helenjp

Thanks for the photo of the hotaru ika - I really look forward to them every year, but the ones in your photo look just amazing.

What a weekend! When you buy good ingredients and make something like shabu-shabu at home, exactly as you like it, do you think it makes you more reluctant to spend money on dining out? I'm also surprised to find that somebody else thinks that otoro can be TOO fatty! And your broad beans were a great find - certainly haven't seen any in the shops yet. So how did you eat the fuki/ butterbur in the end? I agree with how much work they are - as much time to prepare the fuki as to prepare a whole separate meal, I'd guess . I see you've got those "France-pan koubou" snacks (top left) in your photo. Did you like them? By the way, you can find "over-the-sink" chopping boards, but one that doesn't cover the entire sink is more useful - because you can sweep trimmings straight into one of those triangular waste-catchers. About personal chopsticks - do you just toss the little bag in the laundry when you come home? I keep wondering if the INSIDE of my little chopstick bag is really clean! As for the dilemma of the international couple...sigh.

I keep wanting to say "snap" every time I see your breakfasts! Those muffins are considered a big treat in my house, and yes, we usually have them with that grated "pizza" cheese on too. There is a new Ikea opening up in the fall in Shin-Misato (Musashino Line, a mere hop for me). This obviously calls for an eGullet get together, as it's not too far off either the Tsukuba or Keihin Tohoku lines. Those mitsuba planters - did you make drainage holes in the lids? They are growing impressively well! I think I have maybe half as much counter space again as you (occupied by a bread-machine ), but certainly not a THREE-RING gas stove ! Those low counters - I'm only a 170cm shortie, but an ancient back injury (do not read books while walking down stairs...) means it's painful to wash dishes especially. I sometimes put a chopping board under the rinsing bowl in the sink, just to raise the height a little.

Interesting to hear actual detail of the shows - I took a look on Amazon UK, and found that they had individual recipes available to view. Have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. He's pretty hyper in the "Twist" DVD too - by the time the camera has panned to follow him left, he's already departed the frame to the right! For us, the classical cooking book would be less useful, because the ingredients are not available.

Actually, come to think of it, what other spices or condiments blend well with file, which is certainly not a shy and retiring kind of flavor?

Opens next Tuesday (March 11)! Overseas visitor registration closes March 7 - this Friday.

I had to laugh at the salty/tired comment too...I don't think my husband is capable of cognitively combining the concepts of "excess" and "shoyu/salt"!

She is one of those Martha Stewart/Delia type people who are a brand unto themselves. Her food is intended to be simple and up-to-date, but doesn't aim to be extremely innovative or ultra-professional. Recipes from "Harumi" magazine current issue Try clicking some of the pictures. The current issue actually features sandwiches, but they don't seem to be on the site.

I store mine in a small set of plastic drawers (take a spice bottle with you to check drawer depth). Small stackable drawers would probably be even better, if you can find a type that suits you. Glass bottles are heavy, and plastic is light, so small drawers balance better than large ones! On top of the drawers I put spices that I use every day, the shallow drawer takes bulky items in small bags (such as cinnamon sticks or gardenia pods, dried chilis etc), and small bottles fit in a deeper drawer - write names on lids and store alphabetically for quick access. This system works well for me, because the spices are not exposed to a great deal of light, and they are at waist-chest height and easy to see. Excess stock goes in a cardboard box, away from light. I would freeze them if I had space.

Well...I ordered some file'...but I ordered rather more than I'm likely to use up on gumbo in the next few months! What other foods benefit from the texture and taste of sassafras?

Tess, sounds like they added some more crushed senbei to an "ochazuke" (tea poured over rice, with sprinkles added) mix. I've even seen it done with fried rice crackers, but I found that a bit too rich. Weza, which is the more popular ulua in Hawaii, the white or the black? Ceviche made with trevally/ulua - just reading that makes me feel HUNGRY! In New Zealand, I often had the Cook Island version (ika mata) or the Samoan version (oka, oka i'a) with coconut milk/cream.

