Shimo Jinja vegetables

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Frost Shrine (Shimo Jinja)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Shimo Jinja 　霜神社　 （しもじんじゃ） "Frost Shrine"
A village shrine with these deities
天神七柱（天津神、天の七星、霜神、鬼八天）
One of the oldest shrines in Japan.
Shimo no miya 霜の宮, more than 2500 years old.

Amatsukami nana hashira 天神七柱 "seven pillars of heaven"
This deity is also venerated in the shrine
Juniso Jinja in Kamakura
source :　ecokama

Ama no nanaboshi (Shishisei) 天の七星 The Seven stars in the Sky
the big dipper is Hokutoo Shichisei 北斗七星, also identified with this deity.

Kihachi Ten 鬼八天 see below

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CLICK here for PHOTOS !


The farmers pray here that no frost (shimo) will come to the fields in late summer. They also pray for an abundant harvest. They make a fire to keep the gods warm (hitaki gyooji 火たき神事 / 火焚神事). This is the only ceremony of this kind in Japan.
It is performed to keep the evil Kihachi Hooshi 鬼八法師の怨念 from making trouble.

霜延祈願 prayer for no frost
August 13 preparations begin, August 19 the fire is lit under a stone to keep the gods warm and kept burning for 60 days, to warm the seven deities, while prayers for an abundant harvest are spoken. This is done by special shrine maidens (hitaki otome 火焚き乙女), who stay at the shrine for all this time.


On October 16 the fire is extinguished. The shrine maidens are finally allowed to go home.
On the evening of October 16, a kagura dance is perfomred.
On October 19, the big shrine festival is held.
On October 29, the prayer session for NO FROST is finally over
mangan no hi 満願の日.

This festival is an important intangible cultural property of Japan since Showa 57.
In former times, one girl of about 10 years had to keep the fire alive with her grandmother, but lately grown-ups keep turns, because the children have to go to school.

The rice for offerings comes from three fields of the paritioners (ujiko). The rice brand is "koshihikari".
霜宮火焚（ひたき）神事 Shimomiya hitaki gyooji

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quote
Aso Shrine (阿蘇神社 Aso-jinja)
Aso is one of the oldest and most prominent shrines in Japan

Aso Shrine at Mount Aso in Kyushu is traditionally held to have been a center of worship before the accession of the Emperor Jinmu. The shikinaisha shrine complex at Ichinomiya in what is today Kumamoto prefecture was said to have been established in 281. Ichinomiya literally means "the first shrine" -- of which means in other words that Aso was the first shrine in the province of Higo.

Records link the founding of the shrine to the reign of Emperor Keikō. By the middle of the 11th century, the shrine was involved in national issues as they played out across Kyushu. During the ascendancy of the Kamakura shogunate, the Hōjō clan exercised a significant influence over the affairs of Aso Shrine.

This Shinto shrine is dedicated to the veneration of Tateiwatatsu-no-Mikoto たけいわたつのみこと, who was a grandson of Japan's first emperor and the brother of Emperor Suizei, the second monarch on the traditional list of emperors. In the same period that Emperor Jimmu was establishing his palace at Kashihara at the foot of Mount Unebi in Yamato province,Tateiwatasu was sent to Aso where he helped establish a number of agricultural communities; and later, he is said to have built a palace at Miyagi.

The original location of the shrine is uncertain because it was destroyed and rebuilt many times in or near the crater of Aso-zan. The present buildings date only from the Tempo era (1830-1843).
　© wikipedia


〒869-2221 熊本県阿蘇郡阿蘇町役犬原1005　
旧肥後国 阿蘇郡
http://nobyama.com/shimo_aso.html


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The Legend of Kihachi 鬼八　（きはち）

He fought with his lord, Takeiwatatsu no Mikoto, who liked to shoot arrows from the mountains at the farmers. He had Kihachi run after the arrows and bring them back to him, so he could continue his target shooting. Kihachi brings them back but gets tired after the 99th attempt. The lord is angry and wrestles with Kihachi, but Kihache releases a big fart and the lord let go of him. When the lord finally catches Kihachi, he cuts off his head, but whow and behold, the head comes right back on his neck. Also when his arm is cut off, it comes right back. So the lord cuts his arms and legs and has them burried at different places.

After cutting off his head for a second time, the head goes straight to heaven and curses the lord and the people, causing them frost in summer to damage their crops.
So the lord, in order to save the people from starving, begs Kihachi to forgive him and builds Shimomiya to worship him as the
"Frost God" Shimojin 霜神、Kihachi Ten 鬼八天).





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Things found on the way


. Hoshida Jinja 星田神社 Osaka .
and Ame no minaka nushi no kami 天之御中主大神


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HAIKU


Frost Shrine -
the crops shiver
even in August

Nakayama Ishino 中山石野, 2005


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : Kumamoto prefecture

***** . Aso Shrine Festivals 阿蘇神社 　

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Morning Market

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Morning Market (asa ichi, asa-ichi)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


There are three great morning markets in Japan.

Nihon sandai asaichi 日本三大朝市



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Wajima Morning Market
Ishikawa prefecture
石川県 能登 輪島朝市
Noto peninsula

every day but not on days with 10 or 25.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Wajima's morning market is said to originate in the Nara Period (710 - 784), and started when people living on the coastal side of Noto-hanto Peninsula and those living on the mountain side brought along their specialty products to exchange here.
As one of the attractions of Wajima City,the Wajima Morning Market opens every morning with about 200 stalls standing in a line on the main street of Kawai-machi over a distance of about350m between its ends. The market offers various products including fresh marine products landed at Wajima Port, allowing you to enjoy buying these products while conversing with local women selling them under a friendly atmosphere.
source : www.kanko-otakara.jp


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Hida Takayama Morning Market
岐阜県 飛騨高山 朝市
Gifu prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


Two morning markets (asaichi) are held in Takayama on a daily basis, from around 6 am (7 am in winter) to noon: the Jinya-mae Market in front of the Takayama Jinya, and the Miyagawa Market along the Miyagawa River in the old town. Most stands sell local crafts and farm products such as vegetables, pickles and flowers.
source : www.japan-guide.com


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Katsuura Morning Market
Chiba prefecture

千葉県房総 勝浦朝市

every day, except wednesdays

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Only one hour and a half away from Tokyo at the southern part of Chiba peninsula. The market has a history of more than 400 years. A lot of tuna fish is handled there.


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Worldwide use

Morgenmarkt


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HAIKU

朝市に磯もの多し神無月
asaichi ni isomono ooshi kannazuki

at the morning market
there is a lot of seafood -
month without the gods

Mizuhara Shūōshi 水原秋桜子
WKD Mizuhara Shuoshi


WKD . The month when the Gods are absent . KIGO

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Morning market
A salesman shakes the night snow
off the christmas trees

source : Felix Tammi / ULITKA


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Related words

. abare ichi　あばれ市 "wild sales market" .


