Sushi exists under many forms and guises.
It not all nigiri and (more ubiquitous) sushi rolls!
Have you ever heard of Oshizushi?

Oshizushi (押し寿司, litterally pressed sushi), is a pressed sushi from the Kansai Region, a favourite and specialty of Osaka.

Oshibako unmounted

It is made with the help of a block-shaped piece formed using a wooden mold, called an oshibako/押し箱.

Oshibako lined with toppings

The chef lines the bottom of the oshibako with the toppings, covers them with sushi rice, and then presses the lid of the mold down to create a compact, rectilinear block.

Cutting Grilled Eel Oshizushi

The block is then removed from the mold and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

It is great fun to experiment at home for large parties or the family as you can include almost anything.
Moreover, oshizuhi is easy to transport and include in bento!

The recipes and techniques I’m introducing here are professional, but with a little practice I’m sure you will become a specialist

——————————

Oshizushi/Pressed Sushi Techniques 1: Salmon Marinated in Seaweed/Sake Sushi Konbushime

For sushi rice preparation, check HERE for previous posting!

Konbushime/昆布〆means that the fish is “marinated with seaweed.

Konbu/Seaweed is now readily available on Japanese and Asian markets all over the world or on the internet.

Two types of konbu/seaweed are used:
-Dark/black thick Konbu/Seaweed is bought dry and has to be softened in lukewarm water for a while. That particular step is very easy to learn.
Keep in mind it is edible, although after marination, it should be discarded.

-Thin, light coloured (almost transparent) is used as an ingredient both for taste and the finishing touch. If not available, you may replace it with fine green leaves.
It is called “Kagome Konbu/かごめ昆布”.

An even better light seaweed is called “Take Kawa Konbu/竹皮昆布/Bamboo Skin Saweed” and is widely used by professionals.

Both light coloured seaweeds have to be softened in lukewarm water, sponged off and spread into thin sheets first. But it is really worth the work!

After having softened the dark konbu, spread it over a clean working table and place the fresh (fresh, please!) salmon slices over one sheet and covering the lot with another sheet.
Wrap it in cellophane paper and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

During that time soften light seaweed in lukewarm water and spread it over a clean cloth.

Line the bottom of the oshibako/box with one layer of salmon (no dark seaweed!). Spread light seaweed over the salmon and spread a first layer sushi rice.

Repeat the same operation once more and press.

Unloose the sushi out of its box.
The fish should be on top.
Grill the top of the fish lightly with a hand burner just enough to change the colour.
That step will enable to savour two different tastes at the same time!

Place very thin slices of lemon (clean organic, please!) on top of the rice.
It will abate the “fishy smell/taste”.

Lay another layer of fine light seaweed over the top.
Cut and serve!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow
Wild River Review
Bread + Butter
5 Star Foodie
Frank Fariello
Elinluv Tidbit Corner
Tokyo Terrace
Maison de Christina
Chrys Niles
Comestilblog
Greedy Girl
Bouchon For 2, Wheeling Gourmet, Sushi Nomads

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Bagi Anda yang suka makan di restoran Jepang, saya memperkenalkan sebuah restoran Jepang di kawasan Cibubur. Lokasi tepatnya di ruko kawasan niaga Citra Grand, jalan alternatif Cibubur (3 menit berkendaraan dari kota wisata). Perumahan Citra Grand ini dihiasi dengan bola berwarna-warni dan besar di depannya. Anda lewatilah gerbang perumahan tersebut dan di sebelah kiri ada deretan ruko yang salah satunya adalah Umako, sushi resto.

Berikut foto dari menu pesanan kami:

Harganya per tanggal 25 Desember 2009 tanpa PPN atau service tax adalah:

Sebelum pesanan kami datang, kami diberikan makanan pembuka dan setelah kami selesai makan, kami diberi makanan penutup berupa Jelly. Selain makanan, kami juga memesan minuman yang bisa di-refill yaitu Ocha (tidak terdaftar di menu). Tapi anehnya, Ocha tidak terhitung di-struk bayaran kami. Umako menerima pembayaran menggunakan kartu debit maupun kartu kredit. Selamat mencoba dan menikmatinya..