I saw that cake recipe too...wonder if it would be even nicer in cupcake molds - fill half the mold with haupia, add a chunk of cake, "enrobe" in more haupia? SuzySushi, some of our coconut cream is labeled coconut milk, but it's still about 1/3 or more cream/fat. Not sweetened or flavored though. On reflection, I'm sure that even rich coconut milk would set if I used arrowroot - I remember the women back in New Zealand saying that you had to use arrowroot to make Cook Island poke (which is a baked or steamed dessert, totally unlike Hawaiian poke) if you couldn't get the traditional starch. Will experiment soon! Has anybody ever made haupia using pia flour or other tropical starches? Is it gooier and slimey/sticky made with pia? Just curious, since I believe it's a relative of yam.

That's an impressive array - if I made dashimaki for dinner, the clams would definitely be relegated to something quick and easy like soup! And is your husband drinking shochu, or water? Does he enjoy wine? What time do your and your husband eat dinner? I do appreciate the sight of a fridge stocked with familiar ingredients - even familiar brands in some cases - that's the brand of men-tsuyu I often buy too . I've had the saggy shelf thing too, but only one actually cracked. It's counterintuitive, but when we got a bigger fridge we had no more trouble - the bigger shelves were split into two horizontal panels, so that you can slide the front half backward, to make room for taller items on the shelf below. I don't think they're any thicker, must just be that the narrower panels are stronger.

I was wondering if I would have the same problems Kris had - what we can buy here is coconut cream in cans. So for haupia, I should refrigerate it and lift the thicker rich stuff off the top of the can, and use the thinner milk at the bottom? Buying enough dried shredded coconut to make coconut is not workable here.

So that's mochi filled with haupia? My boys were pretty taken with this idea, thank you! I think the modern type of haupia is something I've eaten at Samoan and Cook Island church suppers back in NZ, though I'm sure it isn't called haupia.

Ideas - my sons said they want to make some kind of wagashi for their White Day "return gifts". I thought that was not a bad concept, so how about it? Your brief is: * transportable * seasonal * some use of "white". And just so you know, the idea of plain white dango (dumplings) was rejected!

Yes, I learned Japanese cooking from Kyo no Ryori too...my university texts were pristine, while my KnR magazines were always heavily annotated. Orange Page taught me shortcuts and cheap but tasty standard family fare. Don't think I've seen KnR on TV for years. I admire your "buy local" ethos. Apart from certain areas, Japan could not be called protectionist regarding food - the statistics on self-sufficiency in foodstuffs are really sobering. Do you use any of the co-ops which promote domestic and organic foods? I used Daichi wo Mamoru Kai, which I have a lot of respect for, until my boys were old enough to start taking big bites out of our food budget. Kabocha however I just have to search out the imports at this time of year, because the New Zealand main harvest is in February. I figure that half a year in cold storage vs. 2 weeks in a container ship is not much difference. But to be honest, I just miss the slightly different taste of NZ vs Japanese kabocha! Costco sometimes has frozen mussels, but I often wonder why mussels haven't become popular in Japan. You have a mission there, Amy, should you choose to accept it... I think that dark sac in the scallops is the gut - it's in the immature baby scallops too.

That's the Kasugaoka Church a little to the north of Expo Park, isn't it? Designed by Tadao Ando? Transport: Sounds as if the bus service from JR Ibaraki is pretty regular, it just says to get off at the Kasugaoka Koen stop. Or 10 mins by taxi. Seems that you either need to attend 10:30 Sunday service, or phone/e-mail ahead if you want to view the church. I think it would be a similar distance by taxi from the monorail Handai Byouin-mae station, and it is also possible to catch a taxi from Expo Park, it seems. There are several restaurants in Expo Park. I haven't been there for a long time, but imagine they are probably OK but not startling. If you are coming north from Osaka, you might consider taking the monorail and visiting the ethnic history museum in the Expo Park and then moving on to the church. An-na Foo-na is an Asian knick-knack shop right by JR Ibaraki station, which also serves "Asian" foods. It has the advantages of being open for lunch, and being easy to find, but I don't know anything about the food. The area near the church was pretty much undeveloped when I lived in north Osaka, and I'm sure it's not very urban even now. Probably the JR Ibaraki station is still the center of the area. Special products of the region are listed as "udo", which is certainly in season now - crunchy shoots with a characteristic herbal fragrance.

