New year, 2014!!!

This is the first up date for this year!!

Have you read this article as below, that was on the newspaper in the very beginning of this year.

Japanese cuisine gets UNESCO heritage status / Telegraph

Japan will become only the second nation after France to have its national cuisine designated heritage status.

The decision to protect Japan's traditional cuisine, known as "washoku", was made against a backdrop of rising concerns that fast food and western dishes are increasingly eclipsing the nation's culinary heritage. With its emphasis on harmony and the passing of the seasons, the art of washoku has been compared to writing haiku poems and normally consists of separate bowls of white rice, miso soup and pickles alongside main dishes. Other characteristics that have traditionally defined washoku include minimal meat, plenty of seafood and often the use of a fish stock base known as dash. Its new status was confirmed exactly 1,000 days after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami triggered the on-going Fukushima nuclear crisis, shattering global confidence in the safety of the nation's previously respected food industry.

This news is so fantastic for me as a Japanese person. My cooking career is more than 20 years since I started to cook the meals for my family using the special ingredients suited my daughter. She had a allergy to the daily products, cheese, milk etc., but luckily not to the soya products. No additive products neither, of course!! I cooked every meals from scratch.

My cooking techniques had been developed spontaneously.      

I had a a chance to open my Japanese food shop when we lived in Luxembourg. My daughter was just born! So I could learn how to run the Japanese food shop. Very good experience, wasn't it? Actually my parents run a small convenience shop in a small village in Japan. Some times I helped them. It helped me to establish my base career. In both the management and cooking field.

After we came back to England, I didn't have a chance to do the same sort of business. Instead, I gain the diplomas of the therapies. It sound like totally the different area, but for me, it's nothing different at all. Therapy would help to make the high quality life and Japanese food is one of the healthiest foods in the world. 

Last year, I helped to establish a Japanese restaurant in Bristol. I had worked for the owner, mainly to offer some ideas of the menu, culture club and many more. 

There're, I think, five or six Japanese restaurants in Bristol area, but none of then are not a standard at all, unfortunately. The restaurant that I helped is better than others.

So I really want to have a very nice proper Japanese restaurant here, not only here but anywhere, if anybody need me to advice to establish the cafe or restaurant or even in the home cooking, Just call me loudly. I would come to you! E-mail me or Skype me!!!

My business card is here!

Nearly the end of year!!!

Ready for Christmas? 

We're not ready yet as usual. We're very last minute persons.

We're doing our family Christmas dinner at our home this year. It's our turn.

Will have 10 people including us (my hus, Daughter, son and me). 

This year, we have my son who lived in Japan for 2 ½ years. 

Hope you enjoy your Christmas.

Lot of love, 

Masuyo xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I've got a good news for you.  (Actually, long time no see you, readers.)

"Washoku 和食" traditional Japanese cuisine was added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list Wednesday.



Here are some articles from the papers.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/japan/10496326/Japanese-cuisine-gets-UNESCO-heritage-statusj.html
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/AJ201312050050
http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20131205p2g00m0dm001000c.html

ⒸMainichi Shinbun

Washoku o Nihonshoku, 和食 or 日本食／Japanese cuisine, usually traditional Japanese dishes.




When you think of Japanese food, you would say "Sushi"?
Yes ,"sushi" is very very popular in the western countries nowadays. Most of people, I think, have tried a pack of sushi sold in the big supermarket in the UK before?  Or you have been to a Japanese restaurant near your place. There're so many Japanese restaurants and shops in London. Even many  of those restaurants owned or cooked by non-Japanese, I don't mind if the restaurant offer the proper manner and taste. 
If you luckily live in London or near there, there're many choices. Unfortunately in Bristol, I can't recommend any restaurant (sorry to say, but,,,), because even not one restaurant that meets my favour. I can cook the food much, much, much, so much better than them!!!  If you don't know mach Japanese taste, it would be OK, but please do not think they're the proper Japanese cuisine. 
Maybe my opinion is too strong for someone. But I wouldn't except, if it didn't properly follow the tradition and the manner, of course the taste!! Out of question!!! Check the chopsticks, they must displayed horizontally in a Japanese restaurant. Chinese and Korean (nowadays) display their chopsticks vatical.

