Author: Lucy Seligman

A Poetic Treat Called Ohagi (aka Botamochi)
Though many of them would deny it, the Japanese are notorious sweet-eaters who indulge in a multitude of cakes, most often during teatime. This penchant for snacking dates back to the early Edo period (1603-1867), when eating two large meals a day was the norm – repasts punctuated by endless sweets and cups of green tea.

Two distinct categories of sweets in Japan

There are two distinct categories of sweets in Japan: wagashi, traditional handmade Japanese confections that are usually steamed or uncooked, and yogashi, or Western-style confections.

Traditional Wagashi

Wagashi have historically deep-rooted celebratory and often seasonal connotations, typified by the use of bird and flower names as well as other natural themes, such as uguisumochi (nightingale mochi [pounded rice] cake), sakuramochi (cherry mochi cake), noshiume (pressed plum cake); and rakugan (“falling geese” cake). The poetic nature of these appellations appealed greatly to monks, samurai, high-class merchants, and others of the intelligentsia. And I will admit, I love Japanese treats (especially wagashi), which I can definitely trace back to my many years of studying the Tea Ceremony when I lived in Japan.

Wagashi uses three primary ingredients

Most wagashi uses three primary ingredients: glutinous rice, sugar, and azuki beans. Glutinous rice was first used in confections back in the Yayoi period (300 B.C.-A.D. 300). Sugar brought in from China during the eighth century, was most popular during the Edo period. Azuki beans, mashed, and sweetened, were introduced from China during the Kamakura period (1185-1333).

Ohagi in the Autumn and Botamochi in the Spring

One of the most popular types of wagashi, called ohagi in the autumn, also referred to as botamochi in the spring (bush clover mochi), depending on season and region, can be traced to the Heian era (794-1185).

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Ohagi (Botamochi)

Lucy Seligman

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Ingredients

Chunky bean paste mixture*:
7 oz. 200g dried azuki beans (soaked in cold water for up to 12 hours prior to cooking, then drained and rinsed)
6 cups water
¾ cup white sugar, or to taste
Dash of salt
Rice ball mixture:
5 ¾ oz. (170g) mochigome (glutinous rice)
5 ¾ oz. (170g) short-grain Japanese rice
2 1/3 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
Garnishes:
¼ cup toasted black sesame seeds
3 tablespoons kinako, (soybean flour mixed with 1 tablespoon white sugar or to taste and a pinch of salt)

Instructions

Place the beans in a mortar and crush them roughly with a pestle, adding the sugar and the pinch of salt a little at a time. Place the bean mixture in a clean pot and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 10minutes. The mixture will thicken slightly. Pour into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature.
Wash and drain the rice. Add the water and salt and cook in an electric rice cooker. (The aim is to make slightly firmer rice, which is why less water than usual is used.) When the rice is cooked, let it rest for up to10 minutes. Sprinkle the salt on top, then semi-mash the rice using a mortarand pestle or a small wooden spoon. Divide into 14 to 16 portions and mold intoballs.
To assemble the ohagi, first wet your hands with salted water. Shape the still-warm rice balls into ovals, cylinders or rounds. (The shape and size of ohagi, by the way, are up to you.) Cover each ball with a thin film ofchunky bean paste. Roll the balls in the sesame seeds or soybean flour mixture,covering them thoroughly, or leave them as is. You can also make a small holein the bottom of the rice balls, add a small core of red bean paste, and thenproceed with the above method for covering the ohagi. Serve within 12 hours,with plenty of hot green tea as accompaniment.

Notes
*If you prefer to use ready-made chunky and or smooth red bean paste called anko, that works too!

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Did You Make This Recipe?

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Japanese Dry Curry – Pilaf Style
We all know about saucy liquidy stew-like Japanese traditional curries—so many variations to choose from and try and make….but what about Japanese Dry Curry-Pilaf Style?

Have you ever made it? Quick, easy and tasty, and a wonderful way to use up all those bits and pieces lingering in your refrigerator.

I don’t know about you, but I have been on the lookout for delicious and fast dishes that don’t take me hours in the kitchen, which is hot at the moment and seems to have become my first home in recent months of sheltering in place here in the Bay area.

Hot Weather is Curry Weather

I also find anything with curry stimulates the appetite, always a good thing in hot weather. There is a hint of sweetness in the use of raisins, but those can be optional, but it is a nice balance to the savory flavors of this dish.

