Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

[torakris]

for 6/27 6/28 and 6/29

we will cover 2 words (sorry, I will be gone this weekend, we are spending the weekend at the beach in Chiba prefecture)

塩

shio (shee-oh)

salt

こしょう

koshou (koe-show)

pepper

[gus_tatory]

hope you had a great weekend, Kristin!

today's lesson made it crystal clear what "gomashio" is --> "sesame-salt"...

thanks,

gus

[torakris]

hope you had a great weekend, Kristin!

today's lesson made it crystal clear what "gomashio" is --> "sesame-salt"... 

thanks,

gus

well it would have been a great weekend, if rain wasn't forecast the whole time!

No point in driving over 3 hours to go to the beach when it is raining, so we decided to postpone the trip until July.

Sooooo

word for 6/28:

胡麻　　ごま

goma (goh-mah)

sesame seeds

ごましお　　ごま塩　　胡麻塩

gomashio (and its many "spellings")

the mixture of salt and sesame seeds that is a very popular food (particularlyr ice) topping

besides the

黒ごまkurogoma or black sesame seeds

you will also have a choice of

いりごまirigome, whole seame seeds

すりごま surigoma, semi-crushed sesame seeds

I would recommend the irigoma, so you can toast them and then crush them yourself, the test is about a 100 times better.

[torakris]

word for 6/29:

わさび

wasabi (wah-sah-bee)

the Japanese horseradish that is green in color, sold fresh, in tubes, or in powder form. The Japanese eat the stems and leaves from the plant as well, often pickled or as garnishes.

In case you missed the wasabi thread:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...19&t=21853&st=0

[torakris]

word for 6/30:

にんにく­

ninniku (neen-nee-koo)

garlic

garlic isn't used in Japanse cuisine as much as in other Asian cuisines, but it still is a staple in most homes.

Also very popular are the garlic stems or

にんにくの茎 （ninniku no kuki).

[torakris]

word for 7/1:

しょうが

shouga (show-gah)

ginger

Ginger is used extensively in Japanese cooking, very often in fish cookery because it helps rid the fish of its "fishy-ness". It is also used in pickles, either alone (the gari or pickled slices served with sushi or beni-shouga, the bright pink shreds that top dishes like okonomiyaki and takoyaki) or as an accent. In the spring search out the young ginger, which is pale in color with pink tips, its crisp and refreshing flavor is worth the search.

And don't forget about shouga-yaki, the wonderful pork and ginger stir fry dish!

[torakris]

word for 7/2:

柚子　ゆず

yuzu (you-zoo)

A Japanese citrus fruit about the size of a tangerine, quite often with bumpy yellow skin, though Ｉ have seen smoother ones and there is also a green variety call ao-yuzu which is a little bit smaller. It has a very unique taste quite different from lemons or limes and is used mostly for for it skin (peel) as a garnish/flavoring. Occasionally the juice is added to pickles and they even have a yuzu juice that is absolutely incredible (but very expensive, since there tend to be more seeds then juice).

Yuzu is an unmistakable part of Japanese winter cooking and the newest way of enjoying it all year round is in yuzu-koshou 柚子こしょう a speciality form the Kyushu region of Japan that has been enjoying a "boom" recently and can be found in supermarkets everywhere. Though the word koshou refers to black pepper, in Kyushu it is also used to refer to green chiles, thus this paste is a mix of yuzu rind, green chile and salt.

yuzu koshou

while searching the web for a picture I ran across 100's of sites citing yuzu as a beauty product, shampoos, etc, I have never seen it used this way in Japan............

Edited February 16, 2004 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 7/3:

today we will cover 2 of the citrus used in Japanese cooking:

すだち

sudachi

かぼす

kabosu

these are both small and green, sudachi being smaller, and are used mostly for their juice. Their season runs from late summer to the end of fall, but now in Japan can be found year round at gourmet markets.

They are normally served like garnishes with dishes like grilled fish, grilled mushrooms. sashimi, etc to be squeezed over the top as you like. In season you will often see them used in place of vinegar in salad-y type dishes and it is quite popular to make ponzu with their juice to eat with nabes.

here are pictures:

http://www.marutani-21.co.jp/mikan/sudati-...-saidebook2.htm

sudachi is first, then scroll down to see kabosu

Edited January 9, 2004 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 7/4:

山椒

sanshou (sahn-show)

these are the pods from the prickly ash tree, often referred to as Japanese pepper even though it is not a pepper. It is more fragrant then "hot" and it helps cut the oiliness in fatty foods. It is most often seen in a powder form and it is the traditional "spice" of choice for unagi (grilled eel). It is also quite common to make a tsukudani (soy simmered condiment) from the seeds.

