8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes

Page created by Marie Hodges
 
CONTINUE READING
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
A Taste
   of
Japan
The 3 ‘R’s to good eating –
       Restaurants,
   Reviews & Recipes

    8-page pullout
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
STRIPES JAPAN                                                     STE OF JAPAN                            DECEMBER 17 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
                                                              A TA 2

 American craft beer
 is our specialty!
   Antenna America is just what you need to quench your
 thirst! Our Kannai, Yokohama and Shinagawa branches
 serve up American craft beer from top U.S. craft brewer-
 ies. Please go to : http://www.antenna-america.com for
 more details. Our tasting rooms have rotating taps and a
 huge selection of bottles, all fresh from breweries thanks
 to our cold-chain delivery system. Chicken wings, burg-
 ers and other American food items all made to order at
 our Kannai and Yokohama branches. We have private
 space available upon request at our Kannai branch. An-
 tenna America is family friendly, so come check us out!

                                                                                 A taste of Yokosuka
                                                                                 you’ll never forget
                                                                                   We ensure that in every dish we prepare, we add the
                                                                                 best herbs and spices specially handpicked from Nepal
                                                                                 and India. With our belief deeply rooted in the Eastern
                                                                                 philosophy, we regard every customer as a god, and
                                                                                 make sure in every way that we treat them as one. Our
                                                                                 5-star experienced cooks and chefs ensure the food
                                                                                 looks as good as it is healthy. Once you come and visit
                                                                                 us, we are confident that you will make plans to come
                                                                                 again. We eagerly await the opportunity to serve you
                                                                                 our delicacies!!
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
DECEMBER 17 – DECEMBER 23, 2021                                                    STE OF JAPAN                                                                                           STRIPES JAPAN
                                                                               A TA 3

                quat dis h sy m bol
           n kum     d  fort une
       ol e
         d oney, g oo
      G of m                                menu item for the New Year’s meal.
                                            Try the recipe below, adapted from
                                            the Japanese Consumers’ Co-oper-
                                            ative Union. With just a few simple
                                            steps to follow, this would arguably
       STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHOJI KUDAKA,    be one of the easiest Japanese New
                  STRIPES JAPAN
                                            Year foods that you can make on your