***** WASHOKU : Regional Information


***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Tsukudani

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Simmering in sweetened soy sauce (tsukudani)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

tsukudani つくだに (佃煮) simmering in sweetened soy sauce, using mirin, sugar and some spices to make it a bit hot. It does not have a watery sauce and tastes quite strong.
It has been used since olden times as a kind of food preserve. It started with the fisherman from Tsukuda island, who prepared the leftovers of fish in this way. They came originally from the Osaka area and Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu settled them at Tsukuda island.
Tsukudani is a speciality of Tokyo.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

These preparations come with different flavors for each season.
Fish, shells, clams, meat, vegetables or seaweeds can be used.
kisetsu no tsukudani 季節のつくだ煮


kai no tsukudani 貝の佃煮　shellfish boiled in sweetened soy sauce

Tsukudani are often put into onigiri rice balls.

I remember eating ants tsukudani, have to check it out.


sansho no tsukudani 山椒のつくだ煮
Japanese pepper, "Mountain pepper" sanshoo


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tsukudani kaidoo つくだに街道, つくだ煮街道
Road of Tsukudani
Store specializing in this food


at Aichi
愛知県知多郡美浜町大字古布字枡池６番地の３


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Tsukudani is a Japanese simmered dish flavored with soy sauce and sugar, and so on. It's a great side dish to serve with hot steamed rice. When you have leftover kombu from making dashi broth, try making tsukudani.

Tsukudani is usually very salty, and it's good to eat on hot steamed rice.

Kombu no Tsukudani Recipe is here:
source : 　japanesefood.about.com / Setsuko Yoshizuka


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Tsukudani is small seafood, meat or seaweed that has been simmered in soy sauce and mirin. High osmotic pressure preserves the ingredients. Its name originates from Tsukudajima, the island (in present-day Chūō, Tokyo) where it was first made in the Edo period.
Many kinds of tsukudani are sold. Traditionally made tsukudani is preservable and has been favored as a storable side dish in Japanese kitchen since the Edo period.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !


„Eingekochtes von der Insel Tsukuda“.
Mit gesüßter Sojasauce und Gewürzen.

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Tsukuda-shima Tsukuda Island

Tsukuda island is a low, sandy islet at the mouth of the Sumida river, which runs through the heart of Edo. Apart from a few patches of trees and small vegetable gardens, the entire island is occupied by a thriving village of fishermen and boat pilots, who make their living from the commerce of Edo Bay.

This island is located in an ideal spot for people who make their living from the sea. It is located right at the mouth of the Sumida river -- the largest waterway in Edo. From here, small boats can easily make their way up the river and through the network of canals to most of the neighborhoods in downtown Edo. To the south, deep water channels extend out into Edo bay. The docks of Shiba and Tsukiji are nearby, so large boats can anchor near the island as they wait to be unloaded.

The volume of goods brought into Edo is so large that no single port could possibly handle it. Although the most important cargoes are unloaded at the docks of Shiba, Tsukiji, Minato and Shinagawa, a lot of ships unload their cargoes directly onto small barges and takase-bune as they lie at anchor here, in the lee of Tsukuda island. The smaller boats then carry the goods through Edo's network of canals and waterways to small, riverside wharves, known as kashi.

Because of its location, Tsukuda island is a convenient spot for barges and small boats to stop while waiting for the large ships to start unloading. The beaches are almost always crowded with small boats, and the few chaya (teahouses) on the island are filled with customers chatting, gossipping and sipping their tea as they wait.

In addition to these visitors, the island is home to a thriving village of fishermen. The residents of Tsukuda island came to Edo in the mid-1600s at the request of the Shogun. Edo needed to increase the supply of fish to the city, because its population was growing too fast for the existing fishermen to keep up with demand. To convince people to leave their homes in western Japan and move to Edo, the Shogun offered them the special right to fish anywhere in Edo Bay that they want. Entire villages of fishermen accepted the offer, and moved to Edo, establishing large villages in the "Edo-mae" area, including one on Tsukuda island and one on the other side of the Sumida river, in Fukagawa.

Although these fishermen are not allowed to sell their products to the Shogun and his court, they do supply a large share of the fish bought by average citizens. Edo Bay is a rich source of all kinds of seafood, and the fishermen of Tsukuda island have developed many different methods of catching each type. Solitary fish, such as tai (red snapper) are usually caught with a regular fishing line. Other fish can be caught the same way, but it is usually more effective to use nets

The fishermen have developed a wide variety of different nets to catch different types of fish. Triangular nets on the end of long forked poles are used to catch fish that live in the mud at the bottom o the bay, such as hirame (flatfish) or tako (octopus). Small fish that swim in schools, for example iwashi (sardines), can be caught by just one person using a throwing net. But in order to catch larger fish, like saba (mackerel) and katsuo (bonito), the fishermen have to use huge nets, and work together in a group. Sometimes they use nets that are so big, they have to work in large groups, to haul the nets back in to shore.

Most of the fish can be caught right here in Edo Bay, but some of the largest types, such as maguro (tuna), can only be caught out in the open sea. Once in a while, fishing fleets will leave the bay for several days at a time to chase the huge schools of tuna. They may even attempt to catch a whale. When they are successful, these ocean expeditions can be very profitable. A big load of tuna or whale meat will bring a great price in the fishmarkets of Nihonbashi. However, fishing boats are not as well built as cargo ships; storms can blow up at any time out in the open ocean, so long trips to sea can be very risky. Even here in the Bay, life for most fishermen is difficult and dangerous.

Although fishing is the traditional work of the people from Tsukuda island, many of them have now taken new professions. Because of all the ships that anchor in this area to unload their cargoes, there is always demand for experienced boat pilots, who can transport goods from the large, seagoing vessels to the canal-side markets in different parts of the city. Other people, like Gyotaro, work in the city transporting people from place to place by boat -- as a sort of a "water taxi driver".
source : 　www.us-japan.org/edomatsu


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. WASHOKU
midorimushi no tsukudani みどりむしの佃煮
Euglena tsukudani with various flavors 　
yuugurena ユーグレナ Euglena



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Worldwide use

das Tsukudani
in Sojasoße gekochte Meeresfrüchte

Variante der haltbaren Zubereitung durch knuspriges Einkochen in Sojasoße und Zucker.

Baby Bienen Tsukudani


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HAIKU

つくだにの蝗となって鬚のこす　　
tsukudani no inago to natte hige o kosu

to make tsukudani
out of grashoppers ...
strain the whiskers　　　　　

Ishida Tokiji 石田時次



kigo for all autumn

inago 蝗, 稲子 ( いなご) 螽 grasshopper
catching grashoppers, inago tori 蝗捕り（いなごとり）
grashoppers on sticks, inagogushi 蝗串（いなごぐし）
The animal is about 3 cm long. Its long hind legs help it to jump well, but it does not sing in autumn. To catch the animal was not not only done to clear the rice paddies of an unwanted eater, but also to prepare the delicious tsukudani for the farmers, since it contains a lot of fat and protein.
Grashoppers are also eaten in other parts of the world.
inago no kushiage, sticks with fried grashoppers イナゴは串揚げ
CLICK here for photos !




