Homemade Kaisendon 海鮮丼

Took a shot at making homemade kaisendon 海鮮丼 (various sashimi on rice) today, think it turned out fair legit. I’ma show you a just how easy it is make your own too!

Now this recipe is actually different from the super pretty one I made above but its all the same. Most supermarkets here will stock kaisendon sashimi kits, they basically just include サーモン (salmon), まぐろ (tuna) and 鯛 (sea bream) that have been cut up into bite sized chunks. Unlike the super fancy kaisendon above this one only set me back about 400円 for the fish. I picked up a packet of Kaisendon no tare 海鮮丼のたれ (soy based seasoning for the kaisendon) while I was grabbing the fish, it can either be used to marinate the sashimi before it is placed upon the rice or pored over the top once it is assembled. Here is one of the little packets of the sauce. Tare たれ is used in a huge array of Japanese dishes from nabe to sashimi to yakiniku, and is essentially flavored or thickened soy sauce with added dashi, vinegar, etc. That said each variation is a little different depending on the dish it is to be used with. I really like sushi rice so I decided to make some to go underneath the fish. Its super easy to do, this is the 米酢 (rice vinegar) that I like to use, you simply add it to the freshly steamed rice with a little sugar and salt straight out of the rice cooker. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Sushi-Rice But i don’t need to get into that. And here is the finished product, garnish with some shredded nori 海苔 (dried seaweed) and a little wasabi, Enjoy!

The Mochi Diaries: Chapter 15 Gomatamago ごまたまご

Welcome to another instalment of the Mochi Diaries, Chapter 15 Gomatamago ごまたまご! Once again these guys really aren’t mochi but in fact intricately designed cakes, however they are omiyage お土産 nonetheless and so kawaii I couldn’t resist!!!

During my last top to Tokyo 東京 I picked a box of Gomatamago ごまたまご (Lit. Black Sesame Egg) cakes on my way home as the packaging intrigued me. Furthermore Gomatamago are a meibutsu 名物 (Specialty product) of the Tokyo region, so it’s not as if I would have the opportunity to purchase them again in the near future.

As far as omiyage go these are on the pricy side of things at 700円 for a box containing 8 pieces, that said they are each individually wrapped and sizeable.

The centre is a sweet paste consisting of kurogoma 黒胡麻 (Black sesame seeds) and anko 餡子 (red bean paste) which is supposed to constitute the ‘yolk’ of the egg…… Perhaps they are piitan 皮蛋 (Chinese century eggs) ( ^ω^ ).

This ‘yolk’ is then coated in a thin layer of kasutera カステラ (castella cake), a type Japanese cake originating in Nagasaki through trade with the Portuguese in 16th century that is immensely popular here. Finally the tamago is coated in a thin layer of white-chocolate to form a delicious crispy ‘shell’!

All in all I was quite impressed by this tasty treat, I imagine they to well hand in hand with a cup of afternoon tea.
The centre retained a perfect level of moistness and was not overly sweet.
If your ever in Tokyo give a box a try! 4/5

The Mochi Diaries: Chapter 10 – Kaki Mochi 柿餅

Welcome to Chapter 10 of the Mochi Diaries, Kaki Mochi 柿餅!

During a recent trip to Nara I picked up one of these boxes, having quite the affinity for anything Kaki 柿 (Japanese Persimmon) related I was quite excited to have a nom these guys.

Now firstly upon opening them I was completely taken aback at the intricate detail that went into producing every single mochi in the box!

Made to resemble the fruit of which they are flavored the mochi consist of four separate ingredients.

I translated the important bit of the diagram above that came in the box explaining what they are made of.

Essentially they are mostly kaki flavored mochi filled with a core of kaki an 柿あん (persimmon flavored red bean paste).
The leaves are made of dango 団子 held in place by a thin piece of konbu 昆布 (dried sea kelp), honestly the konbu is some what annoying since you must remove it before eating each mochi being inedible.

So you ask, ‘but Daniel what is the difference between mochi and dango?’
Well they are pretty much the same thing, the only difference being in the technique used to make them.

When making mochi, you begin by grinding glutinous rice to a paste which is then steamed and l finally pounded into a sticky dough.
Dango on the other hand is made from rice flour that has been mixed with hot water to make a dough, before being boiled in salted water.

Anyhow beyond the novelty of the mochi, the taste was just ok, that said it was more than made up for by the awesomeness of the presentation of the sweets!
3.75/5

Want to read more Mochi Diaries Posts?