 This is one of my dishes called "Teriyaki chicken/照り焼きチキン". The rice and Miso-shiru (miso soup) are a basic set of the dinner. I usually some shredded cabbage for the side, but this time I didn't have a cabbage so I used the boiled red cabbage.
"Teriyaki sauce／照り焼きソース" is quite versatile, you can use any meat and fish.  
The variation of the sauce;
Shoyu(soy sauce), Sake(or Sherry/Cider), Mirin 
Shoyu and butter, it works perfectly.

Hoso-maki／細巻き, Chirashi-zushi／ちらし寿司, Nigiri-zushi／にぎり寿司.
I usually use smoked salmons, herring rolls, boiled prawns, instead the row fish. I don't think it is easy to get a very fresh fish in this area, unless you have a good fishmonger or a farmers market near your house.
However, other ingredients like sushi rice, nori, gari-ginger, etc, can be sold at a big supermarket. Nowadays, you can bay a packed sushi/nigiri in the supermarket. But they're not proper ones as I always say. Because they're getting too dry in the fridge. We, Japanese, don't put the cooked rice in the fridge. Never!! 

Sushi for the Wedding!!!!!!!

We were invited the wedding of my hus' colleague in his office. And I was asked to make some sushi platters for nearly 100 people for their wedding. It was on Saturday the 13 the of July. It was very beautiful hot day!!

The picture above is just one day before the wedding. Ready for the big day.

Cooked the sushi rice very first in the morning. While the rice was cooking, I cooked shiitake mushrooms and carrots with soy sauce, sugar and mirin and other food. 

Menu;

Actually, those pictures are a bit old, but good to explain.

Hoso-maki (cooked shiitake and carrot, cucumber, egg, herring, smoked salmon, etc)

Nigiri (herring, smoked salmon, egg)

and,

Temari-zushi,  in the middle of the top picture. (egg, avocado&salmon. salmon, italian hams)

---------------

We attended the church service in the morning, but I had so many thing to do for the sushi platters. Needed to decorate & the ingredients on the to of nigiri and then the table as well.

I really wanted to take pictures my perfect sushi platters, but I couldn't!!!!!!! Sorry.

Because I was so busy for preparation, but my hus helped me a lot. Thank him, really!!

So instead, I took some pictures after finished the eating! I know I should've taken many pictures!!! Never mind, next time, though.

The sushi platers were massive success. Everybody loved my sushi!!! 

I didn't use any raw materials like fresh tuna or salmon this time, because it was very very hot day! It was impossible to keep the freshness of the raw stuff.

I thought many people still misunderstand the sushi uses the only raw fish. You can use any thing as you want. I used many cooked stuff and hams and avocado, many ideas here. 

If you have a plan for a wedding or a party etc. Let me know, I can help you.

I also can teach you how to make THE proper sushi from scratch, of cause, using some local ingredients.  

xxxxxxx

  

Sushi Night

We had my husband's old friend's family from Bordeaux, France, last Sunday night.

They have a vineyard in Bordeaux.  My husband and Philippe had a language exchange when they were 14 years old,,,,, more than 35 years ago!!!! Still keep in touch!!

Of course, I made Sushi, this time, "Temaki Zushi （手巻き寿司）!

Fresh Tuna (Zuke), Smoked Salmon, Avocado, Cooked Shiitake mushroom and carrot, Surimi, mongetout, Triyaki chicken, Tamago (egg), Ikura (salmon eggs) and Cucumber.

Temaki Zushi is a hand rolled sushi. 

 "Te" means hand and "maki" means rolling.

This Temaki Zushi night was, I think 5 years ago, with our friends from Luxembourg.