This is a very forgiving dish and it is fun to create your own and new combination of ingredients. Use my recipe first as your guide, then go wild, and let me know what you came up with! It is also the perfect dish for a bento lunch and or served at room temperature.

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Japanese Dry Curry – Pilaf Style

Lucy Seligman

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Course lunch dish, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups cooked Japanese rice
7 to 8 ounces meat: such as ground beef, thick bacon, ham, chicken or seafood, such as small shrimp or scallops, chopped
3-1/2 ounces carrots, finely chopped
3-1/2 ounces green peppers, finely chopped
3-1/2 ounces onion, finely chopped
3 ounces green beans, thinly sliced
Salad oil as needed
2 tbsps curry powder (Japanese-style), or to taste and desired hotness
2 to 3 tbsps raisins (soaked in warm water to soften), drained, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
3 ounces cooked green peas*

Instructions

Chop all vegetables and meat (if necessary) into roughly the same size. Sauté vegetables in a little oil, until soft. Add desired protein. Continue cooking until done, adding curry powder and raisins.
Add the cooked rice, chopping it up (use the back of your wooden spoon), and combining with the rest of the ingredients. Cook until the rice is heated through.
Just before serving, add in the green peas and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Notes
Other garnishes you could use: Minced parsley or some boiled Broccoli florets, or you could do a garnish of Japanese pickles, such as crunchy Rakkyo (pickled Japanese scallions), the traditional garnish for Japanese curry. You can also garnish the plate with avocado and red onion slices in a light vinaigrette to make a more complete meal.

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Potato Korokke (Japanese Croquettes) Recipe
Contrary to popular belief, potatoes have always been an integral part of Japanese cooking, especially in the form of potato croquettes (called korokke コロッケ). There are a variety to choose from such as jaga-imo (potato), satsuma imo (sweet potato), sato-imo (taro), and yama imo (yams)—usually eaten raw.

When Did Potatoes Come to Japan?

Potato Croquettes (called Korokke コロッケ) in Japanese have been a beloved, popular and delicious dish enjoyed by both kids and adults since the Taisho Era (1912-1925) when many western foods (yoshoku) gained popularity in Japan. How to make proper croquettes was even taught at girls’ high schools back then. Today, ready-made and frozen croquettes of infinite variety are available everywhere. But, the traditional croquette in Japan remains that made only from potatoes.

Croquette Cooking Tips

The main secret to a successful croquette is tasty potatoes, a light hand when frying, and to serve it piping hot. Croquettes can become tasteless and soggy very quickly. Having said all of that!, croquettes are also a bento favorite (ie served cold), and as well as popular street food.

Why not get the kids involved to help make them and make a party out of it? You can make extra, and wrap each individually and freeze. You don’t even have to defrost them to fry them either.

Croquettes typically use panko (Japanese bread crumbs) which gives a very nice crispy coating. I love panko, and use it all the time, even in non-Japanese recipes.

Don’t forget to check out the notes section of the recipe for more variations!

In the notes section of the recipe, I have included some popular variations for you to try as well.

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Japanese Potato Croquettes (Korokke)

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

2 cups hot mashed potatoes, such as Russet or Idaho
2 tbsps butter
1/4 tsp salt or to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper or to taste
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
1 tbsp minced white onion or to taste
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
Coating:
1 Beaten egg combined with 1 or 2 tablespoons cold water for dipping
All-purpose flour as needed
Panko (Japanese dried breadcrumbs) as needed*
Vegetable oil for deep-frying as needed
Garnish:
Watercress or parsley sprigs
Tonkatsu sauce

Instructions

Mix all croquette ingredients lightly together (a few lumps are okay). Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Form the croquettes into desired shapes: typical Japanese shapes are either short thick cylinders or small thick patties. Lightly pat all-over with flour (dusting off the excess), dip into egg mixture, and roll in the breadcrumbs, patting off any excess.
Quickly deep fry the croquettes in the oil until golden brown, turning once. Don't crowd the pan when doing. Drain briefly on paper towels and serve on a heated platter, garnishing the plate either with watercress or parsley sprigs. Pass Tonkatsu sauce separately. Serve piping hot.

