Kid-Friendly Japanese Food: vol.84
Menu:
– Japanese rice with Natto
– Miso soup with wakame and tofu
– Hijiki seaweed salad [Recipe]
– Kakiage tempura
– Potato salad [Recipe]
– Simmered taro
Japanese Set Meal Idea : vol.264
Menu:
– Japanese rice with Natto
– Sumashijiru with Fu, onion and wakame [Recipe]
– Kinpira gobo [Recipe]
– Simmered pumpkin [Recipe]
– Fried cod fish
– Simmered sweet potato with lemon and honey
– Hijiki seaweed salad [Recipe]
– Broccoli and salted kelp salad
– Grilled tofu topped with yuzu miso
Simmered Hijiki Seaweed
Hijiki no nimono is an essential side dish for Japanese breakfast and bento box. A simple recipe is a combination of hijiki, carrots, and deep-fried tofu, but chikuwa, konnyaku, shiitake mushrooms, and edamame beans are sometimes added for volume.
Hijiki is a healhty food rich in iron and calcium and is said to be effective for healthy hair and prevention of anemia. If you make a lot of it, you can freeze it, put it together with cooked rice or egg rolls, or use it as a garnish for fried rice.
Obi Iwai (Obi-Tying Ceremony)
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.
Kissaten (Japanese Coffee Shop) 喫茶店
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.
How To Store Ginger
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.
Kid-Friendly Japanese Food: vol.83
Menu:
– Japanese rice
– Egg soup with tofu and Chinese cabbage
– Simmered Hijiki seaweed
– Ginger pork
– Salad with bean sprouts, carrot and Chinese cabbage
– Natto
How To Keep Lettuce Fresh
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.
Kid-Friendly Japanese Food: vol.82
Menu:
– Oyaki (Rice chips) [Recipe]
– Miso soup with wheat gluten, tofu and wakame [Recipe]
– Japanese Omelette [Recipe]
– Karaage (Fried Chicken) [Recipe]
– Kimpira gobo [Recipe]
– Yogurt with strawberry jelly
Japanese Set Meal Idea : vol.263
Menu:
– Onigiri [Recipe]
– Miso soup with Fu, fried tofu and wakame [Recipe]
– Kinpira gobo [Recipe]
– Simmered pumpkin [Recipe]
– Japanese Omelette [Recipe]
– Simmered sweet potato with lemon and honey
– Hijiki seaweed salad [Recipe]
– Cucumber and wakame pickles
