trying more recipes

I saw this online and wanted to try.

The online version used hoshigaki (dried persimmon), but I only had ichidagaki which is a harder type of dried persimmon.

What you do is split it down the center, take out the seeds then put in a schmear of cream cheese.

The version I saw online, cuts the kaki with the cream cheese into rounds.

This was good as pupu, but I'll look for softer dried persimmons so that I can try this again. 

On the recipe sheet from Shuetsu there was also a recipe for tartar sauce.

Which reminded me of this recipe.

Again, I ad-libbed because the portions seemed a lot.

Tartar sauce : translated from Shuetsu

1 boiled egg, mashed

30 grams fukujinzuke, minced

8 grams fukujinzuke "sauce"

35 grams mayo

8 grams vinegar

parsley

salt to taste

Mix well and add salt to taste

NOTES: I used a 7 minute boiled egg, 15 grams of fukujinzuke, 1 gram fukujinzuke "sauce", 1/2 teaspoon vinegar 

I didn't measure how much mayo I used but didn't use too much 

I didn't have parsley but think this will add some color and more texture to the tartar sauce

I omitted the salt and added some pepper instead

We had this with beef rolls, which is what the Japanese tartar sauce I noted above is eaten with and it was delicious.

I'm glad I tried this recipe and look forward to trying a couple more on the sheet.

this and that

While I was getting ready on Sunday, my Swarovski pendant dropped onto the cement floor and cracked...sad!

Hoping I'll be able to find the other piece that broke off and no one steps on the piece, though I did vacuum the area...

It was a brownish Swarovski, and larger than most beads, so I hope I can find a replacement...

These wings from Shinanoya!

Grilled with a little soy sauce, so meaty, juicy and tender!

80 yen (tax included) a piece...I would get this again! 

Instead of gifts, every year we all send photos to my cousin and then she puts all of the photos together into a calendar.

She orders the calendars and sends them out to us, we finally received our calendar.

We appreciate all the work she does to put these calendars together and always look forward to seeing everyone's photos in it...thanks P!

"Someone" has been working from home at least twice a week especially on those cold days...which means the a/c aka heater is on all.day.long...at least I can sleep an hour longer because I don't need to make his bento BUT cannot really go holo-holo (gallavanting) because I still need to get him lunch by noon...

Tokyo people...saw this furry one dressed up all spiffy

This marron danish from Hutte was so ono!

Chestnut cream, whipped cream, a whole chestnut on top and everything wrapped with a flaky pastry.

5 more months to go...

I had bought round mochi for New Years and we ended up with only 1 left.

Since I wanted to eat zenzai for breakfast but didn't want to buy another bag of large mochi, I was happy to find these cute sized mochi…105 yen (tax included)

They cook in about 2 minutes and are super soft!

I gave Satoshi the round mochi and also put a couple of star pieces in his zenzai.

Finally got to try Torikyu's nori bento (they had it on hiatus)...500 yen (tax included).

Choose konbu (seasoned seaweed) or okaka (seasoned shaved bonito) for your rice...I chose konbu.

So ono! and super reasonably priced

Glad I got a photo of this cleaning shop...they will be tearing it down soon.

How are you doing?

Have a safe weekend.

trying a new recipe

I tried one of the recipes that came with the fukujinzuke we purchased from Shuetsu.

Toritsumire (chicken meatball) : translated from Shuetsu

200 grams minced chicken

1 gram salt

40 grams fukujinzuke, chopped

15 grams fukujinzuke "sauce"

3 or 4 leaves shiso, juilienned

10 grams oil

Mix the minced chicken with the salt

When the mixture gets a little sticky mix in the chopped fukujinzuke, "sauce" and shiso

Rub the oil onto your hands and form the meat mixture into bite sized balls.

Cook in a heated frying pan.

Enjoy!

NOTES: first off I thought this fukujinzuke was quite salty when I ate it with some instant curry, so I was kind of worried to use it in the recipes they gave.

Tsumire is apparently meatballs made with fish and usually found in a soup.  

Tsukune is apparently a meatball made from ground chicken or other meat and is grilled or cooked in a pan.

Since Shuetsu calls this a tsumire, that is what I’m calling it.

Also, I thought some of the amounts they noted on this recipe was kind of high, so I kind of ad-libbed

First off, I omitted the salt that they have in their recipe

The recipe just said minced chicken, I used a mixture of ground thigh & breast chicken meat because markets here sell them separately 

Instead of the amounts in the recipe, I only added 20 grams of fukujinzuke and 5 grams of the sauce

The shiso, I minced instead of julienning

I didn't want to rub oil onto my hands like the recipe said so instead I just drizzled a little on the pan before cooking it 

While cooking, I also covered the pan so that the meatballs would heat and cook through faster.

