Soba noodles eaten on the last day of the year / 年越しそば

日本語は英語の後に続きます

Many Japanese people eat soba noodles on the last day of the year. These soba noodles are called “Toshikoshi-soba”. Why are Japanese people eating soba noodles on the last day of the year? The one of the reasons is that Japanese people wish for a slim but long and healthy life like soba noodles. The other reason is that they wish to cut off the bad fortune like soba noodles which break easily.

It’s private, but I eat soba noodles at the soba restaurant on the last business day and make soba noodles at home on the last day of the year. I’m making Toshikoshi-soba just now!

二年前から大晦日にはそばを打っている。そば粉だけを買ってきて、後は家にあるものだけで作る。包丁もまな板もいつもの家庭料理用のものである。二年前は太く短いそばになってしまった。原因は延ばした生地を折りたたむ際に打ち粉が少なかったことと包丁で折りたたんだ生地を切るときに間隔が広くなったためであった。昨年は二年前の経験を踏まえて打ち粉にも切る間隔にも気を遣ったが、そばの風味が乏しかった。色々と考えたが原因は生地をこねるのが弱かったためと考えた。四人分の生地を一度にこねて延ばしたのが家庭の狭いキッチンでは無理があったのだろう。

いよいよ今年である。今まさに年越しそばを作っている最中である。今年は二回に分けて生地をこねて延ばして丁寧に切った。さて、結果は紅白が始まる頃に判明する。

Salted salmon / 塩鮭

日本語は英語の後に続きます。

In this season, salmon travels upstream. Young salmon go to Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska from river in Japan. Salmon grow up there in several years. Then grown salmon come back to river in Japan to spawn.

Japanese people like salted salmon. We eat them as a broiled salmon and sometimes we eat them as rice ball in which salmon flake is included. We do not think any special thing when we eat salmon because salmon is very popular for Japanese people. But I would like to imagine a great trip made by salmon. What a big scale it is to travel from Japanese river to Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska!

朝食にいただく塩鮭は頭を一気に冴えさせる。昼食にいただく鮭おにぎりは午後の活力を準備させる。そして、一日の締めにいただく鮭茶漬けは一日の疲れお癒してくれる。鮭はどのような状況の人にも優しく接してくれる。万能な食材である。

私はこれまでの鮭料理で一番印象に残っているのは、運動会の時に持って行った弁当に詰められていた鮭弁当である。塩鮭ではない。ほぐされた鮭が白ごはんの上一面に散らばされていたのだ。なぜか、その鮭弁をいただくと力が湧いてくるように感じた。実際、午後の競技も緊張感を持って臨めた。

だからという訳ではないが、今でも、お昼におにぎりを買う時は、中に鮭が入っているタイプではなく、ほぐされた鮭が万遍なく散らされたタイプのおにぎりを無意識に選んでいる。これが私の鮭との付き合い方だ。

Matcha / 抹茶

日本語は英語の後に続きます。

Matcha is powdered green tea. What do you imagine to hear Matcha? The tea ceremony is well-known related to Matcha. There are two types on the tea ceremony. One is Koitcha which is served with strong tea and another is Usutcha which is served with weaken tea. When you join the strong tea ceremony, a Japanese unbaked sweet called Omogashi is served, When you join the weaken tea ceremony, a Japanese dry sweet called Higashi is served. You may think that it is hard to join the tea ceremony. But it is not hard in actuality. If you will have a chance to join the tea ceremony, you can enjoy purely.

抹茶は今やお茶としていただくよりも、抹茶をまぶした食べ物や飲み物などでいただくことの方が多いように思う。その中でも、最も親しまれているものは抹茶アイスクリームだろう。先日、一年ぶりに嵯峨野を散策した。渡月橋から化野念仏寺、愛宕念仏寺に向かい、そのまま嵐山に戻るというまさに観光コースの王道だ。王道と言え、この行程は距離もあり、ちょっとした山道もあい、少しきつい行程である。そのきつさを想像すると散策の前にはエネルギーを補給したくなる。昨年も今年も、その時に補給したエネルギーは、抹茶ソフトクリームと抹茶プリンの盛り合わせである。絶品である。これによりほとんど疲れなく嵐山と愛宕念仏寺の往復を完遂することができた。

