Miso Hungry Podcast

This week we have another special guest - Kate, aka the yaki imo girl, aka our #1 Miso Hungry Podcast fan, from Eat Recycle Repeat! She's joining us to talk about her very favorite food - Japanese sweet potatoes! (Our apologies in advance about the sound quality this week - Kate was Skyping with us all the way from Japan, so sometimes the connection wasn't the greatest.) Kate lives in Japan, and has fallen madly in love with sweet potatoes in her time there! Did you know that sweet potatoes and yams are not the same thing? What they label "yam" in an American supermarket is almost guaranteed to be a sweet potato. Actual yams don't grow in the US - they only grow in Africa, but they're starchier and less sweet than sweet potatoes. Types of Japanese Sweet Potatoes Satsuma imo: yellow inside, dark, purply skin, starchy with a well-rounded flavor. Beni imo: from Okinawa, deep purple; sweet, great for baking/desserts. (Called murasaki imo when used in desserts.) For some reason, they won't allow you to take raw beni imo out of Okinawa. Anno imo: orangey color; kind of like American sweet potatoes, used in winter. You can buy them baked, also often found dried (hoshi imo). Sweet potatoes are really good for you, taste great, are great comfort food, travel well, and are great for people with food allergies and intolerances. In Japan, there's a yaki imo truck in the fall and winter, which is kind of like the Japanese version of an ice cream truck. They're extra good when it's freezing cold outside (especially if you're at one of the yaki imo festivals in Okinawa or Kawagoe City), and can double as a hand-warmer. Saved by the yaki imo truck! We're positive Kate has a yaki imo guardian angel. Sweet Potato Recipe Ideas Fudgy sweet potato truffles Dairy-free sweet potato soft cream Sweet potato pudding spread Sweet potato cakes Daigaku imo ("University sweet potato") Sweet potato tempura Sweet potato sushi Kuri kinton Satsumaimo kinton (a type of wagashi) Ofuku imo Sweet potato tarts Did you know that if you eat a lot of sweet potatoes, you'll get "running bursts" that will make you go faster? This is what Japanese kids tell Kate... Chestnuts are considered the "sweet potato" of nuts - no wonder they go together so well! Sweet potatoes have a very low impact on your blood sugar. They're high in Vitamin A and beta carotine, and are as nutrient-dense as broccoli (but a whole lot tastier!) The skins (which are great if you bake them after taking the flesh out) are high in fiber. Kate got to help out with a sweet potato harvest this year, which sounds pretty cool (especially when you get to take some home!) Anyone have a good idea for a Miso Hungry yaki imo shirt? Kate gave us a quick and easy recipe she often uses to make sweet potatoes to use in other dishes: An Easy Way to Cook Sweet Potatoes Ingredients sweet potatoes 1 cup water Cooking Directions Put sweet potatoes and water in a crockpot, cook on high for 4 hours. Use for anything where the texture isn't super important (ice cream, baked goods, etc.) Enjoy! (P.S. Kate is giving away an entire box of sweet potato goodies to one lucky winner, so go check out the giveaway post on her blog to see how you can enter!)

This week, we were lucky enough to have Matthew Amster-Burton agree to do an interview with us. You might know him from his fantastic podcast, Spilled Milk that he does with Molly Wizenberg, his blog Roots and Grubs, or his book Hungry Monkey. We gave him the option of choosing whatever topic he wanted, and he chose... grocery stores! It's a longer episode this week, but trust us, it's totally worth the listen. We talk about things like really cool ladles for unagi sauce... And Japanese TV shows where they send really young children, followed by camera men, off to the grocery store to run errands: All in all, it was tons of fun. Thank you so much, Matthew! We can't wait to have you on again!

Bento boxes! We love them. You should too. You can get bento boxes pretty much anywhere in Japan. Train stations, convenience stores, department stores... and they're almost always guaranteed to be delicious. One of our favorite things about bento boxes is the variety of foods you can get in a single bento. Rice, meats, veggies, tsukemono... all sorts of things. Bento is a great way of using up those little bits and pieces that weren’t finished off the night before. You don’t need to have a lot of any one ingredient, but you do need variety of taste and texture. You also have to choose dishes that are tasty even when cold, ones that will not go off quickly and ones that are not too watery. It is common to have both meat and fish in one bento box, though one is usually more predominant than the other. Deep-fried seafood or chicken is always very popular, as is teriyaki fish or meat. Vegetables are crucial for a good bento. Crunchy, lightly cooked green beans, carrots or broccoli are all fantastic additions, providing color and texture. Kyaraben or “character bento” are typically decorated to look like popular Japanese cartoon (anime) characters, characters from comic books (manga), or video game characters. Oekakiben or “picture bento” are decorated to look like people, animals, building and monuments, or things like flowers and plants. There are a bunch of bento blogs out there. Just Bento, Lunch in a Box, Happy Little Bento, Bento Lunch, and Feisty Bento (Yvo hasn't blogged there for a while, though she still does talk about bentos on her main blog) are some good ones. We've got silicon saibashi winners! Congratualtions to Iryna and Carla! Check your emails for messages from us so we can get your shipping info and get these saibashi sent your way. ^_^

We only had two more days together in Tokyo before Allison and Son headed to Kyoto for a few days and Rachael and her family stayed in Tokyo, and there was a lot for us to do! Day 6 First off, sushi. Because hello, we're in Japan... but we hadn't had sushi yet! (I know, what's wrong with us?) We headed off to a good kaiten sushi place ("conveyer belt" sushi) where we ate our fill of good, but super-inexpensive sushi. (Kaiten sushi, or "conveyer belt" sushi, is a type of sushi bar where the sushi chef(s) stand in the center and make the sushi, and then place each plate on a conveyer belt that revolves around them. The customers sit at a bar around them, and take a plate off the conveyer belt anytime they see something they want to eat. You pay by plate (sometimes they color-code the plates; here all the plates cost the same amount, except for a few specially-marked ones) so at the end of the meal they just tally it up for you.) The mango pudding also really hit the spot on this hot, hot day! Look how much we ate! After lunch it was a bit of shopping (where we picked up the two pairs of silicon saibashi that we're giving away!), then made a stop at a combini to get these "Coolish"... ice cream in a pouch. Yes, they're just as awesome as they sound. And then, off to a bookstore in Roppongi Hills... to buy waaaay too many cookbooks. (It's all Rachael's fault.) Rachael and her family had a dinner with Mr. Fuji's work at a super expensive place, so Allison and Son decided they would pass and instead take Rachael's recommendation to go to her favorite udon place. As Rachael describes it, "the bowls are the size of your head." Seriously. It was so good. (If you're ever in Japan, it's called Tsurutontan, and there are several locations. Rachael loves the Nabeyaki udon, Allison adores the curry udon. Really good noodles... and cat-approved! ~_^) Day 7 The next day was our last day together... and we spent it doing more shopping! This time, a trip to Kappabashi, the street that is home to Tokyo's cooking district. Tons of cookware to look at and buy (and wish we had room in our luggage to take more back!) After that, it was off to Ginza... to get lost. Eventually we found the yakitori place we were looking for (which was in a basement, and you entered from an alley, so it was pretty had to find). The yakitori place - Torigin - was seriously good. All sorts of delicious grilled foods! And then it was time to say goodbye. We wish we could have had more time together! But there's always the next time... and until then, we can promise you there will be tons of episodes about all the delicious things we ate in Japan! We're having a contest! You can enter to win one of two pairs of silicon saibashi (cooking chopsticks, like these) that we brought back from Japan. Today is the last day of the giveaway, so don't forget to go enter! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on Episode 25's post. One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM on Monday, September 24th, 2012 to enter. We will ship internationally, so anyone may enter. The two winners will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

We just have to say, we have the most awesome fans ever. Seriously, you guys rock. While we love you all, you'll get to see who currently has the ranking of #1 fan in just a bit... Our next few days in Japan involved a lot of great food... oh, and a typhoon. (If you missed the first part of the trip, you can listen here!) Day 3 (Our 3rd day together was Allison's 5th day in Japan, which is why the day numbers might seem a little off sometimes...) So first things first, Allison just had to try the Shiro Cream Puff from Beard Papa's that Rachael had been raving about. Made with tapioca flour and a cream cheese filling, she was instantly obsessed. Since Rachael and her family got to spend our day 5 (a Sunday) seeing old friends at church, Allison and Son ventured to Don Quixote, which we describe as "Wal-Mart on crack". Seriously. Then we went to Bassanova! Green curry soba for the win! But the much more exciting part of this was getting to meet Kate!!! We're still flipping out over the fact that we get to not only say that we have fans as cool as Kate, but that we have a #1 Fan! Kate, you rock, and we think you're totally awesome. Day 4 This was the day we attempted to go Tsukiji fish market. And by attempted, we mean what actually happened was a comedy of errors where Allison and Son got stuck in their hotel, got slightly lost, then ran around looking for Rachael (whose alarm hadn't gone off!) Ah well. At least it was a pretty morning. So after we all got a little more sleep, we headed off to Hamarikyu park where Son did a bit of filming... And then we took the waterboat from Hamarikyu, up Sumida river, to Asakusa where walked up the street to Sensoji temple. On our way, we got to try all sorts of goodies - taiyaki, sweet potato age manju, and (of course) ice cream! After letting the girls play in a park a bit, it was off to Kaikaya by the Sea for dinner - a place that Rachael has been RAVING about for ages. We finally got to try the ginger ale in copper cups that she goes on and on about... And happily, the tuna ribs (along with the rest of the meal) lived up to the expectation that she had set. (The buttery fried goatfish was another huge winner in that meal!) Day 5 Did we mention it was typhoon season when we went? Yeah. And like any sane person would do, we went to the zoo on the day the typhoon was supposed to hit. And dragged poor Kate with us! Zoo food in Japan is surprisingly good, for a ridiculously inexpensive price. Allison's maple syrup-filled pancakes with blueberry jam were fantastic, and the chicken karaage that Rachael got for the girls was crazy good. But the best thing ware the homemade roasted sweet potatoes (yaki imo!) that Kate brought for us. Because she's the yaki imo girl! (P.S. Go follow her on twitter. Tell her we sent you. Be prepared to find out why we adore her so!) That evening we actually got to meet Keizo (since he wasn't there when all we went to Bassanova) and go out for monjayaki! Monjayaki is like okonomiyaki, but waterier. However, still delicious. After dinner, the Fujis went back to their hotel (smart people - there was a typhoon coming, after all!) but Son was still hungry, so we went for ramen with Keizo and his girlfriend. And then it was a sprint back to the rain station, against the rain and wind that were getting stronger by the minute! Yeah. There was a typhoon. Thankfully we were all safe in our respective beds by the time it actually hit. What a day! We're having a contest! You can enter to win one of two pairs of silicon saibashi (cooking chopsticks, like these) that we brought back from Japan. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM on Monday, September 24th, 2012 to enter.

