Happy New Year!!!!!!!

2013

Have a lovely New Year's day.

Hope your year will be fantastic.

I'll post cuisines and cultures etc. as many as I can.

Lots of love!!!!!

Masuyo,

 from Bristol, UK

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This picture is my garden covering the snow. 

My daughter is coming back tonight for Christmas.

But my son still in Japan,,, Fukushima's mountain side. Already everything is white!!

We are going to my brother-in-low's family Christmas dinner this year.

We had the lovely Christmas dinner at our home last year. A huge BBQ turkey!!!

Where we going to next year??? Maybe our friend's home?

Have a nice time!!!!! 

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Christmas is around the corner, isn't it? 
Are you ready for the big day? We're going to my brother-in-low's family Christmas dinner this year. We had one last year and I cooed a huge turkey for 12 people. 
This year it'll be 10 people all together. I don't need to do the cooking this year!!

Not sure yet at the moment, but I'm thinking making a starter. It'll be definitely Japanese food,,,, a kind of sushi "Chirashi-zushi" (Upside down, squashed sushi)
So, I'm going to show you how to make it.

Chirashi-zushi, which is very entertaining at your dinner party as a starter or a main dish.

What do you need are;

Chirashi-zushi

- Vinegary rice --- you can buy a bottle of sushi-vinegar in a supermarket.

- cooked shrimps

- shredded egg sheet, 1 egg yolk and 1 whole egg, mixed with 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp corn or potate starch. Cook like a crape. If you don't bother to cook it, just use a couple of boiled eggs and break them into pieces.

- sliced and shredded cucumber

- peas and sweet corns

Options;

- Ikura, a small jar of salmon eggs. You can find it  at Waitrose, if you 're lucky.

- Carrot and Shiitake mushrooms, simmering in 1 C water with 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp each sake and sugar and 1 tbsp mirin (if you have) for 15 minutes or until both well cooked.

You can use other ingredients, such as sliced ham or shredded cooked chicken some colourful vegetables.

As you see the picture, decorated beautifully. Use your imagination!

This picture is a set of "Temaki-zushi", but you can use those ingredients for your Chirashi-zushi, if you like.

Vinegary beetroots, tamayagoyaki egg, gari ginger, avocado, tuna mayonnaise and natto.

I'll give you some more recipes next issue! 

For other type of sushi "Temaki-zushi, nigiriz-zushi etc, go into Your Sushi web site.

http://www.yoursushi.co.uk/

You can learn more sushi Your Sushi School, if you live in the UK.

Have a nice Merry Christmas!!!      Masuyo. xxxxx

I introduced the Japanese Curry last time, usually it's called Curry Rice (pronounced as Caley-lice in Japanese) .「カレーライス」
This dish is a very popular dish for children. Some Japanese mothers cooks curry a couple times a week.  Most kids' birthday party of main menu are Jap. curry!
So easy to cook. 








I'm going to show how to cook Jap. curry.
What do you need;

A half pack of Japanese curry paste (4 to 6 saving). 
Pork, chicken or beef. I prefer not to use the lamb. Japanese don't eat lamb much as here in the UK. 
500g meat would be enough for a family of 4.
Boiled ggs are ideal, if your son or daughter don't like the meat.
1 onion, roughly sliced. 
2, 3 potatoes, cut in cube  ------- size doesn't mutter.
1 carrot, cut in cube

Other vegetables as spinach etc, can be added, if you like.

If your children are so fussy about vegetables, can be shredded then add in the end of the cooking.
Water as it's said on the packet. But I prefer to use the water a little less than the instruction. 

Shall I cook?


- Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the onion then the meat. And add the potatoes and carrot. Fly until their surfaces absorb the oil. 
- Add the water to the pan, bring to the boil over high heat. Or use the low heat for the tender meat. Keep your eyes on the pan first 10 minutes!
Then reduce the heat and simmer until the meat was tender.
Do not boil too much, otherwise the meet will get hard. 
I prefer to use the low to medium heat through the cooking. 

