MANGA!

MANGA means "Japanese Comics" to non-Japanese. More than just comics however, their appeal extends far beyond Japan's young people. There is a manga for every imaginable (and unimaginable!) taste. Gaining popularity following WW2, "Astro Boy" is one of the earliest manga characters, and is still popular today.

                                             Astro Boy as he first appeared in 1952

JOSEI MANGA are for young ladies and housewives looking for a romantic getaway in the privacy and comfort of their own brain. Grab a glass of wine and curl up with a copy of "Midnight Secretary"......

                                 Despite secretary Kaya's discovery that her boss is a vampire,
                                                 a "personal relationship" develops.....

Not adventurous enough? Women who like to keep their minds (and sexual options!) open may prefer "Maka Maka". "Maka Maka" means "friends with special benefits" Do I need to spell it out?

Gentlemen are not left out of the action. Adventure, space travel and sports are common themes in SEINEN MANGA popular with boys and men. The "Akira" series from the 1980s is still popular in Japan and abroad. Like many manga, it went on to become an "anime" movie.

SEIJIN MANGA are equally popular but involve activities of a more...umm..."explicit" nature.

                         Real or implants? My money is on silcone, this is fantasy after all....

Outside of Japan, the term "HENTAI" is often used to describe hardcore manga and anime (movies). It roughly translates in Japanese as "pervert" or "weird". Pretty much anything goes. Think you've seen it all? I was feeling all worldly until curiousity won out, and I (blush) started clicking on the links to "tentacle sex". You'll have to find your own images, friends! I was uncomfortable looking at them, let alone including them in our blog...

               This is a a friendly tentacled creature. Smiling, cute and clearly uninterested in
                                           sexual relations with humans. This I like!

Some see porn, some see art. While some manga readers seek a kinder, gentler world; perhaps others need a place to unleash their inner demons? Interestingly, Japan is a very safe country with a low incidence of violent crimes against women. It is not at all unusual for a man to read extremely sexually graphic manga while sitting next to a schoolgirl on the subway.

Chances are the schoolgirl is lost in her own manga anyway....SHOGO MANGA is for girls. Look! It's Ichigo.....

Never fear! Ichigo ("Strawberry") will save the day!

"Tokyo Mew Mew" is a popular manga that has crossed the Pacific to be recently released as an animated YTV series called "Mew Mew Power". So the story goes, a girl called Ichigo ("strawberry") is infused with cat DNA during an earthquake at a science fair. Apparently she can now transform herself into a heroic "Cat Girl" who fights alien parasites that are trying to infect animals, turn them into monsters and....you guessed it, take over the world. Helping in the battle are her friend "Lettuce", who was exposed to the DNA of the finless porpoise at the same event...

                  The finless porpoise. The inspiration for a manga heroine named "Lettuce"....

                                              See the similarities? Nope, me neither.
Keeping with Sanbiki's blog's culinary theme, there are kitchen heroes too. Addicted to curry? You're not alone....

Sometimes I just don't get it. And maybe don't want to....

And on that note, we'll close the Sanbiki blogging book. For tonight anyway! Ideas always welcome, have a great week and hope to see you soon!

SUNOMONO

                                       Sanbiki's popular "Ebi Sunomono" with shrimp

Ah summer! The temperature rises, and so too does demand for cool and refreshing food. SUNOMONO fits the bill. Outside of Japan it is best known as a noodle salad in a vinagrette dressing. "Harusame" noodles made from yam are used. Rice noodles may be popular with westerners, but are rare in Japanese dishes. The most popular sunomono salads include cucumber, shrimp, seaweed and octopus or other seafood.

                     Crunchy octopus is a favourite sunomono item everywhere!
                                      
 In Japan, noodles are not usually involved, and sunomono is usually served as a small side dish with many other foods. The name "sunomono" refers simply to the food ("mono") and the fact that it is served with vinegar ("su") Any number of sunomono dishes exist depending on the season, the region, and the mood of the Chef. Vegetables are particularly popular and taste lightly "pickled" from the vinegar in the dressing.