Notes
Some popular variations include:

Add in cooked ground beef (only use a little), carrot and onion to make Ground Beef & Potato Croquettes. You could also add in minced sauteed mushrooms if you want more vegetables. Lotus root or gobo (burdock root) could also be a variation (minced and boiled before mixing into potato mixture.)

Kani (Crab) Cream Croquette: Uses a white cream sauce, and add in canned or fresh crab as a rich and yummy alternative.

You can add in bacon and cheese if you like. Just adding grated cheese to potatoes would also be another tasty option.

Try sweet potato instead of potatoes, or do a combo of both.

Season with curry powder to make Curry Croquette for a different flavor.

To make a complete meal of Korokke, serve with miso soup and rice, garnishing the plate with sliced tomatoes and julienned cabbage (sengiri).

*You can also make fresh breadcrumbs if desired instead of using panko.

Keyword potatoes

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Enjoying A Cherry Blossom Picnic Bento (Ohanami) At Home
A favorite Japanese past time is Hanami, or Japanese flower viewing celebrations. In this case, Sarah B. Hodge is back to talk about the viewing of Cherry Blossoms (sakura); needless to say, delicious foods and drinks are always a part of this!

It’s Cherry Blossom Season in Japan

2020 has proven to be a strange year indeed…

Normally at this time, the Japanese are excitedly packing up the equivalent of picnic hampers full of beer, sake, and springtime delicacies to be enjoyed communally under the delicate, fleeting cherry blossoms. But with COVID-19 ravaging the globe and Japan currently under a state of emergency, some of Japan’s best-known cherry blossom festivals such as Hirosaki and Nakameguro have been canceled, and parks placed off-limits to would-be picnickers.

However, hanami bento can still be enjoyed from the comfort (and safety!) of home.

Enjoying Hanami Bento

The key to a successful hanami bento is a combination of flavors, textures, and foods that will hold up well without refrigeration (less an issue if you’re having a hanami party from home). Ideally, you’ll want items that make good finger foods and that taste good at room temperature.

Foods I make regularly that travel well include:
- Inarizushi with salt-preserved cherry blossoms
- Cherry blossom onigiri
- Cherry blossom tofu
- Tricolor quail eggs made to look like festive hanami dango (marinate cooked, peeled quail eggs in a solution of matcha or spinach furikake for green / mentaiko furikake sprinkles mixed with water for pink; the longer you let the eggs marinate, the more pronounced the color will be)
For a Western-inspired treat, consider mozzarella caprese on bamboo skewers traditionally used for yakitori: simply layer bocconcini, fresh basil, and cherry tomatoes. Just before serving, drizzle with a balsamic glaze.

Caprese Skewers

Strawberries and Sakura Mochi

Hanami-themed desserts can range from the simple (succulent fresh strawberries) to traditional hanami dango and sakura mochi, or if you’re in a baking mood, these divine sweet-with-a-hint-of-salt sakura cookies or sakura madeleines.

My recipes may include affiliate links, so without costing you anything extra, I’ll earn a small percentage of the sales if you purchase these items through these links. Thank you for your support!

Not sure where to get ingredients? I like NIHON ICHIBAN (a shop for authentic Japanese products run by the same family for 5 generations) and they have CHINRIU Salt Pickled Sakura Cherry Blossoms.

Sakura Tofu Recipe
Sakura Tofu

Masami Asao

Sakura Tofu recipe courtesy of dietician and shojin ryori instructor Masami Asao of Akasaka Teran

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Course Side Dish
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

500 grams firm tofu
50 grams Japanese yam (yamaimo), peeled and grated
30 grams salted cherry blossoms soaked in several changes of cold water to remove excess salt (reserve around four of the nicest-looking blossoms to decorate the top)
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sake

Instructions

Wrap the tofu in cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel.
The starting weight of the tofu is 500 grams
Press and squeeze the tofu and turn it, removing excess water.
After squeezing the water out, the tofu should weigh 350 grams.
Put the tofu in a mortar.
Grind the tofu into a fine paste.
Add the grated Japanese yam, sugar, salt, and sake and continue to grind and mix well until evenly distributed. Add the cherry blossoms and mix well.
Put the tofu in a greased silicone baking mold or a metal kanten mold with removable sides and decorate with the cherry blossoms. You can also use a small rectangular tray or dish as an alternative. You can also use a greased silicone pancake ring to make individual tofu blossoms! Steam for 15 minutes.
To serve, take out the tofu and cut it into 4 pieces (or unmold if using a silicone mold).