- The meat got tender, off the pan from the heat and put the curry paste in to the pan and stair very gently and well. The paste should be resolve completely.
-Put the pan back on the stove, the heat should be low. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
You can add the soft vegetable like spinach at this point. 
- Salt and pepper if you wish to add.

That's it!!!  No hassle, though.
Your children would love it. Itadaki mass いただきます！！！

If you are not particularly Japanese food lover, it's really worth to buy a big bottle of Shoyu 醤油 or しょうゆ (pic left; soy sauce) at a oriental shop. I usually buy a 1 litre of Kikkoman cost me around £5 to 6. But for you, it lasts for ages.

pic right is Mirin みりん (sweet cooking alcohol/sake/wine). I fortunately say that you cannot replace this by anything. However, probably you are able to manage to make close taste by using honey,,,,, but,,,,,  or just omit it. Cost would be  £5 to 6 for 600ml?

Both are very important ingredients for Japanese cuisine.

Other ingredients are sugar and sake. Using those basic four ingredients, and ad some more, you can make many many different tastes.

My mother really amazed me that she made many different dishes using those basic ingredients +. She didn't use any measuring spoons or cups!!! Now I do the same as my mother did!!

Miso paste 味噌 or みそ (pic left; soy bean paste). Japanese cuisine uses variety of miso, as light, dark etc. THis made by soy beens like shoyu. In Japan, your morning doesn't start without miso. Miso-shiru みそ汁 (miso soup with tofu {pic; right} and wakame is very popular). The price is from £ 3 to 5, depends on the size. 

Nowadays, you can buy a pack of Tofu (pic) at a big british supermarket (pic; as below). This Marinaga Tofu is very easy to handle. I think it's £ 1,10 to 1,30.

Sainsbury's oriental corner. They are not all Japan-made products, but if you cook Japanese dish very occasionally, it would be enough quantity. For me as Japanese, they are too small for my daily cooking.
If you really are a Japanese food lover, surf chinese or oriental shops in your town.
If you live in a big city or the capital city, like London, you can find many Japanese food shops. Means you can get some proper Japanese products. In addition, Korean products are quite similar to Japanese ones. 
But for me, sometimes the levels are all Korean language. No clue at all!!!

This picture is an instant Japanese curry packet. カレー. In a British supermarket, they have only small ones there. If you want to have a bigger size, go to the oriental shop and buy a 12 servings, 340g. There're even a instant stew packet too. Maybe the cost will over £ 3 to 5. Not too cheap, but 12 serves!!
I don't think this is healthy food, but it's so easy to cook. It's one of the popular dishes for the kids in Japan. A kind  of national dishes, though.







P.S I have to say sorry to everybody reading "Touch of Japan" regularly, because I didn't up dated for a couple of month. My Macbook, which my son gave to me 3 years ago, had been working so funny. I struggled to fix this machine and managed it in the end. However, I think I have to buy a new Macbook very soon. I changed the OS X Leopard to Lion, this time it worked OK, but when I bought the new Macbook (would be MC Air?), I will degrade Lion to Leopard again. My old Macbook is still workable. I wouldn't buy a Window PC, even the Window 8 is fine. My very very old Toshiba MC, which is still W-XP, is finely working. My husband uses Windows7,,,,, I don't think it's good machine. Anyway, I really enjoy my Apple machine.

Up dated my Facebook page "masuyo" 。よろしく！！！xxxxxxx

GARI ginger 「ガリ」

If you called yourself a Sushi love, you surely know what Gari is?

Gari is a pickled ginger as you know, usually be eaten with Sushi and Sashimi. 

You cannot think when you eat Sushi or Sashimi without Gari, oh don't forget Wasabi too!!!

Ginger has antiseptic properties and to stimulate digestion. Wasabi has the same property as ginger.

And vinegar, is cooling and antiseptic. So, all protect your tammy (body) from Sushi or Sashimi to counter the ill effects of bad fish.

However, some people still reluctant to eat row fish, don't they? 

But if you know why Sushi or Sashimi can be eaten in row with vinegar, gari and wasabi, now it makes sense, isn't it?  

