eG Foodblog: Hiroyuki - Home-style Japanese cooking

[Hiroyuki]

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?

←

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!

←

Thanks, mona.

Abra, the umeboshi that my mother makes are very traditional. Personally, I wouldn't call newer types umeboshi. They typically have a salt content of 5 to 10%. I even see umeboshi with a 3% salt content. They are more like "ocha uke" (something to eat with tea) than "gohan no tomo" (rice's companion).

My mother's umeboshi are sour and salty, but I still like them!!

[sanrensho]

I'm less of a traditionalist than Hiroyuki, but I really prefer this type of umeboshi (low salt honey umeboshi). My kids lap them up, too.

[Hiroyuki]

Thank you so much for your wonderful blog.  Best wishes to your wife.

You bring back many fond memories of my trip to Japan last year - thank you!

Could you please answer the following for me:

Thick cut bread for making toast - when did this become popular in Japan?  Why is it so thick?  I see it also at my local Japanese bakery state-side.

Along the same lines, I was astounded at the dessert cakes offered in tea shops - the strawberry cake especially - what role do desserts play in your life?

I know that Kyoto has the market on certain things, Beppu for blowfish, and Osaka was where I first tried takokai - what is especially popular food-wise in Snow Country?

arigato-gozaimasu!

←

>Thick cut bread for making toast - when did this become popular in Japan? Why is it so thick? I see it also at my local Japanese bakery state-side.

You mean four (or five) slices of a loaf?? Thick slices are very popular at kissaten (coffee houses). They were already popular when I was in senior high school, that is, about 30 years ago.

They are often served as part of "breakfast special" (called "morning service" in Japan, nothing to do with churches).

Breakfast special service started in 1956 in Hiroshima, and in 1960s, kissaten in Aichi prefecture also started it. So, I think thick slices became popular about 40 to 46 years ago.

Like I said, rice is the king of foods in Japan, and I think that thick slices of bread are kissaten's answer to something similar to rice.

>Along the same lines, I was astounded at the dessert cakes offered in tea shops - the strawberry cake especially - what role do desserts play in your life?

That's a very good question. I'm not a fan of store-bought cakes and desserts. They look good, very good indeed, but when I have them, I often find them very disappointing. I like to make them by myself, using chestnut paste that I made from the chestnuts my father sent me. They don't look good, but they are.

>I know that Kyoto has the market on certain things, Beppu for blowfish, and Osaka was where I first tried takokai - what is especially popular food-wise in Snow Country?

I can't think of anything other than rice and sake. Let me see..., sasa dango (dango wrapped in bamboo leaves), hakka tou (chalk-like, mint candy, which literally melts in your mouth, a specialty of the former Shiozawa town).

I'll post photos of some specialties in my area when I visit Yuzawa.

Edited to add this photo:

My children also like to make cakes themselves. The one in the photo is for my son's birthday in April this year.

Edited April 26, 2007 by Hiroyuki (log)

[Hiroyuki]

I had to cancel all my plans for lunch and a tour of the area due to some difficulty.

I had instant ramen, fish sausage, and other leftovers for lunch.

Sorry, guys.

Photo of the two types of cheese:

The one on the right is pre-sliced, processed cheese.

The one on the left is a mix of Steppen (sp?) in Germany and Gouda in Holland. I know it's not a good practice to freeze cheese, but I have to to prevent it from molding.

[Hiroyuki]

I forgot to post photos of the storage area (not much of a pantry).

I need to make more efficient use of this area. I know all I have to do is to go to the 100-yen shop and buy lots of items, but I really don't have the time...

[Pan]

[...]P.S.

Pan:

How did you know it was me?[...]

←

I didn't know, Hiroyuki; I just guessed. Susan suggested that the photo could be misleading ("I'd imagine you can guess where the blogger is from, but not who it is!"), so I thought that perhaps she would think it would surprise us if the blogger were a man. I figured that (1) You have a daughter, so the female figure in the photo could have something to do with her, and (2) You hadn't yet done a foodblog, and I've long considered you a good candidate to do one. And here you are!