     N
                                            own.
              ow that we’ve taken care of      The only daunting part of the en-                            Kinkan-no-kanroni (stewed kumquat)
              the happiness portion of the tire recipe is removing the seeds.
              New Year food courses with However, for 30 pieces of kinkan, I                        *For a family of four, this recipe should be enough for a few servings per person.
     burdock, it’s time to summon money was able to complete this task in 10         INGREDIENTS                                                     toothpick to bring the
     with kumquats!                         minutes by making small slits on the     n Kinkan (kumquat) 30 pieces                                    seeds up and out. Be
        In Japan, this tiny citrus fruit delicate skin and using a toothpick         n Water 450cc                                                   sure to remove stem
     is called kinkan and forms part of to pry out the seeds with a little pa-       n Sugar 135cc                                                   ends as well.
     the Osechi Ryori because the name tience.                                       n Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine) 22.5cc
     in kanji is either “金柑” or “金冠”,                                                                                                             5. Heat 450cc of water,
                                               From start to finish, it took me
     which means “gold tangerine” and about 90 minutes. Though it is a bit                                                                           135cc of sugar, 22.5cc
                                                                                     RECIPE                                                          of Mirin (sweet cook-
     “gold crown” respectively. In China, longer than I usually spend on cook-
                                                                                     1. Rinse and wash off                                           ing rice wine) in a
     where the fruit originated, its name ing, the end result was totally worth
                                                                                        kinkan with water.                                           deep pan on a medi-
     is “金桔 (jin jié)”, meaning “wealth” it. The heavenly scent of the kinkan,
                                                                                     2. Put kinkan in a deep
     and “good luck”, according to the          sugar and mirin will entice you to                                                                   um-high heat for a few
                                                                                        pot with water and
     Japan Weather Association.
                                      iew Video! give it a little taste, but just                                                                    minutes.
        Besides the prospect of      V               be careful not to burn your-
                                                                                        place over high heat.
                                                                                                                                                  6. Add kinkan to the mix-
     more wealth, kumquats                                                              (Make sure there’s
                                                     self.                                                                                           ture and slowly heat it
     are delicious and delicately                                                       enough water to
                                                      Another good pointer to                                                                        on a medium heat, un-
     sweet! They can be eaten raw                 know is that this can be cooked       cover the kinkan. Stop
                                                                                        heating just before                                          til the tangerine starts
     but for the New Year, we have                in a big batch and stored much
                                                                                        the water is boiled.)                                        to glisten and soften.
     it in kanroni, which stews                   like you would marmalade or
                                                                                     3. Drain water and take                                      7. Serve on small plates
     kumquat with sugar and mirin sweet jelly. Refrigerated in a jar or airtight
     cooking rice wine. The cooking pro- container, the kanroni will last about         kinkan out of the pan.                                       cold (you can also en-
     cess brings up a distinct sweetness six months to a year.                          Let them cool.                                               joy this dish warm if
     and fruitiness with a marmalade-like      So, add this sweet dish to your       4. Once cool enough                                             you let it cool a little
     consistency.                           New Year’s lineup and see if it brings      to hold, remove the                                          after cooking). Bon ap-
        Commonly called kinkan-no- you good luck and wealth in 2022!                    seeds. Do this by making about six vertical slits            petite and good luck
     kanroni, stewed kinkan is a regular kudaka.shoji@stripes.com                       on each kinkan with a kitchen knife and using a              in the New Year!

                       ou-no-nikumaki for a lucky new year
                    gob
                Try
        STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHOJI KUDAKA,
                                                                                                                            Gunboumaki (Okinawan style roll of pork,
                                                                                                                                    burdock, and carrot)
                 STRIPES JAPAN
                                                                                                                                                                   *For four people

