Japanese and Beaujolais Nouveau

I was surprised to find out that in the past few years over 40% of Beaujolais Nouveau wines have been exported to Japan. Although the news said that its consumption overseas shows a sign of decline, here in Japan, Beaujolais Nouveau remains popular and the third Thursday of November calls for celebration in major bars and restaurants.

For more stories on Beaujolais Nouveau:

http://www.intowine.com/beaujolais2.html

Makers claimed that this year production of Beaujolais Nouveau is the best in 50 years history.

Maitake Soup

Maitake has become the topic of health news here in Japan for the scientist found that its consumption can increase immunity system. So those of you feeling tired or having an early symptoms of cold, try this very easy 10 minutes recipe:

1. Get fresh maitake and finely blend it until it turns into very tiny pieces (you can also add other type of mushrooms, for variety or more rich taste)

2. Slice onions very thinly and use butter to stir fry it 5 minutes

3. Pour the fine mushroom into the onion mixture, then pour milk/soy milk accordingly (adjust according to texture that you like)

4. Heat the mixture while continue stirring .... salt & pepper for taste and if you have chicken stock/beef stock in cubes.... use them, as they will make it taste even better.

Another Super Nut - Chestnut

My favorite snack in autumn is chestnut. The easiest way to cook it is to boil, however if i go to China town, they are usually cooked on a big wok using charcoal. Compared to other fruits, a 100 gram of chestnut contains more vitamin B, 4 times the vitamin C in apple, calcium, kalium and zinc, which are important minerals to our body. So don't miss it this season - go for chestnut :)

Autumn Calls For Mushrooms

How many types of mushroom do you know or find at the supermarket near you? Here in Japan, mushroom is almost inevitable in day to day cooking. We have about 9 typical Japanese mushrooms sold in the market, such as dried shitake, raw shitake, enokidake (white- see photo), eringi (or japanese-king-trumpet-mushroom - see photo), nameko, hiratake, funasimeji, maitake and matsutake mushroom.

Mushroom contains fibre, vitamin B1, B2, D2 and lots of important minerals, like Potassium/K, Lin, Iron and important source of Amino acid. Autumn is also the best time to eat mushrooms since it is the season for collecting mushrooms.

I heard from a radio news that in Canada shiitake mushroom is considered a special gourmet. In Japan "matsutake mushroom" (left) is the so called "king of mushroom", not only that it is very rare, but it is also the most expensive mushroom (the cheap one is from 2000 Yen each). People are willing to pay such price for its great flavor and aroma. There is even a special tour for the local people to walk up the mountain and find wild matsutake, or a gourmet tour for matsutake lovers.

The truth is, many matsutake sold in Japan are actually imported from countries like China and Canada ... :) business is always attractive for this "rare" and "wanted" items.

Note:

*Do you know that dried shiitake has the highest level of potassium, calcium, lin and iron compared to other mushrooms?

*Do you know about beta-glucan, found in shiitake and maitake, is a substance that can increase immunity system and is currently studied in Japan to possibly become a natural remedy for swine flu? For further info about beta-glucan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-glucan

DHA & EPA From Mackerel

What is the cheapest fish in autumn? Mackerel!

In fact, autumn is the best season to eat mackerel, a fish that was found to contain a very high level of DHA & EPA (please check: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-3_fatty_acid for nutrition details).

The best way to consume mackerel at its best level of DHA & EPA, is to eat it raw or my favorite, is to cook it with spring onions & miso, that way you don't loose a lot of its precious fat, like you would if you grill it.

Why DHA & EPA is good?

1. Brain health -> such as to reduce risk of stroke

2. Cardiovascular health -> such as to reduce risk of heart attack

3. Immunity system -> overall health system

Mackerel caught in autumn has the highest level of DHA & EPA. The nature works in a wonderful way that if we just look for if, we can get to eat the healthiest food every season.

Super Easy - Nice To Have In The Fridge

Dried young sardines sauteed with salmon flakes and seaweed

Use it as topping for rice, children love it :)

Chinese cabbage, finely sliced pork, spring onions, ginger all put in layers (15 cm height) &

pour soup stock (chicken/fish), salt and pepper. It tastes better than it looks.