Keyword Tofu

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Want more Sakura Tofu Guidance?

Here is a step-by-step instructional video that may be helpful. The narration is in Japanese but there are English subtitles provided.

https://youtu.be/eN9ZozyhonY

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Bento Designs

There are also several tips and tricks to make your bento seasonally themed: the cheapest and most eye-catching is investing in a set of metal cutters in the shape of cherry blossoms or individual petals. These work best with firm raw vegetables like carrots, rainbow radishes, and bell peppers (if you want to cook the vegetables, such as carrots, cut first then cook just until al dente or they will fall apart on toothpicks). You can also use these cutters to make cute, three-dimensional cherry blossom garnishes of pressed ham layered on top of white cheese slices or kamaboko (fish sausage).

Another useful tool is a wooden or metal sakura rice mold. I purchase mine from revered knife shop Aritsugu, which has been in business since the 16^th century.

If you’re lucky enough to live near a Japanese grocery store or 100-yen shop like Daiso, you’ll find loads of seasonal bento items specifically designed for hanami, including waxed paper cups for individual portions and cute wooden toothpicks topped with cherry blossoms and other seasonal shapes. If you’ll be having your hanami picnic indoors, use a colorful floral tablecloth or furoshiki as a mat and decorate with fresh flowers.

Hanami bento supplies

Many Japanese sake and beer breweries produce springtime releases; Kanagawa-based Sankt Gallen takes it one step further with its sakura beer. Each 2,340-liter (618.2-gallon) batch of Sankt Gallen Sakura is made with 60 kilograms of (132.2 pounds) of petals from Nagano Prefecture’s Koen no Sakura variety of cherry blossoms.

So no matter how or where you choose to enjoy your hanami bento, take a moment to breathe deeply and appreciate the fleeting beauty of the cherry blossoms and the renewal of spring.

Sarah B. Hodge (www.bundtlust.com) is a food and travel writer for several publications in Japan including JNTO’s Tokyo and Beyond: 2020 Tokyo Olympics tourism website, Tokyo Weekender and Stars and Stripes Japan. She also is a recipe tester, proofreader, and cookbook reviewer for a wide range of international cookbook releases.All Photographs by Sarah B. Hodge.

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Tori no Hikizuri: A Chicken-based Precursor of Sukiyaki
Like many cultures, Japan first used chickens as living alarm clocks. The first record of this dates back to the Kojiki, the country’s first official history book, written in 712. The chicken was considered a sacred bird back then because it told people when morning had come, and apparently no one considered consuming the source of their wake-up calls!

Tori no Hikizuri Recipe – One Pot Chicken Dish

Where did Japan’s first chicken come from? We know that during the Heian era (794 – 1190) Chinese chickens were used in Japan for fortune telling (reportedly by guessing the cock’s song) in addition to announcing the dawn. From the end of the Muromachi era (1338 – 1573) to the early Edo era (1603 – 1867), trading among other Asian countries involved using chickens as currency; they were also sold as pets and matched in cockfights. But eating them (and such animals as horses, monkeys, cows, and boars) was prohibited by Buddhist strictures.

The taboo of eating chicken

This taboo was lifted by the 1600s, due largely to a lack of food and occasional periods of true famine. Chickens were also being raised on a small scale domestically. As to which was consumed first, the chicken or the egg, in Japan’s case it was undeniably the egg.

Cookbooks from the Edo era show a variety of egg dishes, but no chicken dishes. In 1643, however, the book Ryori monogatari (The Story of Cooking) contained a small section of preparing chicken, but it wasn’t until the end of the Edo era that chicken became a common comestible. In those days, chicken cuisine probably meant Nanban ryori (Western cuisine that originated in Nagasaki) and Shippoku ryori (derived from Chinese cuisine). Both used chicken in their dishes, although it still wasn’t popular among the common people.

One area renowned for chicken production, breeding, and cuisine is central Japan, specifically Aichi and Gifu prefectures. In Aichi, the Owari samurai of Nagoya castle raised chickens as a side business to selling the eggs, they also sold the chickens as pets.

