helenjp

I usually rub salt over my wet palms quite thoroughly to take care of any lurking bugs. (Of course I wash my hands before I start... ). I'm not keen on pressing really hot rice into plastic wrap, but that's a personal thing. I have very long fingers, so if I make a small onigiri, I just use 3 fingers to squeeze, and keep the onigiri well centered on my palm. Hard to explain, but if I have to bend my index finger to make the onigiri smaller, of course the shape is not so neatly triangular! One hint that really made it easier to make onigiri that don't crumble: squeeze the rice quite firmly into a ball (around the filling) first, then squeeze/toss more gently round in your palm to make it triangular. Omusubi: when I lived in Osaka, nobody used the word "onigiri". It sounded strange to me then, something like "Death-grip Rice Balls". Onigiri: Since I moved to the Tokyo area, I doubt if I've heard "omusubi" more than once or twice in over 15 years. Yaki-onigiri. My main problem with these is that I'm impatient. Any nice tips for making the type which is totally encased in a crisp shoyu/mirin coating, without having it stick to the grill?

May I quote you on that? My son1's family nickname is The Electric Head, but I like your description better! I was interested to hear that you really liked khichdi - my family enjoy it to as a variation on rice, but I've always wondered what it might be like eaten in India! Taking cooking classes sounds like a great idea! As an ex-travel coordinator, I think you made good use of your travel agent. I used to dislike putting together the kind of arrangements anybody could make for themselves with less hassle than going through an agent, but it sounds as if you got something more than you could have had by hopping on the plane with a guide-book.

Upmarket Sweet Potatoes ...I'm still not sure I'd want to sport a badge saying "Imo" on my lapel!

I think they would keep as long as any toasted sesame seeds, though they might just absorb moisture more rapidly??

Shoyu flavored sesame seeds. These amounts might not work for the hulled type of sesame seed - I used unhulled seeds. 1 cup seeds, toasted or plain. 2 tab soy sauce (If you use an American cup, you might want about another tsp of soy sauce, but the amount you use will depend on how much you like anyway. First, if the sesame seed is raw, toast over fairly low heat in a dry, heavy pan, shaking the pan as you go. If you have a mesh splatter-cover, it helps prevent seeds from flying everywhere. Once they start popping, they're done, so sprinkle over about a teaspoon of soy sauce, keeping the heat down low, and continue to agitate until dry (you may get flakes or clumps of sauce, but they will disappear). Continue adding soy a little at a time and stirring till dry and brown. Pour out of the pan to cool, pack when completely cold. To use as furikake, make sure the soy sauce taste is quite pronounced - use the full amount of soy. For a snack to eat out of hand, you might like to reduce the soy sauce by about 15-30%.

I'm all for vacuum-sealed containers too - not just snap-down lidded containers, but ones which contain packing in the lid so the container seals tight when closed. I really HATE having to haul out a container, get the lid off, dig for the packet, etc., but that's what it takes - I don't have shelf space for all the glass jars I'd need. I don't have a great deal of storage space, but I have 8-10 containers about the size to take a 12lb bag of rice. That way, if bugs get into any of these, I only have to toss at most one container's worth of stuff. They're also not too heavy to haul around. I left Japan in great haste one spring, without replacing mothballs...had always wondered if there was any real reason for them, as I'd never seen any moths after wool, rayon etc. But now I'm all for prevention, having lost many good clothes over the intervening years!

Lovely photos! I somehow didn't get any photos taken. We had chirashi-zushi with shiitake and nanohana mixed into it, and egg chunks and tuna on top. I made a firm jelly using strawberrry puree and made flower cutouts with that, then dropped them into a half-set translucent white jelly made with Mitsuya White Cider, and let it finish setting. Really pleased with how it looked, and the slight fizz of the cider set off the intense strawberry flavor well.

If you accept his offers now, while it's still easier to do it yourself than to let him help, he'll cook your dinners for years to come, long after he's become a great cook..

They look great! By the way, did you use less liquid (Kanto style) or more liquid (Kansai style)? I had a small takoyaki maker, because my kids were keen, but found the dryer style much easier to make. However, my new hotplate came with a takoyaki plate on it, and I discovered that the more powerful element made Kansai-style takoyaki just as easy to eat! A favorite cheap ingredient of ours is canned corn (with lots of scallions).

Funnily enough, I notice that the worst order errors are at take-out places where people are tapping your order into the cash-register as you speak it. How *can* they get it wrong? I can only think that Japanese high-schoolers are so used to dozing through class and studying from workbooks at night that they've permanently disabled their auditory processing capabilities .

Oval plates, shallow or deeper, are great for rice-based menus - you can just line the meal up along the plate. I saw some snail-like spiral plates which I longed to buy for serving small amounts of different foods.