We're back from Japan! (Actually, we've been back for almost two months already. But we haven't been able to record until now, so...) We're back from Japan! We've fallen hard for the combinis (convenience stores, like 7-11 and Family Mart). We have a renewed obsession with onigiri. And we miss Japan like crazy now that we're back!!! So what did we do in Japan? Well, on the first day we were both there (Allison arrived a few days before Rachael did), we all went and visited the Tokyo Skytree. And by visited, we mean stood around and looked up at it. When we were there, you had to have a reservation to get up into the Skytree, because it's only a few months old. So instead we got curry pastries. And while we were sitting around eating, met some very interesting people! The next day, we all rented a car, and off to Mt. Fuji we all went. (Mr. Fuji drove.) We got to check out a Japanese rest stop, which is ridiculous compared to what we're used to in the US. It's got an entire food court! Then around and around and around, up Mt. Fuji. Though it was quite warm in Tokyo, it was freezing cold and incredibly windy and rainy up the mountain, so we unfortunately didn't get to spend much time there before sprinting back to the car. But it was totally worth it for the little udon restaurant we found at the base of the mountain. The noodles were handmade - to die for. And the only meat available? Horsemeat! And then, like any normal traveler would do in a foreign country, we went to Costco. Seriously. We went to Costco. Which was one heck of a freaky experience in itself. You walk in, and it looks exactly like every single Costco you ever see in the US. But then they have some different things - like all sorts of different types of sashimi-grade seafood. Fish, fish eggs, uni, seaweed... we're seriously jealous. However, the real reason we were there? Rachael has been tempting the rest of us with Hokkaido Milk Soft Cream ever since we started this podcast, so Allison couldn't pass up an opportunity to try some. So worth it! We're having a contest! You can enter to win one of two pairs of silicon saibashi (cooking chopsticks, like these) that we brought back from Japan. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post. One entry per person. You have until 11:59PM on Monday, September 24th, 2012 to enter. We will ship internationally, so anyone may enter. The two winners will be chosen using random.org. Good luck!

Tsukemono (漬物), literally "pickled things", are Japanese pickles. They are valued for their unique flavors and textures and commonly used as a garnish, relish, condiment, palate cleanser or digestive. Served with rice as okazu (a side dish), with drinks as otsumami (a snack), as an accompiment to or garnish for meals, and as a course in the kaiseki portion of a Japanese tea ceremony. Historically, pickling was one of the fundamental ways to preserve food. However, some types of tsukemono are quicker pickles, meant to be eaten right away. Now, tsukemono can be easily bought at the supermarket, but many Japanese still make their own, especially quick pickles. Types of Tsukemono There are several different varieties of tsukemono, which goes right along with sa shi su se so. Shiozuke (salt pickles): The simplest and most common types of tsukemono. Even today, when people mostly buy their tsukemono, most people still make certain types of shiozuke at home. The most basic consist of lightly salted, sliced vegetables, which result in pickles with the crisp texture and mild flavor of fresh (usually seasonal) vegetables. Heavily salted pickles are more involved to prepare and have stronger, more complex flavors. An example is umeboshi (red pickled Japanese plums). Nukazuke (rice bran pickles): Common household pickles fermented in a mixture of roasted rice bran (the hard outer skin of the grain of rice that is removed when polished the rice grain), salt, kombu, and other ingredients. Whole vegetables are stirred into the mash and allowed to cure anywhere from a day to several months. The pickles are then rinsed clean, sliced and served. Nukazuke are crisp, salt and tangy pickles that are rich in lactobacillus and said to aid in digestion. They are similar to sourdough starters in that you have to constantly feed and maintain the nuka mash. Kasuzuke (sake lees pickles): Pickles preserved in a mixture of sake lees (the yeast mash left over after filtering sake), salt, sugar and sweet cooking wine (mirin). The pickles have an almost indefinite shelf-life. These pickles are allowed to cure anywhere from several days to several years. Pickles may be slightly alcoholic with flavors that vary from sweet and mild to strong and pungent, depending on how long they were cured for. Shoyuzuke (soy sauce pickles): Pickles preserved in a soy sauce base. This method produces a wide range of pickles with flavors that vary from light and crispy to dark brown, salty, sweet relishes such as fukujinzuke. This is a different preservation method than tsukudani, which are foods preserved by cooking them in soy sauce and sweet cooking wine (mirin). Suzuke (vinegar pickles): Pickles brined in rice vinegar. Gives a crunchy texture and sweet and sour flavor. Rice vinegar has low acidity, so suzuke will not keep long unrefrigerated. Misozuke (miso pickles): Made by covering vegetables in miso. These pickles tend to be crisp with a salt miso flavor. (Try these garlic misozuke!) Also a popular way of preserving and marinating meat and fish. (This tofu misozuke looks pretty interesting... has anyone tried it?) Common Tsukemono Dishes Kyuri Asazuke: Simple pickles made from cucumbers marinated in a salt brine (shiozuke) that is sometimes seasoned with kombu, togarashi pepper and/or vinegar. Whole cucumbers served on a stick are often pickled this way and sold by street vendors at festivals, near temples and popular tourist spots, especially during spring and summer when they are a refreshing treat. Beni shoga: ginger cut into thin strips, colored red, and pickled in umezu (umeboshi rice vinegar brine) Gari: thinly sliced young ginger that has been marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar Fukujinzuke: A mix of daikon, lotus root, cucumber, and eggplant which are pickled in a soy sauce and mirin base.

It's summer! And aside from having songs from 70s movies that were set in the 50s stuck in our heads, we can't stop thinking about all the fantastic summer foods we love. So without further ado, let's dive right into all the fantastic summer foods Japan has to offer! Produce Cucumbers - look for them in tsukemono (pickled cucumber), sliced with miso-sesame dressing, and kappa maki (cucumber sushi rolls) Eggplant can be found grilled, steamed with miso glaze, in vegetable curries, and pickled in tsukemono Musk melon. The outside looks like cantaloupe, but the inside is yellower. It has a very distinct flavor (and it's pricy - $100/piece!) Many melon-flavored things can be found in Japan, such as Hi-Chew, ice cream, and sodas Watermelon - just like here in the US, watermelon is a popular summer fruit in Japan (though it's far more expensive there!) Pepsi will be offering a Salty Watermelon-flavored Pepsi starting this week (July 24th)... if any of our listeners are in Japan right now, we'd love it if you can try it and let us know how it is! (We're so disappointed we're missing it. You can also find watermelons in all sorts of shapes, like cubes, hearts, pyramids... Suica wari is a popular watermelon splitting game... each person takes turns getting blindfolded and taking a swing at the watermelon with a stick (kind of like a piñata)... whomever breaks the watermelon open wins, and then everyone shares the watermelon. (If any of you do this, we want video!) Noodles Somen: somen salad hiyashi somen served on ice with a dipping sauce (tsuyu) and toppings nagashi somen - flowing noodles. Similar to kaiten sushi, but the somen flows down a length of bamboo filled with icy water, and you have to pick the noodles out with your chopsticks! Hiyashi chuka or hiyashi udon - chilled chuka (ramen) noodles or chilled udon noodles. These are different from chilled somen because they're served with their toppings on top, instead of on the side. Zaru soba - soba (buckwheat noodles) served on a "zaru" (a woven bamboo plate) (By the way, buckwheat is gluten-free, BUT most soba is made with a little wheat flour so it isn't gluten-free. "Ni-hachi" refers to noodles that are made with two parts wheat flour and eight parts buckwheat flour. "Ju-wari" or "to-wari" soba refer to 100% buckwheat soba.) Yakisoba - pan-fried chuka noodles (ramen noodles) with thinly sliced pork, cabbage, bean sprouts, a little sauce... like a Japanese version of chow mein, except so much better. Other Foods Unagi - eel that has been skinned, butterflied, steamed, grilled, then topped with eel sauce. It's eaten during summer because they believe it gives you stamina to get you through the hot, muggy days of summer. Hiyayakko - chilled tofu topped with shoyu, grated ginger, green onion, grated daikon, or Japanese mustard. (Also try chilled tofu topped with maple syrup - delicious!) Edamame - green soybeans, still in their pods, boiled and then tossed with coarse sea salt Kakigori - shaved ice. Very finely shaved, like snow (not crushed ice, like a snow cone), then topped with flavored syrups (strawberry, cherry, lemon, green tea, melon, sweet plum) sweetened condensed milk, adzuki beans. Anmitsu - sweet, fruit-flavored jelly cubes, anko, mochi, fresh fruit, and a sweet black syrup made with black sugar. Variation: cream anmitsu comes with a scoop of ice cream. Soft cream - Japanese soft serve. Some of Rachael's favorite flavors include hokkaido milk, purple sweet potato, black sesame, and musk melon. What Japanese summer foods have you had this summer? What are some of your favorites, or which do you want to try?

