torakris

Oh Cleveland I discovered the Westside Market very late in life, oh sure I knew about it, but hey it was over on the Westside after all and us Eastsiders would never be caught dead on the West side! I have grown up now and find the Westside market the best place to my grocery shopping while visiting my parents in Cleveland. Anyway Monday dinner: lemon-garlic chicken thighs coucous salad with roasted kabocha and green beans with mint and a lemon-honey-sriracha sauce leftover potatoes

My 2 year old ahs been on a natto kick this week and it is the only thing I can get him to eat! He wants just natto no rice and i have to add the little pack of karashi (hot mustard) or he throws a fit!! Today my husband made up his own natto for breakfast with sakura ebi (dried shrimp), nori, hijiki, scallions and egg.

At on restaurant we frequent (La Boheme) my husaband always gets their togarashi (chili pepper) and chirimen jako (tiny baby sardines) and I had their sake steamed chicken chicken with Japanese leeks and sesame oil last time and it was quite good, almost soup like.

Is this the bowl with the striated texture on the inside? If so, I've only used this for yamaimo. This is a suribachi: http://importfood.com/various_mortar_pestles.html couldn't live with out it!

I had some homemade niniku (garlic) miso last summer at a friend's house, it tasted great but I was scared to open my mouth for the rest of the week! I often make my own niku (meat) miso, it is great to spoon on tofu, simmered daikon, satoimo, konnyaku, etc. The yuzu miso is a wonderful topping for hiyayakko (cold tofu) as well as seafood.

word for 4/29 まずい mazui (mah-zoo-ee) bad tasting, the opposite of oishii this can refer to the food as well as the restaurant, bakery, etc repeat after me: mazui

I love my suribachi and it is another Japanese utensil that gets use in non-Jpanese ways as well. From Sout East Asian style curry paste to Italian/Spanish garlic and herb pastes. Once before i had a coffee grinder I accidently bought coffee beans and then tried to "grind" them in my suribachi, it doesn't work! The Japanese can get so many different dishes on the table because 4 of them are purchased at the depachika!

oh dear, I don't think I ever be here long enough..................

the recent roe discussion got me thinking about one of my favorite pastas to eat in Japan: mentaiko (chili spiced cod roe) spaghetti I make this for a quick lunch just mixing butter and mentaiko together adding the spaghetti then topping with shredded nori. Any favorites? Anything you hate?

word for 4/28: 美味しい　　おいしい OISHII (oh-ee-sheee) this means delicious You will often hear young girls saying this in a squealing pig voice, lengthening all the i's by about 3 oiiii-shiiii men often say it as a sort of a short, curt announcement, often substituting it with the more masculine version, UMAI. OK repeat after me: OISHII

Kristin: Are you sure? Tobiko should be easily found at sushi restaurants in/around Tokyo? I have seen it is sushi shops, but not to the extent that I saw it in the US. It is almost impossible to find in supermarkets.

The raw crab (called kejang) is not really considered a kimchi. It's in the class of jeot or preserved fishy foods. Other popular kinds are made up of squid, tiny shrimps, fish guts or roe, etc. I love the squid and octopus ones! They are ridiculously expensive here in Japan though.

skchai, have you officially been welcomed to egullet yet? If not, WELCOME! It is going to be nice to have someone help us with our Korean spelling and word meanings! nice to have you!

Had an early BBQ at the in-laws, my contribution: spicy, sweet, sticky chicken wings

Maille dijon moutarde de meaux pommery coleman's powdered Japanese karashi in a tube French's (hey, it has its uses!)

I spent the day fixing up my yard and working on the garen too, not quite as romantic as snowangel though! I planted more bsail (can never have too much basil!), jalapenos, Korean hot red peppers, sugar snap peas, Moroccan green beans, and zucchini.. I bought cilantro seeds, arugula seeds, and baby salad mix seeds and hope to get those in tomorrow. Spring really is wonderful!!

and if you are a sumo wrestler you can say "gotsu an".

Saturday night: sweet and sour okra and chickpeas with tamarind and lots of garlic potatoes and onions sauteed with mustard seeds and ginger Japanese rice dessert: the cake for the last time!

I am a guac freak and make it quite often and like pretty much everyone else, it is never the same twice. The only three constants are avocado, lime and salt. For a while I liked it really creamy with sour cream added, then I went chuncky with lots of tomatoes, red onions and jalapenos. i am currently in a middle ground with sort of fork mashed verion with cilantro, tomatoes, onions, jalepenos, etc in any combo depending what is in the house. I don't really care for spices in mine cumin, chili powder etc.

word for 4/27: ごちそうさまでした gochisousamadeshita (pronounced just like it looks) This means "It was a feast" or simply is thanks for the meal. This should be said after every meal, to show thanks for the meal just eaten. As with itadakimasu this is said in group unison at school when everyone has finished. This can be said to the person who prepared the meal (at a home or in a restaurant) to the person who paid for the meal, if you had been treated, and to no one in general as sort of an announcement that you have finshed eating. It is often shortened to gochisosama in more informal instances. everyone repeat after me: gochisosamadeshita

It is quite sad to see the end of nabe season! There were so many I never got a chance to make.

the other gross thing is that they actually put the cheese ( a mix or mozarella and cheddar) into the noodles. What a waste of cheese!

Mentaiko, a spicy cod roe, is probably the one I use the most. I make potato salad with it, eat it plain with white rice, put it into chiges (Korean style stew/soup dish) and my absolute favorite mentaiko spaghetti!

apparently it can in some people: http://www.lauralewis.com/archives/magazin...aura11-1-99.htm

Seibu in Ikebukuro is probably my favorite, but I haven't been recently. I go to the smaller depatos (Tokyu and Hankyu) by my house and do my depachika shopping there, usually gettting bentos for lunch.