In spring, edible wild plants called “Sansai” (山菜) appear in supermarkets. Sansai are considered very precious because they can be picked in mountains or fields for a short period of time, only a few weeks.
It is said that there are more than 200 varieties of Sansai, including sprouts, greens, and small, tender young grasses.
Although some Sansai have a bitter taste, they are used in a variety of dishes such as soba noodles, cooked rice, branched vegetables, and salads.
Tempurais a must for those who enjoy the taste of Sansai. When I was a child, my grandparents who lived in the countryside would send us wild vegetables from the mountains when it was time to harvest them. I still remember how my father used to happily eat them as tempura on the same day they were sent to us. (And I used to pick them up and eat them!) At the time, I ate them without really understanding how delicious they were, but now I realize that it was a luxurious time.
Some popular Sansai include:
Asatsuki (あさつき) : Chives Fuki (ふき) : Japanese butterbur Fuki no to(ふきのとう) : Unopened bud of Japanese butterbur Katakuri(かたくり) : Dog’s-tooth violet Nobiru(のびる) : Red garlic Seri(せり) : Water dropwort Tara no me(たらのめ) : Shoot of the Angelica tree Tsukushi(つくし) : Field horsetail shoot Udo(うど) : Japanese spikenard Warabi(わらび) : Bracken Yomogi(よもぎ) : Mugwort Zenmai(ぜんまい) : Royal fern
It is the season for fresh onions. Because of their high water content, they are crispy and have a nice texture when cut into thin slices and eaten in salads. Fresh onions are easily damaged, and if stored at room temperature, their skins will soon become slimy. To prevent moisture damage, it is recommended to wrap them in newspaper or kitchen paper, place them in a plastic bag, and keep them refrigerated.They will still be crisp after a week.
In Japan, when a woman reaches the fifth month of pregnancy, she wears an abdominal belt called an “Iwata Obi” (岩田帯) in hopes of an easy delivery.
It was worn every day until the day the baby was born, but these days few people actually wear one, even though some buy one for celebratory purposes.
Nowadays, instead of belly bands, people wear girdles or belly wraps, which are convenient for taking off the belt.
And the first day to wrap the girdle is called the Obi Celebration, which is the day of the dog in the fifth month of pregnancy.
(In the lunar calendar, each of the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac is distributed on a different day of the month, so there are two or three Dog Days in a month.)
Dogs are said to be fertile and to have an easy delivery, so the dog day is probably because of the desire to be named after them.
In the past, belly bands were usually sent with dried bonito flakes and sake from the family of the expectant mother, after prayers for safe delivery had been offered at a nearby shrine or temple.
It may also be given by a matchmaker or a close couple blessed with a child.
The gift varies from region to region, such as a bleached cotton with the words Kotobuki or Inu (dog) written in red, or a talisman tucked into the obi.
Since it is a lucky charm, it may be appropriated in the form of a token, which can then be purchased at shrines or department stores that offer prayers for easy childbirth.
In my case, there is a famous shrine called Kishimojin in my neighborhood, so I went there to pray for a safe delivery. At that time, I bought a belly band.
During my pregnancy, I wore a girdle-style one, both with my first son and when I gave birth to my first daughter.
Memo : 1. Are you looking for baby food making items? Visit our shop! 2. To make Japanese baby foods, please check recipe tutorials! 3. To know more about Japanese culture, please check Events & Food Culture.
Do you all like to spend time relaxing in a cafe? While there are many Western coffee chain stores in Japan, there are also traditional coffee shops called “Kissaten”(喫茶店). Kissaten is essentially a store that serves tea or coffee. However, Kissaten in Japan may be a little different.
First, Kissaten are places to relax and quietly enjoy drinks and food.Some Kissaten have newspapers or magazines as well as TVs in the store, which may serve as background music in the store.
And, as is increasingly the case with Western coffee chains these days, Kissaten brew coffee one cup at a time, so it takes a little longer to be served. Still, it is worth the wait as a quality drink is served.
The best way to store ginger is to wrap it in kitchen paper or newspaper and store it at room temperature in a cool, well-ventilated dark place. If it is kept refrigerated, it will be too cold and the surface will become slimy even if it is wrapped in paper. If stored at room temperature, the skin will remain shiny even after two weeks. Even if the outer skin is a little dry, the ginger itself is fine.
Lettuce is indispensable for salads. However, some of you have probably bought lettuce and put it straight into the refrigerator, where it quickly became damaged and ended up being thrown away without using it all. I’ll show you how to keep lettuce refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.
Katsuobushi (かつお節), dried and shaved bonito flakes, is a key ingredients in dash, brings a smoky richness to the broth. It can be made from a variety of fish including yellowfin tuna, mackerel, and anchovies – each, of course,with its own flavor profile.
To make katsuobushi, the bonito is simmered and its bones are removed after which it is dried and smoked. Sometimes a mold that promotes fermentation is added to the bonito, other fish are processed in a similar fashion.
It is commonly used for dashi (Japanese soup stock), but it is also sometimes placed on top of okonomiyaki or ohitashi to be tasted with the dish.
After being roasted in vacuo and seasoned with soy sauce or other seasonings, it is called “okaka”, and is sometimes mixed with rice balls or rice to make yaki onigiri (grilled rice balls).
There are two major types of Katsuobushi:
Arabushi (荒節) : Light in flavor, this dried and smoked katsuobushi is the most popular type, especially in the Kyoto and Osaka region. Karebushi (枯節) : A mold that promotes fermentation and imparts a stronger umami flavor is added to arabushi, resulting in this type of Katsuobushi, popular in the Tokyo region.
