torakris

Monday dinner: put togehter in less then 20 minutes! fresh sardines cooked kabayaki style (with soy and mirin) stirfry of bean sprouts, cabbage, white, onion and carrots drizzled with ponzu cucumber salad with sesame dressing Japanese rice with furikake and nori everyone, including husband!, fell asleep by 8:00 so no dessert

In Japan most microwaves are microwave/oven dual combos, so you get 2 for the price of 1! I use mine everyday, mostly to heat up rice. I don't like the taste of rice that has been kept warm in the rice cooker, so after cooking I turn it off and transfer it to the refrigerator. Then I microwave some every morning for my husband's breakast (onigiri) and his bento lunch. I also use it to warm up indivual portions of curry, stew, chilli's etc for the kid's and my lunches. I aslo use the defost for meats, frozen bagels, etc. Popcorn too melting butter/and or chocolate

I had lunch last summer with a fellow American who has actually lived in Japan for longet then I have. She reads no Japanese and has about a 30 word vocabulary The msnus were written in Japanese (of course) and italian (Italian restaurant), so first off she asks me to translate the entire menu for her, this was no biggie, then the waitress comes over and she starts to complain that her water has too much water in it, the napkins are too big, etc, really unbelievable stuff and she is doing this all in ENGLISH! so the waitress is standing there with a blank look on her face and friend insists I translate since her point is obviously not getting through. Then she tries to order, again in English, but of course can't possibly eat the food with out making about a hundred changes all of which I have to explain, the meal was a nightmare. I felt so sorry for the poor waitress and copletely embarrassed for myself. On the way out I aplogized to the waitress and gave her a big "otsukaresamadeshita" which means thank you for all your hard work/perserverance! I sort of blew this woman off and hadn't heard from her until about a month ago, when she called me from inside a taxi because she wanted to know the name of a specific Japanese dish (tonkatsu) so she could tell the driver. She then proceed to gab for about 20 minutes sharing with me everything that has happened since I last saw her. SHe finally says, I guess I should get off the phone now because I am using the taxi driver's cell phone! I hope he charged her for it!

Niku-jyaga (Japanese simmered beef and potatoes) Serves 4 as Main Dish. Niku-jyaga is probably one of the best loved homestyle dishes in Japan (OK second to Japanese style curry rice). Meat and potatoes at one of their best. try to get your beef at a Japanese market and get it as thin as possible (shabu shabu cut, sukiyaki cut, or usu-kiri), you want some that also has a decent amount of marbling, or it will be tough. 2 lb potatoes, cut into large bite size pieces 1 lb thinly sliced beef, cut into large bite size pieces (see intro) 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1-1/2 T sesame oil 5 T soy sauce 2 T sugar 3 T mirin 1. In a large (12") frypan heat the seame oil over med-high heat, add the onion and stir until just starting to wilt. Add the beef add cooking, stirring, untl it just loses its color. 2. Add the soy, sugar and mirin, bring to a boil then add the potatoes, stir a couple of times, then add enough water to come a little more then half way up the potatoes. tirn the heat to high and cover, stirring frequently. 3. When the potatoes are just tender remove the lid, boiling down til there is almost no liquid left, adding an extra splash of soy if you want. (I like it heavy on the soy!) Serve hot or at room temperature or anywhere in between. 3 Keywords: Main Dish, Dinner, Easy, Japanese, Beef, Potatoes, eGCI ( RG340 )

Simmered kabocha Serves 4 as Side. One of the most common ways of preparing the Japanese kabocha. 500 g kabocha, cut into large chunks 2 c dashi (instant is fine), in a pinch you can use water 5 T sugar 1 T soy sauce salt 1. Add all of the ingredients with a pinch or salt to a sauce pan and bring to boil over high heat. 2. cover with a drop lid (a tin foil circle is fine)and cook at medium heat for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on the size. Do not stir during this time. Test for doneness with a bamboo skewer or toothpick, it should slide in easily with almost no resistance, with out falling apart. 3. Let cool slightly in the liquid, before serving. It can also be served at room temperature and holds for 3 days in the refrigerator. It may take a couple tries to perfect this depending on the size of the kabocha, the size of the pan, and the stregth of your fire. Keywords: Side, Easy, Vegetables, Japanese ( RG339 )

