Food questions for those living in Japan

[prasantrin]

Does anyone know what water chestnuts are in Japanese? I saw that torakris mentioned that kuwai are similar, so I suppose I could use kuwai if I can't find water chestnuts. But I'd prefer to use water chestnuts if possible. If not, are kuwai available canned? Or would I have to process them somehow before using them? (I'm making har gau and hum sui gok, and both recipes call for water chestnuts.)

And are takenoko readily available (ie at most large Japanese supermarkets) canned?

I'm getting ready for my dim sum extravaganza tomorrow, and I'll need to run out and get some ingredients tomorrow morning!

[helenjp]

Water chestnut - eleocharis dulcis - kuroguwai, oo-kuro-guwai, inu-kuroguwai. Written with characteers for "bird potato", just to make them harder to find.

You *might* find them somewhere like Kyoto or Nara. I used to sometimes find old-fashioned vegetables there that weren't on sale in Osaka.

Kuwai itself is actually a different plant, Sagittaria something-something, and doesn't have the crunch that water chestnuts do. Might even be better to substitute lotus root?

Apparently water chestnut came to Japan from China first, but then kuwai arrived and took over the name and somehow supplanted the water chestnut in popularity.

Bamboo shoot - not canned, but water-packed. They'll be in the vege section, near the root vegetables. Should be able to get everything from slender shoots to fat tips, cheapest are the shredded ones, which are usually tougher too.

[prasantrin]

Water chestnut - eleocharis dulcis - kuroguwai, oo-kuro-guwai, inu-kuroguwai. Written with characteers for "bird potato", just to make them harder to find.

You *might* find them somewhere like Kyoto or Nara. I used to sometimes find old-fashioned vegetables there that weren't on sale in Osaka.

Kuwai itself is actually a different plant, Sagittaria something-something, and doesn't have the crunch that water chestnuts do. Might even be better to substitute lotus root?

Apparently water chestnut came to Japan from China first, but then kuwai arrived and took over the name and somehow supplanted the water chestnut in popularity.

Bamboo shoot - not canned, but water-packed. They'll be in the vege section, near the root vegetables. Should be able to get everything from slender shoots to fat tips, cheapest are the shredded ones, which are usually tougher too.

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Oooooh!! Thanks! Luckily I know the kanji for both bird and potato, so I may be able to find them! If I can't find them in my immediate area, I think we're going to Kobe tonight so we can swing by Chinatown there. But that means today's dim sum extravaganza will be limited to char sui bao today (like that would be a hardship ). I kind of like the idea of using lotus root, though. I love lotus root! And then I could have my hum sui gok today!

Good to know about the bamboo shoots, too. I don't think I'd have looked for them in the fresh veg. section! Shredded ones might be OK for me, since they're going to be in small pieces.

[helenjp]

Forgot to say, "bird potato" is the kanji for "kuwai" so you would be looking for "black bird potato" or" large black bird potato" etc!

Probably your best bet is to look for canned water chestnuts in some supermarket with a large Chinese food section...

[prasantrin]

I didn't find any water chestnuts at any of the grocery stores I went to, but thanks to helenjp's suggestion, I used lotus root, instead. It worked really well!

Another question--are fresh rice noodles available in Japan? I mean the type used for char kway teow or chow fun. If yes, what might they be called in Japanese? I have a craving for rice noodles, but I couldn't justify paying Y700 for a couple of rice rolls at a dim sum place. (And their char siu bao was Y800 for 4 pieces!!)

[helenjp]

Fresh rice noodles - I haven't seen them, but you might get lucky if you ask at a restaurant. There's a restaurant in my neighborhood that does take-out and is frequented by local Chinese, so they sell semi-prepared stuff for home cooks as well as ready-to-eat dishes. (But not fresh noodles or doughs, sadly).