Alamat lengkapnya:
UMAKO, Sushi Resto
City Walk Block CW 1 No.26
Citra Grand Cibubur
Telp. +62 21 8430 3732, +62 21 8430 3733

Cat:
Today was Chinese take out from Lee’s Kitchen and movie. It was fun. The food wasn’t bad. If you are looking for a good take out spot in San Antonio you should really give it a shot. On a funny note though, Katie’s fish tried to commit suicide today. I ran back to my apartment to get alcohol (we live in the same complex) and when I got back Katie was on her patio screaming that her fish tried to kill itself. From what I have been told they were on the patio screaming for me to get back because none of them wanted to touch the fish. I heard none of this screaming. When I got back into her apartment I saw the fish on the bottom of the fish tank just laying there. Chef Brandi decides to stick a spoon in the water to see if the fish was alive. Katie and I decide we are going to scream like little girls as the fish comes to life and swims around the tank. We don’t think it will make it through the night, so there might be a funeral in the near future. Sushi (the fishes name) has been alive for two years. I think its time on this earth is coming to a close. He will be greatly missed. I will post pictures in the next blog post so that you all can say hi to Sushi!

Well it is off to drink the night away! Ciao!

Sushi exists under many forms and guises.
It not all nigiri and (more ubiquitous) sushi rolls!
Have you ever heard of Oshizushi?

Oshizushi (押し寿司, litterally pressed sushi), is a pressed sushi from the Kansai Region, a favourite and specialty of Osaka.

Oshibako unmounted

It is made with the help of a block-shaped piece formed using a wooden mold, called an oshibako/押し箱.

Oshibako lined with toppings

The chef lines the bottom of the oshibako with the toppings, covers them with sushi rice, and then presses the lid of the mold down to create a compact, rectilinear block.

Cutting Grilled Eel Oshizushi

The block is then removed from the mold and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

It is great fun to experiment at home for large parties or the family as you can include almost anything.
Moreover, oshizuhi is easy to transport and include in bento!

The recipes and techniques I’m introducing here are professional, but with a little practice I’m sure you will become a specialist

——————————

Oshizushi/Pressed Sushi Techniques 1: Salmon Marinated in Seaweed/Sake Sushi Konbushime

For sushi rice preparation, check HERE for previous posting!

Konbushime/昆布〆means that the fish is “marinated with seaweed.

Konbu/Seaweed is now readily available on Japanese and Asian markets all over the world or on the internet.

Two types of konbu/seaweed are used:
-Dark/black thick Konbu/Seaweed is bought dry and has to be softened in lukewarm water for a while. That particular step is very easy to learn.
Keep in mind it is edible, although after marination, it should be discarded.

-Thin, light coloured (almost transparent) is used as an ingredient both for taste and the finishing touch. If not available, you may replace it with fine green leaves.
It is called “Kagome Konbu/かごめ昆布”.

An even better light seaweed is called “Take Kawa Konbu/竹皮昆布/Bamboo Skin Saweed” and is widely used by professionals.

Both light coloured seaweeds have to be softened in lukewarm water, sponged off and spread into thin sheets first. But it is really worth the work!

After having softened the dark konbu, spread it over a clean working table and place the fresh (fresh, please!) salmon slices over one sheet and covering the lot with another sheet.
Wrap it in cellophane paper and leave it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

During that time soften light seaweed in lukewarm water and spread it over a clean cloth.

Line the bottom of the oshibako/box with one layer of salmon (no dark seaweed!). Spread light seaweed over the salmon and spread a first layer sushi rice.

Repeat the same operation once more and press.

Unloose the sushi out of its box.
The fish should be on top.
Grill the top of the fish lightly with a hand burner just enough to change the colour.
That step will enable to savour two different tastes at the same time!

Place very thin slices of lemon (clean organic, please!) on top of the rice.
It will abate the “fishy smell/taste”.

Lay another layer of fine light seaweed over the top.
Cut and serve!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Sushi Nomads

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

The other night my family went to out for sushi. My brother-in-law, my sister, and I were waiting for my parents. I turned and saw my parents car waiting for a parking spot. I then saw another car turn around the corner and wait for the exact parking spot as my parents. I look at my brother-in-law and said, “what!? How dare they. My stepdad was there first with his indicator light on and these other people think they are going to take the spot.” My brother-in-law runs across the street, stops in front of the other car, puts his hand out like a traffic officer, waves to the car in the parking spot to reverse, then motions to my stepdad to pull in to the parking spot. My mom jumps out of the car and walks into the restaurant. My mother and sister were embarrassed. I was laughing as was my brother-in-law. My stepdad walks like nothing happened. My brother-in-law is awesome.

i used to hate sushi. i could only stomach those “california rolls” pre-packaged in ralphs supermarkets. i liked cooked fish- in the form of deep-fried sticks, but nothing raw. absolutely not. katsu-ya is the restaurant that broke me in and rightfully so. their fish is fresh. (and i am not talking about the SBE/Stark katsuyas that bought the rights to use the original katsuyas recipes and charge 20x the amount just so you can sit in some futuristic ball chair or some shit). back in the raw fish hating days i wasn’t aware of what i was missing. i would occasionally try fish from low quality establishments, gagging with every little bite. i remember the first time going to katsu-ya years ago, for a birthday. i thought to myself “shit, we are going to sushi? ugh i guess i’ll have to go with the tempura or teriyaki chicken” which i did even though my friend tried to convince me that if i was ever going to eat sushi- this was the place.

