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Bamboo Shoots

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Japanese Micro Season 7立夏 Rikka (Beginning of summer)

30/04/2020 Leave a comment

立夏 Rikka (Beginning of summer)
May 5–9 蛙始鳴 Kawazu hajimete naku Frogs start singing

May 10–14 蚯蚓出 Mimizu izuru Worms surface

May 15–20 竹笋生 Takenoko shōzu Bamboo shoots sprout

The 5th of May is Children’s day or Boys Day in Japan and is part of the golden week celebrations. Hinamatsuri on March 3rd is set aside for girls day. Children’s day / boys day is celebrates the happiness of children. At this time you may say koi shaped streamers or wind socks flying in the breeze. These are known as koinobori.  Normally a large black koi represents the father of the family a red one for the mother and a blue one for the son of the family. Other colours could be green or orange for additional children. This year I had planned to be in Japan at this time but because of the events happening beyond my control I had to cancel. This is a decoration in my home with a koi streamer cloth on the tea table and koi wind sock hanging from the cherry blossom.

Hopefully I will get the chance to see them for real next year, as I had never visited Japan in May before.

Families May also display the military helmet known as Kabuto which symbolises strength.

On this day a wagashi ( Japanese sweet ) is eaten known as Kashiwa Mochi . A Mochi rice cake wrapped in an oak leaf, again a symbol of strength. You can find out more about this and a recipe on my kashiwa Mochi or children’s day previous posts.

Takenoko or bamboo child are the first shoots of the new bamboo growth and sum up the perfect spring Japanese dish. Takenoko Gohan is a simple recipe you could make using bamboo shoots and rice. You can find this in the spring recipe section of this website.

Autumn Food, Blog, Spring Food, Winter Food

Miso Curry Soy Milk Ramen

14/01/2020 Leave a comment

Miso Curry Soy Milk Ramen 味噌カレー豆乳ラーメン

I have made this meal once before and shared it on my Instagram feed. If you think this combination sounds strange bare with me it’s well worth making it for yourself.

The distinctive soup which has become Aomori city’s local dish is a blend of miso based soup and milk with curry powder and it always has a butter topping along with bean sprouts, bamboo shoots and wakame seaweed. Normally made with cows milk but I made it vegan by using soy milk and vegan ramen noodles .

The taste is sweet and spicy and has a creamy texture. The ramen is a hot comforting meal on a cold day, I guess that’s why it’s so popular in the colder regions of Japan in winter time.

Even though this dish is a speciality of Aomori it is originally from Sapporo. Mr. Kiyoshi Satoh, who moved from Sapporo to Aomori wanted to promote Sapporo-style ramen outside Hokkaido and made this curry miso ramen as his signature dish.

Why not try a steamy hot yellow bowl of this miso curry milk ramen for yourself and be surprised with how delicious it is. Don’t omit that butter topping, you can buy vegan butter, my favourite in the UK is the organic vegan butter block by Naturli. I also recommend a good quality soy milk like Bonsoy. As for the curry powder you can buy vegan curry powder in Japan or you can use S&B curry spice powder but this will not thicken your soup so you may need to use a little kuzu powder. There is a new vegan store just opened in Tokyo in Asakusa and they sell a good range of vegan curry powders. As for vegan ramen I used Samurai ramen or you could use ramen by Ohsawa  which I always buy in Japan, also available on Amazon.

When I’m in Tokyo my favourite vegan ramen place to eat is Ts Tan Tan well worth a visit to either their ramen shops in Tokyo station and Ueno  or restaurant at Jiyugaoka, they even have a noodle bar at Narita airport at T2. They do not have curry ramen maybe they should, but non the less they have really good vegan ramen to try when your in Tokyo.

To make this miso curry milk ramen gather your ingredients serves 2 people.

White miso paste x1 heaped tablespoon

Soy milk 500-800ml

Curry powder x3 tablespoons

Ramen noodles x1 pack of samurai ramen this has two servings ( do not use the sauce inside the packet )

Vegan butter a small square each when serving

Bamboo shoots I bought the vacuumed sealed type which has x1 whole bamboo shoot, slice this into quarters. The remaining will keep in water in an air tight container for a few days in the fridge ( why not search bamboo shoots for ideas on how to use the rest of it up ) take the 1/4 piece and slice it. If you cannot get a whole piece of bamboo shoot you can use tinned. I got mine from the Japan centre in London, they also sell them through out Japan.

Wakame seaweed I used dried seaweed and just added it to hot water in a bowl to rehydrate you will only need a small piece. Slice into pieces

Bean sprouts x1 1/2 bag

You can also add sweetcorn which goes well with the butter.

If using S&B curry powder

Kuzu powder if your using just curry spice powder like S&B, use x1 tablespoon of curry powder and x1-2 teaspoons of crushed kuzu root in a little water around x1 teaspoon to make a slurry before adding to your warm milk.

