A Fish Out of Water

Breakfast, and Breakfast for Dinner

This weekend I noticed that half a carton of cream leftover from Valentine's Day was about to expire so, remembering how I made butter during last year's butter shortage, I sat down for a good bout of shaking. And ten minutes later (it works way faster when the carton is only half full) I had a small amount of very tasty butter. There was also a bit of buttermilk, which I supplemented with some of the water used to wash the butter (enough juice leached out of the butter and into the water that it looked and tasted pretty much the same as the actual buttermilk, so what the hell--if it looks like buttermilk and it tastes like buttermilk, it's buttermilk).

I used the butter for breakfast, which made a regular plate of fruit and toast extra special. The buttermilk stayed in the fridge until tonight, when it was used to help celebrate Pancake Day.

You may know this holiday as Shrove Tuesday or Fat Tuesday, but where I'm from it's Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday. Or maybe it's just my family that calls it that--I'm not really up on my religious terminology. In any case, as an atheist I don't do lent and Shrove Tuesday is, unsurprisingly, not celebrated in Japan, so with nothing to remind me I've managed to miss almost every single Pancake Tuesday since I first got here. But this year I remembered and heathen or not, I wanted pancakes.

Thanks to the buttermilk, these were some of the yummiest pancakes I've had. This was my first time to cook with real buttermilk and it really does seem to make a difference, because the pancakes were so fluffy and flavourful. I also loved how the two holidays ended up linked together: the cream used for Valentines day was turned into the butter and buttermilk used for Shrove Tuesday. True, the two holidays have nothing to do with eachother and are completely meaningless to me, but I think it's neat anyway.

This being strawberry season in Japan, I made a no-cook strawberry maple sauce to go with the pancakes, and because all the fresh fruit seemed just a little too healthy I added some bacon and scrambled eggs for balance.

The meal brought me back to my childhood, not only to Pancake Tuesdays but the occasional Breakfast for Dinner that I always thought was such a huge treat. Maybe I haven't really grown up, because I still think that there's nothing better than pancakes for dinner.

Happy Pancake Day!

Marufuku

I don't know quite what it is-- maybe we don't eat out often enough, or maybe our neighborhood just doesn't have enough good places to eat--but we don't really have any favourite restaurants. Sure, there's a fantastic sushi bar nearby but its high prices prevent us from become regulars; a local udon shop and Chinese restaurant serve good cheap food but nothing fantastic enough to consider them favourites; and there are a number of chain restaurants around here that have good food at good prices, but t doesn't feel right to have a chain shop as our favourite restaurant.

But that's all come to an end, because we've discovered Marufuku, a restaurant next to nearby Oizumigakuen station specializing in seafood. Very fresh seafood at very low prices, low enough for the place to be locally famous and get occasional mentions on TV. It was a recent TV appearance that inspired us to visit on a Sunday last month, and we weren't disappointed.

The lunch menu is six photocopied pages like the ones above, with a huge number of teishoku (set meals) priced between 680 yen and 980 (and one special of the day, Indian Ocean tuna for 1580 yen) and a handful of a la carte items, like oysters for 100 yen each. It took some time to decide, but I finally settled on the kanburi sashimi (winter yellowtail) teishoku while Hideaki ordered saba miso (mackerel simmered in miso sauce).

A cup of very good hojicha (roasted green tea) and hot towl had arrived as soon as we sat down, and within a minute of ordering we were given a bowl of chawan mushi (savoury egg custard) and a small salad, slightly unusual as a teishoku meal is usually served all at once. The salad was mostly iceburg lettuce but had a very nice oniony dressing, certainly better than the usual teishoku salad. The chawan mushi was made with very humble ingredients: shiitake and shimeji mushrooms, kamaboko (steamed fish paste) and a few chunks of fish of some sort. None of the typical shrimp, ginnan (ginkgo nuts) and other fancy ingredients, these were obiously ingredients that were bought cheaply or were trimmings and leftovers from the kitchen. Yet this was among the best chawan mushi I've had, flavoured with a good fish based stock the earthiness of the mushrooms. I was already sold on the place.

The rest of my meal arrived looking beautiful. I think my lunch was 780 yen, and for that price I definitely wasn't expecting this kind of presentation. The kanburi came with a bowl of rice topped with chopped shibazuke (cucumbers pickled with red shiso), homemade nukazuke (vegetables pickled in rice bran) of daikon, cucumber, carrot, and daikon greens, and miso soup.

