Daily Nihongo (2005 - )

[torakris]

3/12:

はもきゅう　　hamokyuu

はもざく hamozaku

these are both terms for a popular dish of hamo and cucumbers served with a vinegar dressing

hamokyuu/hamozaku

[torakris]

3/13:

ハモ皮

hamo kawa

This is the skin of the hamo and is delicious all on its own, it can be deep fried or even panfried, it can be eaten alone or added to dishes. It is often mixed with cucumbers in a vinegar dressing (hamokyuu).

deep fried hamo skin

hamokyuu

[torakris]

I was going to cover this word early but I forgot....

3/14:

くずたたき

kuzu-tataki

This is similar to otoshi/yubiki/chiri in that s is cooked by being simmered in hot water, the difference is that in kuzu-tataki it is first coated with a light dusting of kudzu-ko/kuzu-ko (kudzu starch). Kudzu-ko isn't a common ingedient in homes nowadays and is often replaced with katakuriko (a potato starch). Hamo kuzu-tataki is often added to clear soups.

soup with hamo kuzu-tataki

[torakris]

and sometimes simple is the best.....

hamo sashimi

hamo sushi

[torakris]

time to move away from hamo...

3/16:

コイ　　鯉

koi

carp

koi

[torakris]

3/17:

鯉のぼり

koi nobori

Colourful carp-shaped streamers are beginning to appear on bamboo poles all over Japan, as Boys' Festival (May 5) approaches. Parents hope that their sons will grow up strong and healthy like the carp fish, which are strong enough to swim up-stream and even jump upwards over waterfalls. The streamers are called koinobori in Japanese.

more about koinobori

with pictures

[torakris]

3/19:

鯉の甘煮　　鯉のうま煮

koi no uma-ni

鯉の甘露煮

koi no kanro-ni

These are both long simmered dishes that are quite sweet, the koi is simmered in large amounts of sugar, mirin and soy sauce (some people also add sake) for hours. Water is added to prevent burning during the simmering period. The two words seem sometimes to be used interchangeably and then other times they will appear as two different dishes. From what I could figure out by doing some resaerch on the web, kanro-ni is usually simmered for longer making the bones soft enough to eat, some places boast that their uma-ni bones are soft enough to eat but in other places you will have to pick around them.

kanro-ni/uma-ni

[torakris]

3/20:

鯉こく

koi koku

this is miso soup made with koi

koi koku

[torakris]

3/21:

鯉のあらい

koi no arai

Arai is from the verb arau which means to wash, hot water is poured over the skin side and the the koi is immediately moved to an ice water bath where it is swished around (washed). This helps to remove some of the strong taste from the flesh.

koi no arai

[easternsun]

to me, koi will always be big goldfish! i cant imagine eating small goldfish nor big ones!

my question: is koi cuisine common or rare?

isnt koi expensive? the lives ones seems to be revered - i am surprised that people eat them.

i love this thread! i am learning so much!

[Pan]

Carp are very tasty to eat! The Chinese also like them. Try having a big one steamed with soy sauce, ginger, scallions, and cilantro. Yum!

[torakris]

to me, koi will always be big goldfish!  i cant imagine eating small goldfish nor big ones!

my question:  is koi cuisine common or rare?

isnt koi expensive?  the lives ones seems to be revered - i am surprised that people eat them.

←

Koi cuisine is quite common, I can't imagine a Japanese person that would be shocked to hear that the Japanese like to eat koi. If you type koi ryouri (koi cuisine) in yahoo Japan you get over 13,000 hits.

It seem to be most common in the more northern areas like Yamgata, Fukushima, Nagano, Niigata, etc.

also most of koi that is eaten looks like this

rather than the colorful ones you see in the ponds.

[torakris]

Here is a nice article about the history of carp in Japan.

[torakris]

3/22:

鯉の塩焼き

koi no shioyaki

salt (shio) grilled (yaki) koi

koi no shioyaki

[torakris]

3/23:

Here is a sample of a full course koi meal

scroll down for a couple other dishes

[Hiroyuki]

to me, koi will always be big goldfish!  i cant imagine eating small goldfish nor big ones!

