Encountering Home-Made Mie (Prefecture)-Style Oden, Right Here in Tsukuba
Oden- in the style of Mie Prefecture
Life in Tsukuba can be full of surprises. Most of them pleasant. Some of them VERY pleasant. Take yesterday, for example- which also happened to be a glorious mid-November day. Instead of having our class at the Oho Community Center as we usually do, we were going to meet at the home of one of our members. I was looking forward to having a look at the new kitchen and sophisticated solar heating system which I heard had been installed. But I would never have imagined what else was in store- a veritable feast- with a very special highlight, which I will write about today: Oden , done in the fashion of one of my students` home region- Mie Prefecture.
M-San ( she does not want her true identity revealed!), an indefatiguable traveller, has become somewhat of a walking encyclopedia of Japanese culture ( not to mention her knowledge of other world cultures), and her enthusiastic and detailed descriptions of the places she has visited would fill anyone with the desire to hit the road. I always tell her that I think she should write a book someday- or at least a blog! If she does`nt soon, I will start putting her stories on line for her!
More than any other places she describes, it is her home region which she evokes most lovingly ( I guess that is not surprising) and of course in most vivid detail. Since we had a brand new state-of-the-art kitchen available that day, she pulled out all the stops to show off one of her home-town`s characteristic dishes- using a special touch- HACHO MISO- a rarer and more expensive type of miso which is famous for its deep flavor. She had bought this gourmet bean paste at the factory in which it was made in Okazaki- the hometown of the founder of the Tokugawa Dynasty- Tokugawa Ieyasu.
The ingredients: shiitake mushrooms, chikuwa (fish rolls), daikon radish,tofu ,konnyaku (devil`s tongue), hard-boiled eggs, and shungiku, are simmered in a kelp stock based broth
Before I tell you what Mie Style oden is like, I had better explain, to those who dont already know, what ODEN is in the first place.
Books in English on Japanese food culture refer to ODEN as HODGEPODGE! I cant imagine that this expression would be of much help to anyone who had never seen ODEN before, so let me try to explain what it is in my own way. Oden consists of various ingredients which are simmered in a special ODEN broth. These ingredients are certain set vegetables ( most promimently daikon radish), or other pre- prepared hand-sized tibits. When heated, these do not do blend together in any way. They are eaten seperately, usually served in their broth ( which can be drunk) with a dab of hot mustard ( karashi) on the side of the dish. The standard tidbits which can be found in a simmering pot of oden are daikon radish, kelp,fried tofu, konnyaku ( a kind of rubbery gel made for a tuber), and kamaboko ( a fish-paste stick).
Oden is a typical winter dish in Japan, and can probably most easilly be seen ( and SMELLED) at 7-11 `s and other convenience stores which start selling it ( you have to order each tidbit individually) from mid-autumn through late spring.
For many foreigners the unusually aroma which fills Japanese convenience store during this period, created by the daikon radish, can be quite off-putting ( because we have nothing like that smell in the west), but anyone who samples this hearty and healthy food, especially on a cold winter night with some sake, cannot help but grow addicted.
After being payed out on dishes, each tidbit is covered with a dab of home-made NERI-MISO
What surprised all of us the other day when we sat down for Mie Prefecture style oden ( which looks the same as the oden around here when it is cooking in the pot) was that instead of being served in the broth, with a bot of hot mustard on the side, we were served a set of oden tidbits arranged on a dish. with heaping splotches of miso on top of each one. Some of them were also garnished with yuzu(citron) rind shavings or a dash of chilli pepper.
We stood with mouths agape as M-San arranged the servings with the precision of a professional on the dishes she had brought from home for the occassion- rustically elegant TOKONAME-WARE ( once typical everyday household ware, but now quite expensive!).
She arranged shiitake mushroom,daikon radish, kamaboko, tofu, konnyaku, hard-boiled egg, and shungiku ( which looked and tasted like a bit of boiled spinach) on each plate, in the same order.
Then each separate food got its gob of NERI-MISO, which M-San made from hatcho-miso ( which contains only fermented soy beans and salt), sugar, sake and mirin ( sweet sake for cooking).
The resulting taste experience was delightful. Each ingredient distinctive in taste and texture, though linked thematically by the deeply flavored sauce.
M-San said that back home they ate this dish about once a month. I t was especially good for days after heavy meals or parties, as it is light and cleansing ( the konnyaku is good for cleaning out your insides!)
We were all surpised again when we heard that while this dish, as we were served it on that day was called ODEN in Mie, while what we would get at 7-11 here in Tsukuba ( or the rest of the Kanto Region was referred to as KANTO-NI in Mie ( maybe the rest of Western Japan.