The kanburi sashimi was just beautiful, as richly marbled as I've ever seen it. The seven large slices were presented like they were precious gems, on a sasa bamboo leaf set on a platter of crushed ice, along with a shiso leaf on a pile of finely sliced daikon held up buy a little twig fence. Finished off with a sprig of shiso buds and a pile of wasabi on a cucumber slice, this wouldn't be out of place in a kaiseki (haute cuisine) course priced at ten times the amount we paid.

It tasted as good as it looks, the fish being very fresh and having that rich, sweet flavour that only yellowtail caught at the peak of its season has. The whole meal was delicious, and I even enjoyed the pickles (I don't normally like the sharp fermented taste of nukazuke, but these were quickly pickled and not strongly flavour). For 780 yen it was an outstanding value, and I can see this meal--or even just the sashimi by itself--going for 2000 yen or more elsewhere.

Hideaki enjoyed his meal as well but was disappointed by the amount, as he only got two small pieces of fish. He was similarly impressed by the value but vowed to try something else on our next visit. I was happy to hear he wanted to come back--he's come a long way since I met him, and I remember I time he shunned fish and thought chili cheese dogs were the finest food in the world.

He was still so hungry we decided to have dessert at a nearby Mister Donuts. I ordered a chocolate dipped old-fashioned and their newest kind of donut, made with rice flower and topped with crunchy puffed rice, which supposedly make this a "Japanese style" donut (don't ask me what the other two donuts are: I'm not a fan of the fluffy and gooey kinds of donuts). I took one bite of the Japanese style dooughnut and liked it: it was much denser than regular wheat flour donuts, and both chewy and soft at the same time. But my eyes were bigger than my stomach, and the richness of the sashimi caught up with me and reminded me I was way too full to eat another bite. Hideaki was glad to help clean up.

Looking at Marufuku's business card along with a little internet searching showed that the place was owned, along with two local sushi bars, by a fishmonger. I've actually been to one of the sushi places a few years ago (and tried an alarming appetizer that I imagine only a well-connected fishmonger could obtain) and although liked it didn't knock my socks off like Marufuku did. Apparently at night the place is more of an izakaya, pairing the seafood with sake, and although it seems it's always a good value, their cheap lunches are what makes them famous. We vowed to go back for another lunch, and a few weeks ago we did.

This time I got the kaisendon (seafood bowl) teishoku, which seems to be what they are known for. It came with the same side dishes as before and cost 980 yen.

It was a large bowl of sumeshi (sushi rice) topped with sashimi and tamagoyaki (thick omelet). Unfortunately my sashimi-identifying skills aren't super but I think the fish included katsuo (skipjack), tuna, salmon belly, some kind of snapper, amaebi (sweet shrimp), scallops, and one more variety (under the wasabi) that I totally forget. It was all very good, and I even liked the scallops (I normally dislike raw shellfish), although I did give the amaebi to Hideaki. But somehow there were just too many different kinds of fish, and the variety overwhelmed me. I'd prefer larger amounts of just a few kinds of fish, something that I really liked. I think the kaisendon is for people who are a little less picky than I am.

Meanwhile, Hideaki was eating the kakiage (fried oyster) teishoku. The oysters were perfectly done and full of juice, and although it's hard to tell from the picture, they were huge--big enough for Hideaki to actually fill up on. No dessert necessary.

So Marufuku is now our favourite restaurant and I can't wait to get back. The best part is that their lunch prices stay the same all week, unlike many other restaurants that have cheap lunch specials during the week but higher prices on weekends. I'm not sure if it's worth going out of your way for, but if you find yourself in Oizumigakuen (or nearby on the Seibu Ikebukuro line) I highly recommend lunch at Marufuku.

Marufuku
03-3925-1345
4-2-2 Higashioizumi, Nerima-ku, Tokyo
Open weekdays 11:30am-12:00am, Sundays and holidays 11:30am-10:00om, closed Mondays

JapanSoc it!

Ume in bloom

Spring is officially on its way: the ume are in bloom! Actually, they've been blooming for a few weeks and some are already past their peak, but these ones were still lovely when I took a walk through my local park yesterday. Called Prunus mume in latin, this is the same tree that produces the astringent fruit that is turned into umeboshi (pickled plums) and umeshu (ume liqueur). Both the flowers and fruit are called ume in Japanese, and in English they go by several names; I prefer the more correct "Japanese apricot" or just "ume" to "plum", the common but inaccurate name.

