Japan History and Culture

Japanese Cherry Blossom Tea , Sakura Tea ( Sakura yu,??, ????)

Sakura yu is a kind of Japanese drink, is a tea made by steeping a salt-preserved cherry blossom in hot water, the petals unfurl and turn translucent pink. This is a very delicate tasting tea with no caffeine; it usually served in place of regular green tea at wedding ceremony and other auspicious occasions.

Japanese noodles

Traditional and inventive Japanese cuisines make for a delectable palate. There are primarily four types of Japanese noodles that you can find in supermarkets, health food stores, or Asian stores in the United States.

Variety of Japanese Noodle Dishes:

Soba :
Soba noodles are native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour (soba-ko) and   wheat flour (komugi-ko). They are as thick as spaghetti, and prepared in various hot or cold dishes and  with a choice of toppings (vegetable or shrimp tempura, pork, etc.). The most basic soba dish is Zaru soba noodles are boiled , cold soba noodles are eaten with a soya sauce (tsuyu), wasabi, nori seaweed and negi (Japanese leek). The water used to boil the noodles (soba-yu) is mixed with tsuyu, which they drink after the meal. Other delicious Soba dishes are noodle soups garnished with rich toppings such as Kitsune Soba, Tanuki Soba and Tsukimi Soba.

Udon:
Udon noodles are traditional Japanese noodles made by kneading wheat flour, salt, and water. Udon noodles are are white,thicker and slippery (about 4-6 mm wide) than Soba noodles. Soba noodles can also be served hot or cold with delicious toppings. Udon can be eaten hot or cold and can be cooked in many ways. You might have seen udon noodles in hot soup. Cold udon noodles are also popular in summer. Cold udon noodles are eaten by dipping into dipping sauce. Noodle dipping sauce (mentsuyu) can be purchased or can be made by mixing soy sauce, mirin, and Japanese dashi soup stock. Serve cold udon with choice of topping -usually tempura shrimp or vegetables. and often served in individual casseroles called donabes which are usually one pot meals.

There are several ways to prepare Udon. This recipe shows three of them:

Kitsune Udon  (Fox Udon)

Tanuki Udon   (Japanese racoon Udon)

Tsukimi Udon (”Viewing moon” Udon (the yolk of an egg represents the moon))

Ramen :

Ramen Noodles are delectable Chinese style noodles cooked in a soup with various  toppings.Ramen Noodles is one of the many popular dishes that were originally introduced from China but It have become a very popular dish in Japan, adapted to the Japanese taste.

Ramen noodles are about as thin as spaghetti and are served in a soup garnished with delicious toppings(negi (leek), shinachiku (seasoned bamboo shoots), nori (dried seaweed), yakibuta (pork ham), boiled egg,etc),that varies based on region, city and even specific vendor. Ramen’s popularity stems in part from the fact that it is so inexpensive and widely available, making it an ideal option for budget travelers. In addition to freshly prepared ramen at Ramen restaurants (ramen ya), supermarkets and convenience stores offer a large selection of instant ramen bowls.

Though ramen can be considered a one dish meal, gyoza are a common side dish offered at ramen at Ramen restaurants (ramen ya). These Chinese style, pan fried dumplings are eaten with a soya and vinegar sauce. Shichimi (red chili mix) is usually available on the table to be added according to taste.

Ramen can be classified according to its soup base. The most popular ones are:

shio ramen (salt flavored soup)

shoyu ramen (soy sauce flavored soup)

tonkotsu ramen (pork bone soup)

miso ramen (miso flavored soup).

Tonkotsu ramen soup is creamy white, and miso ramen soup is brown. Popular Ramen dishes with rich toppings are Chashumen(a ramen dish that features barbecued pork as toppings), Tanmen, Wonton ramen etc.

