Japanese foods--gohanmono

[Hiroyuki]

By the way, my cousin once told me a saying that when he grew up his mom said "eat every grain of rice or you will go blind"  I've heard this from a couple of other relatives as well.  Is this a common Japanese saying or is my family just cruel?

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What I often hear here in Japan is quite the opposite.

"If you waste even a single grain of rice, you will go blind."

米を一粒たりとも粗末にすると、目がつぶれる

It's not much of a saying and there are a lot of other versions.

Another famous legend about the importance of rice is

A goddess of Kannon resides in each and every grain of rice.

米の一粒一粒には観音様が宿っている

[Phish]

I like the congee type of gohan.. not sure what it's called, but they serve it with a burner and it's quite watery...

[chile_peppa]

My mother loves natto and raw egg on gohan, but I've never been able to handle the egg. I like beni shoga, Tokyo-Zuke, gomashio, or furikake on mine, maybe some takuan or kimchee if it's not too strong (well, not all together), but my favorite is sekihan (with red beans). And I eat every single grain, with pointy Japanese ohashi. I just love gohan, and here I am, stuck with a Lean Cuisine frozen lunch today!

[torakris]

I like the congee type of gohan.. not sure what it's called, but they serve it with a burner and it's quite watery...

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maybe zosui?

http://www6.plala.or.jp/totorono/images/shop/menu/zosui.JPG

[Phish]

hmm... close, but the rice is still in it's distinc shape and there is alot more ingredients in it.... i guess it depends on who or how they are prepared... o.O

[torakris]

hmm... close, but the rice is still in it's distinc shape and there is alot more ingredients in it.... i guess it depends on who or how they are prepared... o.O

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It still sounds like zosui, this is made with rice that has been previously cooked and then added to some type of stock, it can be soupy or thicker depending on preference and can be as simple as just egg or a variety of ingredients. Egg in some form is very popular as is some type of seafood, occasionally meats and some type of garnish.

If it is much creamier and more risoto like it is probably okayu (rice gruel).

[Phish]

I had this for lunch today... it's one of my favorite rice dish... it's just called Salmon Don here... wondering what the proper name is?

There's raw salmon (of course!), tobiko (my favorite sushi topping), sliced cucumber, avocado (hidden under the salmon), pickled ginger, big dallop of wasabi and these magnificent tuna (?) floss....

.:. forgot to add that there are also bits of nori...

Im not a big fan of tuna... but the ones here are just so addictive... it's marinated and are semi dried and finely shreaded... much like the chinese pork floss except these are a little more moist. I was wondering if this is an actual japanese food?? And if anyone knows the recipe to this??

Thanks in advace!!

Im looking at you Kris...

Edited October 6, 2004 by Phish (log)

[torakris]

hhhmmm....

the donburi probably doesn't have a name, it looks like an original! and a very good one at that.

The tuna is probably tsukudani or soboro, both are simmered in a soy based sauce and then sort of crumbled/flaked.

[torakris]

Last night I had one of my favorite maze (mixed) gohans

I tear the tender leaves off the shungiku (chrysanthemum) stems and place them in a bowl and season them with some soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds then add the hot rice to the bowl and mix. Last night I used a 50/50 mix of brown rice and white rice.

[torakris]

the rice burger (a hamburger like dish using two rice "patties"/onigiris instead of a bun) that has been made very popular by MOS burger can now be eaten "fresh" at home.

A frozen rice burger that has been heated in the microwave, this is the yakiniku (grilled beef version) and was quite good.

[Kiem Hwa]

Last week (for thanksgiving) I made the UNAGI OKOWA recipe that Kristin posted on the eGullet courses:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST&f=108&t=28058&

It was so good, that my MIL wanted me to make it again for the Saturday Thanksgiving party we were invited to a few days later.

Well, I made it again with a few changes, and it was a hit!

Instead of putting nori into it, we shaped them into musubi/onigiri, and wrapped nori around them. Also, this time I was out of Shiso, so i stuffed the center with Shiso-flavored konbu...yummy!!!!

Thanks Kristin!

Shiso konbu-

http://www.tyckshin.com.tw/prod-konbu-e3.htm

P.S....one of my favorite ways to eat gohan? Steaming hot, topped with shiso-konbu or the same type of konbu mixed with the tiny roe (herring?), but im not sure what this product is called.

[torakris]

here are some links to other threads in the Japan forums that are about rice

electric rice cookers

types of Japanese rice

general questions about cooking rice

[torakris]

maze-gohan last night

with daikon leaves, ginger, sesame seeds and salt

[SobaAddict70]

maze-gohan last night

with daikon leaves, ginger, sesame seeds and salt

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I'm having my second breakfast (6 egg whites and 2 whole eggs) and I'd trade that for a bowl of last night's maze-gohan in a heartbeat.

[helenjp]

Got this out of a recent issue of Eiyou to Ryouri (Nutrition and Cooking) magazine.

ABURAGE and GREEN PEAS MAZE-GOHAN

Cook rice as usual. Per half-cup of raw rice (one modest adult serving) allow

1/2 slice of aburage (thin-sliced deepfried tofu)

1-2 tablespoons of fresh or frozen green peas.

In a dry frying pan on low-med heat or in an oven-toaster, dry-fry or toast the aburage until crispy but not necessarily browned. Sprinkle over about 1/2 tsp soy sauce per slice of aburage and allow to soak in briefly. Cut into small squares.

Boil peas very briefly until cooked, drain, shock in cold water if necessary.

Mix the aburage and peas into the cooked rice lightly. The soy sauce adds a salty tang that goes surprisingly well with the mildly sweet green peas.

[nakji]

I love peas....peas and rice sound fantastic. When do fresh peas come into season in Japan?

[smallworld]

Yum, that sounds great! In spring I often make mame-gohan with shirasu but it involves cooking fresh peas and shirasu with the rice. It's wonderful when the peas are good but more often than not the peas, though they looked fresh, turn out to be tough and starchy. I like the idea of mixing in frozen peas, which are guaranteed to be tender (not to mention cheaper and much less work).

Variations include using dried sakura-ebi instead of shirasu, which turns the rice pink (shockingly pink if artificially coloured sakura-ebi are used), or mixing sliced shiso and chopped umeboshi into the rice before serving.

Nakji, I don't know the exact season, but I seem to recall May and June as being the months they are most plentiful in supermarkets. But like I mentioned above, I've been really disappointed with them in the past.

If anyone has any tips on how to choose really fresh peas, I'd love to hear them!