eG Foodblog: Hiroyuki - Home-style Japanese cooking

[sanrensho]

Other than these:  Chestnut, apricot, persimmon, peach, ume (Japanese plum), several varieties of citrus fruit including yuzu, etc., etc.  I can't remember them all!

He consumes very little by himself.  He likes to offer what he grows to someone else.

Thanks for answering my question, Hiroyuki. I'm impressed by the variety of fruit your father grows. His neighbors must be very lucky!

[sanrensho]

I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say you're adorable in that picture!  I'm wondering about the tonkatsu.  When we get it here it's always fried whole, but then cut up and served in slices.  It looks like yours was served uncut - is that right?  Then do you separate bites with chopsticks, or pick it up and nibble from the whole piece?

Maybe I can lighten the load for Hiroyuki a bit. If you look carefully at Hiroyuki's cutlet in one of the middle photos, you can see that it's been sliced. So you're right that tonkatsu is always served sliced, unless the actual cutlets are very small and can be easily picked up and a bite taken out of (say, slightly larger than a chicken mcnugget).

[lancastermike]

As everone else has, I wish a speedy return to good health for your wife. Your blog is wonderful. It is the perfect example of the real best feture of the blogs. It takes us to places we otherwise would never go to and allows us a to see a portion of your life from another place. Thanks for the effort, in particular, with Image Gullet. It can be very frustrating at best.

[MarketStEl]

You're not photogenic? Rubbish, I say!

As I expected, it's fascinating to compare and contrast our cultures. I know you haven't gotten to them yet, but -- especially at current exchange rates -- I will wager that the "100-yen store" is the Japanese equivalent of the American "dollar store" both in the type and quality of merchandise carried. I await your exposition on these places to see if my suspicion is correct.

For your information: One liter = 33.8 US fluid ounces, a little more than one quart, which is 32. Prices per liter will not be appreciably more than prices per quart.

That restaurant looks lovely -- I think that Japanese domestic architecture is elegant in its simplicity and love the warmth all that wood provides.

In the US, lactose intolerance is more common among African-Americans than among whites. I'm not sure that I'm not lactose intolerant--I've never bothered to inquire with my doctor about the symptoms beyond gas. Besides, there's no way on God's green earth I'm going to give up cheese! You and I share that passion.

So: what kind of cheese was that?

[Majra]

Hiroyuki, I am instantly riveted by your blog! It is fantastic. I hope that the time it takes to blog provides you with an interesting diversion to what must be a most stressful time. I will keep your beautiful family in my thoughts, and I send my very best wishes for your wife's rapid recovery to good health.

Your children are very lucky that you do such a wonderful job in the kitchen. I know many families who would suffer tremendously at their mealtimes if Mother were ill. Congratulations on your success!

Do you eat such an elaborate breakfast daily, or was that a special occasion for the blog? All of the food you have posted looks delicious.

[torakris]

Fridge photos (obligatory? )

Appearance:

Coincidentally, Kristin, the host of the Japan Forum, has exactly the same model.  Even the color is the same .

Uppermost refrigerator compartment:

Not much to see.  My fridge is usually this full.  I don't want to pack it with too many things.  I usually go shopping twice a week.

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Hiroyuki,

Your empty refrigerator amazes me!

This is what the same refigerator looks like full!

The main refrigerator (top), notice the very short shelves though most of them are removable/adjustable

the ice part and chill box(this can be a refrigerator or freezer as well with just a switch of the button)

the vegetable drawer (I love this part) it is in a very easy to use part of the refrigerator and is huge with a top tray that runs the length and width of the drawer.

This refrigerator had the largest freezer of all the refrigerators in the store, it is quite deep with a tray that like the vegetable drawer runs the length and width of the drawer.

[torakris]

I love that you will be talking about home-style cooking!  And, assuming that your children are in school, will you please tell us about what they eat for lunch at school?  Do you prepare a lunch for them, or do they purchase lunch at school?  What do they eat for lunch on school days?  Do your children help in cooking?

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At most Japanese elementary schools and junior high schools, they serve kyushoku (school lunch) at lunch time. Parents are required to pay for the ingredients only (about 2,600 yen per month at my children's school). Labor and costs are borne by the local government.

According to this month's kyushoku menu

They have gohan (cooked rice), daikon leaves dressed with goma sauce, bamboo shoot soup, salmon grilled with mayo, and milk.

Just to give you an idea of what they eat at school, I post this photo.

This is a photo of a kyushoku lunch that I had two years ago.