Somen:
Somen noodles are also made of wheat flour, salt, and water; however, sesame or  cottonseed oil is added to somen. like Udon noodles. But these noodles are much thinner than Udon noodles. Cold somen noodles are served with a light flavored dipping soup(tsuyu), and toppings. Mix toppings in the dipping soup and dip a small amount of somen noodles in the soup to eat. The sauce is usually a katsuobushi based sauce that can be flavored with Welsh onion, ginger, or myoga. In the summer time s?men chilled with ice is a popular meal to help stay cool. S?men served in hot soup is usually called “nyumen,” and is frequently served in the winter much like soba or udon.

The Shiroi Koibito Chocolates cookies or White Lover (白い恋人)

“Shiroi” (白い) means “white”, “koibito” (恋人) means “lover”. White Lover (”Shiroi Koibito” in Japanese) refers to the white chocolate cookies, white chocolate sandwiched between two thin cookies. This is well known in Japan as a souvenir from the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido, born from Ishiya Seika’s excellent techniques and passion for confectionary.

The Shiroi Koibito ranges of chocolate cookies are to-die-for! Two pieces of cookies with a slice of chocolate (milk or white) in the middle, individually wrapped. The ones with white chocolate are in the dark green wrapping, while those with the milk chocolate are in the white wrapping. Available in boxes of 12, 18, 24, 28, 36 (mixed) and 54 (mixed).

A box of 12 chocolate cookies go for 630 yen, while a mixed box of 54 costs 3150 yen.

A 55g slab of chocolate (5 different varieties to choose from) costs 158 yen.

Otoso or Toso (お屠蘇)

Toso is written using two Japanese characters: 蘇 representing evil spirits and 屠 meaning to defeat.

Toso, is spiced medicinal sake traditionally drunk on New Year Day (Oshogatsu) to ward off sickness for the entire year ahead and to wish for long happy life. For generations it has been said that “if one person drinks this his family will not fall ill; if the whole family does no-one in the village will fall ill”, Toso was initially made and taken in order to protect oneself from the cold. It later became an essential drink to celebrate the New Year.

Toso mixture is prepared by mixing several herbs including Sanshou (Japanese pepper), Kikyou (balloonflower) and Heihi (cassis bark). Then the toso mixture is steeped with sake and mirin (sweetened sake).  Otoso is drunk using a special set of three different sizes of sake cups: small, medium and large , called sakazuki (盃). It is customary for the youngest in the family to drink it before the oldest, though this varies by region. This custom originated in China where younger people would test it first for toxins.  However in Japan, around the beginning of the Meiji or Shōwa periods, the head of the household usually takes first to drink the toso which then became the custom.

The tradition of drinking toso at the New Year began in the Tang Dynasty in China, and was adopted by Japanese aristocrats during the Heian period. The first cup drunk would be made with tososan, and the second and third cups with different varieties called byakusan and toshōsan.

Nanakusa-gayu (seven herb rice porridge,七草粥)

Nanakusagayu, literally Nana means seven, kusa means leaves (or herbs), and Gayu (Kayu) means rice porridge.

On January 7th it is Japanese tradition from old times, to eat nanakusa-gayu (seven herb rice porridge). This is o-kayu (rice porridge, much like Chinese congee) cooked with haru no nanakusa (the seven herbs of spring). These herbs are: ‘Seri (dropwort), Nazuna (shepherb’s purse), Gogyou (cotton weed), Hakobera (chickweed), Hotokenoza (cotton sow thistle), Suzuna (turnip), Suzushiro (Japanese white radish)

The Japanese people as special herbs that protect them against evil, prevent illness and longevity. Also, people tend to eat and drink too much on New Year’s Day; therefore it is an ideal light and healthy meal with a lot of vitamins.


INGREDIENTS

-2 cup raw Japanese white rice (kome)
-1 pack seven spring herbs mix (nanakusa)
-4 rice cake (mochi) pickled dried plum (umeboshi)

PREPARATION

1.    Wash the rice, add to a sturdy pot (an earthenware pot is best), along with the salt and water.
2.    Let it soak for 30 minutes, then cover, bring to boil over medium heat, turn heat to low and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes. Unlike regular rice, it’s OK to open the lid now again to check things out, give it a stir, and add more water if needed
3.    Wash the seven herbs, cut in fine pieces.
4.    Grill rice cake.
5.    Add herbs to porridge.
6.    Pour porridge over rice cake put in individual bowl. And Serve with pickled dried plum.