I also used a spatula to turn them every so often so they would brown nicely.

This was delicious! not overly salty.

The fukujinzuke stays crunchy.

I think this recipe works because the pickles are in a shoyu based sauce, not too sure it would work with other types of pickles.

I would make this again.

omiya yogashiten

Finally got to check out Omiya Yogashiten, they've been in business since 1884!

Their showcase is filled with all sorts of cakes and baked items.

Love their packaging!

We purchased their classic chocolate, it didn't seem to be cake but a rich dense slice of ganache covered with whipped cream and topped with a chocolate truffle, strawberry tarte with lots of strawberries and rare cheesecake (no bake cheesecake)...1944 yen (tax included)

Everything was delicious, not too sweet, though their crust was more like a cracker than a flaky pastry.

I guess with the pandemic they closed their dining area, so I look forward to eating here in the future.

We'll be back.

Omiya Yogashiten

2-4 Kanda Awajicho

Chiyoda, Tokyo
Phone: 03. 3251.1088

Open daily: 9:00-19:00 (Mondays through Saturdays), 10:00-17:30 (Sundays)

hachimaki

Sunday we got out and about early so that we could be one of the first ones in line at Hachimaki, a popular tempura shop in Jimbocho.

I had marked this place when we first moved to Tokyo back in 2018 when I had walked around this area while waiting for Satoshi to finish an errand.

We finally got to try them and it didn’t disappoint.

In business since 1930, this place is popular with famous literary people as well as celebrities.

I ordered the tendon 1000 yen (tax included) comes with 2 shrimp, 1 piece of squid, 1 piece of kisu (sillago), 1 piece bell pepper, 1 piece renkon (lotus root)

I was happy the waitress asked if I wanted more of less rice, I ordered less rice.

Satoshi ordered their ebi tendon 1300 yen (tax included) comes with 3 shrimp, 1 piece kisu (sillago), 1 piece bell pepper and 1 piece renkon

All came with miso soup and pickles.

The pickles were on the table and were housemade ginger.

On a side note: While we were eating, I was disappointed with the 3 people at the table next to us, who took off their masks to “talk story” while waiting for their meal.

Still, I'm glad we got to check this place out.

We'll be back.

ps While I was taking the picture of the shop, Satoshi saw the cute cat...can you see it?!

Hachimaki

1-19 Jimbocho

Chiyoda, Tokyo

Phone: 03.3291.6222

Open daily 11:00-20:00

pps if you are interested in seeing more pictures and a video from this area, please click here

23 years

So many things have happened over that amount of time.

Good and bad.

Thankful that Satoshi still puts up with me.

Love you.

this and that

New to me bakery area inside Yokohama's Takashimaya called Bakery Square, all sorts of bakeries from Kanagawa Prefecture.

Bluff Bakery, which we've tried before...Dukkah coated curry pan which the bakery calls "Don't you love curry?"...not too spicy, loved that there was a big piece of beef in there too!

Bon Vivant's Manuru Bread...found a version of that Korean cream cheese garlic bread...so good!

The bread itself was soft, the cream cheese had a slight tang from yogurt (I looked at the ingredients) was on the sweeter side and there was lots of garlic & butter! yum!

Carrot cake to share...love this version by Bluff Bakery

I love how you can choose the size of the piece you buy.

Cream puff and eclair from Mickey

Not bad for 250 yen (tax included) each.

Sometimes we walk down to Tamagawa...

Nishikiya Kitchen's Chocolate Beef Curry...bitterness from the chocolate, lots of beef flavor...love!

Made up a "new" pupu combo for us...all kinds of sashimi, takuan, shiso, bubu arare, furikake, a little mayo....serve with nori.

Sweet, salty and spicy minced pork kind of like the topping for tan tan men...on potatoes...found this in the pre-made food area at a supermarket it was so good!

Asakusa Highball...meh, this was really sweet.

What have you been enjoying?

Krazy things going on with Japanese not being able to get visas to get into China for work is apparently retaliation for Japan having strict COVID entry rules for people from China...sigh

And they found 15 cases of the latest variant (XBB.1.5) in Japan last month…

Hoping it doesn’t get too krazy here again…

Have a safe weekend.