Voila! Beautifully prepared Mie Prefecture-Style ODEN layed out on TOKONAME-WARE dishes
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How to Make (and eat) Salted Cherry Blossoms- Sakura no Hana no Shiozuke (桜の花の塩漬)
Tofu garnished with a salted cherry blossom
By Avi Landau
The cherry blossom season is one of the most festive times of year in Japan, one eagerly anticipated and then slowly savored. But alas, the delicate petals usually break away from their trees within a few days- filling many Japanese ( and lovers of Japanese culture) with a deep sense of regret for the passing of beauty, and for the fleeting nature of all things.
There is a way however, to enjoy SAKURA NO HANA (cherry blossoms) even after the last ones have fallen away- and in fact throughout the year!- with SAKURA NO HANA NO SHIOZUKE (桜の花の塩漬）, cherry blossoms preserved with salt and vinegar.
These can be used as a garnish ( especially in April and May, for adding a seasonal touch to a spring meal), used as a topping for rice balls, steeped in boiling water to make fragrant sakura tea, or cooked with rice in the rice cooker to make sakura rice.
Being a highly auspicious blossom, these salted sakura often appear ( in some form) at wedding receptions.
- Salted cherry blossoms ( Sakura no shio zuke)
Here is how to make these pickles ( tsukemono).
You CAN use any cherry blossoms, though the variety YAEZAKURA is prefered. You pick them before full bloom ( anywhere from when the buds just open till about 70 percent bloom.
For 300 grams of sakura you need 3 tablespoons of salt
and 3 tablespoons of vinegar (plum vinegar, 白梅酢, is preferable
Wash the blossoms, remove the water and cover thoroughly with salt.
Cover with a pressing stone and let sit (in the fridge) for 1- 3 days ( to remove liquids).
Remove the liquid and add vinegar and put in the fridge for 3 days.
Remove liquid, and then spread out and dry outside for 3 days
Preserve in a glass jar with some more salt
And enjoy cherry blossoms at any time of the year!
A meal consisting of whats best in early May- bamboo shoots, sora-mame, tofu garnished with sakura no shiozuke and young sansho leaves, and bonito sashimi ( in the platter on top)
If you would like to read more about the unique place of cherry blossoms in Japanese culture I have written more here:
Yaezakura, the variety of cherry blossom which is best for making shiozuke, blooming in Tsukuba ( May 8th, 2011)
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How to Make (and Eat) Salted Cherry Blossoms- SAKURA NO HANA NO SHIOZUKE (桜の花の塩漬)- again
By Avi Landau
Tofu garnished with a salted cherry blossom
The cherry blossom season is one of the most festive times of year in Japan, one eagerly anticipated and then slowly savored. But alas, the delicate petals usually break away from their trees within a few days- filling many Japanese ( and lovers of Japanese culture) with a deep sense of regret for the passing of beauty, and for the fleeting nature of all things.
There is a way, however, to enjoy SAKURA NO HANA (cherry blossoms) even after the last ones have fallen away- and in fact throughout the year!- with SAKURA NO HANA NO SHIOZUKE (桜の花の塩漬）, cherry blossoms preserved with salt and vinegar.
These can be used as a garnish ( especially in April and May, for adding a seasonal touch to a spring meal), used as a topping for rice balls, steeped in boiling water to make fragrant sakura tea, or cooked with rice in the rice cooker to make sakura rice.
Being a highly auspicious blossom, these salted sakura often appear ( in some form) at wedding receptions.
A meal consisting of the IN-SEASON fish and produce of May: bamboo shoots, sora-mame, tofu garnished with salted cherry blossoms and young sansho leaves, and mostly famously- BONITO (katsuo) SASHIMI
Here is how to make these pickles ( tsukemono).
You CAN use any cherry blossoms, though the variety YAEZAKURA is prefered. You pick them before full bloom ( anywhere from when the buds just open till about 70 percent bloom.
For 300 grams of sakura you need 3 tablespoons of salt
and 3 tablespoons of vinegar (plum vinegar, 白梅酢, is preferable
Wash the blossoms, remove the water and cover thoroughly with salt.
Cover with a pressing stone and let sit (in the fridge) for 1- 3 days ( to remove liquids).
Remove the liquid and add vinegar and put in the fridge for 3 days.
Remove liquid, and then spread out and dry outside for 3 days
Preserve in a glass jar with some more salt
And enjoy cherry blossoms at any time of the year!
Yaezakura- the variety of cherry blossom which is best for making SHIOZUKE
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In the Tsukuba Area MISOPI ( roasted peanuts in miso paste) is NOT Just a Snack!
Born and raised in the U.S., I grew up eating lots of peanuts. Sometimes I would crack them out of their shells, but more often I got them out of cans, jars and packets, dry roasted, or roasted in oil and salted. No matter the container or method of preparation, once you started on them it was nearly impossible to stop. They were also an ingredient in a dozen different candybars and other snacks that I used to love.
