smallworld

Hiroyuki, this is for you! Not really related to Japanese food, but I found an article in the New York Times about how much toaster ovens have improved. The other cooked a complete meal using one. No One Ever Slaved Over a Hot Toaster Oven (free registration required)

In a recent Metropolis, an article about "cool" summer food: http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/rec...ocalflavors.asp

Congratulations on your anniversary. I secone the dimsum idea, and third the St. Lawrence Market peameal bacon sandwich. My husband and I did both when we visited a few weeks ago. We skipped Lei Wah Heen (having blown most of our money on Perigee the night before) and headed to Bright Pearl (on Spadina, north of Dundas). They have a "happy hour" discount during off-hours, which includes breakfast (I think until 11:30). At St. Lawrence Market, be sure to follow the bacon sandwich with dessert. My husband loved the chocolate chunk shortbread cookies at Futures. Looking forward to seeing your report!

Thanks for the replies. I wasn't able to find fresh edamame when I was in town, but I'm glad to hear it can be found. I'll pass the info on to my brother, who goes to the St. Lawrence Market often. Thanks again!

Some of my older students have been raving about that red shiso drink for a few months now (did Mino Monta mention it on TV or something?). I haven't been impressed with most of their faddish health foods/drinks so far (like that horrid black soybean cocoa drink), so I didn't give this one much thought. But now I'm tempted to try it! One question, Helen- by "sweetner", do you mean artificial sweetner? Do you think Palsweet would work? Because I packed on a few more kilos during a trip home this summer, and I don't need any extra sugar. Speaking of shiso, I came back from my trip to discover all of the basil and parsley I'd planted this year, both of which had been thriving for once, had died. And a few metres away was a big healthy batch of (green) shiso plants. Funny thing is, I gave up planting shiso a few years ago, becuase they never lasted long. Wonder why they chose to spring up this year?

I always dip kara-age in sansho salt, and I bet yuzu or matcha salt would be good too. I imagine yuzu and sansho salt would be nice seasonings for yakitori, as well. And of course kushi-age is often served with flavoured salts. Hmm, bit of a theme there... As for non-deep-fried food, the past three years or so I've noticed more and more sushi being served sprinkled with salt. I really like it this way, especially with toro. Don't think matcha or sansho would be good this way, but the various fancy (non-flavoured) salts or maybe even yuzu salt might be nice with sushi. And how about flavoured salts on edamame or fresh sliced tomatoes?

Just wondering if anyone has ever seen fresh edamame (green soybeans) in the Toronto area. My father loves edamame and the ones I smuggled on the plane home from Japan only made him want more. Fresh ones are so much better than frozen, and considering the amount of soybeans grown in this country you'd think some of them would make their way to markets occasionally. I'm staying in Brampton but will be visiting Toronto a few times and would happily travel a bit further afield. Thanks!

Thanks for all the replies! Sounds like Lobster Island was the place I was talking about. I'm sad to hear it's gone. I think I'll poke around Chinatown and see what I can find, and if that doesn't work head up to Bill's. I'll be bringing my husband with me from Japan, and he's really looking forward to trying Atlantic lobster. Hopefully bought live and prepared at home, something he's never done with any kind of seafood. I do appreciate all the tips.

When I lived in Toronto (over a decade ago) I used to buy live seafood from a little Chinese-run shop in (or on the outskirts of) Kensington Market. They had various lobsters, crabs, shrimp, clams and the like. Very very cheap. It might have been a wholesaler, but they were always happy to sell to me. I'll be back in Toronto for a month this summer and I really wish I could remember the name of the place so I could look it up. Does anyone know if the shop is still there? If not, where do you buy your live seafood? Thanks!

Good lord. I have to butt in here out of burning curiosity and ask what the other places use in lieu of corn... ← I guess I missed this the first time. Other places in Japan I've been to use flour for their soft tortillas. It's not that strange, is it? I'm pretty sure that (non-authentic) soft tacos/enchiladas etc back in Canada are always made with flour tortillas too. Weren't flour tortilla "wraps" popular for a while? As for Salsita, it sounds great. My sister-in-law returned from America a few years ago and now lives near Ebisu. She really misses Mexican food, and apparently doesn't know about this place, so I'd love to take her. Thanks for the recommendation!

The correct answer to those third graders would be that there is no itadakimasu and gochisousama in English. Perhaps this would be a good time to explain that languages don't always match up perfectly. Language is a product of culture, and it is only natural that each language has developed special words to describe its customs. Hopefully a good teacher could do this in a way that would pique the kids' interest rather than scare them away from foreign languages. Make it fun- introduce a few neat examples of English words or phrases with no Japanese equivellant, like saying "Bless you" after someone sneezes.

Good points, Anzu. I'll just go ahead and consider Lotte gum to be Japanese. Sure wish they had sugar-free versions of my favourite flavours though...

Great kitchen plans! I really envy the built-in dishwasher. The dishwasher in my kitchen (i.e. me) doesn't work very well. So when it's all done you're having us all over for dinner, right?

