Japanese foods-- Yakumi

[Hiroyuki]

I don't like garlic. The only Japanese dish that I make using garlic is the beef bowl. When I make pizza sauce and Italian spaghetti, I just don't use garlic. (You may argue that they are not Italian then.) Isn't it ironic that the filling of Japanese gyouza contains garlic while that of the authentic Chinese counterpart does not?

[Hiroyuki]

I wonder if mushuu ninniku (odorless garlic) is peculiar to the Japanese, who dislike the odor of garlic.

An example: http://www.yasashisa.net/kenko/kenshoku/garlic.html

And, can garlic products such as ninniku ran'ou (garlic and egg yolk) be found outside Japan?

An example: http://www.yazuya.com/items/ninniku/

torakris or anyone?

[torakris]

I use mitsuba in both raw dishes and cooked. The custard someone was referring to is chawan mushi a steamed savory egg custard in which mitsuba is often added.

I love to add it to salads and it is wonderful in scrambled eggs and when I have it on hand I always add it to my miso soups.

[torakris]

Slightly off-topic,

I've never thought that mitsuba is worth buying.  You buy a bunch of mitsuba, use only a fraction of it as a garnish or something, and put the rest of it in the fridge.  The next time you want to use it, you find it rotten...

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I guess I have always thought of it as a vegetable rather than a garnish. I usually use up the whole thing at once that I don't have anything around for a garnish....

I often toss the whole amount into a pan of simmered fish dishes just before I pull it off the heat.

most recently I used it as a bibimbap topping

[Farmer Dave]

Thanks for expanding the topic Torakris.

There must be more ways to use Mitsuba......we supply kitchens from this farm and the chefs are non-asian.....they have a hard time even describing Mitsuba's taste....some say....mint overtones....bergamot or flowery....jasmine......it is really hard to describe the subleties of it......one Korean chef was here and all he said was...."I know this"........

Still.........is there life for Mitsuba beyond custard...?

[jogoode]

Here is the second Japanese reference to garlic's effect on stamina that I've heard. Do some Japanese believe that garlic increases one's stamina?

The Kamishii Stamina Summer Festival is connected with garlic, the special product of Kamishii village.

You can enjoy inventive events, fireworks display, etc. every year.

Edited December 4, 2004 by jogoode (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Do some Japanese believe that garlic increases one's stamina?

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Some Japanese? Garlic is always associated with stamina.

[torakris]

in 1936 in Japan, garlic was found to contain a substance called "scordinine" which is effective for increasing stamina, for helping the body recover from fatigue, and for promoting metabolism.

from here:

http://www.iwantmyvitamins.com/articles/th...r-of-garlic.htm

lots of other benefits as well...

[EdS]

I have a bottle of House brand shichimi togarashi that I like to sprinkle on my broiled fish and chicken and on my udon. I'm thinking that it might be interesting to blend my own mixture to suit my taste. I also think my own would taste fresher. I'm having some trouble understanding how I would go about making my own so perhaps I could get some advice here.

The ingredients are listed as follows:

1) Red pepper

I can grind my whole dried togarashi to get this.

2) Roasted orange peel

I think this is mandarin orange. I've seen fresh mandarins at my market. Should I dry peelings in an oven and use them?

3) Yellow sesame seeds

I bet this is plain white sesame seed.

4) Black sesame seeds

I have this.

5) Japanese pepper

This sounds like sansho. Isn't this the same thing or related to Szechwan pepper? I know it's banned from being imported into the U.S. but I am sure I can get this in San Francisco's Chinatown.

6) Seaweed

Toasted nori?

7) Ginger

Dried ginger flakes?

I'm thinking that I would gather everything, toast in a cast-iron pan, and grind in a mortar.

[Hiroyuki]

I am not familiar with the House brand shichimi.

Basically, there are three types of shichimi, which originated in Kyoto, Edo (former Tokyo), and Zenkoji Temple in Shinshu (Nagano), respectively. I am familiar with the Zenkoji type http://www.yawataya.co.jp/

The ingredients of the three types are:

Edo: Raw red pepper, toasted red pepper, sansho, black sesame seeds, chinpi, poppy seeds, and hemp seeds

Nagano: Dried red pepper, ginger, sansho, black sesame seeds, chinpi, ao-jizo, and hemp seeds

Kyoto: Dried red pepper, green laver, sansho, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds, shiso, and hemp seeds

The Edo type contains both toasted and raw red peppers, and is spicy. The Kyoto type contains a lot of sansho, and is savory. The Zenkoji type is well-balanced, and contains ginger to warm you up.

Some comments on your post:

>2) Roasted orange peel

>I think this is mandarin orange. I've seen fresh mandarins at my

>market. Should I dry peelings in an oven and use them?

Chinpi in Japanese and chenpi in Chinese.

See post #7 to #9 here

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=55637&hl=mikan

>5) Japanese pepper

>This sounds like sansho. Isn't this the same thing or related to

>Szechwan pepper?

I think you are right.

>6) Seaweed

>Toasted nori?

Green laver, I think.

Edited January 17, 2005 by Hiroyuki (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Should you ever come over to Japan, do come and visit one of those shichimi togarashi stalls:

http://pugchan.com/sitamachi/page3.htm

Scroll down and see the last photo but one, on the left.

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/kinako/551597/551630/561412/

Such stalls can be found at certain festivals.

[merrybaker]

Where does Nanami Togarashi fit in? My bottle of Nanami Togarashi contains chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, Japanese pepper, ginger, and seaweed. It's S&B brand, and I love that stuff!

