Japan History and Culture

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.