Tosazu from Kochi in Japan

 Certain seafoods lend themselves well to sunomono style preparations. Octopus, squid and shrimp are common. Some areas use seasonal fish. Sardines are used in "tosazu", pictured above. This style of presentation is traditional. "Tosazu" is a specialty of Kochi in southern Japan. The area enjoys a good supply of katsuo (bonito). The tuna is dried and used to flavour the stock added to the vinegar dressing.

                        Seaweed and cucumber make healthy, tasty additions to sunomono
 
Two very basic recipes are the starting points for sunomono dressings. NI-HAIZU mixes two ingredients ("ni"=2) soy sauce and rice vinegar. SAN-BAIZU adds a third ingredient, sugar ("san"=3). Dashi (a Japanese stock made from dried tuna and seaweed) can be added, as with the "tosazu".

Sunomono is an excellent option for vegans and vegetarians as neither meat nor seafood is necessary as the main ingredient, nor  in the dressing.

Another popular Japanese salad is "GOMA AE". Outside Japan this is almost always served as a blanched spinach with a sweet sesame or peanut dressing. Actually, "goma" means sesame and "ae" means dressing. Other green vegetables such as asparagus, green beans or rapini are commonly served as "goma ae" dishes in Japan. Crushed sesame seeds, soy sauce and sugar are the main ingredients. Peanut sauce and creamy, overly sweet dressings overpower the veggies and are not preferred in Japan.

                  A prepared dressing (gomaae) mix. Mori Mori Grocery has similar products

Heard of soba, somen and/or unagi? They are a few Japanese summer favourites! Stay tuned for more, have a great week!

Kawaii!

                                                        CUTE!

The best definition I've heard of kawaii is, "you look at something that's kawaii and it's not just cute. It's not just something you love. It's something you want to protect." That from a professor of Japanese and American Pop Culture. Kawaii translates (basically) as "cute" and is pronounced like "ka-wai-yee" The high pitched squeal of a schoolgirl who has spotted a particularly kawaii object is an earsplitting, unforgettable experience....

Pretty much anything can be made cute....

"Kawaii" animals, aliens, milk bottles and more!

The roots of kawaii in Japanese culture can be traced back hundreds of years. As elsewhere, women were seen to be docile and gentle and society encouraged women to demonstrate these qualities. The modern "kawaii" takes the notion much further. Kawaii fashion and  her followers go to great lengths to accentuate a child like innocence and demeanour.

Too much? Kawaii loving girls think not!

Looking to dress for kawaii success? "How to be a kawaii girl" websites reccomend lots of colour, ribbons and hair pieces when choosing outfits. Use make up that accentuates your eyes, and always keep them wide open (especially for photos!) Cold compresses may help them look bigger too....Computer simulations offer the opportunity for girls (and boys?) to design their ideal kawaii persona/companion.... 

A kawaii character created in a computer simulation game  

While young women may be the driving force behing kawaii consumer goods, high end (and high cost) clothes and accessories are out there. Sanrio is the Japanese company making big bucks from Hello Kitty and a stable of other characters. They have cleverly teamed up with clothing and jewellery designers to produce some very cute, (not to mention very expensive) toys indeed.....

                           So Cute! For $8000, it should be....Please, Santa, pretty please?

HK diamond jewellery not  in this years budget? The opportunity to get up close and personal cozy with kawaii culture is still within your reach. Just a bus ride away.....

Setting your sights further ahaead? Book with a "kawaii" friendly carrier....

Kawaii doesn't have to be all sweetness and light....This critter appears to harbour a nasty streak...

Yikes...

We'll get back to culinary blogging and kitchen gossip in the next post...in the meantime, watch out for killer bunnies in kawaii costume!

DONBURI

The first part of DONBURI names usually indicate the tasty rice topping. "DON" refers to the method of delivery, the rice bowl. So Ten ("tempura") + Don (bowl) = TENDON!