Konchuu Ryoori, konchu ryori
Insects as human food ... a chapter of its own!



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Related words

***** WASHOKU : COOKING METHODS

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Shiokara

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Shiokara, salty and pungent
fermented fish paste


Shiokara (塩辛) is a food in Japanese cuisine made from various marine animals that consists of small pieces of the animal's meat in a brown viscous paste of the animal's heavily salted, fermented viscera. The raw viscera are mixed with about 10% salt, 30% malted rice, packed in a closed container, and fermented for up to a month. Shiokara is sold in glass or plastic containers.

The flavor is quite strong and is considered something of an acquired taste even for the native Japanese palate. The taste of shiokara lingers in the mouth. One method of enjoying it is to consume the serving at one gulp and to follow it with a shot of straight whisky. Some bars in Japan specialize in shiokara.

Ika no shiokara — from cuttlefish "squid",
The most common variety
Hotaruika no shiokara — from firefly squid
Katsuo no shiokara — from skipjack tuna
Kaki no shiokara — from oyster
Uni no shiokara — from sea urchin roe
Ami no shiokara — from shrimp

Some shiokara types have special names:

Ganzuke (がん漬, Ganzuke) — from fiddler crab
Saga prefecture

Konowata (このわた, 海鼠腸, Konowata) — from sea cucumber
Ishikawa prefecture

Mefun (めふん, Mefun) — from chum salmon (shake)

©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

fermented fish paste, sometimes yuzu citron is added.

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Shiokara
Shiokara refers to the salted and fermented flesh, internal organs, eggs and the like of sea animals. The most popular shiokara in Japan is from squid. People eat it as a side dish and snacks to go with alcoholic beverages, but some people do not like it at all. "Konowata," considered to be one of the top three delicacies in Japan, is made with the intestines of sea cucumbers.

source : 　www.welcome.city.sapporo.jp


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Shiokara is made from squid or the guts of skipjack and other species. The internal organs of the squid are mixed with 10 percent salt and 30 percent malted rice. This mixture is bottled in an airtight container and kept for a month for fermentation.

This salty and viscous seafood is eaten as a pickle in Japan. In Japan Shio means salty and Shiokara means the color of the abdomen. Shiokara is made from a wide variety of fishes. In other words, Japanese Shiokara is of many types, like Ika no shiokara - from cuttlefish “squid” , Hotaruika no shiokara - from firefly squid ,Katsuo no shiokara - from bonito ,Kaki no shiokara - from oyster ,Konowata no shiokara - from curryfish (a sea cucumber) ,Uni no shiokara - from sea urchin roe and Ami no shiokara - from shrimp .
source : 　www.foodmall.org

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How to make

Shiokara is very simple to make.

Invariably on menus, product labels, "weird foods" websites and on "Fear Factor" it's described as "fermented squid with the guts". I'll have to admit that it's an accurate name, but not very marketing-friendly nor indicative of the wonderful taste that one should expect. I'd rather think of it as prepared squid with it's liver.

And guts? Well I don't know what's what in squid anatomy, but my guess is that by looks and taste that most of the "guts" of the squid by volume comes from this one huge sac-like structure that I'm guessing is the liver. Surely that's what it tastes like to me, and liver is the predominant taste in the shiokara.

Here's how my Mom taught me to make it. It's very simple.

Just take a fresh whole squid, available locally at Mitsuwa or Nijiya, and carefully remove the head. Pull out the ?quill?, a plastic-like structure that runs the length of the squid. Also remove the beak where the legs come together.

Carefully without bursting it remove the aforementioned sac-like structure, which I assume is the liver. Now remove the skin-like outer membrane that covers the entire outside of the squid. This part can be a little tricky and time-consuming. I'll often do this under running water and use my fingernails to start a small tear in the membrane and then with my fingers try to peel a larger section off. I've heard that the trick is to start at the tip of the head end and peel down, but your mileage may vary!

Cut up the now skinned flesh into short noodle-like sections, including the tentacles. To this squeeze the contents of the removed sac, and to which I add sea salt, some shichimi togarashi /or red pepper of your choice, and citrus zest. (Yuzu would be great if you can find it, but lemon works quite well...)

Mix it up and keep refrigerated in a sealed container. It improves in taste after a stint in the refrigerator.
source : 　chowhound.chow.com

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kigo for all summer

Kani bishio, kanibshio 蟹醢 かにびしお
crabs in soy sauce
kanibishiko 蟹胥（かにびしこ）
crabs in soy sauce, kanibishio蟹醤（かにびしお）
pickled crabs, kanizuke 蟹漬（かにづけ）
A kind of shiokara 塩辛 pickles.


shiokara natto 塩辛納豆（しおからなっとう）
kigo for late summer



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kigo for all autumn




. "shiokara tonbo" 塩辛蜻蛉（しおからとんぼ）dragonfly 　
Orthetrum albistylum speciosum


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


. Salt, Salz (shio) and haiku 　


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HAIKU

塩辛をのせて大根ほとばしり
shiokara o nosete daikon hotobashiri

big radish
and some shiokara on top ...
great passion


塩辛とおろし大根越の冬
shiokara to oroshi daikon Echi no fuyu

shiokara and
grated big radish ...
winter in Echigo


越の冬塩辛肴に語り酒
Echi no fuyu shiokare mare ni katarisake

Winter in Echigo
shiokara and
smalltalk with sake

source : ぐるーとグルメ俳句　　
Tr. Gabi Greve

The winter in Echigo is especially severe with a lot of snow.


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Related words

Squid, cuttlefish dishes (ika ryoori イカ料理, 烏賊料理) 　　


Uni 海胆 (うに) sea urchin and sea urchin roe (uni 雲丹)


SALT 塩 shio
. WKD : moshio, mojio 藻塩 Salt with seaweed .


WASHOKU : FISH and SEAFOOD SAIJIKI

***** WASHOKU : COOKING METHODS

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Onigiri

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Rice balls (onigiri, o-nigiri　おにぎり)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Westerners eat sandwiches, Japanese eat onigiri.
It is one of the favorite outdoor snacks.

o-nigiri, "the honorable hand-kneaded"
おにぎり/　お握り /　御握り
When kneading onigiri, you add a little salt to the palm of your hand to add some flavor to the food.
tejio ni kakeru 手塩, "hand-salt", which is also an expression for a child or a plant or something that you bring up with utmost care.

nigirimeshi にぎりめし



The first mention seems to be already in the Genji Monogatari by Murasaki Shikibu.