木の芽

kinome (key-noh-may)

these are the young leaves of the prickly ash and are a common garnish in Japanese cooking. They have been described as being fresh with just the mildest hint of mintiness. Besides being a garnish the leaves　are sometimes ground into a paste and used as a sauce flavoring.

pictures of both:

http://tcnweb.ne.jp/~ramses/vege/bg1-016.htm

kinome first, then scroll to see the sanshou

here are more pictures of the "stages" of sanshou:

http://aoki2.si.gunma-u.ac.jp/BotanicalGar...Ls/sanshou.html

[torakris]

word for 7/5:

七味

shichimi (shee-chee-mee)

shichimi means seven spice (the chatracters actually read seven and flavor) and consists of togarashi (chile pepper) flakes, sansho (Japanese pepper pods), dried mandarin orange peel, black hemp seeds (or sometimes poppy seeds), dark green nori seaweed bits and white sesame seeds. Occasionaly other things can be added in addition, one of the most popular being yuzu ( Japanese citron).

It is sold in little bottles in the "spice" section of Asian markets, in Japan it is now commonly sold witht he spices in whole form in a bottle with a mill attatched so everyone can grind their own.

EDIT:

you may occasionally run across it it called nanami, in Japanese there are two way to say the number 7 - shichi and nana.

Edited January 9, 2005 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 7/6:

一味

ichimi (ee-chee-mee)

This is ground red pepper, the characters for its name mean "one" and "flavor" since it consists only of red pepper.

Ichimi is one of the ingredients in shichimi and is used in some of the same ways, mostly sprinkled on soups and noodle dishes.

[torakris]

word for 7/7:

七夕

tanabata (tah-nah-bah-tah)

OK this isn't food, but July 7th is the the day of tanabata (characters read 7th night) in Japan. Tanabata is a day for making wishes, people write their wishes on a piece of paper and tie them to a young bamboo branch in hopes that they will come true. Tanabata is the story of two stars (in the sky kind of stars) who were in love but were forced apart only to meet once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month.

more information is here:

http://www.jinjapan.org/kidsweb/calendar/j...y/tanabata.html

[torakris]

word for 7/8:

ラー油

raayu (raah-you)

This is actually Chinese chili oil, but you will find a bottle in almost every household in Japan. It is mainly used in gyoza tare (the sauce eaten with dumplings) but can be used in other sauces, soups, and in dressings.

You can usually find it on the same shelves as the shichimi and ichimi.

here is a picture:

http://www.katagiri.com/ctlg/jpgf/j/j1461.htm

Edited January 9, 2005 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 7/9:

からし

karashi

This is the yellow Japanese mustard, it is quite strong. About the same heat level as the stronger European mustards but with no vinegar added, much, much stronger then the mild American mustards.

In Japan it is mostly sold in a tube, though it can also be found in a powdered form (to be mixed with water to make a paste)

Karashi is the traditional condiment for oden and it is often served with various Chinese dumpling and as a kick in salad dressing or some tares (sauces).

[torakris]

word for 7/10:

銀杏

ginnan

ginkgo nuts

These come onto the market normally in autumn and are really wonderful, avoid the canned ones if at all possible, they are absolutely flavorless. Ginnan are used more as a garnish (for their beautiful yellow color) then as a main part of the dish. They are a regular ingredient in chawan mushi (steamed egg custard) and other steamed dishes but you will also see them grilled, deep-fried and simmered.

It can be time consuming to remove the 3 layers before eating but they are worth it.

[torakris]

word for 6/11:

三つ葉

mitsuba (mee-tsu-bah)

This is often translated as trefoil or Japanese parsley, or white parsley and it seems to have a couple other nams as well.

It is part of the parsley family, but it a a unique taste that really can't be substituted for. It's name mitsuba means "3 leaves" and that is what it looks like, a long stem with 3 flat, deeply cut leaves. There are a couple different varieties, some with white stems, some with green, some are more "leafy" and others are more "stemmy", but they all taste pretty much the same.

The whole plant is eaten, both stems and leaves, and is used either raw or blanched. mitsuba turns bitter with long cooking and so is added to dishes at the very end of cooking, or in the case of miso soup is sprinkled on just before serving so the heat just barely cooks it.

picture:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/veg-fru/mitsuba.htm

[torakris]

word for 7/12:

長ネギ

naganegi (nah-gah-nay-giy)

This literally means long onion, it is the onion that is refered to by a variety of names:

Japanese bunching onion, Japanese onion, Japanese leek, Welsh onion, etc

It is very long and its thickness falss somewhere between scallions and leeks, it is quite mild and is eaten raw as a garnish as will as cooked. It is quite common to them on a yakitori skewer as well as atop a bowl of ramen noodles.

picture:

http://www.bigempire.com/sake/images/imports4.jpg

[torakris]

word for 7/13:

青ねぎ

aonegi (aow-neh-gee)

Literally blue (meaning green) onion, these are closer to scallions. In Japan there are many different types, some are very regional, some have more white, some have more green, some are fat, some are as thin as chives, and they have a hundred different names.

