For the month’s most saddening food news so far: some premium Japanese wagyu (like Matsusaka and Kobe) might be temporally coming to the end of the line.
It was officially proclaimed a state of emergency, while the outbreak of foot – and – mouth disease (FMD) in Miyazaki had unfolded into a “massacre” for the region’s livestock – an inevitable culling of more than a hundred thousand of livestock in the affected area, including 49 of 55 breeding cows to go. Miyazaki has been providing the “seeds” for other wagyu lines in the form of calves, besides maintaining its own line of breed. Now, in the midst of this disaster, only 5 breeding cows are left at the brink of extinction. With such a flimsy lifeline, it will probably take some years (if not forever) for the original version of Japanese wagyu to come back in reasonable supply. In the meantime, however, one may find wagyu from Australia and New Zealand as a reasonable Plan B.
Let us pray for peace and safety of the prefecture of Miyazaki and the country, and that the 5 last sires could pass it on. Somehow, somewhere, some precious cows still deserve to get meaty with generous pampering of beer and massages!
It was one of those brooding, rainy days of spring when I woke up to the sound of drizzles gently tapping on window panes. Thank God it’s a Sunday, I started the day in full laid-back manner of getting up late, putting on chilling music, and fixing myself a hot drink. Instead of coffee, I fancied some sweet rice wine that pairs really well with the misty look outside.
Called “amazake” (甘酒) in Japanese terms, this slightly alcoholic beverage is derived from the traditional method of rice fermentation. Off-white in colour with a creamy milky texture, it tastes somewhat like a smoothie with a hint of sake aroma. I’m a big fan of the Chinese equivalent “jiu niang”, with which they always make sweet soup with eggs and rice balls. And these days even instant amazake is available – no more sticky cooking and brewing! I took my time sipping slowly, as rain continued to fall…
amazake to go
Being exclusive and intimate with a personal touch, “omakase” (literally meaning “up to you”) is the kind of experience that takes Japanese dinning to new levels. I had the chance to do a revision last week, tagging along with two colleagues.
In the typical fashion we were seated at the sushi bar, where dishes were presented course by course according to the chef’s recommendations and our likings at the time. Indeed, when feeling positively inquisitive, it’s not a bad idea to grab a seat right in front of the cutting board and have the viewing pleasure of the skillful actions as you devour.
Of course, it is also a great spot to some conversation with the “itamae” (the chef), whose decisions are going to make or break your day. Be prepared to order off the menu relying on his special tips, and there won’t even be one of those fake food samples or pictures for your reference! Of course, prices are usually at his personal discretion too, so stakes are rather high there. I’d say if you’re a first timer to the restaurant, and also a foreigner, omakase is one of the things worth trying with a local buddy for sure. For three hungry seafood lovers, the chef indulged us with so many shellfish dishes of the latest spring season. At a certain point, I thought the cholesterol was shooting up my spine…
Even for a perfectly colloquial guest, the chef just may not be all that accomodating with inadequate demeanor and less than favorable responses. Lucky for us, the chef frequently patronized by my friend was indeed very hospitable and reasonable. Sometimes by word of mouth, or maybe by building up rapport in regular visits, one may encounter and familiarize with more promising and reassuring chefs. We had the pleasure to toast champagne with him and offer him a pint as a token of appreciation, and as dinner ended I was given a cute Japanese tomato that’s almost the fruitiness of a peach to take home (was sampled as a palate refresher during the meal).
No pictures for the dinner – I’m lazy this time! So a snapshot of my little souvenir will sign me off… Oishii.
To be sure, I wasn’t totally without fear when going for freshly made blowfish, time and again during my Seoul trips last year. But it was a delightful surprise to find a local specialty with Japanese characteristics – something different from the rampantly popular bulgogi (Korean barbecued beef) and samgyetang (highly nourishing chicken broth with ginseng) in town.
fish tank... the danger zone
According to my primitive knowledge, blowfish is ‘fugu’ in Japanese. A notorious delicacy of Asian origin, it is poisonous and one-of-a-kind yummy at the same time (check here for ‘fugu’ detailed in its Japanese context). I had come across blowfish sashimi offered in winter season menus, but in Korea they have it in boiling hot stew too. So I was seated comfortably at a homey table, outside all windy at subzero temperature. Then the savory fish stew, side dishes and rice were served altogether in traditional utensils. It was instantly gratifying.
comfort zone 
Later I learned that the stew was made with blowfish cutlets, radish, scallions, tofu, bean sprouts, and parsley. For seasonings, sake, pepper, sesame oil, and chili pepper optional. Reasonably simple recipe, I think all the secondary ingredients serve to enhance the sweetness and compliment the chewy texture of the white fish.
Once again, blowfish contains deadly poison and in Japan, it would take years of training for a chef to qualify preparing the dangerous fugu for guests. I suppose the mixed feeling of danger, scarcity and deliciousness really works its spell on some adventurous eaters…
Cherry blossoms for this year are already landing in Japan. I’ve been trying to book a trip there for Easter vacation, but it is so in popular demand. Thinking of a gorgeous sea of pink, under which I may have a hearty bite of a rose-colored strawberry, grown in the local soil and ripen to the very season. Wouldn’t that worth a celebration! Flights are getting insanely full and pricey, just less than a week away now.
