tempura tenya

Yesterday was the 7th, which means it was nanakusagayu day for us. My blog friend, Martin, recently wrote an article about nanakusagayu and mentioned us (Thank you!).

If you are interested, I have also posted about nanakusagayu here and here.

Satoshi had the day off yesterday, so after our breakfast of nanakusakayu, tsukemono (pickles) and tea, we watched some of the shows we recorded over the New Years break and walked to a nearby area for lunch. Tempura Tenya is a tempura shop located in a house about 15 minutes walking distance from our house. (I actually found this place by accident one day while on one of my walks, then googled around to find out more info.)

The young couple who own the shop, uses vegetables from Japan to create crispy, delicious tempura as well as side dishes and tsukemono (pickles).

We both ordered the lunch set, 1350 yen each(about US$13.50) which comes with one side dish, miso soup with lots of veggies in it, 3 choices of seafood tempura, 4 choices of vegetable tempura, rice and tsukemono (pickles).

I chose ebi (shrimp), tako (octopus), hotate (scallop), nasu (eggplant), kabocha (pumpkin), renkon (lotus root) and gobo (burdock).

Satoshi chose ebi (shrimp), mongo ika geso (large sized cuttlefish leg), kisu (sillago, Japanese whiting), nasu (eggplant), tamanegi (yellow onion), shironegi (scallion) and eringi (a type of mushroom).

After ordering, they brought out several side dishes from which we could choose one. Satoshi chose a marinated eggplant and I chose a salad made from vegetables and bi-fun.

Then a big bowl of miso soup filled with lots of veggies came out with some tsukemono (pickled veggies).

Tempura came out as soon as it was ready, so it was hot, crispy and delicious. The one thing I noticed was that when our bowls of rice came out, mine was really small and Satoshi's really big. At first, I was kind of shocked, but after eating most of my lunch, it ended up where I didn't really need much rice after all and ended up giving some to Satoshi (who by then already had a second bowl of rice!)

In Japan, a lot of shops serve flavored salts as well as tsuyu (dipping sauce) with their tempura. This shop had yuzu shio (citron salt), sansho shio (Japanese pepper salt) and matcha shio (green tea salt).

It was a nice lunch and we were full, so we took the long way home.

Tempura Tenya
5-6-27 Sakuragaoka
Minoo, Osaka
Phone: 072.725.5040
Closed 1st & 3rd Thursdays

nanakusakayu

It's that time of year in Japan for us to eat our Nanakusakayu which I've posted about previously.

I've always bought the o-kayu (rice porridge) pre-made in ready to boil bags, but this year forgot to buy some, so I ended up making it in my rice cooker.

I made 2 cups of rice, not realizing that 2 cups makes a LOT...sigh.

Eating Nanakusakyu not only is a way for the Japanese to hope for a healthy year, but it is also a good way to ease your stomach after eating rich foods during the New Year holidays.

Most of the Nanakusa was eaten today, but there is still lots of o-kayu. Guess we'll be having a variation of this for the next couple of breakfasts.

Have a nice week!

nanakusagayu

According to the weather people, in the past twenty years, this winter has been the worst. A record snowfall is hampering many areas along the Japan Sea Coast. One area has had over 340cm. (11 ft.) within the last month! Being from Hawaii, snow is quite a novelty, but snow to that degree is a bit frightening. For one, I don't have the correct shoes, so slipping on the snow is very dangerous.

Today is the 7th of January. It is a significant day because you eat a rice porridge (o-kayu)with 7 different grasses in it as a way to wish for good health throughout the year called Haru no Nanakusagayu. (Haru no= Spring's, Nana = 7, kusa = grasses, kayu = rice porridge).

In the olden days of Japan, they thought that birds from China brought diseases with them to Japan, so in order to ward off these diseases, they ate this porridge. I think they made the day to eat the porridge on the 7th because it is the first 7th day of the year (01/07) = January 7th (easy to remember??), plus it is the 7-grasses porridge...hmm.

The 7 grasses are: seri (parsley), nazuna (shepard's purse), gokyou (cotton weed), hakobera (chickweed), hotokenoza (like dandelion), suzuna (like turnip), and suzushiro (like radish).

<---It comes in a package like this. You wash all the grasses and parboil until the leaves wilt. Then chop up and add to your porridge. The porridge has the consistency of oatmeal, but you could make your porridge more liquidy if you like. It tastes like you added spinach to your un-sweetened oatmeal.

There is also Natsu no Nanakusa (Summer's 7 grasses), Aki no Nanakusa (Autumn's 7 grasses) and Fuyu no Nanakusa. During these seasons, the grasses aren't put into a porridge, instead they are used in flower arrangements.

I served our porridge with some leftover salmon patties.