Spaghetti in Japan.

[Minty]

Woah! Take it easy--- I just said I've never used flower or butter... though I did grow up in a big Italian family, and that I thought it was strange, how did a light-hearted conversation about spaghetti escalate into something that someone had to throw down the gauntlet on?

If you don't mean to make fun of me don't use this icon, also once again I didn't say "flower" but "flour."

Ok, we're cool here. My husband grows up in a small French family but as his parents go to Italy every year for summer vacations, I would say their methods are very authentic Italian way of cooking. However since we obviously have different style of eating habits or cooking habits, I will no longer contribute to further suggestions. Good luck with finding the right way to make your budget pasta.

 

[yukio_michael]

If you don't mean to make fun of me don't use this icon, also once again I didn't say "flower" but "flour."

Sorry, that must have been my misspelling--- I don't want you to think that I thought you meant using flowers.... I don't think of okashii as an insulting phrase, in Japan we would say this when we were talking about language or stories, or tv, or anything...

I grew up amoungst mostly immigrant Italians, who had been in the United States for a while, maybe second or third generation. My experience with what is done in Italy, arguably the 'right way of doing things', I'm sure, is almost nill...

Good luck with finding the right way to make your budget pasta.

This thread sort of started with my experiences w/ Japanese pasta... not really 'budget pasta'... I know lots of people who make pasta, and most of them don't consider it to be a very expensive meal, that's part of it's charm... but at the same time when you say budget pasta you make it sound like I'm eating ramen out of a can of tomatos.

 

[Minty]

Sorry, that must have been my misspelling--- I don't want you to think that I thought you meant using flowers.... I don't think of okashii as an insulting phrase, in Japan we would say this when we were talking about language or stories, or tv, or anything...

Ok maybe I over react.

I grew up amoungst mostly immigrant Italians, who had been in the United States for a while, maybe second or third generation. My experience with what is done in Italy, arguably the 'right way of doing things', I'm sure, is almost nill...

Ok, no problem.

This thread sort of started with my experiences w/ Japanese pasta... not really 'budget pasta'... I know lots of people who make pasta, and most of them don't consider it to be a very expensive meal, that's part of it's charm... but at the same time when you say budget pasta you make it sound like I'm eating ramen out of a can of tomatos.

Well I only used the term budget pasta because:

Please understand that you should never, under any circumstances, buy food items from the Y100 store!

But, people are broke these days!

 

[Mars Man]

LOL !! Frank, my man !! I just about died laughing at that...the first thing that came to my mind when I read it was, wow...he's that age? I know just what you mean, I had that Napolitan stuff often enough back in '80 when I made my very first trip here. Worse, I even had some ketchup tacos !!

yukio_michael san, that face is saying '窶堋?窶堙｢窶堋ｵ窶堋｢' which, as you probably know already, but just in case, means something more along the lines of suspicious, untrustworthy, strange. It is not '窶堋ｨ窶堋ｩ窶堋ｵ窶堋｢' which useage you are correct on.

Now speaking of spagetthi, is Japan the only place in the world where you can get curry spa? (spa is short for spagetthi) I have always wondered.

 

[yukio_michael]

yukio_michael san, that face is saying '窶堋?窶堙｢窶堋ｵ窶堋｢' which, as you probably know already, but just in case, means something more along the lines of suspicious, untrustworthy, strange. It is not '窶堋ｨ窶堋ｩ窶堋ｵ窶堋｢' which useage you are correct on.

I sort of noticed that now... though I never paid attention as to the fact that the two didn't match and just thought it was meant to be 'okashii'...ﾂ m(_ _)m to Minty... 窶堋ｲ窶堙溪?堙ｱ窶堙遺?堋ｳ窶堋｢ﾂ。

 

[J-Life]

Anyone can make this simple tomato sauce. If you're Italian, you've gotta have a recipe for tomato sauce that you can customize and freeze for months at a time. It's cheap too!!!

Simple Tomato Sauce Recipe



Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Yield: 6 cups


1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors.
Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

GOOD LUCK ~~

 

[bezz]

和風スパゲッティ

some examples:

Left: ground pork, onion and eggplant (miso flavor)
Right: squid and okra (plum flavor)

Left: spicy cod roe and winter (enoki) mushroom
Right: sea urchin sauce

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

General question: Is it difficult to get cans of crushed tomatos and tomato paste in Japan? What about spices like bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, and basil? I assume those spices would be readily available, but you never know.

I think the word Viking in japan refers to the fact that you can go back and get more if you so choose...