Recipe of GARI ginger 「ガリ」

140g     very very thinly sliced ginger (younger the better, It's not easy find good young one)

100cc     vinegar, I used the cider vinegar this time

60 - 100g     sugar

½ tsp    salt

- Peel the ginger and slice very very thinly. Pour the boiling water onto the sliced ginger. 

  Set aside for 1 hour. But if you luckily found the very young ginger, you might cut this process.

- Meanwhile, making the sweet vinegar (amasu, 甘酢). Put the water, vinegar and sugar in to a pan and bring to the boil. 

  Reduce the heat and simmer a couple of minutes. Set aside but no need to cool it.

- Put the ginger into the boiling water in a pan and simmering for 3 to  5 minutes. Old ginger should be boiled much longer.

  Rinse the ginger roughly with the water and squeeze out the excess liquid.

- Put the ginger into a jar and pour the amasu over the ginger. The ginger should be covered with amasu vinegar.

- The ginger will be pinkish colour, meaning you can eat it. 

- Leave the jar in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, it will be nicer. 

  But don't leave it too long. Because there's any preservatives in it. 

 

But in this picture, colour didn't change at all. So I think the ginger I bought was too old. Taste was .... just OK.

It was quite hard to cut thinly. I think the ginger is not young enough for gari.

If you're lucky, you might find a very young ginger in a oriental shop. 

I try to make another Gari using the much younger ginger soon.

Summer is nearly end. (Who is saying "Where is the summer in England?)
Somen (pronounce 'soh-men') is a popular summer noodle in Japan. It's like a vermicelli or capellini, which made from wheat flour like Udon noodle. But, much thinner than udon noodle.

It'e very easy to cook. Boil in the water without salt (never!!) for a couple of minutes.  Drain and rinse well with cold water. See instructions. 
Place in a big bowl with the cold water, sometimes with ice cubes, for serving. 
Cut some fresh veggies and ham or shredded egg sheet (Pic →)
You need a small bowl for the dipping sauce. 

For the sauce; each one part of soy sauce & mirin and 5 part of dashi-stock (if you don't have a dashi-stock, the weak vegetarian stock would be replaced). Need to be boiled a bit. Then, make it cool. Everything should be cool.

This picture was taken at Sainsbury's in Bristol.

You can find some Japanese ingredients at the big superstore.  For native Japanese or Japanese food lovers, the quantity of those products would be so small. If you need more big stuff, you should go to the oriental shop.

For instance, I always buy a 10Kg bag of rice and at least a 1l soy sauce at one time. 

I created my "facebook-page" the other day. All the information of my activities will be in the page. Still constructing my portfolio etc.,
Please have go on to the site.
http://www.facebook.com/ids.masnewman or search "masuyo"

If you're a sushi-lover and live in Bristol or UK, this page is for you.
http://www.facebook.com/SushiClass or http://www.yoursushi.co.uk/

Tonkatsu (pork cutlets) とんかつ

Tonkatsu ⒸGoogle

You need;
fillets of pork, 1 peace each person
flour, bread crumbs and an egg for the coating


soft cabbage, shredded very thinly


for sauce; just mix well
ketchup, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper, chilli powder if you like

- Salt and pepper the pork fillets and leave a little while.
- Coat them with ①flour, ②egg, ③bread crnmbs 
- Deep fry the coated fillets in a pan or frying pan  at the medium heat until cooked. Turn over the fillets occasionally. 
Keep them warm until serving.
- before or after or meanwhile cooking the fillets, cut the cabbage leaves, a handful of it per person.

You can use any meat such as the beef or chicken. With a ¼ lemon, a parsley, or cherry tomatoes, if you like. Ah, don't forget some Karashi, Japanese mustard!
Serve with a miso-soup and a rice.








Next, I'll show you how to cook the Japanese curry which is so easy to cook and one of the national dish in Japan, especially for the kids. You'll love it!

Tsukiji Fish Market report!!!（築地市場）
http://www.tsukiji.or.jp/english/



If you are Shushi lover, you've already known the famous fish market in Tsukiji, Tokyo. But hove you been there?

