KYUSHU PREMIUM 2020 TRIP OVERVIEW & ITINERARY

Posted on Jan 24, 2020 in Hiroko's Blog, Recipes

KYUSHU PREMIUM November 3 – 15, 2020 ABOUT KYUSHU AND KYUSHU PREMIUM Kyushu, the southernmost large island of Japan, is chock-full of incredible interests of so many kinds. I had visited Kyushu in past years on business. During such trips I didn’t experience what inquisitive and interested visitors can do in Kyushu, so I had little idea of the huge variety of amazing sights and experiences Kyushu can offer to us. In 2017 I decided to make Kyushu the next destination...

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NIZAKANA WITH FLOUNDER, SALMON OR POMPANO THIS WINTER

Posted on Nov 6, 2018 in Hiroko's Blog, Recipes

There is a Japanese technique which may be new to you in this recipe. Taking this special step is necessary in order to produce clean and delicious flavor in the prepared dish. The technique is called Shimofuri, which literally means ‘frost-covering’. In this technique we first blanch scaled and cleaned fish in hot water in a pot until the surface turns white resembling frost. Then carefully cool and rinse the fish in a bowl of cold water with tap water running into it. By...

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GINGKO NUTS/ Gin’nan

Posted on Nov 6, 2018 in Hiroko's Blog, Recipes

FORAGING IN NEW YORK CITY: Gingko nuts are DELICIOUS! Here female gingko trees (there are male and female gingko trees) drop their mature fruit onto the sidewalks, streets and parks from the beginning of November through the end of the month. Every year the timing is a bit different, though. Most of the fruits which hit the ground break and expose its flesh inside. The flesh releases a very strong disagreeable smell.  But this hideous smell is not the issue here. The...

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SUPER DRINK: HOME-MADE AMAZAKE

Posted on May 21, 2018 in Hiroko's Blog, Recipes

Coconut Water, Kombucha, Aloe Drink, Ann Migo, Kovita in bottles…. the new super drink list goes on and on. I have something new for you. It is amazake. And it is home-made amazake that you can easily prepare. Amazake literally means ‘sweet sake’, but it has nothing to do with sake (rice wine). Amazake does not contain alcohol. Amazake is a naturally sweet rice drink. Amazake is a power house packed with nutrients. Have you ever had in your life experienced an intravenous...

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Sawara Yuan-yaki

Posted on Feb 27, 2018 in Hiroko's Blog, Recipes

Sawara can be enjoyed in many preparations including Teri-yaki, shio-yaki (salt grilled), saikyo-miso yaki and yuan-yaki.  All are variations on grilling. “yaki” means grill. Here is my favorite yuan-yaki recipe: For yuan marinade mix mirin, sake, usukuchi shoyu (light colored soy sauce), koikuchi shoyu (all-purpose soy sauce) in 1.5 : 0.5: 0.8: 0.1 proportions in a bowl. Add 2 slices of yuzu citrus fruit or lemon if yuzu is unavailable. Marinate the sawara pieces for 15 to...

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Sukiyaki is Our New Favorite

Posted on Feb 9, 2018 in Hiroko's Blog, Recipes

Here is the preparation of the always popular sukiyaki dish. As I have mentioned before, prepping nabemono dinner (in this case a sukiyaki dinner) in your kitchen is super quick and easy. It requires cutting of certain raw ingredients, and blanching (quick simmering) some ingredients as necessary. This sukiyaki recipe is Tokyo style. Sliced beef and vegetables are cooked in flavorful ‘warishita’ sauce. The vegetable, including shirataki noodles (made of konnyaku, taro root...

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