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SIMPLY OISHII BLOG

October Classes

9/29/2014

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Dates for October Classes:

October 8th (Wed)  - Learn to how to make Sushi Rolls(V)
October 10th (Fri) -  Explore Tofu (V)
October 22nd(Wed) - Home Cooking with Autumn Vegetables (V)
October 24th(Fri) - Home Cooking with Autumn Vegetables (V)

  • All classes start at 10:00
  • Each session in 5000 yen (inc. tax)
  • Classes with (V) can be vegetarian upon request otherwise the class is non-vegetarian.

Please contact me  for Private Lessons on dates other than above.

BOOK A CLASS>>

Looking Forward to meeting you in my kitchen!

Miyuki

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Sushi Class
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Tofu Class
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Autumn Home Cooking
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Tofu - What's so good?

9/29/2014

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One of the most popular foods in Japan, Tofu has been with us for some time. Originally from China, it is said to have been brought to Japan in the 8th Century by the Buddhist priests, but it was only in the 18th century during the Edo period that it has become an every day dish.

Today, in your local supermarket, you can find various types of Tofu, two main kinds being Kinugoshi (silken or soft) and Momen (firm or regular).  Kinugoshi Tofu is a soft tofu used in salads by dicing it or as a sauce by blending it with other ingredients. The most popular and simple way of eating a Kinugoshi tofu is a Hiyayakko, made by just cutting it and topping it with whatever you like. You will see a typical Hiyayakko in an Izakaya (Japanese Pubs) topped with a grated ginger, chopped green onions and soy sauce.  

The other kind, Momen tofu, has a firmer texture, usually, pressed to drain excess water then used in stir fries and tofu bakes as it will retain its shape better.

The difference in texture comes from the manufacturing method and this results in the difference in nutritional value. In general, Tofu is known to be an excellent source of protein and calcium containing  zero cholesterol. But the nutritional values differ between the two kinds of Tofu. Momen tofu contains 3 times more calcium, 20 ~30% more protein and iron than Kinugoshi. On the other side, Kinugoshi contains more vitamin B and Potassium than Momen. 

My Tofu Class will be using various kinds of Tofu as well as soy bean products to familiarize you with handling tofu. Tofu eaten by itself is quite dull, but if you combine it with other ingredients it will make a satisfying meal full of nutrition yet  with low calories.  

Hope to see you in my kitchen!

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October Tofu Class : Oct. 10th (Fri.) 2014
  • Tofu Hamburg Steak
  • Tamagoyaki (Egg Omelet) with Tofu
  • Agedashi Tofu (Deep Fried Tofu)
  • Mizuna Salad with Aburaage Croutons
  • Tofu and Wakame Easy Miso Soup
  • Tofu Dessert
Class fee : 5000 yen 
*Bring a friend discount  applicable (500 yen off for you and your friend)

Book a Class>>
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October Class Details

9/18/2014

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This is what we will be making for the October class. This menu is full of Autumn taste. 
  • Aki-shake (Autumn Salmon) with Teriyaki sauce
  • Agedasi Tofu (Deep Fried Tofu) with Autum Vegetables
  • Mizuna and Kaki Salad with soy milk dressing.
  • Miso soup with Shiitake Mushrooms and Aguraage.
Class Dates:          Oct. 22nd (Wed) and 24th (Fri.)  
Private Lessons are available at your convenient time for more than a party of 2.  For Details please go to Private Lessons.

Sushi Class (Oct. 8th) and Tofu Class (Oct. 10th) is still open for booking as well.  All classes are 5000 yen per person. 
See you in my kitchen! >> Book a Class

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Tuna Tuna Tuna!

9/15/2014

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We did a day trip to Misaki-guchi, which is at the tip of the Miura Penninsula. It's famous for Tunas is a popular tourist spot as it only takes about an hour by car from Tokyo. But yesterday, the middle day of a 3 day holiday, it was crazy and it took 3 hours! We planned on having lunch there, but by the time lunch was served it was 3 o'clock! So if you are heading there on a holiday or weekend, make sure to start early and head back early, or take the train. 

If you are going by train, be sure to get the Misaki Maguro Kippu (The Misaki Tuna Ticket) issued by The Keikyu Line This ticket includes a round trip ticket from any station on the Keikyu Line, one day bus pass and lunch at the participating restaurants, and an admission fee to the major attractions  such as the Aburatsubo Marine Park, hot springs, boat ride and cycling. It's a good deal as the return ticket from Shinagawa itself costs nearly 2000yen, but this Package is a little over 3000 yen and that is bus pass, lunch and admission fee included.

Also visiting the fish market, we headed to the Jogashima Island, just off the tip of Misaki Harbor. It is a great place to have a picnic as the grass area is well maintained and you can also go down to the beach where the rocks have formed a beautiful scenery over the long years that it has been exposed to the waves. Actually I came here for my geology field trip in high school. My sons spent a long time there looking for crabs, a great place for kids.

Links:
  • About the Misaki Maguro Kippu (In English)  - The prices on this leaflet may be before the tax increase.
  • Keikyu Website on the Misaki Maguro Kippu (Japanese) - Check the latest information on this site.