In which we try not to get kicked out of Japan, refer to dates as "yesterday" when in fact they happened nearly two months ago, and take shoyu shots (try saying that five times fast). It's been (ahem) 6 weeks since our last episode went up. Yeah... it was supposed to go up a week after our last one, but it turns out Rachael has a full-time family, Allison had a big deadline she had to meet, and oh right - we went to Japan! So yes, while we had all the best intentions of having episodes recorded, edited, and posted for the entire time we were gone... that definitely didn't happen. Instead you get them now! So when we refer to things such as the Diablo III launch happening yesterday or our Japan trip as "upcoming" rather than "already happened and we miss it already"... you'll know why. Most etiquette you'll run into in Japan is fairly common most everywhere. For example, wait until everybody is served to start eating. Don't talk with your mouth full. (But it is okay to slurp your ramen noodles! Who knew?) If you aren't given a spoon, it's totally okay to pick up your bowl and drink your soup from it as if it's a cup. At the beginning of a meal (and at the beginning of our podcast!) you say "itadakimasu!" (いただきます) It means, "I humbly receive," and is a way of paying your respect and giving gratitude to everything that went into the meal you're about to eat - from the person who prepared your food to the living organisms that gave their lives so you can eat. When you finish the meal, you say "Gochisōsama-deshita" (ごちそうさまでした) - literally, "You were a Feast (preparer)." You're honoring the person who prepared the meal for you. Presentation, as many of you know, is hugely important in Japanese culture. Because of this, they often arrange the dishes they give you (if you're getting your own individual dishes, as opposed to eating family-style) in a very specific way. So while you're eating, you should try to avoid moving the dishes around and destroying the visual arrangement that was originally there. Also, you should spread out your eating among all the little dishes you are given, instead of eating one dish all at once. Take a bite of rice, then a little of this, then another bite of rice, then a little of that. (Rice is seen as a palate cleanser.) When you're eating a meal where you'll get a lot of these little dishes, you should wait until everyone is served ALL of their dishes before eating. (Except for kaiseki, Japanese food usually isn't eaten in courses.) Often, when eating anywhere in Japan, you'll be given an oshibori - either a hot, damp hand towel, or a wet towelette in a plastic wrapper. This is your napkin - most restaurants won't give you napkins (although we have seen little waxy napkins that are completely not helpful, or tissues). You're not supposed to eat while you're walking. (Some people don't even think you should eat while in public, but that rule is broken quite often.) Don't pour shoyu on rice. (Er... yeah. We've both been breaking this rule our entire lives.) No getting blatantly drunk in restaurants. But if you are drinking, make sure to pour for others, but not for yourself. So if you're out drinking, you're supposed to keep an eye on your friends' glasses and top them off when appropriate, and they should do the same for you. (We're not sure if this is the case for non-alcoholic drinks, but we're guessing it's okay to pour water for yourself.) No belches. Please. We've all heard there are some Asian cultures where loud burps are considered a sign of appreciation of the meal, however Japan is not one of them. So there you go. Now you know how to NOT get kicked out of Japan for etiquette transgressions!

We all know foreign countries have lots of rules that are strange to us... especially when it comes to Japan! * But since we're foreigners, it's expected that we can't possibly remember all their etiquette rules... so it's totally fine to throw all manners to the wind! ** To help you out with that, here are: 20 easy ways to brake all the rules when it comes to chopsticks When you want to set your chopsticks down, stick them in your rice so that they stand straight up! (Instead, always lay the chopsticks horizontally on the edge of a dish or on the chopstick rest. Why? Because this is the way a bowl of rice is offered to the spirit of a dead person, at their deathbed or in front of their photograph on the household Buddhist altar. Crossing your chopsticks on the table or food is also considered to be a no-no for the same reason, but the upright-in-rice thing is the worst.) Pass food to your eating companion by having them take it from between your chopsticks with their chopsticks! (Don’t pass food from your chopsticks directly to someone else’s. The proper way is for you to place the food down in between yourself and the other person, on a plate. Then they can pick it up from there with their own chopsticks. Why? When a person dies and is cremated, their bones are passed from chopstick to chopstick as a part of the Buddhist funeral ritual. You should also not pick up one piece of food with two pairs of chopsticks (held by two people).) If you're having trouble picking up a piece of food with chopsticks, just stab it with a chopstick! (Don’t spear your food in order to pick it up. Food must always be pinched between the two chopstick ends. Chopsticks are always used together, as if they are attached to each other invisibly. Think of them as tweezers or tongs, not a pair of skewers... spearing food is bad. Just sayin’.) If you can't choose between two pretty pairs of chopsticks, no worries... just use one of each! (Do not use unmatched chopsticks. Why? Well for one, it looks funny. But it is also reminiscent of some funeral rites... always unlucky.) If you've got food stuck to your chopsticks, you should totally wash your chopsticks off in your drink. (... ew.) Instead of putting your chopsticks down, just hold them in your mouth... it's so much more convenient! (Don’t leave your hashi in your mouth while you do something else with your hands, like pick up plates or bowls. Hello, dangerous!) Chopsticks make excellent swords! (Do not use your hashi as toys.) And we all know chopsticks are great drumsticks, too! (Do not pretend your hashi are drumsticks and pound the table with them.) Hey look... if I stick my chopsticks between my upper lip and my gums, I look like a vampire! (Ahem. Manners, people!) And if I stick them up my nose, I look like a walrus! (Do remember you will be eating with these later...) I have long hair, and a pretty pair of chopsticks, so I'm just going to stick them in my hair... isn't that pretty? (There do exist hair accessories that look very similar to hashi, but it's generally better not to use hashi that you plan to eat with as hair accessories.) When you break apart your disposable wooden chopsticks, rub them together to make sure all the splinters are gone before you eat with them! (This is actually an insult - by rubbing your chopsticks together, you are implying that the restaurant is cheap and is providing you with subpar chopsticks... definitely not something you want to be pointing out, even if true!) On a side note, if you're eating sushi, you should definitely mix your soy sauce and wasabi together... because it's DELICIOUS. (Wasabi and shoyu are meant to be enjoyed as two separate condiments, not as a single paste. This is an easy way to make yourself stick out as a foreigner!) Sucking on your chopsticks to get every last bit of sauce and deliciousness is highly encouraged! (You wouldn't lick your plate at a restaurant,

Have you entered our Zojirushi rice cooker giveaway yet? If not, don't forget to head on over and enter... the contest ends tomorrow! Chopsticks are called hashi in Japanese. They are also known as otemoto or o-temoto, a phrase which is commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks. "Te" means hand and "moto" means the area under or around something. Chopsticks are a pair of long stick-like implements, most commonly made of wood, bamboo, or plastic (though they can also be made of metal, bone, or ivory). Hashi are held in the dominant hand and used to to grab and pick up your food (don't stab your food with them!) Japanese hashi are shorter length sticks (in comparison to those used in other countries), tapering to a finely pointed end. Japanese chopsticks are traditionally made of wood or bamboo and are lacquered. It is common for Japanese sticks to be of shorter length for women. Children's chopsticks, which are much smaller than adult-sized chopsticks, are also common... as are "trainer" chopsticks, like these: There is also a way to make "trainer" chopsticks out of the disposable wooden chopsticks that you find at most Asian restaurants. Rachael made a handy video showing how to make them: http://youtu.be/uTWt3gRg-0c Hashi History Hashi have been around for a very long time. They are generally believed to have originated in ancient China. They are also found in some areas of Tibet and Nepal that are close to Han Chinese populations, as well as areas of Thailand, Laos, and Burma which have significant Chinese populations. Hashi has been found in ancient China as early as the Shang dynasty (1766-1122 BC). The earliest evidence of a pair of hashi, made of bronze, were dated to be roughly from 1200 BC. The first hashi were probably used for cooking, stirring the fire, serving or seizing bits of food, and not as eating utensils. Hashi began to be used as eating utensils during the Han Dynasty. Japan has had hashi as part of their traditional eating utensils for thousands of years. Hashi Varieties Waribashi (割り箸） are those wooden chopsticks that you need to break apart. "My Hashi" are reusable chopstics are known as my hashi, meaning "my chopsticks". These are hashi that you carry around with you, as your personal chopsticks that you use instead of waribashi. Saibashi (cooking chopsticks) are recognizeable by their length, and are used for both cooking and arranging food for the table. The longer the chopsticks, the farther away from the stove you can be, making saibashi wonderful for grasping, flipping, poking, stirring, etc. Saibashi can be used in lieu of tongs or a spatula, etc.When blanching foods, saibashi permit you to remove just one piece from the hot water to test for doneness.When foods are done, saibashi allow you to pluck out all of them, avoiding the need to drain the pot. This means you can use the same pot of boiling water to blanch several foods in succession.You can use saibashi to place, stack, and coax foods into mounds on a plate for serving. Hashi How-To With the proper hand position and a little practice, you too can learn to eat with chopsticks! Hold the thick end of one chopstick between the base of your thumb and your hand. Rest the thin end on the tips of your last two fingers, which should be slightly curved. This chopstick will stay still. Then take the other chopstick and hold it between the tips of your first two fingers and tip of your thumb. Curve your fingers. To pick something up, move the top chopstick up and down. Hashi Hilarity So... we're sure you're wondering now, what happens when you take waribashi to a food blogger conference, and ask people to eat their lunch with them? Of course, we had to find out. So off we went to Camp Blogaway a few weeks ago, waribashi and iPhone camera in hand: http://youtu.be/lm59whJnCXE Big thanks to Lynne Hermer, Dara Michalski, Becky Spenser,

Have you entered our Zojirushi rice cooker giveaway yet? If not, don't forget to head on over and enter! Miso. It's about time we talked about it... it is a part of our podcast's name, after all! Alright... so we know miso is important ...