The Mochi Diaries: Chapter 9 – Mochitsuki Special Edition 餅搗き増刊

<———– Last

The Mochi Diaries: Chapter 11 – Kagami Mochi 鏡餅

Next ———>

Japanese Pastries 日本のパン

Now there is a little bakery near one of my schools whos amazing looking pastries I always end up drooling at as I pass by each morning.
This morning I finally admitted defeat and headed in to purchase a couple if the more interesting looking Danish pastries on offer.

The first goes by the name of Kinako Denisshu きな粉デニッシュ (Soy Bean Flour Danish). This is a very ‘Japanese’ inspired baked good, including a fusion of Danish and Japanese ingredients, essentially the ingredients are those one might expect to find in mochi! Topped with kinako きな粉 (roasted soy bean flour) granting it its name, the centre is filled with anko あんこ (sweet red bean paste) and cream with 2 small mochi on top. All in all certainly on the delicious side of things ^_^

The other was a Purin Denisshu プリンデニッシュ (Pudding Danish), Purrin プリン a Japanese word referring being a katakana bastardization of pudding are immensely popular dairy treats in Japan, smooth and creamy they are actually more akin to what most would consider custard. Anyhow basically they have wrapped one of these delicious creamy puddings in a Danish pastry, resulting in a subtly sweet, smooth buttery texture. Another WIN in my books!

Satsumaimo さつま芋 Surprise

やった Kyoto-sensei 教頭先生 (Vice Principal) at one of my shougakkou 小学校 (Elementary School) just tapped me on the shoulder shoved a large paper bag into my hands and grumbled ‘Daniel sensei presento’. Peering inside I discovered half a dozen roasted satsumaimo さつま芋 (sweet potatoes). Omnomnom, so much for my diet (^｡^)

Homemade Sashimi Teishoku 自家製の刺身定食

Many who know me will be aware of my grand love of teishoku 定食 (Japanese Set Meal) which are always ever so special when you make them yourself.

Last night I came across some sashimi at a local produce store that I though looked fair delicious, so I though I would try my hand at slicing up sashimi.

The pack I purchased included Saba 鯖 (mackerel), ika いか (squid), maguro 鮪 (tuna) and hamachi 魬 (yellowtail).

Although I am a decade off becoming a master sushi chef I’m down with the fundamentals of slicing raw fish, basically the most important part is you cut fish across the grain not along it otherwise its going to end up tough and chewy instead of melt in your mouthy.

There are different techniques used for cutting different varieties of fish, for sashimi mostly the hira zukiri 平ずきり (thick sliced sashimi) technique is used which is good if the fish is to become sashimi.
However with squid it is first scored then cut using the ito zukiri 糸ずきり(thread sliced sashimi) technique.

In terms of wasabi わさび (Japanese horseradish), I always use the much higher quality konawasabi 粉わさび which must be reconstituted using a little water.

And here we have the finished product, all sliced and ready to eat!

Alongside this I simply prepared some steamed garlic shoots, miso soup and various tsukemono 漬物 (Japanese pickles). Normally this would also be accompanied by a bowl of rice but I’m on a diet so I skipped it to save the empty carbs ☆〜（ゝ。∂）

いただきます‼

Japanese Christmas Bauble Coke Bottles 2012

I noticed these limited edition bauble shaped Christmas Coke bottles popping up in stores recently, coming in both regular and zero flavours. Only containing 350ml and priced at 118円 a bottle their a tad on the expensive side for beverages in Japan, considering you can usually get a 500ml bottle for around 98円.

Anyhow their meccha cute so I thought I’d invest in a bottle or 2 just for kicks, way to give into marketing huh （−＿−；）

Popin’ Cookin’ – Curry Set (Meccha Oishii Japanese Candy Adventures: Part 2)

I know it’s been a long while since I published the first installment of ‘Meccha Oishii Japanese Candy Adventures’ but every step of creating these posts is very time consuming so I have been subconsciously putting off creating Part 2, alas it is now complete so please enjoy. Popin’ Cookin’ – Curry Set (Meccha Oishii Japanese Candy Adventures: Part 2)

In this kit we shall be making karē raisu カレーライス (curry rice) and accompanying Korokke コロッケ (croquettes) a popular dish in Japan. Keep in mind like the last entry where I made gyoza and ramen, similarly these tiny dishes are actually savoury.

