So, Yuki and I took a few days to visit some of the early temples and castles in the Kansai region of Japan. Most of the structures we saw date back to the 8th century and are truly amazing! Besides the structures there were also tons of great sculptures from the same time period. However, as you all know, this blog isn’t about architecture, it’s about food. This post is to let you know about the incredible Kaiseki we ate our last night in Nara at the Ryokan (traditional Japanese Inn) we stayed at, Yoshino.

Kaiseki is the classic multi-course meal that progresses through various cooking techniques using regional, seasonal ingredients. It’s the highest art form you can find in food anywhere in the world. Focus on the subtleties of each ingredient to draw out natural flavors and not cover then with heavy sauces (sorry Frenchies, but the Japanese have your asses kicked in food culture!).

It started with that dish in the middle of the picture above. From left to right was a little fish grilled in a sweet soy marinade, a roasted chestnut, ama ebi (sweet shrimp), some sort of seafood that had a jellyfish-like texture in a miso sauce (I have absolutely no idea what it was, but it sure tasted good!), then a three-colored fish cake.

After that they brought out this dish. It was obviously a shrimp, but I’m not quite sure what else there was. I think it was a gratin made with the roe of the shrimp. Also on the plate as a macaroni salad and some lettuce with a tomato.

Then we moved on to the sashimi plate. It had some fantastic Chu-Toro (tuna), Tai (snapper), and the star of the plate….Ika (squid). In the States when you order Ika it’s usually very thin and a little rubbery. Not these two slices. They were about a half centimeter thick, squid steaks! Rubbery? Hell no! Each chew and the squid literally melted away in our mouths. Hands down the best squid I’ve ever eaten.

Then they brought us a plate of steamed Ayu (sweet fish). It’s a river fish that eats moss attached to stones giving it a really fresh and clean taste. It was served with a light ginger sauce. The thing that makes Ayu special is that it’s eaten when the belly is full of fish roe. There isn’t much meat, so it’s like dipping chopsticks into a bowl of fresh water caviar.

Being the meatavore that I am, the next plate was what I was most looking forward to….Beef Tataki. Lightly seared beef to give a little texture to the soft raw meat laden with mouth-watering fat. The dipping sauce is a soy-dashi mix. You see the little mound of reddish gew on the side of the dish? That’s a mix of togarahsi (Japanese red pepper) and yuzu (a small citrus fruit). You mix that into the sauce like you would wasabi for sushi, along with thinly sliced chives. With the tataki there was a small dish of sliced cucumber and I think seaweed in a vinegar sauce that cleansed the palette from the fatty beef.

Then we ate the Shabu-shabu. Unfortunately I forgot to get a picture of the individual hotpots we used, but here’s the ingredients. The broth was a light sake base, in it we added cabbage, enoki mushrooms, and shimeji mushrooms. Once they were cooked, we sloshed the thinly sliced beef around to cook it and then dipped it all in a light soy with more of the togarashi yuzu and chives.

After that we got two different preparations of Unagi. To be honest, I have absolutely no clue what the difference was. One was served on top of rice, the other with rice on the side. All I can tell you is that you will never find eel of that quality anywhere in the States. It tasted like they just caught it that morning. Best eel ever! Both came with a little dish of Japanese pickles. They were probably damn good pickles, but I don’t like pickles so I let Yuki eat mine.

After the Unagi was a clear broth soup with an ingredient we couldn’t figure out. At first, we thought it was some sort of mushroom. It wasn’t. Then we thought it might be shiroko, fish sperm sack. It wasn’t that either. We finally found out that it was eel liver, probably from the Unagi we just ate. It had kind of a crunchy yet soft texture. Not something you’ll find on any old menu.

Finally, to finish things off was a plate with fresh persimmons and grapes. persimmons are in season right now and are everywhere while Japanese grapes are absolutely huge compared to what we get.

All in all this was my 5th Kaiseki. I wish I could afford to eat like this every night as there is always something unusual and strange to the western palette. If any of you get to Japan I highly recommend splurging at least once to experience the delicate yet sophisticated Japanese cuisine at it’s finest.

I usually double the recipe because it is very popular dish with my family. They are good hot or cold. You can use canned or fresh corn.

• 1 cup of corn kernals
• 1 cup of self raising flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of fetta (crumbed into mixture)
• 1/4 – 1/2 soda water to make batter
• Olive oil for frying
• Dill (fresh or dried) to taste (optional)
  I recommend making the wasabi mayo first (see below)
  To flour add salt and pepper, add soda water to make batter. Drain corn if using canned and add to batter. Break up fetta into mixture. Mix together. Don’t over mix. You want it to be light and fluffy. Think muffins.
  Heat oil in pan and cook in batches of 3 or 4 fritters per batch in hot oil. If you are health conscious you can shallow fry but I like to deep fry them. Drain on paper towels. When frying think pancakes. Turn over when bubbles appear on top of fritter. There is nothing worse than a fritter which is not cooked in the middle. I sometimes put them in the oven on low heat whilst cooking all the batches.

Wasabi Mayo

I love these fritters with wasabi mayo but you can use tzatziki or any yoghurt based dipping sauce or a salsa is nice too!

• 1/2 cup of plain yoghurt
• 1/2 cup of any whole egg mayo (or your favourite)
• 1 tsp of wasabi paste (or to taste)
• juice of one lime or lemon

Mix together and refridgerate for at least 2 hours. Enjoy!

...et Babybel dans mon frigo.

]]> http://jayaycee.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/lobster-tales-and-other-fishy-stories/ Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:00:27 +0000 jayaycee http://jayaycee.wordpress.com/2009/11/19/lobster-tales-and-other-fishy-stories/

A few nights ago, Youngest Daughter came over for dinner and we ordered in sushi. Hubby was having spicy tuna roll that he had coated in a thick paste of wasabi and soy sauce. We have both fallen in love with wasabi — the hotter the better — when it wafts up your nose and makes your eyes burn and closes your throat for a minute. Good stuff!