Make sure you don't miss the Zojirushi giveaway we're doing! How is rice grown? In Japan, young seedlings are first raised in nursery beds until they are large enough to be transplanted into water-filled paddy fields during the rainy month of June. The rice needs a long, hot growing season and a warm, dry maturing period before the harvest in autumn. In general, it requires high maintenance, skilled land management, and good luck with the weather. How to buy and store rice The flavor of newly harvested rice in late autumn is considered to be the best. Polished rice should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark, and dry place and eaten as soon as possible. Certain Italian rices can be used as a substitute for Japanese rice. Italian rices typically used for making risotto, such as Arborio and Vialone can be used if you can’t find Japanese rice where you live. How to cook rice If you want rice that is tender, flavorful, glossy, and moist, then you must remove all of the surface starch from the raw rice kernels before cooking them, which means you have to wash the rice. Put the rice in a large bowl and cover it with cold water. Stir and swish the rice vigorously (it will become cloudy). Drain the rice then repeat the procedure with fresh cold water. Continue until the rinsing water runs clear. Drain the washed rice well after the final rinsing. When cooking Japanese-style rice, the amount of cooking water is always slightly more than the amount of raw rice. In fact, the first way we learned to measure out water and rice ratios for cooking was by using our hands! The water level should rise about 1/3 inch above the rice (some people measure using the tip of their thumb, or their entire hand). Plain boiling is the classic way to cook rice. Now nearly every Japanese household uses a rice cooker, but you can still make it the traditional way on the stovetop! A Japanese song describes the cooking process: Hajime choro-choro (At first it bubbles) Naka pa-ppa (and then it hisses) Akagao ga naite mo (even if the baby is crying from hunger) Futa toru na! (never remove the lid!) So basically, place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a rolling boil. The song will help you recognize clues to where you are in the process so that you don’t have to lift the lid! You will know the water is boiling when you hear bubbling noises and see the lid begin to dance (this is the choro-choro line). Then reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, or until you hear a low hissing sound (the naka pa-ppa stage). Increase the heat to high again for 30 seconds to dry off the rice, then remove from the heat, still tightly covered, and let it stand for at least 10 minutes. The rice is NOT done at this point! It will use those 10 minutes to do a final self-steaming to reach the proper texture. Of course, if you eat rice more than once a week, then a rice cooker is well wroth the investment! Cookers allow you to set the cooker to work when you aren't around and will keep the rice fresh for several days. And most importantly, how do you eat rice? Bowl of plain white rice: Plain rice is traditionally served in an individual bowl with a separate bowl of miso soup. This is the simplest Japanese meal and other dishes, no matter how elaborate they may be, are mere accompaniments to the rice. Donburi mono: Big bowls of plain boiled rice served with different toppings and sauces as a one-bowl meal, often for lunch. Oyako donburi: Chicken and egg over rice. Tendon: Tempura of fish and vegetables over rice. Katsudon: Pork cutlet over rice. Gyudon: Sauteed beef over rice. Unadon: broiled seasoned eel over rice. Sushi Onigiri Gomokumeshi: Rice boiled with small pieces of vegetables (usually five different kinds). Some people add small bits of fish or chicken. Kayu: Rice porridge.

Last week, we talked about seaweed. This week (and next week), rice! (Hey, that means we're halfway to sushi!) Rice is important. Super important. In fact, it's one of the most important topics we could talk about because of the HUGE influence it's had on Japanese society and culture. Rice is more than a staple food — it’s the soul of the nation, and the whole of Japanese cuisine has developed around it. Gohan, the word for "cooked rice" in Japanese, also means "a meal." The two words are interchangeable. In fact, gohan is used to form the words for the meals of the day: asagohan = breakfast hirugohan = lunch bangohan = dinner This makes it almost impossible for most Japanese to think of a meal without rice! Since ancient times in Japan, the person who grew the most rice and managed the land that the rice was cultivated on had political power. Rice was the alternative currency and was the most important source of tax revenue. Carbon dating indicates that rice was first introduced in the 13th century BC and then brought to southwest Japan from China. Historically, all parts of the rice plant were used. Rice stalks were used to make tatami mats, rice bran was used as a facial scrub, and rice paste was used in bookbinding, as well as for a resist-dye technique for fabrics (especially silk for kimonos). Rice is part of almost every religious ceremony and seasonal festival in Japan, and also appears in popular folktale culture: while in the U.S. we refer to the man in the moon, in Japan they see a rabbit pounding mochi (rice cakes)! Can you see it? As Japan developed, the villages located on sites favorable for rice cultivation were better fed and wealthier. The first nation was formed in the 3rd century AD by a large agricultural clan, who later became Japan’s imperial family. Even to this day, the Japanese emperor has a small rice paddy that he attends to himself inside the imperial palace grounds. Rice made Japan into an industrious nation because its production cannot be carried out by a single farmer — it requires a community effort. As a result, families pooled their labor and shared water resources and irrigation facilities. People lived in houses clustered together and depended heavily upon each other, since the rice was usually planted on the same day after several days of watering. This necessitated an emphasis on group interests, the enhancement of skills in group decision-making and the avoidance of friction between families who would be neighbors and co-workers for generation. This commitment to group harmony is still seen today throughout Japanese society. Because Japan is so mountainous, with very few plains suitable for rice cultivation, rice has always been in short supply. It wasn’t until the 1960s that Japan’s rice production finally exceeded its consumption. This relative scarcity helps explain why the Japanese regarded it as a sacred food for the rich and powerful. Types of Japanese Rice Three major groups of Japonica rice are grown in Japan. uruchi mai: This is Japanese-style short-grain rice (sometimes also labeled as medium-grain). This covers most of what is grown and eaten in Japan. The grains are removed from their husks and polished. When cooked, they become tender and moist, but retain an al dente texture. They are also slightly sticky, so it is possible to pick up a mouthful with chopsticks. genmai: This is Japanese-style brown rice. There are different degrees of polishing, and genmai is the least polished type. Traditionally all rice was eaten unpolished, with only the outer husk removed. Brown rice is higher in fiber and the most nutritious, because it retains more vitamins and minerals. It requires a much longer cooking time and is chewier and nuttier in taste. Genmai is regaining popularity in Japan because of its health benefits. mochi gome: Sometimes called “sweet rice” or “glutinous rice”,

This week, we're talking seaweed... or as we like to call it, sea vegetables. In Japanese, the word for seaweed is "kaiso". Kaiso are an important part of the Japanese diet. The Japanese have been harvesting them for thousands of years, both wild and cultivated. Kaiso are highly nutritious (many sea vegetables are especially rich in calcium) and a source of flavor enhancement (naturally occurring glutamates). Although it's already passed, did you know that April 14th is Nori Day? In Shibushi, Japan, April 14th is Nori Day to honor the nori industry and Kathleen Drew-Baker, an English botanist whose research in red algae led to breakthroughs in technology that led to large-scale nori cultivation being possible. To the Japanese, she is known as “Mother of the Sea”... a huge honor! Kombu Kombu is an extremely important sea vegetable in the Japanese pantry. It is used primarily to make stocks (such as dashi) because of its abundant, naturally occurring glutamates. Kombu is gathered in the shallow waters off Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. The best variety, rishiri kombu, is 1/8” thick, 5” to 8” wide and grows anywhere from 5’ to 8’ long. When purchased in a specialty shop in Japan, it comes dried in full lengths, or is precut into convenient sizes, which are packed in flat plastic envelopes. It pays to buy the best quality you can find, as its subtle flavor varies widely. However, it might be hard to find the best varieties in the US. Kombu has virtually no protein, but is high in calcium, carotene, iron and iodine. It is thought to contain cancer-fighting ingredients. Wakame Wakame is often used in soups, such as miso soup, or in sunomono salads. It is usually sold in dried form, and soaked in water before using. Wakame is usually dried or preserved in salt, making it a staple for the Japanese pantry. To reconstitute dried wakame: soak a small handful (it expands a ton) in a bowl of room temperature water for 10 minutes. Rinse, chop and serve raw in salads, or serve lightly simmered in soup. Fresh wakame is available during springtime in Japan. Fresh wakame is more delicate than dried wakame and has fabulous flavored. Wakame is high in fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins. Nori Nori are thin, dried sheets of seaweed that have a crisp texture. Japan produces more nori, both in quantity and variety, than any other country in the world. The early Japanese ate nori raw, as early as the 7th century. Today nori is farmed. Spores are planted in January on nets and placed in bays or lagoons. After harvesting the seaweed in autumn, it is washed in cold water and then spread thinly onto sheets to dry in the sun. It is then toasted and cut into sheets, or seasoned with soy sauce and mirin to make flavored nori. Because sushi has become so popular in the US, it is becoming easier to find nori in grocery stores, sold in 8” x 7” black or dark green sheets. Better quality nori is thick and has a tight and even texture. Nori is used for making maki zushi, cut into pieces to eat with onigiri, or crumbled over cold soba noodles, seafood domburi, and other dishes. Furikake nori has small bits of nori in it, as well as other ingredients such as sesame seeds, and is used as a condiment - often sprinkled over rice. "Korean-style" nori is a popular snack. Approximately 2"x4", very thin pieces of nori are seasoned with sesame oil and salt, and usually come about 10 to a package. They're an excellent guilt-free replacement for potato chips. (If you have any sort of Asian supermarket near you, they'll probably have it. If you have a Costco membership, you can also check your local Costco for them... they're $6 for a box of 24 packages.) There's also a Japanese version of these, which are slimmer (1"x3") and a little thicker, and come in a variety of flavors. Nori is high in protein and dietary fiber.

