Wakasagi no Furai

This is a deep-fried pond smelt with butter( wheat flour and crumb ).
Wakasagi ( pond smelt ) has plain tast.
It is not so fishy.
And it is rich in calcium.
I put worcester sauce or mustard on it before eat it.

Datemaki

Datemaki is a rolled sweet omelet mixed with surimi(fish paste).
Usually It is made from egg, surimi, soy sauce, mirin ( or sake ), sugar, salt, and so on.
If you cook it at home, you can mix hanpen as surimi to egg.
Baked omelet is rolled with bamboo mat while it is still warm.
Datemaki is a typical new year's food in Japan.

Meharizushi

Meharizushi is a rice ball covered with pickled takana leafe.
"takana" is a variety of the leaf mustard.
Pickled takana (with salt) has a nice flavor.
This is a country dish of kumano rigion(a part of wakayama prefecture and a part of mie prefecture).
But I think it is getting known in kanto area(Tokyo and surround) in these days.

Tendon (Tempura Bowl)

Tendon is a bowl of rice topped with tempura.
Usually It is poured with mildly sweet sauce (Tare) which is made from dashi-stock, mirin, soy sauce, sugar and so on.

Prawn is most popular ingredient for Tendon.
In this photo, tempura topped on the rice, are prawn, pumpkin, and small sweet green pepper.

Amaebi no Sashimi

This is a sashimi of Amaebi.
Amaebi is a shrimp which has beautiful pinc colour.
It live at depths of between 200 and 500m.

Literaly, "amaebi" means sweet shrimp.
It has a unique sweet taste, if it is eaten as raw.
And It has a soft texture.

I like drink hot sake(rice wine) slowly with having this sashimi.

Yokan

Yokan is a traditional Japanese sweet.
It is a sweet jellied red beans paste.
Usually it is made of red beans, agar-agar, and sugar.
Usually it is sold in block form, so we slice it and serve.
I like have it with green tea,

Chikuwa no Isobe-age

chikuwa is a kind of Surimi.
This is a deep-fried chikuwa flavored with green laver.
The batter is made by mixing wheat flour, green laver, and water.
Cut chikuwa is covered with the batter and deep-fried in salada oil.

It is good for Bento and also good with beer.

Kintoki-mame no Nimame

" Kintoki-mame" is a kind of bean.
It has nice colour and excellent taste.
"taisho-kintoki" is most popular species in kintoki-mame.

"Nimame" is a simmered beans dish which is made by soaking dried beans in water, and simmer it in sweet.

It has sweet taste, and soft texture.
I think it is also good for bento.

Kitsune Udon

This is a kind of hot type udon dish.
I have already posted about hot type udon dish, Please check Kake udon.

"Kitsune" means literally "fox", but in this case, it means aburaage.
We simmer aburaage mildly sweet, and put it on kake udon.

It is popular in Osaka.
In Osaka, they call it just "Kitsune".

Sanma no Sashimi

"Sanma" means pacific saury.
I have already introduced you Sanma no Shioyaki.
It is most popular sanma dish.
But it is also good to eat sanma as sashimi, if it is so fresh.
In these days, sanma for sashimi are sold in supermarket.
In my case, I put grated ginger and soy sauce on it, and eat it.

Horenso no Shiraae

"horenso" means spinach.
"shiraae, 白和え" means a style of Japanese dish dress some ingredient such as konnyaku, and vegetable with mashed tofu, white sesame seed, and sweet white miso (optionally).

In this photo, boiled spinach is dressed with mashed tofu, white sesame seed paste, soy sauce, sugar and salt.

Tako Yaki

This is fried octopus dumpling (ball).
Usually the batter is made from wheat flour, egg, and water or dashi-stock.
Ingredients in the ball are chopped octopus, beni-shoga(pickled ginger), tenkasu(crunchy bits of deep-fried tempura batter) and so on.

Those are fried on takoyaki mold (plate).
After fried, thoes balls are put takoyaki sauce, and splinkled shreded dried bonito and green laver.

Yaki Udon

Udon is thick white noodle made from whaet flour.
"Yaki Udon is stir-fried udon.
Udon noodles are stir-fried with meat, vegetables ,and soy sauce or worester sauce.
In my case, I usually have it with soy sauce.
They say that yaki udon was born in kyushu region after world war 2.

Hijiki no Gomoku Ni

This is also called "Gomoku Hijiki" .
It is a typical dish of hijiki and well known simmered dish.
It is made by stir-fring and simmering hijiki with other ingredients.

Typical ingredients.
Aburaage
Chikuwa
Konnyaku
Carrot
Lotus-root
Burdock
Shiitake-mushroom
Soy bean

( It is not necessary to cook all )


Soy sauce
Sugar
Salada oil


Hijiki is a kind of sea weed.
It is rich in fiber, calucium, and iron.
We usually buy dried hijiki, and sock it into water to recover it befor cook it.