When you eat, dip them in a sauce made of soy sauce and squeezed lemon juice first.

Goes well with beer - a light time snack for adults

With just some oil on the frying pan

left over spring onions, dried shrimp, powder stock (a little), salt and pepper

all mixed well with sake, water and flour for frying

Super Food Is Walnuts

Just by consuming 7 walnuts a day (best to choose walnuts with shells on for freshness), it will provide you with enough Omega 3 fatty acid that is important for your body and help you to achieve the following benefits:

Reduce risk of having a heart attack/heart disease

Lower your LDL (Bad) Cholesterol Lowered

Lower CRP (C-Reactive Protein) Lowered —CRP was recently recognized as the key independent indicator/predictor of heart disease.

Lower your blood pressure

Improve your brain function — because Omega 3s support healthy brain function, by maximizing the brain cell’s ability to usher in nutrients while eliminating wastes which is important to healthy cognitive function and brain health.

Antioxidant/Anti-Cancer—Walnuts contain Ellagic Acid. Ellagic Acid protects healthy cells from free radical harm, detoxifies cancer-causing substances and prevents cancer cells from replicating.

For more info on walnuts please also check this article:　http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=99

A Purple Soup/Paste?

Does it look like a dessert to you? This soup/paste actually do taste

great! How great? Even when my daughter got sick with high fever and

did not feel like eating anything, to this one item she could hardly say no.

It is made of "purple - sweet potatoes" with fried onions, a little butter,

milk/soy milk and salt.

A very simple soup but tastes good and most of all, contain lots of vitamin

needed for our body ... a recommended menu for the little ones.

Only In Japan

Two pickled radish - the brown paste is made of fermented

rice bran (or rice peel) with miso - called "nuka miso", a typical Japanese

traditional pickling. The paste itself can last for decades and passed on to

several generations. These pickled vegetables not only taste good

but contain a lot of minerals and healthy germs for our stomach.

Tomatoes, eggplants, broccoli, green pepper, radish,

daikon/long white radish, Chinese cabbage

and many others can be eaten raw with this

type of pickling.

Not an Indian curry, but a Japanese curry.

Taste sweet and contain miso paste, tomatoes and curry powder.

A typical Friday menu among families here ... why curry?

This tradition began during the war when the

Marine soldiers were served curry every Friday on the ship.

Curry was also consider a specialty food back then.

DANGER! Oil That Can Lower Your Cholesterol

In Japan tempura is a popular dish. I believe it is popular overseas as well. Japanese however are very concerned about oil consumption as it will increase your cholesterol level. About a decade ago, there was a research by a well known manufacturer here and they announced a new product of oil that can actually lower your cholesterol. The product was a hit in the market here, i believe it has also expanded its market overseas.

Recently, it is know that the production of this oil involves a chemical process, using a chemical called glycidol fatty acid ester. Recent research showed that this chemical was found dangerous for health as it can cause cancer. The manufacturer now recalled its products after over 10 years of putting it on the shelf.

I hope the news reach those people out there who may be using such oil. This kind of findings teach me one thing --> we should not be lured easily by advertisement on healthy products. It takes a lot of effort to remain healthy, so there is no easy solution. If it sounds "too good to be true", don't count on it.

Note:

http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0916/TKY200909160312.html

The oil product is called エコナ(read: ekona in Japanese) produced by Kao

Alternative Snacks For Kids

.. Banana cake and healthy cookies made of soy bean powder and sesame powder

are our favorite menu for tea party - your guests can not forget the sweet rich

flavor and are sure to come back for more :D ...

... cheese, raisins, chocolate, ham whatever is inside, home made bread is always best

as you can cut the fat, use whole grain and other selected ingredients ...

