice vinegar 3 T soy sauce large pinch of sugar 1. Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters, then cut them in 2 to 3 inch lengths. 2. Place them into a ziploc bag and slightly crush them with the bottom of a pan, you don't want to smash them to a pulp rather you want to just open them up a little so they can marinate faster. Some will be broken. 3 Add the rest of the ingredients to the bag and masssage it gently to mix the ingredients. 4. Let it sit for about 5 minutes then serve. Keywords: Appetizer, Japanese, Side, Vegan, Easy ( RG1041 )

Tataki Kyuuri no Shouga-zuke ( Cucumber pickles with Ginger) Serves 4 as Side. These are a simple cucumber pickle that only need a couple minutes to marinate. Tataki is from the verb to hit or strike and they are called this because the cucumbers (kyuuri) are slightly smashed before marinating in the ginger (shouga) dressing. Try to use Japanese cucumbers if possible, if they are not available then use seedless ones. 3 Japanese cucmbers 1 T grated ginger 1/2 T rice vinegar 3 T soy sauce large pinch of sugar 1. Cut the cucumbers lengthwise into quarters, then cut them in 2 to 3 inch lengths. 2. Place them into a ziploc bag and slightly crush them with the bottom of a pan, you don't want to smash them to a pulp rather you want to just open them up a little so they can marinate faster. Some will be broken. 3 Add the rest of the ingredients to the bag and masssage it gently to mix the ingredients. 4. Let it sit for about 5 minutes then serve. Keywords: Appetizer, Japanese, Side, Vegan, Easy ( RG1041 )

I just ran across this interesting web site (all in English) about green tea and it has quite a large section on recipes using green tea. http://www.o-cha.net/english/kitchen/index.html I have had many a dessert made with green tea and even things like matcha (green tea)-shio (salt) that is great for dipping tempura into, but I have never really thought about its uses in savory dishes. Does anyone cook with gren tea?

interesting article and comments, as a mother of 3 kids I have also always felt it was important to teach my kids about the food they eat. We discuss the animal as well as the culture the dish may have come from. My oldest daughter will not eat veal however, for some reason eating a cow is ok but not a baby cow, I will never force her to eat it though. I encourage my kids to try foods but would never force them to eat something they didn't like. I also WILL NOT make something else for my children if they don't like what is on the table, there is always either bread and butter on the table or rice in the rice cooker.....

words for 5/23: these are some different ways to enjoy hatahata ぶりこ buriko hatahata roe ハタハタの鮓 hatahata no sushi this is usually made in the traditional nare-zushi style, it is a fermented sushi that is "pickled" in salt 湯あげ yuage in this dish the hatahata is gently boiled whole in a kelp broth and then enjoyed with various condiments 干ハタハタ hoshi hatahata this is the hatahata version of the semi dried fish pictures of all of these dishes can be found here: http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki/wanigisuamoku/hatahata.html

Are you sure that they are always served cold? I like them hot. I know that in China, gyoza are sui-gyoza, but I prefer yaki-gyoza. suigyoza can also be served hot, but the majority of the time I see them on the menu it is the cold variety (especially the warmer months). Do the Japanese use a word to differentiate between the cold ones and the hot ones? I don't think I have ever seen either one one called anything but suigyoza..... Sorry about the confusing post, I had been only thinking about the cold ones for the past couple days. Of course with the temperature in Tokyo today only going to hit about 58 F (14 C) and be rainy, the hot ones are sounding quite good!!

Here is a picture for those unfamiliar: http://allabout.co.jp/gourmet/cookingmen/c...13/rcp13_t1.jpg

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I have a hankering for sui-gyoza, these are ones that are boiled and then served cold. I have to admit to never making these type in my life but I want to try. Can you use the same gyoza skins? what are some good fillings?

I found a couple Kobe beef restaurants in Kobe listed here: http://www.fodors.com/miniguides/mgresults...nation=kobe@184 some of them seem extremely reasonable.

On the curry rice thread we are discussing eating curry rice with fukujinzuke, my question is , does anyone eat this kind of pickle with anything else? I know my tupperware container of it only gets pulled out when there is curry on the table.... Does anyone eat this as an everyday pickle?

word for 5/22: ハタハタ hatahata (hah-tah-hah-tah) Sailfin sandfish During the winter months of January and February in Akita, the weather is often snowy and the skies are full of thunder and lightning. Also, during these months, a fish typical of Akita, the Hatahata, or sailfin sandfish, can be caught along the shore. Usually, this fish lives deep in the Sea of Japan, but in the winter, it comes close to the shores of Akita to spawn at places rich in seaweed. In ancient times, it is said that so many fish were caught that cats would ignore them. For more about the hatahata fish look here: http://www.media-akita.or.jp/akita-shoku/h...ata-sushiE.html and for a picture: http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki/wanigisua...ge/hatahata.jpg

Is there any other way to eat Japanese curry? I thought the fukujinzuke was the whole point! I sometimes make curry just because I want to eat fukujin-zuke! and rakkyo too, I must have both!

I prefer an egg yolk only. Helen, thanks for mentioning about the flour, I sometimes forget flour in Japan andflour in the US is different. Japanese don't really have an all-purpose flour, they have a "strong" flour (high protein) and "weak" flour (low protein) and it is this weak flour that is used in tempura, the prtein content is usually about 8% so similar to US cake flour.....

word for 5/21: ムニエル munieru (moo-knee-eh-rhue) This is the Japanese pronunciation of the French word meuniere, the technique of coated fish in flour then sauteing in butter and serving it with lemon. This technique is popularin Japan as well and tachiuo is a fish that particularly takes to this preparation. Tachiuo is a very versatile fish and is served in amultitude of ways in Japan, sashimi, depp fried, sautee, simmered, grilled, shio-yaki, etc.... tachiuo no munieru: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~nz3y-mr/fcooktachi.htm

I wish I could be of more help, unfortunately my (Japanese) husband hates pickles! Thus I rarely make them since they go to waste.... Here is a site that has some recipes: http://www.bob-an.com/recipe/dailyjc/hints/tsuke/tsuke.html and here is the tsukemono (pickle) thread and it has a couple more links: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=tsukemono&st=0