Aka endo mame tortilla, and veggie plate

A nice plant-based brunch to enjoy season local produce.

Do you remember these aka endo mame red peas ? I soaked them and made this batter :

Adding hijiki seaweed, grated turmeric, chili pepper and soy sauce.

Cooked like a pancake. It’s possible to flip it, but it breaks when you fold it.

That’s it. On top, drizzles of balsamico sauce.

The red carrots of Kyoto.

Just grated them. They have a sweeter and fruitier taste than average carrots.

Leafy daikon radish.

Just steamed.

Big daikon. I cut, salted, let 30 minutes and rinsed.

Yuzu dressing : yuzu citrus juice, grated peel, salt and sesame oil.

Crunchy, yummy, filling…

Aka kabu tsukemono, red turnip

A quick veggie side for Japanese meals.

You already saw this red Kyoto turnip. I used one there. The other, I cleaned well, sliced the root, picked the leaves.

In salted water. I keep it covered, in the fridge. Good from the next day, for a few days.

After 3 days, the leaves.

The root.

Sara udon lunch

Sara udon with 3 greens.

空芯菜 kushinsai, water morning glory. It’s a South East Asia classic green. With the tropical weather we have now, they can grow it easily.

Green pea sprouts.

Kujo is the 9th Avenue, in Kyoto. They don’t grow them in the street now, but maybe 200 years ago. It’s one of the many Kyoto area original vegetables.

I’ve stir-fried ginger, onion, garlic, kujo negi whites and kabocha pumpkin. Then added ankake sauce. I’ve added the 2 greens at the end. That’s my sauce to pour on :

Sara udon.

First side : cabbage and cherry tomato salad, with sesame oil dressing.

Second side : silky tofu, to eat with soy sauce and minced greens of kujo negi.

Opening 2013 with a Kyoto style o-zoni soup

Akemashite omedeto ! Happy New Year ! Bonne année !
Well, I’m not too much into wish-wish, my first concern this year was as usual : What do we eat in 2013 !
Ozoni ! It’s explained here.

The classic Kyoto o-zoni is caracterized by its simplicity, elegance, traditionalism and refinement. Mine is even simpler than planned… I’ve forgotten to add tofu. It was still delicious.
Kohaku, red and white are the good luck color of New Year and this soup follows this color code.

Mochi. Ozoni is mochi.

Dainty soup with a base of Saikyo miso and a dashi broth of the finest hana-katsuo, flower bonito fish shavings. I had to cheat, I’ve added a little sake kasu.

Traditional seasonal veggies. Ginnan are the gincko tree’s nuts. Kyoto’s small taro satoimo and ultra-red Kintoki carrot.

The veggies are boiled separately as they don’t go well together. These small round mochi get soft by poaching them a few minutes in boiling or near boiling water. If you had a big mochi, you’d need to slice it.

Fill the bowl with a mochi, veggies, tofu if you have. Cover with broth and top with a mount of fish flakes. Take the photo quick as the fish flakes disappear like in moving sands.

Kyoto Kujo negi

That’s not cooking. Well, I eat every day, but I don’t always cook. Some meals are as simple as a bowl of rice.

And a few beans.

With Kyoto Kujo negi (Kyoto 9th avenue leeks), as they were cultivated there… a long while ago. It’s leeks with tender greens, not too harsh nor strong and that you can eat raw.