Feast sushi, "Rainbow roll" which was altered in foreign country is a gorgeous look. We made inside-out roll, then did the topping with pieces of salmon, tarakihi, prawn, avocado, and marinade vegetables. A sharp knife is essential to cut beautifully.
Another sushi, "Temari" zushi of seasonal vegetables. もう一品は、野菜の手まり寿司。
Sushi rice variation : Just add fried carrot leaf (chopped finely and season with sesame oil and salt) to the sushi (vinegared) rice. This nutritive part of carrot leaf becomes nice accent flavor in the rice, and particularly the combination with the vegetables is perfect.
Slice/cut vegetables of eggplant/zucchini/mushrooms, apply oil and grill in oven. Cook asparagus separately in salted boiled water quickly. 茄子・ズッキーニ・ブラウンマッシュルームは切ってオイル塗ってから、オープン・グリル。 アスパラガスは長さを4等分してさっと塩茹で。
Marinade all cooked vegetables in marinade mixture of soy, mirin, sake, for 10-min. Each vegetable which was lightly tasted is going to be topping of pretty Temari-zushi. Apply a little of Mayo between rice and asparagus, then wrap by piece of Nori sheet. Yummm..
Make a cut on prawn. Apply a little Mayo on Temari which was made by carrot leaf sushi rice, then decorate the prawn on top.
海老には少し切れ目を入れて、マヨネーズを 少量のせた、にんじん葉の手まりの上に。
Although I couldn't introduce because of running out of time in the classes, there is also "Gunkan" warship shaped sushi. Make a football shaped Temari rice ball. Wrap around it by piece of Nori sheet, ｔop with chopped sun-dried tomato which is another fusion taste. I think adding of finely chopped anchovy makes nice accent on the flavor.
Home-made sushi with local products in season. It may have the same deliciousness in other countries that grandmas and mothers cooked for long, I imagine. Enjoy the heartful taste!
I will start preparation for OSECHI cooking (New Year dishes) soon. Because of summer New Year's day in the Southern Hemisphere, may I add these summer vegetable sushi in tiered boxes for New Year's Osechi?
Okonomi-yaki (Japanese savory pancake) classes in July & August! We did 2 different type, one is KANSAI style which is the most popular one, and another is HIROSHIMA style with noodles in the layer.
************************************************************************ Side dish : Shira-ae (a salad dressed with mashed tofu) By adding ginkgo nuts, it became a special feeling of winter. 前菜の一品料理として、この季節ならではの銀杏をあしらった白和えからスタート。
************************************************************************* Main dish : Okonomi-yaki On the frying pan and electric hot plate, we cooked one after another. Looks yummmm.
*************************************************************************** Another main dish : Hiroshima style of Okonomi-yaki We cooked together while demonstrating with 2 hot plates.
続いて、広島風お好み焼き。 こちらはホットプレート2台で進行。
Here is the order to cook as follows. （下記の順番で焼きました）
1) Pour the batter to make thin crape （生地を流し） meat Put a pile of shredded cabbage on （キャベツをのせ） cabbage Cover it with slices of pork meat on the top.（その上に肉） crape
FLIP the united one OVER! （ひっくり返す） crape (Now meat is cooked and cabbage is steamed cabbage under the crape at this stage) meat
2) On the other side, fry the cooked noodles crape (taste with S&P, and sauce). cabbage （横で麺を炒める・味付けも） noodlesmeat
Transfer the united one on the noodles. crape （塊のほうを、そのまま麺の上にのせる） cabbage meat 3） On the other side, break an egg and cook. noodlesegg （空いたところに卵を割り入れる） crape While the egg is still raw, transfer the united one cabbage on the egg. Push lightly. meat （卵が半熟のうちに隣の塊を卵の上にのせる） noodles egg
4) FRIP the whole OVER! Done! Dress with egg sauce/mayo/bonito flakes/ao-nori noodles (dried green seaweed) meat （最後に全体をひっくり返して、ソースとトッピング） cabbage crape
順番が頭に入っていればスムーズです。
滞在中だった夫の従兄弟にアシスタントをお願いしました。 クールな着物デザインのTシャツ！ 気づいてくれたかな？ Look at his T-shirt! Formal men's KIMONO pattern!
The vegetarian's okonomi-yaki was done deliciously as well as the others. 彼女が作ったベジタリアン焼き、予想を上回った美味しさでした。 （個人的にはこれが一番好きかも）
Soft texture and deep flavor from the plentiful prawn juice.
I did Okonomi-yaki classes a couple years ago, too, it is still popular because of the taste itself, also it's easy to get the ingredients here and for the cooking style. Enjoy the Okonomi-yaki cooking at home, too.
It's chestnuts season! I visited my friends couple, Bruce and Jan the other day, and did the "Kuri hiroi" (enjoying the harvest of the chestnuts there). 4月、栗拾いのシーズン。 今年もまた友人のブルースと一緒に、彼の両隣の敷地で 栗拾いをしました。
毎年この時期、ここを訪れるのが恒例に。
I got lots, and full of chestnuts in the box! After assorting by the size, I put those in the fridge. Starch of the chestnuts turns into glucide and the sweetness increases gradually while those were stored in the fridge of low temperature (nearly 0 degree). During this period, I process those and make preserving.
Japanese Cooking Classes in May ～Artistic cooking & Tea ceremony～
5月の料理教室： 芸術の秋のお茶会
～ COOKING MENU ～
Kuri-chestnut parcel Confectionery which contains whole chestnut of "Shibukawa-ni" luxuriously and wrapped in sweet bean paste and pie pastry. I usually use Azuki-bean paste or mixed it with almond powder for a little of nutty flavour sometimes, but I will use Kumara-an paste in this class for more autumnal taste!!
