mainichi washoku / nihon-ryouri

One of the things I do to remind myself of my time in Japan and of the Japanese things I enjoy is to eat at least a bit of Japanese food each and every day - or, mainichi washoku.

Sometimes my mainichi washoku is nothing more than a bowl of ra-men or a couple bottles of Sapporo beer. Other days, I may go all out and fix katsu kare- with sunomono salad and miso shiru on the side.

Some of my washoku is imported directly from Japan (and then promptly horded, cherished, and finally devoured moments before it is set to expire). Some of my washoku is self-prepared, either from half-remembered recipes I learned working in a Japanese restaurant, or created with varying amounts of attention to recipes from a variety of print sources.

In the end, I lay no claims to high cuisine or fine dining, masterful skill or extensive food knowledge. The washoku I enjoy is about comfort, nostalgia, and discovery all mixed together. And with all other things Japanese that I enjoy, I hope there is someone of like mind to share my appreciation with.

And, so, here I am, writing a nikki - a daily journal - of sorts detailing (well, rambling about) the washoku I am enjoying each day, and maybe even sharing a recipe or two of my favorite dishes. I would love to hear about what foods everyone else is enjoying regularly, and also if anyone discovers something new and enjoyable herein. Please, enjoy - tanoshiku shite kudasai!

Monday, March 16th, 2009

Well, my family (myself, my partner, and our three children) are in the midst of moving, which means things are missing, buried, or part of a quasi-mobile disaster that is busy migrating around our new apartment. Of course, this state of affairs has had a dramatically negative impact on my ability to cook much of anything (though in a fit of determination, last week I managed to make katsu curry over rice). When it comes to enjoying mainichi washoku, the rule of the day is simplicity.

This morning, after seeing off my partner and the babies, and after taking our eldest to school, I had just a few minutes to grab something for breakfast. There was definitely nowhere near enough time for making rice, and the caramel cinnamon rolls were a bit more of a mess than I wanted to risk while getting ready for work.

And then it came to me: I had a open container of soft tofu (kinugoshi tōfu) in the fridge that needed to be eaten today before becoming a biology experiment. For those of you who have not eaten soft tofu, it is a little firmer than custard and a little less firm than soft-poached egg whites. As with most tofu, soft tofu has a mild (humorously read: non-existent) flavor and will pretty much take on the flavor of anything you season it with.

From my time in Japan, I did know that many Japanese enjoy a small dish of soft tofu with a little bit of shouyu drizzled over the top. I have also seen Japanese add a bit of diced naganegi along with the shouyu to their soft tofu. This morning, I wanted something that not only filled me up but also picked me up, so I added ra-yu (hot chili oil) along with shouyu to a bowl of warmed soft tofu. It was incredibly similar to sodt-scrambled egg whites in texture and flavor, seasoned as mentioned of course. All in all, a ridiculously simple breakfast, but one that counts for my mainichi washoku. Now, if only I had thought to have a slice of toasted shoku pan to go with it!

PS
Instant ramen for dinner at work - it's all about the kantan na ryouri today! I should feel guilty, but . . .

Thursday, March 19th, 2009

Has it already been three days since I last rambled about Japanese food? Yeesh, I am getting lazy and forgetful. Well, in truth, this has not been a big loss, as my mainichi washoku diet has been pretty mundane the past couple of days. That's right, other than the a daily bowl of instant ramen not much interesting has been eaten.

Yesterday, my girlfriend took me to a pan-Asian restaurant downtown. It wasn't too bad, but knowing the staff was entirely Chinese made me skeptical about whether or not they would be able to prepare Japanese dishes. I won't say the food was bad, but the beef yakisoba I ordered was completely unlike anything I had eaten in Japan. It was much more akin to lo mein noodles. Again, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't really washoku either.

I did go to our local international grocer yesterday and stock up on a few goodies. For myself, I was really happy to find that they have Kewpie mayonnaise back in stock. For my daughter, I picked up a flat of Yan-Yan pretzel stick and yogurt dip snack packs. Oh, I also picked up a couple packs of natto (fermented soy beans). Yes, I actually do like natto.



Today, just because I felt the need to do something - anything! - different, I had some kameboko fish cake with my ramen. I also ate a big container of kinugoshi tōfu with shouyu and ra-yu. Since all this was washed down with apple juice and an energy drink, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I have a stomach ache of ever increasing severity. I suppose I should stick with rice and tea tonight . . .

Not to be critical, but maybe you're overdoing it--going out of your way to have a Japanese diet? If I were you, I would just add more rice (brown rice), vegetable and fish to my diet and reduce my beef consumption with the exception of occasional shabu shabu, sukiyaki, and yakiniku parties at home.

BTW, brown rice with tofu/vegetable stir-fry is both healthy and delicious.ﾂ Look for recipes on the web.

Hallo there, Dogen! Thanks for reading my rambles.

I think I may have confused you with my goals and desires. I would be the first to admit that a "100% Japanese" diet is simply not practical at this point. Even if I had the monetary and ingredient resources to sustain such a feat, I wouldn't want to; there is simply too much good food from all over the world to choose only one!

What I do want to do is incorporate a bit of Japanese food or food preparation styles into my daily diet. The main reasons for this are two-fold:

First, I miss Japan, and having a bit of "Japan" in my daily diet gives me nostalgic warm fuzzies.

Secondly, I enjoy learning about Japanese cuisine and cooking styles, and also practicing those recipes I already know by heart. Again, more warm fuzzies.

Don't worry - I'm not just eating ra-men and tōfu! Though, I have to admit, when I am feeling lazy, I would eat these things regardless of other inclinations! Heh. These food items just happen to be easy to make while I am being lazy and tired from work and moving. Hopefully within a few days or so, the variety and nutritional value of the foods I discuss here will increase.

In the meantime, please, enjoy my ramblings for what they are . . . focused ramblings. I promise you, there is a whole world of other food items I am eating that don't make into my writing here simply because they are non-related to the specific culinary interests I am writing about. Why, just this week alone I am sure I went through a case of soda and a box of Wheat Thins . . . er, I mean, several very nutritious salads and a bit of fat-free yogurt!!! Just kidding. I do enjoy a balanced and varied diet.

Thanks for reading and commenting! I always love feedback.