     I
           n Japan, every New Year we eat                                                                                                   INGREDIENTS
           a variety of foods which form part                                                                                               n (Sliced) Pork loin 600g
           of the Osechi Ryori (or New Year’s                                                                                               n Burdock 220g
     foods) meant to bring us good luck,                                                                                                    n Carrot 450g
     health and happiness. Goubou-no-niku-                                                                                                  n Water 600cc
     maki, a rolled slice of beef with burdock                                                                                              n Sugar 100 cc
     root at the center, is one of the popular                                                                                              n Liquor (cooking sake) 100 cc
     dishes in the Osechi lineup.                                                                                                           n Soy sauce 67cc
         Burdock is a reminder of the grain har-                                                                                            n Salt (a little)
     vest because it’s black and elongated ap- but once the prep                                                                            n Mirin/sweet cooking rice wine
     pearance resembles the Japanese crane, work was done, the rest of
                                                                                                                                              (a little)
     which comes flying when a rich harvest is the cooking went smoothly.
     gathered. The rolled dish includes burdock       As the rolls simmered in a broth of sugar,        RECIPE
     because it is eaten with the hope that hap- cooking sake and mirin sweet cooking rice              1. Rinse and wash off burdock, then peel skins. Rinse carrots.
     piness will last long like burdock grows.      wine, the delicious scent spread through-           2. Slice burdock and carrots into small pieces. Make sure each piece
         Depending on where you’re celebrat- out the kitchen. I couldn’t resist giving one                 will match the width of sliced pork.
     ing the New Year, burdock and meat rolls a try before they were fully cooked. One                  3. Boil sliced burdock and carrot in hot water for about 3 minutes
     have a different name. On the mainland, bite and the savory juices exploded over                      each.
     it’s called yawatamaki, after Yawata City my taste buds. The well-seasoned and ten-                4. Roll burdock and carrot with one (or two) slice of pork loin. (You
     in Kyoto Pref. On Okinawa, not only
     is its name different – it’s called Vie
                                                w Video! derwonder
                                                              ingredients were delectable — no
                                                                     this is also a popular item
                                                                                                           can use a toothpick to secure the rolls if necessary)
                                                                                                        5. Place the rolls in a deep pan. then add 100cc water to cover the
     Gunboumaki — but, so is its sec-                       for kids’ bento boxes year-round.              rolls and boil for 5 minutes.
     ondary ingredient – pork instead                       This is a great option or those eas-        6. After the initial cooking process, add 500cc of water, 100cc of
     of beef.                                             ing into Japanese cuisine, plus the              cooking sake, 100cc of sugar, 67cc of soy sauce to the pan.
         Just recently, I had a chance to                 veggies and pork or beef are a good              Loosely put a lid on the pot and lower the heat and simmer
     try the Okinawan version following                   source of nutrients.                             between 30 minutes to 1 hour.
     a recipe I found in an old cookbook                     Cornbread, peas, soba, mochi and           7. Add soy sauce, mirin/sweet cooking rice wine, and condiment
     at home. I happened to also have carrots beans are also popular ingredients used in                   to perfect the flavor to your taste. (You can do this in step No. 6
     on hand, so I modified the recipe to include New Year’s dishes. But, make sure to in-                 as well before simmering)
     them. The recipe was simple enough even clude some burdock, carrots and pork or                    8. Once they’re tender, remove them from the pan and slice into                         E
     for a first-timer like me. The only challenge beef for good health and good luck in 2022!
                                                                                                                                                                                            MOR
                                                                                                                                                                                       SEE EN SOBA
                                                                                                           bite-sized pieces. Enjoy!
     was peeling the skins of the burdock roots, kudaka.shoji@stripes.com
                                                                                                                                                                                      EBI T
                                                                                                                                                                                          N PAGE
                                                                                                                                                                                                 6
                                                                                                                                                                                        O
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
STRIPES JAPAN                                                                     STE OF JAPAN                                                 DECEMBER 17 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
                                                                              A TA 4

           Taste 2022 the right way
                        STRIPES JAPAN                 pleasing to the eye as they are the pal-
                                                      ate. I can’t say that I liked them all as
                                                                                                     Okinawa prefectural government. “But
                                                                                                     ever since Okinawa was returned to Ja-
                                                                                                                                                   is not a tradi-

