ehomaki

Yesterday was Setsubun, so it was the day to eat ehomaki

We bought our ehomaki from Hamazushi, just like last year.

The price went up 100 yen and still had the same items inside.

The only thing was how p.i.t.a. it was to purchase.

I walked in before noon, and there was no one in the lobby, just the cashier

I asked if I could buy ehomaki without a reservation

And she said, "go to the machine" and put in your order...

So I punched in my order and was told to wait 30 minutes for it...

In the meantime, the paper that I needed to claim my order refused to come out of the machine

So the store manager came out, and said he would check to make sure that my order had gone through...

Then another guy came out, and said, your order says you'll pick it up at 12:30, but we have some right now (in a box next to the cashier!), would you like to purchase it now?!

um, yeah!

so it turned out I didn't need to wait but had to go through all the hoops to get it...grr
 

anyway, the lucky direction was south-south-east

even though we've already started the year with sniffles, icky phlegm and coughing, we hope the rest of the year will be a healthy one!

ehomaki

Yesterday was Setsubun. 

Can’t remember who but someone explained that every 4 years or so that Setsubun falls on the 2nd, the rest of the time it is on the 3rd

Sunday was forecast for either rain or snow, bummed we got rain

Since we weren’t sure if the rain/snow would stop in time, we kinda stocked on some food.

I still wanted us to eat ehomaki, but since I know most are made with raw fish, I didn’t want to purchase it too early.

Luckily after lunch, the rain kinda stopped so we ran down to Hamazushi.

The last time we ate lunch here, they were taking pre-orders for their ehomaki.

As we were walking to Hamazushi I told Satoshi, “let’s see if they’ll let us buy without a reservation, if not we can look elsewhere”

We walked in, asked the guy at the register, paid and walked out with our ehomaki! so fast!

The ehomaki had shrimp, ikura, tobiko, egg, kanikama, maguro tataki, shiso, cucumber and seafood salad in it...750 yen (tax included) each.

I served this with some spinach, miso soup and ichidagaki

This year's lucky direction was west-south-west.

Glad we were able to get some ehomaki, and hope that this year will be a good one.

ehomaki

Yesterday was Setsubun, the day before the first day of Spring on the Japanese Lunar Calendar

This year's direction for ehomaki was east-north-east

We purchased our ehomaki from Rakyo, a large futomaki that isn't cut, you can read up on it here

1800 yen (tax included)

This year's ehomaki was disappointing because something in the roll was wet, so it made the nori disintegrate as you were eating it...boo!

I ended up eating it with chopsticks.

I know it was nice to support a small business, and we've ordered from them several years now, but this has made me think twice...dunno if I'll order from Rakyo again.

We also went to check out the festivities for "mamemaki" at Ikegami Honmonji, but left before the crowds came.

Hoping this year will be healthy and happy for everyone.

ehomaki

Last year we purchased our ehomaki from Rakyo and it was so delicious, we decided to purchase them again from Rakyo.

1700 yen (tax included) for one roll.

At 16:00 I went to pick up our two rolls.

This was the direction to face while eating the ehomaki (south-south-east)

There were 8 ingredients inside of the ehomaki.

Egg, sawara (spanish mackerel) prepared 3 ways (fresh, tataki (seared) and soboro (minced and cooked)), maguro (tuna), shimesaba (a kind of pickled mackerel), surumeika (squid) and daikon namasu (pickled daikon radish)

It was huge!

Fresh and tasty.

It was 200 yen more and 2 ingredients less than last year but it was nice to support a small local business.

Praying for this pandemic and war in Ukraine to be over soon...

this and that

Last Friday, my favorite supermarket reopened after their renovations...so fancy now!

Of course, everyone and then some (even I) went to check out the opening sale...

Total nightmare especially since there was no social distancing! even though they said they were limiting the amount of people in the store...not!

Bummer! not sure if I'll be shopping here too often from now on...

Narly looking lemons that I found at Sankei, lots of juice and a bag of 6 were only 100 yen!

Tuesday was Setsubun.

It was 124 years since Setsubun fell on the 2nd of February (usually it is on the 3rd).

The weather dude explained that apparently every year the Earth takes about 6 hours longer to go around the Sun, the lag makes the day that Setsubun fall on vary.

Since the weather was forecast for rain, I wasn't planning to go out.

So I made our ehomaki by mixing rice with some tsukemono instead of vinegar & sugar then added some kani kamaboko (fake crab), cucumber, egg, carrot and a little mayo.