Part two of our Japanese pantry episode in 3... 2... 1... (If you missed Part 1, listen here.) This week, we're talking about all the other essential ingredients that should be in your Japanese pantry. Because, you know... Japanese food does consist of more than just rice and shoyu. So, what else is important? White miso (shiromiso): There are different kinds of miso, but the white (actually a pale yellow-brown) kind is the most versatile. We've been able to find miso at most chain supermarkets, in the refrigerated "foreign" section (near the wonton wrappers and tofu) Miso can last up to a year, if stored correctly. Keep refrigerated, and as long as it's not smelling weird or growing stuff, it's probably fine to use. miso soup miso black cod Bonito flakes (katsuo bushi): Not only is this used to make dashi stock, but it's also used as a condiment in so many foods such as tofu, blanched spinach, and so on. (These are the little "dancing" flakes that you see on top of takoyaki or okonomiyaki) Konbu/kombu seaweed: Essential for making good dashi stock, as are bonito flakes. Sake: In a pinch a sweet sherry can be substituted, but many Japanese foods include sake as an ingredient. Mirin: sweet fortified liquor made from rice, used exclusively in cooking. Rice vinegar: Rice vinegar is mild and sweeter than white wine vinegar. You will also see something called sushi vinegar - this is just rice vinegar with added sugar and seasoning. Making sushi vinegar mix is so easy, and cheaper, that we don't see a need for stocking sushi vinegar. In addition, you might find you prefer a different sugar to vinegar ratio in your seasoned vinegar. Dried shiitake mushrooms: More intense in flavor than fresh, they are used a lot as a flavoring as well as an ingredient. (Rachael uses these for her vegetarian dashi Sesame seeds: Both black and white. These are often used toasted and ground up, or whole as a condiment. Dark sesame oil: This is used for flavoring many dishes, especially chuuka (Japanese Chinese-style) dishes. Non-Japanese dry or bottled ingredients that are used a lot in Japanese cooking: salt, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, potato starch flour or cornstarch flour, white wheat flour. Essential Fresh ingredients include: Fresh ginger: Powdered ginger cannot be substituted. Spring onions or green onions and leeks: Leeks are used more than onions, though onions are used in a lot of Japanese Western-style dishes or yohshoku. White daikon radish: Used cooked as well as raw; in stews, soups, as garnish, etc. Grated daikon radish cuts down on the oiliness of things like tempura and grilled oily fish. In a pinch you can use red radishes instead, especially for salads, grating and so on. Other ingredients that are good to have if you're doing a lot of Japanese cooking, but not 100% essential: Tofu and tofu products: aburaage (fried thin tofu), atsuage (tofu blocks that have been deep fried), kohya dofu (frozen and dried tofu, somewhat spongy), okara (by-product of making soymilk) and yuba (very thin sheets of dried tofu). Wasabi paste or powder Ground curry powder: Curry flavor is very popular in Japan. Nori seaweed: The black dried sheets used to wrap sushi rolls, also used shredded as a topping. It's even cooked to a paste to eat with rice. Wakame seaweed: This is available either preserved in salt, or dried. The dried kind is easier to handle. Used in miso soup, salads, and as sashimi garnish. Seven-ingredient red pepper powder (called shichimi togarashi or sometimes nanami togarashi): This is a coarsely ground red pepper condiment that's used on a variety of dishes like udon noodles and cold tofu. It has ground up yuzu peel, sesame seeds, etc. Various dried noodles: soba (buckwheat noodles), somen (thin white wheat noodles), udon, etc.

In which nobody's gotten any sleep, Allison confuses herself about shoyu, and we go off on a ton of (interesting and relevant-ish, we promise!) tangents. Although this was supposed to be a single episode, we just had so much information we wanted to tell you about what ingredients are important for your basic Japanese pantry, we had to split it in two! Otherwise it would have been an hour-long episode, and as much as we're sure you love listening to us go on (right?)... that's just a bit too long. So instead, you get two episodes for the price of one! The first thing you should know about the basic important ingredients for Japanese cooking is that... you may not realize it, but you probably already have a lot of them. (And those you don't have usually last a really long time, and aren't all that expensive, either.) The moral of this episode is: You don’t have to live in Japan to do this at home. Of course, as with anything else in life, like carpentry or gardening, you could go totally crazy and acquire a wide range of obscure and highly authentic special tools and utensils to start Japanese-style home cooking. But to get started, you really don't need most of them. For those ingredients you don’t have, you can find them at stores like Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Safeway, Kroger, Albertsons, your local Japanese or Asian market, or online. Keep in mind that just like bread or milk in this country, each of the basic Japanese food ingredients and seasonings comes in many different varieties from many different manufacturers. And thus we present to you... The Traditional Flavors of Japanese Cuisine Besides dashi stock, the basic flavors of traditional Japanese cuisine are sugar, salt, rice vinegar, soy sauce (shoyu!), and miso. While not many sauces use all of these ingredients, many of them use at least three of them. The order in which these ingredients are used is important. The ingredients whose flavors are most susceptible to being changed by heat are added last — soy sauce and miso. Sugar and salt are added first, and vinegar in between. The way this is remembered in Japan is with “Sa Shi Su Se So” — the “s” row of the phonetic alphabets in Japanese. Sa (satoh = sugar) Shi (shio = salt) Su (su = vinegar) Se (shoyu = soy sauce) So (miso) Japanese Pantry Ingredients (Part 1): Due to time constraints (and a few tangents), we could only get to the first couple of essential Japanese pantry ingredients in this episode. But don't you worry... the rest will be in next week's episode! And be sure to stop by next week - we'll have a handy shopping list that you can print out and take with you when you go shopping for these ingredients. The first essential ingredient is... rice! (Hey, that's not exotic at all!) For Japanese cooking, you want to get short-grain rice - either white or brown rice is fine. (It also goes under the name "sushi rice", and is sometimes labeled as medium-grain. Yeah, we know it can be confusing.) Make sure you don't buy jasmine, basmati, or long-grain rice... those are definitely not the right kind! Any rice labeled "Calrose" or "Kohoku Rose" is the right rice. It's extremely common - we've seen it sold at Costco and in chain supermarkets - so you shouldn't have any problem whatsoever finding it in the US. (P.S. The internet is your friend. A quick search for "Japanese rice" on Amazon comes up with a bunch of good results.) (P.P.S. Holy epiphanies, Batman! See below ↓) The second of the two essential Japanese ingredients we got to today is soy sauce... aka shoyu. (From here on out, if we're talking about shoyu, now you know! It's what you might already know as soy sauce. Same thing, despite Allison's temporary confusion about it.) There are a lot of different brands out there, but moral of the story is, in general Japanese shoyu (we think Kikkoman, the brand most commonly found in grocery stores,

Prepare yourself... today, we're completely and totally geeking out. (Especially Rachael.) Why? Because today's topic is something we get especially excited about - TOFU! You might think tofu is a silly thing to get excited about, but we'd bet that's because you've never tasted fresh, homemade tofu. (Trust us. It's amazing.) So what is tofu? Tofu is bean curd made from dried soybeans, water, and coagulant. (It tastes better than it sounds, promise.) Tofu is typically identified as silken, medium, medium firm, firm, extra firm, and super firm. In general, Japanese-style tofu is softer than other kinds. The firmer the tofu, the harder the texture, and the more protein it contains by weight. In Japan, most people don’t usually make their own tofu, however in some markets in Japan you can buy bottles of soy milk with packages of coagulant for making your own tofu, though it is becoming harder to find, especially in the bigger cities. So how is it made? Tofu is made by coagulating hot soy milk with mineral salt or acid coagulants. By varying the richness of the soy milk, coagulation method, and pressure used to weight the curds, a tofu maker regulates how much whey (liquid) is left in the tofu. The amount of residual whey determines tofu texture and density. That all might sound really difficult, but it's not as bad as it sounds. Rachael even has a post on her blog that teaches you how to make your own tofu! But you can always try making your own soy milk instead... so delicious. There are a lot of delicious things you can do with tofu... Abura-age (fried tofu slices): tofu is sliced and pressed, then carefully deep-fried, first at low then at high temperature, to force it to swell. (simmered in sugar, sake, soy sauce, and dashi then split into pockets and filled with sushi rice to make inarizushi) Hiya Yakko (Japanese chilled tofu): usually made with silken tofu, but can be made with medium-firm tofu, oboro tofu or zaru tofu. Tofu is chilled and then garnished with toppings, such as scallions, grated fresh ginger, soy sauce, katsuobushi, etc. Tofu Dengaku (miso-glazed broiled tofu): Tofu is brushed with a soy sauce glaze and lightly broiled, and then brushed with a miso sauce and cooked until bubbling, then served on a skewer. Agedashi Tofu (deep-fried tofu): Pressed tofu is dredged in potato starch and then fried until lightly crisp and golden, then served with garnishes. Miso shiru (miso soup): tofu is often included in miso soup Yu dofu (warm simmered tofu hot pot) Ma po dofu (spicy tofu with beef and sichuan peppercorn): A Chinese dish, but a Japanese favorite Ganmodoki (“mock goose,” aka tofu and vegetable fritters): old food, originating sometime around the 1400s. Often served in oden hot pots. Tofu and finely shredded/chopped vegetables mixed with grated yamaimo (or egg white and cornstarch) and fried. Unagi Modoki (“faux-nagi,” sweet and savory tofu eel): Faux eel fillets made from mashed tofu, salt, sugar, soy sauce, cornstarch, and nori spread of pieces of nori, then fried and brushed with glaze. Kitsune Udon (Foxy Tofu Noodle Soup): Kitsune means fox in Japanese, and are portrayed as being fond of fried tofu. Kitsune udon is an udon noodle soup served with abura-age tofu in it. Okara doughnuts: Deep-fried donuts made with okara. Okara replaces some of the flour in a doughnut recipe to make them. They are crisp and pillowy, less sweet than traditional American doughnuts, and FABULOUS!! Crispy tofu is a hit with the kids. Tofu doughnuts? Yes, please! We have a special guest on the show this week! We had an awesome interview with Andrea Nguyen, the very lovable author of the recently-released cookbook, Asian Tofu. When you're done listening to the podcast, check out this neat video where she demonstrates how to pick out and tell the difference between different types of tofu: http://youtu.