           N
                                                                                                                                                   tional ingredient in nakamijiru,
                    ew Year’s is Japan’s biggest      a child. But these days, I find that their     pan (in 1972), New Year’s foods have          nowadays it may be added to this
                    and longest holiday. People       traditional meanings as well as the            caught on. Nowadays, many people eat          Okinawan dish just like ozoni. It’s
                    take Dec. 29 through Jan. 3 off   childhood memories they bring back             Okinawan and Japanese foods for New           tasty but be careful.
           from work to celebrate the first three     make this a feast that I look forward to       Year’s.”                                         “There have been cases when peo-
           days of the year praying at temples and    all year long.                                    Local dishes you should be on the          ple, especially the elderly and small
           shrines for the coming year. It is our        You could say that, traditionally, the      lookout for in restaurants include            children, have severely choked on this
           Christmas and Thanksgiving – a time to     feast really begins on New Year’s Eve,         “rafute” (pork belly), “taamu” (taro)         densely chewy treat. So watch out when
           relax with family and friends over spe-    or “Oomisoka.”On this day, it is custom-       and“inamuruchi” (white miso soup              you eat mochi for the first time. But
           cial foods and sake.                       ary for Japanese to clean house to bring       with chopped pork). While at the same         once you try really good ozoni, you will
              When I was a child, every year my       good fortune in the coming year. (OK,          time, stores across the island will have      be obsessed with the awesome taste.
           family would go to my grandfather’s        this part is not a fond memory; I always       traditional Japanese New Year’s fare          This is, by far, my favorite New Year’s
           house in the Oita countryside to cel-      wanted to play with my friends while           on offer.                                     dish. Then there is osechi, which liter-
           ebrate New Year’s with relatives. It       my mom made me clean my room.)                    The first quarter or half of January       ally means beginning a new season and
           was an important time of year when we      Then we eat “toshikoshi,” or passing-          is commonly called “oshogatsu.” It re-        represents the start of the new year.
           enjoyed a traditional New Year’s feast     year, soba noodles at night.                   fers to the whole month of January as         This is a set of selected dishes. It’s kind
           around the “kotatsu,” a low table with a      According to tradition, we eat long         well. Plus, the first three days of the       of like a fancy bento box for the entire
           heater underneath to keep                  thin noodles in hopes of a long healthy        month are called “sanganichi” During          family that is eaten during sanganichi,
           us warm and cozy.                                life for the whole family in the         those days,“ozoni” and “osechi” are           sometimes for all three meals.”
              There are tradi-                                  coming year. Some people eat         the main dishes on a typical Japanese            They are designed to nourish and
           tional Japanese                                          homemade soba or, on Oki-        family’s table. Ozoni is a clear soup that    wish the family well, while expressing
           foods to ring in                                            nawa, Okinawan soba;          contains “mochi,” a glutinous rice cake;      thanks for the new year. The foods are
           the new year                                                  others eat a cup of in-     fish cake; chicken; leafy greens; car-        beautifully arranged in a “juubako,”
           that are as                                                     stant soba noodles.       rots; shiitake mushrooms; and maybe           which is traditional lacquered food box
                                                                            It does not matter,      more.                                         with three or four tiers.
  Ozoni                                                                      as long as it is soba      The soup stock varies from region             Osechi consists of foods that can be
                                                                             noodles.                to region. In most of mainland Japan it       prepared in advance and keep for a
                                                                                 If you are lucky    may be flavored with seaweed or “boni-        few days without spoiling. Tradition-
                                                                              enough to be in        to” (dried fish flakes). People make mi-      ally, it ensured everyone got a three-
                                                                              Okinawa for New        so-based ozoni in western regions like        day break, even mothers and wives who
                                                                              Year’s you’ll find     Kansai. In Okinawa, instead of ozoni,         wouldn’t have to cook and wash dishes.
                                                                             elements of two         people eat “nakamijiru,” a soup made          Also, most stores and restaurants used
                                                                             culinary traditions     with chitterlings.                            to be closed during oshogatsu.
                                                                            to sample. Because          From ancient times, mochi has been            These days, some stores open Jan.
                                                                           of its Ryukyu King-       a celebratory food in Japan represent-        1 because business can be good. It is
                                                                          dom history, Japan’s       ing fortune. Today, you can still see it at   believed that osechi started during the
                                                                         southernmost islands        traditional events and elsewhere in the       Edo Period (1603-1867) when coming
                                                                       have their own indig-         form of white, stacked, circular cakes        up with a variety prepared foods that
                                                                     enous dishes as well as         (or packaged squares at grocers) – es-        would keep for three days was a pretty
                                                                 those from mainland Japan.          pecially this time of year. You’ll also see   amazing feat.
                                                          “In Okinawa, families gathered to          a lot of mochi pounding events where             For those who don’t have a lot time
                                                      celebrate New Year’s with special foods        large mallets are used to                        or desire to prepare osechi, you can
                                                      that were served at ceremonies and             pound steamed rice                                    order them from companies at
                                                      feast year round, not just foods for New       into mochi. Al-                                          supermarkets and online.
                                                      Year’s,” says Yayoi Kohagura, of the           though mochi                                               You can even order one at

                                                                                                                                                                                Kurikinton

                                                                              Nishikitamago                                                        Kazunoko

                Kombumaki
                                                                                                     Get to know your‘o
                                                                                                              STRIPES JAPAN              loose. They are marinated in a broth

