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Umeboshi

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Japanese Micro Season 9 芒種 Bōshu (Grain beards and seeds)

芒種 Bōshu (Grain beards and seeds)
June 6–10 蟷螂生 Kamakiri shōzu Praying mantises hatch

June 11–15 腐草為螢 Kusaretaru kusa hotaru to naru Rotten grass becomes fireflies

June 16–20 梅子黄 Ume no mi kibamu Plums turn yellow

Midway through the summer micro seasons the rice is planted in the wet paddy fields of Japan, their little stalks looking almost like the praying mantis. Fire flies start to dart around in the  early evening, a truly magical event. Japan’s rainy season will soon arrive . The rainy season is called Tsuyu meaning plum rain, the rain that falls when the plums are ripe for the picking. It is an important part of Japanese culture, harvesting the plums to be made into liquor or preserved in salt to make umeboshi. I have a few recipes on my recipe pages using umeboshi why not give them a try over this time. The sweet and sour tofu is a particular favourite, as is umeboshi onigiri.


In Japan over the rainy season you may see ghost like pieces of cloth hanging at windows these are called Teru Teru Bozu, they depict a weather monk and are said to be used to pray for a sunny day. Often children might hang them the day before an event or by farmers.
Rainy season is celebrated in Japan like any other and it is at this time the ajisai  (hydrangeas) bloom and many people go to the gardens to see them. If you would like to make my soup for the rainy you can also find that in my recipe section, a bright green soup to represent the lush vegetation at this time, you can also read more about places to see Ajisai on this post.


I am also thinking it might be a good time to set goals for the rest of the year. Planting that rice paddy and letting it grow ( metaphorically speaking ) . As many of us have been slowing down over the last few months let’s not be too eager to rush back into our old hectic lives. I know many of you like myself have been getting out  and enjoying nature more. I speak personally when I say it does indeed have a calming effect. Many people especially in the countryside of Japan enjoy the changing seasons and cook seasonal foods. Doing this can help us feel more connected to the earth. This is why many of my recipes are seasonal either enjoying produce of the time or relating to some Japanese custom of the year.  I think many of us tend to get lost in our everyday lives and I think as we start to move forward from this trying time of 2020 it would be nice to keep some of the slowness that we may have found. I hope that you might try making some Japanese food for yourself. Try to find some local seasonal produce, maybe choose a recipe you could use them in and set aside time to cook it. Do it in a peaceful environment. While your preparing the food think about who you are making the food for sending love and good energies into the food. This is a nice meditation that you can use while doing everyday tasks.

Autumn Food, Blog, Spring Food, Summer Food, Winter Food

Midnight Diner Tokyo Stories Plum Rice Ball

Episode 3 of season 2 sees Master the owner of the diner Meishiya make plum rice balls for a customer. The series is so heart warming and shows how food has the ability to not only to connect people but to bring back memories. One such memory for me was one Marine day ( a public holiday held on third Monday in July in Japan where many people head off to the coast). We had started our train journey over to Enoshima island in Kanagawa Prefecture and there were lots of families on the train. On the opposite seat was a family the mother got out a neatly packed bento and untied the furoshiki around it. Opening the lid she started to take out onigiri those triangle shaped rice balls wrapped in nori sometimes with a filling, she handed them to her children. The onigiri filled the hands of the small children and I remember how happy there faces were to be eating such a breakfast on the way to the seaside. Onigiri ( rice balls ) are perfect for picnics or in the case of the Midnight diner an evening snack.
The pickled plums used in the series were the hard type called Ko ume, as I only had umeboshi I used those instead. Umeboshi are slightly squashy which are dried and salted plums. They are tart and tangy and I must admit to not liking them at first but now I love them. They have been used in Japan to aid digestion and are a good way to keep the rice fresh for a few hours.

Cook up some Japanese rice and chop up an umeboshi plum. When the rice is done fold in your umeboshi ( I also added some furikake with sesame and dried daikon greens to give it a little colour ).

Wet your hands and make a ball of rice then start to mould the rice by pressing the rice into a point, then rotate the ball pressing it into that onigiri shape.

Do not put in the fridge as they will go hard, the umeboshi will help to keep them fresh for a few hours, if you want just put a damp cloth over them. When your ready to eat them I find a strip of nori ( dried seaweed) makes them easier to hold.

I like to toast my nori in the oven to make it extra crispy. The crunch of the nori and the soft rice then the tang of the umeboshi, just takes me right back to Japan, and for me that is one of the  reasons I make Japanese food.

They are nice just simply served on their own with a sake or a miso soup.

 

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Creation In The Kitchen

There is nothing I enjoy more that creating Japanese inspired food, as I’ve often said somehow it helps me feel more connected to Japan. Even when I cannot be in Japan, using Japanese ingredients to make my food and using the preparation as almost a meditation soothes my soul.