Serves 4

Haru no nanakusa (the seven herbs of spring, 春の七草)

Haru no Nanakusakayu (the seven kinds of herbs of Spring), literally Haru no means spring’s, Nana means 7, kusa means herbs. It is the long-standing Japanese customary to eat nanakusa-gayu (seven herb rice porridge七草粥) with the cutting seven spring herbs on January 7th in Japan.

Traditionally, The 7 herbs are: Seri (Japanese parsley), nazuna (Shepard’s purse), gokyou (cotton weed), hakobera (chickweed), hotokenoza (Nipplewort), suzuna (like turnip), and suzushiro (Daikon).

Eating these greens is thought to replenish the body with energy from nature and to encourage good health, good spirits and extended longevity for the coming year. It’s a time-honored custom that’s also very practical, since the herbs are a good remedy for indigestion from having had too much mochi (rice cakes) and other New Year’s delicacies over the holidays.

Today, it is easy to find these fresh herbs in supermarkets, and some flower shops sell decorative versions planted in small baskets.

The Hiyoko Cakes  ( HIYOKO MANJU,ひよこ饅頭)

This is a popular Japanese sweet cake called “Hiyoko”. This special confection can be a good souvenir and gift.  A word “Hiyoko” means chick in Japanese.

The Hiyoko Cakes is a baby chick shaped sponge cake born in 1912 in Iizuka. The sponge cake is a little bit hard and is filled with white sweet bean paste.  People have since loved the pretty shape and the mellow flavor of bean jam in the skin of savory bun. This was ranked in an older ranking.   Actually, before Tokyo Banana, Hiyoko was the most popular souvenir of Tokyo.  People think this is a Tokyo specialty, but originally it comes from Kyushu. They do look very similar. Here is a comparison.  The one on the left is a Fukuoka Hiyoko, while the one on the right is a Tokyo Hiyoko.

Special dishes for Hinamatsuri

Hishi-mochi (Diamond-shaped rice cake)

Hishi-mochi is diamond-shaped rice cakes and typically formed from three layers of red (or pink), white, and green mochi, from top to bottom. The red of the mochi are derived from fruits of Gardenia jasminoides , and is symbolic of plum flowers. The white is made from the water caltrop, and represents the snow and its cleansing effects. Finally, the green is from Gnaphalium affine or mugwort like kusa mochi, and is believed to be restoratives that improve the blood.

Depending on region, the red may be substituted with yellow, or the sweet may have 5 or 7 layers instead.

The cake is believed to represent a nature scenery of early spring when green grass starts to grow under white snow while pink blossoms of peach trees come into bloom.

Hina-arare (colored rice cakes)

Hina-arare is colorful rice puffs that are eaten on the Girl’s Festival. Each color of puffs represents special meaning–white is earth, red is life, and green is trees–and is believed to provide energy to those who eat them so that they can drive out their misfortune and disease.

Shiro-zake (Sweet white sake)

Shiro-zake is made of mirin or shochu (distilled liquor from wheat or potato) mixed with steamed glutinous rice or rice malt. It is fermented for about a month and then lightly grinded to finish. Shiro-zake is cloudy white and contains about 9% alcohol. It has 45% sugar and is considered a liqueur by Japanese liquor tax law. Shiro-sake is often confused with Ama-zake (sweet sake), which has almost no alcohol content, but it is made of cooked rice or porridge mixed with rice malt, and then simmered to turn starch into sugar. Ama-zake is akin to a soft drink, so to speak, and is completely different than Shiro-zake.

Shirozake is believed to purify the body of those who drink it as pure as its color.