I'm very sorry to hear about your wife's health troubles, and I can't imagine doing a foodblog under such circumstances. That being the case, your blog, which would be excellent under normal conditions, is truly exceptional. I also want to say that your kids are adorable and you are indeed very photogenic, if the photo you posted is a representative sample. Furthermore, your English is so good that you know when NOT to put a comma before "which" and "who," a rule that a generation of Microsoft Word grammar-checker-reliant students are constantly flouting.

And finally, a question, and probably a rather naive one at that:

How do you manage to remove the sour milk smell completely from your artfully recycled milk cartons?

[NickLam]

Hi Hiroyuki,

I offer my best wishes for your wife's speedy recovery from her illness.

Just reading your blogs and seeing the pictures is a really educational experience....just like reading your EG posts! And......am I the only one here that thinks maybe you have Japan's next Jamie Oliver in your home?

Hearing about you talk about Bento being an expression of love really touched a nerve. It reminded me somehow of Japanese always remembering the taste of their mom's miso soup and how every household has their own special blend.

Not sure how common this is nowadays, but it makes me think back of family and how even though our cultures may be different, its all the same everywhere. Food is always an expression of love.

It is a pleasure reading your posts and I wish you and your family all the best...and I look forward to reading more!

[Carrot Top]

I forgot to post photos of the storage area (not much of a pantry).

I need to make more efficient use of this area.  I know all I have to do is to go to the 100-yen shop and buy lots of items, but I really don't have the time...

←

I love the food photos and seeing the things you and your family eat but just as much (okay, I admit, maybe even *more* ) I have very much enjoyed seeing how your kitchen and storage space is set up. You are very organized! Wonderful! I try to be, then things escape and wander here and there and then I try again. It's sort of like a life-long project that is strangely close to my heart.

Hiroyuki, your children are charming. And from these photos of your pantry and the photo of you, I am even more sure of a guess I made some time ago from your posts that you are a Libra (born between September 23 and October 23). It will surprise me if this is not true.

I am reading a book on Ryokan at the moment. Gorgeous photos. I have a friend who is interested in the trend we have here in the US for "pre-fab" (pre-fabricated elements made in factories then assembled on-site rather than built from ground up on-site) housing but who would like to add some of the warmer, more elegant elements that exist in traditional Japanese architectural design to the coldness that seems a part of many of the prefab home designs here. Seeing how your kitchen and pantry work has been very helpful in my imaginings of this part of the idea . . . but I wonder if the concept/designs that work so beautifully well for the Japanese in living/cooking spaces that make one feel able to take a breath of fresh air from the spare control of it all would work here. Americans tend to sprawl. Stuff, lots of stuff.

Good thoughts to all of you!

[_john]

am I the only one here that thinks maybe you have Japan's next Jamie Oliver in your home?

←

he'll have to compete with Kentaro Kobayashi (video link). I can't seem to find a good link about him in english. I think he is Japan's answer to the naked chef. Anyone agree?

Is the process of making kiriboshi daikon complicated? I want to try it.

[Hiroyuki]

At around 5:10, when I was washing the bathroom (Japanese bathroom), my daughter opened the door and said, "I want to eat curry tonight." in a low voice. I was just thinking about making either ni zakana (simmered fish) or hamburger. I had to make my plan again.

Ingredients:

Very basic ones. Carrot, onions, and potatoes. Leftover curry roux.

First fry the onions, add carrot and potatoes, and add water.

I used pork for meat:

I used the Milser (small blender) to grind 4 tbsp white sesame seeds.

Add 1tsp sugar, 2 tbsp soy sauce, and 2 tbsp vinegar.

Dressing for leftover touna (a type of green).

Fukujin zuke:

This pickle is very often served with curry in Japan. It's sweet, and it typically contains seven types of vegetable. (Cheap ones contain fewer types.)

