torakris

1/30: This time of year ankimo can also be found as a popular item at sushi bars, it is usually served as a gunkan maki. If you absolutely must eat it out of season, you can always find it canned.

Review of Saha thread

I am glad to introduce the world to Pocky!! It is also nice to hear about Parkersburg, I haven't beent here in years. I spent 6 years just over the border in Southern Ohio and spent quite a bit of time in Parkersburg, that area is really beautiful.

Hiroyuki, Thanks! I have fixed the link.

1/29: あんきも ankimo monkfish liver This is probably the most prized part of the ankou fish and it is appropriately referred to as "the foie gras of the sea". This winter delicacy is most commonly steamed whole then served in slices with a ponzu sauce. An eGullet thread on ankimo Directions in English for preparing ankimo at home

I have a photographic memory when it comes to grocery and restaurant prices. I could still probably tell you the price of of everything I bought last week. I always keep an eye on the register when things are being rung up and I have to admit I notice quite a few more mistakes in the US than I do here in Japan. My most recent overcharging was just a month ago and it was in Bali. It was our first dinner in Bali and it was a restaurant I had heard good things about from two sources. I should have known something was up when we sat down and the waitress kept trying to get us to order their special (and very pricey) Christmas Eve Dinner. It was December 27th.... We ordered from the menu and I tallied up the bill in my head, when the check came it was almost $50 when it should have been more like $35. I glanced at the prices and noticed almost everything was different than was listed in the menu. I was about to ask to see the menu again when the waitress came over with this clipboard and flyers about their Special New Year's Eve dinner/party with a jazz band and open bar for something like $75 a person. On the clipboard she had written party of 5 for 7:00pm and she said all she needed was our name. I just stared at her and told her I wasn't interested. She wouldn't give up, she kept going on about this upcoming event and saying "if you just give me your name...". My husband had taken the 3 kids outside so I was alone, even telling her that we were leaving the island that morning didn't phase her. Finally I just stood up put the $50 on the table and walked out of the restaurant. I just didn't have the energy anymore. I really doubt the overcharging in this place was accidental....

I looove coffee jelly! I have never tried it before because my kids don't like it and I can buy it so cheaply anywhere. This cost me 84yen... I would love to try a recipe too if anyone has one.

It was no stronger than any other matcha flavored snacks I have had. Hiroyuki, I know that is the character for koi (strong/deep flavored) but how is it read in this combination? ← This is really tricky. As you know, it can be read either koi or nou, but I can't determine which. I tried to find an answer by googling, but in vain. I'll send an inquiry to the manufacturer, and hopefully post a reply here. In the case of Meltykiss, I learned that 濃いちご is read koi ichigo, but I can't tell whether 濃抹茶 is read koi matcha or nou matcha. So, I think I have to send an inquiry to that manufacturer, too. ← Thanks! I was thinking koi sounded better but my husband thinks it should be read nou...

It was no stronger than any other matcha flavored snacks I have had. Hiroyuki, I know that is the character for koi (strong/deep flavored) but how is it read in this combination?

1/28: あんこう唐揚 ankou karaage deep fried ankou あんこう刺身 ankou sashimi these are two other ways you may run across ankou meat click here for pictures, the last two

It is that time of year again! I just enjoyed my first sakura mochi of the season. and not too long I tried the new sakura flavored Kit Kat, which I will never make the mistake of eating again....

a recent wagashi gift from one of my students, the sakura mochi were really wonderful!

Not the prettiest dish but it sure tastes good. Sanma (saury pike) simmered for almost an hour so that the bones become so soft that you can eat them.

last night a very simple miso soup with satoimo (taro)

The newest mousse Pocky (Pockies? ) Matcha and Murasaki imo (purple potato), I love the box design on these.

the two newest in the mousse Pocky series matcha and murasaki imo (purple potato) aren't the boxes pretty?