So YD asks if she can taste his spicy tuna roll and, of course, he says “Yes” and offers her a piece. She picks it up with her chopsticks and I have to intervene at this point and tell her she may want to just take a small bite of it because the wasabi is hot. She looks at me for half a second and proceeds to cram the entire piece into her mouth. Let’s count … five, four, three, two, one … and she spits the whole thing out onto her plate and runs to the sink to rinse her mouth. She is 31 years old — when do you think she’ll start listening to me?

This reminds us of our visit to Foster’s, a nice seafood restaurant that used to be in Scottsdale. We took her to dinner there probably 5 or 6 years ago and she decides she wants lobster for the first time. I ordered lobster, too, because it’s one of my favorites and we put on our little plastic bibs and get ready to feast. The server brings out a platter and sets it in front of YD and she kind of shrieks. “It’s looking at me. I can’t eat that.” She didn’t realize that it came out whole with eyeballs and everything. Since this was the most expensive thing on the menu, we had to dismantle it for her and hide the disgusting parts so she could eat her dinner.

A friend once told us about taking his family to a nice Italian restaurant and when his daughter was served her dish of pasta, she screamed so loud the entire place stopped breathing. He asked her what was wrong and she replied (still very loudly), “There’s a bug in my food and it’s still alive.” “How do you know?” he asked her. And she said, with everyone listening, “Because it’s testicles are still moving!” Clearly, she meant tentacles. Got a good laugh.

And finally, Hubby and I took a vacation to Cape Cod. What a wonderful time. I’d highly recommend it. We were having lobster in a very nice restaurant, apparently seated directly under a vent that ran from the kitchen area. All of a sudden, this aroma comes wafting through the vent that smells suspiciously like — oregano — or would that be marijuana. Hubby calls the server over and says, “Smell that? I don’t think it’s on the menu.”

No wonder ang-moh veggies make good salads. They shrivel up the mo you throw them into a hot wok.

I was cooking basa and cod fillet with butter.

Added wasabi for taste.

Um tubo de Wasabi ela comprou. Mesmo sendo pouco pensou em dividir. O macarrão japonês, era muito, e pensou em comemorar. O que mais posso esperar da verdade? Isso sim é amizade. Dividir só as contas, é bobagem.

Obrigada por estar presente, hoje e sempre na minha vida! Não preciso citar nomes, você me lê.

Top: Caterpillar Rolls , Bottom L: Nigiri Sushi and Bottom R : Spiral Roll

I have not been able to post earlier about the fabulous sushi Daring Cooks made this month. I love sushi and really had my fill making vegetarian sushi. I couldn’t say enough of ” This is so much better than store bought and I made so much so cheap” I found this month’s Daring Cook challenge the best so far. The instructions are quite precise so no chatter in this post.  I was supposed to post on the 14th, ah well here I am …………

The November 2009 Daring Cooks challenge was brought to you by Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of The Bite Me Kitchen. They chose sushi as the challenge.

Sushi (寿司 or 鮨 or 鮓) is much appreciated for its delicate taste and exquisite appearance. Sushi actually means vinegared rice, which is the essential ingredient in every sushi recipe. Sushi is simple and cheap to make at home, needs no special equipment and is an excellent way to use left overs.

Although sushi in various forms has been around for fourteen centuries, the modern version was invented in Japan in the 1800’s where a ‘hand-formed’ sliced fresh fish and vinegared rice ball was eaten as a snack food. Nowadays, sushi is made with various seafood, meats and vegetables, raw and cooked.

PART 1 : SUSHI RICE (makes about 7 cups of cooked sushi rice)

Preparation time: 1¾ hours consisting of :-
Rinsing and draining rice: 35 minutes
Soaking rice: 30 minutes (includes 5 minutes making the vinegar dressing)
Cooking and steaming time: 25 minutes
Finishing the rice: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

• 2½ cups uncooked short grain rice
• 2½ cups water
• For superior results use equal volumes of rice and water

Sushi Rice

Optional Ingredients

• 3 inch (75mm or 15 grams) square dashi konbu (or kombu) (dried kelp seaweed) wipe with a damp cloth to remove white powder & cut a few slits in the sides of the kelp to help release its flavors  (I used Shimaya Instant Dashi Konbu powder …..I used only 1 tsp. in the water given……that’s what I got)
• 2½ teaspoons (12.5 mls) of sake (Japanese rice wine)

Sushi vinegar dressing

• 5 Tablespoons (75 mls) rice vinegar
• 5 Teaspoons (25 mls or 21 grams) sugar
• 1¼ Teaspoons (6.25 mls or 4.5 grams) salt

DIRECTIONS:
Rinsing and draining the rice

1. Swirl rice gently in a bowl of water, drain, repeat 3-4 times until water is nearly clear. Don’t crush the rice in your hands or against the side of the bowl since dry rice is very brittle.
2. Gently place rice into a strainer and drain well for 30 minutes.

Soaking the rice

1. Gently place the rice into a heavy medium pot with a tight fitting lid (if you have a loose fitting lid use a piece of aluminum foil to make the seal tight).
2. Add 2½ cups of water and the dashi konbu. (I used 1 tsp. instant powder)
3. Set the rice aside to soak for 30 minutes, during this time prepare the sushi rice dressing.

Preparing the Rice Vinegar Dressing

1. Combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl.
2. Heat on low setting.
3. Stir until the mixture goes clear and the sugar and salt have dissolved.
4. Set aside at room temperature until the rice is cooked.

Cooking the rice

1. After 30 minutes of soaking add sake (if using) to the rice.
2. Bring rinsed and soaked rice to the boil.
3. Reduce heat to the lowest setting and simmer, covered, until all the water is absorbed, 12-15 minutes. Do not remove the lid during this process. Turn off heat.
4. Let stand with the lid on, 10-15 minutes. Do not peek inside the pot or remove the lid. During this time the rice is steaming which completes the cooking process.

Finishing the rice

• Turning out the rice

1. Moisten lightly a flat thin wooden spatula or spoon and a large shallow flat-bottomed non-metallic (plastic, glass or wood) bowl. Do not use metallic objects since the vinegar will react with it and produce sour and bitter sushi rice.
2. Remove the dashi konbu (kelp) from the cooked rice.
3. Use the spatula to loosen gently the rice and invert the rice pot over the bowl, gently causing the cooked rice to fall into the bowl in one central heap. Do this gently so as not to cause the rice grains to become damaged.