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Misaki Port
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The Tuna Market
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Jogashima Park
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Jogashima Light House
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Autumn Festival

9/15/2014

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It’s the season of “Matusri”, the Autumn Festival. Each neighborhood having their own local shrines will be carrying around town the “Omikoshi”  a sacred palanquin which holds god of the shrine. "Kodomo-mikoshi" is a smaller version for the children. Toddlers and small children also participate in this event by pulling the “Dashi”, a festival car carrying a big drum. The children after pulling the Dashi or carrying Omikoshi will get a goody bag and occasionally be rewarded by ice lollies and shaved ice. The word gets around very quickly among the mums on which neighborhood gives out the best goody bag and the kids will flock to that Omikoshi to get the reward. This is something like an early Halloween here for the kids as they will be tons of candy and sweets as well as bags snacks on this occasion.

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Children carrying a Kodomo-Mikoshi
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Children Pulling the Dashi
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Vegetarian Sushi Roll

9/9/2014

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The great thing about sushi is that it is so versatile. It is like a sandwich, you can put any filling you like and it still taste fabulous. In the traditional Sushi Roll, we put ingredients such as kanpyo(dried gourd), dried shitake mushrooms, koyadofu(freeze dried tofu), and sakura denbu (seasoned and dried fish). As I am not a great fan of those traditional fillings which also take time to dehydrate and cook, I must confess I have never used them for my sushi rolls.

Instead, my sushi rolls usually have salmon, avocado, tuna, cucumber, crab sticks and egg omelet in it . If I would make them for my children the filling might be tuna and mayonnaise or ham and cheese. You can also put barbecued beef or strips of roast beef in it as well.  

Today, I've made a sushi roll with vegetarian filling (well almost as I don't think the crab sticks are vegetarian) They contain red bell peppers, shiso leaves, cucumber, carrots, and egg omelet.  They taste just as good!

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Otsukimi (Moon Viewing)

9/8/2014

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Today was the annual moon viewing day in Japan. This is a seasonal event held every year on August 15th in the Lunar Calendar. This year, August 15th in the Lunar Calendar falls on the 8th of September. It is said that the full moon is the brightest on this day. 

We offer dumplings and decorate with silver grass which is said to act as a charm against the evil. It is a night not only to view and appreciate the moon, but also to pray to the moon with offerings of the harvest from the fields.

In Japan, we say that there are rabbits on the moon. This is because the shape of the lunar crater looks like rabbits pounding rice with a mortar and pestle.

Too bad this year the sky was too cloudy to view the moon. I still made dumplings using shiratama powder and tofu. 
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Stewed Eggplants (Nasu no agebitashi)

9/4/2014

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The autumn nasu (eggplant or aubergine) with tender skin and firm flesh is considered to be a delicacy in Japan. A famous Japanese saying "Akinasu wa yome ni kuwasuna" meaning "Don't let the bride eat the autumn eggplant" is  said to mean that the autumn eggplant is too good for the bride whose status is the lowest in the family. Of course this is in the past where the young couple had to live with the husband's parents and the bride often had to withstand the ill-treatments from the mother-in-law.  

But there is another theory about this saying meaning the eggplant is said to have a cooling effect on the body which means that eating too much eggplants would have a negative effect on a child-bearing age of a young woman. Which ever the case is, eggplants are the most common vegetable in this season.

The purple color of the skin comes from a type of polyphyenol called anthocyanin. It's an potent antioxidant known to prevent cancer and high blood pressure.

I love nasu and stewed nasu is one of my favorite dishes. You can make it by deep frying the nasu and then marinating it in the sauce. This can be served hot or cold. 
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Ginger Pork

9/3/2014

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School has finally started after a very long summer holiday. I'm enjoying a peaceful morning at home where I can finally add some dishes to my Gallery Page.  Today I made Ginger Pork.

Ginger Pork is a very popular Japanese dish made by grilling slices of pork marinated in ginger sauce. If you go into any Japanese restaurant during lunch hours, chances of finding this dish on a daily special would be quite high. 

The combination of pork and ginger makes perfect sense as ginger, high in potassuim helps lower high blood pressure, while the protein in pork softens the blood vessels which makes it effective in preventing arteriosclerosis. 

I've also added shishito pepper, a very popular sweet green pepper during the summer and fall season. This vegetable is called shishito green pepper as the tip of the pepper resembles the head of a lion (shishi). It is also full of nutrition such as vitamin C and potassuim to help you recover from the tiredness of the summer heat and carotene which is known to be effective for younger looking skin and anti-aging of cells. 

You can grill it or fry it and sprinkle salt or soy sauce over it. Be sure to poke some holes with a tooth pick before you grill it to prevent it from popping! 
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    I'm Miyuki and I teach Japanese Home cooking at my home in Tokyo.

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  • Home
  • About
  • One Day Courses
    • In Person Classes
    • Online Classes
    • Team building
  • Certificate Courses
    • Nerikiri Basic Course
    • Nerikiri Art Certificate Course
    • Mizugashi Art Certificate Course
    • Dried Sweets Certificate Course
  • Class Calendar
  • Information
  • Reviews
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Access
  • Archive
    • One Day Class >
      • Mochi and Nerikiri (Adult)
      • Mochi and Nerikiri (Child)
      • Mochi Class (Adult)
      • Mochi Class (Child)
      • Nerikiri Wagashi Class
      • Nerikiri Wagashi (Child)
  • Corporate Events