Hinamatsuri


March 3rd


Today is the day which is a traditional family celebration for the health of
young girls in which beautiful dolls are arranged in the house.
"Hina" means doll.
I display the dolls in my guest room from February
until March 3rd every year.

I decorate "momo no hana"( peach blossoms) for the Doll's festival
at the entrance.

Chirashi Sushi  is one kind of sushi.
I make this colofully decorated garnished sushi for the most special of
occasions.

Chirashi Sushi is a typical type of home style cooking.
Each house has own styles and ingredients(fresh fish,shrimps,eggs,etc).
I like to use traditional dried ingredients.

Chirashi Sushi  is full various textures and flavors.
Serve with a clear soup contaning hamaguri clam,
teppai(green onion and seafood seasoned with rice vinegar and
sweeten miso)and sake.

Spring is coming!

Setsubun


February 3rd


Setsubun is the festival of spring in Japan.
In our homes,the family join together and chant
"Oni wa soto"(Go out demons)" "Fuku wa uchi"(Come in good luck).
throwing soy beans.



Sometimes.the fathers or boys put the demons mask to pretend.
The rest of the members throw the beans to them.

We throw the beans from the each room window to outside.
After this ceremony we eat the beans as same amount as each age.





Also we eat the "Eho Maki",which is sushi roll including lucky.

These are the ingredients,
Koya-tofu(fried tofu),kampyo(dried guard shavings),hoshi-shiitake(dried shiitake),
Kamaboko(fish cake),Mistuba(japanese paserly),Tamagoyaki(omelet).

I roll up them with Nori(dried seaweed) and sushi rice.

Sometimes we bite hole piece without cutting tward to ths years derection
(this year is west-south-west).
I usually serve it with grilled sardine fish.


Recently I am not sure how many pieces I should eat the soy beans....

Nanakusa-Gayu


January 7


Today is the day to eat Nanakusa-Gayu (Porridge Mixed with the Seven Spring Herbs).

We had a lot of foods during the New Years days,so

This Nanakusa-Gayu is realy good meal to take a rest our stomack.

Quick boil them in hot water.

Cook the rice with water for 30-40min.Give the flavors
(salt and soysauce).Then add Seven Spring Herbs in it.

I feel very quiet...

Happy New Year 2010



Season's Greetings and Best wishes for the Year



I prepared 16 kinds of Osechi-ryori (the food to eat for the first 3 days) in the December 29-31.

This is Bou-Dara(the dried cod fish, the popular new years dish in kyoto).
It takes 7 days to become soft in water.

Cooked with soysauce,sake,sugar and dashi

Kuro Mame(sweetened black beans from Tamba,northen kyoto prefecture)

Cooked with sugar for 6 hours.

Kuri Kinton (mushed sweet potatoes and chestnuts)

Sawara no Saikyo-yaki(Grilled fish marrinated with kyoto sweet miso)

Marrinated for 2 days

This is one of my favorite dish.

Kohaku Namasu (Daikon radish and carrot dressed with sweeten vinegered sesame dressing)

This is the popular menu in my kitchen.

Tataki Gobo( burdock dressed with sweeten vinegared sesame dressing)

Kuruma ebi no amani (prowns simmerd with dashi)

Kazunoko(herring roe)  

Tazuna Konjak(the paste made from konjak flour ,jelly-like food)

The others are omelet,fish-cake,lotus root,bamboo shoot,chiken,japanese potatoes,ect...

I put and decorated in a special box(Ju-bako).

Also I made Ozoni, mochi(rice cake) in a sweet kyoto miso soup.

We eat these kinds of foods for the first 3 days.

This is New years Ikebana,including pine trees, orchid,senryo(the red one),

habotan(ornamental cabbage) and chrysanthemum.

It decorate at the entrance .

Kagami-mochi ( round rice cake offered to the God at New Year's)

 & Tora (The tiger,the third of the twelve signs of the chinese zodiac)

2010 is Tora year in japan.

I visited and spent time with our families between the end of year and ths first 3 days.

Also We went to the local shrines and wish our health and happines.

I am so glad to welcome a great new year's cereblation.

Cooking in December

The Oyster is the best season in winter in Japan.
I cook it for sashimi,deep-fried,use for gratin and pot dish.

Tonight I am making flavored rice with oysters.

I cook the seasonings and ginger.

This rice has very rich flavor.

The spinach is one of the winter vegetabes.

This is making Spinach and dried shiitake mushroom with sesame dressing.

This is one of the popular dish in my kitchen.

This is very simple but beautiful side dish.

This is  the small round radish,ko-kabu.

It is very popular winter vegetables in kyoto.

I use it not only japanese dishes also western style dishes.

Cooked with deep-fried tofu.The base of the soup is Dashi.

Enjoy the small kabu(round radish)!

Cook with kombu(sea weed)dashi until it become soft.

Pour the Shiro-miso sauce(white sweet miso).

The shiro-miso(sweet miso) is very kyoto-style.

This huge round dikon is Shogoin-daikon,which we can get
only in winter. It is also one of the traditional  vegetables in kyoto.

This is more mild flavor than regular daikon.

I use this giant radish for  Pot-au-feu.

It is very winter dish.

I have been decorating my house for the Chirstmas.

This is my  Christmas wreath.  Isn't it pretty?!

I love it ! You will see it at the entrance of my house.

These are my favorite chopsticks holders.They are pretty.

This is pink Princettia.

We japanese celebrate the New year mainly, but  the Cristmas is also
popular event,especially for the children!