Octopus and potato salad Serves 4 as Salad. 200 g boiled octopus, cut in bite size pieces 200 g waxy potatoes, cut the same size as octopus 1/4 c EVOO 1 lemon small handful of basil, ripped into samll pieces salt freshly ground pepper 1. Combine the EVOO and juice from the lemon in a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper. Add the octopus, stir to combine. 2. Boil the potatoes in salted water until just tender, drain, then add to the bowl while still hot. 3. Let cool to room temperature, then add the basil and stir to combine. Adjust seasoning. Serve **this can be served at either room temperature or cold. Keywords: Salad, Easy, Italian, Potatoes ( RG338 )

Cauliflower and broccoli with a walnut sauce Serves 4 as Side. This is a twist on goma-ae or sesame dressing using walnuts instead. Feel free to use either all broccoli or cauliflower. This uses a suribachi, if you don't have one you can try using a spice grinder. 1/2 small head of cauliflower 1 medium head of broccoli 100 g walnut pieces 2 T soy sauce 2 T sugar salt 1.Cut the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets and steam until done to your liking. Set aside to cool to room temperature. 2.Toast the walnuts in a small frypan, then add to a suribachi (Japanese mortar and pestle) while still hot, pounding well. It should not be smooth, there will be quite a few small pieces. 3. Add the soy sauce and sugar mixing well. Adding more sugar or soy to taste and a little salt. 4. Add the cauliflower and broccoli and stir to combine. Serve Keywords: Side, Japanese, Vegetarian, Easy, Vegetables ( RG337 )

Pork and Cucumber Wasabi salad Serves 4 as Salad. If you have access to an Asian market look for that the cut of pork labeled shabu shabu or usu-kiri, it is difficult to slice it this thin by yourself. Myoga (ginger bud?) is a wonderful accent and if you can find it use it, if not substitute scallions or ginger or even a mixture of both. 400 g thinly sliced pork (see intro) 3 Japanese cucumbers (or 1 American one) 3 myoga buds (see intro) 100 ml soy sauce 100 ml mirin 100 ml rice vinegar wasabi (fresh, from a tube, or made from a powder) 1.Combine the soy, mirin, vinegar, and wasabi in a medium sized bowl. Add as much wasabi as you like, start with about 1/2 teaspoon and take it from there. 2. Cut the cucumbers in half and remove the seeds then slice thinly on the diagonal. Place into some ice water. 3.Thinly slice the myoga and place in the ice water with the cucumbers. 4.Bring a pot of water to just before boiling and add some of the pork (it should take about 5 -6 times to finish all of the pork) stirring with hashi or tongs and removing to a bowl of ice water as it is just cooked. Repeat with all of the pork adding cold water to the pot in between additions if it starts to boil. 5.Remove pork from the ice water and blot with paper towels to remove as much water as possible. If the pork is in large slices pull apart with your hands to make it bite sized. Add the pork the the wasabi dressing and mix well. 6. Drain the cucumbers and myoga well and place onto a dish, pour the pork mixture on top. Serve ** for a prettier presentation keep the cucumbers and myoga in seperate bowls, then place the cucumbers on the bottom, then the pork, with the myoga on top . Keywords: Salad, Japanese, Easy, Pork, Dinner ( RG336 )

Tomato donburi Serves 1 as Main Dish. This is a great lunch when tomatoes are in season! Though I never refrigerate tomatoes, it makes a difference here. 1 large COLD tomato, diced 1/2 T minced ginger 1 tsp kosher salt yaki-nori, shredded hot Japanese rice 1. Combine the tomato, ginger, and salt in a bowl and set aside for about 10 minutes. 2. Place the hot rice in a bowl and sprinkle the nori on top, using a slotted spoon (or your hands) scoop the tomatoes out of the juices and place on top of the nori. 3. Eat immediately Keywords: Main Dish, Lunch, Vegetarian, Japanese, Easy, Vegetables ( RG335 )

Theya re just called shio rakkyo, and they aren't that popular so I buy them whenever I run across them. My husband sometimes makes his own.

give me raw anything over cooked anything anyday!

