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Most Japanese people, at least in my experience, are unaware that curry is actually a mixture of several different spices. So they make curry with either a pre-prepared roux or a store-bought powdered curry. The recipe you found is unusual, as I think few households have any of those spices other than curry powder (and I'm pretty sure you can't find garam masala in a regular Japanese supermarket). There are many different versions of both Japanese curries and Indian curries (if there even is such a thing as an Indian "curry"), but I guess the main difference is that typical Indian curries are made with a mixture of spices, freshly roasted and ground, cooked with onions, garlic, ginger etc before other ingredients are added. While Japanese curry is made the same as stew, with a hard, store-bought roux melted in at the end. So yes, Japanese curry is different from Indian curry. As is Thai curry, Jamaican curry etc.

Prasantrin, I envy the hell out of you and your gas oven. I still haven't figured out my little convection oven (and if your gas oven gives you any trouble I'll be glad to trade!). I think the gas company (and maybe the manufacturer of your gas oven) holds cooking classes and probably has a webpage with gas oven-specific recipes. If your cheesecake doesn't turn out it would be worth checking this out...

Yup, ice monaka is great! The Jumbo Choco-monaka shown is a big favourite of mine. Only problem is the monaka is often stale, which totally ruins it. Taiyaki is not a kind of monaka. It is made of a pancake-like batter and filled with anko, and commonly available at yatai or stands outside of train stations or in entertainment districts. Always sold hot and freshly made. At some places there is a choice of fillings, like tsubu-an, shira-tama, chocolate, custard etc. I don't think I've tried the frozen version, but you've piqued my interest so I'll have to give it a try. Monaka differs from taiyaki in that the an is covered by a wafer. I'm not a big fan of regular monaka because the is a lot of an in proportion to wafer, which makes it far too too sweet. Also, the an's moisture causes the monaka to become soft and stale. But some monaka comes with the an and wafer wrapped seperately, you don't put them together until you're ready to eat it, which guarantees a crisp wafer. Both monaka and taiyaki are kinds of wagashi, more specificly (I think) they are kinds of nan-ban-gashi ("southern barbarian sweets", so-called because wheat-based coverings show a foreign influence).

Thank you Helen! I'll get right to work pickling garlic, since these are a favourite of my husband's (I wonder if botulism is a concern though...). Using the garlic-infused miso as a marinade is a great idea- I bet pork chops would be amazing. Months ago you gave directions for saikyo-zuke on another board, and I've been doing it ever since. It is always a hit and a very economical too, since I can use whatever fish or pork is cheapest. Thanks for all the ideas!

Helen, where do you keep the garlic miso pickles during pickling? When they're done, do you take them out of the miso and start a new batch, or just leave them in there? Can you use the miso after that?

Helen, great stuff so far! About the tempeh. Suddenly it's appearing all over- is there some sort of tempeh fad going on? I remember eating it in high school when I was a vegetarian, and just naturally assumed that it was a Japanese product. So it was a big surprise when I first came to Japan and couldn't find tempeh. And now here it is. So how is it usually cooked? HTST. Probably this refers to the making of the coffee rather than hot storage. This particular can of coffee was likely bought and drunk cold- in the summer most vending machines switch to all cold drinks. This Hot Temperature Short Time concept is really important to Japanese coffee. Coffee shops (the old-fashioned, dying breed kind, not Starbucks type chains) don't use coffee makers or espresso machines- they make each cup of coffee in an individual filter, using a special pouring technique that ensures each ground of coffee is equally saturated for the shortest time possible.

Where does the edamame sold in North America come from? Is it available fresh? The frozen edamame I've had back home in Canada was good enough for a substitute, but it just doesn't compare to fresh edamame. In Japan fresh edamame is usually domestically grown, as opposed to other forms of soybeans, which apparently mostly come from the US or China. Last night I had edamame grown just a block away from my house- doesn't get any better than that. But I've never seen fresh edamame back in Canada. I remember asking once in a Japanese market in Toronto, and being told that it was the wrong season (this was early summer). Which didn't make sense, since I'm pretty sure soybeans are now grown all year in parts of the States. So does that mean that the edamame sold in North America comes all the way from Japan?

I finally found sriracha in Japan! It is now carried by Kaldi, my favourite import food shop. At about 400yen for a cute little 200mL sqeeze bottle, it's not cheap, but I'm glad I found it. It's a great size to use at the table. Kaldi has many shops in the Kanto area and a few more in the rest of Japan. Check here for the shop closest to you: http://www.kaldi.co.jp/store/index.html For some reason Kaldi no longer sells pure peanut butter though. Anyone know where I can get some in Tokyo or online?