a few years later i noticed more and more of the people i was surrounding myself with liked this whole sushi thing. after slowly breaking myself in, little by little, i fell in love with sushi. i can’t eat sushi from anywhere though, only a select few places near where i live and any place that is rated 4+ stars on yelp. sad but true. i have an extremely sensitive palate for raw fish and the slightest bit of staleness i can taste. literally- the slightest.

the 2 original locations of katsu-ya are in encino and studio city, ca. i prefer studio city. you would never guess that this little hole-in-the-wall joint, jammed into the far corner of a strip mall could please patrons the way it does. but oh does it ever. on any given night, the wait is 30 mins-1 hour without reservations. usually the latter. a lot of people knock their reviews down a notch because of this which i find completely unfair. the place is popular and you have to wait… so you give them a shittier review? how about just making reservations? yeah yeah the line is often busy, but keep calling, you’ll get through. the service is usually great, if not great- then good. never complaint worthy. and with their level of traffic, i find this quite impressive. out of the 50+ times i have been there, only once did i taste a bite of something that wasn’t completely fresh and i still think it was only because i let it sit at the table for about 20 mins. before getting to it.

over the years i have discovered new favorites and just added them to the list of what to order. my best discovery and still my favorite to this day is the albacore with garlic sauce (they won’t let you order it for take-out though because the sauce has to be “warm”). this dish is basically just albacore sashimi in a oily garlic sauce. the flavor of the garlic is so potent. if you love garlic you will love this- undoubtedly. served with shredded beets.

the new item i tried during this visit was the almond covered scallops. i didn’t even know i liked scallops until this dish. served with seaweed, lemon, and salt for sprinkling.

another all-time favorite dish (also the favorite of most people i know: crispy rice with spicy tuna on top. i have tried this dish at any sushi place that had it available and i have yet to try a rendition that beats katsu-yas. crispy little rice cakes that become crispy after being lightly fried in oil and soy sauce , topped with a spicy tuna blend with a bit of chopped scallions on top. a must-try for ANYONE.

the “sesame tuna” (no idea why it’s called that, i guess there are sesame seeds in the crisps?) uses a similar tuna blend but with avocado mixed in as weel. it’s two little crispy chips stacked upon each other with the tuna blend covering each one. the surrounding area is decorated with wasabi mayo. amazing. (pictured below with one crisp already eaten!)

they even do a good cucumber salad, jeez.

moral of the story: make reservations, order everything on the specials menu, frequent often.

We of Wocview are constantly on the lookout for things that basicly are fun. And we have been tracking the Super Baozi movies for a while, but ever since the second short, nothing has happend. And therefore it was time for a roundup; so here they are:

Super Baozi Kung fu band sings Jay Chou’s “Dragon Fist” 包强-龙拳

And this one pays tribute to Bruce Lee. Super Baozi vs Sushi man. 超级包子大战寿司侠（高清）

bron: www.youtube.com

When it comes to Asian cuisine, no one knows how to uncover the neighborhood gems better than my mom, especially in a relatively Eastern food-deprived community like Awhatukee, Phoenix. For the unknowing, Sushi Ken is just another hole in the wall, housed in yet another suburban roadside plaza, set in between your run-of-the-mill hair salon and smoothie joint. Yet, you’ll find that most cars parked in that plaza are those of Sushi Ken patrons. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that Urbanspoon (a restaurant finder iPhone application) caught on to this quiet restaurant, which my mom had been talking about for a couple years now.  And as it always is with my grandma and good old-fashioned Japanese cuisine, it was a feast.

We started with the traditional sashimi platter – dual slices of your most basic fish – tuna, salmon, yellowtail, etc. While fresh, it’s a pretty basic order, so on to the more interesting stuff.  The fried squid – made fresh to order with a crisp crunchy texture, but slightly bland making the spicy mayo dipping sauce necessary.  The grilled kama – this is the chin of a 3-foot long yellowtail fish.  The chin itself was about a foot long and supposedly a delicacy in Japanese cooking.  The kama meat was really succulent and its natural flavors needed only a little lemon zest to complement.  Next, the chilled tofu topped with scallions and ginger over a bed of ice.  This was really refreshing against the table-ful of contrasting aromas. And finally for something hot, we all shared a ramen soup, which unfortunately lurked on the saltier side.