[_john]

Freeze dried strawberries:

Has anyone seen them in Kansai or in a national chain? Is there another product that includes freeze dried strawberries that I could pick out? I want to use them for my Christmas cake

[prasantrin]

Freeze dried strawberries:

Has anyone seen them in Kansai or in a national chain? Is there another product that includes freeze dried strawberries that I could pick out? I want to use them for my Christmas cake 

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Costco had them a couple of years ago (the last time I bought some), but I don't know if they still do. They may have been a mix of freeze-dried berries, but I think they had bags of just strawberries.

[torakris]

Freeze dried strawberries:

Has anyone seen them in Kansai or in a national chain? Is there another product that includes freeze dried strawberries that I could pick out? I want to use them for my Christmas cake 

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Costco had them a couple of years ago (the last time I bought some), but I don't know if they still do. They may have been a mix of freeze-dried berries, but I think they had bags of just strawberries.

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I think they were at Costco last year, or was it 2 years ago. They aren't there this year.

The only only place I know that definitely sells them this time of year is Tomizawa. They can be ordered online. This store is definitely Kanto based and the only Kansai location is in Nagoya.

[sanrensho]

Freeze dried strawberries

While I'm certain it's too late, freeze-dried strawberries can also be ordered from Cuoca.

http://www.cuoca.com/item/72013.html

http://www.cuoca.com/item/16033.html

[_john]

I found them yesterday. There was a sufficient amount in a bag of "Country Farm Strawberry Crunch" that I bought at YaMaYa for 400¥. Then I found some more at the JHC (Japan Homemade Cake) chain but they were 900¥ for the same amount and that shop was packed! Thanks for the links.

[prasantrin]

Has anyone ever found gai lan (芥蘭, ガイラン) at a regular supermarket (like Daiei, Ikari, Izumiya)? I've been craving it, but I can never find it it my local supermarkets.

And what about bok choy? 広東白菜（カントンパクチョイ）I've never found that, either, so I usually just end up using chingensai. But sometimes, a girl just wants some bok choy (and gai lan).

btw, I found the kanji for these vegetables at http://www.c-kimura.co.jp/vegetable/ . I really like the website, even though I can't afford anything I want!

[EllenC]

Hello.

My son is living in Matsudo Chiba and is looking for baking soda and baking powder. He speaks Japanese pretty well and reads both hiragana and katakana, but he doesn't know what he's looking for.

Can someone please give me a translation for these two ingredients, and perhaps the kana to go with it?

Thank you so much for your help.

Ellen

[prasantrin]

Hello.

My son is living in Matsudo Chiba and is looking for baking soda and baking powder.  He speaks Japanese pretty well and reads both hiragana and katakana, but he doesn't know what he's looking for.

Can someone please give me a translation for these two ingredients, and perhaps the kana to go with it?

Thank you so much for your help.

Ellen

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Baking powder is baking powder pronounced in a katakana-way--if he can speak Japanese "pretty well" he should be able to ask for it (it's also written in katakana, so if he can read, he should be able to find it pretty easily). Baking soda is "tansan", I think, and is usually in kanji.

The problem is less the names, than the familiarlity of the packaging. Both are most often found in the baking section in small boxes with individual packets (usually 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp each) insdie. It kind of throws North Americans off, because we're used to seeing big boxes of baking soda, or fairly large round containers of baking soda. I think the most common baking powder I've seen is in a pink box and it says baking powder in katakana. The baking soda I've purchased is, I think, in a orange-yellow box.

Just out of curousity, why doesn't he ask a Japanese friend/co-worker to go to the grocery store with him? Before I could read Japanese (and even now when I need something I'm unfamiliar with), I would ask a friend to write down what I needed (along with the furigana if the item were written in kanji), so I could just show it to someone, or I could look for it myself. It would be a lot faster than asking his mother to ask someone, then having his mother wait for a reply, then waiting for her to reply to him. . . Or he could join eG and ask the questions himself.