抹茶は不思議な力を持っている。

Turnip / かぶ

日本語は英語の後に続きます。

Now is the best season for taking turnip. Turnip is one of the world wide foods. The popular dish of turnip is turnip dressed with powdered fish and thick starchy sauce in Japan. When we eat turnip dressed with powdered fish and thick starchy sauce in the winter, we can get warm. There is a strange thing to peel a turnip. We usually peel a turnip sideways. But we peel it lengthwise for Japanese cuisine. I do not know why there is difference between Japanese cuisine and others. So it is funny for me to eat turnip imagining the reason of it.

寒さが進むこの季節はかぶをいただくのには甘味が増し、美味しい季節である。料理によっては葉も皮もいただくことができる。かぶは「すずな」として春の七草の一つでもあり、これから一月にかけて食卓に上がる機会が増えるだろう。そんなかぶに、不思議なことが一つある。皮の剥き方である。通常、かぶの皮はりんご等果物と同じように横方向に剥いていく。しかし、日本料理でかぶを使う時は、縦方向に皮を剥いていく。神事と何かしら関係があるのか、煮込む時に形が崩れにくいのか、飾り付けの時の見栄えのためなのか、想像はどんどん膨らむが、本当の理由は分からない。しかし、真の意味を知らなくても、皮を剥くたびに、また調理されたかぶをいただく時に、理由を色々と想像しているとかぶの甘さも口のなかでより一層広がるような気がする。これも私にとってはかぶの一つの楽しみ方でもある。

Shishamo smelt / ししゃも

日本語は英語の後に続きます。

Shishamo smelt is a small fish. We can take shishamo smelt only on the coast of Hokkaido in the world in the late autumn. I often eat shishamo smelt in my childhood. Especially I like to eat grilled shishamo smelt for breakfast. I was very satisfied if I could eat grilled shishamo smelt with rice for breakfast. Since shishamo smelt is not big fish, I always eat whole them including their bones which have much calcium.

When I smell a grilled shishamo smelt just after I get up early morning in the late autumn, I feel a tiny happiness.

朝は子どもの頃からずっとパン食だった。そのため、社会人になり寮生活を始めて朝食が御飯食になると少し戸惑った。朝からしっかりと食べることに体が慣れていなかったのだ。しかし、ある朝、焼き魚が朝食に出て、白いご飯と一緒に焼き魚を口に入れた時に突然、世界が変わった。御飯がどんどん進む。朝食にいただく焼き魚がこれほどお米と相性が良いとは知らなかった。いや、子どもの頃にも、旅館での朝食や林間学校などの朝食で焼き魚を経験したことはあった。しかし、その時は特別印象に残るようなことはなかった。焼き魚は大人の味かもしれない。そんなことを考えながら、焼き魚の良さを初めて感じた朝は過ぎていった。それ以来、朝食に焼き魚と白ごはんいうメニューは私の中では特別の取り合わせになった。中でも、焼き魚にししゃもが出されれば最高の逸品である。柔らかい朝陽を窓越しに受けるししゃもの輝きは格別である。

Chitose-ame / 千歳飴

日本語は英語の後に続きます。

Chitose-ame is a long stick of red and white candy sold at a festival for children of three, five and seven years of age. This festival is held to celebrate children for growing in November. Boys of five are celebrated at the festival and girls of three and seven are celebrated. Most of children of three, five and seven who wear Kimono, Japanese traditional clothes are brought to the shrine and pray to God for growing up in good health. And finally Chitose-ame are given to children after praying.

If you look children with Chitose-ame, you may say “Omedeto-gozaimasu”.