Come to think of it, one thing I *don't* like is lots of hot snack food - I like the predominance of cakes and sandwiches and other cold foods, so that my fragrant cup of tea is not competing with the smell of garlic, grilled cheese, and chicken fried in aging fat!

My son's guitar teacher has started teaching out of the back of a tea-room which specializes in organic foods, herb teas etc. When classes are in progress, a folding screen is put up to block off the back tables. They do the tea-cosy thing, and it's a great idea. That's partly because people often stay for quite long periods. Also, because the interior is woody and dark, the tea-cosies brighten things up! I have tea-cosies of my grandmother's which were double-layered - there was a thickly quilted inner layer, and an easily laundered embroidered or patched or appliqued starched loose outer cover over that. The tea-shop encourages repeat business by providing big, wooden tables where people can spread out their papers, and attracts people with a bit of work to do, and also local community groups holding meetings. I usually wait in the tea-shop while son has his lessons, working or chatting with the owner or other guitar students, so I know the entire menu by now! I notice that the owner concentrates mostly on variations of cheesecake and chiffon cake, which allows her to ring the seasonal changes while not taking customers too far out of their comfort zone or costing her too much effort. She also often offers a cube of something new she's trying along with my order, and invites comments, swaps recipes, etc. It's set up like a bar - she and her husband prepare tea and give change over a waist-high counter, and nip out to a galley-kitchen to prepare more complex items.

Thanks so much Bridie! This time next week, husband will be in Ottawa - I really appreciate your comments, because he has a little free time there, so he's sure to make use of your recommendations.

Thanks a lot! I really appreciate the information...this time next week, he'll be in Ottawa, with his Toronto restaurant list in his bag. I'm hoping he'll have a couple of enjoyable evenings in Toronto before he heads home.

Thanks, Rebecca - I've just finished skinning a batch of chickpeas for hummus - another Experimental Sandwich about to take shape .

OnigiriFB, have you ever frozen these? Anybody know if hummus sandwiches can be frozen without getting soggy or mushy? I've been experimenting with sandwich fillings that freeze well, as I'm going to have to leave home with son2 at 6:30 some mornings, with our lunches and our work gear all organized! The biggest challenge is going to be getting myself dressed as I normally cook and clean up in my PJs until everybody is gone before I do my Transformer thing!

Yes, do tell us about the steam feature! I keep seeing it advertised, but have trouble really visualizing how I would use it. It's pretty hard to give up those one-push buttons when you have to, isn't it .

They are really beautiful, worth seeking out, and if they have a good ume flavor, I bet they'd go well with richer side-dishes too.

Thanks! I've noted the addresses of all those suggestions. I see that JK Wine Bar offers "small plates"...that sounds like an option for an assortment of different ages and appetites.

That's a great link - and made me re-evaluate bou-dara, which I positively hate!

Hi all, I'm usually on the Japan board, but my Conservative Diner husband actually ASKED me to find some info on eGullet for his very brief business trip to Toronto (and Ottawa, query posted separately) in early March. He'll be staying in downtown Toronto, visiting software people, shepherding a junior from Japan, and no doubt being shepherded in turn by a guy from the US branch of his company. They will be looking for quick lunches (and his travel budget is not huge), but he also wants to give the American colleague a good dinner by way of thanks for help with arrangements. He has a separate budget for that. I doubt if he wants to travel out of the downtown area, as they will be busy all day, and jetlagged too! After a misspent youth as a tour guide and interpreter, he really hates starched shirt pomposity and dinners that last for hours. However, both he and the other Japanese colleague have lived overseas, so they'll try anything once, but probably want to know what's on the plate. Anything that will be interesting enough for an American (i.e., living in Japan, it's easy to get excited over a slice of cheese, but when you eat cheese every day...), but not too hard on a couple of tired Japanese?

Hi, just dropping in from my usual hideyhole on the Japan Board to ask for recommendations for casual business lunches and semi-formal business dinners. Most likely just 2-3 people, probably not more than half a dozen. I've looked through the thread and checked some addresses, but its very hard for a furriner to work out where the street addresses are in Ottawa, if you don't already know the suburbs. My husband will be making a very quick trip in early March, and will be staying and seeing clients in the Nepean/Kanata area in the west. He particularly wants to find a place for dinner that the guy from the US branch of their company will enjoy, as he has been very helpful with arrangements. A soothing and relaxing atmosphere would be nice too!

broodje kroket...when I saw the photos, it all became clear to me - for years, one of the most maligned of Japanese sandwiches has been the "korokke sand". Now I know where it came from, right down to the mayo on top!

Was the Lunchtime Queen funny? I see the Amazon listing has rather mixed reviews, but I might see if I can find it at the rental store, and persuade one of my sons to give up Fruits Basket for a week so I can watch it...come to think of it, the heroine of Fruits Basket purportedly cooks, but you only ever see her buying nira or putting completed dishes on the table.