“There are five attributes to a great chef: Take your work seriously Aspire to improve Maintain cleanliness Be a better leader than a collaborator Be passionate about your work.” -Masuhiro Yamamoto, Japanese Food Critic Jiro Ono in JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a recently-released documentary about Jiro Ono, an 85-year-old sushi chef in Japan whose restaurant was the first of its kind to earn a 3-Michelin Star rating, and his two sons, who are also sushi chefs. Rachael and Allison went to see it the day it opened in Los Angeles, and we cannot recommend it enough. Like sushi? Japanese food? Ridiculously delicious-looking shots of food? Then you need to go see this movie. We guarantee you will come out of it both inspired and wanting to go eat sushi. Want to know when it opens near you? Check out this list of theaters and opening dates, then go buy your tickets! Jiro Ono and Yoshikazu Ono in JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI, a Magnolia Pictures release. Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. We also talk about a sustainable sushi dinner we got to go to last week, put on by Tataki Sushi Bar and Mindshare LA. Suffice to say it was an amazing meal... to read more about it, hop on over to Allison's post about it!

Over the last few weeks, Rachael has developed a recipe for black sesame pudding that we're such big fans of, we recorded a bonus mini episode all about it. Go visit her blog for the post and the recipe... then make the pudding, and come back and let us know how you like it!

Tonkatsu (豚カツ, とんかつ, or トンカツ) is a breaded, deep-fried pork cutlet that is very popular in Japan. It is traditionally served with shredded cabbage, or miso soup, or both. Ton means pork in Japanese. Katsu is short for katsuretto (aka "cutlet"). Keep in mind that we're talking about tonKAtsu, not tonKOtsu - make sure you pronounce it right! TonKOtsu is a type of ramen with a broth made from boiling pork bones, fat, and collagen to make a rich creamy broth. We love both tonKOtsu and tonKAtsu. Tonkatsu is commonly eaten with a thick sauce called tonkatsu sōsu (トンカツソース) or just sōsu (usually made up of ketchup, mustard powder, soy sauce, Worcestershire, and apple puree), some karashi (spicy yellow Japanese mustard) and a slice of lemon. Some people like to use just soy sauce. You can make your tonkatsu sauce at home, or buy it. Bull Dog is a very popular brand, but there are quite a few different brands. Sometimes people sandwich cheese or shiso leaves between thin slices of pork before breading and frying their tonkatsu. It is said the best tonkatsu is made from kurobuta - black pig from Kagoshima Prefecture in southern Japan. Kurobuta are actually Berkshire pigs, are a rare bread of pig originating from Berkshire in England. Berkshire pork, prized for juiciness, flavor and tenderness, is pink-hued and heavily marbled. Its high fat content makes it suitable for long cooking and high-temperature cooking. Tonkatsu is thought to have been introduced to Japan by the Portuguese in the late 1800s, and was originally made with beef. It is a type of yōshoku--Japanese versions of European cuisine, although nowadays it's become "Japanized" and is served in the style of washoku (traditional Japanese food) with rice, miso soup, and tsukemono (Japanese pickles) and is eaten with chopsticks. Some ways you can eat tonkatsu include: Katsu sando (tonkatsu in a sandwich) Katsu karē (tonkatsu served on Japanese curry) Katsudon (bowl of rice topped with tonkatsu, egg, and condiments, such as: sauce katsudon, with Worcestershire sauce demi katsudon, with demi-glace and usually green peas shio katsudon, with salt shoyu-dare katsudon, with soy sauce (Niigata style) miso katsudon (favorite in Nagyoa) It has become a tradition for Japanese studens to eat katsudon the night before taking a major test or school entrance exam because "katsu" is a homophone of the verb katsu, meaning "to win" or "to be victorious" (same reason why Kit Kats are used in the same way). So, how to make tonkatsu? You can use pork fillet (ヒレ, hire) or pork loin (ロース, rōsu). The meat is salted and peppered, dusted lightly with flour, dipped in beaten egg, coated with panko, and then deep-fried. Tonkatsu lovers are very particular about what they believe the perfect tonkatsu should be like. There are different opinions on what the fattiness or tenderness of the pork should be and how crunchy the coating should be. Regardless, proper preparation is all about oil, temperature, timing, and quality ingredients. Personally, we're big fans of the recipe Rachael developed. But everyone has different opinions about what makes perfect tonkatsu, so if you don't like that one, search around! There are tons of recipes out there.

It's almost one of our favorite times of the year... cherry blossom season! Which means it's also time for Hanami festivals! These festivals have been happening for centuries. Hanami literally means flower viewings, or seeing the flowers. These days, that specifically refers to sakura - cherry blossoms. In popular places, it's common to reserve a picnic spot long before the party is held. Someone usually arrives early in the morning and spreads out a picnic sheet (most often a blue tarp), then either marks it with the group’s name and the starting time of the party, or somebody stays there throughout the entire day until the rest of the group arrives after work. The season can start as early as the beginning of February (in the southern island of Okinawa), and go all the way to the end of May (in the northern city of Hokkaido). The blossom forecast (桜前線, sakurazensen, literally means "cherry blossom front") is announced each year by the weather bureau, and is watched carefully by anyone planning hanami, because the blossoms only last a week or two. We also have a form of Hanami in the US... in 1912, Japan gave 3,000 sakura trees as a gift to the US to celebrate the nations’ friendship. These trees were planted in Washington, D.C., and another 3,800 gifted trees were also taken there in 1965. The “National Cherry Blossom Festival” takes place when they bloom in early spring. There are also numerous cherry blossom festivals all over the US. Almost as important as the flowers (at least, as far as we are concerned), is the food! There's a teasing Japanese proverb, "hana yori dango" (花より団子), which translates to "dumplings rather than flowers" and makes fun of people who prefer to eat and drink instead of admiring the blossoms. Pink, green, and white are often seen in relation to hanami - these are the colors of the sakura trees, and the green also stands for yomogi - a spring herb that grows around this time. (If you're familiar with mochi, you may have eaten the green yomogi mochi before.) Hanami dango are dumplings, like mochi, except they're made up of a mix of rice flours - mochi rice flour and sushi rice flour. They consist of three balls, which are colored green, white, and pink. Hanami bento make the perfect picnic meals! They can include foods like tori no karaage, yakitori (or anything on a stick), sushi, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled egg omelet), sekihan (red rice - mochi rice cooked with adzuki beans), shrimp, grilled fish like salmon and sakuradai (pink sea bream), temari sushi (ball sushi), simmered kabocha (pumpkin) and carrot, and sakura mochi. Spring vegetables and foods such as wild ferns, grilled salmon and green yomogimochi (spring herb dumplings) are also commonly found, as well as rice scattered with vegetables cut into the delicate shape of sakura petals. To make a hanami bento at home, wherever you live, just use spring ingredients, making sure you have an abundance of warm colors in your box. Use what is local — all fresh and local produce is a perfect fit! If you don't feel like packing your own lunch, not to worry! There are often many food stalls at the parks where hanami are held. These food stalls serve things like takoyaki, yakisoba, okonomiyaki, jyaga batta (a baked potato that has been steamed, split, and topped with lots of butter), kyuri asa-zuke (a whole Japanese cucumber that has been pickled in kombu and rice vinegar on a stick). And then, of course, there are lots of sakura-inspired food products. Like we've mentioned before, there are sakura-flavored kit kats. Starbucks in Japan has a sakura-flavored frappucchino and a sakura-flavored macaron. There are sakura arare (senbei) that are covered in a cinnamon-sugar coating. There are things like sakura-flavored pudding, sakura-flavored mochi ice cream, sakura-flavored sorbet, sakura blossom tea... they even bake whole blossoms into roll cakes.