One of the clans was the Kaifu family, who eventually produced Toshiki Kaifu, one of Japan’s prime ministers. During the early Meiji era (1868 – 1912), the Kaifus created a new chicken by cross breeding a Chinese chicken and a regional chicken called Nagoya cochin that had better – tasting meat and could produce more eggs.

Tori no Hikizuri Origin

The origins of this dish, tori no hikizuri, are a bit mysterious. It was first mentioned in 1806 in a book entitled Ukare suzume yugi jima (which translates as “Merry Sparrows Dancing Island”) by Junrei Gohosha. Hikizuri comes from the word “hikizuru,” a verb meaning “to pull or drag,” and was applied because people “pulled” the ingredients from inside the pot. Although many people think this dish is an imitation of sukiyaki, the latter actually mimicked tori no hikizuri.

This is total and yummy comfort food cooked at the dining table! I love to serve this to family and friends. Everyone gets a kick out of it being cooked in front of them and serving themselves! It is also easy, something we can all appreciate, especially now.

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Tori no Hikizuri: A Chicken-based Precursor of Sukiyaki

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

600 grams (21 ozs) free-range boned chicken, (use breast and or thigh), cut into medium-sized chunks or thick slices
200 grams (7 ozs) chicken liver and gizzards, cut into pieces
1-1/2 blocks yakidofu (grilled tofu), drained and cut into 1-inch slices
200 grams (7 ozs) negi, (Japanese leeks), cut diagonally on the bias into thin slices
225 grams (8 ozs) shirataki (devil's tongue noodles), parboiled for 2 to 3 minutes, drained and cut in half
Broth (Warishita)
2/3 cup 100 % pure mirin (sweet rice wine), or as needed
1/3 cup tamari soy sauce, or as needed
1 cup water, or as needed
Dipping Sauce
4 fresh eggs, optional

Instructions

Pour the mirin into a sukiyaki pan, cast–iron pan, or pot, but do not oil it first as you would for sukiyaki. Bring to a rolling boil for a few minutes to burn off the alcohol. Add the tamari and the chicken, vegetables, and other prepared ingredients a little at a time, and cook until done. Thin out the sauce with water as needed.
To serve, use a beaten egg as your dipping sauce if you want.

Notes
Optional ingredients to add if you want:
1. Shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and cut in half
2. One or two bunches of mitsuba (trefoil), cut off ends, and cut into 2-inch pieces

Keyword chicken

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Salmon and Vegetable Tonjiru Soup: A modern twist on an old classic
Although the weather has been unusually warm and sunny here in the Bay area for the past few weeks, I was craving Tonjiru (豚汁,とんじる), a classic hearty umami-flavored miso-based soul-satisfying pork soup, usually made in the winter. Ton is defined as pork, and jiru meaning soup. Depending on the region, this can also be called Butajiru (豚汁,ぶたじる).

Although my updated and more modern (or even California) version is so dense with a variety of yummies, that perhaps I should call it a rustic stew? Instead of using the more traditional pork and or pork belly, I replaced it with fresh salmon chunks and added in uncured bacon for an extra layer of flavor and to stay true to the original recipe of Tonjiru. But, you can delete the bacon, although technically it can’t then be called Tonjiru anymore! I even added in kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), a favorite of mine, along with lots of other root vegetables and tofu. You can play around with the ingredients and add in others that you may prefer, such as potatoes. That’s the fun, versatility and flexibility of making Tonjiru. I also used a milder white miso in this dish, which also helped to keep it light, so that it can be enjoyed year-round if you like. This is an easy and quick main course and or substantial soup that is a great addition to your Japanese cooking repertoire.

I have been asked by many of my Facebook readers recently to post the recipe, so here it is! Be sure to check out the basic miso soup recipe first!