                                                                                                     O
                                                                                                                                         of bonito soup stock, sake and soy
                                                                                                                                                                                             h
                                                                                                                                                                                 More ohseesc
                                                                                                       sechi is a decorative set         sauce. You can often find them at
                                                                                                       of dishes eaten on New
                                                                                                       Year’s. Each traditional
                                                                                                                                         sushi restaurants.                        dis
                                                                                                                                            Kuromame (sweet simmered
                                                                                            Japanese dish has a special meaning,
                                                                                                                                         black beans) is soft and sweet. You
                                                                                          expressing well-wishing for the coming
                                                                                      year. These osechi can be found at depart-         may also notice a bit of soy sauce flavor-
                                                                                 ment stores or supermarkets. Here are some of           ing. Kuromame represents good health
                                                                               the classic dishes.                                       and diligent work.
                                                                                  Kazunoko (herring roe) are tiny yellow fish eggs.         Tazukuri are small sardines that have
                                                                               The many eggs signify prosperity for your descen-         been dried and cooked in a sweet sauce
                                                                               dants. The texture is chunky and the eggs are not         of sugar, sweet rice wine, soy sauce and
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
DECEMBER 17 – DECEMBER 23, 2021                                                             STE OF JAPAN                                                                      STRIPES JAPAN
                                                                                                A TA 5