Kinton ～Autumn version～ One of Japanese traditional sweets for Tea ceremony. As I would like to make it with ingredients which we can get easily at local stores, I created a part as a fusion sweets. What name shall I put for this?
お茶の前のお食事として、松花堂のお弁当を用意しますが、この中の一品を皆で作って仕上げる、ということにしました。 Gyu maki (Beef roll） with fig and vegetable This is going to be one of the bento-boxed dish. Enjoy the works, and taste the beautiful finish with eyes and mouth. Delicious with sake, or with red wine as well. I prepare other 3 dishes for the bento, so just fit your stomach to prepare for the Tea Ceremony afterwards.
Enjoy the experience, with our homemade sweets and the authentic way of matcha-tea in a peaceful moment.
Japanese cooking classes in May / Autumn cooking, sweets and Tea ceremony May 2nd (11:30am) / 15th (11:30am) / 17th (6pm) For more information （お問合せ）： japanese.cuisine.wanaka@gmail.com
In the Japanese cooking classes which greeted the seventh year in my kitchen, we do "Tahini cooking" this summer. Though this popular cooking will be continued until next month (January 2018), I report it now on the way.
It has become easy to cook since there have been these products in the market. Anyone can make it easily without "Suri-bachi" (Japanese earthenware mortar).
Although it is one of popular menu in Japan, it originally came from China and is well known as one of representative of the Szechuan dish. Each one served it on individual plate in the session. But, of course this dish can be arranged on a big plate (like the original Szechuan style) to share with family or friends on the table! The sauce of nutty flavor and aroma from sesame seeds, combination with soft chicken and crispy cucumber, great cold dish in hot summer! 教室では一人ひとりに自分のお皿に盛り付けしていただきました。 大皿に豪快に盛付けてもいいですね。
More cutting/slicing works this time, so it was good opportunity to practice to cope with sharp knives! 『極うす切り』が多かったので、良い練習の機会になったのでは・・・
Goma-dalle (sesame sauce) with somen-noodle ゴマダレ・素麺
Either sauce made from white or black, even both are good. Delicious noodles dipped with this Tahini-dalle!
白でも黒でも。 冷たい麺が喉越しよく美味しい！
Goma ice cream 煉りゴマ・アイスクリーム
It can be made easily without ice cream maker. アイスクリーム･メーカーなくても、簡単にできます。 一口サイズをレンゲに盛付け。
Arranged on a plate of lacquering, looks more Japanesey?
塗りの器にも似合うアイス 見た目も和風に
Looks should be cool in shot glasses! If the ice cream hasn't melt yet... (photography took time long)
ショットグラスに盛付けてクールに！ （のはずが・・・・・ 撮影もたついて、ちょっと溶けた）
These dishes will be surely pleased with on these hot days! この夏は例年より暑い日が続いているので、こんなメニューはきっと喜ばれるでしょう！
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
There were more inquiries from vegetarian and vegan this time, I think because I announced it with "Tahini cooking". Actually it was not, but I devised it to cope as much as possible, with the mind of "being asked for something means being tested for my ability"
Many thanks for all of you who loves Japanese food and culture. I enjoyed all sessions this year, cooking with local people also with people who participated from the distant place in NZ and other countries! I'm looking forward to seeing you again in 2018.
INGREDIENTS 食材 ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ For the making Japanese sweets, I needed to check whether we can get the ingredients around here (Wanaka or Queenstown). I found the most of those were available at the store in Remarkables shopping area.
Take off the lid, enjoy the inside of the box, with warmed sake...
Tofu-shiraae of spinach & walnuts, Tempura of vegetables, Shio-koji grill of monkfish, Pork roll of daikon & carrot, Inari-zushi with egg & prawn, Kombu-soup with fｌoats of Ginko-leaf omelet.
(The contents were changed a little by the day)
松花堂のお弁当箱ディナーを お燗酒と共に、お楽しみいただきました。
ほうれん草と胡桃の白和え、 南瓜と芽キャベツの天麩羅、 白身魚の塩麹焼き、 大根と人参の豚肉巻き、 海老と錦糸卵の稲荷ずし、 銀杏のお吸物。 Taste great, the Tempura of Brussels sprout!
毎回話題になったのが、芽キャベツの天麩羅、 旬の素材の美味しさが生きてます！
Tea Ceremony お茶 ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
My tea-ceremony room is a corner of the lounge... We enjoy it on the table, sitting on the chair instead of SEIZA which is Japanese way of formal sitting - sitting on the heels with folding knees.
我が家のお茶室はラウンジの片隅、畳はないのでテーブルにて。
Before making Tea: I showed "FUKUSA-sabaki" --- acting of folding of Fukusa (silk cloth), followed by purifying tools with it. These manners are prologues to make a heart of host and guest calm down before having the tea ... a quiet moment.
From the formation and the historic background, Tea Ceremony "The way of Tea" is thought that it is the composite art of various elements including the sense of beauty that Japanese brought up, as well as Samurai-Bushido and Buddhism.
I'm so excited now to have another experience of the artistic treasure hunt in this tea ceremony world, during my stay in Japan from next week!
Coloured capsicums get to fit 
Make a football shaped Temari rice ball.
Home-made sushi with local products 
皆さん、今年もご協力いただき
After assorting by the size, 
One of Japanese traditional sweets for 
Bang-bang-ji (chicken) salad 
Autumn class, 
By the different style from the usual cooking 
Matcha powder: 