That... makes sense. Wow. At least in Japan there aren't any monks or ticked-off Saxon huscarles who will get in your way.

...but at the same time when you say budget pasta you make it sound like I'm eating ramen out of a can of tomatos.

That's awesome. That's going in my quote book.

My husband grows up in a small French family but as his parents go to Italy every year for summer vacations, I would say their methods are very authentic Italian way of cooking.

I imagine there are differences between how Italian Americans cook and old country Italians do. I understand there are also big differences between how Milanese, Genoese, and Venetians cook and how the Neapolitans, Calabreize and Sicilians cook. Being an Italian American of Neapolitan descent, I've been surprised by some of the northern Italian recipies I've seen.

 

[Kyoko_desu]

Originally Posted by GodEmperorLeto

General question: Is it difficult to get cans of crushed tomatos and tomato paste in Japan? What about spices like bay leaves, oregano, rosemary, and basil? I assume those spices would be readily available, but you never know.

You will easily find cans of crushed tomatos and tomato paste here, but those spices are not really available in small grocery stores in small towns. You can find them in a deparment store in big cities for sure.

 

[yukio_michael]

That... makes sense. Wow. At least in Japan there aren't any monks or ticked-off Saxon huscarles who will get in your way.

Apparently, the word baikingu ( ﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ鱈ﾆ停?愴丹 ), lit translation: smorgasbord or baikgingu-ryouri ( ﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ鱈ﾆ停?愴丹窶板ｿ窶板 ) smorgasbord-style-cooking, is used for any buffet style or drink service where you can go back and refill your glass yoruself, as if you were getting your food from a buffet etc...

I've really only seen this word associated now with drink-services, but I'm sure (obviously from the picture above) it's used for other types of buffet-style meals.

 

[JimmySeal]

The literal translation of ﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ鱈ﾆ停?愴丹 is Viking, but ﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ鱈ﾆ停?愴丹窶板ｿ窶板 translates to smorgasbord in my dictionary (it still literally means Viking cuisine which is quite different from ﾅ?C窶伉ｯ窶板ｿ窶板 - pirate cuisine). I think it's funny that if you drop the last syllable off of ﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ鱈ﾆ停?愴丹 you get 窶堙寂?堋｢窶ｹﾃ (bacteria). After all, the Japanese are a pun-loving people. In any case, I wouldn't touch a 980 yen all-you-can-eat buffet with a 29 1/2 foot pole.

There's a chain of Italian restaurants in Japan called Capricciosa. They serve brick oven pizza and a whole lot of other tasty eats. You can ask around to see if there's one in your area.

 

[yukio_michael]

In any case, I wouldn't touch a 980 yen all-you-can-eat buffet with a 29 1/2 foot pole.

I think I'd rather eat cheap fami-resu pasta for 980en, than spend a lot of money for goya/natto topped gormet pasta!

 

[JimmySeal]

Spend money on food now, save money on hospitals later.

Besides, I wouldn't discourage you from getting a 980 yen meal at a family restaurant, but all-you-can-eat for 980? That's a bit dodgy.

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

Spend money on food now, save money on hospitals later.

Amen, brother!

Besides, I wouldn't discourage you from getting a 980 yen meal at a family restaurant, but all-you-can-eat for 980? That's a bit dodgy.

What's that? $8.60? Yeah. I wouldn't trust a buffet under $12.00.

There's a chain of Italian restaurants in Japan called Capricciosa. They serve brick oven pizza and a whole lot of other tasty eats. You can ask around to see if there's one in your area.

I always had this half-baked dream of opening a Philly cheesesteak shop in Japan. But considering that a cheesesteak is non-Japanese food in every sense (tons of beef, grease, cheese, and bread) I'm not sure it'd go over well. Half the Japanese students I've tutored love the things, the other half are indifferent at best.

Apparently, the word baikingu ( ﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ鱈ﾆ停?愴丹 ), lit translation: smorgasbord or baikgingu-ryouri ( ﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ鱈ﾆ停?愴丹窶板ｿ窶板 ) smorgasbord-style-cooking, is used for any buffet style or drink service where you can go back and refill your glass yoruself, as if you were getting your food from a buffet etc...

That's why it makes sense. I mean, if the Vikings sacked your monastery/village one year, chances are, they'd come back again next year for more plunder. I'm just highly amused by the Japanese usage of the word, because I always associate the word Viking with tons of violence, big swords/axes, and Valhalla.

You will easily find cans of crushed tomatos and tomato paste here, but those spices are not really available in small grocery stores in small towns. You can find them in a deparment store in big cities for sure.

