This day Traditionally is called the ”Tango-no-sekku端午の節句”, (Boy's Festival), which is day to wish the growth of the boy in the family. Koinobori (carp streamers) ,the symbol of strength and courage, were flown outside to tell the gods that there is a boy in the house and ask for blessings and miniature suits of armor were displayed inside the house in hope of healthy growth of the boys. Celebrating Tango-no-sekku still remains, but Children's Day is celebrated in hope of healthy growth, happiness, and prosperity of both boys and girls. And it is the tradition to eat rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves (kashiwamochi 柏餅) and sweet rice wrapped in bamboo leaves (chimaki -粽). The oak leaf is a sign of prosperity as it does not fall off from the tree branch. And the chimaki comes from the tradition of throwing in the chimaki in the river as a memorial service for the deceased. On this day we bathe in a tub with iris (shoubuyu 菖蒲湯) The iris is said to keep away the evil spirits, therefore used to be hung under the roof and used for bathing. The iris leaves also resemble a sword and was used for sword fights among children. You may have noticed the Iris flowers in Supermarkets in Japan during this season. Actually, the Japanese name for iris, "shoubu" sound the same as the kanji ”尚武” meaning to "respect martial arts", so since the Kamakura Era, we displayed the samurai's armour or helmets to celebrate the birth of a boy.
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Last week, I held a cooking class for a group of French Tourists at their air bnb room. She had a baby and couldn't travel to my house so I went there to their apartment in Shinjuku to do a class. After getting lost in my car and not being able to find the entrance to the apartment, I was thinking this wasn't my day, but at the end, it all went well andI hope they enjoyed the class!
My most popular class of the past month was no doubt gyoza! I've had gyoza class requests every week for the past few weeks. Although not a genuine Japanese cuisine, gyoza has become one of the most popular dishes here in Japan among Japanese and Foreigners alike. My class uses store bought gyoza skins to wrap the filling unlike the Chinese style gyoza which uses homemade skins which are a bit thicker. A typical gyoza in Japan are also pan fried (actually pan-steamed) as opposed to the boiled ones in China. You can get Japanese style gyoza skins in Asian supermarkets overseas in the frozen food section. In my class, we usually make a salad using daikon radish and fried pork gyoza, followed by boiled shrimp gyoza. There is a vegetarian option too. For those of you who have attended my gyoza class and wondered what to do with leftover daikon radish that we used for the salad, or the remaining nira (Chinese chives), please check out my recipes at the OYSHEE RECIPES website or APP for recipes on Stewed Daikon Radish with Minced Pork and Nira Tama (Chinese Chives with Scrambled Eggs)! Yesterday, was a reunion for Certified Tofu Meisters at a private residence. We asked Sushi Chef, Mr. Kurosawa who specializes in Sushi using Tofu and vegetables to come and make sushi. His Sushi is a work of art and it was a great experience to not only eat his sushi but also watch him make it. Also, the tofu makes a great difference in how the sushi tastes. All the tofu used in this course was made from Mr. Arai, a real meister in making Tofu, he is one of the best Tofu makers in Tokyo using different kinds of soy beans creating tofu and other soy product in a traditional style. His Tofu is also available online. He also offers one day courses to make your own tofu. Sushi Catering from Mr. Kurosawa: https://www.facebook.com/kurosawasushi/ Mr. Arai's Tofu Shop (Kiaidofu) : http://saitamaya.net/ Mr. Arai's Tofu Academy :http://www.kiaitofu.com/ Photos courtesy of Ms. Rikako Tanoue
This week I hosted a ohanami (Cherry Tree Blossom Viewing) party at my house with my Cooking Instructor friends. It was a potluck party and every body brought a dish with a bottle of wine. Unfortunately, the flower blossoms season was close to an end along the meguro river and there wasn't so much to view, so I got some branches from a flower shop to decorate my dining room and it turn out just fine.