Japanese Croquettes (Korokke)

Korokke is Japanese croquette with vegetables and meat.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 potatoes (medium)
• 100g ground beef or pork
• medium yellow onion, minced
• nutmeg
• bay leaf
• flour, beaten egg, panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• vegetable oil for deep-frying
• salt and peppers
• *For toppings:
• Korokke sauce
• Japanese mayonnaise
• tonkatsu sauce, ketchup, steak sauce
• Cabbage

PREPARATION

1. boil the unpeeled potatoes
2. saute the onion. when it turns transparent, add the ground beef or pork, nutmeg and bay leaf.
3. when the potatoes are done, strain the hot water and mash them in a bowl. set aside.
4. when the beef mixture is ready, damp it onto paper towel to soak up the extra grease.
5. add the ground beef or pork mixture to the mashed potato.
6. move the mixture onto a plate.
7. heat the vegetable oil in a pan. arrange the dipping station for flour, egg, and panko.
8. divide the potatoes mixture and shape into ball or thick ellipse.
9. when the oil is heated to 170c, dip the ball into flour, egg and panko.
10. fried them for about 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned. cook both sides.
11. when fried, put them onto paper towl to soak up the extra oil.
12. serve them with thinly sliced cabbage and tomato. and your favorite sauce

Wagashi
Wagashi is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits.
Wagashi is typically made from natural based (mainly plant) ingredients. The names used for wagashi commonly fit a formula — a natural beauty and a word from ancient literature.

Types of Wagashi

Anmitsu is a Japanese dessert that has been popular for many decades. It is made of small cubes of agar jelly, a white translucent jelly made from red algae or seaweed. The agar is dissolved with water (or fruit juice such as apple juice) to make the jelly. It is served in a bowl with sweet azuki bean paste or anko (the an part of anmitsu), boiled peas, often gyūhi and a variety of fruits such as peach slices, mikan, pieces of pineapples, and cherries. The anmitsu usually comes with a small pot of sweet black syrup, or mitsu (the mitsu part of anmitsu) which one pours onto the jelly before eating. Anmitsu is usually eaten with a spoon and fork.
A few variations on this dessert do exist. Mitsumame is anmitsu without bean paste, the mamie meaning the peas that are served with the syrup and anko instead. Cream anmitsu is anmitsu with ice cream on top. Shiratama dango are also commonly used as toppings.

Amanattō is a Japanese traditional confectionery which is made of azuki beans or other beans, covered with refined sugar after simmered with sugar syrup and dried. In Hokkaidō, amanattō is used for cooking the sekihan. For this reason, unlike other areas, the sekihan of Hokkaidō is a little sweet.
It was developed by Hosoda Yasubei during Bunkyū years (1861 - 1863) in the Edo period. He established a wagashi store which was named from his childhood name, Eitaro. That store continues in Tokyo yet. Originally amanattō was called amananattō, the name was abbreviated to amanattō after World War II. The resemblance of the name to the name of the fermented bean dish nattō is only coincidental.

Botamochi are a springtime treat made with sweet rice and sweet azuki (red bean) paste. They are made by soaking sweet rice for approximately six hours. The rice is then cooked, and a thick azuki paste is hand-packed around pre-formed balls of rice.

Daifukumochi or Daifuku in short, literally “great luck”, is a Japanese confection consisting of a small round mochi (glutinous rice cake) stuffed with sweet filling, most commonly anko, sweetened red bean paste made from azuki beans. Daifuku comes in many varieties. The most common is white, pale green or pale pink colored mochi (rice cake) filled with anko (sweet red bean paste). These come in two common sizes, one about as large in diameter as a half-dollar coin, the other large enough to fill the palm of a hand. Some versions contain whole pieces of fruit, mixtures of fruit and anko or crushed melon paste. Nearly all Daifuku are covered in a fine layer of corn or taro starch to keep them from sticking to each other, or to the fingers. Some are covered with confectioner’s sugar or cocoa.

Varieties

Yomogi daifuku -A version made with kusa mochi, which is mochi flavored with mugwort.

Ichigo daifuku -A variation containing strawberry and sweet filling, most commonly anko, inside a small round mochi. Creams are sometimes used for sweet filling. Because it contains strawberry, it is usually eaten during the spring time. It was invented in the 1980s. Many patisseries claim to have invented the confection, so its exact origin is vague.