• Dressing the rice with vinegar

1. Slowly pour the cooled sushi vinegar over the spatula onto the hot rice.
2. Using the spatula gently spread the rice into a thin, even layer using a 45° cutting action to break up any lumps and to separate the rice. Don’t stir or mash rice.
3. After the rice is spread out, start turning it over gently, in small portions, using a cutting action, allowing steam to escape, for about a minute.

• Fanning & Tossing the rice

1. Continue turning over the rice, but now start fanning (using a piece of stiff cardboard) the rice vigorously as you do so. Don’t flip the rice into the air but continue to gently slice, lift and turn the rice occasionally, for 10 minutes. Cooling the rice using a fan gives good flavor, texture and a high-gloss sheen to the rice. The vinegar dressing will be absorbed by the hot rice. Using a small electric fan on the lowest speed setting is highly recommended.
2. Stop fanning when there’s no more visible steam, and all the vinegar dressing has been adsorbed and the rice is shiny. Your sushi rice is ready to be used.

• Keeping the rice moist

1. Cover with a damp, lint free cloth to prevent the rice from drying out while preparing your sushi meal. Do not store sushi rice in the refrigerator leave on the counter covered at room temperature. Sushi rice is best used when it is at room temperature.

* Tip: To make sushi rice: for each cup of rice use 1 cup of water, 2 Tbs rice vinegar, 2 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp sake. For superior results use equal volumes of rice and water when cooking the sushi rice since the weight of rice can vary. Weight of 2½ cups of uncooked rice is about 525 grams or 18½ ounces.

* Tip: While the rice is draining, soaking and cooking prepare your rice vinegar dressing, sushi fillings and toppings.

* Tip: Photo series on How to Cook Rice with a Pot
http://www.sushiencyclopedia.com/how_to_make_sushi/how_to_cook_rice_with…

* Tip: Photo series on How to Make Sushi Rice with Tools You Already Own
http://www.sushiencyclopedia.com/how_to_make_sushi/how_to_make_sushi_ric…

NOTES:
Sushi Rice – choose a short or medium grain rice. Do not use Arborio, long-grain, or parboiled white rice. Medium-grained calrose is a suitable rice. Rice expands (about 3 times) when cooked so make sure your pot is large enough. Washing the rice removes the rice flour that coats the rice and gives a fresh flavor and scent to the cooked rice. Look for rice that is labeled ’sushi’ rice. Cooked sushi rice can be placed in plastic bags and frozen for 3 months, microwave when needed. Cooked sushi rice should be sticky, shiny and the individual grains of rice can been see. Price: AUS $4/KG.

Dashi konbu – or ( dashi kombu) – dried kelp, it looks like broad, leathery, wrinkly greenish ribbon often coated with a white powder. The darker green the leaves, the better the quality of kelp. Dashi konbu adds a refreshing light ocean taste to sushi rice. Price: AUS $1.50 for ten 3”(75mm) squares.

Rice Vinegar – this gives prepared sushi rice its unique clean, crisp taste. Do not use bottled “sushi vinegar” as it is too harsh and has a bitter after-taste. Look carefully at the label of the rice vinegar it should have NO SALT and NO SUGAR in the product. Apple cider vinegar is a good substitute if rice vinegar is not available. You can use mild white wine vinegar or mild red wine vinegar if you cannot find rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar. DO NOT USE NORMAL WHITE VINEGAR it is too harsh. Price: AUS $4 /500ml bottle.

Sake – Japanese rice wine. Do not use cooking sake or Chinese cooking rice wine, look for a reasonably priced drinkable sake. Refrigerate opened sake & use within two months. You can use vodka or a mild tasting gin if sake is not available. Price: AUS $10/500ml bottle.

Sugar – you can use mild honey or any other vegan substitute to give the equivalent sweetness.

PART 2 : Dragon Rolls (also called Caterpillar Rolls)

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice
Cooking time: about 5 minutes (grilling the eel)

Yield: 2 inside-out (uramaki) sushi rolls

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 sheet 7”x8” (17.5cmx20cm) of toasted nori (dried seaweed sheets), cut into halves
• 1/2 Japanese cucumber
• 2 cups of prepared sushi rice
• 3 slabs tofu (sliced, seasoned with salt & paprika and baked at 400 F for 20 minutes) 
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Red onion thinly sliced and broiled for 7-8 minutes
• Vinegared Water – ½ cup of water combined with a dash of rice vinegar
• Various small amounts of sauces to use as the flames of the dragon (or legs of a caterpillar)

Optional

• A mix of crumbled toasted nori, toasted sesame seeds and sugar and salt

Japanese Cucumber and salt paprika seasoned baked tofu

Oiled & Broiled thinly sliced red onions

DIRECTIONS:
1.Cut cucumber into strips ¼ inch (6mm) x 7” (175mm) long, then salt, rinse & dry the strips.
2.Grill (broil) the red onions for about 2-5 minutes until bubbling. Bake sliced seasoned tofu. Apply or spray some oil before baking.

3.Halve, pit and peel the avocado. Cut the avocado halves into thin even 1/8 inch (3 mm) slices. Fan out the cut avocado into a 7 inch (175 mm) overlapping pattern.
4.Cover bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Place a sheet of nori shiny side down, lengthwise, on the edge the mat.
5.Moisten lightly your hands in the bowl of vinegared water.
6.Place one cup of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.
7.Flip the rice-covered nori over (so the bare nori is now on top) and place on the edge of the mat closest to you.
8.Slice tofu again in slices. Arrange sliced baked tofu across the length of the nori, not quite centred on it but a little closer to you. Place half the cucumber sticks & grilled onions next to the tofu.
9.Lift the edge of the mat closest to you with both hands, keeping your fingertips over the fillings, and roll the mat and its contents until the edge of the mat touches straight down on the nori, enclosing the fillings completely. Lift up the edge of the mat you’re holding, and continue rolling the inside-out roll away from you until it’s sealed. Tug at the mat to tighten the seal. If the rice doesn’t quite close the roll add more rice in the gap and re-roll using the mat to completely cover the inside-out roll. Place the roll on a damp, clean smooth surface.
10.Spread about 1 tablespoon of the optional sesame mix along the entire top of the rice-covered roll. Using the plastic covered mat gently press the fish roe so it adheres to the rice.
11.Slide a knife under one fan of avocado and transfer it onto the top of an inside-out roll. Gently spread out the avocado layer to cover the entire roll. Lay the plastic wrapped mat over the avocado-covered roll. Squeeze very gently to shape the roll.
12. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the roll. Slice the roll into 6-8 equal, bite-sized pieces, wiping your knife with a damp towel before each slice. Discard the plastic wrap. Repeat the above to make one more roll.
13.Arrange the cut pieces on a serving plate with the sauces so the finished dish appears as a dragon breathing fire and flames (or a caterpillar with many legs).