I used an app (yes they have one! actually there are many) that tells you which way to face while eating...this year was nan-nan-to (south-south-east)

Hoping for good health, happiness and for this pandemic to end soon...

Wednesday, Satoshi had the day off so we walked to check out the Magome Cyclamen Garden.

Apparently our ward used to have lots of farm lands.

This shop started growing cyclamen in 1953 and produces over 7500 plants a year.

If we had visited last November, we would have been able to see their 3 hot houses filled with cyclamen plants!

The owners were gracious to let us see what they had.

The cyclamen plants are bigger than the type we have.

Unfortunately none were for sale.

They also had starter plants that they were preparing for this November.

We hope to be back later this year.

Our case numbers have slowly come down but the amount of severe cases and deaths have not, so our State of Emergency has been extended to March 7.

Hope you all have a safe weekend.

setsubun

Today is Setsubun, which I've written about in detail here.

It is a yearly ritual which is held every February 3rd, the day before the first day of Spring for the Japanese Lunar calendar.

In Osaka, we silently eat ehomaki, uncut sushi, facing a specific direction that changes from year to year, while making a wish. (This year's direction is hoku-hoku-sei (N-N-W)).

Since I didn't have time to buy or make ehomaki, and since there are so many non-traditional versions of ehomaki out there, we're eating "eho-spam musubi" this morning.

The weather is supposed to warm up over the weekend and then the weather will go back to cold next week.

Hope you have a great weekend.

hello february

Yesterday afternoon we had a teeny blizzard that whizzed past our window.

It stopped after a couple of minutes and it seemed like that was that.

This morning we woke up to a light dusting of snow...whoo!

I had said on the blog yesterday, that it was Chinese New Year but was corrected by a friend on social media, turns out I was looking at the date for 2014?!

Anyway, I guess we'll be celebrating the Chinese New Year twice.

In a couple of days we'll be celebrating Setsubun with our ehomaki, I've written about both here. This year's direction is west-south-west.

Happy Sunday!

toumyo

There is a food item that is trending here called Toumyo which translates to snow pea shoots.

Apparently this is a high grade ingredient in Chinese cuisine.

I recently picked up a packet to try it was 98 yen for a package.

I snipped some off, rinsed it...

and put it into some kinpira, because the package said it was good in a stir-fry.

After cooking all the other veggies, I added the shoots at the end to keep some of its crispness.

It was delicious.

And then we had the rest in sandwiches...pastrami, egg salad and toumyo.

The crunchiness of the shoots was nice.

On the package it says to put the roots into some water and in about 10 days it should sprout up again.

So that is what I did, hope we'll be able to eat this again.

p.s. today is Setsubun, we'll be eating ehomaki for dinner. By the way, this year's lucky direction is nan-nan-to (south-south east).

setsubun + kung hee fat choy

"Kung Hee Fat Choy" (Happy New Year), today is the start of the Chinese year, the Year of the Rabbit.

I came across this chocolate rabbit over the weekend, it was similar to this lion bread except they made long rabbit ears and put a sliced almond for the teeth...yum!

Today is also Setsubun. I've written about this in detail in the past, here.

We ate our ehomaki (uncut sushi for good luck) this morning since Satoshi usually comes home late and doesn't eat rice at his dinnertime.

Instead of making the ehomaki this year, I found some at 7-eleven. Since they didn't have two of the same type, I bought one of each and gave the bigger one to Satoshi.

This year's lucky direction is nan-nan-to (south-south-east).

I think it is the first time these two occasions fell on the same day, must have some extra good luck behind it, don't you think?

setsubun

Today is Setsubun. If you will be eating your ehomaki (the uncut sushi for good luck), the direction to face this year is sei-nan-sei (west south west).

Since Satoshi is in Tokyo for business, I didn't make or buy ehomaki for us.

I did try some kotoman, they had two new flavors especially for Setsubun, kinako (soy bean powder) & kuromame (black bean).

I loved the black bean, but the kinako was a bit too much for me, no other flavor than the soy bean powder mixed with the white bean paste.

I would have loved something else inside like beans or chestnuts and just a little kinako rather than the whole inside being kinako flavored bean paste.

Oh well, Happy Wednesday!

setsubun

Today is Setsubun. It is a yearly ritual which is held every February 3rd, the day before the first day of Spring for the Japanese Lunar calendar.