As for their forte, Sushi Ken’s laundry list of sushi and sashimi items is pretty exhaustive, ranging from traditional single-fish roles to a plethora of special concoctions. My personal favorite – the spicy scallop, perfectly-sized chunks of fresh, juicy scallops lightly tossed in a spicy roe-mayo dressing.  A close second was the sweet ebi (shrimp poached in boiling water for just a few seconds).  These babies weren’t the usual measly little slivers of raw crustaceans you find in so many sushi restaurants in the States. They were bulbous and hardy, definitely the healthy ones out of the crate.  And last, but not least was the uni (don’t cringe). This tongue-textured raw sea urchin can be really pungent to the nose if not cleaned right, but they executed it really well.  If you ever dare to try this, just take it in small doses and try to savor its unique qualities, as not all Japanese restaurants offer this delicate coral inhabitant.

So once again, I guess I underestimated the cuisines my hometown has to offer. Being in New York really makes you seek out highly publicized, pretentiously touted venues. So this experience was, in a sense, grounding as you don’t have to be at Megu (disappointing, by the way) or Gari or Yasuda (both sensational though) for some great Japanese food.

Our Christmas Eve and Solstice Celebration dinner was amazing.  My original dessert was going to be carrot cake but somehow I messed up the batter and it turned out to be a huge failure.  The cream cheese frosting was already half made so I figured some nice bran muffins would suffice.  In the end I think I’d prefer the muffins so all ended well.  Oh and everything except the dessert was vegan!

Lobster Rolls, Slaw, Avocado, Salad Hand Rolls, Menage a Trois Wine, and Oat Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting and Pomegranate Seeds

**

COLESLAW

I made this early in the mornings so it would have a chance to marinate.

• Shredded Cabbage, I used a cone shaped cabbage.  Don’t know the name of the variety but this is my favorite kind.  More leaf than hard veins!
• Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise
• Bubbies Bread and Butter Pickle Juice
• Salt

**

Lobster Tail

LOBSTER ROLLS

• 8 oz. Lobster Tail
• Grapeseed Oil Vegenaise
• Scallion Greens, sliced
• Lemon Juice, ~1 T
• Salt
• Celery, mined
• Soft Rolls or Hot Dog Buns

Steam lobster tail.  (I undercooked it and realized it after I dumped the water out, so I grilled it on the gas burner until I thought it was done… only to find it slightly still undercooked, so lastly I quickly sautéed the meat in some butter.  In the end the grilled and butter flavor were a great!).  Once the lobster was done add the above ingredients and chill.  Slice the soft rolls and lightly toast in a skillet with some butter.  Fill with lobster salad.

About To Be Lobster Salad

**

Salad Hand Rolls

I recently received some soy wrappers as a gift from my mom and wanted to make vegetarian hand rolls with them.

• Jicama, matchsticked
• Roasted Sweet Potato
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts
• Shredded Beet Salad
• Raw Radish Slices
• Artichoke Hearts
• Pomegranate Seeds
• Baby Frisee
• Baby Swiss Chard
• Snow Peas with Olive Oil
• Green Beans
• Diced Celery

I made different combinations of the above ingredients only using pomegranate seeds in them all.  I didn’t use a dressing but let the pomegranate juice combine everything together.  My only addition would have been some feta cheese.

Salad Hand Rolls

~

OAT MUFFINS

This is a recipe my dad passed along to me.  I’ll post the original and then add the substitutions I made.  I also did 1.5 times the recipe listed to make my muffins a bit bigger.

• 1 C Oat Bran (I used all the oat bran I had which was less than I needed so I coffee grinded some rolled oats for the rest)
• 3/4 C Flour
• 1/3 C Brown Sugar
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1/4 C Oil (I used mashed banana)
• 1 Egg
• 3/4 C Milk (I used plain yogurt)

Mix the dry ingredients; mix egg, milk, and oil together; add to dry ingredients.  Scoop into cupcake holders and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes.  Easy enough!  You can also add walnuts, pecans, raisins, dates, blueberries, ect to the batter.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

• 8 T Butter, room temperature
• 8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 2 3/4 C Confectioners’ Sugar
• Tiny Pinch of Salt
• 1 t Vanilla

Put the butter and cheese in the bowl of a food processor or electric mixer.  Process until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.  Add the confectioners’ sugar, salt, ad vanilla.  Process until smooth.  Chill until the frosting has a good spreading consistency, about 1 hour.

Dessert

]]> http://frenchfriestoflaxseeds.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/twas-the-night-before-christmas/ Fri, 25 Dec 2009 07:42:45 +0000 Marianne http://frenchfriestoflaxseeds.wordpress.com/2009/12/24/twas-the-night-before-christmas/

And everyone here is still wide awake – no going to bed early for this family on Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve (day and evening) are pretty low key around here – this year especially, since we aren’t hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow like we often do. Let’s see how it all went down.