First things first take your various bowls and cut them up accordingly, this will make things easier. If you like you can also trim around the round serving bowl to make it a tad more aesthetically pleasing.

First we will be making the rice so grab the blue packet ライス.

Pour the entire contents of the rice packet along with not one but TWO measures of water into the almost rectangular container and mix it until it becomes fluffy.

Once your done transfer your ‘rice’ to the serving bowl, covering 2/3rds of one side as I have done.

Next up were making the Korokke コロッケ so grab the orange pack labeled Poteto ポテト (Potato).

Once again pour the packet into the almost rectangular container along with ONE measure of water and mix until you can roll it into a doughy ball.

Spit the dough in half, transfer to a plate and mold them to whatever takes your fancy. I went with a star and heart, this can be a little tricky to do ebtirely with you fingers, so use the mixing spoon as it is flat.

Once your done, temporarily set them aside.

Take the bag of crispy balls and crush them to dust prior to opening them.

Once again pour the crushed balls into the almost rectangular container.

Then proceed to roll your potato shapes in the crispy coating until they are well covered.

Once again set them aside as they are all done!

For the final step grab the brown packet labeled カレー (curry) and pour it into the almost rectangle container.

Add ONE measure of water to the powder and mix thoroughly until it is a thick brown paste.

Transfer your finished curry to the serving bowl in the empty third alongside your rice and your done!

There you have it the finished dish カレーライス コロッケ セット(curry rice and croquette set meal) !

Score
Funness (楽しい) – 4/5
Tastiness (美味しい) – 3.5/5
Authenticness (正真正銘) – 4.5/5
Overall impression (全体の印象) – 4/5

First Nabe of the Winter 冬の鍋物

First nabe 鍋 (Japanese hotpot) for the seasons with my friends last week whist sewing our Halloween costumes.

Tokyo Alcatraz E.R.

During my visit to Tokyo we visited Alcatraz ER, a jail/hospital themed theater restaurants in Shibuya.
I came across the place during a previous trip to Japan in 2006 and now finally returning I had my heart set on experiencing it.

The camera flash really ruins the spooky atmosphere of the place but its much to dark inside to take photos without them.

Upon arriving guests are ‘admitted’ to the restaurant ‘sexy nurses’ ask one member of each party their symptoms (an imagined affliction), before being handcuffed and led to a cell where the dining takes place to be ‘locked up’. The actual dining booths are convincing jail cells little more than a meter in height, in order to call a waitress for service one takes an iron bar and racks it across the bars of cell, as this happens quite frequently the constant rattling of the cells around you adds to the spookiness of the atmosphere.

The drinks are an experience in themselves, the top one being a banana yogurt cocktail (with extra cock) when served the waitress has a syringe full of condensed milk she dribbled over the ‘head’ of the severed member.

The beers are also quite the novelty, we ordered a liter jug that was served in a urinal bedpan, looking quite convincing and frothy.

Even the snacks they served whilst we waited for our food were hospital themed, mini Senbei resembling pills in a little paper cup pill cup.

Although we ordered quite few dishes ill post a couple I found amusing, the salad was suppose to resemble an eyeball, filled with extremely oddly textured tomato flavored jelly.

These 2 dishes, takoyaki and shuumai respectively were off the ‘Russian roulette’ section of the menu with one of each of being filled with karashi 辛子 (hot Japanese mustard) that i accidentally ate in both without so much batting an eyelid (let’s be honest guys if you going to advertise something as being spicy with 7 chillies next to the description at least make it hot!)

Finally we got this breast shaped flavored fried rice with umeboshi 梅干(salted Japanese plums) for nipples much to fathers amusement.

Even the bathrooms were quite horrific, again ruined by the flash but the male one is lit by a black light with gore spread across the walls glowing in an eerier purple haze.
Such dim lighting makes a trip to the bathroom quite the challenge particularly if you have had a couple beers but makes for an interesting experience.

A quite cool little sendoff they give you is the diagnosis and cure for the symptoms you had when arriving as well as the pills (mints) containing the cure.

Look at the end of the day it was quite an interesting experience, the food was nothing special and the drinks nothing special. That said its not crazy priced or anything (about 7000円 for 3 of us with drinks), coming on a week night I think it was all toned down a little and would like to return on a weekend, online I had seen videos of mid meal ‘prisoner escapes’ with costumed actors running through the corridors but we saw nothing of the sort.

Regardless it gets my おすすめ for a spooky night out!