Ishiyaki

[torakris]

Ishiyaki 石焼, literally rock-cooking, can be found in various ways in Japan. Last night we used this cooking style to cook satoimo (a type a taro), we washed and dried small rocks then heated them up in a large pan and buried the satoimo inside. The pan was then covered and the satoimo cooked for about 40 minutes.

They were wonderfully soft after cooking and needed nothing else but a light sprinkling of salt.

There are other types of ishiyaki cooking in Japan, sometimes foods are cooked directly on a large flat rock, like this beef:

http://www45.tok2.com/home/oh1ninja/akeno2.../ishiyaki_l.JPG

and ishiyaki bibimbap (Korean bimbimbap cooked in a stone pot or dolsot) is becoming so popular here that you can find the dolsots for sale in may stores and there are even a couple restaurants where this the only dish they serve.

http://www.yakiniku-shinzanen.net/ishiyaki-yukke-bibinba.jpg

dolsot cooking is also spreading to Japanese style dishes like this eel cooked in a dolsot:

http://www58.tok2.com/home/hanihani/galler...shi_kakudai.jpg

ishiyaki style cooking can be used to cook just about anything :

http://www.naxnet.or.jp/~wadakin/img-ryori/ishiyaki.gif

[Gifted Gourmet]

similar concept perhaps?

[torakris]

and another kind of ishiyaki, this time a soup/nabe:

In a wooden bucket, pour hot water and put fish, shellfish, and vegetables in the bucket. Then, put red-hot stones in the bucket (but don't use your bare hands to do this). Water will immediately begin to boil if the stones are hot enough. Season with miso or salt. Another way is to put the ingredients into the bucket after the water is boiling then, hot stones are put in a second time. In any case, water and all the ingredients are boiled for only a few seconds before the taste of the ingredients combines into the soup as a whole.

from:

http://www.media-akita.or.jp/akita-shoku/ishiyakiE.html

[Akiko]

Torakris,

Is there actually a benefit to cooking things this way? Does it impart a particular flavor?

Have you ever heard the story of Stone Soup?

I love sumiyaki because of the flavor it imparts as well as Hobayaki but ishiyaki is something that has never appealed to me. Other than the presentation is beautiful, it seems like a lot of work for a home cook (unless you are going to do this for a dinner party).

Dolsot bibimbap being the exception, simply because I love koge-rice (burned rice which becomes crunchy - yum!).

A

[Hiroyuki]

torakris, have you ever made ishiyaki imo with your gadget?

[torakris]

Torakris,

Is there actually a benefit to cooking things this way?  Does it impart a particular flavor? 

Have you ever heard the story of Stone Soup? 

I love sumiyaki because of the flavor it imparts as well as Hobayaki but ishiyaki is something that has never appealed to me.  Other than the presentation is beautiful, it seems like a lot of work for a home cook (unless you are going to do this for a dinner party).

Dolsot bibimbap being the exception, simply because I love koge-rice (burned rice which becomes crunchy - yum!).

A

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the benefits to cooking vegetables in the manner I pictured above, is that they just darn taste better than oven baking. Satsumaimo cooked this way taste just like the yaki-imo you can buy on the streets. I made mine with a dutch oven I have had for years and some rocks picked up at the local hardware shop, but they actually sell special nabe and rock sets in the stores for ridiculous prices that do the same thing.

It really isn't any work, you just heat up the rocks (about 15 minutes) then add you vegetable of choice, cover and let cook until done. The book we got the idea from also said to try potatoes, eggplants, eggs and apples (these wrapped in foil ), in addition to the satsumaimo and satoimo.

I too, love love the koge part of the dolsot!

[torakris]

torakris, have you ever made ishiyaki imo with your gadget?

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that is our next adventure!

[torakris]

by the way, the idea came from this book I had recently bought for my kids...

http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/ASIN/4...2610559-3645940

In the food section they also teach you how to make things like miso, nori, tofu, breads, ice cream, sausages, hanpen, anko, etc