torakris

Kristin: Thanks for bringing this thread to the top of the pile. When I was reading through it, I found the tidbit quoted above. Have you tried the natto kimchi recipe yet? I am eager to know how it worked. If you liked it at all would you be willing to share? Or if that is a copyright issue, can you give me a reference to the book it was from? Was the book nihongo, hangul, or English? Thanks...you've really got me curious. Jim It is a Japanese book by a woman named Toyoda Hisako: http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4...1893627-1067502 Basically what she does is mix together natto and scallions (the thin ones that are mostly green) and then add a yan nyom (please help me with the spelling I am translating from Japanese ) the "sauce" used in kimchi making. I have never tried her recipe which calls for mochi flour, garlic, ginger,dried shrimp,sesame seeds, pine nuts, pureed apple, pureed persimmon, ami no shiokara, ago no dashi-ko, red chile and Korean fish sauce.

falling into trances when you are in the company of small children can be very dangerous! This happened to me yesterday, I was mesmerized by the reduced for quick sale bin and in the 10 seconds I took my eyes off my two year old he had dismantled the copier we were standing next to..............

I went to the store because I was desperately craving chocolate. Now I am munching on a hazelnut snickers bar damn it's good!

not only does it taste good, it is very good for you! check this out: http://www.gaia21.net/natto/natto.htm medicinal properties as well as recipes, for purchased natto as well as making your own, and a source to buy the natto bacteria

Some interesting combinations of sushi rolls (maki-zushi) I saw on Japanese tv. French toast roll -- the nori and rice was filled with cucumber(and something else I can't remember) topped with a slice of processed cheese then rolled up in white bread, dipped in a egg-milk mixture and then cooked in a fry pan, this was drizzled with a mayo-paprika sauce Pasta roll what looked like fettucine wrapped in nori with tomatoes and then sprinkled with parmasean cheese (from the green bottle) Pizza roll --sliced steak rolled in rice and nori then topped with a slice of processed cheese and popped under the broiler

Last night's TV campion show was about maki-zushi, they ran the contestant through various competitions to find the "best" maki-zushi maker in Japan. One of the competitions had them at a kaiten sushi store competing against each other and the regular sushi chefs. They had three groups of people come in (at different times) and they tried to create rolls that would appeal to that particular group, whomever had the most dishes eaten was the winner. The three groups were families with small childre, foreigners, and a group of men from a physical education university. They came up with some very interesting things: BLT roll with bacon, lettuce, tomato and asparagus drizzled with ketchup (for the family group) French toast roll -- the nori and rice was filled with cucumber(and something else I can't remember) topped with a slice of processed cheese then rolled up in white bread, dipped in a egg-milk mixture and then cooked in a fry pan, this was drizzled with a mayo-paprika sauce (for the family group) Pasta roll what looked like fettucine wrapped in nori with tomatoes and then sprinkled with parmasean cheese (from the green bottle) (for the foreigner group) Pizza roll --sliced steak rolled in rice and nori then topped with a slice of processed cheese and popped under the broiler (for the college group) Takoyaki roll -- octopus and scallions rolled into the rice and nori and drizzled with both mayo and tonkatsu sauce You can see a variety of the rolls here: http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/tvchamp/result/result.htm it is all in Japanese but just click where it says "clicK" to see the pictures

here is a picture of one of the carts: http://www.carrefour.co.jp/What_s_cf/Frame6_2.html

A lot of drugstores in my neighborhood have these. Both kid sized carts and kid sized baskets, I don't mind them in the drugstores but I would not want them in a supermarket, for some kids that is just a nightmare waiting to happen. It took a while for my 2 year old to realize that carrying his own basket did NOT mean he was free to roam the store filling it up with things he wanted. A couple larger supermarkets near me have taken those Little Tykes cars (those orange and yellow things that seat one child and are about 3 to 4 feet high) and converted them into shopping carts. Normally they are pushed along by the kids feet but they put a floor on them so the kids feet don't get in the way and they attatched a rack and handle on the back. You place the basket in the rack and then push it through the store, these are a lot of fun but it can be a nightmare when they are all being used. One store even has hello kitty ones and ones that look like a police car.

I have never sauteed in with mayo, but I do love the gobo salad (often combined with carrots) that has a mayo based dressing. My kids eat this like there is no tomorrow!