Different ways to shave fish flakes: Atsu kezuri (厚削り) : Thick-cut shavings that make an intense dash, used in dishes that are simmered for a long time. Hanakatsuo (花かつお) : Thinly shaved flakes used for making dash quickly Hana kezuri (花削り) : Very thin shavings also used to make instant dashi Ito kezuri (糸削り) : Thin strands often used as a garnish for tofu or vegetables
Kelp (Kombu 昆布) is the king of sea vegetables. It is an essential component in Dashi, the broth used in many Japanese dishes. A natural source for glutamic acid, it is rich in umami. Kombu thrives in the cool, mineral-rich waters surrounding Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island.
The cold, mineral-rich waters surrounding Hokkaido provide 99.5% of the country’s kombu. Most kombu is sold in long strips. But it is also available in shavings (tor0ro or boor) to add to soup or sprinkle over the rice. Kombu can also be wrapped around was fish in a process called kobujime, which changes the fish’s texture and adds umami.
There are more than forty types of child and farmed kombu. The name of a specific variety of kombu often reflects where it was harvested.
These are the five most popular:
Rishiri kombu (利尻昆布) : Harvested near Rishiri Island, this is an aromatic kombu that makes a clear broth, popular with chefs in Kyoto. It is considered a high-quality kombu and is often used in top restaurants.
Rausu Kombu (羅臼昆布) : This thick kombu has a stickiness to it, and a deep. Rich flavor that is slightly sweet. Also a high-quality kombu, it is the kombu that is used to make other shaved kombu products such as tororo and oboro.
Ma Kombu (真昆布) : Thick and rich in umami, slightly sweet, with an elegant flavor, this is also considered a top kombu.
Hidaka Kombu (日高昆布) : From the Hidaka region, this kombu is a popular variety used by busy home cooks because it quickly imparts its flavor when simmered in water. It is also reasonably priced and can be used as an ingredients for fish cake stew (oden), sea vegetables and seafood simmered in soy (Tsukudani) and other kombu dishes.
Naga Komnbu (長昆布) : A very long kombu (more than ten meters long), naga kombu is also used in dishes such as oden and Tsukudani. It is found only in the wild – not farmed- and is reasonably priced.
Some Kombu products (not the Kombu used in dashi) include:
Komochi Kombu : Kombu layered with herring eggs.
Kombu cha : Kombu that has been dried and crushed into a powder; most often used for tea, soup stocks, or for thickening non-oil salad dressings.
Musubi Kombu : Knots of Kombu, often found in fish cake stew. (Oden)
Oboro : Shaved Kombu, used for soups
Tororo : Shaved Kombu, used in soups and wrapped around rice and other items.
Collaboration class with Kokoro Cares is finished! Thank you for everyone at Kokoro Cares and for all the guests who joined this special Japanese set meal cooking lesson.
Although we had a limited amount of time to conduct the event, it was a valuable opportunity for me to efficiently prepare a set menu while talking with familiar guests and guests meeting for the first time through the screen. I found that as long as I was prepared, I could prepare so many menus even in the limited time of one hour.
If you are interested in making this kind of Japanese-style set meals, please join my “Healthy Japanese Meals” class (online) or Home Meals class (in-person).
Children’s Day is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5th, and it is part of Golden Week Holidays. The day was originally called “Tango no Sekku”, or Boy’s Festival, was celebrated in order to wish the healthy growth of the boys in the family.
Outside of their houses, families with boys fly large carp streamers called “Koinobori”. Inside they display various kinds of warrior dolls or ornamental helmets called Kabuto because they are believed to be symbols of strength and vitality. At night, people put iris leaves and roots in the bath. It is believed that it will purge noxious vapor.
In 1948, this day was designated a national holiday and renamed “Children Day”. It is now a day for boys and girls to celebrate together.
Traditional foods such as “kashiwa-mochi” and “chimaki” are eaten on that day. Kashiwamochi is steamed dumplings filled with sweet red bean paste and wrapped in oak leaves. Oak trees don’t drop their leaves until new shoots have begun to appear. The leaved represents the wish for continuation of the family line and are thus an auspicious part of these traditional sweets.
Chimaki is also dumplings made of glutinous rice, wrapped in bamboo leaves and tied with a piece of rush. This type of sweets came from China and is seen in various forms around Japan.
Iris leaves and roots are also used in baths. It is believed that putting iris leaves and roots in the bath can ward off evil spirits.
Koinobori (Carp Streamers, こいのぼり) sold at the store. During the Edo period, common people began to make banners in the shape of carp because according to an old Chinese legend, there was a carp which swam upstream all the way to heaven and turned into a dragon. Parents who want their sons to grow up strong and brave so to this day, in the month of May people have continued the practice of flying koinobori. They are usually seen with the streamers on top and the black, red and blue carps below.
During this season in very olden times, from about the 7th century, people observed customs which had come from China. May was thought to be an unlucky month so in order to drive away evil spirits, ordinary working people picked certain plants which were valued for their medicinal powers and made potions or decorative dolls to hand in the doorways.
In later years, from the Edo period, they began to display warrior dolls, helmets and banners which symbolized people’s hopes that their sons would grow up into strong and brave young men.
This was the most expensive warrior doll set in this shop!
This year, Kengo and Sui took part in the workshop to make koinobori. Their koinobori was so colorful and we all loved it 😍!!!
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