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Food · japan · japanese american · japanese food · new years day · News · osecchi · osechi · Jan 02, 2012

New Years Day – Oshogatsu Osechi

It’s January 1st or “oshogatsu”. Thanksgiving, Christmas and even birthdays have nothing on this day for Japanese families. My photos are of food, but know that the annual feast that’s cooked mainly by my mother but also my aunt and uncle, is for a family get together. We don’t have a shrine to visit as many do in Japan, so we have a special meal that we don’t forget for the rest of the year.

Like any special day, whatever it may be, one would hope it wouldn’t take a date on a calendar to make it come back. I know life can’t be Disneyland everyday, but once a year isn’t often enough. Twice would be nicer, right? Then you have to think: work is maybe 5 days a week, for almost every week and a special day is just one day. It doesn’t make much sense. Hopefully we’ll all figure out how to make this happen one day soon and value things that are really important.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Happy New Year. There are additional photos at the end in the set.

Food · japanese food · new years day · osecchi · osechi · oshogatsu · Dec 28, 2011

Oshogatsu, New Years Day from 2010

Scenes from my parents New Years Day 2010. The photos are spectacular. It’s not always like this, or is it? The big day is coming and the food will be just like this. (GR – New Years Day 2010)

cup noodle · Food · japanese food · nissin · ramen · Sep 20, 2011

Cup Noodle Museum

A generation of us grew up eating Cup Noodles and it’s fitting that near Tokyo, Nissin foods the folks who founded the Cup Noodle opened a museum. Japan is known for their many specific museums. They’re not huge, but this one looks great and you can even create your own flavor in their “noodle factory” If you’re a ramen fan, you can also visit the ramen museum. Why they decided to spell it Raumen, when it’s conventional to spell it ramen, is still a mystery. (metro us – Nissin)

Food · japanese food · News · takoyaki · Aug 17, 2011

Automatic Takoyaki Maker

[youtube]g8xdvzYRm94[/youtube] One of the toughest parts about making Takoyaki (the octopus ball) is flipping the ball around. You need the perfect mixture, the right tool, and the perfect technique. It’s not easy. But this device isn’t quiet at all, but actually flips it, a little at a time. I’m not sure how eager one is to buy a machine just for Takoyaki, but this looks like the cure for the difficulties of making it. Here’s a previous takoyaki posts related to Giant Robot: (Club Mumble and GR)

buta kakuni · Features · Food · japanese food · recipe · Jun 30, 2011

Izakaya recipe: Buta Kakuni (Braised Pork Belly)

Buta Kakuni. This isn’t a dish I grew up with, but I once read a list of the top 5 things a Japanese man would want their wives to cook for them and this was on the list. The other 4, I no longer remember. Buta kakuni is almost a delicacy. It’s never served in huge quantities. It’s something that you eat, taste, and savor. The moist, soft, and sweet pork belly that falls apart when you pick it up with your sticks. If it had a bone, you’d say the cliche line, “the meat just slides right off the bone.” It’s sweet but at the same time has a rich flavor that attacks your palette, but at the same time won’t continue to dominate it. It’s a companion to a multi course meal, yet at the same time, eaten with a bowl of rice, it could easily be the main feature. The catch? It takes hours to make. Here’s how: Start with about a pound of pork belly. Chop pork belly in pieces. Larger than 1″ cubes are ideal. I’ve seen large pieces closer to 2″ cubes and that works. In a pot, using medium heat, brown the outside for about 5 minutes. I turned the cubes so each side could have it’s sides torched. The meat has fat and will be the natural pan greaser. Remove the meat, and add about 3 tbsps of sugar to the leftover and melt down the sugar. Add chopped green onion, and 6 small slices of ginger. Add about two cups of water, bring to boil and then simmer for… 3 hours or so. Yes, this is a longer process and the part that requires planning. At the the near end mark, I actually added extra soy sauce to taste, and a bit more sugar to taste. When it’s done, serve it with rice, and it’s tasty. I started off with 1″ cube pieces and it does shrink down, so start with larger pieces. Optional: add salt, Coke!, and mirin (sweet sake).