Birthday!
It's my birthday! Get bizy! Actually my birthday was several weeks ago but thanks to being sick as a dog the Official Birthday Dinner got postponed to yesterday and in one of those great cosmic coincidence thingys my birthday gifts from Japan arrived today!
I'll post about the dinner tomorrow (short version: it was delicious!) so I'll get right to "Arigatou Gozaimashita Steve & Ruiko!" There was a set of two sushi mugs, a bit bigger than other sake cups I've seen but I think I can manage :-) They have little paintings of common nigiri sushi on them so after 2 mugs of sake you can still order "Thsish one right here...eel...yeah the eel." Also sushi related some sushi fridge magnets, very cool, I'll put them next to the cat magnets.
A pop-up sumo scene card of a yokozuna entrance ceremony (you can tell he's a grand champion by the lightning bolts on his belt.) I'll set it up on chest nearest the sumo poster.
And the mystery item: Hand in Hand from www.tsunaba.com. Thanks to the google translator I'm thinking it's condiment for noodle dishes, perhaps a sauce base. I did manage to guess from the packaging that it's made from peppers, lemon and seaweed. The package also has a prominent picture of some dude's buttocks...(insert "tastes like ass" joke here)
The package came 3 to a box so per the instructions from Steve one's for Beth & Deb and one's for Gordon & Amy. When the Cali contingent make it up for the cow-poo picnic I'll pass it along; otherwise I can mail it down.
Thanks again Steve & Ruiko for the gifts. I'm off to search for hand in hand recipes.
Update:
While I'm thinking of it if Ruiko could be so kind as to give any pointers on the shabu shabu eating process it would be greatly appreciated. Briefly I ordered some at a great new sushi place we met a friend at and got: a big bowl of the soup, a small bowl, a small bowl with a soy, scallion dipping sauce (?) and two spoons; a normal soup spoon and a slotted spoon. Didn't seem right to eat directly out of the big bowl but transfering meat/veggies to the small bowl was kind of a pain and does the sauce go in the small bowl...? Anyway I'm sure I made a philistine of myself but I'm sure I'm not the first. Advice for future orders is welcome! Thanks
Update II: Yes I did get the eyeglasses nose holder. I was pondering it's purpose so I forgot to list it. and we tried the yuku sauce...that packs a lot of heat into a little amount! I think Coral will be doing a posting soon so I'll post in detail on that
I'll post about the dinner tomorrow (short version: it was delicious!) so I'll get right to "Arigatou Gozaimashita Steve & Ruiko!" There was a set of two sushi mugs, a bit bigger than other sake cups I've seen but I think I can manage :-) They have little paintings of common nigiri sushi on them so after 2 mugs of sake you can still order "Thsish one right here...eel...yeah the eel." Also sushi related some sushi fridge magnets, very cool, I'll put them next to the cat magnets.
A pop-up sumo scene card of a yokozuna entrance ceremony (you can tell he's a grand champion by the lightning bolts on his belt.) I'll set it up on chest nearest the sumo poster.
And the mystery item: Hand in Hand from www.tsunaba.com. Thanks to the google translator I'm thinking it's condiment for noodle dishes, perhaps a sauce base. I did manage to guess from the packaging that it's made from peppers, lemon and seaweed. The package also has a prominent picture of some dude's buttocks...(insert "tastes like ass" joke here)
The package came 3 to a box so per the instructions from Steve one's for Beth & Deb and one's for Gordon & Amy. When the Cali contingent make it up for the cow-poo picnic I'll pass it along; otherwise I can mail it down.
Thanks again Steve & Ruiko for the gifts. I'm off to search for hand in hand recipes.