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As an American living in japan with 3 kids now in the elementary school system I have nothing but raves for the Japanese school lunches.

Anyone wanting to learn a little bit more should take a look at this photo essay I did on Kyushoku (school lunch) a couple years back:

The Japanese school lunch system

[TheFoodTutor]

Cheese snacks that are made of fish??  Can you tell me what they are?  Cheese kamaboko (shortened to chee-kama)?

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Here is a LINK to a site showing the one that I have tried. It is called "Natori Cheese Tara Just Pack," and it is described as being a "dried cod and cheese snack" on that website. But when I bought it, I couldn't help noticing a distinct absence of cheese (or any other dairy products) in the ingredient list on the packaging.

Sorry to mention "quarts" without giving reference to it's similarity to a liter. That's the American side of me showing itself. Thanks to MarketStEl for clearing that up.

This is such an exciting blog! How do you keep your home so clean? I'm terribly impressed!

And you are not unphotogenic! You look totally cute! The kids look especially cute, too. Thanks again for sharing with us.

[Hiroyuki]

Good morning, everyone. It's 8:17 in Japan.

Just one photo for now.

Today's breakfast. I'm busy right now. I'll provide more details later and answer all the questions.

Kristin, Helen, and all the participants in the Japan Forum, feel free to entertain them while I'm occupied with my regular work.

[Domestic Goddess]

Hiroyuki - you're so cute and handsome in that picture!

I am truly enjoying the pics of your refrigerator, that neat stack of empty milk cartons. I'm thinking about switching to buying milk cartons instead of gallon jugs so I can use/recycle it like you do.

[Hiroyuki]

I like the idea of recycling the milk cartons for other uses. I think I'll start doing that since we have been trying to be more responsible about such things.

Would you tell us how you made the clear soup with shitake? I can get those here once in a while.

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Are you sure you want me to??

Too easy to explain. Just slice shiitake, put it in a pot of water. Add instant dashi . Boil for some time, turn off heat. Add some soy sauce.

Ask a professional chef. He will give you a more complicated recipe.

This one contains beaten eggs and harusame (bean-starch vermicelli?).

Sorry, "clear soup" (sumashi jiru in Japanese) is a misnomer for my version.

Sumashi jiru is usually more subtle, with less soy sauce.

[DCP]

Thanks, DCP.  And, thanks for your interest in Japanese culture.  Have you ever seen the movie Tampopo?

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I have not, but it's on my (ever-expanding and rarely shrinking) list.

I'm enthralled with today's photos and descriptions. The clear soup with shiitake looks particularly easy and tasty.

By the way, my best wishes for an improvement in your wife's health.

[Hiroyuki]

At around 10 o'clock, I had a purin (Japanese custard pudding), together with a cup of green tea (natually ).

Just turn it upside down, and break the pin to let air in.

Et voila!

[Hiroyuki]

Before answering all of your questions, I'd like to continue with the description of my breakfast.

First, off-topic photo:

Sticker sheet in my daughter's collection. It features various sweets.

Wide-mouthed kettles for making mugicha (barley tea):

I bought one long ago to make mugicha, and it was so good I bought another to boil water. Now I use them interchangeably. They are very easy to clean.

Helen, unfortunately, I really don't feel up to doing vegetable gardening this year. I hope you understand. But my son is very enthusiastic.

Okra, tsuru murasaki (I forgot the English name for it, a type of green), cherry tomato seeds.

Three shiitake logs, together with oyster and maitake logs (hidden):

My son gathered three shiitake from the logs yesterday.

Current state of our tiny vegetable garden:

The two SFG boxes on the right have strawberry plants in them. We hope we can get more strawberries from them this year. Last year we only got one (really!).

Another SFG box:

It has lettuce plants in it.

Overall view of our garden:

So much for our vegetable gardening.

Before the breakfast photos, take a look at these.

First, furikake. I now have these types of furikake:

Furikake is something that you sprinkle on your rice.

This is what my family call the "furikake setto (set)":

The box is made of a used tissue box.

Umeboshi (pickled plums) in two containers:

They are made by my mother. Very sour and salty. I think they have a salt content of 20% or greater. They never get moldy even at room temperature.

I usually turn them into a paste with mirin, katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), and kombu.

But it's still sour and salty.

Finally, the breakfast photos!

Shirasu:

Baby sardines.

I put two packs of natto in a dish, and sprinkled sesame seeds, shirasu, katsuobushi, and pickled daikon (usually, nozawana zuke is used). This is a speciality of my area called "kirizai". I learned this from my children's school lunch.