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Salmon and Vegetable Tonjiru Soup

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

6 cups dashi stock
1 tbsp Japanese sesame oil
3/4 pound salmon fillets*, cut into thick slices, skinned and deboned
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger, or to taste, optional
3 slices uncured bacon*, cut thickly, optional
1-2 tbsps cooking oil
1 white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed Japanese pumpkin (kabocha)
3/4 cup peeled daikon radish, cut into half moon slices
1/2 cup peeled and thinly sliced or shredded gobo (burdock root)
3 satoimo (Japanese taro), peeled and cut into half moon slices
1 carrot, peeled and cut into thick circles
1/2 block konnyaku (konjac), cut in half and thinly sliced
5-6 tbsps white miso**, to taste
shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced, optional
1 block firm tofu, drained and cut into medium-sized cubes
Garnish
1/4 cup minced green onions
Shichimitogarashi (7 spice pepper) optional

Instructions

Prep all of your ingredients. The goal is to cut all of your ingredients into uniform and similar sizes.
Make your dashi and set aside.
In a deep pot, saute the ginger and bacon (if using) in sesame oil until slightly browned. Remove the bacon from pot, leaving the ginger, and add in oil. Cook onion and other ingredients such as gobo, kabocha, daikon, taro, and carrot until slightly softened. Add in konnyaku, and mushrooms (if using).
Pour in hot dashi stock. Add in salmon and bacon, if using. Bring to a high simmer. If needed, skim off any scum from top of the soup. Cook until all the vegetables are tender.
Turn off heat and add in miso using a strainer. Taste. You may want to add in more miso at this point. Add in tofu and gently stir to heat up thoroughly. If you need to reheat do so gently but never boil as you will lessen the flavor of the miso.
To serve, ladle into deep soup bowls and top with green onions. Pass shichimitogarashi separately. Eat immediately.

Notes

*Replace the salmon with the more traditional thinly sliced pork and or pork belly (use up to 1/2 lb). If doing so, then saute with the ginger. Delete the bacon if doing this version.

**Don’t use Kyoto white miso in this dish. It would make it too sweet. Just use plain white miso.

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Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya
Until I lived in Nagoya, I thought I only preferred less salty, lighter-colored misos, on the sweeter side. But the first time I had Misonikomi, another Nagoyan specialty, and tasted the deeply red and pungent hatcho (red) miso, my miso taste preferences widened and expanded. I loved making my kishimen noodle recipe from earlier this month, but this one might be even better!

While testing this recipe, I was thrilled to find hatcho miso in the Bay area to use. If you are looking for a deeply satisfying, savory, umami-filled hearty noodle dish, Misonikomi is for you! Make sure you not only have chopsticks, but a soup spoon as you will want to spoon and slurp up every drop of the addictively tantalizing, comforting and delicious soup broth.

If you like this, check out Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya too.

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Misonikomi Noodles from Nagoya

Lucy Seligman

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Ingredients

14 oz. handmade or dried thick udon noodles
5 oz. chicken breast boned, skinned, and cut into small bite-sized pieces
4 slices kamaboko, steamed fishcake optional
3 ½ oz. Japanese leeks roughly chopped
3 ½ oz. carrots cut into rounds
5 cups strong dashi
2-3 tablespoons hatcho miso soybean paste, or a mixture of 70% red miso and 30% brown miso
4 eggs
3 ½ oz. fresh spinach stemmed, washed, and parboiled, with excess water squeezed out
To garnish:
Shichimitogarashi “seven tastes” pepper

Instructions

Boil the chicken, kamaboko, leeks, and carrots in the dashi stock until half-way cooked. Remove.
Next, add the udon to the stock and boil until it reaches a chewy consistency. Then add the hatcho miso and continue to cook. As soon as the stock returns to the boil, remove the udon and place in four deep soup bowls.
Break the eggs into the stock (perhaps in two batches), and poach until half-way done. While the eggs are cooking, distribute the chicken, kamaboko, spinach, and other vegetables over the udon.
Place one egg in the center of each serving, and ladle soup over it – the heat of the soup will finish cooking the chicken, vegetables, and egg. Serve shichimi pepper separately.

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Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya
This month’s recipes are typical Nagoya fare: kishimen, a flat, wide quick-cooking udon noodle called hirauchi; and misonikomi (in next blog post), a dish of thicker handmade udon noodles in a hearty hatcho (red miso) broth.

If you don’t like noodles, you could never be happy in Nagoya. Happily, I love noodles, and loved my years of living in Nagoya and sampling and cooking many of their regional dishes. If you can’t get the right sort of noodles. Western-type pasta such as fettuccine can be used instead.

Although there are few ingredients in this classic Kishimen recipe, don’t be deceived. It packs an intense wallop of flavors and taste sensations, especially the abundant topping of katsuobushi.