* Tip: The most common mistake is having too much filling the golden rule is less is more when it comes to making sushi it is easier to roll an under-filled roll than an over-filled roll.

* Tip: Dampen your knife with a moist lint-free towel before every cut – this prevents the sushi rice from sticking to your knife.

* Tip: Excellent videos on making Dragon Rolls
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQZGRohVNFQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo55iBN9FQs&feature=related

Caterpillar roll

Caterpillar rolls with pickled ginger and wasabi

NOTES:
Bamboo mat (makisu) – A 10 inch (25cm) square mat made of thin slates of bamboo tied together with string.
Substitutes: a thin magazine cut to size wrapped in plastic wrap or a few layers of parchment paper cut to size about 10 inch (25cm) square.

Nori – Sheets of seaweed (laver) processed into thin sheets about 7 inches x 8 inches (17.5cm x 20cm) in size. Always re-toast the nori sheet over a gas stove on low flame for 5 to 10 seconds, or place nori on a clean oven rack and bake it in a preheated 350F-degree (180C) oven for 30 seconds. Nori should be sealed tightly in a plastic bag and used within a few months. It can be stored in the freezer. Nori will deteriorate if left out of its sealed package so use quickly.
Substitutes: Thin cooked egg omelette cut to same size as a nori sheet (7 inches by 8 inches or 17.5cm x 20cm). Also soya bean wrappers, rice paper, tofu wrappers, dosas, crepes or an overlapping layer of thinly sliced cooked vegetables.

Japanese Cucumber – Japanese cucumbers are thin-skinned, seedless and contain much less water than normal cucumber.
Substitutes: English or hothouse cucumbers which have been peeled, de-seeded and salted as above. If not available try matchsticks of your favorite crisp vegetable.

Avocado –
Substitutes: If not available use slices of roasted capsicum (bell pepper), slices of roasted tomatoes, lightly cooked whole snap (snow) peas, slices of Japanese daikon radish or other cooked thinly sliced vegetables, or slices of ’sushi’ grade fish such as tuna, yellow tail and red snapper; smoked salmon, pastrami, salami, various colour’s of fish roe, or various colour’s of sesame seeds.

PART 3 : Spiral Sushi Roll
This is easiest ‘decorative’ sushi roll.

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice

Yield: One Roll, cut into 8 pieces

INGREDIENTS:

• 2½ cups prepared sushi rice
• 2 sheets of toasted nori, each sized 7”x8” (17.5cmx20cm)
• Six assorted fillings, each filling should be the size of a pencil (see note below)

DIRECTIONS:
1.Join 2 sheets of nori by moistening the adjacent edges and overlapping them about ½ inch (12mm).
2.Place this double sheet shiny side down on a rolling mat, part of the nori will extend beyond the mat.
3.Using moist fingers place 2½ cups of rice on the nori and gently rake your fingertips across grains to spread rice evenly, leaving ¼ inch (6mm) nori showing on the both ends of the sheet. Do not mash or squash the rice onto the nori, the rice should appear loosely packed and be evenly distributed over the entire sheet, you should be able to see the nori sheet in a few places.
4.Using your fingers form six grooves (in the same direction that you will be rolling the mat) at even intervals across the bed of rice. Make the first groove about 2 inches (50 mm) from the edge of the nori sheet. Form the grooves by pushing the rice away, do not mash or squash the rice, leave a loose one grain layer of rice in the bottom of the grooves. Level the areas between the grooves where you have pushed the rice.
5.Place your fillings in the grooves. Fill the grooves a little higher than the surrounding rice bed.
6.Then roll the sushi up from the edge closest to you, this will form a spiral pattern of nori, rice and fillings inside the roll.
7.Slice into 8 pieces with a very sharp wet knife, wiping the blade with a damp cloth after each cut.
8.Place the pieces on a platter and garnish.

NOTE:
Make each groove about a finger-width wide they will hold about 1-2 tablespoons of filling. Use fillings that compliment each other and are highly colored. Use parboiled vegetables cut into strips, seafood, left over eel, smoked fish or chicken, whole cooked beans, edible flowers etc….

I used baked seasoned tofu, roasted red bell pepper, carrots, salted and drained Japanese cucumbers, omelette and grilled onions. Grilled vegetables in sushi is absolutely fabulous. Take my word and try it.

Spiral Roll

Spiral Roll

PART 4 : Nigiri Sushi
Nigiri sushi is the type of sushi most often made in sushi bars. In Japanese, nigiri means “squeeze”.

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 1¾ hours to make the sushi rice

Yield: 14-16 pieces of sushi

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups prepared sushi rice
• 8 pairs of assorted toppings, 200 gms/7 ozs total of fish, meat or vegetables (see note below)
• 1 tablespoon Wasabi (paste, reconstituted powder) or any other paste to adhere topping to rice

Optional

• Garnishes such as Ginger (pickled), chilli strips, vegetables flowers etc
• Thin strips of nori or vegetables (for tying topping on)

DIRECTIONS:
1.When handling sushi rice, make certain your hands are very clean. To keep the rice from sticking to our hands moisten your hands with vinegared water.
2.Form nigiri sushi by scooping up a small amount (about 2 tablespoons) of rice with your forefinger and second finger of your right hand and placing it in your cupped left palm.
3.Use the fingers and thumb of your right hand to form it into a long, narrow mound (about 2 inches x 1 inch wide or 50mm x 25mm) in your cupped palm.
4.Press enough to make the rice hold firmly together. Place the nigiri on a damp cutting board flat side down. Don’t let sushi touch or they’ll stick to each other. At this point, you can cover the sushi with plastic wrap, and they’ll keep at room temperature (not the refrigerator) for several hours.
5.Smear a thin line of wasabi on top of the rice and place the topping piece on it. You may need to press the topping down lightly with your fingers and adjust the shape of the rice accordingly to form an attractive piece of nigiri sushi. If your topping is very loose like fish roe you can place a strip of nori (higher than the rice) around the nigiri and form ‘battleship’ sushi. The cavity that the nori forms holds the topping so it does not fall off.
6.Garnish as desired and use strips of nori (or vegetable) to tie the topping to the nigiri if needed.
7.It is customary to make nigiri sushi in pairs, so make two of each variety.