Tempura veggies and or seafood over rice with a sweet and savoury sauce. TENDON, like other donburi are often eaten with a small vegetable side dish or salad and a bowl of miso soup (as below)

Beef ("gyu") is simmered with onions in a sweet soy based sauce to become GYUDON. A little salty pickled ginger gives the flavour a final kick.

KATSUDON
A Japanese take on a "schnitzel". A pork cutlet ("katsu") is breaded in a crispy breadcrumb ("panko") batter and may be served with tonkatsu sauce. The sauce is savoury with a hint of worcester and fruit. With katsudon, an egg is added in the final minutes of cooking and the dish is garnished with green or fried onions.

UNADON

Grilled or BBQ freshwater eel is "unagi". Pop a few thick slices onto a bowl of steaming hot rice and garnish with sansho (a Japanese peppery herb) Voila! UNADON...

 

OYAKODON

Many cultures (and thus cusines) have certain foods that are considered "taboo" to serve. One of the best known is the Jewish reference to "not boiling a kid in it's mothers milk". A "child" is never served alongside it's "mother". This is reversed in Japan. OYAKODON roughly translates as "mother and child" and consists of chicken cooked with egg, veggies and seasonings.

IKURADON is similar in the sense that slices of salmon sashimi are served with salmon roe over seasoned sushi rice.

Other "sushi bowls" include CHIRASHI, NEGITORODON and TEKKADON. Sushi rice is used instead of hot steamed rice and topped with raw fish and seafood. CHIRASHI often has tamago (omelette), unagi (eel) and veggies mixed in with sushi rice on the bottom, and is topped off with slices of mixed sashimi. Sanbiki's chirashi (below) is a customer favourite. 

NEGITORODON is made with fatty tuna (toro) and finely chopped spring onion (negi) Like other donburi, sushi bowls are popular "Grab and Go" meals for busy bodies.

TEKKADON has raw tuna (not fatty) that is sometimes marinated with soy, sesame or a spicy sauce before being put over rice. Finely cut nori (dried seaweed) garnishes the tekkadon below.

Unlike sushi or sashimi, no special etiquette or rules pertain to eating and enjoying donburi. Japanese people do not themselves pour soy sauce directly on to plain white rice but it may be added sparingly to donburi if desired. And of course never leave you chopsticks sticking straight out of the rice bowl. This is how offerings are presented to the dead!

 Instead rest your chopsicks on the rim of the bowl or on the "hashioki" (chopstick rest) that may be provided. If one is not provided in a restaurant, some Japanese will fashion their own from the chopstick wrapper....

 More soon! Enjoy DONBURI sit down at Sanbiki or visit Mori Mori for Grab and Go sushi and bowls. Made fresh daily!

NIGIRI SUSHI

 

NIGIRI is "piece" sushi, and it's quickly becoming as popular as sushi rolls ("maki sushi") outside of Japan. Small "fingers" of seasoned sushi rice are served with various toppings, usually raw seafood, but other items as well. This is a quick and dirty guide to some of the most popular nigiri sushi in Canada...

MAGURO refers generally to tuna. Tuna may be "red" (pictured below) as with bigeye, ahi or bluefin tuna. Bluefin is considered the "King of Tuna" but has been fished to the brink of extinction. Albacore tuna is a white tuna with a mild flavour and melt in your mouth texture.

 

                                               "Red" tuna served nigiri style

TORO is the fatty belly part of the tuna. It's sometimes served as NEGITORO with finely chopped green onion. Ordering TORO means paying a premium price! In Japan, there are several different "grades" of TORO depending on how much fat is present and the degree of marbling. 

 

 

                                                      Various cuts of TORO

SAKE. The pronounciation is almost the same as the alcoholic drink, but refers in sushi terms to raw salmon. Not a traditional "NETA" (topping) in Japan, salmon is usually served salted and grilled. Salmon served raw must be frozen to kill potential parasites. Fresh and seasonal fish is always preferred in Japan for sushi and sashimi, which is why salmon was not traditionally served raw. 

 

            Sockeye salmon nigiri is here cut "Tokyo" style, long thin slices of fish draped on the rice

 

EBI are cooked large prawns. AMAEBI are raw "sweet" prawns. EBI are very popular in western countries; AMAEBI are a Japanese favourite.

