Yuzu & Japanese radish Pickles (Citrus marinated Japanese radish)

There are several kind of citrus in Japan.
Yuzu is a winter citrus for us, we don't eat this itself.
We use it just for one of a cooking ingredient.
Yuzu gives a slightly sweet and tender flavor as pickles.

It's really easy to make this sweet pickles.
Mostly Japanese people eat this as side dish for rice.

If you buy its completed product at supermarket, it is little expensive.
At the season of Yuzu, I made this by myself and eat as much as everybody pleases!

- Japanese white radish(Daikon) 1lb
- 4 whole Yusu juice
- Yuzu peel
- Sugar 10tble spoon (About 3oz)
- Salt 1.5 tble spoon
- Kombu Seaweed for broth 2 inch square

It might be difficult to get fresh Yuzu outside Japan, then there's bottled Yuzu juice.
I hope you find the one Japanese gourmet shop. Komb (Seaweed) for broth as well.
Kombu (Seaweed) for broth is also used for Miso soup broth or make another side dishes.

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Peel Japanese white radish skin and cut.

Peel 2-3 of Yuzu peel. Just peel yellow part of Yuzu peel.
White part of skin make the pickles bitter.

Wet Kombu Seaweed for broth and cut it to thin slices.

Combine all ingredients in Ziploc bag.

Rub this bag for about 30 secnd to mix all the ingredients.

Leave one night(6 -8 hours) in refrigerator.

White radish juice the water by salt and komb Seaweed for broth gives the water thick or sticky, but don't surprise it! This bring out the full flavor as broth.
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Hope you enjoy this recipe.

Traditional Japanese New Year's soup - Zouni

zouni
Originally uploaded by SAIE

In Japan, each area or each family has its own zoni, a special New Year's soup containing grilled rice cakes (Mochi).
In the Kansai area, people enjoy a zoni miso soup which use white miso.
White miso has sweet taste and tender flavor than usual miso.
In Kanto (around Tokyo area), as Zouni, clear fish broth and soy sauce soup is more popular.
Zouni style and recipe is various in Japan.

For examlple,a Zoni at Takamatsu in Shikoku area, people eat red bean jam stuffed mochi in Miso soup.
When I think of this recipe, salty flavor of miso soup might complement a sweetness of red bean jam. It sounds interesting to me and yummy.

My zouni experiences are ...

Paternal lineage
Shimabara, Kyushu style. Cock with clear fish broth and soy sauce soup with long thin strips of radish, carrot, burdock root and chicken. Put grilled rice cake.
Before I got married, we ate this zouni at January 1st every year.

Maternal lineage
Kyoto, Kansai style. Cock with sweet white miso with fan-shaped (quarter sector) boiled white radish and red Japanese carrot. Put boiled rice cake. These white and red color project a festive atmosphere in a small bowl.

Husband's lineage
Hashio, Nara style. It is so unique. Soup it self is similar as Kyoto style but also add hard tofu and aroid (Satoimo). Vegies are cut roughly and it seems more provincially-style.
To give attractive colors, put trifoliate leaf (Mitsuba) on top.

Traditional New Year's food

osechi1
Originally uploaded by SAIE

Most Japanese people enjoy traditional New Years dishes at this time of year. It's called "Osechi Ryouri" .

"Osechi Ryouri" includes a lot of food that can be kept for a long time.This means housewives are able to relax a little while during the holiday. But actually, most family

The dishes differ from one area to another but mostly include boiled shrimp, black beans, herring eggs, dried shiitake (mushroom) and blah-blah-blah. Each dish have its own meaning. For example, when people eat boiled shrimp, they might be able to live long until being bent with age. It is compared as bent boiled shrimp.

This year, mother-in-law ordered ones produced by Shelaton Hotel in Japan. It was delivered to our door as chilled food. The food are beautifully decorate and layout in boxes.

Formerly, most family cooked it by themselves because full-time housewives were nest defender.

But about last two to three decades, Japanese women has out of house to work and enhance their sociality, their life have turn to busy.
According to this, chilled food business in Japane has expanded.
At the super market before new year, many house wives who still want to project hand-made atmosphere for New Year's food pick up traditional style "chilled Japanese food" and layout them beautifully in boxes.

These are the home style "Osechi Ryouri" done by mother-in-law.

Several years ago, she and I hade cooked almost dishes.

Since she had become 60 years old, her enthusiasm toward cooking of "Osechi Ryouri" have been getting disappeared.

Wakayama Marina City

We went to a family short trip to Wakayama Marina City from Kobe.