Well, it started with an excellent bowl of oats.

• 1.2 cup oats, milk, water
• 3 dried figs, chopped
• craisins
• splash of vanilla
• 1 tbsp flax seed
• peanut butter
• Artisana Cacao Bliss

With a glass of the juice I’ve been drinking of late – Oasis Strawberry Kiwi.

On the festive Christmas table cloth.

I then spent the morning baking up one dessert for dinner tomorrow (we might not be hosting, but I’m ALWAYS in charge of bringing dessert). You’ll have to wait to see my creation though

My mom had run to the store while I was baking, and I asked her to pick up the peanut butter I like as I was almost out. Alas, she grabbed the wrong one, so I ran back up to the store to exchange it – bad move! It was INSANE there. You’d think people wouldn’t be able to get groceries for a month or something. Seriously, the store is only closed for a day (or 2 depending on the store).

Of course, I couldn’t just leave with the peanut butter. I grabbed something for lunch as well.

Sushi! California roll and a couple of pieces of inari. Yum!

Seems like the perfect Christmas Eve lunch, no?

I enjoyed my delicious sushi, then played a little Dr Mario on Wii until I was digested enough to head to the gym. I arrived exactly an hour before they were closing for the day, so I had just enough time to get sweaty on the stairclimber and elliptical. Perfect!

Once home, I finally set to work on wrapping my presents. My sister has been harassing me all week to get it done. The thing is – I have some breakable stuff, and my cat likes to run into the tree with no regard for the items underneath. So really, I was trying to save my family’s gifts from disaster!

My timing was perfect – once I was done with the wrapping, it was time to have dinner. Like I said, we don’t really do anything for Christmas Eve, so dinner isn’t a fancy meal or anything. But it was a fun meal – make your own burrito/soft taco.

We had all the fixin’s":

• refried beans
• cheddar cheese
• avocado
• lettuce
• tomato
• salsa
• sour cream
• jalapenos

There was also ground beef, but it was still in the skillet when I took the pictures.

Here’s my creation.

I had refried beans, beef, cheddar, salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, and avocado.

All on a black bean & salsa flavoured tortilla – it was spicy!

I added lettuce to mine as well, but since it would cover up all the other fillings, I figured you didn’t need to see a picture

Once dinner was cleaned up, I set to work on the second dessert for tomorrow, then it was time for a rousing family game of Hand & Foot. If anyone knows the card game Canasta, it’s pretty much the same thing. My mom and sister are always a team, and I’m always teamed up with my dad. And per usual, we were the victorious pair. Woo!

After all that family bonding, we went our separate ways. My mom and sister are watching some Christmas movie, dad is watching the news, and I’m a’ blogging. Oh, and having a little snack.

I had a total hankering for popcorn (with butter), and decided to sip on a PomX Tea – this one is the Pomegranate Wildberry White Tea.

I really like this one – it’s very sippable, nice light flavour. Thumbs up!

Mom also just brought around chocolates that our neighbours gave us. Mmmm, chocolate. Guess I should go enjoy that. I hope you all have had a great Christmas Eve, and that Santa is good to you in the morning. Merry Christmas everyone!

I don’t know what it is about with procrastination and me. We’re like great, inseparable, fated lovers.  I can’t seem to post anything that’s recent. All my “news” is old news because I’ve waited so long, procrastinated to the last hour before deciding to finally write something about life in here.

But here it is, at last:

The finished product: xmas sushi for the bf! Clockwise from top-left: Inari sushi (tofu skin stuffed with sushi rice), random Cora rolls, tangerine slices (I know it's empty.. kinda ran out).

Yesterday, I made sushi for my boyfriend as a Christmas gift. He loves sushi. And when I say love,  I mean love. I mean love as in every time we see a sushi restaurant he feels compelled to walk in. I mean love as in even if we’re at a Pan Asian restaurant and sushi is the shittest item on the menu, he’ll still want to order it. I mean love as in he felt inclined to announce to his friends that he found a favorite new sushi restaurant instead of announcing that he had passed the Personal Trainer Certification Exam that day.

So I figured why not get him something that he’ll never be able to buy? My own handmade sushi — priceless. So I bought at HK Supermarket in Flushing: a bag of Japanese sushi rice, 2 (raw, not yet ripe FAIL) avocados, a cucumber, 2 cans of broiled eel, a can of sweet tofu skin for making inari sushi, a package of fake crabmeat, a few slices of ham, a bottle of rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of salt and 3 packages of nori (seaweed). Phew!

After all the preparation, the stage was set.

Before:

Before the first roll. Clockwise from left: eel, ham, fake crabmeat, sliced cucumbers, water dish, vinegar, sushi rice, nori on bamboo mat.

