helenjp

I agree with the oyster mushroom (hiratake) comment, though it can be hard to find them,especially if you want nice ones. Generally, shimeji work well with rich sauces like sauce allemande, though they don't "give" as much to the sauce. Shiitake don't seem as good with western sauces as they can be slimy.

So some people think Vegemite is not as strong as Marmite? That's interesting...I got a pot of British Marmite here in Tokyo last year, and the stuff horrified me! It's not only sweeter and stickier than what I'm used to, it seems translucent and thinned out with some form of malt, though no such thing appears in the ingredients list. I left it for the kids to finish off, but they seem to have more sense than I gave them credit for. Husband won't touch it...he slathered it on his toast several DECADES ago, thinking it was chocolate spread, and has never recovered from the shock .

If you make enough of it, this is not soup with dinner,this IS dinner! Taro is a great absorber of broth and meat flavors,though it's also very keen to take on mouldy flavors from damp dirt if given a chance!

Who can say without witnessing the event, but I think you should consider the possibility that you are sending out some mixed messages yourselves to waiting staff (understandable - parents do inevitably want to both show off and protect their small children). I raise this point because I note that you are posting on a public forum about possibly excessive attention to your infant daughter...along with a LARGE photo of the child.

Taro and Watercress soup from Fuchsia Dunlop's Hunan book, but made with daikon greens as she suggests. Easy and reassuring chicken broth with body from the taro and lots of flavor from the greens. Just about to dig out my recipe for Hungarian white bean soup. Nothing specially unusual about it, but so much favorite thick winter soup. Serbian Bean Soupis a bit similar.

Winter melon is one of my favorite things. I got this book recently, my curiosity piqued by nakji's comments elsewhere. I think I like it, maybe, though it was perhaps not what I was expecting. It's very accessible though - techniques straightforward and ingredients simple (possibly to the point that I'd like a bit more variation), with useful run-through of ingredients and techniques at the front which includes Chinese characters. I'd actually like a separate, fast-access glossary with characters at the front or back of the book, because I don't always know what something might be called in English. As for the "inauthentic" jibes, I'd go for "open-ended".The first thing I made was the (p. 109) Yueyang Barbequed Lamb Chops, specifically so that I could "un-Chinese" the recipe by putting it in a South-American-style sandwich in a chunk of baguette for son2's school hike, with onion, tomato, green beans, grilled yellow bell pepper and what not. I always send him with plenty of food for friends, and it was the extra lamb sandwich that he chose to hang on to in preference to chicken/shrimp and other delicacies. Tonight I plan to make the taro and watercress soup (p. 240), but only because I read that it should be made with young daikon greens rather than watercress. The idea of taro and watercress is moderately interesting to me, but daikon greens are REALLY good with taro, and in a chicken broth, they are great autumn eating. Another happy surprise was the Smacked Cucumbers (p. 62). I have been making this for decades (but with the addition of some bruised sesame seeds), there's something about crushing the cucumbers open that does things that slicing can't approach - but I hadn't realized it was Chinese. cucmbers fried with purple shiso (perilla) on p. 206 is also something to keep in mind for when purple shiso is back in season. There is a pleasing range of fish recipes...nakji, how about the salt cod recipe on p. 160?

You mean those hard litle white figs? They are OK in fruitcakes when soaked or otherwise softened. You're on the right track with the dried persimmons - I think they're a great sub for big, soft, brown figs! Citrus...I'm thinking of using candied kumquats this year, especially if I can get rid of some of the sugar. Tartness...kiwifruit are nice but like pineapple they tend to be drenched in citric acid; candied cherry tomatoes are surprisingly successful (and go well with ginger).

Glad to hear that...I wasn't sure Nissin would be able to help, so glad you got something you're happy with.

I second the bandanas for wrapping lunchboxes in - since the fabric is thin, they tie easily and securely! Amounts - I know both my boys ate hugely at about that age. Who knows where all that energy went? Husband has been on bento duty here for the past two months. He's totally converted to making it the night before, and putting some items into the rice cooker on top of the rice (pieces of chicken, sweet potato or pumpkin, etc.) He also comments how important it is to have one item that doesn't need to be prepared from scratch, whether it's left-overs or a ready-to-go product or cherry tomatoes.

