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Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

torakris

By torakris
in Japan: Cooking & Baking

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torakris

torakris

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word for 7/19:

紅たで

beni tade (beh-nee-tah-day)

Tiny purple leaves from the water pepper plant, they have a peppery flavor and are a common garnish with sashimi and tofu as well. They look like miniature, purple versions of kaiware.

picture:

http://www.toshin.co.jp/cook/99_12/hotate/#3

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 7/20:

海

umi (ooh-mee)

ocean, sea

OK this has nothing to do with food (well maybe except for the fact that a lot of food they eat comes from here), but today is the national holiday

海の日 umi no hi (day of the sea or marine day).

This is a new holiday only since 1996, sort of a respect for the Ocean day.

This is the day that the summer vacation starts for Japanese children and most pools/beaches open for the summer. More information can be found here:

http://japan.chez.tiscali.fr/Th-Index/E-Th-Uminohi.htm

Since today is a Sunday, the holiday is actually going to be celebrated tomorrow.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 7/21:

lets move on to some greens!

水菜

mizuna

I am sure most people are familiar with the Japanese green that has made its way onto salad plates all over the world. In Japan it is only just recently that it has being consumed raw, traditional applications all call for it to be cooked briefly. It is common to see mizuna in nabes (hotpots) and in dessed dishes after a brief parboling. Mizuna translates directly as "water green" but in Japan it is also known by the name 京菜(kyouna) meaning green form Kyoto.

The small tender leaves are great in salads but the older mature leaves need to be cooked.

picture:

http://www.saunalahti.fi/lepu2000/mizuna.JPG

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

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word for 7/23:

小松菜

Komatsuna (koh-mah-tsu-nah)

This is referred to in English as Japanese mustard spinach, it looks similar to spinach but is bolder in flavor. Its uses are pretty much the same as spinach and is common in simmered dishes, stirfries and "dressed" dishes.

The name komatsuna is from the area it was originally cultivated, the Komatsugawa region of Tokyo. Though it is grown in greenhouses year round it is really a winter vegetable, and like other mustards a touch of frost is believed to sweeten it.

A new thing I am seeing at supermarkets this year is young, tender komatsuna being sold specifically for salad use. Until recently I had never seen a recipe that called for it in its uncooked form.

Edited by torakris (log)

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

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word for 7/24:

春菊 shungiku (shoon-ghee-koo)

菊菜 kikuna (key-koo-nah)

chrysanthemum leaves

shungiku is how it is referred to in the Kanto (Tokyo) area, literally "spring chrysanthemum" while in the Kansai (Osaka) area it is called kikuna, literally "chrysanthemum green".

The leaves can be eaten raw in salads, but it is more common the briefly parboil them, they are also a common hotpot ingredient, butt hey should be added at the very end of cooking and only cooked for a minute or so as they have a tendency to turn bitter with prolonged cooking.

i3090.jpg

Edited by torakris (log)

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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One of my favorite and easiest ways of preparing shungiku:

cut it up the shungiku into about 2 inch long pieces, toss it with a little soy and sesame seeds, then heat up some sesame oil until just smoking and pour it over the greens then mix it into hot rice. A simple and tasty addition to a meal (or a meal in itself! :biggrin: )

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 7/25:

since we are discussing shungiku...........

食用菊‚­

shokuyoukiku (show-koo-yo-key-koo)

edible chysanthemum flowers,

these are used mostly as a garnish in their whole form, but occasionally you will see them as a part of a dish or even as the main part of a side dish.

The yellow ones seem to be the most popular but the purple ones often make appearances as well, picture:

http://www3.ic-net.or.jp/~o-yaski/kiku.htm

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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Jinmyo

Jinmyo

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Shungiku is also wonderful in soups, such as a dashi with chicken and tofu pieces. It adds a rich and definitely floral profile.

"I've caught you Richardson, stuffing spit-backs in your vile maw. 'Let tomorrow's omelets go empty,' is that your fucking attitude?" -E. B. Farnum

"Behold, I teach you the ubermunch. The ubermunch is the meaning of the earth. Let your will say: the ubermunch shall be the meaning of the earth!" -Fritzy N.

"It's okay to like celery more than yogurt, but it's not okay to think that batter is yogurt."

Serving fine and fresh gratuitous comments since Oct 5 2001, 09:53 PM

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torakris

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word for 7/26:

菜の花

nanohana (nah-noh-hah-nah)

broccoli rabe

this written both with and without the no (‚Ìj in the middle, but even without it is still pronounced. This translates literally as "flowers of the greens". This is a favorite of the Japanese, who praise it for its bitter qualities and use it mostly in dressed salads and as pickles for it short season in the spring.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

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word for 7/28:

せり

seri (say-ree)

Known in English as water celery or water dropwort or even in Asian markets as Korean watercress, this leafy aquatic plant is a popular addition to nabe as well as an essential ingredient in nankusagayu (7 herb rice gruel traditionally eaten on January 7). You will also see it in ohitashi presentations as well as both dressed salads and vinegared salads.

picture:

http://www.kanazawa-kankoukyoukai.gr.jp/3m...seri/index.html

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 7/29:

からし菜

karashina (kah-rah-shee-nah)

these are the mustard greeens, if you remember the word karashi means mustard, so they are literally mustard green in Japanese as well. In Japan these are used almost exclusively for pickles, occasionally you may see them as a wrapping form onigiri but rarely anything else. They are most common in the Osaka and southern regions and in Tokyo it is quite rare to find them in their fresh form.