Update:
While I'm thinking of it if Ruiko could be so kind as to give any pointers on the shabu shabu eating process it would be greatly appreciated. Briefly I ordered some at a great new sushi place we met a friend at and got: a big bowl of the soup, a small bowl, a small bowl with a soy, scallion dipping sauce (?) and two spoons; a normal soup spoon and a slotted spoon. Didn't seem right to eat directly out of the big bowl but transfering meat/veggies to the small bowl was kind of a pain and does the sauce go in the small bowl...? Anyway I'm sure I made a philistine of myself but I'm sure I'm not the first. Advice for future orders is welcome! Thanks
Update II: Yes I did get the eyeglasses nose holder. I was pondering it's purpose so I forgot to list it. and we tried the yuku sauce...that packs a lot of heat into a little amount! I think Coral will be doing a posting soon so I'll post in detail on that
5 Comments:
Yes thank you to the HI contigent for the nice swag, and we do plan on making for cow-poo, by the way you wearing the kilt to the picnic. If so we will definitely make it with camera in hand. We've been a bit outta touch lately but coming into "the slow time", I'll believe it when I see it. See everyone in a couple of months.
Good to know the birthday gifts made it. Did the nose make it? It's for setting your glasses on at night. Good to hear that you're no longer sick. The mystery stuff is a sauce that we picked up in Kobe at some kitchen speciality store. It's supposed to be good on pretty much anything. AFAIK you use it straight. The ass we couldn't figure out either but was part of the reason we didn't just send a pack to each person; we wanted you guys to see the box and the wrapping which they did at the store for free. Japan is wrap mad. I mentioned to Tsuma-san that she should check your blog.
Shabu shabu - this used to be my favorite food!!! I haven't had it for a looooong time. Makes me want to eat it now. Anyway, here is how to eat Shabu Shabu.
1. big bowl of the soup - this is where you put all the ingredients such as meat and vegetables. Meat for shabu shabu is cut very thin, so you put the meat into the soup only for a few seconds and pick it up.
2. a small bowl - you use it for putting the cooked ingredients from the soup bowl.
3. a small bowl with a soy and scallion dipping sauce - you pick the cooked food from the small ball and dip it in the small sauce bowl. (the sauce does not go into the small bowl.) Sometimes we just pick up the cooked food from the soup bowl, dip it in the sauce and eat it from there, not using the small bowl. It is acceptable.
4. a normal soup spoons - I don't usually use the spoon when eating shabu shabu, so I don't know exactly why they serve the spoon.... but some shabu shabu menu comes with steamed rice. How to eat the rice - after finishing all the ingredients, put the rice into the soup bowl and heat/let it absorb soup. When the rice gets softer and puffier, we mix the yolk and white of a raw egg then put it and chopped green onions in the bowl. Cover the soup bowl with a lid, let cook for a few more minutes and eat the rice with the dipping sauce. It is very gooood! When you eat the rice, we use the spoon.
5. a slotted spoon - maybe to pick up the vegetables in the soup bowl. Especially tofu, it's easier to use the spoon than the chopsticks.
Shabu shabu is very popular winter party food in Japan. Several friends get together eat shabu shabu from the one big soup bowl.
There are some shabu shabu restaurant in Hawaii, I should try it some day. Steve and Greg eat all the veggies and I eat all the meat!! Good deal :)
Hand in Hand is the name of the store we purchased "Yuzu kosho" (the name of the product), which Tsunaba company manufactures.
Yuzu is the Japanese citrus orange type of vegetable and Kosho means pepper. I checked the Tsunaba website. Yes, it is made from peppers, yuzu, seaweed and salt - the company uses the best fresh ingredients and the whole production proccess is done by hand. Even peeling the skins of yuzu is done by hand.
Yuzu Kosho can be used as sauce base or dipping sauce like wasabi or masterd. Good for Shabu Shabu (dip the meat and veggies), sashimi, sushi, even pizza.
I think Coral, a cooking specialist, can come up with a new recipe with the Yuzu kosho :)
ok... I'll try saving my comment again (lousy blogger...)
Thanks! I forgot to take the meat out early so it ended up a little tough. :( And in another coincidence we're making sushi tonight so I'll let you know how it goes w/ inarizushi.
Bonzai Naked Sushi!!!!!
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