←

In Japan, the carp is a symbol of social success, as exemplified by koi nobori (carp streamers), which are put up on Boy's Day (May 5th).

Images of koi nobori

http://images.google.co.jp/images?q=%E9%AF...%E3%82%8A&hl=ja

[easternsun]

silly me! i should have known better. not the same koi! thanks for the continued education

[torakris]

3/24:

フナ

funa

crucian carp

[torakris]

3/25:

there are a couple types of funa

ギンブナ　（マブナ）

ginbuna (also called mabuna) this is the most common and is a popular catch for fishermen, it is often referred to as silver crucian carp in English

ginbuna

ゲンゴロウブナ　（ヘラブナ、カワチブナ）

gengoroubuna (also known as herabuna and kawachibuna) and often called silver crucian carp in English

The species of Crucian Carp that is the origin of the HERBUNA originally lived around

　the Biwa lakeside including the Yogo Lake.

　The fisheries agency artificially improved this species to make it fit for food,

　and this improved species was called GENGOROU.

　It has become very popular as an edible fish in the Kawachi district of Osaka since 1926.

　A fishermen’s union was formed in the Kawachi district, and they renamed the GENGOROU 　　Crucian as “KAWATI” which became a popular product in this district. This KAWATI Crucian 　　　became known as HERABUNA among the anglers.

Now 2,000 tons of KAWATI (Hera) Crucian are cultivated each year in the fish breeding ponds of the Osaka and Nara areas. Half is shipped to freshwater fish cuisine restaurants in the Kansai area, and the other half is released into fishing pods throughout Japan.

more from here

herabuna

ニゴロブナ

nigorobuna

The type of carp most suited for funa zushi (a type of fermented sushi)is nigorobuna (round crucian carp) a type special to Lake Biwa. Nigorobuna comes from the phrase "niru ni koroai (just ready to boil).

nigorobuna

and a couple slightly less known ones:

ナガブナ　　 nagabuna

オオキンブナ ookinbuna

キンブナ kinbuna

[torakris]

3/26:

funazushi

this dish of fermented funa (most properly the nigorobuna from Lake Biwa) can be written a couple different ways

funa can be written as ふな　　鮒　　フナ　　

the zushi part can be written as ずし　　　　寿司　　　　鮨　　

and they can be put together in different ways and you would still be right....

鮒寿司　though will get you the most hits at yahoo Japan

A special kind of crucian carp ('Nigoro-buna' ) an indigenous species to the lake (Lake Biwa), caught in April - May is salted and stored for about one to three years to fermented and ready to eat.

First, scales of the fish are scraped off, and gills are removed, then all intestines are taken away under through the gill cover. Next, pure salt is fully stuffed into inside of the fish body. Lastly the fish and salt are placed in layers in a bucket and kept under weights for several months.

After this first process, the salt is washed out completely and fish is dried for a day. In the next process, cooked rice is stuffed into inside the fish and again fish and rice are kept in layers under salt, water and weights for about another year or more for full fermentation and maturation.

more, with pictures, from here

[torakris]

I am taking the day off today,

beside the fact that it is Easter it also happens to be my birthday....

we are off to a brunch of Easter ham and roast leg of lamb.

See you tomorrow!

[torakris]

3/28:

鮒豆　ふなまめ　　ふな豆　　　鮒まめ

funamame

funa (crusian carp) mame (beans and in this case daizu--dried soy beans)

the funa is first cooked (usually grilled), and often left to sit overnight, it is then simmered together with the beans in a soy based sauce.

funamame

[easternsun]

I am taking the day off today,

beside the fact that it is Easter it also happens to be my birthday....

we are off to a brunch of Easter ham and roast leg of lamb.

See you tomorrow!

←

happy belated birthday!! i hope you had a wonderful day

[torakris]

3/29:

鮒のてっぱい

funa no teppai

Like the funamame we looked at yesterday this is a speciality of Kagawa. Slices of funa are dressed in white miso sauce.

funa no teppai

[torakris]

3/30:

すずめ焼き

suzume yaki

These are small funa that are often skewered then dipped into a soy based sauce while grilling.

suzume yaki