WASHOKU.COM

Washoku is the Japanese word for Japanese cuisine. This blog will introduce Japanese food, the chefs, dishes, pottery, and Japanese culture. All photos are by Naoko Takagi, contributions from other individuals will be noted.

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Chirasi-zushi with Salmon Roe and Snow Crabs




Chirasi-zushi with Salmon Roe and Snow Crabs


Chirasi-zushi is one of the sushi dishes in Tokyo, Japan. The many kinds of sashimi are put onto "sumeshi (white rice cooked for sushi)" and it looks like a gorgeous seafood rice bowl. However, people from other parts of Japan, and people from countries outside of Japan have begun to savor this meal.

This chirashi is made with salmon roe, snow crab meat, seaweed, shiso, mitsuba (Japanese parsley), sumeshi and shredded omelet (it's a complex dish that usually only chefs can master well). November to December is the best time to eat this dish.

It can be confusing to order this dish because people from other parts of Japan know Chirasi-zushi to mean "gomoku-zushi (several kinds of ingredients like eggs, lotus, shiitake mushroom, eel, carrots, kanpyo and, etc. are mixed with sumeshi)", a meal for a celebration. Be careful when you are ordering to avoid confusion.


いくらとかにのちらし寿司

ちらし寿司といえばハレの日のご馳走です。ちらし寿司とは関東では酢飯の上に握り寿し用の刺身をふんだんに盛り付けたものを指し、他の地域ではいわゆる五目ずしのことをちらし寿司と呼んでいるようです。お寿司屋さんで開発されたメニューで、比較的新しいお料理になります。

職人技が冴える錦糸卵と、ご馳走の代表格であるいくらとかにのちらし寿司。今が一番の旬です。




Photo shoot at Hirohisa

Monday, November 23, 2015

Female Snow Crabs

Photo of female snow crabs せいこ蟹の写真 コッペ蟹



Female Snow Crabs (called "koppe-gani / seko-gani / seiko-gani in Japanese)


Usually, when people hear the word "snow crabs", we imagine plump, yummy legs and claws, but those are male snow crabs. The body size is significantly different between the two sexes of a snow crab. Female snow crabs are typically 1/3 of the size of a male snow crab.
In addition to size, around November, pregnant snow crabs carry "sotoko (fertilized eggs)" which have a similarly satisfying popping crunch as sea grapes when you chew them. "Uchiko (the ovary)" has a rich strong crab flavor. These flavors are quite different from the flavors of the male snow crab and as a result, the female snow crab is considered a signature dish during the winter feast known as Fuyu no mikaku. The unique flavor combination of the sotoko, uchiko and "kani-miso (the brown meat)" leads you to the next level as a gastronomist.

Pour sake to the shell when you finish enjoying the crab meat. The sake will take on a subtle flavor of the kani-miso--a deeply satisfying way to complete the meal.

Interesting fact, the brown bead-like formations on crabs shell are the eggs of a leech that commonly lives on crabs. There are many mysteries surrounding these parasites, but they don't harm crabs themselves. They only use the hard surface as a safe place to lay their eggs. They don't infect the crabs in anyway, so they are safe to eat.



通の一品 せいこ蟹

冬の味覚といえばズワイガニなくして語れませんが、今回はズワイガニのメスであるせいこ蟹についてのお話です。

ズワイガニと呼ばれる蟹は全てオスであり、そのメスはせいこ蟹(コッペ蟹、せこがに等名称は水揚げされる地域によって様々)と呼ばれ、その体長はオスの1/3程しかないところで見分けがつきます。産卵期を控えた11月頃からのコッペ蟹は、お腹にはち切れんばかりの外子(受精卵)と蟹の旨味の全てが詰まった濃厚芳醇な内子(卵巣)を抱えており、オスのズワイガニとはまた違った上質な味わいが楽しめます。体が小さい分、脚の肉はたくさん頂けませんが、外子と内子そして蟹味噌とのコンビネーションは、他の食材では替えることのできない、食通を唸らせる冬の一品です。

ちなみに蟹の甲羅に見られる褐色の粒は「カニビル」と呼ばれるヒルの卵だそう。カニビルはカニ自体に影響を与えることはなく、泥のような海底に棲むカニビルの産卵場所として、海底で唯一硬い場所「蟹の背中」に卵を産みつけ、卵から帰ると魚の血を吸って成長するとのこと。脱皮を繰り返しながら成長するズワイガニ/コッペ蟹の甲羅のカニビルの卵の数は、最後の脱皮からどのくらいの年月が経っているかを示す指標となるので、一般的には、卵の数が多いほど脱皮から日が経っており、身がぎっちり詰まった美味しいカニだとされる。


Female Snow Crabs せいこ蟹 こっぺ蟹




Photo shoot at Hirohisa

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Suppon (a soft-shelled turtle)

Copyright 2015 by Naoko Takagi

Copyright 2015 by Naoko Takagi

Copyright 2015 by Naoko Takagi
Suppon from Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan  静岡産すっぽん



Suppon

One of the famous Japanese dishes is Suppon (a soft-shelled turtle). The extract and the broth of suppon is well known as the most delicious flavor in the world.

Preparing suppons makes us feel thankful for the sacrifice they make by becoming our food. Japanese people have a ritual of saying, "Itadakimasu" before eating. This is a kind of greeting. "Itadakimasu" means "I'm going to eat," "thank you for the cooking," or "thank you for giving your life to me. "Killing suppons makes us re-realize that we take something's life away. The "Itadakimasu" spirit is one of the traditions that Japanese culture and culinary artists want to spread all over the world.


すっぽん

日本人の強壮剤、すっぽん。その出汁は世界で一番美味しいものという。
すっぽんの解体は、日本人が食前に唱える「いただきます。」の心に意味をもたせます。我々は他の命を頂いて生きていることを再認識させられます。
「いただきます。」こそ、世界に広めたい日本料理の真髄なのかもしれません。



Photo shoot at Hirohisa

Saturday, November 7, 2015

TRUFFLES



Truffles

Black truffles are often called a black diamond. Its strong odor is reminiscent of leaking gas oil. Although that may not sound appetizing, it is one of the most sought after ingredients for top quality restaurants in the world. The most popular farm for black truffles is in France, while white truffles are from Italy. The biggest export country, however, is China (a different variety of truffles). The truffle hunter always brings his partner- a female pig or dog. Pigs and dogs are also love to eat the truffles so when they find them, there is always a a great struggle to harvest them before the pig or dog does.

These truffles are best enjoyed with white miso in Japanese cuisine.


トリュフ

「黒いダイヤモンド」黒トリュフ。松茸とはまた違う魅惑的な強い香りが特徴。例えるなら、漏れているガソリンのような。有名な産地は黒トリュフがフランス、白トリュフがイタリア。最大出荷国は中国・雲南省(フランス産とは異種)。トリュフハンターの相棒は雌の豚か犬。ぶたもいぬもトリュフ自体が好物なので、見つけ次第飼い主との小競り合い。日本料理には、白みそと合わせるのが絶妙とのこと。
ちなみに英語では「トゥラッフォゥズ」と発音します。「トリュフ」と言うても通じませんし、トゥラッフォゥズと言われたら、それはトリュフのことです。



Photoshoot at Hirohisa