                                                                                                                          Okin a w a n d e l ic a c ie s
                                                                                                          Nakamijiru                                      as nakami pieces.
                                                                                                                                                       2. Put konnnyaku into boiling water and
                                                                                                          (pork guts soup)                                cook it for 2-3 minutes and slice them.
                                                                                                                                                       3. In a bowl, put wet nakami with water
                                                                                                                                                          and add flour. Rub nakami with flour
                                                                                                            Nakamijiru is popularly known as              and rinse with running water. Repeat
 l                                                                                                        celebration food from Ryukyu King-              2 to 3 times until nakami to take out
s                                                                                                         dom. The key of cooking this soup is            the grease.
n                                                                                                         you need to prepare well to take out         4. Put nakami into boiling water and
 t                                                                                                        the smell of pork guts. The soup taste          cook for 20 mins. Change into fresh
 l                                                                                                        simple yet rich.                                boiling water and cook for 20 mins.
                                                           Osechi Photo courtesy of Kibun Foods Inc.
 .                                                                                                                                                        Repeat three times. This is to take out
s                                                                                                         Ingredients for 4 servings:                     the smell of guts.
 -   the nearest convenience store and pick       bland vegetable dishes and I would                      • 10.6 oz pork intestines and stomach or     5. When nakami is soft, drain the wa-
d                                                                                                         nakami                                          ter. Slice nakami into 5-6 cm by 1 cm
     it up. There is a wide variety available,    have preferred something like steak or
r.                                                                                                        • 3.5 oz konnyaku                               pieces. Boil nakami pieces in a sauce
     including traditional Japanese as well       fried chicken. I was also not too thrilled
d                                                                                                         • 4 dried shiitake mushrooms                    pan again. Drain and dry nakami in a
     as Chinese, Western and even Disney-         about eating the same food for a couple
e                                                                                                         • 4 cups bonito flake soup stock                bamboo basket or strainer.
     themed osechi. Prices range is from the      days. But times, and I, have change.
 ,                                                                                                        • 2 tbs salt                                 6. In a pot, boil dashi (bonito flake soup
     equivalent of about $150 to $200 for a          Now I really enjoy and appreciate os-
                                                                                                          • small soy sauce                               stock). Add nakami, shiitake mush-
     three- to four-person osechi.                echi. It comes from the wisdom of my
d                                                                                                         • small grated ginger                           rooms and konnyaku. Mix soy sauce
        “This traditional Japanese food was       ancestors. The colors and designs of
g                                                                                                         • flour                                         and salt. Simmer in low heat for 10
     recognized on UNESCO’s Intangible            each dish are works of art with mean-
e                                                                                                                                                         minutes.
     Cultural Heritage list in 2013,” says Fu-    ings intended to bring good fortune in
”                                                                                                         1. Soak shiitake mushrooms into water        7. Serve in a Japanese soup bowl with
     mitoshi Kumagai, a spokesperson for          the coming new year. I guess my sense
x                                                                                                            until soft. Slice them to the same size      grated ginger to taste.
     osechi maker Kibun Foods Inc. “Since         of taste has grown – grown for a taste
     then people have been paying more at-        of Okinawa.
e
     tention to traditional osechi. So they are
a
     quite popular this year. But char-
-
     acter-themed osechi such as
-
     Disney are also popular
o
     with families who have
 .
     small children.”
d
        It’s too bad they
     didn’ t have those
 .
     fancy kiddy os-
s
     echi when I
e
     was       growing
g
     up.      Honestly,
t
     I was not a big
y
     fan of osechi as
     a child because a
e
n
     lot of the traditional
     foods were kind of
                                                                                                          Kubuirichi”                                  • 4 tbs mirin
                                                                                                                                                       • 4 tbs sake
t
 .
                                                                                                          (stir-fried seaweed)                         • 6 tbs soy sauce
                                                                                                                                                       • 4 cups of bonito flake soup stock
t                                                                                 Toshikoshi soba            Okinawa is one of the most sea-
                                                                                                          weed consumption prefectures in              1. Rinse seaweed with running water,
                                                                                                          Japan. Okinawans loved seaweed                  wipe with kitchen towel and slice it
                                                                                                          from long time ago. The combina-                about 1.1 inch width. Boil the sea-
                                                                                                          tion of seaweed and pork makes                  weed for a minute and take it out.
                                                          Kuromame                                        very rich flavor. Seaweed contains           2. Soak shiitake mushrooms into water
                                                                                                          lots of dietary fiber which helps to            until soft. Cut into pieces.
                                                                                                          clean intestine system.                      3. Put konnnyaku into boiling water and
                                                                                                                                                          cook it for 2-3 minutes and slice them.
                                                                                                          Ingredients for 4 servings:                  4. Cut fishcakes into pieces about half
                                                                                                          • 0.44 lb seaweed                               inch width.
                                                                                                          • 1.25 lb pork belly                         5. Cut pork belly into pieces. Put oil
                                                                                                          • 7 dried shiitake mushrooms                    into frying pan and cook pork until
                                                                                                          • 0.44 lb konnyaku                              cooked.

osechi’ dishes
                                                                                                          • 0.22 lb fishcake                           6. And then add konnyaku, seaweed
                                                                                                                                                          and shiitake mushrooms and stir fry.
                                                                                                          (Sauce)                                      7. Add sauce and cook with low heat for
                                                                                                          • 4 tbs sugar                                   20 mins.

      sake. These are rich in calcium. Tazukuri repre-
      sents praying for a large catch and a good harvest.
hi    Don’t be afraid to eat the head!
         Kombumaki or Kobumaki is kelp roll                                  Tazukuri
      and stuffed with salmon or chicken,
             which has been cooked in a
             sweet soy sauce-based sauce.
             The name of kobumaki is a
             play on words, which mean
             joy in Japanese, so it’s eaten
             for good luck food during
             New Year’s.
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
STRIPES JAPAN                                                                    STE OF JAPAN                                                               DECEMBER 17 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
                                                                             A TA 6

                    ye ar w it h soba
             ing up        v ity
         r  p
          ap bring l  on ge
       W id to
                                                                                                                                  Ebi ten soba
                                                                                                                       (Soba noodles with shrimp tempura)

        saSTORY AND PHOTOS BY SHOJI KUDAKA,
                                                                                                                                                  *For two people
                                                                                                                                                  INGREDIENTS
                                                                                                                                                  n Shrimp (x 2)
                                                                                                                                                  n Salt (a little)
                    STRIPES JAPAN
                                                                                                                                                  n Soft flour (15cc)

