torakris

Do they have the orange and pinapple flavored kit kats too, or it is just a Japanese thing? The pineapple are quite nasty, but i rather enjoy the orange ones.

Thanks everybody! I amy be back after my new Jamie and Nigella books arrive, they were shipped from England on Monday.

The rice used for sticky rice in southeast Asia is really a long grain glutinous rice, very narrow. The glutinous rice used in China is shorter and stubbier and might give an approximation. The Japanese mochigome (sticky rice) is almost round and more white than transparent, sounds similar to the Chinese one. I will pick up a bag this week and give it a try.

Japan is very strict on their rice imports, basically there are none imported. Just this year I have finally seen jasmine rice but only at Costco and Carrefour (a French Costco type store) which some how seem to be above the import ban. The Japanese have their own sticky rice (mochigome) but I have never found the SE Asian ones. The Japanese type is more gluey, maybe I will give it a try though. Allowing foreign rice into the country would cause the price of Japanese rice to drop considerably and I doubt it will happen in the near future. A 10kg (25lb) bag of rice here cost from $40 upwards, I could get the same size of Calrose in Ohio at $11. I think I will try to pick up some arborio on my trip back to the States this winter.

Unfortunately I don't the choices of rices that others do. I have found arborio rice once in Japan and it was something like $15 for 500g (1lb). So I use Japanese rice and get decent results, it just isn't as creamy. Risottos are agreat way to get kids to eat their veggies, mine three love pumpkin risotto and spinach risotto and of course anything with peas.

Great site! Thanks! What is gem lettuce then? I assumed this was bibb/Boston type and then couldn't find it on the page.

I have her book 'Risotto Risotti' (published 1996) and think it is a great book. In her technique section she explains hw to make classic risotto, pressure-cooker risotto, microwave risottto, restaurant risotto (partially cooked to be finished later), baked risotto, and an almost no stir risotto. I haven't actually looked at the book in a while, maybe i will try something from it tonite. My favorite risotto is one from the New Basics with pesto and walnuts.

Thank you! I thought a swede was a rutabaga, but wasn't sure. Mangetout was one of those words i had heard before but couldn't place. muscavado sugar was a new one for me. A couple more: English round lettuce (iceberg?) smetana Italian 00 flour (more info about this please! protein content?)

I have borrowed my friend copy of Nigella lawson's 'How to Eat' and have stumbled across some ingredients that I am not sure what they are. If anyone could help.... what are: mangetout swede muscovado sugar There maybe more coming as I have not finished the book yet!

I love the crust the on meatloaf, so I always bake it free form. I make the Cook's Illustrated (in The Best Recipe) version and love it, close to the taste of my mom's but even better. I skip the bacon and brown sugar glaze and spread the top with ketchup (just like mom did!). My Japanese mother inlaw loves this meatloaf and at least twice a month she brings me 2kg of ground beef and pork mix to make two loaves one for her and one for us. I especially love it the next day cold in a sandwich with ketchup, but the way my 3 kids eat it there are rarely leftovers.

I like the communal tables at these "Japanese steak houses", don't particularly care for the food , but the atmosphere is usually good. These are the restaurants I would take friends who were visiting from Japan to, they always got a kick out of it. I have had good tables and bad tables, sometimes the chef is chatty and he can help break the ice. I don't understand those people who are so rude and won't even acknowledge your prescence at the table, why don't they sit in the dining room or sushi bar? If they wanted a private dinner why would they choose this kind of restaurant? One of the best ones I have been to was when I was living in Maui, it was somehting like Kobe steak house, definitely Kobe in the name. About 95% of the restaurant is tourists and the chef usually starts by asking people where they are from and it really gets the conversation going. In Japan where communal tables can be the norm is smaller establishments, no one talks to their neighbor, not even a glance or a cursory nod as they sit down. But then there are the very samll izakaya, usually seating under ten people that can be a lot of fun especially if the mama-san (female owner/chef) is very lively. I have spent hours (way back before kids) in these type of establishments conversing and laughing with complete strangers.