There aren't really any specific brand names to look for when buying eel, they are labeled according to place of origin and everyone in Japan has their favorite. In past years the Chinese imported ones have been of quite inferior quality but recently are starting the rival the Japanese ones taste wise. I would avoid a Chinese one for your first try as they can tend to be mushy and amy turn off first timers. As with most things the more expensive the better. A freezer case in any Asian store should have a couple different ones. They are not boneless per se, there are some very fine bones that are not really noticable and are are eaten along with the eel. If you aer feeding small children I would suggest giving it a quick look over, I usually remove even the finest bones for my youngest. You may find a refrigerated one but I am pretty sure they mostly frozen out of Japan, simply thaw in the refrigerator. In Japan theya re mostly sold in the refrigerated cases (already cooked) and ocasionally frozen. They have about a 3 to 5 day shelf life in the refrigerator.

I actually have 3 types of sesame oils in my house and the dark sesame oil (the one made from toasted seeds) is the one I use for sauteeing. I save the lighter (more refined) ones for salad-y type dishes. I would estimate that about 95% of sesame sold in Japan is of the roasted variety, Kadoya is a good Japanese brand. The one I have in the picture is a Korean brand that I prefer because I find it has a stronger taste compared to the milder Japanese ones. I have never tried a Chinese one, but I am sure any roasted sesame oil would be fine.

Thursday dinner: tofu and ground chicken patties with teriyaki sauce (heavy on the ginger) grilled kabocha and eryngii mushrooms drizzled with ponzu cucumber pickles Japanese rice

Last night on Japanese tv they were showing a new maki-zushi making robot that can pump out 2500 makis an hour! The machine is 4 meters long and the nori comes in rolls, the rice is placed into one "tank" and the filling is placed into another, the machine is turned on, the rice pressed out onto the nori, the filling piped in as it slides the whole thing down the conveyer belt, the maki are rolled shut and then cut and ready to be served. The only only problem was that is moved so fast the human workers couldn't keep up while trying to plate it!

word for 9/19: くわい kuwai (koo-wah-ee) This water grown vegetable is similar to a water chestnut and native to Japan and China. In English is goes by a couple names arrowhead, Chinese potato, swamp potato, etc). It is only found fresh for a very short time around December and January and thus is typical addition to the osechi ryori box (bento style foods eaten at new years). It is mostly commonly served simmered but has a tendency towards bitterness so it soaked in water for about 30 minutes, then boiled and then added to simmered dishes. As a new year preparation is it often carved into various shapes, the most common being a bell, a popular symbol of the new year.It is also made into deep fried "chips" to be eaten as a snack. kuwai (in a typical osechi ryori preparation and fresh): http://www.kyoto-yaoichi.co.jp/recipe/2002...0212/kuwai.html

whale meat hamburgers http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cf...-2002/story.htm

namul are really wonderful! I don't really use a recipe it is all to taste. I either boil (bean sprouts, spinach, etc) or saute (carrots, zucchini, etc) and then add sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt, and some scallions sometimes a little soy. One of my favorites (which is very popular in Japan) is zenmai or fiddle head fern, this one I simmer for a little while with soy and sesame oil. I don't think they keep very long............

Here are some examples of what to look for: http://www.quickspice.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart...shtml?E+scstore Though it isn't pictured here, the most popular instant dashi in Japan is Ajinomoto's Hon-dashi (it is a white box with blue and red)

Dashi is the "stock" that the Japanese use for soups and sauces. The most simple is a kombu (kelp) dashi made simply out of kombu and water. The most common dashi is made from konbu and katsuo bushi (bonito flakes) and there is another one that is made with niboshi (small sun dried sardines). Although it is quite simple to make from scratch, many Japanese buy a powdered type called dashi no moto that they dissolve in water, they also have a tea bag type where you jsut pop the bag into the hot water and instant dashi. If you aer going to make a sumashi (plain) style soup I would not use the instant stuff, but I find with soups like tonjiru (the one in the lesson) where there is a combination of flavors the subtle taste of homemade dashi is lost. You should be able to find dashi no moto is boxes or jars at any Asian grocery and even well stocked supermarkets in the Asian section.

You really don't eat much do you Heather.......................?

Weds dinner: caponata squid stir fried with lots of garlic cucumber salad baguette

moving out of mushroom territory word for 9/18: クレソン kureson (koo-ray-sohn) this the Japanese pronunciation of watercress (from the french cresson?). Though it has been in the country since early last century its uses are still pretty much limited to a garnish, any restaurant order of steak or grilled chicken will inevitably be garnished with watercress. Occasionally it will find its way into a ohitashi style preparation or a soup.

very common and it will be coming up during the eGCI Japanese cooking course!

I will let you borrow my 3 for a while! You may not be so quick to practice for a looong time.............

my favorite fish to eat head and all, shishamo! http://www.uosyun.com/menue/sisyamo.htm the best ones of course are the pregnant females, yummm..........

liquidwith Welcome to egullet! Hope to hear more... .... on pocky as well as anything else!