     T
                                                                                                                                                  n Beaten egg (15cc)
            oshikoshi soba (year-crossing soba                                                                                                    n Coldwater (100cc)
            noodles) is a traditional food that                                                                                                   n Soft flour (for tempura batter, 100cc)
            many Japanese eat every year on                                                                                                       n Naganegi (shallot, 4cm or 1.57inches)
     December 31. 1. Eating soba noodles to                                                                                                       n Soba noodles (240g)
     mark the end of the year is a custom be-                                                                                                     n Water (600cc)
     lieved to have been established around                                                                                                       n Soy sauce (45cc)
     the Edo Period (1603 – 1868).).                                                                                                              n Mirin (sweet cooking rice wine, 30cc)
        There are many theories surrounding                                                                                                       n Dashi (stock powder, a little more than 5cc)
     how or why the noodles became a part of                                                                                                      n Salt (for broth, 1.25cc)
     the year-end ritual. According to the Ni-                                                                                                    n Salad oil (for frying tempura, appropriate amount)
     hon Menruigyo Dantai Rengokai, an as-
     sociation of noodle makers in Japan, the
     most common theory involves the belief
     that the thin and long shape of soba noo-
     dles represents the hope for longevity and                                                 RECIPE
     good luck.                                                                                 PREPARATION
        Other theories include the breaking of                                                  1. Peel the shell off shrimp except for the closest portion to the
     bad cycles of struggle, misfortune, and restaurants on Okinawa have Japanese-                 tail. Devein the shrimp. Slit the tip of the tail diagonally and
     debt because soba noodles are easy to cut. style soba on their menu, so check those           squeeze out water.
     Or, another is that the noodles could bring out. Or, better yet, you can cook your own     2. Slit the stomach of the shrimp a few times and bend back-
     in gold since in the old days craftsmen at home!                                              ward and straighten them by stretching the slitted portion.
     utilized buckwheat flour, the main ingre-       Try this simple recipe and have fun           Wipe water off the shrimp and sprinkle salt and flour on
     dient of soba noodles, to gather scattered choosing the toppings to make it your              them.
     gold foil.                                    own. This was my first time trying to cook   3. Chop naganegi (shallot) finely and drain the slices.
        No matter what kind of luck it brings or Japanese-style soba noodles, but it turned
     which of the theories you subscribe to,             out great. The soy-sauce based         COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
     soba noodles are a quintessential        iew Video! broth and the smooth texture of        1. Mix beaten egg and cold water in a bowl. Add flour and mix
     portion of the New Year celebra-       V                                                      them together to prepare tempura batter.
                                                            the noodles went well together.
     tions in Japan and well worth a try.                                                       2. Heat salad oil in a pan to 160℃ (320℉). Holding the
                                                           The shrimp tempura and shi-
        If you live in mainland Japan, you                                                         shrimp’s tail, dip into the batter, then transfer to heated oil.
                                                         chimi togarashi (seven-spice chili
     will not have trouble finding a good                                                          (Make sure its tail is not soaked in the batter.)
     soba restaurant. For those who live                 pepper) I used as toppings added a
                                                         nice punch of flavor.                  3. Sprinkle additional batter on top of the shrimp and fry for
     in Okinawa, however, it will be a dif-                                                        about 3 minutes. Take it out and drain excess oil.
     ferent story.                                   My soba noodles and broth were so
                                                                                                4. To prepare a broth, put water (600cc), soy sauce (45cc), mi-
        On the subtropical island, Okinawa good, I am now wondering whether I                      rin (sweet cooking rice wine, 30cc), dashi (stock powder, a
     soba noodles, made from flour not buck- should go with Japanese-style or my usu-              little more than 5cc), and salt (for broth, 1.25cc) in a pan,
     wheat, are what you’ll find at local restau- al Okinawa-style soba noodles for Dec. 31.       and heat the mixture.
     rants. Although there are some eateries This will be a difficult choice, but either        5. In a separate pot, bring water to a boil. Add the soba noo-
     dedicated to the Japanese-style buck- way, I am on track for eating a lot of soba             dles and let it simmer until the noodles are cooked through
     wheat soba noodles, finding those spots noodles to bring luck for 2022.                       (about 1-2 minutes for raw noodles, and 3-4 minutes for
     is a bit of a challenge. But many family kudaka.shoji@stripes.com                             dried noodles/see note below). Then, turn off the heat and
                                                                                                   strain out the water.
                   RASHI                                                                        6. Portion out your noodles into a bowl and pour the broth
      SHICHIMI TOGA                   “Shichimi” literally means “seven flavor chili               over.
                                    pepper.” This mixed spice consists of red chili             7. Top with shrimp tempura and other toppings to your prefer-
                                    pepper and six other ingredients.                              ence.
                                       n Red Chili Pepper           n Sansho  Pepper
                                                                    n Nori
                                                                                                *For convenience, I utilized preprocessed shrimp and skipped
                                       n Black Sesame Seeds                seaweed
                                                                    n Perilla Seeds
                                                                                                  preparations 1 and 2.
                                       n White Sesame Seeds
                                                                    n Hemp Seed
                                                                                                * Regarding step 5, boiling time depends on how soft or hard
                                       n Dried Ginger
                                                                                                  you want your soba noodles to be. The longer you boil the
                                       n Dried Orange peel
                                                                                                  noodles, the softer they become just like pasta. I boiled the
                                       You can make the taste better by sprinkling              noodles for 5 to 7 minutes.
                                    this on soba noodles. Shichimi is available in              *Recipe adapted from Ajinomoto (https://park.ajinomoto.
                                    grocery stores.                                               co.jp/recipe/card/705786/), a major food company in Ja-
                                                                                                  pan.
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
DECEMBER 17 – DECEMBER 23, 2021                                     STE OF JAPAN                                                STRIPES JAPAN
                                                                A TA 7