After:

The mess afterwards. Tangerine rind left there, sushi knife out, rice all gone, FAIL sushi on the side.

It looked great. As for the taste… there was a lack of proper fillings and I think I added a bit too much vinegar. My sister complained that it was a tad on the sour side. That didn’t stop her from eating all of it though. Overall, a SUCCESS!

The finished product! Clockwise from top-left: Inari sushi (tofu skin stuffed with sushi rice), random Cora rolls, tangerine slices (I know it's empty.. kinda ran out).

OK, so this pic is misleading. No matter how much I love my BF, I wouldn’t jump out of a plane for him. Even with a gray-haired instructor on my back.

But that being said, I’ve recently realized how many new things I’ve tried since calling Matt my boyfriend.

Most people think that once you’re in a serious relationship, your fun and adventurous days are over. Well that, like most other generalizations, isn’t true!

When you love someone, you trust someone. And when you trust someone, you tend to be a little more willing to try weird things that used to make you want to barf. Those could be things that you never once considered (snowboarding), or things that you considered at one point, tried and vowed never to try again (Taquitos from 7-11). It just comes with the relationship territory; not only do you want to love the things your significant other loves, but you also know that if he or she enjoys them, maybe they’re not so bad after all.

Take food for example. About a year ago my boyfriend got me to try sushi for the first time. Being from West Texas there wasn’t a single sushi place in my hometown. Matt, however, has 3 relatives that have all lived in Japan at one time or another, so he kinda looked at me funny when I said I’d never had sushi. So I agreed to try it. I mean, if he loved it so much, it had to be OK, right?  The first few bites were a bit difficult to swallow (literally), but the more I ate the more I loved it. And I have the BF to thank for my new favorite cuisine.

And I’ve been getting Matt try new things as well. Why, just sitting here with him while I’m writing this I found out that he’s never seen any of the Back to The Future movies, aka my FAVORITE movies from when I was a kid. Guess what we’ll be doing this Christmas break?

Now, I’m sure to some of you these don’t sound all that exciting, but that’s not really the point. The point is that good relationships expose you to new things (whether it’s a new movie or jumping out of an airplane…) and push you out of your comfort zone a little bit. You can’t just do everything that YOU want to do in a relationship; you have to share experiences and hobbies, even if your boyfriend or girlfriend is a little hesitant about trying them. If things turn out well, you have something that the both of you can enjoy doing together. If they turn out not-so-well, you two have something to laugh about. (Unless not-so-well means broken bones or a bad case of food poisoning; those things are a bit harder to laugh about.) Either way, you are a closer couple in the end.

If you can break out of your comfort zone for someone it’s a huge sign that you love them. And at the end of the day, if you enjoyed that California Roll or not, isn’t showing some love the most important thing?

It is true that there are some crazy commercials over here, like these two from sushi chain “Gin no Sara”. They show what will happen to you if you don’t eat their sushi.

You really have to be careful of those robots, giant bears, cowboys and ninja these days.

So, the puppies were born last night, two red males with a little black (sometimes the black fades off, sometimes not). If all goes well and both are healthy, one of those adorable fluffballs will be mine!

The breeder discourages visiting until they get their first puppy shots at 6 weeks old, which is around the first week of FEBRUARY. Goodness, that is a helluva long time from now.

Although, she did say she would send pictures when they start crawling around their little kennel. Terribly excited for that business.

In other news, I had a fantastic sushi dinner with equally stellar company tonight. Very much enjoyed that, then went to Sarah’s to make (read: eat too many ingredients to) cookies. Ginger lemony goodness? YES PLEASE.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and without a family of my own here, I’ll be chillin’ with my friend’s cat for the evening and Christmas morning. Don’t feel too bad for me though, ’cause later in the day, I’m heading to the mountains to make snow angels and go sledding. ROCK ON.

Enjoy your Christmases, folks. I’ll be enjoying mine. )

…it says 15 miles to the LOOOOOVVVVEEEE MOTEL!!!

Ah, the Love Motel. When we arrived in Korea, our apartment wasn’t ready because the girl I was replacing hadn’t left yet. So we stayed in a love motel. Basically, in Korea, couples only move out of the parental home once they are married, so for privacy, they go to the love motel. Also, adultery is illegal in Korea, so people come here to cheat on their spouses. Saying that, it is not as seedy as you would think!