OOOOOOHHH!!! Do you use this for anything other than ice cream? Sounds heavenly! I already left my favorite icecream of the moment on the machine thread, but have you ever tried cinnamon ice cream? Delicious! Top it with some hot fudge Just don't make the mistake I did and tell your husband that it was better than sex! TRaht didn't go over real well, though my best friend completely agreed when I gave some to her

Bon, I completely agree with you, that info about ramen was way off base. I am not even a ramen eater (sorry) but I knew all the points they were wrong on. When I first came to Japan I was terrified to go to a ramen shop because I had read in a book that if you didn't drink of last drop of broth the shop owner would scream you and throw you out of the shop. In 12 years in Japan I think I have eaten ramen (at a ramen shop) about 3 times, I still can't get what that book said out of my mind. I haven't bought a tour guide since 1990, so mine are very outdated. I should probably take a look through just to get a laugh.

??Is this colesalw with kimchee added or something completely different? I also love shungiku (chysanthemum) in anything, my favorite is shungiku rice; peel off the most tender stems and place them in a bowl, toss with some soy sauce and sesame seeds, heat some sesmae oil until smoking and more on top . Mis and then add in in some fresh steamed Japanese rice and mix again. I made dinner tonite for some very picky Japanese friends (no husbands, just the wives and kids) who wanted to eat something "American". I made meatloaf (with no onions because the one woman can't eat them, I will never do that again!), mashed potatoes, and a tomato salad with EVOO, basalmic, S and P and anice loaf of whole grain bread. I admit it wasn't bad and everyone loved it but I was dreaming of eating at Jinmyo's!

I actually paused and reread this again. "Kobe Tuna" is has to be a play on Kobe beef. Even the majority of tuna eaten in Japan doesn't even come from Japanese territorial waters, most of it is from the Indian Ocean. I also have never heard this word before and the thought of eating something that came out of the waters near Kobe......

I think they are really the same and although not all of them can be used interchangeably, some are able to and can even be slightly adapted to fit the flavor pairing you are looking for. I have used chutneys to compliment a fish grilled with "mexican" flavors and I even make a Korean tomato "salsa" with sesame oil and chilies that great with grilled or roated asparagus. In today's world of fusion cooking it is becoming harder and harder to make distinctions. Both salsa and chutneys use fruits and vegetables, both fresh and dried herbs/seeds, they are both cooked and fresh, they are both sauces used as condiments. The only difference I can think of is their country of origin.

Jinmyo Thanks! I didn't even notice you posted the thread, I didn't realize that was what the underlined word meant. I will have to give that a try. Thanks again extremely embarrassed by my computer illiteracy!

You guys are too fast! I pull up this thread and so far no on ehas responded so I think "wow, I have lots of uses for ground beef even covering all the continents". I pop in the kitchen to whip up some ice coffee, plop back down in front of the computer and what do you know, my kheema curry, bibimbap and larb are already out there! Well I guess I can second these suggestions. I would link to thread if I knew how but on the bibimbap thread I posted a marinade that is great on ground beef that you can then roll in lettuce leaves. Also good is to saute it with various sauces and seasonings depending on your taste. Try hoison sauce, oyster sauce, kojuchang, or nampla adding ginger or garlic or scallions or herbs (mint and basil go great with nampla and cilantro with almost anything). These beef mixture can be scooped into lettuce rolls, on its own or with rice and or julienned veggies (such as cucumbers, carrots, daikon, sweet or hot peppers) or it can be placed on top of rice with or with out a fried egg. Don't forgeta bolognese sauce or even lasagne, This month's Cook's Illustrated has a lasagne that can be prepared start to finish in 90 minutes, my friend just made it and said it was great. I am off to the store to get some ricotta today.

togarashi is actually a misnomer, togarashi is actually the name of a small hot red pepper. Occasionally sold fresh it is much more common dried (whole). When it is ground (usually more of a flake) it is called ichimi or one flavor and this is what your cookbook is probably referring to. Ichimi does not contain the seeds, so is a little milder than red pepper flakes. shichimi means seven spice and consists of togarashi flakes, sansho (Japanese pepper pods), dried mandarin orange peel, black hemp seeds (or sometimes poppy seeds), dark green nori seaweed bits and white sesame seeds. Occasionaly other things can be added in addition, on eof the most popular being yuzu (citron). In Japan there is also aotogarashi (a green pepper that they call blue) and akatogarashi (a red pepper) both of these are also sold only in their fresh form and are fairly mild, maybe similar to an anaheim. In Japan they sell both shichimi and sansho is small bottles with a mill attatched, so you grind it yourself when you need it, the flavor is soooo different from the regular bottled stuff. If you can find it where you are give it a try.

