torakris

In the Foods at the First Thanksgiving thread http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry442779 there was some discussion of eating acorns. I know the Koreans eat them in a hard sliceable gelatin form called dotorimuk, are there any other cultures that eat acorns?

Tuesday night: Thai style red curry with tofu and kabocha squash Jasmine rice avocado and red onion salad

This has been a bad week for me in the kitchen. I learned you should not try to carve a bruised piece out of akabocha squash with a chef's knife while cupping it in the palm of your hand..... and trying to remove a piece of eggshell from a hot frying pan (while making fried eggs) by pressing it down and dragging it across the pan with your fingertip is only a good way to get a bad burn......

Here is a list of caffeine contents of various drinks as well as a way to make green tea with very little caffeine: http://www.japanesegreenteaonline.com/faq2.htm You can buy caffeine free green teas, I have never tried them though, a quick web search brought up many sources. You might like to try some naturally caffeine free teas like mugi-cha (barley tea). Congratulations!

I really like the creamy ones especially with crab. The depa-chika nearest my house mkaes a great sukiyaki one. here are some pictures of various corokke: http://www.corochan.co.jp/commodity.html

the umeboshi thread : http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...697&hl=umeboshi

word for 11/26: 梅　うめ ume These are the fruits that are mostly famously known for their pickled version, the umeboshi. This fruit, originally from China, can vary in size from the size of a small thumb up to a golf ball. They start off as a uniform green and then change to various shades of yellow, orange, pink and red depending on the type. They are used at different stages of ripeness depending on what is being made. They can not be eaten raw. Popular uses for ume include umezuke (a kind of crunchy pickle), umeshu (a type of liquor), ume-miso, ume paste,, ume jam, etc. ume in the raw state: http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/ume.ht5.jpg information about the ume and how to make umeboshi (in English): http://www.shejapan.com/jtyeholder/jtye/li...boshi/ume0.html

Here is a shiitake namul I often use to replace the beef in a vegetarian bibimbap, of course they can be used at the same time as well. thinly slice about 1/2 lb of shiitake mix them together with 1 minced garlic clove 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 teaspoon sesame oil 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds heat a frypan over medium heat then add the shiitake and cook until done these are approximates so feel free to add more or less to taste, as well as more oil during the cooking if needed.

So what are some of your favorites?

word for 11/25: いちじく　　無花果 ichijiku (ee-chee-jee-koo) fig These were introduced to Japan from China in the 17th century and are now grown more than half the year. Season lasts from April through November, though April to July is almost exclusively in greenhouses. In Japan, as with most fruits, they are normally just eaten out of hand and rarely cooked with or prepared in any way. The most commonly seen fig in Japan: http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/ichiji1.jpg

Had a huge BBQ lunch at my in-laws house for my son Hide's 3rd birthday, thus was not hungry when it came to dinner. The husband and kids had retort bag curry and I nibbled on a slice of bread and the last table roll while sipping a Pepsi. Dessert was a small bag of Sour Patch Kids

Great! It will be wonderful to hear all the details of someone's Thanksgiving since I won't be having one myself.

2 new sandwiches debuted last week kakunibao bao being the soft Chinese bread and kakuni being a chunk of long simmered pork belly with a soy based sauce, served witha touch of karashi (Japanese mustard) gratin corroke burger this consists or a gratin formed into a croquette, deep fried and then placed into a bun, this makes an appearance every winter EDITED, you know why

Helen, just one word (that you have heard before!) TOMIZAWA look here: http://shop.tomizawa.co.jp/category/data_d...01&ID=4082&pg=2

Saturday dinner: chicken parmagiano and orzo casserole chickepea, celery and blue cheese salad table rolls a 20 minute busy day dinner

word for 11/23: いちご　　苺 ichigo (ee-chee-goh) strawberry Strawberries were brought into Japn in the 1830's by the Dutch, they took hold and are probably one of the most popular fruits today. Strawberries in Japan are grown almost entirely in green houses and the season runs from the end of November to the end of May, the season peaks in March. Many of the greenhouses open their doors to the public for ichigo gari or strawberry picking, usually in the form of all you can eat in a 30 minute period. This is a very popular activity for families and groups in late winter to early spring. To see some of the Japanese strawberry varieties scroll to close to the bottom of this page: http://www2.nns.ne.jp/pri/bigitigo/

according to this article: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getart...d20031116tc.htm

Friday dinner: fusilli with broccoli rabe and tomato sauce rustic bread from Costco dessert: Costco apple pie

word for 11/22: あけび akebi This is a gorgeous purple fruit, oval in shape it is very sweet and full of seeds. It can be eaten skin and all and is often used like a vegetable, deep fried, in dressed dishes, etc. The vines from the plant are used in basket weaving and the leaves can be made into a tea. Sort of an all purpose plant! akebi: http://www.jttk.zaq.ne.jp/nagaoka/akebi.jpg

I couldn't live with out a rice cooker! Here is a former thread that had good information: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...=0entry177739 I am not too familiar with what is available outside of Japan, but some suggestions get the best you can afford preferably with: fuzzy logic keep warm setting setting for different kinds of rice 10 cup bowl (the other common size is a 5 cup) the 5 cup is perfect for a family of 4 but there will always be a day when you will need more than that! a timer is nice but not really a necessity if you have no need for it, it is great if you work and want to come home to cooked rice, or you want to eat it first thing in the morning. non-stick interior is a also a must If I think of anything else I will add it!

Thursday dinner: a large ceasar salad with topped with blackened (the seasoning not burned! ) chicken breasts and a loaf of bread with butter.

The character problem is being worked on! word for 11/21: アメリカンチェリー amerikancherii (ah-may-rhee-kahn-che-rhee) American cherry These are the bing cherries from the US, they have been growing in popularity every year here in Japan. The bags keep getting bigger and the prices dropping. They are all imports, from either California, Washington and Oregon. American cherry: http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/americ5.jpg

I am glad you enjoyed it! Maybe I will give it a try now For torigara I would substitute either chicken stock (canned or homemade) or water. I have used just plain water occasionally when I had nothing else in the house and for a dish like this (with lots of flavor) it wouldn't really be noticeable. What other kinds of recipes are you looking for? I was trying to put some into egullet recipes section a while back, bu I had browser compatibility problems and was unable to do anything, hopefully the upgrade has fixed that and I can input some more.

natto is a wonderful product that has its own thread over in the Japan Forum: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=10215

Weds dinner: soy sauce and sake simmered pork and bamboo shoots kaiso (seaweed) and red daikon salad with a shiso dressing engawa sashimi satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato) and Japanese leek miso soup Japanese rice