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Onigiri (御握り; おにぎり), also known as
Omusubi (おむすび, O-musubi),
is a snack of Japanese rice formed into triangle or oval shapes and wrapped in nori (edible seaweed). Traditionally, the onigiri is filled with pickled salted plum fruit (umeboshi), salted salmon, bonito shavings, katsuobushi, or any other salty or sour ingredient.

In practice, pickled filling is used for preservation of the rice. Since the onigiri is one of the most famed and popular snacks in Japan, most convenience stores in Japan stock onigiri in many popular fillings and tastes. Specialized shops, called Onigiri-ya, offer handmade rice balls for take out.

History
The Murasaki Shikibu Nikki, the diary of the Lady Murasaki, writes of people eating rice balls during her time, the eleventh century. The rice ball was called tojiki (tonjiki) and often consumed as an outdoor picnic lunch.

Writings dating back as far as the 17th century tell us that many samurai stored rice balls wrapped in bamboo leaves as a quick lunchtime meal at war, but the origins of onigiri are much earlier. Before the use of chopsticks became widespread in the Nara period, rice was often rolled into a small ball so that it could be easily picked up. In the Heian period, rice was also made into small rectangular shapes called tonjiki (頓食; とんじき), so that they could be piled onto a plate and easily eaten.

From the Kamakura period to the early Edo period, onigiri was used as a quick meal. This made sense as cooks simply had to think about making enough onigiri and did not have to concern themselves with serving. These onigiri were simply a ball of rice flavored with salt. Nori seaweed did not become widely available until the Genroku era during the mid-Edo period, when the farming of nori and fashioning it into sheets became widespread.

It was believed that onigiri could not be produced with a machine as the hand rolling technique was considered too difficult to replicate. In the 1980s, a machine that made triangular onigiri was built. This was initially met with skepticism because rather than having the filling traditionally rolled inside, the flavoring was simply put into a hole in onigiri and this shortcut was hidden by the nori.

Since the onigiri made by this machine came with nori already applied to the rice ball, over time the nori became unpleasantly moist and sticky, clinging to the rice. A packaging improvement allowed the nori to be stored separately from the rice. Before eating, the diner could open the packet of nori and wrap the onigiri. The machines' limitation that an ingredient was filled into a hole instead of rolled together with the rice actually made new flavors of onigiri easier to produce as this cooking process did not require changes from ingredient to ingredient.

O-musubi and O-nigiri is not a form of sushi, despite common misconception.
While o-musubi is made with plain rice (perhaps lightly salted), sushi is made of rice with vinegar added. O-musubi is merely a method of making rice portable and easy to eat, while sushi originated as a way of preserving freshwater fish.
© More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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June 18 is is "Onigiri Day" 御握りの日
celebrating the rice ball !




Musubi-Maru from Sendai - after the Earthquake in 2011.



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Usually a large sheet of nori seaweed is wrapped around the rice ball.
But in Kansai, a small sheet of ajitsuke nori 味付けのリ is used.



The nigiri are short rolls, with the nori as a band around them.




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mokamusu もかむす Moka Musu
(Monaka Musubi)
musubi with a monaka wafer outside.
The wafer is made from mochigome dough and some sprinkles of nori. They come in different colors and flavors, like normal musubi.
Sold in department stores in Hyogo prefecture.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !　



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TENMUSU 天むす
riceball with something on the TOP /ten 天
Tenmusu are small rice balls containing shrimp tempura. But lately
not only for tenpura, but other things too
Originally from Nagoya.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


quote
Tempura is a traditional dish consisting of shrimp, fish, and vegetables dipped into a batter of eggs, flour, and water and then deep-fried. Although it is usually served with rice and a dipping sauce mixed with grated radish, a restaurant owner in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, just over the Aichi border, came up with a new twist back in 1953.

The tempura was not offered as a separate dish but placed inside a ball of rice and wrapped in nori (thin, crispy dried seaweed), thus creating a tempura o-musubi--a traditional meal for travelers and others on the go. This was easier said than done, though, for there was the problem of how to get the sauce--a mixture of soy sauce, mirin (sweet sake), and dashi (stock)--inside the ball of rice. Tempura without this seasoning would taste too bland. And if the tempura was dipped in sauce beforehand, the extra liquid would cause the o-musubi to fall apart.

Given the wealth of natural spices and flavors available in Japanese cuisine, though, the tempura shop owner knew a carefully balanced mixture could be added to the batter that would provide sufficient lift for the tempura, even when consumed hours later. For instance, one could try mitsuba (Japanese wild chervil), shiso (beefsteak plant leaf), togarashi (cayenne pepper), or yuzu-no-kawa (chopped citron peel), in addition to the normal sauce and grated radish. The owner experimented for three years before settling on the "perfect" formula. The owner admits using mitsuba and some form of sauce, but the full list of ingredients, unchanged for over 40 years, is a well-kept secret--the pride of its creator.
source : www2.aia.pref.aichi.jp



takomusu たこむす with a full takoyaki ball on top of it
takoyaki musubi たこ焼き ＋ おむすび, speciality of Osaka
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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yaki onigiri 焼きおにぎり　
roasted or grilled onigiri
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

online reference


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onigiriya おにぎり屋
stores or restaurants specializing in rice balls

Izakaya pubs also serve onigiri, usually eaten after the drinking time is over, shortly before going home.

The 24 hour convenience stores also sell different flavors of onigiri. Their taste has improved greatly over the years and they are a favorite with young and old.




Set of Onigiri from a local food shop.

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onigiri おにぎり鬼　Onigiri demons


- CLICK for more funny photos !

Made for the Setsubun rituals ;
. Setsubun Festival 節分 (February 3) .
fuku wa uchi 福は内（ふくはうち）"Good luck, come in!"
oni wa soto 鬼は外（おにはそと）"Demons, go out! "

. The Onipedia - Japanese Demons .



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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Genji Monogatari, The Tale of Genji 源氏物語


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HAIKU




おにぎり屋鮭がぽつんと膝に落ち　　
onigiriya shake ga potsun to hiza ni ochi

rice ball store ...
a piece of salmon flake
drops on my knee　　　　　

Takashi 高司

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転がった幸を探しににぎりめし
korogatta sachi o sagashi ni nigirimeshi

looking for the filling
that fell down ...
rice ball

Itano Yohsiko 板野美子


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Related words

***** WASHOKU - Japanese Food - Nori

***** . WASHOKU
Umeboshi 梅干 dried pickled salty plums


***** WASHOKU : COOKING METHODS

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[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
- #onigiri #riceballs -
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Yaku and Yaki

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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Grill, bake, broil, toast (yaku, yaki)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

yaku 焼く　... can have many translations in English and is used for a variety of dishes.

Let us look at some famous yaku preparations.
Usually they are called xyz-yaki 焼き.