物心がついて自分の七五三だったの時の写真を見た時、過去の自分の右手にはしっかりと千歳飴が握られていたことを今でも覚えている。しかし、千歳飴がどのような味だったのかほとんど記憶にない。しかも、千歳飴は七五三を逃すと、次に食べられる機会はそう簡単には巡ってこない。そのため、千歳飴はずっと淡くて甘い記憶の奥に潜められていた。

固いのだろうか。柔らかいのだろうか。甘いのだろうか。なめらかなのだろうか。想像は膨らむが、確かめるすべはなかった。

そして、ようやくその機会が巡ってきた。娘の七五三である。当然のように千歳飴を娘に買い与えた。そして、自宅に戻り、千歳飴には目もくれない娘を放り置いて、白く輝く御棒を恭しく舐めてみた。　－ 相手を知らないからこそ、恋は美しい。その時、永年の夢からあっけなく覚めてしまった。

Braised pumpkin / かぼちゃの煮物

日本語は英語の後に続きます。

Braised or boiled dish is very popular in Japan. Mostly it is cooked with dashi, soy sauce, sake, sweet sake and sugar. As you know, dashi is made from dried bonito and kelp. First you cut pumpkin into small pieces. Since pumpkin is very solid, you should take care to cut it. Secondly you boil pieces of pumpkin with dashi in the pot. When it is being boiled, you pour soy sauce, sake, sweet sake and sugar into dashi and place drop-lid on pumpkin. Finally you braise pumpkin gently on a low frame.

When you eat tender pumpkin, you must feel deep autumn.

秋、日が暮れると少し肌寒さを感じるこの季節、かぼちゃの煮物は体だけでなく心も温めてくれる。初めてかぼちゃを包丁で切ろうとした時に、そのあまりの固さに目を丸くして驚いたのを思い出す。かぼちゃイコール煮物、つまり柔らかいという先入観が染みついていたほど、かぼちゃと煮物は切っても切り離せないものになっていた。

しかし、最近は煮物でないかぼちゃが街の至る所で見られる。ハロウィンである。飲食店やファンシーグッズ店だけでなくファッションやデパート、交通機関までハロウィンに染まっている。そんなハロウィンの真ん中で必ず描かれているアイコンがかぼちゃである。

「トリック　オア　トリート！」いつ声をかけられてもいいように、かぼちゃの煮物をたくさん作っておこう。

Kobujime / 昆布締め

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

What is Kobujime? Kobujime is fish sandwiched between sheets of kelp. We usually use sea bream as kobujime fish because sea bream is light taste. Kelp has the flavor of glutamates. Sea bream has inosinic acid. These two flavor are main components of Umami. So Kobujime is taste of Umami. The other point of Kobujime is that it is hard to go stale because Kobujime is wrapped with kelp and kelp prevents sea bream from being oxidized.

The place of Kobujimes birth is Toyama prefecture. In the era of Edo, Kelp is brought to Toyama from Hokkaido where a lot of kelp is taken. Toyama faces the rich sea. Toyama is blessed with fruits of the sea.

昆布のグルタミン酸と鯛のイノシン酸が交じり合うことでうまみがより一層引き出される。これは昆布と鰹から引くだしと同じうまみだ。しかし、昆布締めの主役は新鮮な鯛。発酵された鰹とは異なるイノシン酸の効果があるのだろう。うまみやだし、発酵の不思議さを学んだ後では、こんな理屈っぽいことをつい考えてしまうが、実際に自分で作って食べてみるとそのような理屈はどうでもいいことのように思えてくる。作りながら手先から伝わった触覚、食べてみて体の中から感じた味覚、素直にこのような感覚を楽しむことが料理の醍醐味、食材への感謝の印のように思える。

調理の過程で少々苦心しても、いざいただく時には白紙で新鮮な気持ちで「美味しそう！」と思うことが料理の一番の贅沢なことかもしれない。虫の声に促され、箸を運んでいるとそんな当たり前のことに気付かされた三日月の秋の夜でした。

Citrus grilled mackerel

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

We often eat mackerel in autumn. I would like to introduce Citrus grilled mackerel. First you mix soy sauce, sweet sake, sake and citron in the bowl. Seconlyd you cut mackerel into rectangle and make several cuts on the mackerel. Thirdly you put mackerel into the bowl and dip them in soy sauce, sweet sake, sake and citron more than twenty minutes. Finally you grilled mackerel dipped with the above.

Both citron and mackerel make Japanese people feel autumn.