This called "Salon Caviar" from Waitrose.

Ikura（イクラ）in Japanese.

Nigisi zushi（握り寿司）again, but a bit different ingredients, though.

Smoked Salmon, Herring Mops  and fresh Tuna (Zuke)

This time I used a fresh Tuna（マグロ）bought at the fish counter of waitrose. 

  

Zuke 「ズケ」means "marinating" 

1. put the tuna into the boiling water for a few seconds until the colour changed.

2. immediately put it into the cold water with ice cubes. Stop cooking anymore.

3. wrapping the tune with a kitchen roll and place it in the sauce (soy sauce : mirin , 9 :1, but I added a little Sake. You can use the cider or sherry instead).   leave it for 2 - 4 hours and cut in pieces.   

Do not forget the Wasabi for the raw fish. Wasabi would kill the germs in the raw fish.

The raw fish must be very very fresh!!!!! 

The tuna I bought at Waitrose, I asked the possibility to use the tuna for sashimi on Sunday night to the fishmonger, but typically he didn't say yes or no. Then I asked him when the tuna came to the counter instead, and he said 'today' (Friday). I decide to buy a block of the tuna!!!! Of course, the tuna looked so fresh!!

You can buy Fresh Wasabi in England

http://www.thewasabicompany.co.uk

    

I've just found a comment from Neil tonight!!!

の Japanese food in England is Western-style, just like Italian food in Japan is Japanese-style, don't you think?

I'm so sorry I didn't answer you back very soon. 

My answer is;
Yes, I think so, most of the food in the Japanese restaurants, even the owner is Japanese native, are not the ordinary Japanese taste. Usually the sauces are too sweet for me.
Of course, there are so many different tastes in a different area in Japan. There's no food as the proper or traditional Japanese taste. Every family has a different taste. 
For example, I'm from Oita-ken, Kyshu. My mother uses the light coloured soy sauce (薄口しょうゆ）. But In Kanto area, they use the dark coloured soy sauce（濃口しょうゆ）. When you pop in the Udon restaurant, you can see the different colour in the soup. 



Can you see the colour is slightly diffrenct? (Ⓒ Goggle)

←Kansai Udon 
(関東のうどん）

Kanto Udon→ 

（関西のうどん）

I think that as long as you liked the taste, it would be OK?

Nowadays, Sushi is so popular, isn't it? And anybody can make nice sushi or nigiri. There are so many cookery schools or classes of sushi making. 

I normally don't go to the Japanese restaurant or any kind of restaurant, because I can cook the food much much better than cooks of the restaurant. Except some special occasions.

I really wish you to eat a proper Japanese food as possible as you can. I'll tell you how to find the proper Japanese restaurant soon.

Have a nice Sunday tomorrow!!!!xxxx 

Sushi Night

Hosomaki, Chirashizushi and Nigigi 

Some people think that the ingredients of sushi are all raw fish. Ah, even sashimi is not only the raw fish to be used. Cooked prawn and Tamago-yaki (egg omelette alike) etc.

Actually you can use any ingredients. No rules at all!!

Nowadays, you can buy your sushi (usually Maki-mono) lunch pack in the normal supermarket, can't you?

However, they're just OK to me. Everyone has a different taste so as long as you like any taste or satisfied, it would be perfectly alright!!! 

Enjoy them!!!!

Nigirizushi here.

I made them from the ingredients you can get in the local supermarket.

Smoked salmon, Herring rollmops, Cooked prawn, Avocado and eggs.

Only you need is cut into good size, maybe smaller than 5 cm?

Egg rolls is not so easy. But I'll tell you how to make then another time.

Chirashizushi

Nearly the same ingredients to Nigiri. You can plus cucumber and some colourful veggies!

Maki zushi,,,,,, Smoked salmon, Tmagoyaki, cooked carrot & shiitake, Kanpyo vegetable.

I'll make Sushi platers for our friend's wedding on July. Exciting!!!!

I'll report you.