To do YAKU you can use a net over the grill or barbeque, a frying pan, frypan, or skillet, an oven toaster or an oven.
broiling in English usually refers to heat from above.


using a shichirin


Shichirin 七輪 portable cooking stove
for home grilling
. . . CLICK here for more Photos !
kiridashi shichirin 切り出し七輪 from the Noto peninsula 能登 are cut out of one piece of earth. They come in round or oblong forms for sanma fish.
. . . CLICK here for Photos of Noto Shichirin !


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furaipan, asanabe　浅鍋
see TOOLS


furaido フライド　
This method came to Japan via the Europeans at the beginning of the Edo period.
Pieces are covered in a dough and fried as tempura or like this in a frypan.
ebifurai エビフライ
furaido onion　フライドオニオン
furaido chikin　フライドチキン
furaido poteto フライドポテト


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Aburi-yaki, aburiyaki あぶり焼き quick grilling
pass lightly over a flame, to make it crisp, for example nori seaweed.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Ami-yaki, amiyaki 網焼き grilled on a net
Grilled beef from Matsuzaka beef is a speciality of Mie prefecture
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
yakiami 焼き網 net for grilling




Chanchan-yaki, chanchanyaki ちゃんちゃん焼き
grilling salmon with vegetables on a hot plate
Online reference
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Dora-yaki, dorayaki どらやき bun or cake with anko filling
It is named after a Japanese gong (dora). It can be filled with many things. It is the favorit food of the manga character Doraemon, of course.
Dorayaki (どら焼き, どらやき, 銅鑼焼き, ドラ焼き) bean-jam pancake




furai フライ "fried" (in the frying pan)
a kind of yakisoba-like very flat pancake (perapera), folded in half and
covered with yakisoba sauce
Speciality of Saitama 埼玉県の名物【フライ】
CLICK here for PHOTOS !
Another speciality is
serifurai ゼリーフライ "jelly fry", croquette
seri- comes from zeni, the form of the old gold money, koban, zenifurai, serifurai which has the same form as this kind of croquette (kurokke) made from okara tofu and potatoes, deep fried.




Hama-yaki, hamayaki 浜焼き grilled on the beach
local specialities are grilled directly on the beach.
Old method of the fishermen and divers to get warm.
saba no hamayaki, さばの浜焼き, speciality of Fukui.
たいの浜焼き tai no hamayaki is a speciality of Okayama.



Horoku-yaki, hoorokuyaki ほうろくやき (焙烙焼き）
. . . CLICK here for hooroku pot Photos !
roasted in an earthware pot. steam-baking
a kind of mushiyaki for seafood or vegetables
The Murakami priates used this pot filled with explosives as a weapon, hoorokutama 焙烙玉.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
irdene Röstpfanne
http://kokonuggetyumyum.blogspot.com/2005/12/horoku-yaki.html



Hoosho-yaki, hooshoyaki, hoshoyaki 奉書焼き grilling wrapped in washi paper
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
すずきの奉書焼き suzuki no hoosho yaki, speciality of Tottori
Online reference



Ikayaki イカ焼き grilled squid
gegrillter Tintenfisch


Imagawa yaki 今川焼 (いまがわやき, 今川焼き)
kind of waffles filled with sweat bean paste
taikoyaki 太鼓焼（たいこやき）, tomoeyaki 巴焼（ともえやき）、 gishiyaki 義士焼（ぎしやき）
Imagawayaki, KIGO for winter



Ishiyaki, ishi yaki 石焼き　（いしやき） fried on stone
or baked or boiled with hot stones in water
ishiyaki nabe 石焼鍋　ｆrom Oga peninsula, Akita
- - - - - 石頭火鍋 in Taiwan
..... also
ishiyaki imo 薯 (やきいも) roasted sweet potatoes


Jibachi yaki... roasted bee or wasp larvae
Hachi no ko 蜂の仔（はちのこ, 蜂の子）bee and wasp larvae


jigoku yaki 地獄焼 grilling seafood alive
"Hellish griling"


Kabayaki, unagi no kabayaki うなぎのかば焼き
skewered grilled eel with a soy sauce
speciality of Tokyo



Kaiyaki, kai-yaki 貝焼 (かいやき) simmering seafood in shells
kayaki かやき
kigo for winter



Kara-yaki, karayaki から焼き (からやき, 殻焼き) grilled in the shell
kaki-karayaki, grilled oysters
grilled sazae
At the beach on the way from Kamakura to Enoshima.
A special form is the onigarayaki 鬼殻焼き of lobsters as a whole.
Also yoroiyaki よろい焼き or gozokuyaki 具足焼き, grilling in full armour
The back of the animal is cut open and some soysauce and mirin poored on it before grilling.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Kimi-yaki, kimiyaki 黄身焼き broiling with an egg yoke
The egg yoke is mixed with sake, mirin and salt, this mixture poored over the almost finished dish and then fried again.
Especially for squid and ebi prawns, white fish and pork.
Also called "golden fry" (oogon yaki 黄金焼き ).
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
http://www.isedelica.co.jp/recipe/nihon/sasami.htm



kurokke コロッケ croquette
Mashed ingredients deep-fried in a breadcrum cover. Potato croquettes are most popular, but they come in many flavors in Japan.
WASHOKU : Kurokke コロッケ croquettes



Miso-yaki, misoyaki みそやき (味噌焼き) broiled in miso sauce
often used for sake salmon or chicken
hoikoro, hoikoroo ホイコロー in the chinese cuisine, with cabbage and chicken or meat
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Nabeyaki, nabe-yaki 鍋焼 (なべやき)stew in an earthen pot
with fish, meat and vegetables
Pieces are seared with very little oil in a pan before stewing.
nabeyaki udon 鍋焼饂飩（なべやきうどん, 鍋焼きうどん, 鍋焼き饂飩）
yaki udon, yakiudon 焼饂飩 udon noodles slightly fried in a pan, mixed with other food.
kigo for winter
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



Namban-yaki, nambanyaki, nanban yaki 南蛮焼き; 南蛮焼 (なんばんやき)
namban ... food preparations are usally "from the southern barbarians", introduced via Nagasaki from the Portugese around 1600.
Western Style fry
Nambanyaki sauce, hot miso or chili sauce
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
The word is also used for pottery from South Asia and China.



O-kariba-yaki, okaribayaki お狩場焼き (おかりばやき) in-the-field dish for hunting parties.
The shogun of Edo had his own kariba hunting grounds around the city.
slices of wild game and vegetables are grilled on charcoal
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Okonomi-yaki, okonomiyaki お好み焼き (おこのみやき)"Japanese Pizza"
Online Reference
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
They come in a style from Osaka and one from Hiroshima. Often yakisoba are added to it to give it more volume. Served with a lot of Aonori and mayonaise. A fried egg is also served with it.
Osaka is sprinkled with red vinegar-ginger (benishooga) and lots of katsuobushi flakes.
monjayaki もんじゃ焼き　is another term.



fuafua Daruma yaki フワフワだるま焼
It is made without flour, only yamato-imo yam 大和芋.
a kind of monjayaki もんじゃ焼.
オリジナルの“だるま焼”
だるまさんが焼いちゃった
Near Ebisu Station, Tokyo
www.bloom-co.jp/shop/darumasan/info.html


kakioko, kaki oko カキオコ oysters on okonomiyaki
kaki no okonomiyaki
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


. Okonomiyaki - Hiroshima style .