As everyone joining the party were professionals of culinary art, the table was a work of art itself, and we all had a wonderful lunch, needles to say. And yes, I made two Tex-Mex dishes, a layer dip and a chopped salad to add color. OYSHEE Recipes is giving away a free gift to anyone who attends my cooking class and will download their apps. You can choose a free gift (Japanese Souvenir) from the following (while stocks last) :
If you can write a review on OYSHEE’s app download page after you download it, you can also receive an OYSHEE original apron! I will be adding more recipes using the ingredients I've used in class, so be sure to check it out! Yesterday, I attended a one day course for Edomae Nigirizushi Course at the Tokyo Sushi Academy. Edomae Nigirizushi is Traditionally defined as the Edo (Tokyo) style sushi which uses catches from the Tokyo bay, but now synonymous for what is called "Sushi" all round the world. Nigirizushi is one of those meals which we eat in restaurants as it requires a great deal of skill to prepare a high quality sushi. And traditionally, it takes many years of apprenticeship to master the art of nigirizushi. At home, we will usually make chirashizushi (skattered sushi) , makizushi (sushi rolls) or temari-sushi (sushi balls). So being able to make my own Nigirizushi was a big challenge for me. The one day course briefly covers the basics of making a Nigirizushi . It was very informative and an eye opener for me. Especially on how the professional sushi restaurants prepare the sushi rice. The instructor who was a veteran sushi chef shared some trade secrets which most sushi chefs will keep to themselves. After the demonstration, we made our own sushi and we there was a competition on who made the most beautiful sushi. I was very proud to get 5 votes out of 11 and came in a close second place. (If I voted for my self I would of come in first!). After coming home from the class, I have made sushi for my family twice to practice what I've learned and surprisingly, there were impressed and said it was good. After a couple of more practices, I may be able to teach nigirizushi in my class. Last week I had a lesson on Gobo (Japanese Burdock Root). Gobo is a very common vegetable used in many ways in the Japanese Cuisine, but totally alien to foreigners. Many of you must have spotted a tree-root like vegetable in Japanese supermarkets wondering what on earth that is!
There is even a sad history of Gobo during the World War 2 of the Japanese prison guards who, out of good will, fed the foreign prisoners of war gobo roots, which were a valuable source of nutrition during time where there was not enough to eat themselves later were accused for cruelty - serving a tree root to them and subsequently jailed for many years. Unlike it's rustic appearance, the gobo is full of nutrition and is even used for medicine. Please see my Tokyo Grocery Shopping Guide for more information on Gobo as well as a recipe on gobo chips which pairs well with a glass of beer. In class, we made gobo salad, gobo kinpira (stir fry), gobo chips, gobo and maitake mushroom rice, gobo and daikon radish miso soup, and grilled miso marinated cod. Yesterday, I held a wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) class attended by guests including a little guest from Holland. She was very patient and did a brilliant job making a beautiful early spring themed wagashi. We made a Japanese Camelia flower and a spring mountain motif kinton (wagashi covered with shredded nerikiri dough). I found a sakura anko (white bean paste with cherry tree leaves mixed in) and that really makes it feel like spring is approaching. I also bought some mini size cutters at Kappabashi (Cooking utensil street near Asakusa) during the weekend that were a big hit, and we all made a beautiful mountain covered with flowers. Last Thursday I did a workshop for the moms at Ohana International School in Motoazabu. Although it was quite challenging to hold a class where there is no kitchen, it is always nice to get out of my own kitchen to do a class elsewhere. The turn out was great and we all had a good time packing the obento boxes (I hope). I demonstrated a couple of obento fillings including the chicken burgers (tori-tsukune) and fried chicken (tori- karaage) , but most importantly, the rules regarding hygiene and food safety when packing obento boxes. For workshops on Japanese Cooking, please contact me for details. |
AuthorI'm Miyuki and I teach Japanese Home cooking at my home in Tokyo. Archives
February 2021
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