鯖の柚香焼き

柚香焼きは幽庵焼きとも言われる。江戸時代の茶人、堅田幽庵が考案した。魚の切り身を醤油、みりん、酒に漬け込んで焼くのが幽庵焼きだ。漬け地に柚子を絞れば、柚香焼きとなる。堅田幽庵の本名は北村祐庵。堅田というのは、北村家が近江の堅田の豪農だったところからきているそうだ。近江と言えば琵琶湖。茶人である幽庵は琵琶湖の中でも特に香りの良い水を茶の湯に使ったと言われる。幽庵焼きも琵琶湖が由来である。琵琶湖と言えば鮒が有名だ。その鮒を料理するのに鮒の生臭さを取り除くのに考え出したのが幽庵焼きだ。

鮒と言えば、押しずしの原点でもある。鯉の華やかさに比べて地味な鮒だが、その地味さ、素朴さの中から鮒が持つ潜在的な美しさ、香りを引き出す努力が調理法の多彩さを生み出したのだろう。柚子の花言葉のひとつに「恋のため息」がある。柚香焼きを口にすれば、まさに鮒にも恋をしてしまいそうな今年の秋である。

Moon viewing dumplings

We have dumplings to view a full moon on the day of harvest moon in Japan. The reason why we eat dumplings at that time is that we thank for a good harvest. Moon viewing dumplings are made from rice flour which is harvested this year. The night of the 15th day of the eighth month in the lunar calendar, when a full moon beautifully appears is called “Chushu”, so a full moon on the day is called “Chushu no Meigetsu”.

Moon viewing dumplings are usually made from only the rice flour. But in some regions, there are a lot of different kinds of dumplings. For example, moon viewing dumplings are rolled with red bean paste in Osaka.

The “Chushu” was a week ago this year. I eat dumplings then naturally.

Rice cooked with chestnuts

It is autumn in Japan. In the evening, crickets chirp incessantly in the green. There are a lot of nuts of trees in the woods and the forests in the autmun. The chestnut is one of the nuts of trees which Japanese people like to eat in the autumn. Naturally we eat chestnuts without cooking. When we eat chestnuts cooked into rice, we feel that it is autumn. Rice cooked with chestnuts is called “Kuri-gohan” in Japanese. If you cooked other ingredients into rice, it was called “Takikomi-gohan” in Japanese. It includes not only chestnuts but also carrots, mushroom, matsutake mushroom and others.

It is autumn now and I hear the crickets play stringed instruments to smell the rice cooked with the fresh chestnuts.

Pacific saury

Japanese people often eat pacific saury which has been salted and grilled in the autumn. There is one famous traditional Japanese comic story, or Rakugo about pacific saury. The name of the story is “Meguro no sanma” which means pacific saury at Meguro in Tokyo is the most delicious pacific saury in Japan. So the festival connected with this story is held at Meguro in September every year. Thousands of pacific saury which have been salted and grilled are served to people for free at the festival. Many thousands people gather into Meguro when the festival is held in September.

Today the festival of “Meguro no sannma” was held today at Meguro.

Watermelon

I feel the summer will soon come to the end. Before the last week, cicadas have chirred in chorus even in the evening. But this week the singers and musicians are crickets. We eat the watermelon in the hot season. It is served often to be cut into eight or twelves pieces as a dessert. In the case of another, we take the watermelon as an appetizer. It is cooked as the gazpacho of watermelon. I like this dish. Especially if it is served in the small glass which has been cooled in the refrigerator, I find an pretty oasis in the hot island.

The summer will soon come to the end.

Cucumber and whitebait in sweetened vinegar

This summer is really hot in Japan. Then I would like to eat a cool food for dinner. The food I introduce today is cucumber and whitebait in sweetened vinegar. It is cooked very easily and simple taste. Moreover, its appearance shows an image of summer. This may be inconsistent with cool. Although Japanese people remember the season of summer to look at or listen to the image of cool.

For example, the other images of cool are tofu, watermelon and wind bell. These images make us to remember the season of summer and the memory of summer.

White gourd

White gourd is eaten very well in Japan in the summer. White gourd includes much water. White gourd is similar to watermelon on this point. The difference between white gourd and watermelon is the way to be cooked. Watermelon is taken as only desert, on the other hand gourd is cooked as salad, boiled, soup and etc. If you are worried what you should cook in the summer, white gourd may help you to cook.