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monjiyakiya 　文字焼き屋 selling "monjiyaki" in Edo

mojiyaki　文字焼き　"frying letters", letting the dough drip from a spatula (shamoji) onto the hot pan, giving it patterns like letters.

This is the fore-runner of okonomiyaki.
moji . monji . monja . monjayaki


Most Monjiyaki-ya in Edo opened their stalls (yatai) during the many festival days of temples and shrines.

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monja yaki namae no yurai wa moji yaki

the origin
of the word "monjayaki"
is "writing letters "

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杓子程筆では書けぬ文字焼屋
shamoji hodo fude de wa kakenu mojiyakiya

with a spatula
he writes better than with a pen -
the "fried letters" chef


source :　blog.oricon.co.jp/masuda


. Food vendors in Edo .



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oyaki, o-yaki お焼き roasted rice dumplings from Nagano
. . . Himeji 姫路名物『お城やき』O-Shiro-Yaki
Castle waffles


Rooyaki 臘焼き (ろうやき)
a kind of kimiyaki
Roosoku yaki 蝋燭焼 (ろうそくやき, 蝋燭焼き) grilled craw's meat
kigo for winter



. Seriyaki 芹焼 (せりやき) dropwort stew with duck .
kigo for winter



Shigiyaki, shigi-yaki
Nasu no shigiyaki 茄子の鴫焼 (なすのしぎやき) fried egglpants with dengaku dressing
shigiyaki 鴫焼（しぎやき）
kigo for late summer



Shio-yaki, shioyaki　 塩焼き grilled with salt
Often used for whole fish on sticks, like ayu trout over charcoal.
ayu trout is a speciality of Gifu
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Röstenmit Salz; Braten mit Salz.



Shogayaki, Shoogayaki, shoga-yaki 生姜焼き, しょうが焼き Roast Ginger Meat



Sugiyaki 杉焼 (すぎやき)"preparing food in a cedar box"
hegiyaki 折ぎ焼き
kigo for winter



Sukiyaki, suki-yaki 鋤焼 (すきやき)
"food prepared on a spade"
gyuunabe 牛鍋（ぎゅうなべ）、uosuki 魚すき（うおすき）、okisuki 沖すき（おきすき）、torisuki 鶏すき（とりすき）、udonsuki 饂飩すき（うどんすき）
kigo for winter
WASHOKU : Sukiyaki Information

often prepared with warishita すき焼きわりした soy sauce mix (see soy sauce for explanation)
. . . CLICK here for warishita Photos !



sumibi-yaki, sumibiyaki 炭火焼 barbequing over charcoals



Tai-yaki, taiyaki Taiyaki 鯛焼 (たいやき, 鯛焼き) waffles filled with sweat bean paste
in the form of a sea bream (tai).
kigo for winter

Ningyooyaki, ningyoyaki 人形焼 figure waffles from Edo



Tako-yaki, takoyaki 蛸焼き ( たこやき) octopus balls
pan-fried ocotpus dumplings
A favorite for festival stalls.
Online reference
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Oktopus-Teigbällchen


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Teppan-yaki, teppanyaki
てっぱんやき, てっぱん焼, 鉄板焼き
fried (or grilled) on an iron plate or pan
In restaurants, the cooking can be done on a large iron plate (teppan) on the counter or on indivitual hot plates for a group of guests for socializing while eating.
The fried ingredients, mostly meat, fish and vegetables, are dipped in a special sauce, often the secret of a restaurant.
Meat can be marinated before grilling.
Steak, shrimp, okonomiyaki, yakisoba, and monjayaki are prepared on these iron plates.
Sizzling Plate.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Braten auf der Eisenplatte. Gemischte Grillplatte

quote
Origin
The originator of the teppanyaki-style steakhouse is the Japanese restaurant chain Misono, which introduced the concept of cooking Western-influenced food on a teppan in Kobe in 1945. They soon found that the cuisine was more popular with foreigners than with the Japanese, who enjoyed both watching the skilled maneuvers of the chefs preparing the food as well as the cuisine, somewhat more familiar than more traditional Japanese dishes. As the restaurants became popular at tourist spots with non-Japanese, the chain increased the performance aspect of the chef's preparation, such as stacking round slices of onion in the shape of Mount Fuji and lighting alcohol (usually sake) contained within on fire, producing a flaming onion volcano.

In Japan, many teppanyaki restaurants feature Kobe beef. Side dishes of mung bean sprouts, zucchini (even though zucchini is not a popular vegetable in Japan and rarely found in the market), garlic chips or fried rice usually accompany the meal. Some restaurants provide sauces in which to dip the food. However, in Japan, only soy sauce is typically offered.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Reference : Misono Kobe


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teppoo yaki, teppooyaki, teppoyaki 鉄砲焼き "hot gun grilling"
fish or meat is wrapped in red hot pepper miso paste and grilled.
speciality of Toyama


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Teri-yaki, teriyaki 照り焼き broiled after being soaked in sweetened soy sauce
Often used for chicken. Teriyaki chikin, done in a frypan.
usukuchi shooyu, thin soy sauce is best, because it gives a natural glaze and is saltier than normal soy sauce, so it can be used sparcely, but effectively to give a strong umami taste to the food.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
das Teriyaki; in Sojasauce gebratener Fisch

. . . yuuanyaki, yuuan yaki 幽庵焼き（ゆうあんやき）
Yuan Yaki. Grilled fish or chicken a la teriyaki, first marinated in a mixture of light soysauce, sake and mirin, with lots of yuzu juice.
This marinade was first used by the gourmet, monk and tea master Kitamura Yuan (Yuuan) 北村祐庵 / 堅田幽庵(1648 - 1719) of the Edo period.
His name was also 道遂。幽安・幽庵・柚庵. He was the son of a rich family in Katata, Otsu, Shiga prefecture. He was one of the four great disciples of Sen Sotan 千 宗旦 (Sen Sootan) and learned also from Fujimura Yoken 藤村庸軒 (Fujimura Yooken). He also designed the famous garden Isomeshi Teien 居初氏庭園 in Otsu, Isomeshi's Garden .



yuuanzuke, yuuan tsuke 幽庵漬け marinade a la Yuan


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toobanyaki とうばんやき. とうばん焼・燈板焼
tobanyaki, toban-yaki
method of cooking/grilling/roasting on a ceramic plate. The plates keep the food warm for a long time.Used for seafood and meat.


