Winter Recipe

osechi ryouri

NISHIME

New Year's is just around the corner so we have to think of New Year's traditions.

I went to a Shibuya dept. store today and looked at the osechi ryouri boxed meals that one could order, they were priced at U.S.$200-300 each! Yeah well, I'm gonna pass on that. I can make Nishime, a delicious simmered veggie dish. I cheat and buy a frozen vegetable mix to make it but if you don't have that option, follow this recipe:

http://www.suisan.com/recipe/recipes/nishime.html

The following video is a good presentation of some foods that are eaten during the New Year's holiday including osechi ryouri. My fav is onigiri (sushi) accompanied by champagne 最高.

Chiri nabe

Fuyu ha yappari nabe da ne.



This looks like chiri nabe--excellent with ponzu sauce. The fish held by chopsticks looks like hamachi (yellowtail). Usually, tai (sea bream), tara (cod), or fugu (blowfish, properly prepared) are used for this dish. I'd save the hamachi for sashimi but to each his/her own.

Here's my recipe for chiri nabe to help you get through these cold, cold winter nights.

CHIRI NABE (6-8 servings for nabe party!!)

6 cups boiling water
1/2 kilo fish filet cut into bite sized pieces
9 cm. piece of konbu
1 tbsp of hondashi
1 block of tofu, cut into bite sized cubes
1 stalk of naganegi (leek?), cut into 3 cm pieces
1/4 head chinese cabbage, cut into 4-5 cm sections
4 or 5 pieces of shiitake mushroom, sliced with stems removed
==============
Ponzu sauce
mix
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/8 cup vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
pour over
1/4 medium sized daikon (turnip), grated

Add fish, hondashi and kombu to boiling water; let simmer about 10 minutes. Remove kombu and add chinese cabbage, naganegi, shiitake, and tofu. Cook additional minute then serve in individual bowls to guests. Provide individual bowls of ponzu sauce for each guest as dipping sauce..

Yosenabe

There's no mention of yosenabe in this thread. Now that it gets close to 0 degrees in the mornings in Tokyo. It's time for nabe dishes again (but not for breakfast).

Yosenabe is the Japanese version of bouillabaisse. You can often find the ingredients fully prepared at the supermarket and you just need to add it to the broth as shown in the first 2 min 45 sec of this clip.


You'll find the recipe at this LINK
(The recipe uses clams instead of shrimp, but you can use both. Also, sake is used to reduce some of the fishy smell but isn't necessary.)