Tonight's supper:

Leftover soup, leftover touna, and curry rice.

(Come to think of it, I'm not sure how to place the spoon properly for a Japanese meal.)

Don't expect a gorgeous dinner in my blog.

[Hiroyuki]

I am even more sure of a guess I made some time ago from your posts that you are a Libra (born between September 23 and October 23). It will surprise me if this is not true. 

←

Wrong!! I'm a Scorpio.

[Carrot Top]

Wrong!!  I'm a Scorpio.

←

Oh well. I was close. I will continue to tell myself that you must have Libra Moon or something. Or that my wrong guess is due to calendric adjustments not being made correctly over the years by astronomers and calendrists. That's always a good one.

Nice looking curry. I'm always changing menus last-minute too, for the kids. Easier to do in today's world than in past history when one worked with what one had and what one had was limited. Thank goodness for grocery stores and the ability to be flexible! (Though admittedly it does sometimes make me cranky to have to change my planned dinner. It feels personal, as if the kids want to purposely drive me crazy. But of course they do not - it just human nature. )

[Hiroyuki]

At what age did your kids become competent with them?

←

Missed this one.

My daughter (7) is very good at using chopsticks. At what age? Probably 5 or 6.

My son (11) still sometimes has difficulty holding them properly.

[Hiroyuki]

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

←

Missed this one too!

Is it clean? I only clean the house once a week, usually on Saturday, with a vaccum cleaner, that's all.

As for the kitchen, I'd like to tell you that I am very satisfied with it.

I was always dreaming of wooden cabinets until the architect introduced takara standard kitchens to my wife and me. I was an instant convert. My wife also said shed liked it.

Takara standard

Japanese kitchen thread in the Japan Forum

[helenjp]

We had curry tonight too, but we didn't have miso soup with it. My husband would definintely approve - he thinks that EVERY meal needs miso soup, even spaghetti.

Hiroyuki, do you find it hard getting time to cook dinner when you work at home? I find that clients tend to call me to wind up the day's business just when I need to cook dinner. I made our curry in the pressure cooker in 15 minutes, just in time, whew!

I hope your daughter enjoyed her curry...and did that white plate come from a bread manufacturer? Looks awfully like ours...

[gini]

Thanks for answering my questions! The cake your kids made looks really good.

[Hiroyuki]

It reminded me somehow of Japanese always remembering the taste of their mom's miso soup and how every household has their own special blend. 

←

Not just my mom's miso soup. I still remember how good her hakusai (Chinese cabbage) pickle was, and her daikon leave pickle, etc., etc.!! Nothing like what your mom makes, right?

Special blend..., you probably mean "awase miso". Some people do that, mixing different types of miso.

Another interesting expression with miso is "temae miso" (roughly, "our/my miso"), which means, self-praise.

Everyone thinks that their miso is the best.

[Hiroyuki]

We had curry tonight too, but we didn't have miso soup with it. My husband would definintely approve - he thinks that EVERY meal needs miso soup, even spaghetti.

Hiroyuki, do you find it hard getting time to cook dinner when you work at home? I find that clients tend to call me to wind up the day's business just when I need to cook dinner. I made our curry in the pressure cooker in 15 minutes, just in time, whew!

I hope your daughter enjoyed her curry...and did that white plate come from a bread manufacturer? Looks awfully like ours...

←

I'm like your husband. Well, I asked my children whether they wanted to have leftover soup with the curry, and they said yes.

Sorry to hear about the call. I have only one client, that is, one translation house. The coordinator sometimes gives me a call between five and six, but I don't find it bothersome because it's usually short.

White plate? YES!! Don't tell anyone about it.

[Hiroyuki]

Is the process of making kiriboshi daikon complicated? I want to try it.

←

Don't ask me. I'm not a serious cook!

First wash kiriboshi daikon well. (It can be very dirty.)

Soak in water for 10-20 min.

Put in a pot, with the water. (Don't drain the water.)