But the way I MOST OFTEN consumed peanuts was in the form of peanut butter. Coming back from school, I would head right for the kitchen and open a jar of the stuff, preferably the chunky kind. I would spoon it by the heapful onto bagels, bananas, apples, carrots, chocolate bars or just directly into my mouth. I would always make sure to give some to my dog, who seemed to love it , too. It was always amusing to see how she struggled to clear it off her long canine tongue , extending it out far and then pulling it back into her mouth repeatedly, scraping the sticky paste off against her lips.
Besides use as a snack, peanut butter actually becomes the CENTERPIECE of the meal in that classic of American culinary culture- the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. A standard feature of the schoolchilds lunchbox or family`s picnic basket.
Japanese people usually grimace in disgust when I mention these sandwiches, but when I think about it- what a magical combination- with the loose and slippery jam being the perfect foil to the thick and sticky peanut butter,. Imagining it still gets my mouth to water.
Arriving in Japan, I found that the area that I had had come to live, Tsukuba City in Ibaraki Prefecture, was the major peanut ( rakase 落花生) producing region in the country ( with neighboring Chiba Prefecture actually being the no. 1 grower). The many delicious snacks which employ peanuts in novel ( for me) and exciting ways, might even be one of the reasons that I enjoyed living ( and eating) here so much, at first, and why my waistline expanded so rapidly.
One thing that really surprised me, though, was to discover that for the families whose parents have lived in Tsukuba fo generations, peanuts could be served as the O-Kazu, that is the main accompaniment to the rice, and thus the centerpiece of the meal,and not just a snack.
This dish is called misopi- (味噌ピー), and it is popular throughout this region. It is only in the Tsukuba area , however, that it often becomes the main course.
Yesterday, I was at a pot-luck lunch party. One of the guests, Harumi Takaya, brought misopi which she had made using her mothers recipe. It was impossibly delicious, and I had to use all my will power to keep myself from eating the whole thing.
Harumi says that her family eats this dish twice a week and that often when she was a school girl, her lunchbox contained just rice and misopi.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
200 grams raw peanuts ( you can get them at JA shops in Tsukuba)
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 tablespoon mirin ( sweet rice wine)
1 teaspoon granulated brown sugar
How to make:
Roast the peanuts in a frying pan over a low- medium flame for fifteen minutes
Remove from frying pan and spead out on a dish
Mix the miso paste and mirin thoroughly and spred over the peanuts
Let cool
Sprinkle sugar to taste ( this will cling to the peanuts which will have become very sticky)
Serve on rice ( as they do in Tsukuba)
or eat as a snack
You will be very surprised at the deep flavor which this simple process will bring out.
As alternatives in the preparation process, the peanuts could be fried in oil, and honey used instead of, or in addition to the sugar.
Enjoy
Check hear for some commercially available misopi products:
http://www.hinodemiso.co.jp/misop/story.html
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Japanese Pancake!
You don't need to actually BUY okonomiyaki mix - though it is good to buy the flour specifically blended for making okonomiyaki. For those of you into cooking, here is one of my tried and true recipes, compliments of a friend with roots in Kansai. Most measurements are approximations, so feel free to tweak the recipe to taste...adding or leaving out whatever ingredients you wish! For a Korean twist, add kimchi...for a daring twist, add some natto...or Mexican, add spicy Monterey Jack cheese, jalapenos or green tabasco sauce! The possibilities are endless, after all, it is not called okonomiyaki 'as-you-like-it' pancake for nothing!
Kansai-style Okonomiyaki
Ingredients (2人）
100~150 grams of flour
2 egg
25cc of Japanese dashi (soup stock)
100 grams of ground yam...this replaces water
1 spoon of mayonnaise and soy sauce
200 grams of sliced cabbage
50 grams of sliced stone leek (or green onions)
30 grams of sliced pork or bacon
Seafoods (shrimp, squid, etc)
6~7 pieces of thinly sliced rice cake
60 grams of meltable cheese
optional: little dried shrimp, kimchi, natto, yakisoba noodles, udon, ten-kasu (tempura crisps)
CONDIMENTS:
okonomiyaki-sauce
mayonnaise
mustard
dried bonito
red ginger (benishoga)
tabasco
nori (green laver)
Directions:
1) Mix the flour and egg well. Mix the ground yam into the mixture, then dashi, then 1 tsp mayo + 1 tbsp soy sauce.
2) Mix the sliced cabbage and Japanese leeks into the mixture
3) Spread some cooking oil on the heated hotplate and put in 1/4 batter.
4) If you have rice cake, place a few pieces of it on the mixture and put another 1/4 batter. Do not spread it too thin.
5) Spread the sliced pork and seafood on it.
6) When one side of the mixture is cooked and light brown, turn it over.
7) Cook the other side well. Turn it over again, sprinkle cheese and turn over when it starts to melt. Turn after 1 minute. (if you want to keep it crisp in texture, keep the cheese inside and not outside!)
8) Spread wet condiments, then dry condiments on top.
9) Cut into slices, like pizza, eat while it's warm.
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