For this ritual, people shout "oni wa soto" (the devil/bad luck out) three times while throwing roasted soy beans out of the doorways of the house each time, then throwing the beans three times inside while saying "fuku wa uchi"(the good fortune/happiness in). You must then go throughout the house doing this...but don't think you can take out your vacuum to clean up everything right away...according to the ritual, you must allow the good spirits to come and eat the beans (so you can clean them up the day after...) also to bring luck to yourself you are supposed to eat the amount according to your age plus one...well, let's say that you are 67(just picked this number out of the air...), you are allowed to eat 7 beans + 6 (for each decade) +1 (whew!....although...if you REALLY want to eat 67, "doozo" (please do)! We're not going to throw the beans around, just eat the amount of our age, so I bought us chocolate covered soy beans, helps the "medicine" go down, don't you think??

Another thing you are supposed to do during Setsubun is eat an un-cut "futomaki" (fat) sushi roll. This tradition started in Osaka and is slowly spreading throughout Japan. (UPDATE: this "futomaki" is called "ehomaki")

Basically, your "futomaki" should have some cucumber to represent the green devil, pickled ginger and carrots to represent the red devil. By putting these items into your sushi, you are then "eating the devils"--getting rid of the bad luck....According to a website that I surfed onto, you are supposed to (mugon) "silently" eat an un-cut "futomaki" sushi roll while concentrating on a wish and face the direction of the good luck gods. The good luck direction (e-ho) changes from year to year. For 2006, the direction is "nan-nan-to"= south-south-east. The reason for eating "futomaki" is because it is thought that luck is "rolled" into the sushi. And the reason for eating it un-cut is because if you slice it, you will "cut" your ties ("en o kiru") with family. (Be sure to face the correct direction, if you face the wrong direction you will be facing the devil/bad luck.)

From Orange Page's #8 "Wa, Yo, Chu-Rice Dishes"
How to make "futomaki" (rolled sushi): makes 3 rolls
Ingredients:
3-cups (600cc) cooked rice
Nori (yakinori (toasted laver--seaweed sheet))
Dried Shiitake mushrooms - 6
Kanpyo (dried gourd strips) - 10g or 200cm
Eggs - 3
Mitsuba (wild chervil)-3 bunches (100g)-wilted in hot water

Seasonings:
For shiitake & kampyo:
Rinse kampyo and soak in warm water to reconstitute. Then rub it with some salt to soften it. Rinse the kampyo again.
Soak the shiitake in warm water to reconstitute it.

Place reconstituted kampyo in a pot and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.
In a pot add the shiitake and kampyo plus
1.5 cups dashi (seaweed stock or water if stock not available)
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cooking sake (rice wine)
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
3 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce, if on hand--light soy sauce (usukuchi shoyu))
simmer for 10 to 15 more minutes. Use a wooden drop lid(otoshibuta) while simmering (foil or parchment paper with a hole in the middle can be used if you don't have a drop lid). At the end of the 10 to 15 minutes, most of the stock should be reduced. Slice the shiitake thinly and kampyo to about 8mm or into 3rds.

Prepare the egg: in a bowl, break in the 3 eggs,
Add 1.5 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon cooking sake (rice wine)
couple of drops of shoyu
Scramble all the ingredients

Put a Tablespoon of oil into a pan and heat. Pour egg mixture in and as it cooks slowly fold so that you end up with a block form. Slice lenghthwise into 3rds.

For the rice:
Heat 2/3 cup (80cc) vinegar, add 3 to 4 Tablespoons of sugar (to taste)and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir until sugar is melted.

Put the cooked rice into a big flat bowl (if you have a　bamboo oke (looks like a bamboo tub)use this to cool and season your rice) and slowly pour the seasoning while mixing (but not smashing) the rice. Use a paper fan to cool the rice while mixing.

Then put your dry makisu (bamboo rolling mat) onto a flat, dry surface. If your makisu is wet, your nori will stick and you'll have a big mess...Have all of your ingredients (I put sliced carrots, cucumber, pickled ginger, the marinated shiitake and kampyo, seasoned egg into our futomaki) nearby to assemble your sushi...Get ready to roll!

Lay your nori down onto the makisu, and put a thin, even layer of rice on 3/4 of the nori. Next line up a third of all your "gu" (condiments), don't pile it up or else you'll have a hard time rolling.

Then while holding down your "gu", roll it tightly without squeezing--like you roll a jelly roll cake...if you put an even amount of rice an "gu" everything should come out in the middle.

If you can't get a lot of these ingredients where you are, just put the foods you like into it. This dish is great for parties and a great finger food.
Don't worry if things are sticking out from the ends because when you cut to serve (don't cut during Setsubun), you'll cut the ends off and can sample all the ends!!

Enjoy!