Sorry about that! In the US at least they are referred to as Asian pears. Nashi season is from about September to November, so they should be appearing in stores soon, especially the Asian markets. A great time to try out the recipe!

Thanks for pointing out the apples, Fuji is definitely my first choice, I wouldn't recommend either red delicious( too bland and mushy) or granny smith (too tart). Find a good eating apple with a nice balance of sweet and tart. I always add chillies when making it with chicken breast, I hate bland food! I usually double the amount of pepper myself, but i find that even 1 tablespoon freaks most people out and they end up using only about a teaspoon. It is really the black pepper that makes the dish, don't be afraid of it folks! Even at 2 Tablespoons there is only a hint of it!

I also believe that each rice has its own purpose and I eat them to enjoy them. My house is always stocked with Japanese rice, brown rice, jasmine rice and basmati. And depending on what is for dinner I will decide which rice to prepare. I am not a health freak but I do eat healthy and no food is off limits Brown rice has its complimentary foods, I love it with adobo and in fried rice, but I wouldn't eat it with most Asian dishes and never in a risotto. I have a friend who only eats brown rice ("becasue it is good for you"), she makes it with Indian curries and even serves it with sashimi. Of course this same woman substitutes margarine ("because it is good for you") in all of her baking and then she calls me up to ask why my cake recipe turned out so bad. Don't forget though that a bowl of white rice served with a big thick and juicy T-bone steak is going to have 10 times the protein that a bowl of brown rice and a salad, and I know which one I would rather die eating! So seriously folks, just eat what ever you want, just make sure it tastes good and you are happy eating it!

Wow! I am so excited I finally figured out how to use the quote function and it actually worked. Sorry, us computer illiterates getting excited over stupid things. Okay back to bibimbap!

torakris- Would you be willing to share your marinade recipe? I am excited to make bibimbap at home--I'd like to do the beef strip version. What cut of meat do you use? Also, do you go the raw beef method, or do you cook it? Thanks! I would love to share my recipe. Bulggogi and bukalbi marinade makes enough for 2lbs of meat 1/2 cup soy sauce (preferably Japanese, NOT the American Kikkoman) 3 Tablespoons sugar (white granulated) 3 Tablespoons apple or nashi, grated preferably on a daikon or ginger grater 2 scallions, thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic, grated (same way as the apple) 4 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted 4 Tablespoons dark sesame oil 1 Tablespoon black pepper Mix everyhting together and add to meat, use right away or marinate a couple of hours. I use this on any type of beef. For ground beef use is it in bibimbap, or try wrapping it in lettuce leaves with either rice or julienned veggies such as cucmber or daikon, don't forget to add a dollop of kojuchang to the leaf as well. If you can buy strips of meat already cut that is fine (the last time I was in the US I noticed a stirfry cut in the meat department), you can also cut your own. If you have access to an Asian market that sells meat, look for the thinly (paper thin) cut slices. This is what I usually use. It is also great on steaks, but my favorite is with short ribs or the ribs (I don't know what they are called in English) that are about 6 inches long, 1/2 an inch thick and have 3 half circle shaped bones. I always had a hard time finding them in Cleveland, but every store in Hawaii sells them. These cuts are especially good on a grill, and I would definitely marinate them a couple of hours. Enjoy!

I have been through this 3 times in the past 6 years, unfortunately I have a small freezer so casseroles where out of the question. I did do a lot of pasta sauces, especially pestos (using various nuts and herbs) because they took up the least amount of space. I also made curry pastes, just saute some fish and veggies add a can of coconut milk, some of the curry paste to taste, S and P and serve over rice or even noodles if you want. A meal in mere minutes.Purchased curry pastes also work great. Frittatas also make great meals, they are fast and can be made with anything you have on hand. Don't worry to much about it, the pizza guy will get to know you pretty well anyway! Of course you could also have ababy like my second daughter who slept 23 hours a day. She was always sleeping so I never went anywhere and ending up spending most of my time in the kitchen. 5 course meals for my husband , 10 layer cakes for friends who came to see the baby. I have never spent that much time in the kitchen in my whole life!