Horenso no Ohitashi

This is a boiled spinach seasoned with soy sauce.
We usually boile spinach in hot water.
Put it cold water to cool it.
Squeeze it to drain off the water.
Mix it with soy sauce and dashi-stock.
And serve it topped on shreded dried bonito.

By the way, I remenber I learned how to cook it in elementary school.

Kamaboko

Kamaboko is a traditional Japanese food which is made fron ground white fish meat
sesoned.
Kamaboko is made by forming surimi on wooden board, and steaming it.

We usually slice it and eat.
It is also good put soy sause and wasabi on it just before eat it.

Kamaboko is rich in protein, low in fat and calorie.

Hotate Kaibashira no Sashimi

This is scallop sashimi.
It has nice texture and nice taste.
And it is also nutritious food.

Scallop is rich in ingredients of "Umami".
"Umami" is one of five basic taste.
So it is delicious.


(note)
"Hotate" means scallop.
"Kaibashira means an adductor muscle in a shellfish.

Sunomono

Sunomono is a type of Japanese dish which is made by mixing some ingrente to vinedgar ( "Awase zu) which is made by mixing some seasonings to vinegar.

This photo is a sunomono of Wakame and sliced cucumber.
In my case, I mix Wakame, and sliced cucumber, vinegar and sugar.

Ika no Karaage

This is deep-fried squid.
"Karaage" is a type of deep-fried dish which is made by deep-frying ingredient coated slightly by potato starch or wheet flow.
I have already post Tori no Karaage.
please chek it.

"Ika" means squid.
Squid is rich in taurine.
We usually cut it into ring shaped, when we deep-fry it.
I think This is also good for Bento, and good with beer.

Inarizushi

It is also called "Oinarisan".
Inarizushi is a pouch of aburaage stuffed with vinegared rice.
I have alredy post the article of aburaage on this blog. please check it.

Usually cut in halves aburaage are simmered mildly sweet taste.
Pulled open pouch shaped.
And stuffed with vinegared rice.

Some time, we mix some ingredient such as carrot, shitake-mashroom with vinegared rice.

Chikuwa

Chikuwa is a traditional Japanese food which made from ground fish meat seasoned.
Chikuwa is made by wrapping ingredients around a stick, and grilling (some time steam).
It appears in various dish such as simmered dish, deep-fried dish.
And it is also good to mix it to other ingredient as raw, or to eat as raw without seasoning.

We often stuff some ingredients into center hole of Chikuwa such as cucumber.

Main ingredient of Chikuwa is ground fish meat, It is rich in protein and low in fat.

Zaru Soba

Zarusoba is a cold type soba dish.

It is similar to Mori Soba.

Zaru soba is topped with shreded Nori.
Mori soba is topped with nothing.
Both of soba noodle and dipping sauce are same in Zaru soba and Mori soba.

In my case, I prefer Zarusoba.
Because I think Nori is good for soba.


(Note)
Usually Zaru soba is served on rounded plate, Mori soba is served on squarish plate.

Long ago, Dipping sauces were different in Zaru soba and Mori soba.

Konnyaku

Konnyaku is a ingredient of Japanese dish.
Konnyaku is a jelly-like food which is made from Konnyaku potato.
It is a little taste, but it has pleasant unique texture.
Usually Konnyaku is eaten as ingredient of simmered dish, or soup.
But some time we slice thinly it and eat as sashimi. (If we buy konnyaku for sashimi)

Konnyaku is also popular as healthy food.
It is low in calorie and rich in fiber.

Photo above is long narrow shaped Konnyaku.
It is called "Shirataki" or "Ito konnyaku".



Photo above is Konnyaku sold in the supermarket.

Miso Ramen

Miso is femented soy bean paste.
It is a basic seasoning of Japanese dish.

Miso ramen is a ramen which ramen noodles are in miso flavor hot soup.
Usually the soup is made by adding miso based Tare to Dashi (stock).
Miso ramen has rich taste.

Miso ramen is born in Sapporo and spreaded all over Japan.

Hanpen

Hanpen is a ingredient of Japanese dish.
Hanpen is a kind of Surimi which is made from kneaded fish, glutinous yam, and some seasonings.

It has very soft texture, and mild taste.
Usually it is eaten as ingredient of simmered dish such as Oden.
But it is also good to fry it or deep-fry it.

Hanpen is rich in protein and calcium.

Hirame no Sashimi

Hirame is a one of flat fish.
It is a popular ingredient of sashimi among white meat fish as well as seabream.
Especialy wild Hirame is expensive.
So I went to the supermarket to buy it in late time, because I want to get it in half-price.
Hirame has plain taste and pleasant texture.

