eG Foodblog: jkonick - Mild Mannered Student By Day...

[jkonick]

Sandy, those are pretty small, about an ounce each. They're individual servings. Tillamook is great; my family goes to the Oregon coast every year for vacation, and we always visit the Tillamook factory. If you can get your hands on their super old white cheddar, I'd highly reccomend it. Best grilled cheese sandwich ever. I'm pretty we get cabot out here too, I've seen it before.

Cheese in an Asian dish may sound strange, but mochi and cheese is a pretty common Japanese combo, albeit a new one. Newer Japanese foods use a surprising amount of cheese, some better than others. I've personally never been a huge fan of fish cakes with a nacho sauce-like brie filling

My final meal of the blog, and it's more like three meals, because I wanted this one to count.

I made the oden which I showed you earlier this week. Here are all the different fish cakes. I'm not sure what they all are, but there's one potato one that tastes EXACTLY like an oden version of latkes. I kid you not. My personal favorite is the pouch looking one - the pouch is made from deep fried tofu (abura age) and it's filled with mochi. The mochi melts inside as it cooks, and you get a great gooey, melty, fried tofu concoction as a result. Mmmmmm...

I also made myself some turnip cakes, which I bought premade at Viet-Wah. All you have to do is pan fry them until they're browned on each side. They were ok. Not as good as Jade Garden's, but for something prepackaged it was a pretty good dim sum fix.

While I was waiting for those two to cook, I made myself some udon mentaiko. Udon are thick Japanese noodles, and mentaiko is a mixture of fish eggs and chilies. It has a great spicy/briny flavor, and it's good on udon. I also like it on squid sliced into thin strips with some shiso, or perilla leaves (a Japanese plant in the basil family). This has shredded nori on top.

Oden

And egg nog straight from the carton, to wash it all down.

The blog's not quite done yet... I have one sweet surprise left before midnight.

[little ms foodie]

great blog!!! very fun.....love the egg nog shot- LOL!

[Hiroyuki]

Your udon and oden both look yummy. Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) is good with spaghetti, too! As for oden, I like tsumire (round, gray one, which is usually made from sardines) and gobo maki (brown, cylindrical one with a stick of burdock at the center). But the next time you make oden, be sure to include boiled eggs and daikon! (my favorites, of course)

[jkonick]

Alright, it's 12:06 so this is the official end of the blog. Thanks everyone, it's been a great week, and I am now very full! I don't think I'll have to eat for a week now (although I will anyway ). It's been nice to do nothing but eat and cook (and work a little too), and I'm glad to have been able to share all of it with you.

I decided this blog should finish with a dessert, and given the Japanese theme, nothing could be more appropriate than wagashi, or traditional Japanese sweets. The ones I made are called yomogi daifuku, or mugwort flavored daifuku. Daifuku are mochi cakes filled with something, usually anko, or sweetened red bean paste. Anko has a great fudge like texture and flavor. I used two different kinds of mochiko (mochi flour) for them: mugwort flavored shiratamako, on the left, and jyoshinko, on the right.

I used 1/4 cup jyoshinko, and 3/4 cup shiratamako, mixed with one cup water, stirred together and microwaved for two minutes until it got a sticky, doughy consistency. Afterward I kneaded it a few times until smooth.

To make the daifuku, you roll out a little piece about an inch and a half wide, and put a ball of anko in the middle, then close it up by pinching the edges together. It's not so different from the chive and shrimp dumplings I made a few days ago.

Dessert is served! Thanks again!

[yunnermeier]

Wow! Great blog. I love wagashi (especially nerikiri and all the daifukus) and have been wanting to make them for ages but can't be arsed to make my own anko (and don't trust fake anko in Dutch supermarkets). I'd give anything for a soft mochi strawberry-filled daifuku right now...

p/s: the last daifuku picture is wonderful..the mochi looks exactly the way i like it!

Edited December 24, 2006 by yunnermeier (log)

[Hiroyuki]

Thanks for your wonderful blog this week.

Just for clarification, joshinko is flour made from regular, non-glutinous rice.

Judging from its package, the koshi an (an with adzuki bean skins removed) looks like a domestic product. Is koshi an your favorite type? I prefer tsubu an (skins not removed).

[Shalmanese]

What a cool blog jkonick. I had a lot of fun meeting up with you and wandering around the city.

[MarketStEl]

Kon...ichi...wa... one last time, Jeremy!

Thanks for sharing with us your love of Japanese cuisine and showing us around the Rainy City. I hope to have time to look you up when I come out that way.

Till then, sayonara.

[Domestic Goddess]

Jkonick - thank you for the wonderful pictures, descriptive food tales and those delicious photos. It was nice to see Seattle from your point of view and to see someone truly relishing Asian food.

[Susan in FL]

Awesome eG foodblog! I only wish that I could have exclaimed more as it went along. 'Tis the busy season (very happy, but way too rushed for me)... all that made this week one of my quiet weeks. Nevertheless, thank you so much Jeremy. You know how long I had been looking forward to this, and it was well worth the wait. Cheers!

[alanamoana]

JKonick, what a fun blog. It is so fun to see young people so interested in food. Especially, Americans who immerse themselves in other cultures and foods. It was a great peek into your daily life, thanks for sharing it with us.

[sazji]

Let me put in my voice thanking you for your blog too, I got inspired to try some new things. And of course seeing pictures of Viet Wah and especially that wonderful chinese tea shop (one of my obligatory stops when I'm in Seattle)... I just missed the winter mountain tea, it was coming in on Thursday and the woman was adamant that I should come in and try it; I was completely consumed with last minute running around and couldn't make it. I hope she had you try the really nice new oolong and te kuan yin...amazing. I dropped about 50 dollars there for myself and gifts. Thanks again!

[hzrt8w]

I also made myself some turnip cakes, which I bought premade at Viet-Wah. All you have to do is pan fry them until they're browned on each side. They were ok. Not as good as Jade Garden's, but for something prepackaged it was a pretty good dim sum fix.

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Thank you for a wonderful blog, Jerome.

Have you ever made your own turnip (daikon) cake from scratch? It is fairly easy and would taste much better than the ones they sell at stores.

[jkonick]

Thanks again everyone!

Hiroyuki: the anko was domestic I think. I like both kinds, just happened to pick up kushi an this time.

Sazji: We did try the winter mountain tea. It was great. By far my favorite.

hzrt8w: I haven't tried making them before, but they've got to be easier than har gow anyway.

Sandy: Arigato gozaimasu!

Thanks again. It was a great week, and worth waiting through two months of school and being busy to do.