Saturday, September 10, 2011

random eats (drinks)

Some things I've been eating (and drinking) since I returned to Japan...Drinks...this Tropicana boxed juice.

Last year, I tried a similar item. It had mango, pineapple, grapefruit & papaya, which I wrote about here.

This year the blend is pineapple, lychee, apple, grapefruit, lemon...I like that the lychee flavor is really prominent.

The other day Satoshi had a dentist appointment so while I waited for him, I had this...a Chocopresso at St. Marc Cafe...370 yen (about US$3.70)

Espresso topped with steamed chocolate milk and a dollop of whipped cream, this was good but I wish this place had wi-fi, I could see myself spending more time here.

A strawberry smoothie made by a popular young woman's magazine, "Hanako" and Ohayo, a beverage company.

This was good, lots of strawberry bits in there and not too sweet.

Eats...For dinner, we've been having some spicy foods. The daytime is still rather hot, but surprisingly (and I'll probably jinx myself by saying this) the nights are rather cool and comfortable.

The other night we had goma-iridofu (soy bean curd with sesame seeds) topped with okra (splash of shoyu), and veggies (eringi, corn, red bell pepper, eggplant) with a miso butter sauce.

The original recipe calls for minced pork, but whenever I want to cook it without meat, I just saute the veggies in a little oil then used the measurements for the sauce.

You can find the original recipe here.

Another spicy dish was curry. I usually don't use the roux that comes in a box because most have lard or shortening in them.

I found half a box in my pantry so I wanted to use it up.

This one was really spicy! Made by House Foods, it is called Spicy Blend and the spice level is 5, which is the hottest...talk about mouth on fire.

This photo is of the curry when we had it as leftovers, I put it over spaghetti noodles...mouth still on fire.

Corn from Hokkaido...so sweet.

Butterfinger Snackerz...whenever I go to Hawaii, I always pick up different candies, stuff I can't get in Japan.

This was good, little butterfinger pillows. Nice and crispy.

I also tried Island Princess' Choco Mochi, a chocolate covered arare made in Hawaii...these were bloomed because of the heat but still just as good.

Not only do I bring back candy but snacks too... Island Princess' Royal Crunch...caramel corn, chocolate covered caramel corn and mac nuts...sweet but yummy!

Island Princess' Mochi-Pop...caramel corn with arare (rice crackers)...sweet salty delish!

Lunch at Chabuton because Satoshi just watched the movie "Tampopo" for the first time and needed to soothe a craving for ramen.

It was quite hot this day, so I ordered their Wafu hiyashi torisoba which didn't look like the picture on their menu but tasted oh so good.

Chicken steamed tender, cold noodles, cucumber, sliced radish, grated daikon and myoga (a type of ginger) with a shoyu-based sauce.

Dinner at Chaina...seafood and chingensai (bok choy) sauteed in XO sauce (a spicy seafood sauce)...800 yen (about US$8)

This neighborhood place always serves food that is good, only thing is that the chef cooks alone, so the food does take some time.

Satoshi's at work today, what have you been eating?!

12 comments:

Japan Australia said...

Some great food and drink. I love Japanese curry that you can make at home and the House brand is one of the best :)

Japan Australia

Dennis K. said...

Your curry spaghetti looks great. Lots of healthy vegetables!

Kathy YL Chan said...

Oh wow, the Island Princess Royal Crunch is one of the best things ever!! I love how we can always count on finding that HUGE tub at Costco for cheaper than what they sell the small containers for at Foodland and/or other local markets ^_^

K and S said...

Thanks J-A, I usually use the Mascot curry roux as they don't use lard or shortening.

Thanks Dennis!

Ah the big tub, thank goodness it didn't fit into my luggage Kathy! ;)

Take care everyone!
Kat

K said...

I instantly gravitated towards the curry spaghetti and the hiyashi-men, yum!

K and S said...

Thanks K! :)

Take care.
Kat

Rowena said...

It looks like everything is back up to speed on the food front in Japan. Whoa...my god all that chocolate!

K and S said...

I got more chocolate stashed in the refrig Rowena ;)

Take care.
Kat

thirtyseven said...

Oh that Tropicana sounds delicious! I am always looking for things with Lychee in them.

K and S said...

I haven't come across many juices with lychee in them Thirtyseven but this one was nice!

Take care.
Kat

Deb in Hawaii said...

Loving the chocolate and curry spaghetti. ;-)

K and S said...

Thanks Deb!

Take care.
Kat