By the way, white gourd means the winter gourd. It is interesting that the meaning is the winter gourd though white gourd is taken in the summer.

Tofu

This week it has been very hot in Japan. Then I would like to eat Hiyayakko which is cold tofu cut into blocks. When we put a piece of Hiyayakko into the mouth, a chill spreads out from the mouth to the whole body. We feel the summer come this time.

Arashiyama in Kyoto is the most famous place where tofu is made very delicious. It is because tofu consists of much water and the water is very pure and clear in Arashiyama. There is Hozugawa-river in Arashiyama and the source of this river is the north mountain in Kyoto. This area is not developed and maintained true natural.

Pike conger

Pike conger which is called Hamo in Japanese is cooked in the summer, Especially it is eaten in Kyoto and Osaka. Since it is very hot in Japanese summer, it is difficult to cook fish this season. But pike conger has strong vitality. So dishes of pike conger are served in summer. This situation is similar to eel one.

The types of dishes are Otsukuri (Sashimi), soaked in sweetened vinegar, grilled and etc. Gion-Matsuri in Kyoto and Tenjin-Matsuri which are called the big three of Japanese traditional festival are held in the summer. The people in Kyoto and Osaka want to eat dishes of pike conger when Gion-Matsuri and Tenjin-Matsuri are going to be held in the summer.

Eel

It is very hot these days in Japan. Japanese people are tired to be in hot. Many people of them eat eel in summer. Especially they eat eel on the day of the ox in midsummer. There two types of the way how they eat eel. One is “Unaju” which is served broiled eel over rice in a lacquered box. The other is “Unadon” which is a bowl of eel and rice. Generally the price of “Unaju” is higher than “Unadon”. Recently Japanese eels are defined as one of endangered species. So the prices of both “Unaju” and “Unadon” are amazingly high. I seldom eat “Unaju” and “Unadon” these a couple of years.

Shiogama

Shiogama is a Japanese cake. The ingredients of it are flour made from cooked glutinous rice, sugar, salt, powder of marine alga and crushed leaf of the perilla. These ingredients are mixed and pushed into the mold. Shiogama is originally made in Shogama City of Miyagi Prefecture located in north east Japan.

If “wasanbon” which means refined Japanese sugar made in Tokushima Prefecture is put instead of sugar, Shiogama is not so sweat and mellow.

Eggplant with miso

Eggplant with miso is called “Dengaku-nasu” in Japanese. “Dengaku-nasu” is eggplant pasted with “Dengaku” which consists of miso, sugar, sweat sake and sake. What does “Dengaku” mean? It means an acrobatics of an ancient festival at which rice plants are planted. The acrobatics is that an acrobat perform at the top of a long pole. This form is like that eggplant with miso is stuck by a stip.

I think this background is not known very well even in Japan.

Ground soup of corn

We eat the ground soup of corn this season. It is based on the dashi which is Japanese soup stock. Second key factor of the taste is white miso. It is very delicious to cool the ground soup of corn. It is also pretty to pour it into the grass cup. I made it recently and spread a leaf of corn under the grass cup. You may think it is similar to the corn cream soup. But it is different from the corn cream soup. Ground soup of corn is plain taste and rich in flavor.

Fig with sesame sauce

Do you know how to peel the fig? Fig is very soft. So you should be very careful not to crush it in your hand when you peel it. If you feel unwell, you had better not to peel the fig. I you are pleasant, you can peel the fig and you reach the sweet world of the fig. I recommend that you might eat the fig with sesame sauce. Sesame sauce is sweet but a bit salty. This combination of smell is too delicate to describe that exactly.

This week I cooked the fig with sesame sauce the first time. I think I could peel the fig well probably.

Bread with Dashi

I am wondering whether the bread with Dashi is delicious. I bake bread every weekend. I often put tomato into bread flour. As you know, tomato has glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is a factor of Umami which is fifth category of taste. So I think it may be nice combination that Dashi is included into bread flour because Dashi is made from glutamic acid and inosinic acid. What taste is the bread with Dashi? Is it really nice combination? I would like to try to bake the bread with Dashi in two or three weeks.

