torakris

Those wild enoki are gorgeous! Do you know if they sell them anywhere? Have you tasted them? I too was disappointed by the brown enoki, I thought they might taste "wilder" but they don't and are definitely not worth the price.....

do the japanese actually spell it "shoe" cream? when i first read your post, i was a little put off as i was just reading how everyone thought the flavor could use a little push...i mean if you're infusing shoes in the cream...hehe "choux" meaning "cabbage" In Japnese they are called シュークリーム shuu kuriimu pronounced like shoo-koo-rhee-moo

I had a feeling since you bought them at Ueno park they were the dried ones , but you never know... As far as I know those are just eaten like a snack, I don't know of any cooking uses for them. Just don't tell customs you have them, my father went home with a rather large raspberry plant (roots and all) from my in-laws backyard, because my father the gardener said it was unlike any raspberry plant he had seen in the US...... and despite a lengthy luggage search at Narita (it was wrapped in newspaper and then a bag) they didn't notice it.......

word for 4/7: カツオのたたき katsuo no tataki (kah-tsu-oh noh tah-tah-key) This is probably one of the most common ways that katsuo is prepared. The triangular block of katsuo is seared over a flame (though you probably could do it in a frypan if necessary) then plunged into ice water, sliced and garnished with what ever strikes your fancy. Though this is quite simple to do at home, most people buy it it already seared in a fresh or frozen form, all you need to do is slice it up (and defrost it if frozen). I find the flavor fresher with the frozen blocks and have one in my freezer at almost all times. It makes for an instant dinner when I am in a rush. Katsuo, though tuna like in texture, is a little bit darker in color and has a stronger taste. Here is a picture of a very typical preparation of katsuo tataki followed by pictures of the frozen block: http://www.taisin.jp/cgis/goodslist.cgi?mo...ods_id=00000004

also, if you have the fresh ones you can toss them onto a grill and sprinkle with salt, my husband does this when I am am preparing a lot of squid, he likes to dab them with wasabi before eating. They taste similar to nan-kotsu, the chicken cartilege that you often see deep fried in izakayas, deep frying would probably work on these too, though I have never seen them like that.

Did you buy the dried ones? Most ways I have seen squid beak, called ika no kuchibashi, is skewered and then grilled similar to yakitori. Usually it is simply seasoned with just salt. Here is a picture before cooking: http://www.roman-noto.com/foods/allseason/...n-megarasu.html this is often referred to as ika tonbi this guy says it tastes best when eaten raw, sashimi style, it is the round thing in the middle of the dish: http://www.ymzk.org/~yama/diary/cook/2002/ika04.jpg

back to katsuo, today we will discuss a couple of the different varieties words for 4/6: when you see katsuo in the supermarket it is normally just labeled katsuo not giving a specific variety, the most common type is known as ホンカツオ　 (hon-katsuo) or 　マガツオ (ma-gatsuo) there is also a 　戻りカツオ　modori-katsuo　　or　　戻りガツオ　　modori-gatsuo which is the fattiest of the bonitos, sometimes referred to as Autumn bonito in English as it is in season during the fall. there are a couple other varieties: ハガツオ　hakatsuo striped bonito マルソウダガツオ　marusouda-gatsuo bullet mackeral ヒラソウダガツオ　　hirasouda-gatsuo bullett tuna, frigate tuna, frigate mackeral and then there is the マナガツオ　mana-gatsuo which is actually not actually of the mackeral family (like the bonito and tuna) but rather it is a butterfish ( a type of flat fish) also known as a pomfret or pomapno.

Monday night: binchou maguro (albacore tuna) sashimi with mizuna tossed with an oil-rice vinegar-soy-yuzukoshou (paste made from green chiles and yuzu) dressing grilled shiitake tossed with a soy-sake-dashi-lemon dressing and sprinkled with shichimi (7 spice powder) a sesame leaf miso paste made from miso, chile peppers and korean sesame leaves Japanese rice with sheets of nori (laver)

I think everyone buys magazines/cookbooks for different reasons. I love the pictures I could spend all day looking at pictures of food........ I also use magazines/cookbooks for ideas, I rarely follow a recipe as written, sometimes I don't even look at the recipe I just get the idea from the picture. Ten years ago it was a different story I followed recipes religiously because I was still unfamiliar with the different tastes of Japanese food as it wasn't something I grew up with. I really love Japanese magazines and cookbooks they are all filled with gorgeous pictures of every dish and Elle a table has got some of the most incredible food photography I have ever seen in this country.

In another thread Hiroyuki replied: Sorry to have interrupted your conversation, but I've never thought of buying a cooking magazine for just a recipe. I've always thought the essence of Japanese cuisine is a combination of soy sauce and mirin. Beef bowl, yakitori, sukiyaki, and what have you. For someone like me, "recipes" are just... not necessary, simple put. I like 男の料理　"otoko no ryori" mens' cooking. Cut this, cut that, put this in, put that it, add soy sauce, add mirin, ... OK, it's done. Let's eat! Itadakimasu! (Do you follow me?) I read in a book when I was still a teenager that soy sauce delayed the progress of Japanese cuisine by one hundred years because of its perfection. Don't you agree? (I see disapproval in your eyes.) Sorry. Carry on. I'm out of here.