* Tips: A great video on making nigiri sushi
http://www.howcast.com/videos/270-How-To-Make-Sushi
A great web page on slicing fish for nigiri
http://www.sushilinks.com/sushi-recipes/how-to-buy-fish/index.html

Nigiri Sushi topped with vegetables

NOTES:
Seafood nigiri must use sushi grade (sashimi grade) fish. Try tuna, red sea bream (red snapper), yellowtail or salmon. Cooked shrimp, cooked crab, cooked meat can also be used! You can use any vegetable you wish try asparagus, pumpkin, carrot, avocado, cucumber, shiitake mushroom, tofu, thin sliced egg omelette, etc… Thinly slice or julienne vegetables, parboiling if necessary tie on with a thin (1/4” or 6mm) strip of nori or vegetable strip wrapped around the whole sushi if needed..

*MOST IMPORTANT ADVICE YOU MUST READ THIS* – If you are using raw fish or raw meat it must be ’sushi’ grade (sashimi grade) ask your fishmonger or butcher for advice and if in doubt don’t use. Find your local Japanese market and ask them where the best sushi (sashimi) fish is. Maybe you can buy sushi grade fish at your local sushi bar. Purchase flash-frozen sashimi grade fish which is guaranteed to be free of all parasites. Only salt-water fish and shellfish should be consumed raw. Crab and prawn (shrimp) should always be cooked. Sashimi grade fish should have a clean cool smell if it smells fishy it is a sign that the fish is old and cannot be used. If you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system only use cooked ingredients. There is no need to use raw fish or raw meat in sushi.

Resources
Written instructions on making various forms of sushi can be found here http://homepage3.nifty.com/maryy/eng/sushi_roll.htm
http://www.sushiencyclopedia.com/index.html

Expenditure:

Sushi Rice………………………….$6.49 for 5 lb……………….HuaXing Asia Store ……….plenty left

Sake……………………………….$2.32 for 300 ml…………….HuaXing Asia Store………..plenty left

Instant seaweed powder……………$2.59 for 64 g……………….HuaXing Asia Store……….plenty left

Japanese Cucumber………………..$0.5 for 2 ………………….HuaXing Asia Store………..gone

Tofu……………………………….$2.49 for 2.65 lb……………HuaXing Asia Store………..plenty left

Sesame,nori mix……………………$2.49………………………HuaXing Asia Store………..half left

Wasabi powder…………………….$1.69………………………HuaXing Asia Store………..half left

Pickled Ginger……………………..$2.99 for 12 oz…………….HuaXing Asia Store…………half left

—————————————————————————————————–

Total………………………………$21.56

Now you know why sushi is so expensive. Anyway this much money will make many many servings till you really get your fill of sushi like me. And yes, this was not all, I bumped into another car on my way out of the store and so this sushi turned out really really expensive.

Daring Cooks Blogroll

The past weekend was practically perfect in every way, the sort that invites you to take a stroll, to read Nabokov in outdoor cafes, to sit still and CONTEMPLATE (with an exclamation, as Dr. C would have said) – by far the best pastime for a humble Saturday afternoon.

Stopping and smelling the proverbial flowers.

Mixing inordinate amounts of wasabi into my soy sauce because I crave the sensation of heat shooting up my nose, clearing my sinus, into the front then back of my brain.

Letting the acidity, strange gingery sweetness, and then the effects of carbonation linger a while.

Wandering through the aisles of hand-crafted honey, bottles of wine, rows of perfect dark chocolates.

I have only recently begun to experiment and try new foods that are spicy/hot.  Usually for me, any thing more then putting two twists of the pepper mill on my food would have been “crazy”!!

A few weeks ago I took a day off of work because I had a gift certificate from WBIG 1280 for an Indian restaurant. The gift certificate was for buffet for two at Indian Harvest.  The first thing that they brought to out table was Tandoori Chicken.  Now, the smell of the dish was overwhelming.  Indian food is definitely an acquired taste.  The chicken itself was very good.  I tried almost everything that was on the buffet table and I found that most of the food was “good”.  I didn’t get too excited about the whole experience, but at least now that I have tried Indian food, I may go back and try ordering something off the menu.

Back to the wasabi……

I have eaten three time now at Ju Rin.  I think I may have about 4 or 5 real “sushi moments” in my dining life. (The sushi you buy in grocery stores doesn’t really count)  Each time that I have eaten at Ju Rin, while being a good experience, I have always felt a little disappointed with the menu items.  I have not though been disappointed at all with the sushi and sashimi !!!!

Now, the good thing a bout the wasabi is that unlike peppers, there is no lingering damage!!!.  You can take a big enough bite of the wasabi to clear your sinuses and melt your hair form the inside out, but in a few moments, it’s gone.

Counting the days until the next sushi trip !!

It has become quite clear to me that my eating at, thinking about, photographing, and spending money at Sushi House Hayakawa has become a bit much. And, to add fuel to the fire, I’m heading back there tonight at a friends request (and because it is absolutely delicious, fresh, and reasonably priced). In order to refrain form repeating content on this infant of a blog, I will quickly highlight some of the new bites of Japanese food that have entered my belly.

ikura, ikura, galora

oh how a lil uni can change a dish

I’ve covered parts of my trio in the past (think Would You Eat This? and Dreaming About), so here is the big picture:

salty ikura with creamy uni, sour umeboshi flavored jellyfish, spicy wasabi raw octopus

Lauren ordered a couple of rolls and I helped eat them:

spicy tuna

I'm special tonight!

blow torching

After tonight, I will most likely decrease my frequency of visits to Sushi House Hayakawa – if only to up the anticipation/appreciation ante.