These ume here, sadly, won't become much at all except maybe lunch for the birds, since the pretty decorative flowers don't make good fruit (edible ume have plain white flowers). But cheering people up with their pretty flowers and sweet scent is just as worthy a service as feeding us, and they do their job very nicely.

Oooh, that reminds me: time to check last year's umeshu! It was lovely at the last tasting around Christmas, and it should be just about done.

JapanSoc it!

Valentine's dinner

Valentine's Day dinners, like all romantic meals, pose a bit of conundrum: the point of the meal is both to delight the senses and to seduce, but filling up on rich food is hardly conducive to romance. The traditional dinner date is, in my opinion, timed all wrong: you get dressed up, go to a nice restaurant, get a little tipsy, and eat something fancy. And by the time you get into bed the buzz has worn off and you feel all full and bloated and lethargic. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Why can't the romance happen first, when you're still energetic and flat-bellied?

Actually, this reverse date is exactly what we've been doing in recent years, and it works out just fine. But there is still room for improvement, and I've discovered something important: there is no more romantic a setting than your own home. No pesky waiters, no crowds of people, you get to choose the music, and with some candles, good wine and a little work in the kitchen you can easily produce a meal and atmosphere that is as good as, if not better than, a restaurant's. You can even dress up, although dressing down is more fun (I favour a modest lingerie/apron combo). Best of all, you can interrupt the meal any time, and the bedroom is only steps away.

With that in mind, my Valentine's dinner was designed with an intermission between the appetizer and main course, which is about as perfectly timed as can be.

We started with Prosecco (no budget for champagne, alas) and arugula, baby spinach and red cabbage dressed with walnuts in a balsamic and mustard dressing, along with pan fried oysters. I was worried Hideaki wouldn't like them, because he's new to oysters and so far only likes them deep-fried. On a secret test run last week they tasted a bit too oystery so this time I marinated them in ponzu and garlic first, and then cooked them as usual by dredging them in flour and frying them in butter. It worked: the marinade cut a lot of the brininess without completely killing the oyster flavour, and he declared them the best oysters he's ever had (a bit less impressive than it seems, as he's only been eating them for a few years). I imagine oyster purists would think garlic and butter are abominations, but I liked them just fine.

The main course was steak in cream sauce with shiitake, enoki and maitake mushrooms, with new potatoes and brussels sprouts roasted with carrots. The steak was wagyu (Japanese beef) and looks huge, but is cut very thinly as is the norm here. It would have been lovely all by itself but the sauce was nice too, even if I did over-thicken it a bit.

Dessert was an apple strawberry crisp, a combination that I've never seen before. It's probably due to the fact that in most places the two fruits have completely different seasons, but they actually go quite nicely together. And the seasons aren't so far off, since strawberries are almost exclusively grown in greenhouses here and have somehow become a winter and spring fruit.

At this point we were stuffed, but having already concluded the main business of the evening we were free to loll about on the sofa watching Lost on DVD. Now that's romance.

Breakfast with my Valentine

Valentine's Day is s holiday I feel slightly embarrassed about celebrating, as if I should be eschewing the corporate mandated chocolate frenzy in favour of a lifestyle in which I express my love for my husband all year round, in ways that don't involve buying things. The thing is though, I do show my love daily, and just because we've got an every-day-is-Valentine's-Day thing going on doesn't mean I have to boycott Valentine's Day. I just have a thing for holidays, especially holidays involving food, and if one day a year I celebrate my love in an official manner with chocolate, candle-lit dinners and other cliched ways, well, what's wrong with that? So I've come up with a compromise, a way to balance my dislike of made-up commercialized holidays with my love of special occasions: I go ahead and give my sweetheart chocolates, a fancy dinner and plenty of romance, but skip the store-bought stuff.

(If it seems a bit strange that it's me doing all the celebrating, you need to know that Valentine's Day is done a bit differently here in Japan. There are two differences, the first being that there are no cards, lingerie, jewelry or flowers: it's all about chocolate. The second is that it's the women who give and the men receive.)

I usually make some kind of chocolates or cookies, and this time I made an old favourite: mini mochaccinos. These are two layer chocolates with a coffee kick, very easy to make but rather impressive looking. I got the recipe ages ago, from somewhere in my mom's cookbook and magazine collection--I've long forgotten both the source and the original name (and if any of you can think of a more catchy name that "mini mochaccinos, please let me know). I think the recipe is pretty much unchanged, except for a bit more coffee flavour and the optional addition of the heart-shaped tart crust.