A Nagoyan friend recently told me that Fried Ebi (shrimp) Curry Kishimen is a modern twist to this traditional kishimen recipe I am posting about and becoming popular. Of course, fried shrimp is a favorite Nagoyan dish too!

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Kishimen Noodles from Nagoya

Lucy Seligman

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Course Main Course
Cuisine Japanese

Servings 4

Ingredients

14 oz. fresh or dried kishimen noodles
3 ½ oz. fried tofu (abura-age) cut into triangles or squares
5 tablespoons mirin, sweet rice wine
3 tablespoons soy sauce
½ cup water
For the broth:
5 cups strong dashi, fish stock
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sake rice wine
1 ½ teaspoons mirin
¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
To garnish:
2 cups lightly packed dried bonito shavings, katsuobushi

Instructions

First, make the broth: in a large saucepan, combine the dashi, soy sauce, sake, mirin, and salt. Heat through and set aside.
Place the fried tofu in a separate shallow saucepan with the mirin, soy sauce and 1/2 cup of water. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer, turning occasionally, until the tofu has softened, plumbed up, and takes on a deeper brownish color – roughly ten minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the tofu in the saucepan to keep it warm.
Cook the kishimen according to the directions on the package, but take them out while still chewy. Add to the dashi broth and mix for a minute or two.
Pour the kishimen broth mixture evenly into four large soup bowls, distribute the abura-age between them, and top with generous mounds of bonito shavings. Eat at once.

Keyword noodles

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Matsumae Zoni Soup
Looking for a recipe on Mastumae Zoni soup from Hokkaido? You’ve come to the right place!

New Year has always been an integral part of Japanese society. Osechi is the essence of traditional Japanese home cooking, and consists of all the celebratory dishes prepared at home two or three days prior to New Year’s Day – Japan’s most important festival called Oshogatsu.

Traditionally all the dishes that make up the osechi panoply are precooked and put into special four-tiered lacquerware boxes called jubako by New Year’s Eve. New Year’s festivities run from January 1 to 3. During that time no cooking is done – just more non-perishable food is added to the jubako as family or guests drop by. Instead of rice, mochi, or pounded rice cakes, are eaten. If you are lucky enough to find fresh mochi at the end of the year, by all means try it! This is perhaps the only time of the year when the Japanese housewife isn’t tied to the kitchen.

Zoni is a regional soup with pounded toasted rice cakes (mochi), chicken or fish, and vegetables served separately after gorging on the many foods in the jubako. It is usually the only hot dish served. Matsumae Zoni is a specialty of Hokkaido, and one of my absolute favorites to make for Osechi, aka Japanese New Year’s. I explored Kyoto-style Zoni in the past so be sure to check that one out, too!

The Wonderful World of Osechi: Japanese New Year’s Recipes

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Matsumae Zoni Soup Recipe
Matsumae Zoni Soup

Lucy Seligman

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Servings 4

Ingredients

4 pieces fresh salmon fillet, 2” by 1”
4 tbsps red salmon roe
6 cups konbu dashi* stock (see Notes)
4 thick slices peeled daikon radish
8 thick slices carrot, peeled
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed
4 rice cakes (mochi)
4 tbsps low-sodium soy sauce, or to taste
2 tbsps sake
1 tsp salt
Garnish
A few sprigs of trefoil (mitsuba)
grated yuzu peel or meyer lemon peel

Instructions

Make fish stock according to the directions in the Notes section. Flavor stock with soy sauce, sake and salt. Add daikon radish, carrot, shiitake mushrooms and salmon. Boil until soft (roughly five minutes).
Meanwhile, toast rice cakes until they puff up and brown. It takes about six to seven minutes. They should look like oversized marshmallows.
In each deep soup bowl, lay one rice cake on the bottom and arrange other ingredients against it. Add stock and top with salmon roe and a few sprigs of trefoil and or yuzu peel. Serve immediately.

Notes
How to make Konbu Dashi Stock:
Take a 6-inch piece of kelp (konbu), wipe lightly with a damp cloth and put into a pot with 6 cups water. Bring to a boil and remove kelp. Add a generous 3/4 cup of dried bonito shavings (katsuobushi) and boil for one minute. Turn off heat and after 2 minutes, strain.

