A Hint of Christmas
21 December 2008
Simon and I will fly back Europe tomorrow, where we will spend Christmas and New Year with our families and friends mainly in Austria and Switzerland. My posts will be unregular during that time, but everything should be back to normal by mid-January or so.
Funnily, this year I have more of that "Christmas feeling" than in other years, although I’ve been spending the pre-Christmas season in a country that doesn’t actually celebrate Christmas, at least not in the way we do (I have been told that Christmas Eve is a popular night for romantic dates in Japan). Also, with the tiny kitchen in our temporary apartment, and lacking some ingredients, I have been "deprived" of baking my usual "Vanillekipferl" this year...
But with New Year coming up, too (a very important family occasion here), there is definitely something of a festive season in the air. There actually is quite nice Christmas decoration here and there – glittery lights are always popular in Japan, regardless of traditions or belief – but it is just not quite as overloaded as in Europe or the US. There’s a small "German-style" Christmas market at nearby Roppongi Hills, where you can have "Glühwein" at the typical cute little food stalls, put up between the sky scrapers. It is certainly different, but it just feels like a hint of Christmas…
Maybe this is what got me into this stronger-than-usual Christmas mood. Maybe it is the frequent pleasantly chilly but clear days, which really call for a Christmas shopping stroll outside. Or maybe it is because I am further away from family and friends and I really look forward to seeing them. In any case this season is really enjoyable.
I wish you all Merry Christmas and the very best for the New Year!
Delicious Little Discoveries in Osaka
16 December 2008
I am sitting on the Shinkansen express train back to Tokyo as I write this, eating some of my beloved yatsuhashi for breakfast. I spent the weekend in Osaka, where Simon currently is on business – and instead of him coming back to Tokyo as usual, we decided I could just join him there for the weekend, as I had not been in Osaka before. Frankly, we didn’t really see that much of the city itself – we made a day trip to nearby Kobe on Saturday, and then spent a wonderfully lazy Sunday, during daytime only leaving the hotel for some window shopping in the immediate neighbourhood, and then hanging out at the spa, equipped with a thick book and a game of scrabble, for the rest of the afternoon.
[Looking out of the window right now I have a stunning view on the majestic Fuji-San. There are clicking sounds of cameras to be heard all over the train…]
Osaka is not exactly known for its spectacular sights. If you ask someone what Osaka is most famous for, you will almost certainly get as a reply "for its food". As a matter of fact, most places in Japan take great pride in their local specialties, so hearing that a city is "famous for its food" sounds really funny and somewhat redundant ("oh, really?!"). But even by Japanese standards, the focus on their culinary traditions seems to be particularly pronounced in Osaka. You can see why I was looking forward to this visit…
Judging from our small sample of this weekend, we were indeed impressed by what Osaka had to offer. The izakaya named "Sakura" we had been recommended for Saturday was excellent, and just a touch more sophisticated than what we were used to at these kinds of "Japanese-style pubs" – there was always a little twist to the dishes, a particular ingredient or spice to make them special, like the fatty tuna mashed with Japanese herbs wrapped in soy milk skin, or the deliciously seasoned, fluffy omelette roll filled with pork and topped with bonito flakes.
On Sunday we went for a very popular version of dinner – we randomly picked one of the numerous places offering "okonomiyaki", which I would describe as kind of a "Japanese tortilla" mainly made out of egg batter and shredded vegetables. This was maybe the biggest surprise – it was definitely the best of its kind I have tried so far, and quite different to the ones commonly sold at street festivals. Those are not bad, either, but this one was much thicker and juicier, delicately seasoned with ginger, and the squid (this is the flavour we chose) was so tender you hardly had to bite it…
Well then, I’ll soon arrive in Tokyo now and have to get my stuff packed!
Some Impressions of Osaka and Kobe
Change of Plans: Staying On!
09 December 2008
Finally my Japanese proficiency exam is over! I will only know the final result in a few months time, but I think it went pretty well. But most importantly, I will actually have the chance to make use of my hard-earned language skills for a little bit longer – instead of, as originally planned, moving on to California in January, we’ve decided to stay in Japan for another few months, before (as expected) returning to Munich.
This has been quite an unexpected turn, triggered by an opportunity that has come up for Simon concerning an interesting new project based in Tokyo. It was not an easy decision, though, and for a few days we had a hard time choosing between half a year of Californian lifestyle, and some more time to enjoy everything we’ve come to like about Tokyo (I admit, we’re quite spoiled having this kind of choice…).
Although I feel sorry for not going to sunny California, I am kind of relieved not having to say good-bye to Tokyo quite yet. As much as there are some things we can just shake our heads about, the city has really become a home to us. We have our group of friends, our usual places to hang out, and there’s still so much more to explore…
While I was still thinking we were to leave soon, I kept making lists in my head of everything I still needed or wanted to do before our departure (and I tell you these list was long!), and I’m glad I can now put this off for a little while. Instead, I am now enjoying a far more relaxed pre-Christmas period without the big move always in the back of my mind, and when we come back after our winter holiday break I look forward to discovering yet further gorgeous restaurants, checking out new onsens and possibly some Japanese ski resorts, more weekend strolls around Ginza, the view on Tokyo Tower from our bedroom window, cherry blossom in spring,…
In the spirit of our prolonged stay in Japan, here a Japanese classic, the egg roll, in a somewhat different appearance. In terms of seasoning, there are probably as many recipes around as people who cook this. Below is how I did it last week, to go with the “country style sushi”. My egg roll did not come out as perfectly compact as it should this time; I was a bit distracted by other things in the kitchen and missed the right point to roll the omelette, so it was getting a bit too solid and the layers did not bond as well. Anyway, the taste was nice, and I like the idea of the two different colours.