 It tastes as good
 as it sounds
    Beginning with an Eric Clapton guitar, Hard Rock Cafe
 owns the world’s greatest collection of music memora-
 bilia, which is displayed at its locations around the globe.
 For fans of music, great food and good times, Hard Rock
 is the go-to restaurant to get that authentic American
 diner-inspired cuisine wrapped in a unique musical ex-
 perience. So, it’s time to strike up the band! Events, like
 great music, are born to inspire others. At Hard Rock
 Cafe, we pride ourselves on delivering an exceptional ex-
 perience with a rock ‘n’ roll twist for each and every one
 of our guests.

                                                                                   Fresh pasta, sweet desserts
                                                                                   inside Zama AEON Mall
                                                                                     At Sandwich Café Panes House, you’ll love our delicious
                                                                                   pastas and desserts made fresh daily. You’ll notice our
                                                                                   pasta dishes use only the finest 100% Italian durum wheat.
                                                                                   And, for dessert don’t miss our signature strawberry
                                                                                   shortcake with its delicate sweetness. This moist and
                                                                                   perfect sponge cake like grandma used to make is layered
                                                                                   with juicy berries and fluffy whipped cream made from
                                                                                   the freshest Hokkaido dairy. Our wide selection of pasta
                                                                                   and desserts paired with any of our tasty café drinks will
                                                                                   make you feel right at home. Make plans to visit Sandwich
                                                                                   Café Panes House at Zama AEON Mall today!
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
STRIPES JAPAN       STE OF JAPAN   DECEMBER 17 – DECEMBER 23, 2021
                A TA 8
8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes 8-page pullout The 3 'R's to good eating - Restaurants, Reviews & Recipes
You can also read