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Essential Japanese Herbs, Spices, and Condiments

Like most cuisines, Japanese cooking employs a variety of fragrant herbs, spices, and condiments called yakumi to help create those delectable Japanese flavors and tastes. As the world becomes smaller, many of these can now be found overseas and are being used innovatively in many other cuisines. Here are some of the more important seasonings in the Japanese flavor palette.

Note: Herbs and spices like ginger and wasabi must be peeled and grated to release the full impact of their flavor.

Elements of the Japanese Palate

Sansho (aromatic Japanese pepper) also known as prickly ash, is an invigorating spice. The young leaves, called kinome, are used as a garnish in rice and simmered dishes to herald spring.(ground sansho) can be used as a seasoning and spice, and is always served with grilled eel. Sansho powder goes well with simmered meat (dipped in Ponzu sauce) or even sautéed meat, too. Try sprinkling it on your grilled steak for a change. Tip: I store my Sansho in a closed ziplock bag and store in the freezer to preserve freshness.

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Shiso (perilla), a member of the mint family, is originally from China, Burma, and the Himalayas. There are green and red varieties, and both can be eaten raw or cooked. The buds (ho-jiso), which are grown in darkness, are used in the dipping sauce for sashimi. Aka-jiso, the red variety, is used to make pickled plums (umeboshi). The green variety, ao-jiso, is used as a garnish, in sushi rolls, and in tenpura. It is also great in salad dressings, and I often use it as a substitute for basil in pasta dishes.

Shoga (ginger) was initially used in the dipping sauce for sashimi before the advent of wasabi. One of the most commonly used spices in Japan, it can be eaten raw or cooked, but don’t forget to peel it. Its sharp, pungent taste is the perfect foil to oily dishes, and it is used in finely grated form in tenpura dipping sauce. Vinegared sliced ginger, called gari, accompanies sushi and helps to refresh the palate.

Togarashi is the Japanese word for red chiles and refers to a number of condiments. I like to have two dried spice combinations on hand, both of which are traditionally used as flavoring agents in soba noodle dishes: ichimi togarashi (ground, dried red pepper) and shichimi togarashi (a fragrant blend of seven different spices). Tip: I keep my togarashi condiments in a closed ziplock bag and store in the freezer to preserve freshness.

One of the most famous spices is the pungent and bitingly fiery native Japanese horseradish, Wasabi. Grated fresh wasabi, which has quite a kick to it, is served with sashimi and sushi and used to flavor cold soba noodle dipping sauces. Try mixing some prepared wasabi into mayonnaise and using it as a sandwich spread or in salad dressings. Wasabi zuke (pickles) are a special product of Shizuoka.

There are a number of other herbs and spices that are not so easy to find but are worth seeking out.

Karashi (Japanese mustard) is bitter and hot and should be eaten sparingly; it accompanies oden (hodgepodge stew) and is often mixed with soy sauce to make a tangy sauce for boiled greens.

Mitsuba (trefoil), a member of the parsley family with a very assertive taste that can be used in several ways, both raw or cooked. Chopped up (including part of the upper stem) into soups or salads, as a garnish for chawanmushi, or even as oshitashi (boiled greens topped with dried bonito shavings).

Myoga: an edible bud that has a refreshingly crunchy texture. Great chopped up into salads or as a garnish in hiya somen. Always eaten raw.

Negi (Spring onion): Used in a variety of ways. Raw, it’s found chopped up used as a garnish on top of noodles and in dipping sauces. It is one of the most important ingredients in nabe (stews). Also chopped up in aji no tataki (raw horse mackerel), along with grated ginger. I use Konegi (thin Negi) or Asatsuki for Tataki if I can find it. I use all varieties of negi for miso soup. I love grilled negi, eaten with red miso.

Seri (Japanese parsley): used in clear soups as a flavoring, or as oshitashi.

Yuzu: Japanese citron, has a delicious citrus bouquet. I always use yuzu juice to make homemade Ponzu sauce if I can find it fresh here in the Bay area. Ponzu is great for a nabe dipping sauce, Katsuo no Tataki, and also with boiled sliced pork (preferably with sansho or ichimi or shichimi togarashi mixed in it). Can also be grated and added to miso to make sauces, or used in baking, such as my yuzu-meyer-lemon-poundcake. Tip: Dry fresh yuzu halves and grate to add to your shichimi togarashi in the autumn or winter for a delicious taste.

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