Sorry, I am a Tokyo gal! Ihave only been to Osaka once and that was in 1990. If you have any general question about Japan or Japanese food......................

Shortening does help make a thicker cookie. i use all shortening when I am making M &M cookies. No matter how thick I try to make them the M&M's fall out when I put them on the racks to cool. They end up being a little on the cakey side but are still quite good.

One of my favorite pickles in rakkyo (a type of onion). I prefer the su-zuke (vinegared) version, while my husband likes the shio-zuke (salt version), a new type of rakkyo becoming quite popular in Japan right now is a version "pickled" in red wine.

tsukudani: http://www.bob-an.com/recipe/dailyjc/hints.../tsku/tsku.html Thses came up on the tsukemono thread, but I think they fit here better.

Interesting bento site: http://www.tjf.or.jp/eng/ge/ge05obento.htm

I forgot to add to my BBQ list our grilled soramame, same as fava beans. They were soaked, rubbed with salt and then grilled until well blacked, even though they were quite mature the normally tough inner skins were completely edible. Absolutely delicious!

I can't remember now what cookbook I read it in, but the author made the comment that although seared (rare inside) tuna is all the rage in most of the world, the people of either France or Italy (can't remember which country either) prefer their tuna completely cooked through. It always seems like a waste of tuna to me............... but you never know until you try it. If you make it, let us know!

Just finished up an early Sunday BBQ dinner with my in-laws at our house: tortilla chips with guacamole and pico de gallo grilled sardines with EVOO and lemon Poc Chuc-- grilled pork served with pickled onion and salsa chiltomate (from The Barbecue Bible) grilled shiitake, peppers, and eggplant hot dogs and hamburgers ice cream for dessert

This might belong in another thread on the Japan forum, but you shouldn't have to pay $3 for mac & cheese in Japan if you don't want to -- Foreign Buyers' Club has Kraft Mac & Cheese for 207 yen and less. (Where to store your bulk purchases from FBC is another matter, though!) Actually I order the cases (24 boxes) of springfield mac and cheese from them. But with delivery being 4 to 6 weeeks, when you need it right now.................. you will pay anything!

Just got the newest flyer from pizza hut in today's newspaper. The newest pizza: potato and corned beef! with: cubed potato corned beef (canned) asparagus red bell pepper black pepper mayo they advertise it as a perfect match with the sausage crust!

I dated one of those too! My husband is so different he actually asks for fried rice (just fried rice nothing else) or pasta in his bento. He could care less what it looks like!

This is similar to my coleslaw, except my dressing is a lot less complex - usually just rice vinegar and canola oil, with a little sesame oil for flavor. Yours looks much better; I'll try the next time I make slaw. Well, that's the official version. If I don't have all the ingredients, I use what I have. The hoisin is essential, though, I think. JAZ that looks great, Hoison sauce you say.... I have definitely got to give that a try! anything with hoison has got to be good, I like the idea of add chicken to it, sort of makes it a whole meal!

I am not sure of he US prices (I think is about the same though) but when Costco opened by my sister's house (Cleveland), they gave out free memberships to people in the area!

I haven't had those in years! It is strange when I was living in the US I would make weekly treks, to Asian stores and spend incredible amounts of money to eat this stuff but now that I live in Japan and can buy these things at the 100yen ($.85) store, I never touch the stuff. But I will pay $3.00 for a box of kraft Mac and Cheese!