Red daikon, red mochi.

A colorful version of the Chinese snack that is called in Japan daikon mochi and I can’t pronounce any of its names in Chinese dialects… Well, radish cake.

I washed and grated my red skin daikon radish. It’s white inside as usual.

I steamed the daikon. Added an equivalent volume of mochiko (sticky rice flour) with enough water to get it creamy. For flavoring : salt, chili pepper flakes, dry shiitake mushroom, fish flakes (skip for vegan version). And fried slices of garlic.

I steamed the cakes. Let them chill.

Then pan-fried cuts of very cold cakes in sesame oil. They become creamy inside, crispy around. The flower is a slice of raw daikon.

For sauce : sweet chili sauce + Bulldog Worcester style sauce.

Japanese garden creamy Winter soup

When it’s so cold inside, you need a soup every day. Yes, I wrote inside that’s not a typo, as outside the weather is mild, it’s Winter, but not freezing. In my place without heating, the day is just OK, but at night it’s a little chilly. So I put on a big sweater, my half-gloves and I get a bowl of good soup to warm me up…

It’s very quick to throw stuff in. Then, just let simmer a while. Today’s soup is a miso-minestrone. See the 3 steps at the end, but first let’s look at what is in it :

It’s full of season produce. Can you recognize them ?

Do you know that animal ? His name is taro. Well, he is a potato… and it’s usually called…

…satoimo here.

That’s the season of black soy bean kuromame. I had them boiled.

Some greens.

Shungiku, chrysanthemum leaves.

Kezuribushi, bonito fish flakes.

Koji-miso. There exist very different types of miso. The color depends on ingredients. The more rice, the whiter, the more soy, the darker. This one is light colored miso with a high content of fermented rice (komekoji), and it’s rough textured. Its taste is sweet and mild.

Step one : in some water, put to simmer some dry daikon radish skins (I keep them to make broth), a few peeled satoimo taros, a ts of pasted garlic, 2 tbs of tomato paste, a dry chili and a cup of boiled black beans with their broth. Let 20 minutes.
Step two : I made a 1/2 cup of neri-goma (tahini, white sesame paste), mixed it with a tbs of miso, a ts of fish flakes. I’ve diluted that in the soup and let 2 minutes on low heat.
Step 3 : pour the soup on shungiku greens, top with more fish flakes.
If you want it vegan, just don’t add the fish flakes, replace the topping with aonori seaweed flakes.

A step into Autumn adzuki beans

We’re stepping into Autumn seriously now. That seems late, I guess but that’s really from mid-November that the nature of Kansai takes its fire colors, and there are still many warm days.

I needed some red on the plate too. I restocked boiled azuki red beans. As usual, I made a ton and I froze portions.

I’ve eaten a serving just boiled, adding tomato sauce, Cayenne pepper.

Leaves… stalks of mini daikon. All that is warmed together.

And a few balls of cream cheese bring a refreshing contrast. Miam ! Miam !

Hijiki seaweed, kabocha…

A more Japanese meal today. Several small items compose it. There is nothing classic. I switched rice for fancy bread (but many Japanese do that) and it’s vegan, which is a rarity in this country.

Let’s start simple : kinudofu, creamy silky tofu with sweet chili peppers and green lemon.

I get these seaweed fresh, so I just need to rinse and cook. If you buy them dried (most Japanese grocers have them), you need to soak them about 20 minutes, use lukewarm water with a little honey or sugar for better result.

I fried cut red onion in a little oil, added the hijiki, stir-fried, then seasoned with a little shoyu soy sauce and sugar, simmered 2 minutes.
They can be served cold (like here) or hot.