Add julienne carrot and abura age (fried bean curd).

Many people add a red pepper, but I don't, because the children don't like it.

Add instant dashi and sugar.

In 5 min., add soy sauce.

Cook another 5 min. or so until soft.

You can get lots of recipes by googling 切干し大根,

like this

http://recipe.gourmet.yahoo.co.jp/E031502/

[Hiroyuki]

On April 24, before my foodblog began, I went to the 100-yen shop on the premises of JUSCO on my way home from hospital.

about a 15-minute ride from my house.

Daiso 100-yen shop:

Tableware featuring cherry blossoms:

These are not all. There are much more items there.

I forgot to take photos of the food section on the first floor!

[Hiroyuki]

How do you manage to remove the sour milk smell completely from your artfully recycled milk cartons?

←

Thanks for your reply, Detective Pan.

It's easy. Just put some water in the carton, close the top with one hand, and shake it up and down. Repeat 3 or 4 times. Let it dry. Cut it open.

***

This is my last post today. Good night, everyone.

Have I answered all of your question?

[Catherine Iino]

Wonderful blog. I just found it this morning. I hope your wife is doing better.

I, too, love the milk carton ideas. Those cartons can't be recycled in my town, so it's great idea to reuse them. You may have started a movement!

It seems to me that in Japanese cuisine, the distinction between foods appropriate for breakfast and foods for other meals might be less strong than, say, most American's feel. I myself am not a fan of American breakfast foods in general (I agree that granola is better as a snack food), but my husband winces when I nibble on a piece of chicken or fish-that's-not-lox for breakfast. What Japanese foods would be taboo at breakfast?

I was also wondering: when your children (who seem to be impressively competent) made the cake, did they do it in the countertop oven? Or do you buy the cake layers and assemble them with the filling and frosting and fruit?

[srhcb]

How do you manage to remove the sour milk smell completely from your artfully recycled milk cartons?

←

Thanks for your reply, Detective Pan.

It's easy. Just put some water in the carton, close the top with one hand, and shake it up and down. Repeat 3 or 4 times. Let it dry. Cut it open.

***

This is my last post today. Good night, everyone.

Have I answered all of your question?

←

Since sour milk is acidic, a bit a baking powder in the water should help.

SB (big baking powder fan )

[Kouign Aman]

Flan!

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!

←

I love 99cent stores. I like yours better than mine

[MarketStEl]

Two comments since last I checked in:

--Yes, the 100-yen store is the exact same thing as the US dollar store. In concept, these are the direct descendants of Frank W. Woolworth's "five-and-dime" stores, so called because all the items they sold were priced at either 5 or 10 cents. (In my high-school French class, I learned that such stores were called "Prisunic" ["prix unique" = "a single price"] in that country.)

Although you can still find stores called "Woolworth's" in the UK and Australia, the original F.W. Woolworth Co. neither operates variety stores of this type nor does business under that name anymore. Now called the Venator Group, its primary business is a chain of sneaker stores called Foot Locker. None of Woolworth's competitors are around in their original form either, though one of them survives in the form of discount department store operator Kmart, and Wal-Mart, the biggest retailer in the US, began with a "dime store" in Bentonville, Ark.

I imagine it's only a matter of time before "dollar stores" drop the single-price policy just as the "dime stores" before them did.

--I note that your diet is certainly not lacking in meat -- and that the meat you buy appears far more richly marbled than what we would find in an American supermarket. How much do you pay for a kilo of pork cubes like those you used yesterday? (1 kg = 2.2 lbs, so the price per kilo is a little more than twice the price per pound.) For a kilo of the beef (it looked like strip steak) you cooked earlier this week?

One of the reasons American meats are leaner these days is because (producers perceive) consumers demand leaner meat out of concern for their weight. Obesity and overweight have become serious health issues in the US since the 1980s or so. Is this a problem at all in Japan? (I know that it's a desirable quality for sumo wrestlers. )