Like most people meals I might start with a list, maybe you have a recipe to follow and you need to get the ingredients. I often plan out what I am going to make and gather the items I need . However when I have a little more time I let the ingredients do the talking. Blindly like an artist might use a blank canvas and paints I look what ingredients I have to hand starting with the fresh produce, then I start to think about what I can make with them using my cupboard stables. I always make sure I have different kinds of miso in the fridge, all my different bottles from mirin,tamari,brown rice vinegar to toasted sesame oil. Sesame seeds, seaweeds,noodles,rice,are all there in my culinary palette. I start to chop and sauté, mix this with that, until I end up with my finished meal. The seasons in Japan play a big part in Japanese life and it definitely reflects in their cuisine, so I like to do the same.

Choosing as much as I can organic and in season and using the least amount of plastic packaging possible, I often pick from seasonal products from a company that offer veg boxes delivered to your door.

This time I used eggplant to make nasu dengaku ( recipe on this website) served with some lovely organic salad. A tofu grain burger and purple sweet potato salad ( potato salad recipe on this website I just used purple potato instead.) Some left over tomato and basil soup from making tsukemen ( see previous blog post ),sauerkraut and an onigiri rolled in furikake with an umeboshi pickled plum. For the salad  I made a sesame dressing and for dessert a single apple crumble using some gifted apples and a slice of fig served with soy cream.

Why don’t you look through the seasonal recipes on this website and maybe make a few things and put them together in a Japanese inspired meal. If you do please share them on Instagram and tag me so I can see them. I’m looking forward to seeing what works of art you can produce in your kitchen.

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Bubuzuke

Do you know the Kyoto breakfast bubuzuke ? Also known as ochazuke or just chazuke. The meal is rice with hot tea poured over and often eaten with pickles. This staple food reflects Kyoto life from over a 1000 years to the Heian period. In Kyoto merchant houses this meal was eaten when the left over rice from the day before had gone slightly hard and cold. So as not to waste a single grain it was eaten for breakfast. A word for breakfast in Japanese is asagohan or morning rice. You can make ochazuke and try out using different tea.

Eat a steaming bowl of brown rice with a roasted hojicha or genmaicha.

Or why not try a summer ochazuke with chilled sencha or Gyokuro. Eaten with cucumber,myoga and a sprinkle of Yuzu pepper.

A one bowl meal makes a filling Japanese equivalent to fast food. Eat with myoga,umeboshi,shibazuke ( pickled eggplant with shiso and ginger) or maybe try making my sweet and spicy daikon pickle (daikon tsukemono ).

Autumn Food, Blog, Spring Food, Summer Food, Winter Food

Tofu Dengaku (In A Miso Umeboshi Glaze)

Dengaku, a miso glaze traditionally used on tofu,daikon or eggplant ( see Nasu Dengaku for a further recipe.) This one has lots of umami flavour as I used Umeboshi plum giving it that sweet,salty and sour taste. To make the glaze mash one tablespoon of Umeboshi plum with one tablespoon of white miso paste or any other miso you prefer like red or hatcho. Add one teaspoon of maple syrup or malted brown rice syrup,a teaspoon of mirin and a teaspoon of brown rice vinegar and mix together. Now you can use this to glaze your tofu. Cut your tofu into cube or steaks if you like and spread on the glaze. Bake in the oven until the tofu is golden. Top onto warm rice to make Tofu Dengaku Donburi. Add a sprinkle of sesame seeds and chopped green onion.

You can use the glaze for eggplant either cut into rounds or lengthways and score a cross hatch pattern into the flesh. This is called kakushi-bocho,this will help the eggplant absorb the flavours while baking. Bake in the oven until tender,again adding some sesame seeds and green onion before serving.

Finally Daikon Dengaku this one is particularly nice in winter. Peel and cut your daikon into at least one inch rounds and simmer until tender in some kombu dashi,do not throw away the water after as it makes nice broth for miso soup. When tender you can serve your daikon as is with some of your miso paste on top .

or why not pan sear first to give your daikon a crispy outer coating. I also like to add a little dashi broth with a dash of tamari when serving my daikon in the bottom of the bowl. Makes for a comforting dish. In this particular paste I added a splash of yuzu citrus ,if you have any paste left over just add it to a jar with a little water put on the lid and give it a little shake for the perfect salad dressing.

Blog, Summer Food

Umeboshi Sweet & Sour Tofu

Do you like Umeboshi ? I must admit it’s an acquired taste tart,tangy and salty. I love them ! These Japanese ancient plums have been used in japan for centuries for their alkalising effect. They are wonderful for the digestion . You can use Umeboshi plums,paste and vinegar ( Ume -su ) in dressings and sauces. You may even see whole Umeboshi in japan tucked inside onigiri or just served on its own with a meal as a palette cleanser.