[EllenC]

Just out of curousity, why doesn't he ask a Japanese friend/co-worker to go to the grocery store with him?  Before I could read Japanese (and even now when I need something I'm unfamiliar with), I would ask a friend to write down what I needed (along with the furigana if the item were written in kanji), so I could just show it to someone, or I could look for it myself.  It would be a lot faster than asking his mother to ask someone, then having his mother wait for a reply, then waiting for her to reply to him. . . Or he could join eG and ask the questions himself.  

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prasantrin, Thank you so much for the help.

The reason for the convolutions in asking through his mom probably has many parts. He is serving a mission for our church and his companion is also a 20 year old young man from the US. Of the two of them, JT's language skills are probably better - at least that's what his companion tells me. He could ask other members from the church (or probably even people he is talking to on the street - I find the nihonjin to be especially helpful), but I think he feels like he was sent there to serve them, and doesn't want to impose. So instead he helps them move or weeds their gardens or teaches them English, or whatever he can do to help and tries not to pester them with questions. He only gets 1/2 hour per week to email his mom, so joining eGullet is out. It probably also has to do with the y chromosome and the fact that his is a rather large black man in Japan and gets enough attention already. Or maybe he doesn't mind asking his mom, but doesn't want to look stupid to the people he has met there. Silly, I know, but what's a mom to do?

Ellen

PS - I should also add that he tends to focus fully on the task at hand so another reason may be that he forgets to ask until he is looking for it and then he gets frustrated and goes on to something else.

Edited December 26, 2008 by EllenC (log)

[Hiroyuki]

I think baking soda is "juusou" 重曹 じゅうそう.

Like prasantrin mentioned, baking powder is ベーキングパウダー (baking powder written as katakana).

[prasantrin]

I think baking soda is "juusou" 重曹 じゅうそう.

Like prasantrin mentioned, baking powder is ベーキングパウダー (baking powder written as katakana).

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That's the kanji I know! But I always thought it read as "tansan", because the boxes usually have tansan in katakana, too.

http://www.kyoritsu-foods.co.jp/news/tansan/001.htm

http://www.kyousei-nara.jp/tansan-juso/index.htm (the orange box on the far right is one of the brands I see a lot).

What's the difference between "juusou" and "tansan"?

PS - I should also add that he tends to focus fully on the task at hand so another reason may be that he forgets to ask until he is looking for it and then he gets frustrated and goes on to something else.

I completely understand! I often e-mail myself at work to remind myself the next day if I need to ask someone about something, and then if I still forget to ask, I get really annoyed with myself! Luckily, I usually only need to ask for unusual things (like "My mother's family has a history of thyroid problems"), so it doesn't happen as often as it could. Plus my cell phone has a very handy dictionary on it (if he has a cell phone, have him check if it has a dictionary. One of my co-workers only recently realized her 2-year old cell phone had one!).!

[Hiroyuki]

Funny, it's another difference between Kanto and Kansai. To be more precise, it's a difference between Kansai and the rest of Japan.

Tansan and juso (or juusou) are the same thing, but the term tansan is more often used in Kansai, while juso is used nationwide.

From the second website you linked to:

全国的には重曹の方がとおりがいいかも知れませんが

関西ではタンサンの方がとおりがいいようです。

[EllenC]

Plus my cell phone has a very handy dictionary on it (if he has a cell phone, have him check if it has a dictionary.  One of my co-workers only recently realized her 2-year old cell phone had one!).!

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This is a really good point. He does have a cell phone , but he also has an electronic Japanese to English dictionary he bought when he first got there. I wonder if he is still carying that?

Thank you to both prasantrin and Hiroyuki for the help.

Ellen

[prasantrin]

I'm getting ready to place an order with Kikuya, and I figure I may as well get my money's worth regarding shipping costs. I'm trying to add things I can buy locally, but are cheaper on the website, but I'm encountering some difficulties.

Is whole wheat flour 全粒粉 ?

And what are 発芽玄米 and 発芽玄米あられ? Some kind of rice, but what are they used for, specifically? I tried to babelfish the information, but the translation didn't quite make sense ("3 dividing you mixing, please try making. There being a sweet taste, it is tasty, is.")