When I was passing by the grocery section at Sogo (a Japanese department store in town) these big lovely strawberries really tickled my appetite. There are different ranks and categories when looking at these ruby jewels, if you care for the devil in the details. What’s in the picture here are of a luxurious specie called ‘Amaou’, produced in Fukuoka. Typically big, voluptuous and sweet, its nicknamed ‘king of sweetness’ (甘王) in local terms.
Now, if you pay attention to the ‘G’ print on the right side of the box, it denotes ‘great’. I think it is about the best grade you can get in offshore outlets, whereas the top notch grade ‘Ex’ (means ‘excellent’) is only available in Japan. Appearance, taste and texture all make the difference.
If you are in Japan, you are blessed with these gems of nature and so, explore and indulge!
They say ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ and I’d say the same with salmon. Certainly its flesh is visually appetizing with bright and vivid orange-red flesh, but who knows how to tell the real level of freshness there? The common understanding has that you should always get those cuts with firm meat in distinctive red and white. Because of this standard, fish farms would add some extra shots of pigment-inducing substance in the feeding process, and the result is tons of appealing salmon flesh that totally convince consumers of their natural freshness and health benefits – practically a cosmetic surgery to facilitate sale.
The worst thing for us then, is that it becomes very hard to distinguish fresh cuts from the bad ones just by looking at them, as the dyes preserve the fresh look. Plenty of salmon here are catered as sashimi in Japanese restaurants and I for one will not be a fan…
Speaking of which, I’m putting up this photo taken at a lunch in Singapore. What I ordered was a sashimi platter, but what is that on the top left? A salmon ‘sashimi’ with skin attached, slightly grilled on the surface! I was seriously offended by the food, it felt like eating toilet. But I guess when the hot sticky weather is not helping, one might just try to be creative.
Yes, talking about myself getting totally knocked out by a splendid sake the other night. Introducing Kubota Manju*.
I cannot really recall when was the last time that I got so hammered, so much so I couldn’t help the puking at last. But this one is a really fancy killer: silky smooth in the mouth, faint vanilla taste carried across, sweet floral scent as you take it in, strangely unworldly and mellow – minus almost the entire sharpness of the liquor, although it is of a slight 15% alcoholic content. Makes me think of Debussy’s Claire de Lune, a misty moon on a crisp winter night…
I lost track of how many times I bottomed up (very inappropriate treatment for such a fine brew), and the sake was so immediately easy going that the alcohol kicks in before I started expecting. Like what the Bard says: ‘look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it.’
There was no photographic record of the event, but I had enjoyed that killing-me-softly kind of sensation. Kubota Manju costs few more bucks, but a morning after that is free from troubled hangover goes a long, long way.
photo courtesy of Asahi
* ‘Kubota’ is the name of the brewery, and ‘Manju’ is a top-class category among the Kubota product line by Asahi, with a celebrative meaning of ‘ten thousand anniversary’ or ‘long life.’
a mouthful of...
It’s one of these chilly days when Hokkaido King Crabs are in season, and being all the more celebrative together with the Lunar New Year holidays, which also coincided with the Valentine’s Day this year. All are worth the wait!
As far as I know, the period of abundance for King Crabs typically spans somewhere around October to February when these oceanic royalties are shipped from the cold waters of Hokkaido with preserved freshness and succulence. Supply is scarce and crabs are savory, every time of the year they become such celebrities in the food scene.
As one of the “Big 4” Japanese crab species, the King Crab is notably huge and chubby, with spiny shell in festive orange color when served. Its population is said to be in about the same region as that of the cod fish, and the flesh tend to be sweet, plump and chunky. My personal favourite is definitely those distinctive, fiery- looking gorgeous long legs. Not only do they look like funny coral stones with unrefined natural beauty, the taste is also heavenly with delicate texture and oceanic fragrance.
And yes, I hope it’s true that “you are what you eat”!
It is still a mystery to me, why the sushi belts in Hong Kong is always so full. You can always see faithful pilgrims queuing up at their doors, regardless of hours or seasons. For me, it is the enjoyment of watching many nicely arranged dishes flowing by, letting them entice my palates.
watching preys go by
One dish that never fails is ‘amaebi’, a.k.a. those cute little sweet shrimps! From literal translation, ‘ama’ in Japanese means ‘sweet’, while ‘ebi’ refers to ‘shrimp’. Although simple, this dish is not to be overlooked. At the very least, the sweet, creamy and highly elevated shrimp taste is a natural addiction…
amaebi x 5
The shrimps are typically from North of Japan like Hokkaido, and it is very critical to keep the small delicate creatures fresh to the moment of savoring in raw. You can pretty much tell the freshness of a shrimp by the color of its tail, firmness of the meat, and of course by a simple sniff too. To eat, my personal ‘etiquette’ is to dab some soy sauce and wasabi on the body (if possible, a sprinkle of lemon zest before that), then pick up the shrimp with chopsticks by its tail, and take the body in with a single, pleasurable bite.
Sometimes I do go further to suck the head for the strangely delectable jelly inside – when I’m not on a date, perhaps.