Mix them well...:

A pack of six meat balls:

They are good as a bento filling, but are also good for breakfast.

I'll come back later.

[Abra]

In honor of your blog I made a tamagoyaki for lunch today, which we ate with some beautiful soft ume pickles. But your tamago looks like it's been fried after rolling, is that how it got so golden?

I'd ask you about these specific ume, the best I've ever tasted, but there's not one word of English on the package. Maybe I'll take their picture for you.

[torakris]

Hiroyuki,

I love your furikake collection! I have at least 3 of the same ones...

Since Hiroyuki is busy today I will help by providing some links to previous threads in the Japan forum.

Furikake thread this thread inclusdes a wonderful recipe by Hiroyuki for a homemade version of furikake.

The ever popular natto thread!

[Abra]

Since you were posting your umeboshi at the same moment I was writing about mine, here's how the ones I have look. Forgive me, I don't recognize even one Japanese character so I probably posted the writing upsidedown! Are these some special kind? What makes them so delicious?

[mona]

Since you were posting your umeboshi at the same moment I was writing about mine, here's how the ones I have look.  Forgive me, I don't recognize even one Japanese character so I probably posted the writing upsidedown!  Are these some special kind?  What makes them so delicious?

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I've never eaten umeboshi so I can't say what makes this particular brand taste special, but I can tell you that they are "usu-shio hachimitsu ume," which means "lightly-salted honey plums."

And Abra, you jinxed it by saying it was upside-down!

[helenjp]

We use some of the same furikake too - the green vegetable one, and of course the nori-tama one.

Honey umeboshi - you can make a version at home, instructions in the umeboshi thread I believe. I'll look later - work calls, although I'm not as disciplined as Hiroyuki!

I quite understand why you aren' t out there gardening, Hiroyuki, but it's nice to see your son doing some - I hope it's one of the nice things in his life at present. Please tell your son that my okra seedlings are (just a tiny bit!) bigger than his okra seedlings

Those are VERY nice kettles you use for your mugicha - I use an ancient red enamel kettle that's not so elegant!

[Hiroyuki]

I love my Iwatani millser, too.  May I confirm, did you mean 'thermos', or 'kettle' ?

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You mean the one next to the rice cooker? It's a thermos.

[Hiroyuki]

I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say you're adorable in that picture!  I'm wondering about the tonkatsu.  When we get it here it's always fried whole, but then cut up and served in slices.  It looks like yours was served uncut - is that right?  Then do you separate bites with chopsticks, or pick it up and nibble from the whole piece?

Maybe I can lighten the load for Hiroyuki a bit. If you look carefully at Hiroyuki's cutlet in one of the middle photos, you can see that it's been sliced. So you're right that tonkatsu is always served sliced, unless the actual cutlets are very small and can be easily picked up and a bite taken out of (say, slightly larger than a chicken mcnugget).

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Thanks, sanrensho, for saving my time.

[Hiroyuki]

So: what kind of cheese was that?

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Processed cheese!

[Hiroyuki]

Do you eat such an elaborate breakfast daily, or was that a special occasion for the blog?  All of the food you have posted looks delicious.

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I'm embarrased! I'm pretty sure that my fellow Japanese would laugh at my mediocre breakfast!! In the initial post of this blog, I clearly stated that I am not a food lover, and I must add that I am a mediore cook.

[Hiroyuki]

Cheese snacks that are made of fish??  Can you tell me what they are?  Cheese kamaboko (shortened to chee-kama)?

←

Here is a LINK to a site showing the one that I have tried. It is called "Natori Cheese Tara Just Pack," and it is described as being a "dried cod and cheese snack" on that website. But when I bought it, I couldn't help noticing a distinct absence of cheese (or any other dairy products) in the ingredient list on the packaging.

Sorry to mention "quarts" without giving reference to it's similarity to a liter. That's the American side of me showing itself. Thanks to MarketStEl for clearing that up.

This is such an exciting blog! How do you keep your home so clean? I'm terribly impressed!

And you are not unphotogenic! You look totally cute! The kids look especially cute, too. Thanks again for sharing with us.

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Thanks for the confirmation. I have! Many times. I would call it a chinmi (delicacy) or sake no sakana (something to eat with sake).

Here is a link to the manufacturer's webpage on cheese tara.

I didn't know how they are called, and I didn't know that the name is a registered trademark!

[Hiroyuki]

how it got so golden?

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I don't put any sugar. That's why it looks so good.