It was just a small room with a double bed, TV, fridge, water heater/cooler and a computer. We tried the computer but it was very messed up and I definitely wouldn’t type any passwords in on that!! Here’s a picture of Rich packing our bags whilst we were watching Gladiator with Korean subtitles:

The room also had a pretty cool bathroom, with a nice small bathtub. We are now in our apartment and I am longing for a bath!!!! Boohoo…Anyway, here is the bath. It has a cool moulded part for your bum…

The windows were blocked out by shutters but you could open them up and see the view of Ansan from the 5th floor…

The building with the flame-like sign is Lotte Mart, a big supermarket. That is an experience in itself. Lots of random stuff like dried squid and lots of random fruit and veg that I’ve never seen before. We bought a random piece of vegetable for 400 won (that’s 20p), and still have no idea what it is, but it tastes nice with noodles.

Yes, I am confused. (NOTE: I decided to google it – wiki tells me this is Daikon, a eastern radish, woo!) We also bought a huge load of sushi for 2 quid. It was yummy and contained many vegetables and a fruit we could not identify.

There were also quite a lot of random things in the room, for example, all of the perfume/aftershave (that’s to disguise the fact you are cheating on your husband/wife)…

Both “Hilltop” for men and “Jealousy” for women were gross and I didn’t even both smelling, and would never consider using “Balmy Hard Gel” or “Gold Exciter” hairspray. I swear, I think whoever names these just chooses the randomest words, regardless of meaning., which makes for many hilarious moments for English speakers (more of these pictures to come when I find them)…oh here’s another….

Bug spray called “Killer – Green Police” hehehehe.

There’s not really much else to say about the love motel except we heard you can hire a room by the hour – mm seedy. There weren’t exactly many people staying so it was OK, and it was toasty warm, which was good!!! Don’t think I would put it up on Trip Advisor though, mainly because I don’t have a clue what it was called…..ha…

Unfornately for me, I could not get tickets for any of the 3D IMAX Avatar showings. Sigh….. So instead, to cheer myself up, I went over to Yo Yo Sushi. I’ve always wanted to try this place because of their interesting looking sushi and who can resist a place named yo yo. Makes you feel all bouncy and shit.

Sorry to say, it can’t hold a candle to my Michi Sushi. I ordered 2 roll, the UFO and Fuji Volcano. The UFO roll is a ‘baked’ roll but the rice was hardened and the sauce for the scallop bit overpower the entire roll. What a bad choice, huh? The Fuji Volcano roll wasn’t much better either. It was a deep fried roll but they really overdid the frying so I spent most of the time crackling the panko around my mouth with a slight tinge of crab. I guess no one taught them about taking it easy on the deep frying.

Both rolls could have been improved overall by some simple changes. Instead of ‘baking’ the UFO roll, they could use a lighter hand with the sauce and use a crem brulee burner over it instead. That would give the sauce and scallop that crisp flavor profile will preserving the integrity of the sushi. As for the volcano roll…..a LOT lesser time in the deep fryer or figuring out a better coating for the sushi.

Where does God come in here? Well…. after a LOOOOOOOOOOONG hiatus from church, I decided to catch the evening mass at St. Fatima after my early dinner. Needless to say, it was interesting how the priest’s sermon went from nuclear family to contraception to how contraception was part of the cause of homosexuality. Yeah….. and my mom wonders why I don’t go to church anymore. Anyway, despite that bitter taste in my mouth (not from the sushi, mind you), I finished mass and went towards the front of the church to check the place out. It was my 1st time there so I might as well have a look see at the altar and of course compare it in my mind to the church back home.

BAM!!!

Got caught up in a rosary group so I just sat in and prayed with them. Of course, I can never sit down without having a gobble of thoughts cross through my mind so I wasn’t entirely too focused. Then out of nowhere, I was slapped. Yes, slapped. Not by just anybody but by God. And it wasn’t the first time this has happened as my mom can attest.

I started crying and my entire body started heating up. Then I started speaking in tongues. Something I haven’t done in……forever. No one except this one kid noticed me and well, I don’t think he’s used to grown men just bursting into tears. LOL!

Anyway, I didn’t stay the entire time to finish the rosary so I last after the 4th.

That was the end of my exciting day. Now I’m back home on my friend’s wow account trying to get him his frost badges this weekend.

she loves sushi

Xmas Eve!! Wow.. it has been a feast so far, and more feasting at night.

Breakfast was:

A cup of coffee with a slice of red bean log from RT pastry house. A really compact bread..

Went to fix dear’s wheel bearing.

And met his bro for lunch.

At Giant Bowl, SS2

An organic vegetarian shop..

Dear ordered nasi lemak RM5.90

The sambal was excellent. The curry was so so.

Fake chicken.. amazing how it really resembles chicken.

Dear’s bro had tom yam fried rice which he said tasted funny. I guess too vege-fied for him!

While i had me a rojak. Not bad. but i’m not really into fruit rojak. I liked the keropok on top though, reminds me of the one eaten for yee sang during CNY.