Tsuboyaki 壷焼 (つぼやき)
sazae turban shell fried in the conch


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Yakimono 焼き物 (やきもの) Broiled seasonal fish
course in a kaiseki ryori meal
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

京懐石 Kyoo kaiseki, Kaiseki from Kyoto



yakizakana　焼き魚　grilled or broiled fish
fish with some sprinkles of salt.
Oil is not used in tradtional Japanese yakimono.
Grilled fish served in formal banquets was only eaten from the top side. It was bad manners to turn the fish around and eat the bottom side as well.
gebratener Fisch, Bratfisch, gegrillter Fisch

I wonder if this is done on a charcoal grill or in a frypan. And did the folks of Edo use frypans? How did they call it? Or when did it first show up in a frypan fried with oil?


yakishimozukuri 焼き霜づくり
grilling fish for a short time to change color on the outside, serving as sashimi.
searing over heat.

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yakiboshi 焼き干し "grilled and dried" small sardines


yaki-doofu, yakidofu, yaki toofu 焼き豆腐 momen firm tofu which is slightly browned on both sides by broiling.
For the New Year, nishime, ni-shime 煮しめ is prepared, a yakidofu piece cooked in sweatened soy sauce together with other ingredinets.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
. . . CLICK here for NI-SHIME Photos !



yaki-imo, yakiimo 焼薯 (やきいも) roasted sweet potatoes
kigo for winter



yaki-meshi, yakimeshi やきめし (焼き飯) fried rice
usually chahan, chaahan　チャーハン
.... also
yakigome 焼米 (やきごめ) roasted rice (kigo for early autumn)
yaki-onigiri, yakionigiri 焼きおにぎり grilled rice balls



yaki-niku, yakiniku 焼き肉 (やきにく, 焼肉)
grilled slices of meat
Korean-style barbecued beef is quite popular too. Korean barbeque. Japanese barbeque.
Many restaurants specialize in this kind of food for a group of people to enjoy whilst socializing.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Online reference
One type is HORUMONYAKI ホルモン焼き horumon yaki, in the dialect of Kansai it means "things thrown away" hooru mono 放る物 and is not related to the western word "hormon". It is said to bring stamina to the tired worker in the evening and very popular
Other Korean dishes are Bibimba ビビンバ and Kimchee キムチ kimuchi, kimchi.




yaki-shimozukuri, yakishimozukuri 焼き霜作り "frost grilling"
used for sashimi raw fish to grill it just a second until it changes color. Dipped in ice water after grilling.
Also helps to get extra moisture out of frozen fish.
Often used for katsuo and tai. Sometimes the skin of the fish is left on one side.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !



yaki shio, yakishio 焼き塩 (やきしお, 焼塩) baked salt
table salt. Also used when baking in an earthware pan (hooroku).
Through the baking process the magnesium chlorid in the salt turns to magnesium oxide and takes out the bitterness of food.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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yaki-soba, yakisoba 焼き蕎麦、やきそば fried noodles, not necessarily buckwheat noodles
literally "fried noodles in sauce", is considered a Japanese dish but originated in China and is technically a derivative of Chinese chow mein.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

- - - kuro yakisoba 黒焼きそば "black yakisoba" from Higashimurayama, Tokyo 東京都東村山市
with octopus ink sauce
and more . Regional yakisoba dishes .


Yakisoba Sandwich Recipe external LINK
Reference : Yakisoba Sauce
Kuroishi tsuyu yakisoba 黒石つゆやきそば / 黒石焼きそば
fried noodles in soup made from yakisoba sauce

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yaki-tori, yakitori やきとり (焼き鳥) grilled (barbecued; broiled) chicken on a skewer.
usually bamboo skewer
A favorite dish at the izakaya restaurants.





yooganyaki yoogan yaki　溶岩焼き cooked on heated peaces of lava
CLICK here for PHOTOS !


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

一匹も釣れずオトリを塩焼きす
ippiki mo tsurezu otori o shioyaki su

not one fish caught ...
we decide to use the bait
for salt grilling

Arasaga あらさが


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七輪の炭赤々と妻照らす
shichirin no sumi aka-aka to tsuma terasu

the red red charcoal
of the outdoor cooking stove ..
it shines on my wife

midnightsapporo 2006


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Related words

***** . Barbeque 　
kigo for summer in Europe


***** WASHOKU : Regional Japanese Dishes

***** WASHOKU : COOKING METHODS
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Kanroni

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Simmered fish (kanroni)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation


Kanroni, kanro-ni かんろに (甘露煮)
"sweet dew simmering"
sweet dew boil

small fish like ayu, haze or funa are first simmered until they are almost done. Next they are simmered in a mix of soy sauce, mirin or mizuame syrup until they have a fine shine and the bones are soft enough to be eaten.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


The word is also used for a kind of fruit candy for chestnuts, figs, kumquats or other fruit in clear syrup.

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kanrozuke　甘露漬　甘露漬け sweet preserved fruit or other food

kazunoko can be preserved with soy sauce, kooji or sake for the New Year.


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Worldwide use

süßeingekochter Essen
Kochen mit Zucker und Mirin

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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

甘露煮や寒鮒の金なほのこり　　　
kanro-ni ya kanbuna no kin nao nokori 　　　　

sweetly simmered ...　　
the gold of the crucian carp
still remains

Kato Shunson (Katoo Shunson) 加藤楸邨


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Related words

***** Tsukudani


***** WASHOKU : COOKING METHODS

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Hitashi

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Quickly boiled vegetables (ohitashi お浸し)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Ohitashi, o-hitashi is a preparation of quickly boiling vegetables, most often spinach leaves
and add soy sauce and other flavors.
Sometimes the vegetables are left soaking in cold water over night.

Leaves of mustard greens, kale, yaakon ヤーコンの葉 and others are also prepared in this way.
The boiling is very short, sometimes just two minutes.

The verb HITASU 浸す (ひたす) means soaking or steeping.

. . . CLICK here for Photos !


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Sansai 山菜 　Mountain vegetables are often prepared as ohitashi.

. . . . . Including
Kogomi こごみ kind of fern
Nobiru のびる (野蒜) wild rocambole
Ooba giboshi おおばぎぼうし (大葉擬宝珠) Hosta


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quote
Spinach Ohitashi

What you need:

A pound of fresh spinach, well cleaned. Young spinach is preferable.
2 tbsp of soy sauce (if desired)
2 tbsp of water (if desired)
Sesame seeds or other condiments to taste

Bring some water to a boil. Hold the bunch of spinach by the leaves, and dunk it the stemmy end into the boiling water. Hold it there for about half a minute, then push the spinach all the way into the water. Boil it until the stems soften, but not until the spinach turns into mush; about 2 minutes.