I've been to Japan for my buddhist training in February this year and went to Tsukiji Fish Market for the first time.

Unfortunately, I missed the early morning market tour started at 6 am in the morning. Because I was staying at my friend house in North Tokyo. It's took 1.5 hour from my friend's house to Tsukiji. Even if I could caught the first train, I wouldn't have reached Tsukiji on time. I'll go and join the tour next time in Japan, definitely!!!   


There're many different fishes and see foods and people!!!!!
Auctions had ended already, but still there's full of energy all over the place.

 Many many many fishes, sell fishes, etc., I had never seen those fish in there before. I had no idea about the names.
When I lived in Japan, I wasn't so keen on Sushi and Sashimi and rarely cooked fish dish. Even though I was born in the place near the sea in Kyushu.
Actually, my village is not a fishing village so you have to buy the fish in the market, not direct from the fisher man. And they were quite expensive!

I married to a English guy by chance (ha,ha,) in Tokyo. Long time ago!!
We came to Luxembourg first in 1991, then came back with 2 children to my husband's home near Bristol and live'd here since in autumn 1997.

Now, I'm very mad keen on the fish cuisine. I always making some Sushi dish for my guests in our dinner.

→

A fishmonger is holding a "Shushi Grade FISH" sticker which the sign that you can buy a very fresh fish for Sushi and Sashimi

 an the fishmongers in the UK

 from Your Sushi.

http://www.yoursushi.co.uk

http://learnhowtomakesushi.wordpress.com/

←Tuskiji Hongan-ji temple the next to the Market. (築地本願寺）
It doesn't look like a Buddhist temple, isn't it?

One recipe for the fish!! Salmon or Tuna, any oily fish fillt, actually.
- soak the fish fillets in the mixture of Sake(cider/sherry) and soy sauce for 10 minutes. And wipe off the moisture.
- heat the little oil in a frying pan and cook the skin-side first then the other side.
- When browned, put the sauce (2 tbsp soy sauce, 1½ tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp mirin, if you don't have  mirin then 2 tbsp sugar, instead 1 tbsp. or you can use a little honey for mirin) into the pan. Simmer and coating the fish with the sauce thoroughly.   
You can change the ratio of the ingredient of sauce, depending on your taste. Make your taste!!

Tofu Recipes （豆腐クッキング）

slice the tofu into 2 or 3 peaces.

wrap the thin sliced beaf or bacon.

place the tofu in a frying pan 

and cook until browned.

pour 2 tbsp sake(cider), 2 tbsp sugar, 

and 2 tbsp soy sauce,

and cook for further minutes.
you can add  spices or chilli, if you like.
serve 4 for main dish, need  3 〜4 packs of tofu

Preparation of Tofu;
① row or cooking with liquid - no preparation needed   (Miso soup)
② row or cooking without liquid (but some sauces added)
    - wrap in kitchen papers, and press lightly to squeeze the excess water out, using a plate or a chopping board on the top of tofu for some minutes.
    - place the tofu on a plate, microwave it for 1,5 to 2 minutes. set aside for 15 to 20 minutes before use.
   - for the tofu stir fry, brake the tofu into peaces by fingers, them microwave it.
   - simply wrap the tofu with kitchen papers for 30 minutes, maybe in a fridge.






cut the tofu in half, take out the excess moisture as ②. 
serve 4; 4 packs of tofu
coat thinly with flour or corn/potato starch. 
fry the tofu in a frying pan or deep fry until browned lightly.

for the topping; mushrooms, 
slice or cut the veggies and frying for some minutes
add 100g mince meat (pork, beef or chicken)
then add 2 tbsp each of sake(cider), soy sauce, sugar and mirin (if you have)
plus ½ tbsp grated fresh ginger, if you like







Row Tofu recipes - Hiyayakko （冷ややっこ）from ① or ②,  just from a pack.

you don't  need to squeeze the excess liquid out of Tofu. 
but if you want to do this, wrap the tofu with a kitchen paper for 15 minutes.
any thing, meat, cooked fish or sashimi, cooked veggies, or salad, etc., for the topping.  