 

                               EBI are cooked prawns, AMAEBI are different species served raw

 

UNAGI is a BBQ freshwater eel served warm with a sweet and savoury "kabayaki" sauce (below left)

ANAGO is sea eel prepared in a similar fashion (below right) Both are rich and fatty and also popular served over steamed rice as DONBURI (rice bowls).

 

 

IKA is squid, usually just the "tube" is used at Canadain sushi bars but in Japan, "fairy" squid are small and served whole.

 

IKA

                                                       Fairy squid served whole

TAKO is octopus, usually blanched, to provide a crunchy and chewy texture at the same time. It has a mild flavour; similar to squid and cuttlefish. Depending on the Chef, it may be garnished with a hint of sauce.

 

TAI that is sold outside of Japan is rarely the red snapper that is held in high esteem at Japanese sushi bars. Instead, tilapia or other generally tasteless fish are sold as TAI or "white fish". Japanese Chefs will often "cure" true snapper in konbu (seaweed) overnight to infuse it with a subtle taste of the sea. When it is very fresh, a little of the skin is left on the fish.

                   Japanese TAI has a delicate flavour that is overwhelmed with too much soy/wasabi

HIRAME is flounder, fluke, or other kind of flatfish. Halibut is usually called OHYO. The meat taken from the edge of the flat fin is particularly prized and goes by the name ENGAWA.

HIRAME served garnished with herbs to accentuate the mild, slightly sweet taste

IKURA are salmon eggs, TOBIKO are flying fish roe and MASAGO the roe of capelin. They are all usually served "gunkan style". GUNKAN means battleship and alludes to the shape of the nigiri. UNI are sea urchin "gonads" (ovaries and/or testes!) and are also served gunkan style.

                      UNI served "gunkan" style. To add soy sauce, dip a piece of ginger in soy and then dab on the top of the nigiri. Don't dip gunkan sushi directly in soy sauce as it falls apart!

Scallops are HOTATE, served whole and they may be garnished with tiny TOBIKO (fish roe) to add a hint of saltiness to the sweet scallops. Chopped scallop is popular too, mixed with mayonaisse and tobiko.

                                                     Whole scallop sushi with TOBIKO

There are many hundreds, perhaps thousands of different types of NIGIRI! Even veggies, omelette and meats may be served as NIGIRI.

SOBA (buckwheat) sprouts served as NIGIRI

REMEMBER!

Soy sauce and wasabi are to be used sparingly. At a high end sushi bar in Japan the Chef may "instruct" you on how to eat his creations. He will likely add the necessary wasabi between the fish and the rice.

When dipping in soy sauce and wasabi, dip fish side down and just the edge of the fish (not rice first as the nigiri disintegrates!)

NIGIRI should go into your mouth fish side down this way the flavour and texture of the sushi can be fully appreciated.

Don't be afraid to ask your sushi Chef to recommend what he feels are the best available NIGIRI choices. OMAKASE means "the choice is yours" and in this case a Chef will decide your meal for you. OMAKASE is generally only available at true Japanese restaurants with professional Chefs. The budget for an OMAKASE meal usually starts around $50, but can go to hundreds more!

NIGIRI is usually ordered a few pieces at a time. A proper Japanese Chef may be offended if you order a large plate full and then leave it to dry out before eating! Also order lighter, delicate white fish first and then progress to more fatty/oily fish and/or strongly flavoured foods. TAMAGO is a sweet and savoury omelette that is sometimes ordered first in Japan to see how skilled the Chef is at preparing his dishes.

GARI is the pickled ginger that is served as a palate cleanser between different kinds of fish. It is not intented to be a "topping" for the sushi.

Use your hands! It is acceptable to eat nigiri and sushi rolls with one's hands. Sashimi (seafood or other items without rice) is always eaten with chopsticks. If you like to enjoy your NIGIRI in smaller bites, you can ask the Chef to cut the pieces in half.

More next time, until then eat and enjoy your NIGIRI!