Enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of first-time parenthood. Progress on the vegetable garden and other ramblings of a gaijin in Japan’s least populous prefecture.
The other day, I got to try my hand at making nihachi soba (lit. two eight soba). Despite the measures being simple, two parts flour to eight parts buckwheat, the motions are best watched at least once. I will post a recipe at some point. In lieu of that; in essence, to the sifted flour half the weight of water is added. Once brought together, fifty presses are applied (seventy for the girls). It is rolled and stretched out to a square, folded and chopped.
The resulting noodles are dropped into a pan of boiling water for sixty seconds before being plunged into ice cold water.
A typical accompaniment would be a sauce of dashi, soy and mirin.
The Japanese and French do hold a few things in common. I could be mistaken on this, but one seems glaring. It’s the c’est la vie approach or let’s go for the dangerous option.
Take yesterday’s dinner. There are seven of us huddled around an open top deep fat fryer set upon the dinning table. It is a free for all; people are leaning over with their impaled prawn or panko covered chicken and dipping it into tempura batter, before sinking it into the oil.
Now I love tempura, but decided to sit this one out – or rather sit a few feet back. Asked what was wrong, I explained it seemed a tad iffy, although I only managed to say I was scared in Japanese. Reassured, and it was safer than the stool mounted fryer at last years BBQ, I joined in.
The bowls narrowed to a small base making them top heavy. The father-in-law knocked one over sending batter across the table and onto the sister-in-laws fiancés face (they get married in September). At the same time the mother-in-law immersed some rather moist squid, sending boiling oil far and wide.
Tonight we are having Fugu (puffer fish).
The day after I posted about the lack I rain, it poured. Maybe there is a pattern and I should jot about something else. Anyway, on Sunday I received my renewed passport, a little later than expected. It was processed on the day the biometric passports started to roll out of the FCO. As I had just got my visa renewed a few weeks back, we returned to the immigration department to have it transferred. For once there was no charge and I’m pleased that I don’t have to travel with the old one. After a bit of shopping we took advantage of the nearby ¥120 a plate sushi restaurant.
Once home my Father-in-law returned a little later, from a days fishing with a rather splendid Suzuki (Sea Bass). I offered to sharpen the knives, shortly below another deluge, as we will be having sashimi for dinner, hurrah!
I don’t usually feel the urge to advertise Coca Cola’s products. Tea is clearly popular here in Japan and just as in any other country, the company produces it’s localised range of drinks. What is attractive about this bottle of tea is the number of seemingly natural ingredients.
puer (a Chinese tea)
reishi (mushroom)
ryokucha (a Japanese green tea)
kicha (a Japanese tea)
kuko
korai ninjin (Chinese ginseng)*
dokudami
oolong
orange peel
kumazasa
hasu
It doesn’t taste too bad either, though I’d probably best stick to the beer.
*Thank you Dave.
The snow it seems has been rained off. Saturday was spent making bread which didn’t rise properly. It wasn’t doughy, just dense which made a welcome change to the usual shop bought pap. The Yoshihara tribe from Okayama came to visit. It was like a mini typhoon indoors, with the three young daughters busy circling the kotatsu. The two eldest took half the dough and beat it into Anpanmans, snails and shooting stars.
Monday was a public holiday in Japan, a day for those to celebrate their coming of age. I made pizza and calzone. Whilst shopping for some stronger flour, I happened upon a bottle of Żubrówka. The vodka is flavoured with a herb, known as bison grass. My first introduction was with a friend whilst holed up in a hotel in Poland. What started off as a few reciprocal drinks with the staff, turned into a game of top shelf with the coaches of the Polish Olympic team. At ¥650 a bottle I couldn’t resist.
Traditionally prepared the in final few days of the year, osechi was eaten over the first three days of the New Year. During those days it was taboo to cook.
Although a modest pair of boxes below, these cost ¥10,000 (£50) a piece.
A friend of the mother-in-law asked us all to visit yesterday. Her two twin daughters were back from Tokyo. On the premise of an afternoon of absorbing converse, I brought with me a crochet hook and a ball of wool. I made a trip around the corner to the local sake shop, just to be sure. There, to my surprise I found a few bottles of Bass. In the UK this would be quite a way down the pecking order. Over here it is a different matter. The price was reasonable too, about that of the usual “premium” beers.
Between dishes of nimono, I got some needlework tuition whilst my wife received a massage. It’s has been about fifteen years since I tried to crochet and was pleased to receive the help. If I can get the hook facing the correct way and a consistent tension, I might be able to fashion a hat for Kento.
The beer was superb, better than any of the draught pints I have had in the past. My opinion of a bland, indifferent beer was quickly washed away. It had flavours, colour and depth. I am evidently missing British beer. I topped myself up with a magnum bottle of Asahi Super-Dry whilst attempting to remedy a Japanese Blue Screen of Death on our host’s laptop. I did enjoy myself, and it was soon time to go home.
Once back, the drinking continued making a noticeable impression was made upon the bottle of Benriach I’d brought a few days ago. I feel fortunate today, that my mini binge hasn’t left me with a hangover.
Christmas has come early and a good job too, since everybody is at work on the big day. We had kani shabu-shabu (crabs dipped in boiling water) for dinner. Afterwards a typical Japanese Christmas cake. A sponge cake with lots and lots of cream.
The weather was good, so it was decided that we would be having a BBQ for lunch. The in-laws were already out shopping and I was expected to have the coals ready on their return. I would have liked to have taken my time, but relented and used an odd fire-lighter that was recovered from the garage. The mother-in-law got a bag of shiitake, whilst her sister got the meat. This cut of Japanese beef cost ¥6000 about £30.
Despite getting the worst of headaches, I’ve taken to nihonshu.
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