Sometimes they are generally referred to as aonegi, sometimes as konegi (small onion), other times by specific names, such as

asatsuki, wakegi, etc

These are used mostly as garnishes, but can also be found in "dressed" foods, simmered and sauteed foods.

lots of negi:

http://www.vegefund.com/panfu/negi/negi.htm

Edited January 9, 2005 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 7/14:

しそ

shiso (shee-sow)

Most people are familiar with this Japanese name of the Perilla plant. The taste is often describes as a cross between basil and mint though I would find neither an approriate substitute. There are two types:

青じそ(ao-jiso) "blue" shiso meaning the green ones, also known as 大葉(ooba)

赤じそ(aka-jiso) the "red", actually more of a purple color

It is not just the leaves that are eaten, they sprouts (mejiso) are also used in garnishes (a common sight on sashimi platters) and are in both colors ao-me (green) and murame (purple). They also use the flowering seed pods (with pretty purple-pink flowers) called hanajiso or hanahojiso as garnish and you will occasionally see the hojiso, the stem with yet unopened pods, called for in recipes.

I couldn't find pictures of anything but the leaves, both green and red can be seen here:

http://pippimama.com/perennials/17_shiso.html

[torakris]

word for 7/15:

みょうが

myouga (myou-gah)

These are the pink buds of the ginger plant, the best seasons for them are early summer and fall. They are often thinly sliced and eaten raw as a garnish to many salad-y type foods, often in combination with negi and shiso.

They can also be salt pickled and pickled in vinegar and in season are a very common addition to miso soup.

They have a very distinct flavor for which there is no substitute.

picture:

http://www.e-recipe.org/series/foods/foods28.html

If you are able to find them in your local Asian market here is a good recipe in which to try them:

http://www.sugawara.com/cook/kyuri/kyuri-e.html

Edited January 9, 2005 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 7/16:

唐辛子

tougarashi (toe-gah-rah-shee)

Chile pepper

Japanese food isn't really known for being spicy and thus chile peppers aren't often used but they are quite popular in some regional cuisines. There are a couple different varieties and vary in heat levels but they are basically divived into 2 groups.

青唐辛子 aotogarashi "blue" meaning green chile pepper

赤唐辛子　akatougarashi red chile pepper

They are rarely referred to by actual names either just green or red and occasionally cookbooks will clarify it further by specifying "nama" or fresh to differentiate from the more commonly used dried version.

[torakris]

From the last couple of posts you may have figured out that the Japanese have a color problem.

While we translate their "ao" to mean blue it is actually a color that covers a very small part of the blue spectrum and is actually closer to green then blue. So you will see the word ao referring to many green plant words.

By the way they also refer the traffic light as "ao" or blue.

[Jason Perlow]

“‚hŽq@@‚Æ‚¤‚ª‚炵

tougarashi (toe-gah-rah-shee)

Chile pepper

Japanese food isn't really known for being spicy and thus chile peppers aren't often used but they are quite popular in some regional cuisines. There are a couple different varieties and vary in heat levels but they are basically divived into 2 groups.

“‚hŽq aotogarashi "blue" meaning green chile pepper

Ô“‚hŽq red chile pepper

They are rarely referred to by actual names either just green or red and occasionally cookbooks will clarify it further by specifying "nama" or fresh to differentiate from the more commonly used dried version.

Whats a TAKANOTSUME then? Is that used to make togarishi powders used as a condiment for ramen soups?

Theres also YATSUFUSA and NIKKOH types.

[torakris]

takanotsume is the actual name of one of the akatogarashi (red chiles), it is most common in the dried form. When you see the name takanotsume in a recipe it is almost always asking for the dried version.

Fresh chiles are not a common sight in Japanese markets (in Japan), if you see any at all they will most likely be green. The red types are used almost exclusively for drying and making into powders.

[torakris]

word for 7/17:

しし唐

shishitou (shee-shee-toe)

These are, well, shishitou. I don't think there is an English name for them. The are thin skinned Japanese peppers that are the size of a large pinky finger. They are neither sweet nor spicy, some have more kick then others but in general they are a mild pepper. They are wonderful grilled and are seen more as a garnish rather then the main focus of a dish.

Edited February 16, 2004 by torakris (log)