[Hiroyuki]

Where does Nanami Togarashi fit in?  My bottle of Nanami Togarashi contains chili pepper, orange peel, black sesame seed, white sesame seed, Japanese pepper, ginger, and seaweed.  It's S&B brand, and I love that stuff! 

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From this webpage of S&B

http://www.sbsoken.com/siryo/spice_qa/text/redp04.htm

Shichimi togarashi of S&B provides harmony between piquancy and fragrance, taking into consideration the characteristics of the shichimi in such various regions...

Original:

Ｓ＆Ｂの「七味唐からし」は、このような各地の特色を加味し、辛さと香りの調和したものにしており

Another common name for shichimi (seven-flavor) togarashi is nanairo (seven-color) togarashi. Besides shichimi, "七味" can also be pronounced nanami. Shichimi togarashi of S&B for import is labled NANAMI. The reason for this is that shichimi is similar to ichimi (one-color) in pronunciation, and may be confused overseas.

Original:

呼称は「七味（しちみ）唐がらし」の他「七色（なないろ）唐がらし」が一般的ですが、“七味”を「しちみ」でなく「ななみ」と呼ぶ場合もあります。Ｓ＆Ｂの輸出用七味唐がらしは、国内の呼び名とは異なり「ＮＡＮＡＭＩ」と表記してありますが、これは「しちみ」と「いちみ」では発音上似かよっていて、海外では混同される恐れがあるため、特に「ＮＡＮＡＭＩ」と表記しているのです。

[EdS]

Thank you very much, Hiroyuki! I'm going to visit Chinatown this week and try to locate a few of these ingredients that my local Japanese market doesn't carry. I want to try several variations of shichimi like you described. I would never have learned about them from the books I have. I wish I could read Japanese as then I could have access to so much more information.

I do think I need to visit Japan someday. I would go crazy at those shichimi booths, I am sure.

[torakris]

The brand of shichimi I have includes the aonori type of seaweed, this is sort of a flaky kind that would be easy to use in making your own. It should be in any well stocked Asian market, the name is 青のり in Japanese and up close it looks something like this:

http://www.katagi.co.jp/katagi_hp/table/img/flake/aonori.jpg

sanshou could be hard to find in the whole form, it is normally sold already ground.

If you are making your own and you have access to yuzu, dry some of the peels and add that for a wonderful fragrance/taste.

[merrybaker]

Another common name for shichimi (seven-flavor) togarashi is nanairo (seven-color) togarashi.  Besides shichimi, "??" can also be pronounced nanami.  Shichimi togarashi of S&B for import is labled NANAMI.  The reason for this is that shichimi is similar to ichimi (one-color) in pronunciation, and may be confused overseas.

Thank you for that information, Hiroyuki. Now I understand!

Yes, "provides harmony between piquancy and fragrance"... that's what I meant to say.

[Hiroyuki]

Anybody interested in making this shiso (aka jiso) drink?

http://www.nsknet.or.jp/~chrkaji/yasuko/recipe/098_e.html

Me? Sorry, No.

[helenjp]

I've made it in the past. It's nice either made with less sugar, and diluted as a slightly herbal tasting summer drink; or made with less water, and used as a kaki-gori syrup that is not as sickly as the shop-bought syrups.

[Kiem Hwa]

I Love Shiso Juice!!!

We had some along the road to the temples in Ohara (small town near Kyoto) and they were selling sampes for 100Yen. It was very good, it wasn't too sweet, just a nice tart shiso flavor. The larger bottles they were selling were very expensive though.

I'd love to make this myself, but it needs an exhorbidant about of Shiso ...so expensive here, and my plants are seedlings right now... hopefully they will make it.

[torakris]

wasabi has its own thread

as does shiso

[budrichard]

Purchased this today but can't find my previous reference to what this is. I think it is ginger shoot and it does have to be prepared. Any assistance is appreciated! Thanks-Dick

[infernooo]

Purchased this today but can't find my previous reference to what this is. I think it is ginger shoot and it does have to be prepared. Any assistance is appreciated! Thanks-Dick

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They look like Banana Flowers to me... very popular in Thai cuisine!

[JasonTrue]

This is myouga, which I guess is sometimes translated as ginger shoot.

It can be used finely sliced/diced and raw, or you can quick-pickle it. You can make a kind of salad with shiso, strips of myouga, and cucumber, rub everything together with a bit of salt until the vegetables sweat a bit; serve after chilling for an hour or so, to allow flavors to kind of converge a bit. Maybe you can add vinegar if you like.

It's nice nearly-minced as a topping for hiya-yakko (cold tofu) with some soy sauce.

Some people like it cooked, such as in miso soup.

I once saw a nigiri-sushi made with marinated myouga (vinegar, sugar, salt).

I once misused it as a shallot, sauteeing it before adding some other vegetables. That tasted nice, but the vegetable tends to be fairly dry and it likes to stay crispy anyway.

[SuzySushi]

I second that it's myoga. Slice or dice and use as you would fresh ginger.

[torakris]

Myouga is incredibly fragrant and isn't particularly suited to cooking, definitely use it raw.

I have one recipe here in RecipeGullet that calls for it.

Use it anywhere you want a burst of flavor. It can be thinly sliced or minced, it can be fairly strong tasting so large chunks can be unpleasant, and added to tofu dishes, noodles, salads or even tossed in miso soup before serving.

It is especially wonderful with cold eggplant salads and I like to mince it up with blanched okra tossed with a couple drops of soy sauce and served it on cold tofu.