Drain the spinach and rinse with cold water until it's cool enough to handle. Squeeze the spinach into an orange-sized ball, then squeeze some more to get all the water you can out of it. Put the ball into a bowl, mix the water and soy sauce, and pour that over the spinach ball. Let the foliage sit for 10 or so minutes. Then squeeze out the excess moisture, gently pull the ball apart, and find four large, wide leaves. Set these aside; you'll use them as wrappers.

Separate the spinach well enough that you can line up the leaves. Put down one of the large leaves you separated out and spread the leafy part out. Put down the other one on top of the first with the stem pointing in the opposite direction, so it's on top of the first one's leaf, and spread out its leaf similarly. Now lay out the rest of the spinach leaves on top of the first two, but don't spread out the leaves; instead, make a kind of log shape the length of the spinach leaves. Have some stems on one side and some stems on the other. When you've got them all in place squeeze them together, then roll them in the first two leaves. Set out the other two leaves you set aside, unfolding them on top of the log, stems pointing in opposite directions, then roll the log up so it has another layer of leaf wrapper.

Now take a very sharp, nonserrated knife - a sushi knife works for me - and cut this into cylinders about an inch long. Set these upright and sprinkle with sesame seeds or serve with any other condiment you like.

source : 　Kim McFarland


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Watercresson, kureson クレソン

Watercress is one of the edible plants from Europe that found a home in Japan, flourishing in the wild after its introduction in the late 1870s. Originally called oranda garashi (Dutch mustard), now the peppery perennial is generally called kureson (from the French cresson).

Kureson no o-hitashi
This has been translated as "soused greens" — meaning greens that are plunged or immersed in a liquid. Traditionally the greens are spinach, and the liquid is dashi-flavored with a bit of mirin and usukuchi shoyu, but there are variations on the theme. Here we keep the flavoring simple and just replace the greens with blanched kureson. When doubling or tripling the recipe, you will only need to increase by half the liquid portions since the dish is not meant to be soupy.

1 bunch kureson
1 cup dashi
1 teaspoon mirin
3 teaspoons usukuchi shoyu
pinch salt
hana katsuo

1) Wash the kureson and blanch it by plunging it in lightly salted boiling water and immediately removing it to ice water.

2) Drain, cut the kureson into 5-cm lengths and gently squeeze out excess water.

3) In a medium bowl combine the dashi, shoyu and the greens. Toss well and add a pinch of salt if necessary.

4) Serve garnished with hana katsuo or any other finely shaved kezuri bushi like ito kezuri katsuo. May be made in advance. Serve well-chilled.

Japan Times 2002 : Rick laPointe


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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU


やさしさに返すおひたし卵焼き　　
yasashisa ni kaesu ohitashi tamago yaki　　　　　

Senryu by Matsuoka Mizue 松岡瑞枝


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Related words

***** WASHOKU : COOKING METHODS

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Denbu Oboro Soboro

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Shredded fish preparations (denbu)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Various
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

DENBU 田麩
A preparation of boiled and then mashed fish, flavored with sugar, soy sauce and mirin. For consumption, this mix is added to sushi or norimaki sushi.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !


If the fish is colored with food red (shokubeni しょくべに【食紅】), the dish is called "cherry blossom denbu", sakura denbu さくらでんぶ.　Sakura denbu gives a nice color to the sushi.
It is even sold at amazon.com : Sakura Denbu - Ground Seasoned Codfish


Tai sea bream and tara cod are used most often.

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tara denbu 鱈田夫（たらでんぶ, 鱈田麩） with cod fish
kigo for spring

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Oboro おぼろ (朧)

This word comes from thin clouds and mist
Spring haziness, Spring mistiness , haze, hazy : oboro 朧
kigo for spring

For food, we have oboro of fish (see above the denbu), oboro of konbu seaweed, oborodoofu of tofu and others.

White fish and small shrimp are first boiled and then mashed and flavored.
These preparations are also sold online.

ara oboro 粗おぼろ roughly prepared oboro

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oboro konbu おぼろ昆布
shredded konbu kelp seaweed



High-quality konbu are softened in vinegar and then shredded into very thin pieces.
They can be eaten in sumashi soup or used for aemono dressing, placed into onigiri rice balls or eaten like this with a bit of additional flavored vinegar or sanbaizu vinegar.

Most oboro come from Tsuruga 敦賀, Fukui. There was even an old road connectiong Tsuruga with Kyoto to transport the freshly shredded oboro konbu (oboro kaidoo おぼろ街道).
The oboro must be shredded by hand, which is quite a delicate job.
Tesuki Oboro Konbu (hand-sliced tangle seaweed) is produced after dampening it with vinegar and soften it.Today, 85% of the Japanese hand-sliced silk-like tangle kombu is produced in Tsuruga.
This tradition dates back to the Kitamaebune ships, which brought dried konbu from Hokkaido.
http://www.fukui-c.ed.jp/~cdb/shoku/konbu/index.html

In Osaka, they are placed on kakeudon noodle soup or prepared into a thin soup with additional soy sauce and salt.

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oborodofu, oborodoofu おぼろ豆腐
oboro-style tofu

This is a handmade preparation, where the tofu is preserved just before it gets really hard. It is scooped out by hand in special cups.
Normal tofu is then skimmed into special wooden molds and pressured with a weight to get rid of some water.

oboro is also called kumidoofu くみ豆腐. It can be served in special cups or baskets.
It is very soft and has a slightly sweet natural flavor.
. . . CLICK here for kumidofu Photos !







Readymade preparations of Oborodofu soup are also available.



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Seasoned meat or fish mince(soboro そぼろ)

Minced meat or mashed fish is flavored with rice wine, soy sauce, sugar and other spices like ginger juice. While boiling the water content of the mash can be reduced. This kind of preparation with fish is also called oboro, see above.

Oboro is a favorite on o-bento lunchboxes or a simple rice dish.

buta sorobo, minced pork meat
niku soboro, minced flavored meat 肉そぼろ
sake soboro, finely shredded sake salmon
tamago soboro, crumbled egg
tori sorobo, minced chicken 鶏そぼろ

sanshoku soboro bento 三色そぼろ弁当 with three differently colored soboro preparations

soboro don (soboro donburi) bowl of rice with some soboro as topping

RP for chicken

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

大山のおぼろ豆腐や若楓
Ooyama no oboro doofu ya waka kaede

this famous oboro tofu
at Mount Oyama ...
young maple leaves


Yano Fumiko 谷野文子
Tr. Gabi Greve

Oyama is a mountain with a famous temple near Odawara. I have been there myself and eaten the famous tofu in the local tea house on the way, surrounded by the green leaves. It is a phantastic atmosphere, and again, in autumn, when the leaves are red, it is a good time to come again.
Gabi
wakakaede

Oyama and the famous Fudo Temple

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Related words

***** Codfish tara denbu and other cod fish food

***** Soups

***** WASHOKU : COOKING METHODS

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