Just based on names, is there a difference between 北海道産ライ麦全粒粉and ライ麦粉　荒挽き? I know the former is from Hokkaido, and the latter is coarse ground, but aside from that, I'm not sure what the difference is.

[sanrensho]

Is whole wheat flour 全粒粉 ?

Definitely whole wheat flour.

Just based on names, is there a difference between 北海道産ライ麦全粒粉and ライ麦粉　荒挽き?  I know the former is from Hokkaido, and the latter is coarse ground, but aside from that, I'm not sure what the difference is.

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These are both whole rye flours, the former from Hokkaido and the latter of unspecified origin, but milled by Nissin Seifun.

Unfortunately, there isn't any indication of which specific whole rye it is from Nissin Seifun. The Nissin Seifun website indicates that they mill five different types of rye in 5 and 20 kg bag quantities. It could be their アーレグローブ rye, which is their coarsest.

http://www.nisshin.com/company/release/details/021101_b.html

I'd go with the Nissin Seifun flour to be honest, since it's likely to be the most common flour, both to source and tested for recipes.

Does this mean some bread baking in your future?

Edited January 23, 2009 by sanrensho (log)

[prasantrin]

Does this mean some bread baking in your future?

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Perhaps! I love baking bread (and a couple of years ago, I made my neighbours envious with my constant no-knead bread tinkering), but bread and WW are incompatible, at least for me.

Japan is woefully lacking in rye and whole wheat breads, though, so if I want those, I have to do my own! No 100%-types for me, but I like to add other flours to the no-knead when I can. I'd love to start doing non-no-knead breads again, but I'm too lazy right now. . .

I'm going into Kobe today and will do a price comparison between local stores and Kikuya. Thanks for your help!

(I should add that the situation regarding rye and whole wheat breads is getting better in my area, but they're usually quite expensive.)

[Hiroyuki]

And what are 発芽玄米 and 発芽玄米あられ?  Some kind of rice, but what are they used for, specifically?  I tried to babelfish the information, but the translation didn't quite make sense ("3 dividing you mixing, please try making. There being a sweet taste, it is tasty, is.")

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The former, hatsuga genmai, is germinated brown rice, while the latter, hatsuga genmai arare, is roasted germinated brown rice.

From the website:

３割り程度混ぜていただいて炊いてみてください。甘味があっておいしいですよ。

Mix 30% (hatsuga genmai) (with regular rice) and cook. It's sweet and tasty.

玄米茶のようにお手持ちのお茶に加えていただいてもいいですし、お茶漬けなどに入れられてもいいです。チョコレートをからめても美味しいですよ。

You can add (hatsuga genmai arare) to your green tea to make something like genmai cha, and you can also put it to ochazuke. It's also good when dressed with chocolate.

[prasantrin]

The former, hatsuga genmai, is germinated brown rice, while the latter, hatsuga genmai arare, is roasted germinated brown rice.

From the website:

３割り程度混ぜていただいて炊いてみてください。甘味があっておいしいですよ。

Mix 30% (hatsuga genmai) (with regular rice) and cook.  It's sweet and tasty.

玄米茶のようにお手持ちのお茶に加えていただいてもいいですし、お茶漬けなどに入れられてもいいです。チョコレートをからめても美味しいですよ。

You can add (hatsuga genmai arare) to your green tea to make something like genmai cha, and you can also put it to ochazuke.  It's also good when dressed with chocolate.

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Thanks! So you can eat the hatsuga genmai arare without cooking it any further? I might order some it. I could use it to make chocolate bark since I learned how to temper chocolate at Kerry Beal's chocolate class last summer!

[Hiroyuki]

I received a reply from the shop, which described the difference between 北海道産ライ麦全粒粉 and ライ麦粉　荒挽き, as follows:

The former is whole grain rye ground while the latter is rye milled and ground.