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BAM 39: Teriyaki Chicken, Okara salad, Daikon with Chirimen jyako and Rice.

BAM 38: Shake (Salmon) Rice, Satoimo and shimeji miso shiru, hiyayakko with komatsuna and salmon skin daikon oroshi

BAM 37: Sui-gyoza 3 (3 of 3)

BAM 36: Sui-gyoza 2 (2 of 3)

BAM 35: Cabbage Salad with Sesame Dressing, Suigyoza Soup, Eggplant and Bell Pepper Miso Stir fry and Rice

Matsutake Gohan

BAM 33: Yakiniku, Kimchi, Kimchee, Soy Bean Soup and Rice

BAM 32: Wafū Pasta 3: Sansai (Mountain Vegetable) Pasta

BAM 31: Nasu no Tuskemono (Fast and Easy), Turkey Hijiki Niku Dango (Meat Ball), Negitama (Egg and green onion) Miso Soup and Rice

Cooking Perfect Stove Top Japanese Rice (Update)

BAM 30: Okonomiyaki (American-Kitchen)

BAM 29: Okonomiyaki (Buta Tama) (Easy Breezy)

BAM 28: Classic Osaka-Style Okonomiyaki (Buta tama)

BAM 27: Hiyashi Chuka

BAM 26: Southern-Japanese Build-a-Meal featuring Fried Chicken with Umeboshi Honey Dipping Sauce, Tofu Macaroni Salad and Okara Cornbread

BAM 25: Vegan Build-a-Meal Nagaimo Pancake, Lemon Daikon, Myoga and Red Potato Miso Soup and Rice.

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Kyuri and Shoga (cucumber and ginger) Tsukemono

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
I went out to dinner the other day with my friend and her mom and we were on the subject of tsukemono. I pondered why tsukemono is one of those things that most people either love or feel apathetic about. My friend's mom, who is a lot wiser than I am suggested that it's because tsukemono is something that you feel nostalgic about, that tsukemono is a food that is strongly tied to memories. I giggled when she said that but the more that I thought about it, I realized that there are many things that taste good because they are tied to memories.

Tsukemono is an old dish, conjuring up memories of satoyama. (Perhaps an Edo Period thatched roof equip with a kamado, irori and a view of mountains, rice paddies and a persimmon tree). It's also reminiscent of traditional Japanese cuisine before Western dishes made their way into Japan.

You don't have to have nostalgic memories to love tsukemono. For me, I love the combination of tsukemono and hot rice. The saltiness of the tsukemono complements rice nicely. It also works as a palate cleanser when pairing with oily foods such as oily fishes, meats and fried foods.

Ingredients
3 Kyuri (you can substitute with English cucumbers but peel off all the skin and remove the seeds)
1/4-1/2 inch of a piece of grated ginger. (See ginger grater)
1 teaspoon of sea salt (less if using iodized salt)
1/8 teaspoon of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of sesame seed oil

1) Wash and peel the kyuri. You don't have to peel the kyuri but the stripes make it look pretty.
2) Cut them into oblique cuts. See Oblique cuts for carrots.
3) Put them into a tsukemono maker or improvise with two bowls and a weight. See cabbage tsukemono.
4) Add the salt and sugar and let sit for a minimum of 15 minutes.
5) Drain water and add more salt if necessary.
6) Drizzle sesame seed oil and mix in the graded ginger.

Peel the kuri to create decorative stripes.
Ingredient in the spotlight-kyuri peel half skin

Make oblique cuts.
Kyuri and ginger tsukemono-oblique cuts

Put into a tsukemono maker or two bowls.
Kyuri and ginger tsukemono-tsukemono maker

Drain water and mix in ginger and sesame seed oil.
Kyuri and ginger tsukemono-add in ginger

Kyuri shoga tsukemono.
Kyuri and ginger tsukemono-served

tags: Kyuri  Shoga 
Tag List
tags (categories)
Soy Sauce [25]
Dashijiru [23]
Rice [19]
Daikon [14]
Egg [14]
Vegan [13]
Sesame Seed Oil [12]
Katsuobushi [11]
Chicken [11]
Kyuri [9]
Shiso [9]
Mayonnaise [8]
Miso [8]
Tofu [8]
Shoga [8]
Sake [8]
Cabbage [7]
Garlic [7]
Beef [7]
Vegetarian [7]
Pork [6]
Miso soup [6]
Vinegar [6]
Mirin [6]
Age [5]
Umeboshi [5]
Carrots [5]
Carrot [5]
Green Onion [5]
Hakusai [5]

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