Wow! Love that bento - I agree, smoked salmon seems to be OK in bentos in cool weather. Have put su-jime (vinegared) fish in bento, I think. I'll look out for that brand of inari, Hiroyuki - I used to always make the pouches myself, because the bought ones are so disappointing, but sometimes it's nice to have just a few to add to a bento. (One of my kids is a big inari-zushi fan too!) Everybody all flu'd up at my house, so Dolls' Day got no further than strawberries skewered "dango" style with a thin layer of caramel "crackle" poured over them. Actually came from a DVD by Jamie Oliver, that well-known Japanese chef!

Am I right in thinking that unlike some of the other gardening threads (which do have lots of relevant info), you are growing only in containers? Or do you have some open ground? Herbs - haven't ever experienced cats falling foul of herbs. After all, herbs by definition don't have poisonous leaves. Double-potting can be good too, especially for herbs with delicate leaves, but not all plants like to be double-potted. I stuff the gap between the two pots with sphagnum moss. For hot places, I think that tropicals such as yard-long beans/snake beans, malabar spinach, or okra are good value. Climbers take up less space, tropicals won't go all celeb on you in hot weather, and they are pretty pest-resistant too. If you have a library, why not pop in before the spring gardening rush starts, and see if you can borrow something on container gardening? I bought "Bountiful Container" a while back, but while it was interesting and inspirational, I didn't find much new gardening information - because I have a shelf of garden books already. But for a new gardener, it gives you a heap of sensible information covering a wide variety of topics, and lots of ideas as well. it's not the only such book on the market, though. One thing that I don't always agree with is the soil mixes - seems to me that the light, free-draining soils recommended are usually too light for hot climates/hotspot patios etc. I add some heavier soil, a good dose of organic material, and mulch - often a stone mulch of pebbles. I'd love to hear what soil mixes other people with hot summers like for their containers!

Cheese - stuff of daydreams, if not nightmares! Take a look at some of these older topics too... Cheese in Melbourne specifically regarding unpasteurized cheeses Cheese in Oz & Enz Artisanal cheeses in Oz

Thanks! We made a post-exam risotto for lunch and took another look at the Oliver's Twist DVD, and both my boys already thought the "At Home" DVD and book sounded more interesting. (That's maybe partly because they like the Japanese Italian cookbook son1 already has). And anyway, it's spring, nearly vacation time, and certainly time to start planting our spring greens and summer vegetables. I'm looking forward to both the garden and the cooking side of this book/DVD.

Thanks, the Italy series looks like great viewing..but I was wondering if the "at home" series has a somewhat "Meditalian" tendency too?

So what's the level of difficulty here? My elder son is developing a cautious interest in cooking again, after a baptism of fire when my kids were suddenly plunged into cooking all meals plus packed lunches for a couple of months last year. Younger son already liked to cook a bit, but elder son got some harsh comments back then. His recent interest is in cooking Italian food - Jamie sounds like a good match. I have the "Twist" DVD, and there's definitely something about a guy cooking that young male students or boys identify with. Is the "At Home" DVD/book accessible for the unconfident noob teen boy cook?

Good luck! What kind of climate are you in? Thanks for the topsy-turvy tomatoes link - I'd been wanting to know what they look like. I have hot summers, so my best successes were tropical plants that are similar to weeds - built-in pest-resistance! I have Suzilightning's problem - too many trees, and a tall roof next door shades my tiny "real" garden, so it's all containers for me. I'm with TongoRad on deep containers - just surprising how much that matters. Or maybe not surprising, when you think how big a tomato vine or bean vine gets - 3 ' is a minimum. Even for greens, 2-3 feet depth is so much better than 18" - 2 ' depth - I thought that with attentive watering, I could re-use some shallow planters I used to have hanging off a railing for salad greens - but they were not very successful. Same with basil - and I always have to give it twice as much water as anything else. Though it will revive even when it looks wilted past all hope! I'm so space-hungry that this year I'm determined to get thyme seeds growing in the cracks between my house foundations and the road! In the past, they&ve dried up, so this year some stuff like pond-sludge is going to be molded along the edge! (I've been reading Gardening on Pavement, Tables, and Hard Surfaces - strictly for the water-twice-a-day crowd, I suspect...). I don't have room to start seedlings in trays indoors, so I've started putting them in ziploc bags between layers of wet kitchen paper (presoak really big seeds). Then plant (gently) the sprouted seed. Works wonderfully, really like this method. Last year I got a stack of pea seeds half-price beacuse it was "too late" to plant them. I planted them very thickly, and harvested several cuttings of pea-shoots for use as greens.