You will need two pans one with boiling water for your ramen to cook and to lightly steam your bamboo shoot and bean sprouts and one to make your soup.

First add your milk to a pan and heat slowly do not boil, when it’s warm add miso and dissolve, then add your curry powder and mix in well. The curry powder will thicken the milk, however if your using S&B then add the powder mix and then add your kuzu slurry and mix well to thicken. You may need to turn the heat up slightly with the kuzu but as soon as it thickens turn it all on to a low simmer. Then steam your bamboo and bean sprouts for a few minutes, take the steamer off if using the same pan you can can just use the boiling water to now cook your noodles. Keep the lid on your steamed veg to keep warm. When the noodles are done, they only take a few minutes add some miso curry soy milk to your bowls then drain your noodles and add these to your soup. Top with bean sprouts, sweetcorn if you like and bamboo shoots. Don’t forget that butter.

You can also add some sautéed sliced king mushrooms. This ramen normally has slices of pork on top so I think the mushrooms make a good substitute for this. You can sprinkle with an extra dash of curry powder and a drizzle of chilli oil to finish if you wish. 

I hope you will be pleasantly surprised like I was with how well all the flavours blend together and make a delicious ramen.

Blog, Winter Food

Japanese Year Of The Boar Osechi

08/01/2019 Leave a comment

Happy New year . It’s 2019 and the year of the boar ( inoshishi) the final animal in the zodiac cycle. The boar is honest and helpful,they are affectionate and kind to loved ones.

It is traditional in Japan to make a special meal for New Year called Osechi . I have covered this is previous posts and the symbolism behind it but thought it would be nice to just share a few of the recipes with you.

Below is my Osechi,which consisted of Onishime,kuro-mame,Kuri-Kinton,Namasu,shojin steak and simmered kabocha. Also served with Ozoni and some yatsuhashi I brought back from Kyoto on my last trip to Japan.  If you would like to make simmered kabocha you can find this in a previous recipe.

Kuromame are Japanese black beans cooked in sweet syrup and are traditionally eaten at this time.

Kuromame (黒豆) which literally translates to black bean are black soy beans cooked in a sweet syrup.

First wash your black soy beans you will need around 100g then soak them in water over night. The next day add them to a pot with water and add 80g of organic granulated sugar with a tablespoon of tamari or soy sauce and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil then gently simmer for around three hours. Let them cool in there own juice and then refrigerate.

Eating kuromame also is considered good for your health for the new year.  

Onishime or simmered vegetables

Another traditional meal . First you will need to prepare a dashi stock, I leave a piece of kombu and a dried shiitake in water overnight then put this in a pan and simmer,then remove the kombu and discard,remove the shiitake to use in your meal. Then add mirin around 3 tablespoons to three cups of dashi and 3 tablespoons of tamari and 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Prepare all your vegetables. shiitake,,bamboo shoots,taro,carrot,shiitake,daikon,freeze dried tofu ( Kouya Dofu ) and lotus root. The lotus root is very significant as it represents a happy future with out obstacles. Add the vegetables to your dashi except the snow peas and carrots ( I like to blanch these and add them at the end) . Cover with a drop lid ( or otoshibuta )

Simmer until your vegetables are tender. This dish is often served in a new year bento box called Jubako.

It is custom to make Ozoni for breakfast on New Year’s Day. This year I made it with a citrus twist and added Yuzu peel in my dashi when I made the miso broth. If you would like to know more about this dish see previous post Ozoni .

I will be updating my travel section this year with places that I visited on my last trip to Japan.  Places of interest, and restaurant reviews. If you are planning a trip to Japan why not take a look at my travel section for some ideas of things to do .

I also have lots of new ideas for dishes so why not subscribe so you never miss a post this year. Thankyou to you all for all your support both on my website and on Instagram. I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2019!

Blog, Spring Food

Gomoku Gohan

03/04/2018 Leave a comment

Gomoku gohan is Japanese mixed rice ( five ingredients mixed with a dashi stock ). Go means five and gomoku means five items with out including the rice or any toppings or seasoning. It can also be called takikomi gohan which is rice cooked with vegetables,meat or fish. This is known as takikomi in the Kansai region but in Kyoto/Osaka it can be known as Kayaku gohan.

You can put what ever ingredients you like into your rice which can make for a good fridge clear out day. Some items could be as follows, daikon radish,carrot,tofu,aburaage,burdock,meat or fish if you wish. Mine of course is vegan and so is the dashi used.

First start by making your dashi by simmering a kombu kelp and dried shiitake in water for about 20 mins, then add a dash of soy sauce or tamari, this dashi will be used to cook your rice in and will add flavour. I used spring inspired vegetables like Takenoko which is a traditional spring vegetable in japan and is bamboo shoot. Avoid the tinned variety and if you can not buy fresh then see if you can get the vacuum sealed precooked type. As well as bamboo shoots I added to my rice sliced shiitake,edamame,broccoli and sweetcorn.