Sushi House Hayakawa
5979 Buford Hwy. Red & Green Steakhouse Shopping Center A-10
Atlanta, GA 30340
http://www.atlantasushibar.com/

I joined a group called The Daring Cooks,
A new challenge each month from international cook books.

The menu  secret ’til a certain day,
So excited I am to weigh in and play.

Pho and Paella, these I can serve,
There’s just no way they can throw me a curve.

Feeling good, my confidence high,
‘Til I find out it’s Sushi! Why oh why?!

My kitchen my realm, I don’t like to fail,
So I buck up and think, “I must prevail!”

Dragon Roll

Dragon Roll first and not too bad,
BBQ’d eel – worse I’ve had.

But a picture of beauty I cannot say,
This roll I would not put on display.

Decorative Roll next on the list,
This one I failed, I really missed!

Rice shiny and tangy, a perfect sight,
But I rolled it as big as an elephant’s bite.

At the sushi bar, there is much to see,
Fish and nori, the sauce is key.

It comes in bottles with very small tips,
For decorative designs, NOT messy drips.

Decorative "Elephant -Size" Roll

Big blobs of topping not my intent,
Head hung low, I sit and lament.

I take a deep breath and forge ahead,
Though I’d like to throw rice and go to bed.

Nigiri the final challenge to complete,
Surely this is one I can meet.

They say that charms come in three,
Apparently they were not referring to me.

Face in my hands as I think of you looking,
At the pictures of sushi that I have been cooking.

My lofty thoughts of glory and fame,

UGH!

Humbly brought down to the Hall of Shame.

But, alas, you’ll see me for next month’s dish,
I can only hope that they don’t choose fish.

Thank you so much to Audax of Audax Artifex and Rose of Bite Me Kitchen for coming up with this challenge. It pushed me outside of my comfort zone and sometimes that’s a good thing!

มาต่อกันที่การถ่ายทำครึ่งหลังของวันแรกครับ

ฉากใหญ่ที่เหลือในวันนี้ก็คือฉากโต๊ะกินอาหารค่ำครับ

ไปดูกันดีกว่า

เริ่มต้นจากการจัดอาหารเพื่อประกอบฉากโดยน้องป๊อปปี้ ฝ่ายพร็อบของเรา ส่วนด้านขวาไม่ใช่ฝ่ายพร็อบ แต่เป็นนางเอกของหนังครับ 555 โดนใช้งานเท่าเทียมกัน

ฉากนี้ถือเป็นฉากใหญ่ฉากหนึ่งของเรื่องครับ ตอนเตรียมการก็วุ่นวายกันพอดู ทั้งการกำกับ การจัดพร็อบ แสง วู้ เยอะแยะมากมาย

อีกด้านก็วุ่นวายไม่แพ้กันเห็นมั๊ยครับ ไฟตรึม

วุ่นวายถึงขนาดไอ้เยเมนส์ หนึ่งในผู้ช่วยกล้อง เกิดเสียสติขึ้นมา

น้องแจงก็เริ่มทำหน้าเหวี่ยงใส่ผู้กำกับ อ๊ากกกกส์

ร้อนถึงบอม สุดยอดโปรดิวเซอร์ต้องเข้ามาเคลียร์ จึงทำให้เริ่มถ่ายทำได้ซะที

บรีฟนักแสดงอีกครั้งก่อนถ่ายครับ

เริ่มถ่ายซะที

เป็นอันสรุปว่าวันแรกก็เลทกันไปตามระเบียบ ไอ้เกี๊ยวที่มาช่วยทำเสียงก็โยนงานให้น้องแล้วก็นอนมันข้างเซ็ทซะเลย

อันนี้เป็นตอนท้ายๆวัน ที่มาถ่ายเก็บ insert เล็กๆน้อยๆ ทั้งหลายแหล่

ครูม้าก็แอบนอนระหว่างเซ็ทฉากเหมือนกันครับ ฮ่าๆๆ ขออภัยทุกคนที่ต้องมาช่วยกันจนหมดแรงกันไปตามๆกัน

…

เป็นอันจบการถ่ายทำวันแรก

ยังเหลืออีก 4 วันถ่ายทำ

ไว้จะเอามาลงเรื่อยๆนะครับ

Ce matin j’ai reçu un petit mail de la part de Netvibes, mon gestionnaire de flux RSS préféré : http://www.netvibes.com/like2begeek# .

Il propose actuellement de tester leur nouvelle plateforme qui ce nomme Wasabi et qui devrais proposer un grand nombres de nouvelles fonctionnalités.

Les nouvelles fonctions que j’ai pour l’instant reconnues sont :

- Mise  jour du profil Twitter via Netvibes

- Le profil va proposer de nouvelles fonctionnalités (Keywords/catégories/description) qui va permettre un meilleur référencement.

Pour l’instant il est en Beta close avec invitation, pour les personnes qui désirent le tester, voici l’adresse d’inscription et de présentation : http://wasabi.netvibes.com/

Pour les geeks comme pour les simples utilisateurs d’internet qui veulent gagner du temps, Netvibes vient de créer une nouvelle interface, nommée Wasabi. De nouvelles fonctionnalités très pratiques : un tableau de bord personnalisé, des mises à jour en temps réel, et une vue en masaïque beaucoup plus visuelle, nommée Smart Reader, un widget Twitter plus pratique… Les internautes semblent nombreux à vouloir tester cette nouvelle version. Pour y accéder : être déjà utilisateur de Ntevibes, recevoir le mail destiné aux “Beta-testeurs” et … attendre le mail contenant le fameux code d’accès !

A suivre donc, avec un vrai test dès que j’aurai reçu le fameux mail !

When visiting Sushi House Hayakawa, I have been riskier in my ordering. I’ve tried new things; ordered what was freshly flown in from Japan. Simply put, I’ve been sky diving sushi style.

Take the dish in the photo above. Can you tell what it is? No? Take a closer look.

what am I?