That's a relief. As much as I enjoy Japanese food, I grew up on pasta and tomato sauce, and I'd really end up missing it when I finally leave for Japan if I couldn't make some myself there.

 

[bezz]

Left: cod roe and dill
Right: shiitake, maitake and shimeji mushrooms

 

[Cue]

There's a chain of Italian restaurants in Japan called Capricciosa. They serve brick oven pizza and a whole lot of other tasty eats. You can ask around to see if there's one in your area.

Oh that's one of my favorite places to eat Carbonara...

Another favorite place is "Goemon", a chain of spaghetti restaurants... This place is remarkable, as they serve in Japanese style, you need to eat spagetti with chopstics... XD

*drools*


Q

 

[bezz]

あんかけスパゲッティ

It's called the "Napolitan" (no offense to Naples and its citizens).

Somewhat similar is a Nagoya local specialty "ankake spaghetti" typically with Italian sausage, onion and green pepper, very thick noodles. Not plain ketchup but special meat sauce invented by Hiroshi Yamaoka in 1960 that tastes a little spicy.
He opened his own restaurant in 1963:

Spaghetti House Yokoi (est. 1963)
Santo Bldg. 2nd flr., 3-10-11 Sakae, Naka-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi 460-0008 Japan
phone: +81(52)241-5571

 

[bezz]

バイキング

Apparently, the word baikingu (バイキング), lit translation: smorgasbord or baikgingu-ryouri (バイキング料理) smorgasbord-style-cooking, is used for any buffet style or drink service where you can go back and refill your glass yoruself, as if you were getting your food from a buffet etc...

A link page says,

"Viking" in contemporary Japanese means buffet, an adoption of the name of Japan's very first buffet dining restaurant in 1953, the Imperial Hotel's Viking smorgasbord.

related post

 

[bezz]

Mozzarella spaghetti flavored with soy and perilla

 

[bezz]

スパゲティ・ナポリタン

The first time I ordered spaghetti in Japan, the cook took out some precooked pasta , tossed it in a fry pan , dumped a bunch of ketchup on top and heated it up. NOT what I was expecting, LOL.

That style of cooking spaghetti is a very old recipe invented in Japan (in the 1960s). Because people weren't used to Italian dishes yet in those days, some cook in Japan created it to match Japanese tastes, imitating the style you cook "yakisoba." It's called the "Napolitan" (no offense to Naples and its citizens).

which looks like:

 

[bezz]

Left: Spaghetti in udon/soba soup, egg drop
Right: Natto&okra spaghetti

 

[Cue]

Thank you, Bezz-san, for the update.
I love looking at this thread as well as other food threads you post, but you know what, you're very good at making me sooooo hungry! xD

I've tried Ankake one some time ago, too. It was rather spicy with a lot of black pepper, but it was great all the same. I loved it.

Okay, now I'm ready to have some spaghetti for today's lunch.
*goes to check what she has in the fridge*

 

[GodEmperorLeto]

I discovered that teriyaki sauce goes well on tortellini, especially if you sautee grilled chicken and sliced mild sausage in it. Toss in a little bit of garlic and it is actually really good.

Anyway, I'm not surprised the Japanese don't know Italian food, because Italian Americans born in the U.S. don't know it. It was adapted as soon as the original Italians stepped off of the boat. Nevertheless, we've managed to keep the tradition pretty stable, and we are utilizing the cooking principles our ancestors brought over from the Old Country, right? I hope...

Anyway, my Japanese friend made spaghetti with store-bought "meat-flavored sauce" that she mixed chopped onions and mushrooms into. She made me promise to teach her how to make "Italian gravy" after she tried some of mine. I told her it isn't a bad thing for her not to know, she isn't from America. Now, if she couldn't make a maki roll, she'd have problems.

Anyway, funny anecdotes aside, food should be experimented with. Different people grow up eating different stuff and develop different tastes. Stuff should be mixed and matched along cultural lines. That's how Italian-AMERICAN cooking started. It's just got to be done right. No gravy out of a jar. That's disgusting. Yuck. Tony Soprano would be most displeased.

 

[bezz]

Left: Non-spicy (regular) cod roe spaghetti
Right: Grated yam & udon/soba soup spaghetti, spicy cod roe & scallion topping

 

[Goldiegirl]

Bacon seems to be popular in addition in spaghetti in Japan. I was suprised, but it tasted ok...I picked out the bacon...it was difficult to find spaghetti with a meatless, fishless sauce. I even ordered spaghetti mozarella and sure enough it had bacon in it! Those were the only words I could read so the menu may have listed what else was in the recipe but I wouldn't have known.