I've had stringy katsuo too (also stringy maguro). Helen, the pre-sliced katsuo is a great idea. The inside flesh is visible so you can can tell if it will be stringy or not just by looking. The grocery stores around here tend to sell the the sliced katsuo and the whole slab of katsuo right beside eachother, using the same batch of fish. So far I've had good luck buying whole piece of katsuo based on what the sliced stuff looks like. The last few times I bought katsuo it was really good- I can't imagine frozen katsuo being better! I will keep my eyes open for it (but I wonder if it's only available from a co-op). For searing the katsuo, I follow the routine I learned from Gatten- skewer the katso and hold it directly above a high flame. Sear the skin first, until it bubbles, then finish off the sides very quickly. The show said to forget about cooling the katsuo down in an ice-water bath- this removes the 'kobashii' flavour and besides, the searing time is so quick that the inside meat should remain cool. So I just sear, slice and serve. This technique works just fine and my katsuo tataki has been great ever since.

Thank you Hiroyuki, I was able to find a wealth of information about arsenosugars, which I've never heard of before. It seems that hijiki contains a few different arsenic compounds- inorganic arsenic and arsenosugars. There is no question that inorganic arsenic is highly toxic, but there are two things that no one seems to agree on: First, does hijiki even contain inorganic arsenic? Most of the English-language sources confirm that it does, but I couldn't find any Japanese sites that even mentioned inorganic arsenic (this could be more to do with my poor reading skills though). And second, about arsenosugars. Most sources, in English or Japanese, say arsenosugars abound in hijiki, but strangely the CFIA warning doesn't even mention them. More to the point, are arsenosugars really harmless? Again, the English and Japanese sources differed here, with Japanese research apparently proving that arsenosugars pass through the body without causing any harm. English-language sources, however, mention research that shows that arsenosugars are metabolized in the body into a compound called dimethylarsinic acid (DMAA) as well as other forms of arsenic. Not much is known about DMAA, but it certainly can't be considered harmless. This site, http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/eletters/44/3/539 , hs this to say: Why is there such a big difference between the Japanese research and the western research? Are the laws of physics different here in Japan? Do these scientists not read eachothers' findings? In short, this claim of hijiki's arsenosugars being harmless smacks of sugar-coating. Sites like this http://www.iseko.com/kona/page/situmon.html , where hijiki products are on sale, assure us that hijiki's arsenic is safe. A little too sweet for me, thanks.

Yay- katsuo tataki gets its own thread! Kristin, I'm going to start serving the 'toppings' in seperate dishes, since it really is a waste to cover up the beautiful fish. Actually, covering it up used to make sense, back when I used to mangle my sashimi with a cheap kitchen knife... So is frozen katsuo any good? Can you freeze any kind, or do you have to make sure the fish has never been frozen (and how do you tell if the fish has been frozen- it isn't always indicated)?

Pompollo, you're on the Seibu Shinjuku line? Me too! I checked out Pepe's depachika after they renovated it a few years back, and I was not impressed. I'll have to go back and check out the onigiri shop. Thanks for the tip.

You're right, it's not. When a word, any word, ends in the syllable 'su', the final vowel tends to get dropped, especially in casual speech. I think the reason Hiroyuki said it was only 'masu' and 'desu' that get their final vowels dropped was because those verbs are by far the most common words that end in 'su'. Actually, I think the final u is never really dropped, it's just said really quietly. Or said silently under the breath- one's tongue and mouth are forming the u, there's just no sound coming out.

I asked my Dad (AKA Mr. Science Man) about this and here is what he had to say: I just sent off another email asking about this mysterious 'arsenic sugar' mentioned in Hiroyuki's link. Have no idea what compound this refers to, but from what I've read on other Japanese sites I'm wondering if it's a laymen's term for arseno-betaine or arseno-cholide, the two relatively harmless types or organic arsenic. But that would mean that the Japanese sites are mistaking these compounds for more toxic inorganic arsenic- a huge disservice to readers! Anyway, hijiki is off the menu for now, but I hope to get to the bottom of this.

Yup! Tonight's menu: edamame Katsuo no tataki (seared bonito sashimi) Fresh corn on the cob Grilled eggplants I could happily eat the same thing every night. So how does everyone serve their katsuo tataki? Tonight I plan to serve it on a bed of fresh mizuna and top it with kaiware-na, shiso and myoga, drizzled with ponzu-shoyu. Sometimes I use, instead of or in combination with those toppings, grated daikon, sliced negi and ginger. But piling on the toppings tends to cover up the beautiful deep-red katsuo, which is a shame. Does anyone showcase the fish by serve the toppings seperately? Do you pour the ponzu-shoyu on the katsuo or give a little dish full to each diner for dipping?

I think the word pie refers more often to the crust than the pie itself. So any kind of packaged snack called 'pie' will be nothing like pie as we know it, but will be more of a cookie made with a crispy pie-like crust. I love those 'leaf-pie' things- little bits of pie crusts shaped like a leaf, baked till crispy and sprinkled with sugar. To my eternal disappointment, no. That 4000yen Anna Miller pie is awful, and it's the closet thing I've ever had!