My husband made Gyuniku to Maitake no Wafuu Pasta (Beef and Maitake Japanese-style Pasta) last night: Very simple recipe with spaghetti mixed with red wine and olive oil before being topped with beef and maitake cooked with soy sauce, mirin, sake and mentsuyu. Finished off with mitsuba.

I love the fun Lotte flavours like Ume, Mangosteen, Sweetie and Blueberry. But I've been avoiding sugar recently so have switched to Lotte Xylitol gum in Lime Mint. I love that stuff. But seeing as Lotte is a Korean company, I wonder if any of the above gums can be considered Japanese? I haven't seen the Ume Mint flavour yet. Looks really good.

Sarensho, I'm afraid there are no Japaneses site comparable to Epicurious of RecipeGullet. I really wish there were. Cookpad, as Kristin pointed out, is like All Recipes. Huge huge collection of untested recipes. Very hard to wade through (probably due more to my reading ability than the layout of the site), and the few recipes I've tried there didn't turn out so well. I've had much better luck with Bob & Angie, but I again I find the site hard to use. My favourite source for Japanese recipes is the Yahoo Japan Gourmet Recipe site. Really easy to navigate. First you choose the cuisine (Japanese, western or Chinese/ethnic), and then the cooking style (deep-fry, saute, simmer etc). The search can be further narrowed by ingredient. The results are displayed 10 recipes per page with a picture, short description, prep time and calories. There's also a search engine, of course. Also a seperate collection desserts and sweets, searchable in the same way. A really great way to browse, and the simplicity and layout make it really easy for those of us who can't read so well. The recipes themselves are well-formatted, many with step-by-step pictures. No idea if they've been tested or not, but I've had good like with all the recipes I've used. Hope this helps!

What is it about the idea of eggplant that he doesn't like, if I may ask? I'm a bit curious now! ← Isn't eggplant one of those foods that North American WASPS are convinced they hate? Almost everyone I know in Canada hates eggplant. I remember one of my classes in high school had a potluck party, with my contribution being eggplant parmigiana. Not a single person tried it- including the teacher! They even made faces when I told them what it was...

Sushi is the exception to the no-sake-with rice rule. (In fact, the no-sake rule is often extended to all kinds of alcohol, not just sake. Many purists don't drink anything other than tea when rice is served. Sushi being the exception.) At higher-class sushi restaurants, sake seems to be preferred but beer is perfectly acceptable. At kaitenzushi places, beer is far more popular (often the only choice). Me, I like both, and I agree with KatieLoeb that sparkling wine is wonderful with sushi. Strictly for at-home sushi though, as I've never seen it offered at a sushi bar here (and as for sparkling riesling I've never seen it anywhere in Japan). Sigh.

Japanese prize eggs with a deep and bright orange yolk. The regular supermarket ones look orange enough, but when you pay top dollar for luxury eggs, the colour is amazing. The yolk should also stand up and remain almost spherical when the egg is broken onto a plate, rather than limply spread out. I've never seen a Japanese thousand year egg. You're right, stale eggs and salmonella are different issues. As I understand it, an egg salmonella will get you no matter how fresh it is. Thanks for pointing that out. I use the floating test too. I've never had an egg fail in Japan (even way after the expiration date). Which could mean that either Japanese eggs are remarkably long-lasting; or this test doesn't work in Japan!

A short NYT article about lotus root in Asian cuisine: Beauty That Hides Beneath the Lotus Blossom (free registration required) No idea what the Japanese "seet-and-sour marinade" is supposed to be though. But the renkon no kimpira recipe, Braised Lotus Root (registration required), sounds about right.

My favourite (Japanese) eggplant dish is yaki-nasu. Grilled till skin starts to blacken, skinned, and served drizzled with equal parts dashi and light soy sauce, and topped with grated ginger and bonito flakes. I eat this a few times a week in the summer.

I've been wondering the safety of raw eggs myself lately. For example, I'm never sure if the expiry date on eggs applies to both raw and cooked eggs. A local chicken butchers (yes, a shop that just sells chicken!) gets their chickens and eggs from the same free-range farm. Because they package everything themselves there are no labels with expiry dates. Last time I bought eggs there I asked the butcher when the expiry date was, and he said "Raw, they're good until May XX". Which would seem to imply that they can be kept longer if I planned to cook them. He also seemed a little surprised that I asked, so I guess most Japanese housewives are supposed to know how long eggs last. The expiry date itself surprised me. I had assumed that eggs should only be consumed raw within a few days of purchase, but the date he told me was two or three weeks later! So expiry dates aside, why do people in Japan eat raw eggs without fear? Is salmonella less prevelant here than North America, perhaps due to different farming practices? Or is the risk of salmonella poisoning just not as well publicized?

Oh, please stay in Japan longer then. I really miss real apple pie!

That looks wonderful, Torakris! I'll have to try that. One of my favourite hiyayakko variations is mentaiko. Usually mashed up with some sesame seeds, negi, sesame oil and soy sauce.

JasonTrue, Soaking to perk up the leaves- that makes sense. Probably improves the colour a bit and adds a bit of crispness. Maybe I'll start doing it then. Thank you. Pompollo, Excellent suggestion. The first nattou I liked was tempura (without shiso though) as well. And now my very favourite garnish for nattou is shiso.