Tomato

I cooked sauce bolognaise and bread with tomato and basil today. Both include tomato. Tomato has glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is important factor of Umami which means fifth category taste. Kombu is the one of famous food includes glutamic acid. Washoku, Japanese cuisine is characterized by Umami. The most famous Umami food is Kombu or dried bonito. Kombu has Glutamic acid and dried bonito has Inosinic acid. Dashi which is based on Washoku is made from Kombu, Glutamic acid and dried bonito, Inosinic acid. Tomato has Glutamic acid as Kombu. So I think sometimes Italian cuisine may have the same root of Japanes cuisine.

Menchi-katsu

Menchi-katsu means fried cake of minced meat. Firstly you add minced onions to minced meat and mix them thoroughly. Then you shape them into an oval. You make them be worn with wheat four, beaten egg and bread crumbs. Finally you fry them in salad oil. It looks like a hamburg steak. But Menchi-katsu is originally made in Japan.

Mechi-katsu is called Minchi-katsu in Osaka. People in Osaka call minced meat “Minchi” in Japanese. So to call fried cake of minced meat “Minchi-katsu” is reasonable. Actually I did not understand what “Menchi-katsu” is for the first time in Tokyo because I came from Osaka. To understand dialect is so difficult.

Kitsune-don

Kitsune-don is rice with a piece of deep-fried tofu. The deep-fried tofu was simmered with dashi, sweet sake and soy sauce before it is put into rice. Dashi is made from kombu which means sea cabbage and small pieces of sliced dried bonito. So the simmered deep-fried tofu has a bit sweet and salty.

It is simple and easy to cook Kitsune-don. I sometimes cook Kitsune-don when I come back late and dishes are not prepared. I went to the concert today evening. Since I came home late, I cooked Kitsune-don. I enjoyed very well both the concert and Kitsune-don.

Kashiwa-mochi

Kashiwa-mochi is a rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf. Japanese people eat Kashiwa-mochi on May 5th every year. May 5th is Children’s Day, national holiday in Japan. Japanese people pray for the healthy growth of children on this day. Originally May 5th is the day called Tango-no-sekku when there are many events praying for the healthy growth of boys. Having Kashiwa-mochi is one of these events. Kashiwa-mochi includes red bean paste. There are two type red bean pastes on Kashiwa-mochi. One is strained red bean paste and the other is coarse red bean paste.

Honestly I did not like Kashiwa-mochi in my childhood because it is very sweet. But now I like Kashiwa-mochi and buy both type o Kashiwa-mochi, strained and coarse at a Japanese sweets shop. The custom of eating Kashiwa-mochi on the day may be for adult in reality.

Nikujaga, or Japanese Fricassee

Nikujaga is one of the most popular dishes in Japan. It is something like Fricassee in Japan. Firstly sliced onions are fried in a pot until they become soft. Then beef is added in the pot and they are being fried. When they have been fried enough, carrots, potatoes and noodle made from konnyaku which is paste of a kind of potato are poured into the pot. When they have been fried enough again, Japanese soup stock made from bonito and kelp are poured in the pot. After soup stock is boiled, soy sauce, sweet sake and sugar are poured into the pot. Finally they have been simmered with a wooden drop-lid over 20 minutes.
There are many kind of Nikujaga in Japan. Each Nikujaga is arranged by each mother or home.

Daifuku

Daifuku is a soft round rice cake stuffed with sweet bean jam. The surface of Daifuku which is made of rice cake is usually tasteless. But the interior of Daifuku is very sweat. When you eat a Daifuku, you must feel happy. So Daifuku means a big happiness in Japanese. The point of making Daifuku is pouring a little salt into sweat bean jam. You may wonder why. However salty taste can bring out sweaty taste.

There are many variations of Daifuku. We could mix rice cake with green peas. We could blend rice cake with mugwort. Furthermore we could insert a strawberry into sweat bean jam. This is called a strawberry Daifuku. When I ate a strawberry Daifuku for the first time, it’s just like I have met a girlfriend after a long time.