I decided to use Umeboshi vinegar to make a sweet and sour sauce for tofu. Just Ume-su,raw brown rice malt  syrup and tomato ketchup. I added this to a pan and added a little Kuzu to thicken. Always add cold water to Kuzu first to make a slurry before you add it to any other cooking liquids . I baked some tofu and coated the tofu after baking with the tangy sauce. Carrying on with the Umeboshi theme I made Umeboshi onigiri. Just slice up Umeboshi and add to cooked sushi rice before moulding into shape.

I also like to use the vinegar as a salad dressing this one was a daikon and beansprout salad with mizuna.

Have you thought about adding it in syrups just vinegar and maple syrup added to a fruit salad,makes a delicious alternative .

How do you like to eat your Umeboshi ?

 

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Plum Blossom Meal & Subscription Box

Ume plum blossom is starting to bloom now in Japan and marks the start of Hanami or flower viewing. Ume represents good fortune and wards off evil spirits so this is why you can often see it planted at temples and shrines. One festival  which happens every year is at Kitano Tenmangu Shinto Shrine in Kyoto. It is the Ume Matsuri it happens on February the 25th. One of the main attractions of this event is the outdoor tea ceremony. On the grounds are around 2000 Ume trees so well worth a view if your in the area. Sadly I am not so I decided to celebrate the start of spring with a plum blossom inspired meal.

Temari sushi with Ume seasoning and hoso maki sushi.

Purple sweet potato and cauliflower soup.

Pickled red cabbage and hijiki salad with Ume dressing.

Purple broccoli with a beetroot and miso dip.

Umeboshi.

Anko with marzipan flowers.

I also received to day in the post a wonderful subscription box by a company in Japan called Kizuna Box ( you can find them on Instagram for the link ). This also had a plum blossom theme and was filled with lots of lovely items to celebrate the beginning of spring. I particularly liked the chop sticks ( I wonder why )

 

 

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Sushi Lunch

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

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Onigiri Rice Balls

It’s a beautiful morning although quite windy but I really felt spring was just around the corner to day.
The blossoms are starting to come out on the trees and all the bulbs are flowering . Daffodils dancing in the breeze.
I went for onigiri rice balls for lunch to day with different toppings . Yuba I brought back from nishiki market in Kyoto,edamame and schichimi,finely sliced tomato and daikon leaf with hijiki . With a umeboshi.
Have a wonderful day/evening everyone.
私の昼食
おにぎり

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Miso Soup & My Bento

Oh my goodness I nearly got blown away this morning the wind is quite scary .
Warming up with a miso soup and my bento .
I made onigiri and I had some of those sweet potato okara balls from last nights dinner left over so put in a few of those along with a grilled shiitake and mochi cheese,salad and fruit.
ここの天気はとても風が強く、嵐があります??
私の弁当
みそ汁,
おにぎり,サツマイモとおからのボール,焼きシイタケと餅チーズ,サラダとフルーツ。

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Zenzai


The weather here is Horrible to day high winds and rain ☔️ I made zenzai using @bionaorganic azuki beans .
I cooked them down in water and instead of using loads of sugar I used @clearspringuk rice malt syrup . I topped my zenzai with a grilled mochi rice cake and a dusting of kinako . I also had a matcha and to go with the sweetness of the zenzai you normally have something like pickles so I had an umeboshi plum . Sure wakens up the senses but it’s also really good for digestion .

ぜんざい
餅と黄粉
抹茶
梅干し

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Furikake Onigiri

Furikake onigiri wrapped in nori with a @clearspringuk organic Umeboshi (salt pickled plum with shiso )
These plums have remarkable medicinal qualities. There acidity has an alkaline effect on the body and helps digestion. So many Japanese foods have healing qualities I’m having my onigiri with another a miso soup .
There is so much to be said about miso with its fermentation process promoting a healthy PH in the digestion. A good source of iron,calcium,potassium,protein and some B vitamins.
I have been aiming to have more miso in my diet since I returned from Japan .
This one has daikon leaf,bean sprouts and shimeji mushrooms .
Makes a delicious and satisfying lunch.
ふりかけおにぎりと梅干し
シメジと大根の味噌汁と豆の芽

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Inari Sushi

Inari sushi
いなり寿司
Seasoned Japanese rice with @clearspringuk sushi seasoning then filled pockets of aburaage topped with :
1:Hijiki and furikake
2:Cucumber and pickled ginger
3:Clearspring Umeboshi
4:Black sesame seeds and sliced shiitake
5:Avocado and ginger

Some edamame on the side.

I picked the little fox up at the Inari shrine in Kyoto .