Sauces:
Salad dressing, soy sauce with melted butter and lemon juice, dipping sauce,etc.,






In Japanese cooking, the key to success is all about the preparation.
An art of cooking , so it should be taste good and as well as looks good.
Presentation is very important. It is not like a pub food. (I like it, actually)


    

Tofu and Miso （豆腐と味噌）


It is said that the Japanese cuisine is one of the most healthy cuisine in the world.
And everybody knows about Sushi （寿司 or すし）nowadays. Sushi is so popular in the UK, isn't it?
And you can buy a sushi pack at the supermarket for your lunch or snack.
My friend Manu (Your Sushi in Bristol) and Kyoko teach how to make a proper sushi in many cities in the UK.
If you're interested in Your Sushi, go to www.yoursushi.co.uk/ . Find out more details.





How about Tofu and Miso (pic. top)? Many people know these products, maybe only the name?
OK, shall I explain how to cook Tofu and Miso?
I use both for making Miso shiru（Tofu miso soup/豆腐とワカメのみそ汁）

3 to 4 serves 
500ml           water
2 - 3 tbsp       Miso paste
cut wakame   small quantity, the volume will be the double.
Tofu              a half pack, 1cm cubed
- Pour the water into a pan and bring to the boil. 
- Add the wakame and tofu. Turn down the heat to low.
Simmer, but not too much.
- Add the miso paste, using a sieve and spatula.
Don't boil after miso has dissolved, otherwise the flavour will be spoiled.
(my measurement is always rough so checking the taste occasionally would be essential.) 



You can put anything you want to for miso shiru.
Tofu and spinach, onion, leaks. etc., etc.,. Literally  any veggies, even meat can be used. Miso paste always add the last and don't boil it.

Tofu is so good for your health. You can eat it row and just add the shoyu (soy sauce).  I'll show you some variations of tofu cooking in the next issue.

This picture is a Sushi/Sashimi pack corner 

in a ordinary supermarket in Japan.

Maybe 10 to 15 meters of its length?

All packs of sushi and Sashimi are 

contained very very fresh row fish.   

Including Gari-ginger and Wasabi inside a pack.

You also can buy some hot food in the other counter.

Just pop in the supermarket after your hectic work,

and get your supper for tonight.

One more Teriyaki chicken, served with fried rice, beans and radish leaves from the garden,
of course, the fresh green salad mustn't be forgotten. Serve 3 (My husband and our daughter and me)


I just cooked this Teriyaki Chicken last night.
I used the Nabe-teriyaki sauce that I introduced last blog.                              
2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp and 2 tbsp mirin (if you don't have a mirin, you can use 1 tbsp honey and 1 more tbsp cider. The taste will be a bit different but it worth to try)
This time I unboned 3 chicken thighs from the half frozen.
I really prefer the thigh, instead the fillet.

Marinate the thigh with 1 tbsp each cider and soy sauce for 10 minutes. If you have a bottle of Sake, use it!! Or sherry would be good. But all dry the better.

 

Fry the thighs with a little oil, firstly high heat.

When the thigh, both sides were browned, reduce the heat . 

Pour the sauce and continue to fry gently until well cooked.

If the chicken were thick, cover the pan during the cooking.

Basting occasionally.

We cannot live without the green veggies at the meal time. Even the winter time, our dinner should be

served with some greens. Japanese food uses so many green veggies all the time. This is the tip that Japanese people are not fat in general. And the fish, lots of fishes on the dinning table in Japan.

Sushi and Sashimi are very popular here in the UK nowadays. But it's difficult to a find good quality fish for Sushi or Sashimi,,,,. 

Actually, I'm not a sashimi person. I rather like the cooked fish but I cook Sushi, many different types of Sushi for our dinner with friends and family. They always love my cooking.

By the way, we put our house on the market for sale last week. But,,, very quiet! No viewer.

Anyone has interested in viewing our house?      www.debbiefortune.co.uk/