It's been a year since the 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck Japan, on March 11, 2011. But did you know that the region hit was the 2nd largest food production region in Japan? Tohoku is one of Japan’s major seafood producing regions with a number of fishing ports being home to deepwater and tuna fishing fleets. The region suffered widespread damage to its fishing industry, which in some areas could take years to recover. Tohoku made up 20% of Japan’s fisheries production. Many processing plants were destroyed by the tsunami and many fishing boats were destroyed in the ports. Many fishermen and fishery processing workers died. Even one year later, they still have problems landing fish in Tohoku as many ports are damaged and not fully working. Those fishing ports that are open still face numerous problems as the storage and processing plants that were damaged or destroyed still have to be repaired or rebuilt. Debris from the tsunami, estimated as tens of millions of tons, is still floating off the Tohoku coast and washing up at ports. The debris is floating dangerously in shipping lanes and blocking ports. The nuclear crisis caused many consumers to stop eating seafood and other products from these regions, fearing they were contaminated and could cause cancer if eaten. Restoring public confidence will be difficult, but necessary in rebuilding the region’s industry. In March 2011, Japanese officials announced that “radioactive iodine-131 exceeding safety limits for infants had been detected at 18 water-purification plants in Tokyo and five other prefectures.” As of July 2011, the Japanese government had been unable to control the spread of radioactive material into the nation’s food. Radioactive material has been detected in a range of produce, including spinach, tea leaves, milk, fish, and beef, up to 200 miles from the nuclear plant. Inside the 12-mile evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear plant, all farming has been abandoned. As of February 2012, the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant is still leaking radiaton and areas surrounding it could remain uninhabitable for decades due to high radiation. It could take “more than 20 years before residents could safely return to areas with current radiation readings of 200 millisieverts per year, and a decade for areas at 100 millisieverts per year” Even today, more than 160,000 people remain displaced - many of these people may never be able to return to their homes. Japan still needs our help! Here are a few ways you can help out: Order a copy of the Peko Peko Cookbook, with Japanese recipes from many bloggers including our very own Rachael Hutchings. All proceeds to go the Global Giving Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. Tales from High Mountain by Tara Austen Weaver is a well-written book about her time living in Japan. All proceeds go to help Japan. The slightly racy Nudie Foodies cookbook is donating all their proceeds to the AmeriCares Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. Kibo: "Brimming With Hope" by Elizabeth Andoh is available for download now, for only $3.99 - a portion of the proceeds go toward continuing Japan relief efforts. The book is a culinary tribute to Japan’s Tohoku region and is comprised of recipes and stories from the region. What else can we do? Stay educated Attend events to benefit the region TRAVEL TO JAPAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week, we're all celebrating Hinamatsuri! http://youtu.be/yIxsfyHM7JE Come join our Hinamatsuri party! (Which actually has nothing to do with wearing stuffed octopuses on your heads like hats. But, you know, that's how we roll here at the Miso Hungry Podcast. We're silly like that.) So what is Hinamatsuri? Hinamatsuri (雛祭り) is Girl’s Day, or the Japanese Doll Festival, and is held on March 3rd of each year. It's a day for people to pray for the happiness and healthy growth of girls. Families with young daughters celebrate this day by setting up a display of dolls inside the house. They offer rice crackers and other food to the dolls. Platforms covered with a red carpet are used to display sets of dolls (雛人形 hina-ningyō): Emperor, Empress, attendants, and musicians in traditional court dress of the Heian period. The size of the dolls that a family has, or the number of steps that their display has vary, but usually the displays are of five or seven layers. Single-tiered decorations with one male and one female doll are also common. The top tier always has the Emperor (Odairi-sama), holding an imperial baton, and Empress (Ohime-sama), holding a fan. They're usually placed in front of a gold folding screen 2nd Tier: 3 court ladies (san-nin kanjo). Each holds sake equipment 3rd Tier: 5 male musicians (gonin bayashi). Each holds an instrument, except the singer, who holds a fan. 4th Tier: 2 ministers (daijin) 5th Tier: 3 helpers or samurai, as the protectors of the Emperor and Empress 6th & 7th tiers: variety of furniture, tools, carriages, etc. Other items displayed on the tiers: Tables holding diamond-shaped rice cakes, cherry blossom trees, lamp stands, silk lanterns, etc. There's also a Hinamatsuri song! (No, we are not going to sing it for you.) Akari o tsukemashou bonbori ni 明かりをつけましょう ぼんぼりに Ohana o agemashou momo no hana お花をあげましょう 桃の花 Go-nin bayashi no fue taiko 五人ばやしの 笛太鼓 Kyo wa tanoshii Hinamatsuri 今日は楽しいひな祭り Let's light the lanterns Let's set peach flowers Five court musicians are playing flutes and drums Today is a joyful Dolls' Festival And now, to the important part... the food! Although we couldn't find any (our Hinamatsuri party was a little too early) one of the traditional foods are Hishimochi, which are diamond-shaped rice cakes. They are colored pink, white, and green. Pink stands for the peach blossom, white means purity (snow), and green stands for health (earth/new growth). Chirashi-zushi (“scattered sushi”) Sakura-mochi (bean paste-filled rice cakes with cherry leaves) are sweet pink mochi filled with red bean paste, and wrapped in a sakura (cherry blossom leaf) that has been pickled in salt water (Sometimes they have adzuki bean paste in them. Ours had white lima bean paste instead. Very delicious!) Hina-arare, which are colorful puffed rice coated in sugar. (We couldn't find hina-arare either, so instead we went with sakura arare... not the same, but still delicious!) Shirozake (sweet white sake) - literally “white sake” - which is made by mixing steamed mochi rice, koji mold, and mirin, and letting it mature for a month, then crushing it in a mortar. It has a low alcohol content (10% alcohol, but is considered as a type of liquor). Almost half of the mixture is a sweet rice porridge. Hamaguri Ushio-jiru, a very simple soup made with a clear broth and clams. Since this was Allison's very first Hinamitsuri ever, we decided to have a party at Rachael's house! We ate all those delicious foods... ...played with her cats... ...looked at dolls... ...colored... ...you know, all the important things in life. Then Allison and Rachael did some recording together (our apologies about the bad echo... this was our first time ever recording in the same location, and we're still figuring things out!), with our special guest hosts,

Today it's tako time! (And we're having a giveaway, so make sure to read the whole post!) But... don't get that confused with tacos. There are no tortillas to be seen around here. When we say tako, we mean octopus. Yum. Tako is almost always cooked before eating; unlike many fish that are offered raw, octopus is cooked and brined before it is served as sushi. It's rarely ever sold whole outside of Japan. (We want to know, have you ever seen a whole octopus for sale? If you happen to come into possession of one, here's how to clean it.) Unfortunately... octopus is not one of the more sustainable seafood options out there. Since Japan has a large octopus preparation industry, octopus from all over the world is exported into Japan, where it is prepared and frozen. Then it's re-exported back to other countries where there is a demand for octopus in sushi. What does this mean for you? It means that it's really, really difficult to know where your octopus actually originated from... which is a big deal, because many countries do not have regulations in place for how they catch octopus, which means that it could potentially be very bad for the ocean. However, it's not all bad... if you can get tako that you know came from a Spanish fishery, most of their octopus is caught with pots (like little traps that they put in the ocean), which is much less disruptive than bottom trawling. (Bottom trawling involves dragging a net across the floor of the ocean... which is bad for the environment and catches all sorts of additional sea life that they aren't aiming for.) Morocco is starting to regulate their octopus fishing more, but it still may be a while before we can consider that to be a sustainable option. Vietnam, Senegal, and Mauritania are all unregulated, so we don't recommend eating any octopus from those countries' fisheries, if you can help it. In Hawaii, octopus is mostly caught by spearfishing or by lure-and-line, where a lure with many hidden hooks is used to snare octopuses when they pounce. There is very little bycatch associated with this technique. Plus on the bright side, octopuses are fast growing and produce numerous offspring. These traits, combined with a sustainable fishing method, make Hawaiian octopus a "Good Alternative." The same goes for octopuses caught in the Gulf of California. So assuming you can get a sustainable source for your octopus... how does one eat it? Since the octopus feeds on other sushi ingredients, like crab, lobster, and scallops, its diet makes it high in protein and gives it excellent flavor. Thus it's quite delicious as sushi. It has a very firm/chewy texture, and only the tentacles are used for sushi. Larger octopuses have thicker tentacles which are easier to slice for sushi. Before it's made into sushi, octopus is boiled, which tenderizes and firms the flesh. Its gray skin turns burgundy, and its flesh whitens, so it’s also much more appetizing looking when cooked. The boiling is done slowly, over low heat, because rapid boiling toughens the meat. The cooked tentacles are then cut diagonally into thin 1/8-inch slices. Octopuses are also sometimes eaten live... the tentacles chopped off of live octopus and eaten raw, while still moving. This is very dangerous, because the suckers can stick to your throat and you can choke to death if you don't swallow correctly. We don't recommend doing this. Takoyaki (たこ焼き) literally translates to mean fried/grilled octopus. But really... they're OCTOPUS BALLS! They are ball-shaped dumpling made from a batter that’s like a savory pancake batter and cooked in a special takoyaki pan, known as a takoyakiki (たこ焼き器). It's a special pan, usually made from cast iron, with spherical indentations in it. Kind of like an aebleskiver pan. Takoyaki are typically filled with diced octopus, tempura “scraps” (tenkasu), pickled ginger, and green onion,

This week, Rachael and Allison have learned that... they just can't get away from those purple sweet potato mountain mushroom candies. Addicted? Yes, we are. Hey look, it's the purple sweet potato mountain mushrooms again! (Yeah, we're kind of ...

Today, we're talking about uni (うに)! So... er... what is uni? When you're eating uni, you're eating the insides of a sea urchin... more specifically, you're eating the reproductive organs of a sea urchin (but most people call it roe, since it...