Need a bit more light?

Ah, there it is – Raw Octopus in a Wasabi sauce! I have been wanting to eat raw octopus ever since I saw Anthony Bourdain and David Chang chomp on live octopus in Queens on a recent episode of No Reservations. The staff stared at me and asked me questions like “have you ever eaten raw octopus before?” and “are you sure you want that – the texture is ‘different’?”. This led me to believe I was embarking on a dangerous adventure; one that may end badly (god forbid I leave that night with disdain towards the lovely octopus).

When the small bowl arrived, it looked harmless enough. I noticed the octopus was cut into small pieces, most likely to avoid any chewiness. I took a small piece, let it explore around my mouth, and swallowed. The texture – I loved! The taste on the other hand was of an extremely strongly wasabi, so much so that I could not even get all of the octo down. I couldn’t taste much other than horseradish at full blown strength. I want to try raw octopus again – but this time I will ask Hayakawa to go easy on the wasabi.

Anyone else want to eat this?

Sushi House Hayakawa
5979 Buford Hwy. Red & Green Steakhouse Shopping Center A-10
Atlanta, GA 30340
http://www.atlantasushibar.com/

Ce soir j’ai pas de site à vous présenter, ni de logiciels à tester, je vais donc faire une petite review des news qui m’ont paru intéréssante ces derniers jours.

Tout d’abord, une de taille : l’ouverture du premier Apple Store en France !

C’est en effet dans la gallerie du Louvre à Paris qu’à ouvert le 7 novembre. Je n’y étais pas, à mon plus grand damn : c’est dur d’être un provincial. J’attendrai l’ouverture de celui de Toulouse. On en parle un peu partout sur la toile, mais j’ai quand même repéré quelques vidéos ou articles intéressants : une vidéo sur Clubic, la couverture de l’évènement par Lokan, article sur macgeneration

News suivante : L’annonce de Kick-Ass, une adaptation plutôt originale de comics.

Le pitch : Davec Lizewski, un étudiant geek, looser sur les bords veut devenir super-héros. Le seul hic : il n’a pas de pouvoirs. Ça rappelle un peu Hancock dans l’esprit comics décalé (ce qui peut paraitre inquiétant pour certains comme moi qui n’ont pas apprécier ce dernier), mais la bande annonce nous promets quand même une approche bien différente.

Retrouver l’article sur Korben.info

Wasabi : le lecteur RSS de NetVibes.

Vous en avez peut-être eu ouïe de ce projet : NetVibes, le célèbre site qui vous permet de créer votre page d’accueil personnalisable, nous prépare un nouveau service : un lecteur RSS. Dit comme ça, ça peut paraitre un peu anodin : on en connait déjà pas mal qui ont fait leurs preuves, notamment celui de Google. Mais celui-ci vous permet de coupler un lecteur RSS rapide et ergonomique a votre page d’accueil NetVibes. J’ai eu la chance d’avoir un code pour la béta, je peux vous dire que c’est vraiment plaisant à utiliser. Je vous prépares d’ailleurs un test pour dans quelques jours. On en parle également sur 01net

Liens : NetVibes, Wasabi

Et pour finir, les 5 ans de Firefox !

En effet, c’est ce 9 novembre que Firefox fêtait ses 5 ans. Si vous vous intéressez à ce blog, je pense qu’il est inutile que je vous rappele ce qu’est Firefox Je vais pas vous pondre 30 lignes sur cet évènement étant donné que je n’y étais pas (et oui, encore à Paris …), vous pouvez retrouver l’essentiel sur le blog de Tristan Nitot, président de Mozilla Europe.

Je vous publie quand même une interview pompé sur Lokan.fr (décidemment Lokan est partout ces temps-ci :p) de Mr Nitot. On notera l’évocation de Rain Drop, projet qui pourrait bien concurrencer Google Wave.

C’est tout pour ce soir !

Lagonsales començarà el mes de desembre de 2009 el Wasabi Tour que els portarà a Madrid, Barcelona i Donosty.

* 10.12.2009 MADRID / BARRACUDAS

* 11.12.2009 BARCELONA / ROCKSOUND

* 12.12.2009 DONOSTI / MOGAMBO

เดือนที่แล้วเอาการสร้างฉากบ้านญี่ปุ่นในฉันใช้ในการถ่ายหนังสั้นเรื่อง วาซาบิ มาลงไว้
มาวันนี้จะเริ่มเอารูปในกองถ่าย 5 วัน (แต่มีรูปแค่ 4 วัน ฮ่าๆๆ) มาให้ดูกัน

ประเดิมกันที่วันแรก โพสนี้เอาไปครึ่งวันก่อน

เช้าตรู่วันที่ 10 มีนาคม หนึ่งวันหลังน้องๆจัดงานบายเนียร์ให้ ไอ้พี่พวกนี้นำทีมโดยฉันนี่แหละ ก็ลากเด็กๆมาช่วยงานแต่เช้า มาถึงกันยังสะลึมสะลือกันอยู่เลย

แต่งานต้องเดิน ไม่งั้นจะถ่ายไม่เสร็จ หลังจากเริ่มต้นกันแบบเลทๆชิวๆ เราก็เริ่มถ่ายช็อตแรกกัน เป็นในซีนที่คุณพระเอกมาเห็นสภาพห้องนอนของตนเองเป็นครั้งแรก

คนที่ยืนสะพายกระเป๋าหันหลังนี่แหละพระเอกครับ

แหนะ เล่นตัวไม่ให้เห็นหน้าอีกด้วย

โช เป็นนักแสดงลูกครึ่งไทยญี่ปุ่นครับ น้องจู casting ใช้ความสัมพันธ์แบบครบ six degrees of separations ไปควานหาตัวมาให้ผู้กำกับเรื่องมากคนนี้ สุดท้ายก็ไม่ผิดหวัง เพราะความจริงบอกน้องไปว่า อยากได้คนญี่ปุ่น แต่ดันได้นักแสดงญี่ปุ่นตัวเป็นๆเรียนการแสดงมาโดยตรงซะด้วย ยิ่งดีเข้าไปใหญ่