Home made whole wheat choco - muffin (sorry the cover says madeleine, but it is not)

Pls note that to make madeleine, you need to put a lot more butter

Sweet honey pumpkin cooked in brown sugar and raisins topping

Sweet potatoes in honey soy sauce - also with raisins topping

Home Made Pizza

Mozzarella & fresh tomato salad with home grown basil

Ham, green pepper & mushroom pizza

Tomato, green pepper, onions and mushroom pizza

From scratch - the best pizza bread is the one you made yourself

with virgin olive oil, whole wheat flour and natural yeast :D

Vegeterian?

Kidney beans cooked in dashi, soya and sake,

with shredded katsuo for topping

Sweet onions saute with white radish in sweet sauce (sesame topping)

Fried sweet potatoes (low calorie) - sweet and salty taste,

with sesame toppings (children's favorite)

Fried eggplant with soy and sesame sauce

(alternative: combine with dried chili to make it spicy)

Which Dish Is Upside Down?

Top left: Japanese style hamburger with mushroom sauce, served with baked potatoes and pickles

Top right: mackerel in miso paste cooked with spring onions, served with daikon (white radish) cooked in sesame sauce

Bottom: broccoli stir fry and Chinese cabbage soup

Indonesian Food At Home

On my daughter's 7 th birthday, my mom and I made home made soto ayam, satay, tahu telur and ikan bakar - a series of Erika's first Indonesian home-made meal. My daughter likes satay, because it tastes like yakitori, and mie goreng, because it tastes like yaki-soba and fried rice, because it tastes like omu-raisu. What are your children's favorite dish? What do you think of Indonesian food?

Multi-country Dish

Bottom (a lunch dish): spearfish (or black marlin?) a teriyaki style, mabo to-fu and sweet sour pickled cucumber (Chinese style), young lady's finger served raw with bonito flakes, pumpkin boiled in soy dashi with sugar

Top (my apology for poor presentation on the second photo - my stomach can't wait for dinner ;D) : stir fried Chinese cabbage, fried dumplings (or 'gyoza' in Japanese), and spaghetti with clam fried sauce, made with sake, soy sauce, salt, pepper and garlic.

A Five Minute Dish

Colorful, healthy and taste good - as long as you have the right sauce ready in the refrigerator.

The meat is pork, sliced thinly and boiled lightly as for shabu-shabu, choose organic lettuce, carrots and broccoli if you eat them raw, and have a ready made sauce for shabu shabu. My favorite are sesame sauce and Japanese lemon soy based sauce.

Auch! i forgot the rice ... now that takes at least 30 minutes! ...

Energy Breakfast - Try!

Do you know that 200 ml of fresh watermelon juice, if consumed with a teaspoon of salt and a cup of barley tea, altogether provide us with a set of minerals equivalent to that in a sport drink? This facts is based on a research by a health practitioner in Japan recently. So if you feel you want extra energy in a hot summer, please do try the above.... Well, i always go for natural stuff wherever possible.

But you are right, sports drink is available everywhere around the corner. It is probably easier just to get one.... the point is to drink enough minerals in summer time, when you tend to loose a lot of them through sweat.

Cold Breakfast In Summer

Feeling summer fatigue, no appetite, why not try this cold breakfast - cold Japanese vermicelli ('somen') with fried eggs, fish cakes and Japanese herb for toppings, Japanese pear ('nashi'), summer tangerine and for sweets, healthy jelly ('kanten anmitsu') with brown sugar sauce.

Pork Menu - Non Oil

In summer we sometimes feel fatigue because of overheat and loss of minerals through sweating. One of my favorite dish this season is pork (which is a good source of vitamin B and minerals).

Top:

Pork dipped in "honey soy ginger garlic spring onion mixture" for a few hours, then grilled, arranged with boiled soy bean (young, eda-mame), and tomatoes

Bottom:
Sliced shabu-shabu pork with a choice of sesame sauce or soy with yuzu (Japanese lemon), lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber arranged in soy sauce and umeboshi (pickled plum) and seaweed with spring onions miso soup.

Simple and non-oil menu is always best!

A Lunch Set @ Chinese Restaurant

Nowadays Japanese consumers are picky and demanding when it comes to eating out. Compared to 10 years ago, now we can find many restaurant with good quality but reasonable price. One of my favorite Chinese restaurant here is Tonshinju, a chain restaurant which has been successfully expanded its market throughout Tokyo this past few years.