The Super Bowl is coming up this weekend! Wait, who's playing? (Obviously, we're just here for the food.) But how does this relate to Japanese food? Well, over there, they're baseball fanatics... so we wanted to know what they eat when they're watching sports! At the games, they eat all sorts of delicious things: hot dogs (just like we do!) yakitori - chicken on a stick takoyaki - octopus balls! (They're like little doughnut holes, with bits of octopus inside.) And remember... tako ≠ taco! Another takoyaki recipe (takoyaki were one of the first things Allison tried when she visited Japan) (speaking of which, have you noticed our super cute octopus mascot?) edamame (and you can even make an easy dip with leftover edamame) bento boxes, which usually consist of rice, pickles, and fish or tofu or meat okonomiyaki - japanese pancakes with delicious things mixed in some people call it Japanese pizza... (we're not sure we agree, but it's delicious either way!) they're easy to make (this recipe is super cute) and you can even put bacon in them (yum!) Rachael and Allison are planning on having Japanese-inspired Super Bowl parties this weekend... here are a bunch of ideas that you can use too! kushiage parties - skewered, breaded, deep-fried meat and veggies takoyaki parties Japanese curry, buffet-style udon buffet temaki sushi bar (hand rolls), with all sorts of fillings, like: bacon, green onion, cheddar cheese prosciutto, arugula tuna salad, green onion smoked salmon, jarred pickled jalapeno peppers, cream cheese or any other crazy sushi ingredient combinations you can come up with! sushi (Allison's going to be making spicy shrimp inari sushi, and in the past she has made buffalo wing sushi) cheese age (another fan favorite that Allison will be making at her Super Bowl party) bento boxes edamame (another good munchie food is Japanese Chex mix) onigiri (it's kind of Rachael's thing... that and her addictive chocolate almond toffee!) Rachael will be making these super-cute onigiri footballs you could make an oshizushi (pressed, or "box" sushi) football field with temari zushi as the football helmets and inari zushi footballs (you can also stuff your inari age pouches with somen salad - a cold noodle salad) tebasaki - japanese-style chicken wings, deep fried with a glaze karaage - deep-fried meat Congratulations to Erin R., the winner of our Japanese candy giveaway! We love your idea of using Japanese candy in gingerbread houses. ^_^ By the way, we adore your comments, twitter mentions, and facebook comments! We ♥ you guys, and always love to hear about your experiences with the delicious foods we talk about, and we'd love to see your photos if you make any of these things! Plus, we would love it if you guys could rate us and leave comments on iTunes... every little rating helps us get out to more people, and be able to do more with this podcast! Want to contact us? Send us Miso Mail to misohungrypodcast [at] gmail [dot] com, chat with us on Twitter @misotalk, and like us on Facebook on our Miso Hungry Podcast page! And don't forget to subscribe to us in your RSS feedreader or on iTunes! And we totally think you should download Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch app (we think sustainability is super important) - you can get it for the iPhone or Android.

Onigiri! Japanese comfort food to the max. It can be anything from a ball of rice sprinkled with salt to rice surrounding tuna or salmon, wrapped with nori. But it's not sushi. Nope. No rice vinegar involved, thus... not sushi! They make excellent lunches. Bring them to school or to work - they'll stay fresh unrefrigerated for up to six hours, thanks to the wonderful, magical (okay, not so magical) preservation qualities of salt! And if you fill your onigiri with an umebosi - a very salty, sour pickled plum - it'll stay fresh for up to eight hours. You can fill them with anything that goes well with rice - common onigiri fillings include flaked salmon, gingery chicken, spicy fish roe, bonito flakes moistened with soy sauce, and tiny clams cooked in a sweet soy glaze. But the possibilities are endless. (Rachael put an olive in her olive-loving older daughter's onigiri; Allison's contemplating how she can get bacon into one.) Onigiri have been around for a really long time... more than 1000 years. (Holy cow, that's a long time!) There are even Japanese fairy tales about it. Onigiri can come in all sorts of different shapes. To get them into all these fun shapes, you can form them by hand... or there are lots of different molds you can buy. So how do you make an onigiri? Lucky for you, Rachael made an awesome video that shows all three methods for making it: If you're ever in Japan, you can buy onigiri at most convenience stores... make sure to watch this video where Rachael shows you how to open onigiri from convenience stores... it's pretty cool! Now, we want YOU to make onigiri, and tell us about it! It's so easy to do... and we just know you'll love them. (Need inspiration for your onigiri? Check out this blog.) And remember... “Onigiri should fall apart in your mouth, not in your hands.” – Sonoko Sakai (Don't forget, today's the last day to enter our Japanese candy giveaway!

Japanese candy will ruin you. It's ruined both of us... it's so good, we can't help but be addicted. Rice candy has always been Allison's favorite. It has a yummy, light, citrusy taste, there's a really cool edible rice paper wrapper that melts in your mouth, plus you get a sticker in every box. And when a bunch of adult (children) get a hold of a bunch of rice candy stickers... things like this happen: Then you have the traditional, centuries-old Konpeito. Still made by hand, this colorful sugar candy is traditionally given as wedding favors. Did you know there have been 105 different flavors of Kit Kats made, 97 of which are completely unique to Japan? Flavors like: Aloe Vera Aloe Yogurt Apple Apple Vinegar Azuki (red rean) Banana Beet Bitter Almond Black Tea Blueberry Blueberry Cheesecake Bubblegum Brown Sugar Kinako Cacao 61% Cacao 72% Café Latte with Hokkaidō Milk Calpis (a yogurt-flavored drink) Caramac Cantaloupe Cappuccino Caramel Caramel and Salt Caramel Macchiato Caramel Pudding Cheese Chocolate Banana Chocolate Overload (milk chocolate outside, chocolate creme filling, and chocolate wafers) Cola and Lemon squash Citrus Pepper Cookies & Chocolate Cookies and Milk Cookies PLUS Creamier Chocolate Creamy Apple Cucumber Custard Pudding Dark Chocolate Dark Chocolate with Cookies for adults Daigakuimo (sweet potato) European Cheese Exotic Kansai (sweet chocolate with a sour mix of orange, lemon, and passion fruit accented with ginger) Framboise (raspberry cheesecake) Fruit Parfait Ginger Ale Green Grape Muscat Gold (petits with fudge-like covering and dusted cocoa powder on outside.) Golden Peach Hazelnut Hascapp (Hokkaido blueberry) Houjicha (roasted tea) Iced Tea International Recipe (chocolate made from Ghana cocoa beans) Itoen Juu-jitsu Yasai (vegetable enriched 'veggie'.) Jasmine Tea Jyagaimo (potato) Kobe Pudding Kinako (soybean) Kinako Ohagi Kiwifruit Kokuto (black sugar) Lemon Chocolate Lemon Vinegar Mango Mango Pudding Maple Matcha (green tea) Melon Mild Bitter Milk Coffee Mint Mint Chocolate Miso Mixed Juice Noisette (hazelnut) Orange Passion fruit Pepper Pickled Plum Pineapple Pudding Pumpkin Pumpkin Cheesecake Ramune (a soda drink) Raspberry and Passion fruit Relaxation Cacao Rose Royal Milk Tea Sakura (cherry Blossom) Sakura Macha (cherry blossom green tea) Semisweet Sour Orange Soy Sauce Sports Drink Sparkling Strawberry Strawberry Strawberry and Cranberry Strawberry and Milk Strawberry Cheesecake Sweet Potato Tiramisu Tiramisu Macha (tiramisu with green tea) Triple Berry Ume Soda (plum soda) Vanilla Bean Wa Guri (chestnut) Wasabi Watermelon and Salt White Chocolate White Peach Wine Yakimorokoshi (grilled corn) Yuzu Zunda (mashed edamame beans) We tried the Pumpkin Cheesecake flavor... which tasted more lemony than pumpkin cheesecakey. Apparently parents in Japan give them to their children for good luck on test days. Milkys, a sweetened condensed milk candy, are Rachael's favorite. Hello Panda cookies are another childhood throwback for Allison, and one you've probably seen in a store near you! Why is Rachael making us eat purple sweet potato mountain mushrooms??? Allison was intrigued by them... and it turns out that those Kinokono Yama Murasaki Imo (purple sweet potato mountain mushroom candies) are ridiculously addictive... as odd as they may sound. On a whim, Allison decided we should try this Golden Sesame Candy... and now we're both addicted. (Oops.) They taste like those Chinese fried sesame mochi balls that are often found in Chinese buffets (and Vietnamese bakeries), plus Rachael has a recipe for sesame brittle that tastes pretty similar. Rachael wanted to try another Milk Soft Candy that was pretty similar to the Milkys, except much softer. Lastly, the classic Hi Chews. (Which,

Happy New Year! In this episode, we talk all about the Japanese New Year. It's a big deal. You'll find out why it's a good idea to plan way ahead if you want to order food for your Japanese New Year celebrations, and why it's a very, very bad idea to go shopping at an Asian market on New Year's Eve. There are all kinds of food eaten on New Year's Day: sushi! kuromame - make sure you eat 1 bean before noon osechi ryori mochi (often eaten as ozoni) - this should be breakfast or first thing to be eaten on New Year's Day renkon no sunomono (marinated lotus root) tazukiri (soy sauce-sugar-glazed baby sardines) kuri kinton (candied chestnut and Japanese sweet potato mash) tai no shiyaki (salt-grilled sea bream) On New Year's Eve, many Japanese families eat toshikoshi soba. And a week later, on January 7th, it's probably a good idea to have some nanakusa gayu (7-herb rice soup) to cleanse your palate from all the rich food you've probably been eating! (We know we have!)

Who are we? Why are we doing this podcast? We are Miso Hungry! (We hope we make YOU so hungry, too!) Allison Writes the blog Sushi Day Is half Japanese, third generation Japanese-American (her grandmother came over to the US at age three) Never even tried sashimi until she was an adult Is now trying to make up for her very Americanized childhood by educating herself as much about her Japanese cultural background as possible Rachael Writes the blog La Fuji Mama Is not Japanese (She has a German/English background) Moved to Japan with her husband to live and teach English 10 years ago; they later moved back, and their 1st child was born there Has adopted many Japanese traditions at home with her family We want to make Japanese food and culture accessible to everyone. Because it's awesome. And we want you to know that. We're not just about teriyaki, sushi, and miso soup. We want to get you past the Benihana stereotype of what Japanese food is... because there's so much more to Japanese food!