Two-Coloured Egg Roll
| for 1 roll, about 13cm long |
| 3 (small) eggs |
| 10-15ml soy sauce (to taste) |
| 20ml Japanese rice vinegar |
| 2 teaspoons fine white sugar |
| a pinch of shichimi (optional) |
| a pinch of salt |
| some oil for frying |
| a small, rectangular, non-stick frying pan |
Separate 2 of the 3 eggs into yolks and whites. Combine the whites with about 1/3 of the rice vinegar, 1/2 tablespoon of fine white sugar as well as a pinch of salt and stir well. In a separate bowl, mix the two egg yolks with the third egg and add the remaining rice vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar. Season to taste with soy sauce and, if you like, a pinch of shichimi, and stir until smooth.
Bring the rectangular frying pan to medium heat. Pour a dipper full of the white egg base into the pan. Wait until the egg starts getting solid at the bottom of the pan but is still liquid at the top, then cautiously roll the egg up from one far end to the other, folding it bit by bit with a flat metal turner or similar kitchen tool. After each bend leave it in its position for a few seconds before you move on so the different layers bond well.
Once the omelette is all rolled up at one end, pour some more of the egg base into the rest of the pan and wrap the omelette up again into the other direction. When the white egg base is used up, go on doing the same with the yolks. Finally let the finished roll get slightly browned from all sides before removing it from the pan. Let it cool down a little and cut it into slices.
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Mrs. Takahashi's Cooking Lesson
02 December 2008
The first time I ever got to cook something Japanese was more than 6 years ago, on my very first trip to Japan. I was visiting my dad, who was staying in a small town somewhat north of Tokyo for a temporary work assignment. It feels funny to think back to that time – by now I have become quite familiar with all the things that seemed so exotic to me back then. I very vividly remember my excitement when I first entered the local supermarket… I was completely thrilled by just everything! And I would never ever have imagined that I might be living in that country 6 years later…
Anyway, during that first trip of mine one of my dad’s work colleagues invited us to his home, where his wife treated us to a superb dinner - a vast variety of elaborate dishes, all beautifully arranged in the typical Japanese pell-mell of colourful little bowls. But the best about it was that I had had the chance to spend the whole day with Mrs. Takahashi and assist her in the kitchen while she prepared all her delicacies. Whereas I was struggling with the huge cooking chopsticks I had never used before (I doubt I was much of a help to her…), it was fascinating to watch her handle every single step so skillfully, while she patiently explained to me what she was doing.
Among other things, this is where I learned how to make the egg roll, a "classic" in Japanese cuisine. The most memorable part of the dinner, however, was a dish Mrs. Takahashi called "country style sushi", which consisted of a big bowl of sushi rice mixed with sake-stewed vegetables and topped with strips of cooked prawns and the mentioned egg rolls. To eat, everyone just took a big nori leave, filled it with the rice dish and wrapped it as a hand-made roll. Essentially a very straight-forward dish, which however has such an elegant taste (it is particularly the sake-steamed vegetable that adds the special touch).
I have tried to recreate Mrs. Takahashi’s "country style sushi" on a few occasions since, and I just cooked it again last weekend. I don’t remember the exact measures of the original recipe, nor which vegetables she used, so I just made it to my judgment and taste. Also, I used crab meat instead of prawns (had just come across it and thought it might be a good fit), and I left away the egg roll strips on top (I made some egg rolls separately instead). In any case, variations to this recipe are unlimited!
Country Style Sushi
| serves 4 |
| 250g cooked crab meat (or prawns) |
| 400g root vegetables; e.g.
200g carrots 200g lotus roots |
| 200g shiitake mushrooms |
| 200ml cooking sake |
| 60ml soy sauce |
| some nori leaves |
for the sushi rice |
| 400g Japanese rice (4 measure cups) |
| 5 measure cups of water |
| 1 measure cup of Japanese rice vinegar |
| 4 teaspoons of fine white sugar |
| 1 teaspoon of salt |
First wash the rice thoroughly, let it drain well, and then cook it in a rice cooker or in a covered saucepan, using 5 units of water for each 4 units of rice. Combine the sugar and the salt with 1 unit of Japanese rice vinegar and stir until completely dissolved. Once the rice is done, carefully stir in the mixture, while taking care not to mash the rice grains.
more details on how to make sushi rice
While cooking the rice, peel and chop the carrots as well as the lotus roots (or whatever other root vegetables you choose to use) into bite-sized bits. Put them into a saucepan, pour over the cooking sake and the soy sauce, cover with a lid and let simmer gently for a total of about 45 minutes. Wash and chop the shiitake mushrooms and add them to the simmering root vegetables after the latter have been cooking for about half an hour; like this everything should be cooked to the point at the same time.
When done, fold the simmered vegetables into the sushi rice until well combined, again trying not to damage the rice grains while stirring. Fill into a big bowl. Cut the cooked crab (or prawn) meat into long strips and arrange on top of the rice. Serve simply in the big bowl with some nori leaves on the side for everyone to help themselves. The concept is to fill rice and seafood into a nori leave and eat the hand-wrapped roll with the hands. It is of course just as legitimate to leave the nori away and just eat the rice mixture out of little bowls (personally I prefer the combination with the nori, though).
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