Yukimi Daifuku (”snow-viewing daifuku”) is a brand of mochi ice cream manufactured by the Japanese/Korean company Lotte. It consists of a ball of vanilla ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of mochi, or rice cake.

Dango is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour), related to mochi. It is often served with green tea.

Dango
There are many different varieties of dango which are usually named after the various seasonings served on or with it.

Anko : Commonly known as (sweetened) red bean paste, while ingredients other than azuki are used on rare occasions. An-Dango is the most popular flavor in Japan.

Bocchan dango : Dango that has three colors. One is colored by red beans, the second by eggs, and the third by green tea.

Chichi dango : Slightly-sweet light treats usually eaten as a dessert.

Goma : sesame seeds. It is both sweet and salty.

Kinako : A toasted soy flour.

Kushi dango : Dangos held by a skewer.

Mitarashi: A syrup made from shouyu (soy sauce), sugar and starch.

Teppanyaki: Dango on a skewer with a tangy teppanyaki taste.

Hanabiramochi - A flat red and white sweet mochi wrapped around anko and a strip of candied gobo (burdock). There are also served at the first tea ceremony of the new year.

Ikinari dango - A steamed bun with chunks of sweet potato in the dough, with anko in the center. It is a local confectionery in Kumamoto.

Imagawayaki is a Japanese dessert often found at festivals and other places that one might, in America, find funnel cake. It is made of batter in a special pan (similar to a waffle iron but without the honeycomb pattern), and filled with sweet azuki bean paste, although it is becoming increasingly popular to use a wider variety of fillings such as potato and mayonnaise.

Monaka is a Japanese sweet made of azuki bean filling sandwiched between two thin crisp wafers made from mochi. The wafers may be shaped like cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums and so on. modern monaka can also be eaten filled with ice cream.

Oshiruko (also zenzai) - a hot dessert made from anko in a liquid, soup form, with small mochi floating in it. served in a bowl with mochi

Rakugan - a small, very solid and sweet cake which is made of rice flour and mizuame.

Sakuramochi is a Japanese Sweets, sweet pink mochi, covered with sakura leaf. It is especially eaten by girls on Hinamatsuri, March 3.
The style of Sakuramochi differs from the regions in Japan. Basically, the east of Japan such as Tokyo uses shiratama-ko (rice flour) and the west side such as Kansai uses dōmyōji-ko (glutinous rice flour) for batter.

Taiyaki (”baked sea bream”) is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. like a kaitenyaki. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings are custard, chocolate, and cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki or a sausage inside.

Taiyaki is made using taiyaki or regular pancake or waffle batter. The batter is poured into a fish-shaped mold for each side. The filling is then put on one side and the mold is closed. It is then cooked on both sides until golden brown.

Taiyaki was first baked by a sweet shop Naniwaya in Azabu, Tokyo in 1909, and now can be found all over Japan, especially at food courts of supermarkets and Japanese festivals.

Uirō is a steamed cake made of rice flour and sugar. It is chewy, similar to mochi, and subtly sweet. Flavours, among others, include azuki bean paste, green tea (matcha), yuzu, strawberry and chestnut. The Nagoya city is particularly famous for its uirō, but it can also be purchased in traditional Japanese confectionery shops throughout Japan.

Warabi mochi - a wagashi traditionally made from warabi and served with kinako and kuromitsu.

Yatsuhashi is a Japanese kind of confectionary, a form of miyagegashi (sweet sold mainly as a souvenir) from Kyoto. It is one of the best known meibutsu (famous regional products) of Kyoto. It’s made from rice flour (jōshinko), sugar and cinnamon. Baked, it is similar to senbei. Raw yatsuhashi (Nama yatsuhashi) has a soft texture and is often eaten wrapped around red bean paste, and may come in a variety of different flavours.

Yōkan is a thick jellied dessert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar. It is usually sold in a block form, and eaten in slices. There are two main types: neri yōkan and mizu yōkan. “Mizu” means “water”, and indicates that it is made with more water than usual. Mizu yōkan is often chilled and eaten in summer