Teriyaki chicken

Japanese people mostly like teriyaki food. Teriyaki chicken is one of the popular teriyaki. Teriyaki means the method of baking the food. Firstly chicken meat is notched several times with a kitchen knife. If you grilled chicken meat without notches, chicken meat would shrink in fire. Then chicken meat is grilled on both sides in a frying pan. When chicken meat is grilled well enough, you pour soy sauce, Japanese sake and sweat sake on the roasted chicken meat in a frying pan. Chicken meat marinated in the above seasoning is grilled again. At that time you are fascinated by the smell of teriyaki chicken.

The taste of teriyaki chicken is salt but sweat.

Japanese omelet

What is Japanese omelet? Is Japanese omelet Japanese cuisine? Japanese omelet is called “Tamago-yaki” in Japanese. Of course, Tamago-yaki is Washoku, Japanese cuisine. We use a specific frying pan for making Tamago-yaki. It is rectangle shaped. The important point of making Tamago-yaki is to stir soy source, sweet sake, sugar and salt into raw egg. The secondary important point is to pour the above mixed raw egg into a frying pan in a few parts. Usually we pour four times. Firstly a quarter of mixed raw egg is poured into a frying pan. When it is baked half, it is rolled and moved to one side on the frying pan. Then a quarter of mixed raw egg is poured into the frying pan again. We repeat the above thing four times.
When Japanese people go to the picnic, Tamago-yaki is almost brought in the lunch box. In this season, the smell of Tamago-yaki is in the air around the park on holiday.

Nitsuke

Nitsuke is a fish boiled with soy sauce, sake and sugar. Japanese people often boil a sea bream or a right eye flounder as Nitsuke. The important point of cooking Nitsuke is time for boiling a fish. We should simmer a fish on a low heat for over ten minutes. If you gently wrap a fish with a cooking sheet cut into a circle for simmer, a fish will be more flavorful.
Vegetables are put on a boiled fish before served. They show it to more pretty and attractive. I would like to recommend to put rape blossoms in the current season. You had better boil rape blossoms with a few salt separately from Nitsuke. If rape blossoms is put on Nitsuke, we feel Spring come.

Omrice

What is an omrice? An omrice is rice fried with chicken wrapped by an omelet. If so, is an omrice a kind of Washoku, Japanese cuisine? Yes, whatever dish which Japanese people have in Japan is a kind of Washoku. Japanese people have incorporated a lot of foreign dishes into our dishes. At the same time, Japanese people have arranged them according to Japanese manners, customs, culture, etc. An omrice is a kind of these arranged dishes over one hundred or more years ago.
Almost Japanese children like an omrice. They put ketchup on an omrice before having it. But they are worried that they cannot eat an omrice because a drawing by ketchup is so pretty.

Chirashi-zushi

Chirashi-zushi is often taken at the beginning of spring in Japan. Chirashi-zushi is a kind of sushi, vinegared rice with thin strips of egg, pieces of raw fish, vegetables and crab meat arranged on top. It is so beautiful and pretty. Mach 3rd is the day of the Doll’s Festival of Japan. People have amazake which is a sweet alcoholic drink made from fermented rice on March 3rd. And the main dish at that time is Chirashi-zushi. When we Japanese take Chirashi-zushi on March 3rd, we feel the coming of spring.
I used to eat Chirashi-zushi instead of Nigiri-zushi in my childhood. At those days I did not like so much Chirashi-zushi because Chirashi-zushi was a bit of sweet. But now it becomes a sweet memory.

Udon, or Japanese wheat noodle

Kitsune-udon

Udon is one of the most popular food to Japanese people. Udon is made from wheat flour. I think the king of Udon is Kitsune-udon. Kitsune-udon is Udon with a piece of deep-fried tofu. The deep-fried tofu was simmered with sugar and soy sauce before it is put into Udon soup. Udon soup is made from a lot of piece of dried bonito shavings and kombu. Since the ingredients of Kitsune-udon are the only above things, Kitsune-udon is very simple but has deep flavor. Soba made from buckwheat with a piece of deep-fried tofu is called Tanuki. Kitsune means fox and Tanuki means raccoon dog in Japanese. Japanese people have been attached to Both Kitsune and Tanuki for hundreds years.