They presented their dish very simple and clean, the kitchen can be seen from where customers sit, vegetables used for cooking are grown in Japan (therefore we don't have to worry about over-used pesticide as it would be the case for vegetables imported from China), the chefs are all Chinese men, but registered cooks, not illegal workers, the taste is authentically Chinese and natural for they don't use MSG or additives. Would you believe it that for these dish I paid less than 2000 Yen.

Fish Dish For Lunch & Dinner

At home, our favorite fish are:

1. salmon

2. Japanese horse mackerel

There are various ways of eating salmon in Japan, "raw" as in sashimi, salted salmon in grill, teriyaki salmon, pan fried salmon with butter and soy sauce*, smoked salmon, salmon pickled in miso paste then grilled ... and the list can go on forever :D

For mackerel, our favorite are raw mackerel and sun-dried salted mackerel for grill*.

* See photos

Vegetables like tomatoes are easy because they need no cooking and are tasty by itself. However, my favorite is to add a little extra to fresh tomatoes, so we won't get bored with the taste. Such as: by sprinkling sugar and grated sesame, or sugar, soy sauce and little sardines.

For cucumbers, we have a special miso paste used specifically for pickling vegetables. Picked vegetables are very good for health.

On the left, eggplants are cooked in dashi, soy sauce and sugar... its soft texture came from the tasty liquid which tastes sweet and rich ... both adult and children love it!

White vegetables, curled like a little rose, is pickled daikon (radish).

On the top right, vegetables used are: sweet potatoes cooked in sugar and soy sauce, potatoes cooked in dashi and baby sardines.

Theme: Easy Red and Green (continued)

Left: bonito sashimi with fresh chopped onions and English spring onions and sauce (soy, vinegar and dashi)

Top right: boiled octopus with seaweed and cucumber salad

Bottom left: a piece of 7 fruits jelly in watermelon

Wondering what can be those 7 fruits?

watermelon (seedless preferred), melon, peach, mango, apple, tangerine, grapes (seedless preferred)

Theme: Easy Red and Green

Left: squid stir fried with spring onions, red and green pepper

Right: 7 fruits jelly in watermelon

First, empty the watermelon with spoon and make a shape of a watermelon bowl.

Then, cut into pieces 7 types of fruits and put them nicely in the watermelon bowl.

Prepare jelly mixture as usual.

Believe it or not, my six year old daughter was the one in charge of this fruit jelly dish :D

Theme: Spicy and Less Oil

Top left: fried eggs with grated carrots and baby sardines served with fresh mini tomatoes, sweet pumpkins boiled in sugar and a little soy sauce,

tomato salad with sesame powder and salad of cucumber, carrot and daikon in sweet vinegar

Top right: charcoal grilled unagi with seaweed toppings (children's version: bottom right)

Bottom left: eggplants fried in miso paste with chili

These dish contain very little oil, mainly to fry eggs and eggplants (1 tablespoon each).

Today's Cooking - Theme: 10 Vegetables

Top left: Breakfast menu (peach, pickled round radish (kabu), clam and tofu miso soup, nato and chives, mushroom cooked in soy sauce on brown rice)

Top middle: fresh from the garden cucumbers, white radish (daikon), carrots and cabbage in salt and fish powder, pickled for an hour

Bottom left: potatoes and chicken cooked in soy sauce and sugar

Top right: Sweet pork ribs with parsely fresh from the garden

Bottom center: freshly picked young okra and tomatoes, served with bonito flakes and soy sauce

Bottom right: hand made bread naturally fermented yeast made from rice (I did not make the culture, but bought it at the store).

Thoughts from today's menu: I like keeping my own little garden of mini tomato, parsely and cucumbers because most of these vegetables are best eaten raw and fresh. They are not so difficult to grow as long as you have good soil, enough sunshine and a little patient with harvesting.

For those interested in any of the recipes above, please feel free to contact me. Otherwise, enjoy the photos! More coming soon! :)