Hiroyuki, Thank you for all of that information! back to maitake for a moment, here is a picture of the most common type found in Japan the yuki-guni type

word for 4/5: アク aku (ah-koo) see post form yesterday! I am off to my daughter Julia's nyuugakushiki (entrance ceremony) for 1st grade followed by a hanami party with a bunch of friends, so I have a big bento to make before I head out....

You can try but the texture will still be different and I wouldn't recommend using it in some of the same ways you might use the firm. Soft tofu is wonderful and I sure you will learn to love it as mucg as you do the firm one.

here is the link to the article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getart...e20000619sh.htm it really is an eye opener....

gee, I have never seen tempura ice cream in the US or Japan...... But I did find this picture: http://www.geocities.jp/hima_master/eki/tenten_ice.jpg says it it is ice cream wrapped in something like sponge cake and coated with tempura batter and deep fired.

I was a big fan of Kyou no ryouri and even had a subscription for a couple of years, but like Helen said it just sort of recycles the basics. I do pick up a copy every now and then when something catches my eye. I used to like Tanto but it seems to have disappeared..... Some of the others like Orange Page I rarely even page through anymore, they seem to be more geared to people who who hate to cook with a lot of prepared foos and shortcuts.

other cooking magazine threads we have had Elle a table: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=22140 Delicious: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=40022

We have had a couple threads on specific cooking magazines, but never discussed all of the variety that is out there. In a different thread Helenjp said: Not so fond of E. a table (just because it's so in step with trends elsewhere in the world, not because it isn't a good food mag), but love the photos! I learned to cook from Kyou no Ryouri too, but I guess that after a few years, when you're ready to move on from the basics, K no R is still rolling them out for a new generation of cooks! A lot of my favorites have come from stick-in-the-mud Eiyou to Ryouri and gourmet men's mag Dancyu Dancyu site - check recipe index at left!. (E to R site is not really helpful, Dancyu site contains a recipe index, a Good Thing, because the magazine itself only has a couple of recipes per issue. They are usually good, sometimes over the top, but the mag is mainly for reading). Another surprise is the tiny recipes in the newspaper. I don't know where the journalists dig them up from, I think they just ask the tobacconist's wife on their way to work the morning the copy is due, but every now and then there is some little everyday gem like a quick pickle recipe. Let's discuss.....

I was just think about it some more and am not sure what kind of yuba they will be giving. I was initially thinking of what is referred to as kumiyuba which is very freshly made yuba still sitting in the soy milk, this is very wet and there is really no other way to eat this except with either ponzu or wasabi and soy. Then there is what they refer to as nama yuba, looks like this: http://www.fujimuraya.com/shopping/shop/manmi/namayuba.jpg This can also be eaten sashimi style but this type is also good deep fried and in simmered dishes or soups. You are a lucky guy!!

If it is freshly made yuba, just eat it plain with some wasabi and soy. It is quite wet and don't think it would be suitable for frying, save that for the dried stuff.

You are really going to make me think about this on a Sunday morning?!! aku is a Japanese word that doesn't have an exact English equivalent that I can come up with. Let's try to explain it though. Some foods have what the Japanese descibe as 苦味　(nigami) bitterness, or 渋み　(shibumi) astringent-ness. Other foods have a tendency to discolor when exposed to air and some meats and fish have 臭み(kusami) smelly-ness. The process of removing the bad "element" or preventing discoloration is known as アク抜き or removing the aku which could be a kusami, a nigami, or a shibumi, or a discoloration. The method is different depending on what you want to remove, some examples: prevent discoloration by adding it to acidualted water or sometimes just plain water works, this is good for things like renkon (lotus root) and gobo (burdock root) Satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato) are soaked about 15 minutes in water to remove astringent-ness. Bamoo shoots are cooked with nuka (rice bran) and dried chile peppers to get rid of bitterness. Chestnuts are soaked with myouban　(alum)and other vegetables have juusou (baking soda) tossed into the cooking water for similar reasons and the list goes on.... There is also what is referred to as アク取り　(aku tori) or taking off the aku and this type of aku refers to the skum that comes off when boiling/simmering meats/vegetables. Akutori refers to the process of removing the skum with usually a fine mesh or normal ladle. hope that makes some sense......

I too have struggled with an English equivalent of of the word aku and am still unsure. Harshness or bitterness is the closest I have come. Fukinoto tempura, I love this, my husband's aunt has made this for us a couple times, she grew up the daughter of ryokan (traditional Japnese inn) owners in central Fukushima Prefecture and cooks incredible food. Any sansai I have eaten have come from her house, she is amrried to my MIL's brother and unfortunately my MIL who grew up in a shitamachi area of Tokyo doesn't cook at all.....

word for 4/4: 鰹　　かつお　　カツオ katsuo　(kah-tsu-oh) This fish is usually called bonito in English and sometimes skipjack tuna. This fish is in season for half of the years coming in from various places and we will be discussing this very important fish to Japanese cuisine for the next couple days (weeks?)

Well my parents had a nice trip and are heading back to the US today, as we will be heading for Narita in a little while I will make today's word a simple one. word for 4/3: さようなら sayounara (sah-yoe-nah-rhah) goodbye back tomorrow with more fish!

Ｉ　ｄｏｎ’ｔ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ｅｖｅｒ　ｈａｄ　ｔｈｅ　Ｉｓｈｉｚａｋａ　ｏｎｅｓ．．．． I think I should pay more attention. I do buy the white ones sometimes, especially when they would provide a nice contrast in the dish. white maitake: https://www.rakuten.co.jp/shoku/img1027643152.jpeg