Sakuramochi

Domyoji

Chomeiji

Sakuramochi is rice cake with bean paste wrapped in a preserved cherry leaf. Sakuramochi is divided into the two styles. One is called Domyoji and another is called Chomeiji. Domyoji is eaten in Kansai area which includes Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe and etc. Chomeiji is eaten around Tokyo. Domyoji is made from rice flour which is born at the temple of Domyoji in the south east of Osaka. Chomeiji is originally sold at the temple of Chomeiji in Tokyo about three hundred years ago. The difference of the cooking method between Domyoji and Chomeiji is the following.
Domyoji is made from the rice flour called Domyoji flour and the bean paste wrapped in the rice cake. Chomeiji is made from the general rice flour and the wheat flour and the bean paste is rolled in the rice cake. Both are finally wrapped by a cherry leaf have preserved in salt since the previous spring.

Date-maki, or Egg roll

Date-maki, or Egg rroll is taken frequently at the beginning of the year in Japan. Date-maki is made from egg, sugar, soy sauce and mirin. Mirin is a kind of sweet sake. Mirrin is also made by Koji, or malted rice such as sake.
The above ingredients are stirred in the bowl. Then they are poured into the frying pan. When it is baked, it is moved on the sudare. The sudare is the bamboo mat which is also used for rolling sushi. The similar to the pancake is rolled by the sudare. Finally the rolled pancake is cut by around one inch.
The above is how to make the Date-maki. The foods taken at the beginning o the year are almost salty, but the Date-maki is a bit sweet.

Aspergillus oryzae

Miso is familiar to the main ingredient of Miso soup. Do you know what Miso is made from and how Miso is made? Miso is made from soybeans which are fermented by koji, or malted rice. Koji is also used to make sake, or Japanese alcoholic drink and soy source. Koji is the most important ingredient of Miso, sake and soy source. Although Koji is used by a lot of makers of Miso, sake and soy source, Koji is made by the limited factors. These limited factors have cultured the each origin of Koji for hundreds of years. This each origin of Koji is called an Aspergillus oryzae.

Futo-maki, or Sushi roll

February 3rd is the day that is called "Setsubun in Japan. February 4th is the day when spring comes in the lunar calendar. So "Setsubun" divide the season between winter and spring. Japanese people have believed that the demon appears from the split of the season for centuries. In order to avoid the trouble caused by the demon, Japanese people make some kinds of events on "Setsubun". Taking Futo-maki is one of them. Japanese people stand looking into the special direction and bite into a Futo-maki, or Sushi roll in silence. The special direction is changed every year. This year's direction is west-southwest. Futo-maki is called as Eho-maki on "Setsubun".

Kuri-kinton, or mashed sweet potatoes with sweetened chestnut

Kuri-kinton is one of Osechi which are special dishes at the beginning of the yaer in Japan. Osechi include more than ten dishes. Japanese people find the reason why we have each dish of Osechi. Regarding Kuri-kinton, the reason is that we wish to live without money trouble. Kuri-kinton is made from chestnuts with sugar or Mirin which is something similar to sugar soup in Japan. The color of Kuri-kinton is golden color and “kinton” means food similar to gold nugget. So we find that the reason to take Kuri-kinton is to have enough money to live happily.

"Nanakusa-gayu", or Rice porridge with seven different kinds of spring herbs

Japanese people have the Nanakusa-gayu in the morning on January 7th. Nanakusa-gayu means rice porridge with seven different kinds of spring herbs. It is very healthy and low in calories. Since the people take a lot of special food and drink which include Osechi, Ozohni, Sake and etc. at the beginning of the year in Japan, the people take a rest for their stomach to have the Nanakusa-gayu.
The following shows the seven herbs of spring.

1. Seri, or Japanese parsley

2. Nazuna, or Shepherd's Purse

3. Gogyo, or Cudweed

4. Hakobera, or Chickweed

5. Hotokenoza, or Nipplewort

6. Suzuna, or Turnip

7. Suzushiro, or Radish

Unfortunately I did not take the Nanakusa-gayu this year.