This is from the original link Very odd explanation- the art of marinating deep-fried food in vinegar DID come from abroad (as did the art of deep-frying itself), it was introduced by the Portugese. I've always assumed that the 'nanban' in nanban-zuke referred to the Portugese who introduced the dish. The Portugese and Spanish enjoy the dish, which I think they call escabeche, in their own countries and have introduced it to all the places they colonized or settled in. One of my favourite Jamaican dishes is escovitch fish- very similar to nanban-zuke, but with larger fish (usually snapper) and more heat. Here is a picture (third pic from the top): http://www.memoriesofjamaica.com/gallery.html When I was there this February I accidentally ordered a very Japanese-looking meal- escavitch fish with rice and peas, and bowl of red pea soup on the side. The rice and peas look just like sekihan and the soup, although savoury, looks a lot like shiruko- complete with little white dumplings. I just love how certain dishes or ingredients can travel the world and show up in the most diverse cuisines.

Wow, thanks for the pictures and descriptions everybody! I'll really have to join you all for the next get-together. ...Speaking of which, any ideas for the next one? Wa-gyu, shojin-ryori, a tour of Tsukiji with a sushi breakfast?

I always do that! So how do you usually ask for your check in this type of place?

I didn't know you could get them filled with ice cream! I imagine that would be similar to a bombetta (is this ice cream sandwich a Japanese invention or an actual Italian dessert?). My husband loves cream puffs, but as much as I like the crusts (especially the ones that are soft on the inside and crispy on the outside) I can't stand them all stuffed with whipped cream, custard cream or whatever gooey stuff they fill them with. Eeew. So rather than just ask for the crusts only (which I still have to pay full price for!) I will seek out a place that does ice cream!

Really? We always share our okonomiyaki, I thought that was the norm. So do you cook yours at the same time, or does one person go first while the other person waits? Seems strange to me...

That spread looks great, Kristin- is that okra I see? Never tried that with sushi but it looks good. My husband also prefers plain rice so I make just a little bit of sushi rice for me. And sometimes I put out some lettuce (the flat-leaf kind used for yakiniku) out along with the nori- makes an interesting variation. One question for all you home sushi makers- do you use a special kind of soy sauce, and if so do you make it yourself?

If so, I find it strange that, other than you, nobody knows anything about it or has even heard of it. There seems to be no knowledge of or interest in sushi's history. Or the history of food in Japan in general. I think that's a real shame. Maybe it's just me, but I've always been fascinated by the history of food. One of my favourite school trips was when we went to an old pioneer house and tried cooking a meal that the pioneers would have eaten. I used to love reading my mom's antique cookbooks, imagining how hard it would have been to prepare and what it would have tasted like. That stuff is just fascinating to me. So it's only natural that I'd be interested Edo-mae-zushi. How disappointing, then, that the few sources I can find give only the barest information, contradict eachother, and may not even be factual.

Agree with the sandwiches and reasonably priced berries (and not just berries but all kinds of fruit). Some more: Perogies. Greek food. Jamaican beef patties, and West Indian food in general. Falafels. Authentic South East Asian food. Especialy pho. Candy, especially sour candies and strawberry licorice. Back bacon. Panzerotti. Mexican/Tex-mex food. Clamato juice (for Bloody Caesars of course). Fish & chips. And, most of all, apple pie!

Well, I find it hard to imagine that the clever merchants of Edo wouldn't make wide use of ice, which with many lakes out in the country and Edo's own rivers, canals and reserviors, would have been far easier to obtain than you make out. Anyway, the sources I found that mention ice all quote from the same source: The Sushi Cookbook by Yukiko Moriyama. Here is an exserpt of the book, found on Yasu's Sushi Webpage ( http://www.icubed.com/~yasu/History.htm#Edo ): Yup, he's had a Sushi Nazi yell at him, and nope, I wasn't with him (although when he does order sabi-nuki at kaiten-zushi places, the chefs invariably give his orders to ME). I do agree that it was terribly arrogant. But that sushi chef's attitude reflects a major problem in Japan's restaurant industry- a refusal to cater to customers with individual tastes and needs (not to mention those customers with allergies and disabilities). This Sushi Nazi was a bit traumatic, which is probably one reason he's been so reluctant to go to a 'real' sushi-ya. Yes, kaiten-zushi shops have brought sushi back to its roots as an accessible, affordable food, and should be celebrated. I'm with you on that. But there really is no comparison! Even the best kaiten-zushi (and we've found a few good places) doesn't even come close to any of the 'real' sushi I've had in tradional sushi shops. Kaiten-zushi can be good, but rarely fantastic and never perfect. Helen, thank you! I really agree with this. Edozushi, or whatever it's called, should be recognized as a unique style.