Unfortunately I'm not much of a baker so these crusts were store-bought (yup, I broke my own rules), but they really make these chocolates extra special. As a bonus it also makes them a bit easier to eat, as the bottom dark chocolate layer is rather soft and tends to melt faster than the firmer white chocolate, causing sticky fingers.

As you can see, the dark chocolate on the bottom, white chocolate on top and sprinkle of cinnamon makes them look a bit like cappuccinos or mochaccinos, hence the name. The addition of the tart shell adds another texture, and the combination of the three--the crisp tart, soft creamy chocolate and firm white chocolate--is so nice that I think I should learn how to make a basic tart crust, so I don't have to rely on the pre-made kind.

We're in the middle of a warm spell--it's supposed to get up to 20 today-- so I served the mini mochaccinos with coffee on our balcony, followed by breakfast. Yes, the egg is heart-shaped (done by frying the egg inside of a cookie cutter placed on a frying pan), but I did resist the urge to carve the tomatoes and strawberries into hearts. I'm not that bad. It was such a treat to eat in the sun, and I know it will get cold again but it feels like spring has arrived. Perfect weather for falling in love again.

Mini Mochaccinos

• 175 g bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 75 ml whipping cream
• 2 tsp instant espresso powder
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 125 g white chocolate, chopped
• approximately 20 small paper candy cups or 15 small tart crusts
  
• approximately 20 coffee beans
• cinnamon for dusting

In a double boiler or a bowl over a saucepan of hot water, melt the bittersweet chocolate with the cream, stirring often. In a separate bowl, dissolve the espresso powder in the vanilla, then stir into the chocolate. Pour the melted chocolate into the candy cups or tart crusts, filling halfway, refrigerate 20 minutes or until firm.

While the chocolates are cooling, clean and thoroughly dry the pot or bowl that was used to melt the chocolate. Use it to melt the white chocolate, making sure not to splash any water in the bowl: even a drop of water or other liquid will cause the chocolate to seize. When the white chocolate is melted, poor over the firmed chocolate in a slightly thinner layer.

While the white chocolate is still soft, sprinkle each mini mochaccino with cinnamon (for an extra-fine dusting put the cinnamon in a fine tea strainer, shaking gently to sprinkle), and top with a single coffee bean in the middle. Refrigerate until firm.

Hatsumode

There doesn't really seem to be an official end to the New Year's celebrations in Japan, and even after everyone goes back to work there are still holidays to observe. One that we never miss is nanakusa no sekku, a day to eat a special dish called nanakusagayu (rice porridge with the seven herbs of spring). The herbs were once gathered wild but are now bought together in sets like the one above. I've showed the herbs more nicely in previous years but I like this year's package as it comes with the name of the farm that produced it, a picture of the farmers themselves, and a barcode that, when scanned with a cellphone, will take you to the farm's webpage for more information. This kind of packaging has been showing up in recent years on all kinds of produce and I think it's pretty neat.

Nanakusagayu is a very light and healthy dish, and the addition of eggs makes it a meal. Eating in on January 7th is said to ensure good health during the year. It's probably just as healthy any other day of the year, so if you want to make it for yourself here's the recipe.

Hatsumode (the firt visit to a shrine of the year) is also important, and I have a tradition of going to Meiji Jingu Shrine in Harajuku to do my praying. It's uncomfortably crowded during the first week so I usually aim for mid-January, which is late by hatsumode standards but much nicer. This year my visit coincided with an ice sculpture contest held on the Shrine grounds, which was a treat.

It was actually way too warm for ice sculptures and they were melting rapidly, with several of them missing limbs, wings, swords and other appendages.

About half of the sculptures were of the female form, and virtually all of these featured conspicuously large bosoms. The mermaid above is not a great example, being an A-cup by ice sculpture standards. The ones below, each as big as their owners' head, are more typical.

The artists were definitely guys.

This is what not crowded looks like at Meiji Jingu. This is just the approach to the gate, and once across it was a 30 minute wait to pray and another 30 minutes lining up for omikuji (fortunes) and souvenirs.

There are other things to do to finish off New Year's, but I didn't do them. Kagamibiraki was skipped as I didn't have the required mochi (was too busy to buy it last year) and Setsubun, which was yesterday, was spent the day in bed with a cold. Those who are keeping track will notice that this is Cold Number Two of this year, which is highly annoying.

I think perhaps I didn't eat enough nanakusagayu.