Aburaage

Aburaage is an ingredient of Japanese dish.
Aburaage is made by deep-friyng thinly sliced tofu.
It is some time called "Aburage" or "Age.

It is ingredient for various dishes.
For example, miso soup, simmered dish, Inarizushi, etc.

Photo above is aburaage cut to half.

We usually buy it tofu shop or supermarket.

Kinpira

Kinpira is a type of Japanese dish which is made by sauteing and simmering shreded vegetables.
Usually main ingredients are root vegetables such as burdock, carrot, lotus root.
Seasonings are mirin and soy sauce. some time add red pepper and sesame seed.

It has mildly sweet taste.
It is typicaly home dish and it is often appear in ingredient of bento.

Tokoroten

Tokoroten is a jelly-like long and narrow shaped cold snack.
It is made from Tengusa ( a type of seaweed ) and water.

Tokoroten is not so soft as jelly.
It has pleasant unique texture.

In eastern part of Japan, It is coverd with vinegar-based sauce. ( photo above is Tokoroten covered with vinegar-based sauce )
In western part of Japan, It is covered with sweet syrop.

Tokoroten is low in calorie, and rich in fiber. It is good for diet.

Oshizushi

Oshizushi is a type of sushi which is made by putting sushi-rice and ingredient into wooden mold, pressing them , and cutting into a bite, or two bite size.

If you have a oshizushi-mold, you can make oshizushi at home.

Oshizushi is popular in kansai region (western part of Japan).

Saba no Misoni ( Simmered Mackrel with Miso )

This is simmered mackrel with miso.
It has soft texture and nice taste.
Miso makes mackrel not fishy, and give rich taste to it.

Mackerel is one of blue back fish.
It is rich in DHA and EPA.
It is also oily and delicious.

Miso(soy bean paste) is typical seasoning of Japanese dish.
It is made by fermenting soy beans.

Usually we simmer filleted mackrel with water,mirin,sake,soy sauce, and sugar in a pan.
Add miso to the pan with dissolving it.
And simmer mackrel with pouring the sauce which is in the pan over the mackerel.

Ohagi (Botamochi)

Ohagi is sweet rice ball.
Traditionaly we eat Ohagi in autumnal equinoctial week.

Ohagi is made by cooking rice and glutinous rice (Mochi gome).
Cooked rice is mashed, formed into ball, and covered with sweet red bean paste.
But some time rice ball is covered with such as kinako flour and sesame seeds.


Photo above is Kinako version.


By the way, nowadays "Ohagi" and "Botamochi" are almost same.
We call it "Botamochi" in spring, and we call it "Ohagi" in fall.

Japanese Fish Sausage

Fish sausage is made from fish meat, lard, some seasoning and some spice.
When I was child, I often ate it insted of sausage and meat.
In these days, fish sausage is popular as healthy food.
Especially, It is rich in calcium and DHA.

Photo above is just stir-fried it on the pan.
I think it is good for Bento.

I think fish sausage is aloso good for ingredient of Yasai Itame , Yakisoba , and so on.

Photo above is fish sausage sold in supermarket.

Kiriboshi-daikon no nitsuke

This is simmered kiriboshi-daikon.
Kiriboshi-daikon is dried stripes of radish.

It is made by cutting fresh radish which is harvested during end of fall and winter, into stripe, and drying under th sun.
Kiriboshi-daikon is an excellent healthy food.
It is rich in high quality fiber and calcium.

We usually wash kiriboshi-daikon in water.
Put it into bowl which is filled with water.
Keep it until it is recoverd by absorbing water.

Drain off water it.
Stir-fry it together with such as carrot , aburaage and shiitake-mushroom on the pot.
Add water which kiriboshi-daikon soaked, soy sauce, sugar, and sake to them.
And simmer.

Photo above is packed kiriboshi-daikon.

Kaki Furai ( Deep-fried oyster )

This is a popular dish in fall and winter.

Usually, wash oyster in salted water.
Drain off water it,
Sprinkle salt and papper over oyster.
Coat it with wheat flour, beaten egg, and bread crumb.
And deep-fry it in salada oil until browned.

Squeeze lemon on it. ( optionally )
Put tartare sauce or Tonkatsu sauce on it, just before eat.

In my cace, I always squeeze lemon on it.
Because oyster is rich in zinc.
And vitamin C and citric acid which are included in lemon, aid the absorption of zinc.

Sanma no Shioyaki (Grilled saury with salt)

This is grilled pacific saury with salt.
It is a popular fish dish in fall in Japan.
Sanma is oily and delicious.

We usually wash sanma with water.
Drain watter off it with such as kitchen paper.
Sprinkle salt lightly all over sanma both side.
keep it 10 minutes.

Drain water off it again. ( water come out from inside of sanma )
grill sanma both side.

Squeeze lemon on it. ( option )
Serve grilled sanma with grated radish.