Runwestierun, I'm glad you liked that recipe...now I can try it! That Rhubarb Cake from Chufi...based on a Barbara Maher recipe. Barbara Maher is in my opinion much under-rated, and I love her old "Cakes" book too. I think the original recipe might be "Plum Sponge for Sam", which is a very, very good and versatile recipe...a never-fail fallback in my kitchen. Today in the kitchen there rests Maher's "My Mother's German Apple Cake", which is of the Dutch Apple Cake family, and is my husband's favorite apple dessert. I like this version of Maher's best, though I can't honestly say why - perhaps because it has plenty of butter and is not a biscuit dough manque? Son made the batter for me, and was so pleased with himself that he posted a picture of the mixing bowl on Facebook! Last week husband and I made Suzy Sushi's ginger apple cake upthread (an oil cake). I added some more spices (Eliz- David influenced blend of cloves or allspice, nutmeg, cumin, black pepper, cinnamon in addition to the ginger), and I like it very much, not too mushy nor too hard, just a nice snacking cake with a bit of personality. It couldn't be easier to make, as the apple slices don't have to be very neat, and the oil is easier to handle than butter.

Since I don't buy that kind of meat,I can't give you any exact or reliable information, but I worry that insisting on a large quantity of top-grade wagyuu from the most prestigious area will net only people who are happy to TELL you that's what they sell... Online, the prices for this kind of meat are about 8,000 yen per kg, give or take 10%...and on up to easily twice that. The only places that I could see that would ship 10 kg in a block (and that works out at over twice the weight for a yield of 10 kg of dressed meat) sell only to registered members. I think you can register, but possibly not quickly or for free??? Here are some sample online sellers. I have tried to avoid the laughably bad ("wagyuu, as on TV!!!), but know NOTHING about any of these companies. May give you some idea of prices. Niku Shogun This page shows 10-30 kg lots at the top of the page. An online dealer, they have both retail and wholesale arms, but you have to register to buy wholesale products. How easy that would be, I don't know. Umaimon-do online store, sirloin, stated A5, "bought from all around Japan" - no specific origin given. Yakiniku Teikoku this page shows Matsuzaka beef, packed in wooden gift boxes, note the prices are for small amounts like 100-300g. Same shop also sells lots of meat from a single animal, around 2 million yen for about 650 kgs of meat.

Pizza-man - I don't use cheese (been a while though). I recommend a caponata filling! Thanks for the comment on the Dunlop book. If it's what you are seeing around you, that's a great recommendation.

Porotos Granados...my Lambert Ortiz book specifies cranberry beans (as shellies) or other dried small white beans, cooked with onion, tomato, and corn, and seasoned with paprika and oregano. I've seen other recipes with garlic, or cumin or basil, and some don't have tomato. Some have a dash of vinegar. Mine is now in the pressure cooker, with tora-mame (a kind of brown/white medium sized patterned bean) without tomato, with vinegar, with paprika and oregano. As soon as I started to saute the paprika and onion, my husband (doing duty at the chopping board) decided that this was going to be tasty stuff, and not the kind of herby beans he dreads.

No glace fruits? Oh, definitely OK, I think...that's why I'm thinking of making a Black Bun this year. But for expat friends' cakes, I know those rarely-seen fruits are a treat, and they look so pretty...

Thanks for the steaming tip, I will most definitely try that. Rona, I AM looking for them! Haven't seen cherries or angelica in my local area for ten years or so...sometimes not even in department stores within an hour's travel, so I'd rather order online than waste a day on an expedition that likely won't net everything I want! I also make enough fruit cakes that a pack of 4 cherries (if I find them, that's what I find - not the little tubs) is impractical. For color, cranberries or dried strawberries (from Ame-yoko) are OK, but the ones I've found so far are like the cheap glace pineapple, so steeped in acidulants and sugars that any fruit flavor is lost. I've tried them, and they haven't earned their keep! On the other hand, Japan is a great place for candied ginger, if you wash off the loose sugar. I don't know if it's a worldwide trend, but it has become impossible to find unsweetened dried fruit other than raisins (and maybe figs/prunes). Not even apricots or blueberries escape the acidulant/sweetener thing any more. Cuoca, an old Japanese online standby, no longer sells ANY dried or glace fruit, though T Foods still do. Thanks for the Chef's Pride link - the prices are not cheap, but it's certainly good reading.

They are indeed glace cherries, but they are all about looks and not flavor. I do try to use the best fruit I can find for Christmas fruit cake, as I like to give them to friends. Talking of flavor, in recent years I've wondered whether lengthy soaking in alcohol doesn't make all the fruit taste too much the same. I'm planning to go back to a shorter pre-soak time. Thoughts?