คุณพี่โชก็ใจดี๊ใจดีเล่นให้ฟรีไม่คิดตังค์อีกด้วย (แบบมัดมือชกนิดๆ หุๆๆ) หลังจากเล่นหนังสั้นให้ฉันแล้ว เฮียก็ไปมีผลงานโฆษณาบ้าง เคยเห็นเล่นโฆษณาชาเขียวอะ

ห้องที่ใช้ถ่ายทำเป็นห้องนอนอยู่บนชั้น 2 ครับ เวลาจะจัดแสงจากภายนอกเพิ่มเติมก็ต้องขึ้นนั่งร้านอย่างที่เห็น

แล้วก็อัดไฟเข้าไปในห้องมืดๆให้สว่างพอจะถ่ายทำได้ครับ ไฟถ่ายหนังมันร้อนมากนะครับ บวกกับอากาศเดือนมีนา บวกกับห้องอบๆอับๆของบ้านร้างหลังนี้ ไอ้น่าน น้องที่มาเป็นตากล้องให้เลยต้องเดินแบกกล้องเหงื่อยแตกพลั่กๆ ฮ่าๆๆ

ระหว่างถ่ายทำก็มักจะเกิดปัญหาให้แก้ไขเฉพาะหน้าเป็นธรรมดาครับ อย่างอันนี้คงงงว่าทำอะไรกัน

คือช็อตนี้จะถ่ายเห็นพื้นบริเวณนี้ครับ แต่คอมเพรสเซอร์แอร์ที่ตั้งอยู่ใกล้ๆดันปล่อยน้ำออกมาเจิ่งนองไปหมด ไอ้ช่วงเช้าเราอยู่ในบ้านกันเป็นส่วนมาก เลยไม่มีคนสังเกตเห็น พอใกล้จะถ่าย ลงมาเตรียมสถานที่ก็เพิ่งเห็นกันครับ

วิธีแก้ในวันนั้นก็ขำๆดีครับ เอาไฟมาสาดมันซะ … อย่างที่บอก ไฟมันร้อนมากครับ ก็ตั้งสาดๆไป ซักพักมันก็จะแห้งในระดับที่ถ่ายทำได้

ระหว่างนี้ก็จัดการงานส่วนอื่นไป ด้วยความชั่วบวกขี้เกียจ ก็โยนของกันอย่างงี้ซะเลย -*-

พื้นไม่แห้งซะที น้องหมวยก็เลยจัดการหุบปากขี้บ่นของพี่ๆด้วยอาหารกลางวันครับ

หลังจากถ่ายข้างนอกเสร็จแล้ว ก็มาถ่ายบริเวณหน้าบ้านกันต่อ

ดูรกจริงๆนะครับโซนนี้ ฉากตรงนี้ถ่ายนิดเดียวมากๆ ห้องหน้าบ้านนี้จึงเป็นที่วางอุปกรณ์กล้องไฟทั้งหลายแหล่ครับ ส่วนประตูทางขวาที่มีเด็กเสื้อฟ้ายืนอยู่นั่นคือห้องเก็บพร็อบ

ฉากที่ว่าคือตอนเดินเข้าบ้านครับ คนที่เห็นอยู่หน้าประตูคือ ครูม้า ที่ยอมมาเล่นเป็นคุณพ่อในเรื่องให้ (ขอบคุณครูมากคร้าบบ)

สองคนนี้เป็นแม่ลูกกันครับ ..หมายถึงในชีวิตจริงอะนะ ไม่ใช่ในหนัง ด้านซ้ายคือ ป๋อม ผู้ช่วยผู้กำกับฉันเอง ขอให้มันเป็นผู้ช่วยยังไม่พอ ยังหน้าด้าน ยืมคุณแม่มารับบทเป็นคุณแม่ในเรื่องอีกด้วย คุณแม่ก็ใจดี๊ใจดียอมมาเล่นให้ด้วย TT^TT

ด้านซ้ายคือฉันเอง กำลังดูมอนิเตอร์อยู่ ย๊ากกส์ ถึงตอนนี้ก็เลทมาเยอะแล้ว ทำไงดี … ส่วนด้านขวาเป็นรูปรุ่นน้องผู้ไม่รู้ว่าผู้กำกับกำลังเครียดว่าจะถ่ายไม่ทัน ตาราง เลยแอบหลับในหน้าที่ครับ

…

Going into today’s ImprompTuesday, I knew I wanted to use the package of ground turkey that was in the fridge from Sunday night when I opted out of making Shepherd’s Pie  due to a ground meat overload!

This morning, I was thinking maybe I would make taco salads.

But then All Recipes posted their recipe of the day and it was Wasabi Mashed Potatoes.

Ohmigod that sounds so good.

Then the wheels in my noggin’ started turning.

I made an Asian-Inspired Shepherd’s Pie!

Started by cooking up the ground turkey, adding some ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and brown sugar.

Then I  made the mashed potatoes by boiling a bunch of red potatoes, draining them, then adding half and half, butter, roasted garlic, pepper, and lots of wasabi powder!

For the veggies, I just heated up some frozen edamame, diced up a carrot, and got some frozen corn.

Then layer it all together and bake it in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes.

I flipped it to broil for a few to toasty up the taters.

It was quite good! Very unique and I like it! I like that I took a sort of classic American/Irish (??!?) dish and gave it an Asian flair!

Jodus gives it a B+. I think it could have used more veggies but other than that, it was tasty! I would have also have preferred to use a low-sodium soy sauce because the turkey was a tad salty.

We ate in front of the TV, watching Saw IV!

And I sipped a Gingerale!

There will probably be peppermint bark or ice cream in my future.

-L4L-

Bestätigungsmeldungen können auch mal ganz anders: wasabitravel.com

Wasabi – unique powder adventures ist eine neue Plattform, auf der man seinen individuellen Skiurlaubplanen kann.  Das ganze sieht schon auf der Coming Soon Seite spannend aus, launcht vorraussichtlich im Winter 09.

Damit man den Launch nicht verpennt, kann man sich per Email erinnern lassen. Und – Überraschung – als Bestätigungsmeldung steht nach eingeben und abschicken der Emailadresse: “Thanks – you good looking, successful person! We’ll be in touch soon!” Das hat was von Zukunft, einfach charming!