Karashi-na is the general name encompassing all of the mustard greens, but sometimes they are referred to by specific names:

高菜 takana, this means tall leaf and it is the long variety

赤高菜 akatakana, this is the red long leaf and like its name suggests is tinged with a red color

picture:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...re/karash11.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 7/30:

あしたば

ashitaba

This doesn't seem to have an English name as it is referred to as ashitaba around the world. This seems to be the new wonder food that supposedly can slow down aging. It is often blanched before being used in hitashi and dressed style dishes and it can be used in stirfries nad dishes like tempura with out any pre-cooking, but it is not eaten in a raw state.

picture and information on the health benefits:

http://www.ashitabagreen.com/about/what.shtml

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 7/31:

野沢菜

nozawana (noh-zah-wah-nah)

These are a type of turnip green from a city called Nozawa in Nagano prefecture. The leaves which are grown to be about 2 feet long are almost exclusively pickled and are the favorite leaf pickle of my children. :biggrin:

picture of nozawana before and after pickling (and pictures of the pickling process as well):

http://www.koide.gr.jp/inakaryouri/kyoudor...ri/nozawana.htm

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

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The daily nihongo will be on a short hiatus until August 5 while I am on vacation with no computer access.

I will be thinking about all of you while I am hanging out by the pool or splashing in the ocean! :biggrin:

word for 8/1:

つるむらさき

tsurumurasaki (tsu-roo-moo-rah-sah-key)

This is known as basella or malabar spinach in other parts of the world. Though not native to Japan it has found a home here and is loved for its sliminess. It is often blanched anthen used in salads or hitashi style dishes or it is tossed into stirfries. There are two varieties a green stemmed and a red stemmed but they are both referred to by the same name even though the murasaki of tsurumurasaki means purple.

picture:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/tsurum2.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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back from a wonderful trip to the ocean resort town of Usami where I spent 5 days enjoying some of the worst food of my life! (this is a whole different thread)

back to the daily nihongo

word for 8/5:

キャベツ

kyabetsu (kyah-beh-tsu)

cabbage

This is just the plain old green cabbage eaten mostly in Japan as a side dish to deep fired foods usually in a shredded form. There is also what they call "haru kyabetsu" which means spring cabbage and this is the cabbage you find in early spring that is actually quite sweet and has very "loose" leaves, there is actually space between the layers.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

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word for 8/6:

芽キャベツ

mekyabetsu (may-kyah-beh-tsu)

This the Japanese word for brussel sprouts, though not native to this country they have gained popularity in recent years and can be found in a lot of stores. they are used more as a garnish then as a main feature of the meal.

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 8/7: back to the leafy greens for a moment

みぶな

mibuna

This is another leafy green form the Kyoto area (Mibu, to be exact) that has been gaining in popularity through out Japan in recent years. It is really a winter vegetable but has become available all year round. It is used in soups, stirfries, simmered dishes and pickles.

picture:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/mibuna1.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 8/8:

白菜　はくさい

hakusai (hah-koo-sah-ee)

Chinese or napa cabbage

This is the most popular of the cabbage family in Japan. It is used in almost every preparation, nabes, pickles, stirfries, salads, simmered dishes, etc. It is a winter vegetable, making it a mainstay of nabes, and can be difficult to find during the summer. Hakusai in Japan in a beautiful vegetable and can be incredibly sweet.

i3078.jpg

Edited by torakris (log)

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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back to the greeens once again!

word for 8/9:

おいしい菜

oishiina (oy-shee-nah)

This translates literally as delicious green. I ran across this in the si\upermarket yesterday and had never seen it before. A quick web search says that it is a type of nabana ("flowering" green) from the Hakata area of Fukuoka prefecture, it is aso referred to as Hakatana. Though it is from the nabana family it has no flowers or else it is harvested before they have a chance to develop. Cooking it last night I found the taste similar to komatsuna but a little lighter in color with much thicker stems. It seems to be one of those multi purpose greens can be used in an type of preparation.

fb718345.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

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word for 8/10:

レタス

lettuce

Just like in the US the most popular form of this is iceberg, though I find the ones here to be darker green and slightly more flavorful.

What else can you say about lettuce? :blink:

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

torakris

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word for 8/11:

きゅうり

kyuri (kyu-ree)

cucumber

Japanese cucumbers are a little bit shorter then the American cucumber and close to a quarter of its width. The seeds are barely noticeable and they pack much more flavor than the American counterpart. They are used raw in salads (salted first if for a dressed salad or sunomono) and pickled and occasionally they make an appearance in stirfries.

picture:

http://www.maruka-ishikawa.co.jp/images/ve...ure/kyuri.3.jpg

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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torakris

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back to the daily nihongo!

word for 8/18:

大根

daikon

Most people are quite familiar with this root vegetable from Japan, the flavor can range from sweet to down right spicy. They should be very firm when bought, limpness means that it is past its prime, it you can find them with the leaves attached that is even better. The tops are edible as well are are used in stirfries, pickles, etc. Daikon is common in soups, simmered dishes, stirfries, deep frying and raw in salads and grated as a topping for other dishes. One trick to dealing with daikon is to make sure you peel it quite thickly, you will actually see a slight color change as you peel it correctly.

picture:

http://webm.jp/site/page/suwastore/okaidok...ku/416/seika01/

Edited by torakris (log)

Kristin Wagner, aka "torakris"

 

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