Looking for sources of dried beans in Japan, I hit upon a place serving the Brazilian and Peruvian expats here. Carioca, canario, panamito...what dishes really show these off? In particular, how different are carioca, navy, and canario beans? I usually use a Japanese type of small white bean which is like a small and tender navy bean. Some of the beans are known and loved by me...some I know by name only, and some are totally new to me. Please tell me all...what bean dish does each variety make you think of? Brown lentils, kidney beans, black turtles, navy, black eyed peas, chickpeas, green split peas - how are they eaten in Central and South America? And what about dried corn and dried potatoes...I'd love to try some recipes that combine beans with these ingredients, and have a very old recipe book by Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz, but how do people bring these ingredients to their dinner tables NOW?

The water thing is something I've seen in Lion's Head meatballs too...I understand that it makes the meat soft and tender instead of forming a hard shrunken ball in the middle of the dumpling. Pizza-man...I used a pizza-y flavored ratatouille or caponata when I made some. The word is anchovies...but I guess the word could also be ham etc. Is the Dunlop book one you'd recommend for Chinese food in English? I've been using Japanese-language Chinese cookbooks for so long that I really want to know what's going on in English!

P.S. Dried Cherries...I'm not familiar with tart cherries - the New Zealand fruit cake cherry is a glace cherry, but I can't get those in Japan anyway, and often sub sweetened dried cranberries. Any recommendations for types of dried cherry suitable for fruitcake?

That magnificent mummification of fig reminds me of Black Bun (Scotch Bun). My mother and grandmother used to make it in a flaky pastry coffin.

Didn't know about Kikuya, thanks! Just as a price comparison, currants at Kikuya are around 1200JYE per kg. That works out around USD6.50 per lb. - the Nuts Online price is USD2.99 per lb (1-3 lb bags), the Australian ADFA price is USD3.53 per lb (in a kilo pack), and the organic currants offered at the Australian Honest to Goodness site are USD7.46 per lb (500g pack). Nuts Online don't mention where their currants are from, Kikuya's are American, and the Australian ones naturally from Australia.

How did the Waldorf experimentation go? My husband is no fan of celery either, and I often add some fresh, crisp cabbage to keep the celery flavor within acceptable bounds for him. I like the idea of ginger. We dined tonight on a Jane Grigson recipe for an avocado mayonnaise with a salade cauchoise (celery, boiled potato, apples, walnuts, ham or cold cooked pork). I made the avocado mayonnaise differently (lemon and oil as usual, but only one avocado instead of two, and a little yogurt). That's about as much avocado as I can eat, but it was just too low-impact. Anybody else fond of avocado mayonnaise, and would you, could you, eat what is pretty much a green Waldorf salad? I think I'd rather have the avocado in chunks in the salad. Any other mayonnaise variations that go well in a Waldorf salad?

German baking...I bet somebody here knows just what you are talking about. I would likely use a yogurt topping, but it probably should be sour cream or a custard...how does this Apple Custard Kuchen look to you?

I'm thinking that with my mandolin slicer and a helping hand to mix the batter, an apple cake would be a nice October snack. I'm thinking of topping one with sesame seeds and chunky Japanese dark brown sugar. I love that apple cake is not as sweet as some other apple desserts. Anybody else making apple cake?

Well, not necessarily, as beans are expensive here (usually nice quality but stupidly expensive, and never a bulk-buy economy item!)I also thought it would be nice to pool what we know about online sources...I know I won't be recommending the people in Lebanon who not only sent me their stuff so badly packed that a bottle broke in transit, but interested the Japanese customs so much that it arrived absolutely encased in yellow customs tape! I'm very glad to hear what people have to say - I saw Purcell's site and knew about Rancho Gordo's, but had no idea what their quality was like (and have yet to find out if they ship overseas. And don't forget that grits are a fascinating exotic food for me! Australia has several sites that sell dried fruit, for example Healthy Valley Organics, but they don't sell beans. I don't have any experience of them or know if they ship outside Australia. P.S. Thanks for the Nuts Online and Payson Fruitgrowers recommendation - it's next to impossible to buy raw, non-fried nuts or unsweetened dried fruit here. I see Payson has unsweetened cherries. Bella Viva Orchardshave unsweetened fruit and some nice-looking gift packs...has anybody bought from them or have any comments on their prices?