How to cook stylin' sukiyaki.

Mission, how to cook sukiyaki すき焼き (researched 19 Jan 2014)

It's freezing tonight in Japan. OKey, I'll let you know how to cook sukiyaki "すき焼き”. I guess, you would have heard the word before.

However, the word sukiyaki is not only the tilte of popular song but the name of Japanese dish that is the best for this time of a year.

 In fact, the song "sukiyaki" was originally titled "ueomuitearukou" literally  means "let's walk as looking up way", sung by Kyu Sakamoto who died in a plane crash in 1985. Sakamoto was one of legendary singers of all time in the nation.

 However, I'll focus on the food aspect of sukiyaki to tell you how to cook it to  eat it in style.

ingredients

1, vegetables  bukchoi (Chinese cabbage)

                     leek

                     kikuna (if possible)

 

2, grilled tofu (if possible. Actually, any tofu is OK)

 

3, beef (thinly sliced)

 

4, chicken (optional)

 

5, udon noodles (optional)

6, egg

 

7, seasonings  soy sauce

                      mirin (sweet rice wine ) (if possible)

                      sake (rice wine)

                      sugar (substitute for mirin)

                      kelp stock (convenience product) (if possible)

 

Preparations

1, make "warishita" broth with the above seasonings.

The ratio of the broth is as below

 soy sauce 1:mirin (sweet rice wine) 0,5: rice sake(rice wine) 1 

 

   

2, chop all the vegetables, tofu, chicken and beef into a bite size.

 

3, put what ever you've prepared into a shallow pot

 

 

 

Cooking

1, heat the pot with full of ingredients into boiling

 

 

To eat

Raw egg is generally used as dipping sauce. (do you remember the movie "Rocky"? "Come on, you can do it champ!!!")

 

 

Over all

A big thing about sukiyaki is that it is cooked on the dining table as the people eat. There fore, preparations are all about it.

 

Conclusion

Sukiyaki is popularly eaten during the winter. The people are usually going bananas having it with rice wine or beer. However enjoying sukiyaki on lovely "kotatsu" keeps you warm the rest of winter.

 

 

Tips

Beer can be used as adding water in case the pot dries out, beer gets it a few more kicks. (I'd recommend you kids this to boost the party.)   

 

 

 

"一番桜 " the beer Ichiban zakura

Mission, the 2014 special spring beer "Asahi Orion Ichiban zakura".

 

The spring on the way, (hopefully) the Okinawan beer breweries "Orion" selling their special spring beer on the 28th of January.

 

I know, some of you would have already had good beers in the warm South East Asia during the winter break. Actually, the Ichiban zakura is as good.

 

Okinawa (where the beer is from) is located far South of the Japanese archipelago, the place is known as the Island of endless summer. Personally I've never been there, but I hear the place has lots to try, would like to go there one day.

 

However, Ichiban zakura "一番桜" literally means The first cherry blossoms to bloom. They say, the beer is totally brewed of malt, has rich and flowerily aroma, is easy to drink.

 

 

 

Ichiban zakura is sold in cans which printed the lovely pink cheery blossoms in contrast to the blue sky. The cans are epic enough to celebrate the coming spring.

 

Japan's one of major 4 beer breweries "Asahi" is selling Orion beers in the main 4 Islands. So that, you will find the beer at your nearest convenience stores.

 

Finally, Ichiban zakura "一番桜" will be sold in 350ml can (bottles will be sold  in the Okinawan area), costs you around ¥2?0.  

Hamaya "破魔矢" the good souvenir from Japan.

Mission Hamaya "破魔矢" ( written 10 Jan 2014)

 

Have you found a souvenir from Japan yet?

 

I`d like to let you know "hamaya" as your souvenir to your family or friends from Japan.

 

 

Hamaya "破魔矢" literally means that an arrow to break the evil.

 

 

 

As you see the above pics a wooden plate called ema "絵馬" is hanging down the arrow.

Ema ”絵馬”litelally means a drawn horse. However, long ago, only the rich people could bedicate the horses to the shrines. While, it's impossible for the general public to organize the horses today. Therefore, they started the new system that is dedicating a wooden plate called ema ”絵馬” instead of a horse to dedicate to a shrine.

 

 

 

Traditionally, a sign of 12 oriental zodiac of the year is painted on ema "絵馬". It's year of the horse in 2014.

 

Speaking of the oriental zodiac, I remenber the movie "Year of the dragon".

  Have you seen the movie before?  However, The movie featurs Micky  Rourke  as the Eliot Ness style commited detective who battles to bust the Chinese mafia in New York. The movie is one of Rourke's premier movies.

 Speaking of Micky Rourke, I've watched one of Rourke's recent movies titled "The wrestler".However, the movie was pretty good, the movie is about the Charles Bukowski like useless, half alcoholic, old professional wrestler Randy "the lamb"Robinson. In the movie, Robinson's exhausted personality equals Mickey Rourke him self.

Also, the movie shows you some "bad ass" tricks on the ring as well as nasty steroid injections. In short, the movie breaks through your image to Rourke. Must watch.

However, Mickey Rourke was popular back in the early 90's in Japan, he was on a TV commercial advertising whiskey and stuff. Rourke even got on the boxing ring to fight in the nation. In fact, the fight was just joking got criticized badly by the people who love the sport.

Due to the dodgy fight, Rourke gradually lost his popularity to be despaired in the far East.

 

Conclusion

Actually, what I want to tell you through this blog is about "hamaya" not about Rourke. As you see, hamaya looks cool as well as it functions as a lucky charm. I would say "this is pretty much it."

 

 

(a friend of mine bought me the hamaya at The Kasugataishya Shrine. Cost her ¥1500.)

  

How to grill mochi in style.

Mission, grilling mochi 餅 "rice cake" (researched 01 Jan 2014)

 

A Happy New Year!! Every one.!!

 

By the way, have you heard "mochi" before?

 

 

 

"mochi" is rice cake that is popularly eaten during "oshiogatsu" the initial 3 days of January in the nation.

 

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Now, mochi is individually packed to sell at grocers. 

 

Generally, mochi is grilled to be eaten. Today, I'll tell you how to grill mochi at home.

 

The first all, a wire grid (a metal mesh) is essential to grill mochi successfully also a gas cooker is another thing to grill it in style. 

 

 

 

Grilling

1, preheat a metal mesh well.

 

 

 

2, adjust heat at the minimum.

 

3, put mochi on the metal mesh to heat one side for 3-4 minutes

 

 

 

4, heat one side to the other. Be better to turn it over very often in the grilling process.

 

5, generally, mochi pumps up by it self when it`s cooked.

 

6, remove it from the heat.

 

Over all

The grilling process takes 5-6minutes.

Some people dip grilled mochi into sugared soy sauce just after grilling. Then, wrap it with a nori seat (dry sea weed seat) to bite it.

 

Conclusion

My wife cooked some soba noodles for lunch. As a result, the soba was topped with my grilled mochi.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tips

The slitly golden blown colour is what you aiming at grilling. Don't let the surface be burnt.