HIROSHIMA PREFECTURE (region = Chugoku) http://www.infocreate.co.jp/hometown/hiroshima/tabe-e.html http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-2561...ants_and_bars-i http://neo.pharm.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/arima/foodn.html http://www.pref.hiroshima.jp/soumu/nowe/now04-3.html to discuss the foods of Hiroshima go to this thread: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=81955

1/27: どぶ汁 dobujiru This is a dish that at first glance might look very similar to ankou nabe but while ankou nabe is usually made by simmering the fish and vegetables in kelp broth, dobujiru should use no additional liquid. It is a little bit trickier than the nabe but the fish and vegetables should give off enough liquid to prevent the whole thing from burning. They both start with a liver paste and are seasoned with miso but with less liquid added the dobujiru has a much stronger taste. step by step dobujiru this person adds a bit of water and they make the comment that they are worried the vegetables won't give off enough.. click on the pictures to see tham bigger

1/26: 共酢　ともず tomozu This is another great way to enjoy the nanatsu dougu. Various ankou meats and other parts are arranged on a dish a served with vinegar-miso sauce that has been enriched with a paste made from the ankou liver. tomozu (second picture down)

As a child I had no problem eating raw beef but I think I avoided chicken and pork because you just heard scarier things about it. At the age of 17 I took a class trip to Spain and when I came home all I could do was talk about their pork. It was there that I learned pork can taste good and it doesn't have to be cooked until it turns to rubber. Almost 20 years later I still dream about the incredible pork I ate all over Spain. Now I live in a country where almost anything can be eaten raw. I now eat raw beef liver, horse meat, whale meat and even chicken brains and don't bat an eye and most importantly neither do my dining partners.

Come, come, Torakris: as a faithful reader of Japan Forum and your blogs, I know you are a very good cook and very knowledgeable. Recipes aren't intended to be followed exactly, only as ideas. My point in referring to my recipe for cherry pie was to encourage stove-top pie filling. You can easily eliminate or substitute many of the ingredients. Skip the chocolate layer, skip the booze or spices. Use the recipe as a guide, not a requirement. ← I guess I prefer cooking rather than baking bceasue I can taste as I go along and even reseason a final dish. Baking isn't as forgiving.... It turned out we didn't have nearly enough cherries to make a pie, so I turned it into a tart instead. I followed the advice about thickening some of the syrup on the stove, this worked out great and then I added some flavoring/sugar/ect. It turned out great! I am really craving cherry pie now though....

1/25: あんこう鍋 ankou nabe This is the ankou hot pot and one of the best ways to enjoy the nanatsu dougu (7 tools). This time of year most supermarkets will sell ankou nabe sets that consist of ankou meat and all or some of the nanatsu dougu. some pictures of ankou nabe

Thank you for the tips! I saw the recipe for the cherry pie before I posted here and it looked gorgeous but I ran as soon as I saw the ingredient list.... I am a very novice baker and prefer recipes that start with, open the box...

It is so nice to know I am not the only one who used to sneak raw meats from the kitchen counter..... I just started a new thread on this topic

In the Yuk Hwe (Korean raw beef dish) thread there was some discussion of people snacking on raw beef as a child, usually sneaking it out of the bowl as mom was looking the other way. I love raw beef and as a child I was more interested in the raw meatloaf than the raw cookie dough. My grandfather, who loved raw beef as much as I did, would always make a special Kris burger just for me. It was just seared on the outside and somewhere between raw and rare, the rest of the family referred to it as the still moo-ing burger. At the age of 20 I joined the US Army to help pay for college and was assigned to be a Food Inspection Specialist. My favorite part of the job was doing the meat inspections, I would walk into the huge refrigerated rooms and be surrounded by beef carcasses hanging from the ceiling. The smell was absolutely intoxicating, I was in heaven. Part of the inspection included rubbing your hands on the inside of the carcass and I wanted to badly to pull off chunks and stuff them into my mouth.... I would also spend much more time than I needed to watching the butchers cut up the meat for sale just so I could take in the smell. I don't think I will ever stop eating raw beef and every summer I still indulge in a couple Kris burgers. Any other raw beef beef lovers?