Overall, the food was alright, but slightly pricy, and i kinda find the people arrogant. i don’t know. that’s just my opinion.

Food: 7/10 | Price: 6/10 | Ambience: 6.5/10 | Service: 6/10

New Giant Bowl, SS2 –Same row as McD

After lunch, we headed back home after sending dear’s bro off.

Took a nap cos dear said he knew it would be a long night..

We left the house at about 430pm for a 7 pm dinner! It’s Xmas Eve, and we expected jam. And we were right. all the major highways were jam so we took the Penchala Link.

Headed to Borders Starbucks to use our laptop and have a read.

time flew and soon, we were waiting outside a packed Zanmai for our seats. I just don’t understand why people don’t make reservations, knowing it’s Xmas Eve. But i shouldn’t bother, cos we did!

We ordered ALOT of food!

Left: Chuka Ikado (RM6.80)-was quite crunchy and tender at the same time. Well seasoned, but maybe on the salty side unlike Sakae which is on the sweet side.

Right: Inari Kanimayo (RM4.80)

Garlic rice (L) – RM13.80

Very fragrant and tasty. This was supposed to be for Grandma, but as usual, she shared it with everyone.

Wasabillar roll-RM12.80

It has a crunch to it. I’m not sure what makes it crunchy though. I love the green little balls though! inside there’s some salmon.

Soft Shell Crab-RM10.80

I normally love this one. Grandma had one but i decided to try a new dish with soft shell crab

Soft shell crab Okonomyki-RM12.80

I regretted ordering this. Not only it came super late, There wasn’t MUCH soft shell crab. And the soft shell crab wasn’t crispy cos it was attached to the pancake. I thought it was and egg the bottom-turned out to be a pancake. Taste-wise: unique, and alright. but i think i would’ve preferred just the soft shell crab.

Coral Roll: RM12.80

Reverse roll of crabstick and cucumber topped with smoked salmon and cucumber and salmon roe

I think you already know why i love these! The smoked salmon!!! Glorious!! Love the smokey taste. So sad that no place serves just smoked salmon on a platter.

Salmon Sashimi (2 large) : RM27.60

a total of 14 slices there. So smooth and velvety. love the texture!! Best with soy sauce!

This is a new dish-lobster teppanyaki (RM12.80)

It was quite small-Zanmai can always fool people-i once ordered a scallop dish, it was SOOOO tiny compared to the pic. I didn’t try this lobster-gramps shared it. they looked like they enjoyed it.

2 sets of Mini California Maki (RM13.60 for 2)- quite good.

Akak Jean’s and Akak Carol’s fav Dai Dai roll (RM12.80)

This is their fav. It is good-but i like my smoked salmon one.

Yakiniku Don S-RM10.80

Dear had this-rice topped with tender beef and onions.

The beef was not as tender as i thought, but i do love the onions

This is a new item-Crystal Roll RM12.80

Reverse roll topped with inari and cucumber and some pickled veg on top. I thought it was OK. nothing to shout about cos i thought the ingredients were not luxurious enough for the roll to be priced so high.

Akak Carol ordered a Tempura Udon (S)-RM10.80

Grampa really liked the udon when he tried some. He said it’s really smooth!

A separate plate of tempura mori was ordered. RM9.80

the only thing i can say is that the portion is a tad to small.

I had one brinjal and half a prawn-quite good.

Yaki Soba (L) RM15.80

Basically stir fried noodles-but the noodles were on the sourish side. I guess that’s normal for jap noodles. It was quite nice, but we ended up taking away most of it cos we were STUFFED!

The bill came up to RM253.35 inclusive of 6 Ocha and tax.

Food: 8/10 | Price: 6/10 | Ambience: 8/10 | Service: 6.5/10

Sushi Zanmai-The Gardens

T217-3rd floor, The Gardens, Mid Valley City, Lingkaran Syed Putra, 59200, KL Tel: 03 22821160

Went back home. We danced, listened to Xmas music. Even had dessert after such a big dinner

Akak Jean bought this from a friend. It was delicious. Layers of biscuits with chocolate in between. Almost like chocolate digestive biscuits. but better!

Also had a drink or two..

And 12 midnight came. opened our presents.

And off to snooze!

I got this lovely new cooking apron for Christmas! I think this will really enhance my cooking..or at least keep my clothing nicer as I resist the urge to wipe my hands on my clothing. (My sister also received an apron – with the slogan “I love sushi” on it seen here).

Modeling our new Christmas presents

My apron says “What would Julia do?”. I am wondering if I should hand modify it to read “What would Joetta do?” as Joetta Handrich Schlabach is the author of Extending the Table….