Add your rice to your rice cooker or pot and then the required amount of dashi liquid. As I was mainly using vegetables that didn’t require much cooking I steamed my vegetables on the top of my cooking rice. However you can just add vegetables to the top of your rice and let it cook then after mix the vegetables in. When my rice was ready I mixed in my vegetables.

I served my vegetable rice with spring peashoots and Hiyayakko which was topped with pickled ginger and had Ume shiso seasoning .

 

 

 

 

Blog

Sushi Lunch

25/04/2017 Leave a comment

A sushi lunch to day.
Mini cucumber sushi rolls and Gunkan maki sushi .
Gunkan actually translates as warship .
This is super easy just seasoned sushi rice wrapped in nori with various toppings . Just make sure you cut your nori a little higher than your rice to hold your toppings.
My toppings included maitake mushrooms with bamboo shoots,avocado and pickled red cabbage, broccoli and asparagus,umeboshi,Sakura,hijiki and sushi ginger.

軍艦巻寿司

Blog, Spring Food

Takenoko Gohan

20/04/2017 Leave a comment
Takenoko Gohan
Takenoko Gohan
Takenoko Gohan

Spring time in the countryside of Japan you can see bamboo shoots starting to grow .
This is Takenoko Gohan (bamboo rice ) (竹の子ご飯)
Takenoko means bamboo child and is a perfect Japanese spring dish. Have you seen Princess Kaguya? It’s a Studio Ghibli animated film about a child found in a bamboo shoot . They called her Takenoko

Unfortunately I cannot get fresh bamboo in the UK but I was able to get the boiled vacuum packed kind from the Japan centre in London. This is far better than the canned variety as they have lots of preservatives.

Slice some of your bamboo into thin slices if when you cut it you find little white gritty bits it’s totally fine it’s just rice bran that they cook the bamboo shoots with just rinse them off with water.

I had already had some kombu kelp stock in the fridge so after washing a Japanese measuring cup of rice I added two cups of kombu stock to my rice cooker with the rice. I then added a teaspoon of mirin and a teaspoon of tamari . I put the sliced bamboo shoots on top of the rice and cooked the rice and bamboo shoots together in the rice cooker.

As simple as that.

 

Blog

Bamboo Nigiri-Zushi

12/04/2017 Leave a comment

To night I was again inspired by @norecipes to make this bamboo nigiri-zushi (seasoned rice with toppings)
I like these already cooked bamboo shoots but they don’t come in a can with lots of nasty preservatives . They are boiled and vacuum sealed . You can get them at @japancentre if you live in the U.K. . I was lucky enough to be sent some also from Japan .
I love bamboo shoots in the spring time.
竹の子にぎり寿司

Blog

Osechi Ryori

11/04/2017 Leave a comment

Another Osechi Ryori
お節料理
O’zoni お雑煮
Namasu and Kiriboshi
紅白なます
Nishime (simmered vegetables) 煮しめ
And kuromame with candied yuzu peel
黒豆
For the simmered vegetables I used taro,carrot,daikon,freeze dried tofu
shiitake,mangetout and bamboo shoots. I did mean to use lotus root and completely forgot so will use it in another dish .
It was a lovely sunny day to day much better weather than yesterday so we went for a lovely walk in the countryside. I hope everyone is enjoying their New Year so far.

Blog, Winter Food

Oden (winter stew)

20/12/2016 Leave a comment

In the winter in Japan you can often walk in to stores and find lots of things simmering in piping hot stock for you to choose and have a hot meal . This is called Oden . I made my own oden winter stew.

It is traditional to use a donabe pot but if you don’t have one you can use what ever you have .

First make your broth to simmer your vegetables in I used water that had been soaked over night with a piece of kombu kelp about 1 litre add to this some mirin and tamari ( or soy sauce) about one tablespoon .

In your donabe set out your veggies I used sliced daikon ,tofu,bamboo shoots,lotus root,tofu sausage,shiitake mushroom and aburaage parcels filled with cabbage bean sprouts and vegetables. These pouches are called kinchaku or fukuro.

If you do not have a donabe you can use another pot or even a steamer and arrange them after.  If you decide to use a steamer steam your vegetables and make a separate broth to add your vegetables to after . I prefer to cook the vegetables in the broth as they soak up the flavour.

Pour in your stock and simmer your pot on low with the lid on if it looks like the water is running low add a little more stock.

When your vegetables are tender take a little stock and in a bowl add a little miso . Dissolve the miso and then pour this over your vegetables to finish.

I would of liked to of added a few other things that I didn’t have but I’m glad with how it turned out.

Served with rice it was a delicious filling meal for a cold winter evening